Sarah’s paralysis began to pass after about 24 hours. We have seen this pattern several times now but this never gets any easier. It is so very painful for Sarah and emotionally scary and heartbreaking for all of us.

Returning home to the sweet love of Alice Eloise was an immense blessing. Those two little pups are truly lost without one another. Alice slept with Grandpa while Sarah was away but woke him in the night to go look for her, staring into her room and checking by the fireplace in hopes of finding her Mommy. Although Alice was thrilled to see Sarah, she instinctively knew that this was a time for very gentle love, and that is exactly the welcome home that Sarah received. The two cuddled and rested all evening.

This morning we are feeling overwhelmed. Once Sarah’s paralysis subsided, it became apparent that her “good” arm is now seriously impaired. She is unable to bend the elbow and her fingers are wanting to clinch up, much like her right side. We realize that we must be very proactive in addressing this as the impact is clear. We have contacted Sarah’s palliative care doctor in Cincinnati in hopes of going there because our options in St. Louis are not good. This presentation is dystonia/RSD like, and we are hoping that there may be some intervention to help.

While we sort all of this out, we are blessed, in awe, and thankful for God’s provisions. When Sarah was only seven years old, she grabbed the hands of the new girl at school as the class walked across the church parking lot to the Library. Sarah said to Amy, “let’s be friends” … and that as they say was that. Amy’s mom Donna just happens to be an amazing occupational therapist, and she has offered to come to the house to work with Sarah. Is God (and those He places in our life for love and support) not awesome!

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

For now, because of her arms, Sarah will not be able to post on her blog or participate in social media. I am certain that this will only be temporary as Sarah is a very resourceful and courageous girl and is already finding modifications to adapt. Last night she managed to read on her Kindle, using her nose to turn the page, all the while playing a somewhat pitiful game of fetch with Alice Eloise. Even though Sarah is unable to type right now, please continue to send your loving messages and comments. She could really use the encouragement, and we will be certain to read them to her. I will try to provide updates, but I can assure you that they will be a sorry substitution in contrast to Sarah’s creativity.

This is a picture of Sarah Kate and Alice Eloise taken a few days before this hospitalization, along with the message shared on their Instagram account. I thought it was cute and a happy way to end this post.

“Happy Sunday, friends! Could you please say a prayer for my mommy? She has to have surgery to get a new central line tomorrow morning. One of the few places that I am not allowed to go with my mama is the operating room… So please pray that those doctors do a good job taking care of her while I am not around to help!”

We now must move on and work toward getting Sarah’s arm back to normal. Alice Eloise can’t wait until her Mommy is better and can again play Frisbee Fetch.

Thanks for caring and for all of the prayers.