Support Josiah

Holding On

This past Friday, it became clear Josiah was very off. His self injury and aggression increased to the point where it was happening every few minutes. And, by Saturday, Jeremy, myself, and one of our support staff were all three having to care for Josiah at the same time. Meltdown after meltdown. He was obviously in pain. Saturday night Josiah woke twice in the night pounding his head against the floor. In the early hours of Sunday morning, I emailed our pediatrician. Dr. Mertz emailed me back within an hour. He was on vacation, and he emailed me back with instructions on what we should do. How many doctors would do that? I cannot sing his praises enough. Even when he doesn't have answers, he is always there to help. And that makes us feel less alone in a very isolating situation. 

Sunday proved to be almost as hard as the others days. My mom stayed with me in the morning since Jeremy had to teach in Sunday School. But, by the time Jeremy got home with the kids, it became obvious that Josiah would have to be seen by a doctor that day. Mama drove, and Jeremy and I sat in the back with Josiah to keep him calm. Sitting in the doctor's office was excruciating. We are thankful that the nurses expedited things as fast as possible. Thankfully, Josiah's ears appear to have healed. We believe his allergies are terrible, and the pediatrician that cared for him thinks that the two months of antibiotic use have irritated his lower GI tract. We sent some lab work off to be tested to determine what may be going on. We stopped antibiotics on Sunday and started Josiah on some probiotics. By Monday, he was much improved. Not perfect, but markedly better. And today (Tuesday) he has only had two significant episodes of self injury thus far. We are almost to lunchtime so there is still a lot of day ahead of us, but we are praying that Josiah continues to improve.

Therapy Pool Progress! We are so excited!

The pediatrician that examined Josiah asked us if we really felt like we could handle his severity of behaviors, and asked whether we should consider admitting him to the behavioral unit of a psychiatric ward. I only tell you this by way of explaining how significant these "low points" can be for Josiah. It is scary. But we know that God gives grace for each and every moment. Trust me, it doesn't always feel this way. But, none the less, it is the truth. His grace has ALWAYS proved sufficient. Jeremy and I have one desire. We want to care for Josiah in our home for the rest of his life. That requires holding on. Holding on to our faith and the promises God has made us. Holding on to each other during times that have ripped other couples apart. Holding on to our family and doing our best to make sure we are all ok. And holding on to hope. 

Electrical installed for the therapy room!

This fundraiser has given us HOPE! Hope that Josiah will find comfort and calm in his therapy room and therapy pool. And Hope that, when the days turn dark, we will be able to keep him safe and at home with us. Thank you to those who have invested in Josiah and in our hope. 

We are Holding On.

Because of His grace,
Christy