Prayer for Kirk Schneeman's Family

Kirk, a member of this blogging team, has had a tough summer. His daughter Rachel hurt her foot in a three-legged race at camp, and what should have been a quick heal has turned into a nightmare. Following is a prayer email I received from Kirk.

Dear friends and family,

Words cannot express our gratitude for your prayers, visits, gifts, cards, and support. We are doing our best to reply to all of the e-mails and phone calls, but it is truly overwhelming (in a good way!). We feel SO loved. God is doing amazing things in and through this horrible experience. It is hard to describe, but we sense God's presence in a deeply profound way. Prayer works!

Rachel continues to be in tremendous pain and immobility, though she is making incremental progress in her battle with RSD. Her feet are now elevated, which is a huge development that will help her in many ways. Her body feels as if she has been severely burned, yet the only treatment is touch and movement. The way we describe it to children is that when your foot falls asleep, the last thing you want to do is move it, yet that is the best thing to do and eventually it feels better. That's the game plan for Rachel. She is undergoing intense physical therapy in order to rehabilitate her. A team of doctors is working to reduce the pain through medicine and a variety of therapies. The hope is that once she gets moving, she can go home.

The RSD has progressed rapidly from her foot to the rest of her body and Friday she was moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for 2-4 days to try a special medication (Ketamine) that was successful in a recent research study on the east coast. It appears to be the most hopeful treatment available, though she is among the first in the world to try it. The good news is that yesterday she began to talk and even sang. She also is now able to move her legs a bit and drank some Vernors. It was a good day.

Rachel has really enjoyed visits from her friends who have come here to Mott Children's Hospital. We have enjoyed visits from ours, too!

Our daughter Kailey had a fun idea for friends to bring stuffed animals for Rachel during visits. Little did she know they would be an essential part of Rachel's treatment as they serve not only to cheer her spirits, but they are used to offer gentle support to painful arms and legs. She is living in a zoo!

One of the most humbling and wonderful developments is the announcement of a Spaghetti Dinner Benefit at South Arbor Charter Academy on Thursday, October 5 from 5:30-7:00 PM. We are deeply grateful for those who are planning this special event on behalf of our girl. In addition, a special benevolence fund is being established through Frontline. Tax-deductible checks made payable to Frontline Church and designed "Rachel" will be used to pay medical bills and can be sent to the address below. It is truly overwhelming to be so blessed and surrounded by such love, concern, and generosity. A book Heather recently read by Carol Kent called "When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances" calls those who help others in times of trouble "stretcher bearers." Ironically, Heather's small group was supposed to start a study of the book this past Wednesday. God was preparing her for this storm. We have so many "stretcher bearers" and could never adequately express our thanks to you.

The road ahead is very long and very difficult, yet you are making it much easier as you pray, love, and support us. Please keep it up! This would be a great time for a miracle!

With deep love and gratitude,

Kirk and Heather

Frontline—Ann Arbor
540 Avis Drive, Suite M
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
telephone 734.994.1311
kirk@frontlinechurch.org
http://frontline.voxtropolis.com/
www.frontlinechurch.org

journey together