First twenty four

I brought Ben to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Wednesday the 17th for what we thought was a "baseline" MRI and CT scan of his heart. As a child with Williams Syndrome and having had heart surgery as an infant, we have been constantly monitoring his heart and artery health, so we expected this to be one more insight into their condition.

Insight we got, and it has led to a several day wait in the hospital while surgery is scheduled to open a nearly blocked coronary artery.

This is our second stay in a Children's Hospital, our first being in Los Angeles 14.5 years ago when Ben was first diagnosed with a critical heart condition and then Williams Syndrome. These hospitals are fantastic, from the kid-friendly facility to the highly skilled and caring nurses, doctors and surgeons. Chicago is also a teaching hospital, so there are crowds that regularly form around the beds of patients.

Ben, with his charming personality, makes permanent friends during these stays, and I expect nothing less from our next weeks of time spent in Children's.

These are anxious times because one never knows what surgery like this will entail, nor how it will turn out, but we're confident he's in the best of medical hands.

We're also so deeply grateful for family, friends and Christian sisters and brothers around the country and world who are already joining us in prayer. God will provide the strength, peace, and healing for the days ahead, and we appreciate the intercession and encouragement from each of you.

I will try to add some thoughts to this blog as we move through this process. The blog can be a little more extensive than facebook or twitter, where you'll still get the shorthand version of immediate updates on our journey.