Chrissie Update 4/20, 12:40AM

Chrissie is alive.  She's now in PICU on life support machines in a medically induced coma.  We got to see her and visit with her cardiac surgeon and cardiologist.  The entire medical care team has stayed by Chrissie's side for over 14 hours, and they've prayed continuously over our precious baby girl.

We were told that Chrisse was dead for 20 minutes.  May God receive ALL of the glory for bringing her back to life.  She's currently being kept alive by machines.  They don't know what (if any) damage to her brain and organs occurred when she was dead for 20 minutes.  They are keeping her body temp at 92 degrees to help decrease brain activity since she was dead for a while.  The team of doctors and nurses are the very best, and they love Chrissie so much.

Chrissie is intubated and there's a machine doing her breathing and another keeping her heart working.  They do believe that Chrissie's heart has the ability to work on its own, but her left lung (which is her only "good" lung) is completely filled with fluid, which won't allow any blood to enter to be oxygenated or remove carbon dioxide.  Her CO2 levels were 3 times what they should have been, which is toxic. 

I asked Dr. Porisch to tell me what to ask you all to pray for.  She said to ask The Great Physician to clear out her lungs to enable blood to flow to them and for Him to allow everything to function properly.  Right now the problem seems to be the lungs more than the heart.

Chrissie is very sick.  She died today and was gone for 20 minutes.  God brought her back.  Nothing can be predicted right now.  Dr. Porisch is staying overnight with Chrissie.  Matt and I are sleeping on the floor in the PICU waiting room.  God surrounded us with sweet friends to pray with us and comfort us.  We are in the Best Hands possible, as is Chrissie.

We were told that it's likely she will decline over the next 6-12 hours, so please continue to pray wholeheartedly during the next 12 hours.  They've left her chest open for the night, and probably over the next few days.  She is bleeding more than she was after her first surgery.  They have her chest packed with guaze to absord the blood, plus she has 3 tubes to drain everything.  She is very sick.  They are having a really hard time getting another IV started; don't know if they've accomplished that yet.  (Her cold body temp couple with her hard to stick body is making it extra difficult to get a new IV started.) 

I am remembering God's rainbow He gave me and clinging to my belief of His Healing Hand on Chrissie's heart and lungs and body.  He is our Jehovah Rapha, our Healing God.  We love Him dearly and trust His sovereignty wholeheartedly. 

I took a few photos of Chrissie tonight because I'm clinging to the hope that she'll walk out of her a living testimony to God's miracles that are alive and active today.  The photos are hard to look at, but I pray that when our King of Kings restores Chrissie's health, she will dance her way out of this hospital.