Yes, He's Home... But...

Yes, Dempsey is, in fact, home. Praise the Lord!! He is currently taking up space on our couch partaking of Wall-E. It is a beautiful thing. We are grateful to God for this provision and for bringing Dempsey to this place from the pit of despair we fell into on April 3rd.

On the drive home Little Dude said "I like being free from hospitals." Us too, kid. Us too.

He is really missing brother, too. Every 5 minutes Dempsey asks "So, when is Sawyer going to come?" I'm trying to be gracious in my answering but it's hard when he has no concept of time. Sawyer, bless his heart, is having fun with friends right now. He will return home later this evening, post-dinner. I love that Dempsey misses Sawyer because it means he loves him.

So, we're home. However, things are nowhere near back to normal. Dempsey cannot walk unassisted right now. His legs have sadly (and temporarily) lost muscle mass and strength. Right now he can hear neighbor friends playing in their backyard and he can't go play with them like normal. He told me "I miss Mikey and Bee." It breaks my heart that he has to remain in this bubble and make do with life this way. We know this is temporary but it doesn't make the right now any easier. We will most likely create a makeshift urinal for his bedside during night time so that he can handle going pee by himself. We feel that he would be able to make that work with little chance of getting hurt or frustrated. He is able to stand and lean against his bed and climb back in- which is more about leaning strategically than actually climbing. He can't dress himself right now either. It takes more strength and coordination than he has at present. Again, this is temporary but it is a painful reminder of the vitality he embodied just a few short weeks ago. We have a ways to go to reach normal again, but we will... HE WILL.

We will have LOTS of doctors appointments. It's overwhelming when I think about just how many, so I try not to do that. Just one week at a time. One day at a time. This is super hard for the planner in me! It gets worse when I think about what all those appointments mean for Dempsey. Some require anesthesia. Most require "accessing his port"- this is where they stab him with that needle to draw blood, give chemo, trans/infuse.

Visitors will be kept to a minimum simply for his safety. Rest assured, we love you all! We wish everyone could come party at Kenagyville but that is just not possible. We must be super selective with our germ friends for awhile. His body recognizes our germ family here but germ friends his body isn't as familiar with, as loving as they are, pose a very real threat. Please bear with us during this time. It will take a long time before you see Dempsey at Target or church.

Communication is open, alive, and welcomed. Please do not feel that you need to watch/ read from a distance. You can call. You can email. You can text. You can remain at a distance. For me (Coral) communication is a good and therapeutic thing. If I don't respond right away I will respond when I can. If I don't have the answers to your questions I will tell you. I've never been afraid of saying "I don't know the answer to that right now but I can try to find out."

We are still in the process of figuring out the how to acquire this special tricycle for Dempsey. A wise contact suggested we speak to our CHOC social worker and see if this couldn't be fulfilled through our insurance, or at least partially paid for by insurance. I left a message for our social worker and am waiting to hear back. Meanwhile, I have filled out and submitted the forms needed for the organization who helps families get these trikes. The cost is up there. The need is valid. The case has been made.

Needs:

• PRAYER
  Pray against fevers
  Pray against infections
  Pray against frustration
  Pray for increased strength and mobility
  Pray for courage
  Pray against pain/ discomfort
  Pray against negative side effects
  Pray for health and vitality
  Pray for higher ANC levels that maintain
  Pray for our strength as parents
  Pray for our marriage
  Pray protection over Sawyer (all facets of life and person)
  Pray that family and friends would understand the new normal
  Pray for continued support
  Pray that we will always be salt and light to this new world we are a part of
  Pray that hearts will be touched by Dempsey's journey
  Pray that we can always keep a hope-filled perspective
  Pray that insurance and the financial elements of this journey fall in line without hiccups or crazy drama
  Pray that we would be wise and discerning regarding the administrative side of this journey- organized, on top of things
• Meals
  It would be wonderful if we could get 2-3 homemade, organic meals per week. We were thinking those would be particularly helpful on days we have an appointment for Dempsey. If you are interested in coordinating this please visit the Got Questions? post, fill out the form, and I will get in touch with you.
• A short list of personal assistants
  Ex: someone to recycle our bottles/ cans, run errands for us (grocery, etc), someone to sit with Dempsey & Sawyer so Jake and I can have a date.
  If you want to be on this list, please visit the Got Questions? post, fill out the form, and I will get in touch with you.

We love you! We value you! We need you! We pray for you! We give thanks to God for you!