YOU RAISE ME UP... GRACE FOR TODAY AND BRIGHT HOPE FOR TOMORROW...

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1-16-10 - A NOTE FROM PATTI: If you are arriving here from a FB link sent by me, I incorrectly sent you here first. My intention was to link you to the GIGATTAATTGIG blog and then after reading it you would be linked here. Anyway, for this to make sense, you'll need to click here first and then return here after reading that. Thanks! GIGATTAATTGIG

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As I post this in the wee hours of the morning, we bask in God's grace and have bright hope for tomorrow. Three year old Lauren Schwamb has been waiting for a new heart at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. When Steve and I left the hospital at midnight, the Philadelphia team was just picking up a "perfect match" heart for Lauren in a different city. Sometime in the next few hours they will know for sure if Lauren will be the receipient. Here were Lauren's parents, Tim and Cristi, at 11:50 p.m. ecstatic with the news. They are very aware that someone had to die for Lauren to live. They have waited patiently for God's timing. GIGATTAATTGIG! If you have not seen their story, you can access it quickly on my other blog on my last June post at http://gigattaattgig.blogspot.com/
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Steve and I stayed with Lauren on Saturday while Tim and Cristi went out to celebrate Tim's birthday. Lauren is a bright and articulate 3 year old who knows all her alphabet... knows the names of all her meds and what they're for... knows her right from her left and, in fact, can look at you face to face and tell you where your right and left are. Before they took off, Cristi reminded me that my job would be to steer the IV pole as Lauren made her way around her room, the hallways, and the playroom. .

While we were together....

• Lauren put together a giant floor puzzle.

• Practiced some heavy duty screwing and unscrewing as she used the words "righty tighty" and "lefty loosey".
• Made sure that we played as many of "her games" in the playroom game closet as possible.
• Asked a million "why?" questions to her nurses, Steve, and me... including "why are these your glasses?"

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Thank you, God, for creating such a bright and beautiful little girl. You have given her much grace as she waits. Please give her bright hope for the future as you guide the doctors decisions and hands. Only You are the Great Physician and Healer. We give You the glory! We wait with thankful hearts! Because of Jesus, we can pray and be family.

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NOTE: Check back here throughout the day and the next week for updates on this post.

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7/28/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 3:15 a.m. - just took his brave little girl (heavily sedated) to the OR.

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7/28/09 - POSTED BY CRISTI SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 4:45 a.m. - As of about 4:30 this morning, Lauren has a new strong heart. God is good! We're hoping to see her sometime in the next few hours.

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7/28/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 5:30 a.m. - is waiting for the surgeon to give us the debrief. The surgery took about half as long as normal. That can only be very good.

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7/28/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 6:00 a.m. - got a great report from the surgeon. He talked to us for just a minute, then said he was going to extubate her (take her off the ventilator). We were led to believe that would happen -- best case -- a day later. We haven't even seen her yet and they're already going to try it! God is good!

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7/28/09 - TEXT MESSAGE FROM STEVE SIKES AT 7:20 a.m. - Lauren is in recovery. T and C are with her now. We've been moving their stuff to their van. Love u. GIGATT!

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7/28/09 - PATTI'S NOTE - Lauren will no longer be in the same hospital room. She'll be in isolation to stay away from all germs. Anything from her previous room... clothes, toys, etc. will have to be purified if they want it in her new room.

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7/28/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 10:45 a.m. - finally got to see Lauren. She's doing very well, and I'm enjoying some liquid sleep.

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7/28/09 UPDATE BY PATTI at 2:45 p.m.: Steve picked me up at the church building after ladies' class; we headed for Moe's with our lunch order for Tim and Cristi. Two couples with roots in Oklahoma, sat in the Ronald McDonald room on the 6th floor heart floor, eating our Moe's food and basking in the riches of God's grace. Lauren will remain in ICU (level 2) for several days to a week or more. Germ control precautions will be high! When Steve and I finally left the hospital, we were hoping that both Tim and Cristi would be able to get long naps! Lauren was sleeping!

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7/28/09 POSTED BY CRISTI SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT ABOUT 9 p.m. - A few minutes ago, Lauren's nurse and I were joking that she must be doing good. Our biggest concerns at the moment were finding the Bead of Courage that rolled under the bed and whether her Prom picture poster was hung up straight. GIGATTAATTGIG!

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7/28/09 COMMENTS BY PATTI AT 10:15 p.m. - What a wonderful 24 hours it has been! Tim, Cristi, Addison, Brennan, and Lauren thank you for letting us get a peak at the goodness of God because of what you have gone through the last few years. Sleep well tonight! GIGATTAATTGIG!

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7/29/09 - POSTED BY CRISTI SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK ABOUT 9:15 a.m. - A quiet night (for both of us) -- Lauren's a bit more awake this morning and is doing well.

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7/29/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK ABOUT 9:45 a.m. - got a good night's sleep and a good shower and is enjoying more time with two of his three favorite girls!

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7/29/09 - POSTED BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK ABOUT 1:00 p.m. - is glad Groundhog Day is finally over.

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7/29/09- COMMENTS BY TIM SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK ABOUT 2:00 p.m. - She still has a long road, but for now, there should be some sort of excitement every day. I think it will get old again once they move out into a hotel/efficiency to stay close for appointments, but we've cleared the first hurdle...and the rest have an ending date! :-) ... a few minutes later Tim wrote in response to "Do you know anything about the donor?" It was another child (because the size has to match), but beyond that we really don't know anything...

7/29/09 - POSTED BY CRISTI SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK ABOUT 3:30 p.m. - is watching Dora again. I thought I could put in a different movie for a change, but a certain somebody woke up for a moment and noticed.

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7/29/09- POSTED BY CRISTI SCHWAMB ON FACEBOOK AT 10:45 p.m. - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)

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7/29/09 - Patti's comment to Cristi - I wonder if St. Augustine read this? Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Praise God that Tim and Cristi Schwamb believed what they could not see! GIGATTAATTGIG!

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7/30/09 - Tim Schwamb posts on his blog his "Daddy Diary" about his daughter Lauren's heart transplant ... The 204th Day! http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/and-on-204th-day.html

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8/1/09 - Cristi Schwamb posted on FB in the a.m. - "Cristi Schwamb is proud of her amazing little girl. Almost all of the lines/wires are out, and she sat up in bed for quite a while this morning. She's begging to get out of bed, but I'm insisting on bit of rest first. God is good!"

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