Packing

Wow what a day. Celina is struggeling since yesterday with a little bit of constipation and I am busy trying to sort this out. We really don't need this. My poor husband is not feeling well either since last night and anyway everybody around us seems to get sick. Hey, any germs touching Celina, myself or anybody around us will die on contact in Jesus name. Amen.

And what is going on outside? Thought the wind was good for getting the washing dry but it is not very helpful if one has to run out all the time and pick up the washingstand again because the wind is blowing it over.

Besides all that. I started packing. What a strange feeling packing your belongings and still not knowing where we will go to. And on top of it having a feeling of piece that goes past all understanding. These are our last 3 days in our little humble a home. I wonder if Celina is feeling it. Since yesterday she is just not herself anymore..... no laughter, nothing.

And there is good news too..... our internet fundraiser for Celina is lifting up into really amazing directions and I am so blown away how giving people are. Everytime I get an email about a payment I am in tears and goosebumps. God is good and "He supplies all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."(Phil 4:19)
Praise the Lord.

Ok,....5 days left to admission into hospital. We are going in on Tuesday at 8 am. And our little girl is so special they are going into theate on Wednesday with two orthopadic surgeons. TWOOOOOO.
Actually three .... two from the human side and the best surgeon in the wold is coming too .....GOD.
So what can go wrong there????..........NOTHING. Because if God is for us who can be against us.

Pre check-up

I dropped Celina off at the physio's rooms and quickly went to sort some stuff out that I usually do when Celina is at school. Then we had lunch at the hospital restaurant which is usually not in the budget but hey I am earning a little salery since July and some now and again one must spoil oneself. Right??? Then to Dr Lund for the pre check up. When Dr Lund came out of his room to call us in he ask Celina for a smile and guess what she gave him one. Somebody say again she is not reacting. Ja, right.
After checking lungs, stomach, ears, eyes, nose and throat and pulse we were off again. Down the hallway I suddenly thought weren't we supposed to go for bloods??? I turned around and went back and yes of cause we were supposed to. We got our form and went downstairs to Pathcare.

This daughter of mine is unbelievable. When I pushed her in the room to take the bloods she was laughing when they put that band around the arm she just had one sharp look at it and at the nurse but then started laughing again, a short fright when the needle went in and straight back into an outburst of laughter.........only Celina, my brave girl.

Now we are waiting for the bloodresults at home. Otherwise everything is great. Healthy child through and through.  Thank you Lord!

The count down starts

Tomorrow we are going to our pediatician for the pre-checkup. Which also means some pricking of arms for blood. But my girl is great with that, no problem, no crying. She is really brave and still smiling and laughing.

I just send out a fundraiser and had already the most amazing reactions. Wow.

And then we got 6 days to go, to find a new accomodation. Countdown number 1.     6..........
Count down number 2 is for the surgery. And that's 9 days to go.     9.........

I don't know what to say, besides....... God is good ..... we will get a beautiful accomodation this week and the surgery will be a great success.
And that is where I leave it and believe it........and receive it.

Thank you Lord

By the way this all is just a short version of the story. If you want to read the whole story what amazing things God has done in our lives in this last 11 years you unfortunately have to wait til my book is done.

The days at home before surgery

Wow keeping Celina out of crowded areas is not easy. When do I go shopping, and do things I need to do? Ma is a big help but to bring Celina to Ma everytime I need to go to a shop is a shlepp. Anyways like things always go something must happen. I am supposed to keep Celina out of crowded areas because of the infection risk. She must not get sick before the surgery. I don't know if it is helping??? She was fine with a normal school life and all, now at home she has a swollen eye. I do not know if this is a moskito bite or some other stuff in the eye. Well, we just pray and tell that thing to leave Celina's eye area, in Jesus name. Amen.

Otherwise time seems to just run away and so we have not even 2 weeks left until the surgery. And only 1 1/2 weeks to get out of our accomadation and still no place to go to. But God never leaves us, never left us and will never forsake us. So I am exited to see where we are going to.

The surgery and what's happening in our lives

Finally I got a date for the surgery. It's going to be the 5. December but Celina might be admitted already on the 3. December just to make sure everything is ok. It is surposingly a 6 hour op. But with our God you never know. We keep on praying that those femurs pop in back into the sockets, the NEW sockets all by themselves.

Lets see what is happening in our lives else. In June we had to leave the house we rented for 6 years. Let me not get into that it is just too nasty. Then a wonderful woman from my support group let us stay in the back of her house in a seperate entrance which is really small just one small room with a little shower and toilet. I was cooking outside for the last 6 month. Don't worry feels like camping.
Our insurance case for Celina's accident has made some major steps forward and we are hoping to see the end still this year which would give the whole situation a major boost. On the 2. December we have to be out of our current accommodation because the whole house is rented out for the holidays.
Whereto now??? Well, God knows. It's 3 weeks to go. Something will come up. God never leaves nor forsakes us.
And then I will be staying at home with Lini until the surgery. Had to take her out of school which she is attending since April because of infection risk. She must just be kept healthy for the surgery.
Only on Fridays she goes to "Ma's house". And Mommy goes earning some bucks for 2 hours helping disabled young adults doing some crafts. It's fun and even I learn some new crafts. And for me it counts as me time, something I do without Celina.

Clint started walking in the vinyards of Groot Constantia. Mostly with his mom sometimes his brother and sister in law are going to. Keeping fit or maybe better getting fit and then later keeping fit. And also loosing a bit of weight. I went with him on Sunday. And Celina too. Here are some photos of our outing. See also the profile pic.

Celina's life story

Hello to everybody who is following this blog. I decided a while ago to do this but never got to it. Here now is Celina's blog, well our blog because Celina's story is our story.

Celina was born in 2001 already with a little bit of drama. Well, actually the drama began already by trying to concieve her. We tried over a year and nothing happend. Half the church and our family was praying already. Then the visions and pictures and words started coming. And I conceived our beautiful daughter in April 2001. We were extatic. I had the most beautiful pregnancy feeling that little baby growing in my womb having no feeling of sickness what so ever. I was walking, swimming and being a part of our young adults "Jabez" right through and also straight after birth. So you can say Celina was surrounded by worshipmusic and God's word all the time.

Then after Christmas I was surposed to have my next check up on the Monday but my Gyni had a meeting on that day. So all the appointments were rescheduled forward. But mine was changed to the Friday before because someone had canceled. And this was a miracle. When I came to my appointment the doctor gave me the shocking news that I had to go over to the hospital for an emergency ceaserian section. Clint was not at work (Hotel) but out with the limo to fetch something for a guest. And usually he wouldn't have his cell phone on at work. But this day he forgot to put it off and just as he wanted to put it of it rang. I got hold of him. Another miracle. He raced the limo back to the hotel and got into our car to race to the hospital( a different kind of racing from Mercedes to Tazz).

I was still not happy with the ceaser. I wanted a natural birth. Anyway that didn't happen. After the birth Clint went with Celina while the doctor got me all closed up again and send me up to the ward where I was waiting for my little girl. Oh wow holding her having her latch was just amazing. She looked anything else but newborn. She looked just amazingly gorgious. Then Clint went with her to be bathed and the Doctor came in to talk to me. He new I was very upset that I could not have a natural birth. He told me I had pre-eclamsia and the placenta was dead already. Sooooo, if I had my appointment as originally scheduled one of us or both would have been dead. ANOTHER MIRICLE...... A BIG ONE.

Celina 1 hour old, her very first bath.

 2860g, 53cm, born on the 28.12.2001, time 14.43

Now Celina was growing up a healthy and happy child. And I mean really healthy, no colds, no flues, not even a runny nose, eating as healthy as can be. We went every weekend into mountains with with her. First in the backpack then she started walking by herself. With the age of 2 she did not want to go in the backback at all anymore. She walked up to one and a half hour at a time and then after a picknick the whole way back. There was no way to get her into the backpack or even carry her up a whole lot of stairs. She wanted to do it her "ownself". She grew up with German and English and loved puzzles. She was well known in church for running with a little gold flag with Daddy holding a huge Jesus banner. She was full of smiles always laughing very seldom crying but if she did it was really difficult to stop her.

at Cape Point 2 years old

in the mountains with mom and dad 2years and 2 month old

 

A little stuborn and strongheaded ....people say just like mommy. Haha.

In July 2004 Celina fell into a swimming pool and was without heartbeat, pulse or breathing for about 35-40 minutes. Her heart started beating again and she spent 3 month in hospital, lost her speech and her mobility. She was admitted for another 3 month in hospital in 2005 with immense spasms. She progressed amazingly going from being on a feeding tube to oral eating and drinking, from heavy medication to NO medication at all, from blank vision to focusing following and smiling and even laughing and so much more.

I love horseriding almost 4 years old

I smile again and for that uncle doc had to give my mommy a bottle of champain 3 1/2 years old

just being gorgeous about 4years old

 

She hasn't been sick for about 4 years. Then she started being in terrible pain, until the beginning of last year(2010) where we discovered her terrific food intolerances which caused us sleepless nights due to Celina experiencing terrible tummy cramps which continued over months. There was really a little variety of foods that she could still eat. Then in May 2010 we on top of everything else found out by doing an x-ray that Celina's hipps were dislocated on both sides. Celina then spent 4 weeks in hospital mostly intensivecare in Germany during our time while attending my father’s funeral and seeing family. The stay in hospital there gave us quite a harsh interruption on top of what was already going on. She had rabdomyolysis which is a muscle breakdown which is transported through the bloodstream that can cause major and complete damage to the kidneys resulting in kidney failure. Once again we were fighting for her life and won the fight.

Having an EEG done 9 1/2 years old

Germany Hospital getting ready for another transport to a bone scan. 9 1/2 years old

After this experience our daughter was very different. NO Crying anymore, NO Cramps, NO Startles (seizure activity) and all in all very quiet.

Then in December she started with a mild lung infection and we could not get rid of it. She got worse and started cramping again. On the 22. Feb this year we had to admit her to hospital. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, Helico bacter, a bacteria causing stomach ulcers, a loaded colon and immense stiffness after massive spasms caused by the great pain she went through. After performing another food intolerance test we received almost the same results as the previous year, just a little better, yet we were still not able to give her most of the main foods. Due to her stiff body she received physio and because of having lost so much weight, down to 16,5 kg, she was then put on tube food for a while.

We needed to put her back on desposable nappies for the reason that the washable ones caused her to get bad bedsores. We also had to cope with a hairline fracture on her right tibia right below the knee. We ended up with another 3 month of hospital with reacuring lung infections and the threat of the lower lobe of her right lung having to be cut off. On the 13.May she was discharged, still having her lungs not right, however being put on chronic antibiotics and a nasal gastric tube which had to be changed once a week at the hospital. We were happily at home again and started a whole regime of therapies at home. Thankfully this is covered by our medical aid. Celina was started on a row of different foods again and with great success. She put on 7 kg and looked so much better. Then on the 22 of June the great suprise for everyone came especially the doctors. We went for an x-ray of Celina's lungs and they were completely clear and healthy. She is now of f the antibiotics and doing very well. Praise the Lord. On the 8. July came the next set back. Celina broke her right femur just above the knee. She had a cast put on but had to go back after one week. The bone had slipt and needed to be fixed with 3 pins and a new cast was put on too. After only 3 weeks the pins had to be taken out because of super fast healing and they put another cast which was on for another 3 weeks.

After this setback we needed to get her standing to strengthen her bones again and help to get rid of her Osteoporosis.

 

Standing on her 10. Birthday

Standing almost on her own

With prayer and faith we are going forward every day. Celina was in December 2011 standing for up to 20 minutes in a standing frame and a healthy and happy child again.

In January 2012 something happened in her pelvis or with her legs and it was over with the standing and she has increasing pain and started in June again with reflux. We might have to go for a hip surgery to get her femurs back into the hipsockets. This is quite an invasive op. I am not willing to let my daughter any longer suffer. I know God has healed her already but if my faith is not developed enough to have God manifest the healing I am willing to go the medical way, just to stop her suffering and give us back a life worth living. In all this Celina is the most amazing girl and still smiling and laughing and looking most gorgeous.

weekend at Koggelsbaai Oct 2012

Lina at school Sep 2012

After getting a second, third and fourth opinion on Celina’s hips we went back to our orthopedic surgeon and did an MRI which wasn’t too bad and showed two miracles on top of it. Celina’s sockets(acitabuli) are completely normal again. And no word about osteopenia(ostioperosis) anymore.

The downside is that the head of the right femur has a little bit of demage as well as the cartlage theroff. The doctor said that with this there is a risk of the femurs coming out again. Hey but that is not God’s prognosis.

Wow. But Celina is still going in for an op in the next couple of weeks to relocate the femurs into the sockets. This is still a major step and not knowing if we still have a medical aid next year we are having to do some fundraising to cover the post operative care costs. The doctor said this is more important then the op to make this a success. On the other hand this means we can’t push the op to January and will be with Celina in Cast up to just above the waist over Christmas. We will manage and still have a great Christmas remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus. And then also Celina’s birthday on the 28. December.

We are believing for complete healing. And we will go in the moutains and walk again.