March 28, 2012

Full Circle ~ An Update

We've come full circle.
Austin began life as a heart patient.
And he is one again.

We had no idea that his condition was as serious as it is!
And we had no idea that it was his heart troubling him
rather than Crohn's Disease.  What a shock!

On Monday (the day after he was admitted),
he was transferred to the ICU at Children's hospital
due to a heart condition that we were unaware of.
He is currently still there.

As an infant, he had open heart surgery.
And now, his heart is enlarged.
Dangerously so.


~ Austin in 1996 ~

Crohn's Disease is on the back burner. It's secondary.
This particular heart condition is rare ~ Only 1:100,000.
And life-threatening. Scary.

One third of children who contract this malady die.
One third live with impaired heart function.
And one third recover completely.

We pray that Austin will be in the latter category.
But, if he is not, we know that ALL things work together
for good for those who belong to the LORD.
HE truly does all things well.  And we rest in HIS perfect plan.

Austin loves the LORD.  This is the most important thing.
Everything else pales in comparison.  It's first.
How precious it is to know that our son knows his destiny.
Such a comfort at such a time.

Please continue to pray.  The journey to come is a long one.
We will not have answers to all our questions for months at the earliest.
In the meantime, we live.  And we grieve.
But, we do not despair.  HE is giving grace and strength
outside of ourselves.

May the LORD help us to honour HIM day by day.
How gracious HE is to us!  We are so thankful to belong to HIM!
Thank you SO much for your prayers and for your concerns.
They are such a blessing to us all!  We know that the LORD
is in control of this storm.

"...the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
~ Nahum 1:3b ~

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble..."
~ Nahum 1:7a ~

Many Blessings to you each one!
In HIS Love, Camille

**The next post in this series is found by clicking here.
The third post is here.  The fourth post is here.

P.S. I am currently unable
to repay the visit to you at your place...
please know that I have not forgotten you!

27 comments:

Trisha said...

Continuing to pray for you and your son and your precious family, Camille! Thanks be to God for the many mercies He's already shown you. May you continue to praise Him in the midst of this storm, remembering the unfathomable depths of His love for you. I love you, dear friend.

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a shocking update indeed! We are continuing to pray for you all. God bless you.
Lisa

Ann at eightacresofeden said...

Dearest Camille,
I continue to uphold Austin in prayer and feel led to share with you my husband's story and how God brought him back from the brink. It is a miracle that he is here today. As a child he was very sick, gravely ill and spent a lot of time in hospital in an oxygen tent. He had rheumatic fever which affected his heart - this was just one of the conditions that afflicted him. He 'died' on four separate occasions and each time was brought back to life. People would say that the doctors revived him but we know that the Lord had a plan for his life and that at 18 after hearing the Gospel he would give his life to Christ when he stumbled upon a beach mission. The first Christian in his family for many generations. His parents were told that his heart would suffer permanent damage as a result of the rheumatic fever but that never eventuated. It was only after he had become a Christian that he saw how God had worked in his life, had been present with him in the hospital, choosing to heal his heart and preserve his life. I share this because I want to reach out from so far away and share encouragement and hope. I thank the Lord that Austin loves Him. He has that blessed assurance. How do people go through such times without the Lord? I cannot live one day without Him. I will be able to pray during your night hours due to the time difference so know that as you sleep someone is praying for Austin and for you all.

Unknown said...

Oh Camille!! {{{{{hugs}}}}} For *sure* I will be praying~ each time that I am tempted to worry about my heart procedure that is quickly approaching I will, instead pray for Austin and for all of you~ from my *heart*! I know, like you, that God is so sufficient, and I also know how very frail our "hearts" are, humanly speaking. So I will pray.... abundant grace, my dear friend, abundant grace.

Heather said...

Oh, Camille! I hold my son on my lap as I type, my eyes filled with tears, and I can't imagine the magnitude of what you are going through right now. May our Lord's peace surround you today as you make decisions and wait for answers. Austin will be the prayer of our family today and beyond.

Love to you.
Heather
xo

Lady Farmer said...

Praying!

You Can Call Me Jane said...

Thinking of you and your family, friend. Please keep us posted on what we can specifically be praying for (beyond healing and peace)....

Wanting What I Have said...

Praying...praying...praying. And sending our love across the miles. Rejoicing with you in a sovereign God Who intricately and intentionally knits us together...Who knows the beginning from the end...Who is good. Always, in all things. Love to all of you!

Chelle said...

Praying for you.

Cinnamon said...

I haven't been over to visit in a bit. Oh Camille, I am praying, for him, for you, for the Dr's.

"Lord your hands guide, they heal, the encourage, uplift and reveal what others cannot see. I pray for these things for Austin, for the Dr's. Guide them. Heal Austin's heart. Fully. Completely. I know you are with him. With them all. That they will seek you every step of the way. May you be there continual comfort and strength.Then you Jesus. Thank you thank you thank you!"

hugs and lots of love to you Camille~ Cinnamon

Bevy @ Treasured Up and Pondered said...

WOW!! We'll be thinking of you and praying...

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid...".

Patty said...

Oh, Camille. I am so sorry that your family is facing this. You are right ~ God is there for you ~ in every detail. I will be praying for Austin and your family.

Nadine said...

Dear Camille,

I cannot even begin to understand what you are going through, but I do know that I will continue to pray for Austin and your family!
Please let me know if we can help in anyway!
Take care my friend!

Love & Blessings!
~Nadine

Intentional Living Homestead said...

Oh dear God in heaven. We come before you on behalf of this wonderful family. We ask Lord if it be your will to heal Austin of this serious heart condition that is going on right now.

We plead before your throne for intervention. We ask that you give the doctors only wisdom that comes from you..as you created this special boy.

Please Father God wrap your arms around his family and give them strength for each and every moment.

We know you are the physician who heals. And so we ask for a miracle that only You can give.

We ask these things in the name of your son Jesus. Amen.

American Home said...

Camille, I hurt for you. We will continue to pray for Austin. He is on our prayer list at Church (Crossway Baptist). We have about 50 people who meet on Wednesdays just to pray for those who are in need. You can let Austin know that a lot of people in Oklahoma are praying for him.

God bless you,
Donna

Linda Stubbs said...

I have not been able to visit your blog......serving outside my home has not been easy......I miss out on so much. I am so so sorry....but I am so thankful to the Lord for the faith He is giving you as you live it out before all of us. Precious Momma you are sweet friend. I will put you in my prayer sand your sweet boy! Thankful for the care he is receiving.......that makes a world of difference.

I will keep coming and checking on what our Amazing God is doing on behalf of your family! He hasn't left you and never will......course you know that, but it is nice to be reminded in the middle of the storm!

Love to you, Linda

Heather@Cultivated Lives said...

Camille, I am lifting up your dear son. Praising God that He has his heart - both spiritually and physically - in His ever capable hands.

May God grant peace during this time and touch your son in an amazing way.

I will continue to lift him up in prayer. Thanks for the updates.

Patrizia said...

Camille, I have not been reading blogs, but the Lord stopped me here. Your post is the only one I have read in months. My heart is over whelmed, Im crying here with you. Im praying & praying. If I could make it all go away.... Dear sister in Christ, "when my heart is over whelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He knows all of our tears, each one. Psalms says that he holds them in a bottle. Your bottle is full, my heart aches for you right now.

You dont know me, Camille, but I am praying for all of you, each & everyone. May the Lords grace & strength get you through. He knows! He knows!

Patrizia

Jill said...

Camille,

I am in tears reading this as not only a mother but as a friend. I cannot even begin to imagine what you and your family are going through. I am praying so hard right along with you and I just know through prayer and positive thinking he will pull through this. I'm thankful that the Dr's caught it before it was too late. Please keep me posted and email me at any time. If there's anything I can do please let me know.

Blessings,
Jill

PippaDavies said...

Dear Camille my friend,
My heart goes out to you and your poor Austin. Thank you for your amazing faith and trust in the Lord. I know that God will keep you and your family safe in His hands. He is the one and only father who can keep us safe! I am praying that you will continue to be held so closely in His arms, that you will surrender all your fears and that you will be able to find rest amidst this struggle. Please send Austin our love and prayers to fight the good fight! As a school we are all praying for him and wish we could give him a physical hug, but cyberhugs will have to do. Matt sends lots of boy hugs and says he is praying for Austin daily. God Bless xx Pippa

Lisa said...

My heart hurts for you and your family right now. I will continue to pray for Austin, and for all of you.

Sandy said...

Dear Camille,
Our prayers and our love go to you and your family. We are praying for Austin daily. Indeed, praise the Lord that Austin knows and loves the Lord. May you continue find strength and peace in our gracious God. Thinking about you always.
In His Grace,
Sandy

Janice Nikkel said...

Camille, my friend asked her facebook friends to pray for Austin today. I quickly learned this was the same Austin who played hockey with Lincoln. Your Austin. I will pray for you all as you walk this journey. God is faithful even when life doesn't make sense. . . and this just makes no sense. We're cheering for Austin!

Camille said...

My Sweet Friends ~ I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love to our family at this time. The LORD has encouraged our hearts in so many ways! Your sweet comments and prayers are such a great blessing to us at this most trying of times! We sense the LORD's people praying and that HE is carrying us through!! We praise HIM for HIS Goodness. Thank you EACH so much for taking the time to leave us a note here and for your prayers for our precious Austin...they mean SO much!!

With Love,
Camille

P.S. I do hope to get back to replying individually soon...but, at the moment I cannot. Thank you for understanding and for your friendship. :)

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

O, Camille. I'm so sorry. I will be praying for you. I pray that God would heal him completely. So glad that you know what it is and he is being treated for it.

Isn't it funny, what once we thought was such a trial (Crohn's) is now secondary to this life-threatening condition? I feel the same way in my situation. The things that I thought were a big deal are really not as big as I thought they were when you come up against a mountian that will not be moved except by the hand of God.

I pray that God would give you peace, perspective, purpose, provision and protection as you go through this.

Love you,
Stacie

hmschlmomof4 said...

Our family is praying for yours and for your dear son Austin. We pray for wisdom for the doctors. We pray for God's strength for each of you and His peace too.

Love,
Natasha and family

Camille said...

Thank you so much Stacie and Natasha!
God truly is Good. We praise Him.

Many Blessings,
Camille