Harper's lungs

odd title, yes. who is Harper, and what do their lungs have to do with anything? let me tell you a story. meet one of the sweetest families I have ever had the privilege of taking care of:

these are the Grigsbys: Dustin, Amy, and their precious two year old twins, Eli and Landon. the boys were born a couple of months early back in 2008, and I got to take care of them almost every night that I worked while they were in the hospital.

fast forward: Amy found out several months ago that she was expecting a little girl...so exciting! but then they discovered some very scary, not at all exciting news...Miss Harper, who has not even emerged into the outside world yet, is already in the fight of her life.

Harper was diagnosed with HRHS...Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. In short, the right ventricle (which pumps blood to the heart to be oxygenated) and some of the valves and vessels between it and the lungs are too small...hypoplastic. In the intervening months, there have been dozens of doctor visits...Amy's regular OB appointments, visits with the high risk pregnancy doctors, and visits with a pediatric cardiologist. Multiple blood flow studies have been done on baby Harper's tiny heart. Dozens of images have been taken of the structure of her heart. It's been a roller coaster for all of them.

Yesterday, Amy was admitted to the hospital in Lubbock where I used to work. Earlier this week, her appointment shower that Miss Harper is continuing to not grow like she should be, and her lungs are not as developed as they should be, which is a problem for a little one with a heart defect. Her doctor allowed her to go home after that appointment, but she was expected at the hospital yesterday so that an amniocentesis could be done and a new plan could be formulated. The amnio showed that Harper's lungs are, indeed, not near where they should be. They will be talking with the high risk pregnancy doc today (Sunday) to see where to go from here. for more details, check out Amy's blog here.

So...please pray.

Pray for Amy...that God would give her peace and courage, and that she will continue to hope in Christ and be confident of His hand on this sweet little life inside her.

Pray for Dustin...that God would comfort him as well, and give him the strength to lead his family and trust in you for provision.

Pray for Eli and Landon...that they will be comforted in the days ahead when their mommy and daddy will be away from them, be it working or spending time with Miss Harper while she is in the hospital.

Pray for all of the doctors and nurses involved in Amy's (and later, Harper's) care...for wisdom and guidance, and to follow God's prompting to investigate further hen they can't put a finger on it, but know that something seems not right.

And please, please pray for Miss Harper...pray that she continues to grow. Pray for continued optimal blood flow through her heart. And pray for growth and maturity...in Harper's lungs.