UPDATE June 23, 2011: Today, Greysen walked one loop around the floor and the therapist was pleased. She said he looks great and  his only neurological deficit involves his left arm. He has the ability to move it but he doesn’t. She said it was weak & “floppy”…but a little time in PT & he should regain it. This evening, he woke up and in minutes went from okay to screaming in pain which brought back vomiting. The nurse gave him his pain meds through IV and he’s beginning to relax…

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UPDATE July 22,2011: Throughout the night and this morning, Greysen has either been sedated or vomiting. They are hoping that he will be able to sit up today. They have also given him some apple juice to see if he can keep it down. Neurological evaluations will begin today. Lesley & Mike (his parents) have not had any sleep for about 48 hours. Please pray that they will get some rest today. My updates will not be as frequent but I will update as I can.

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UPDATE 11:30 pm–My last update of the night:  They are waiting for the doctors to give Greysen a dose of Valium… They are giving it to relax the muscles in Grey’s neck. The incision line actually goes slightly down his neck so the muscles that were interfered with are tensing causing lots of pain and extreme stiffness.

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UPDATE 10:00 pm: “Vomiting seems to be associated with movement… if it persists they will order another CT scan of the brain to ensure there is no swelling or other issues causing it.” Lesley (Greysen’s mom) has been awake for 40+ hours. Please pray that she can get some rest tonight while Greysen also rests. From the updates I have seen, Greysen’s family is extremely grateful for the prayer support throughout today. Let’s keep it up for the next several days as Greysen continues to recover!

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UPDATE 9:05 pm: Greysen is still vomiting (every time they sit him up). They are about to straight cath him and hopefully provide some relief from the pressure of a very full bladder.

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UPDATE 6:45 pm: Latest message from Lesley (Greysen’s Mom): “Greysen is beginning to wake… he is incredibly sick and in pain…he’s been out of surgery for 8 hours and has yet to pee… please pray God’s comfort through the night and that he would pee on his own so that he doesn’t have to endure a catheterization on top of the pain he is already in. They are giving him 2 hours to go on his own…Nurses have warned us that this will be an incredibly difficult night… nothing worse than seeing your baby hurting and in need and being helpless to comfort them ” Lesley is really struggling to stay strong emotionally. Please keep her in prayer as well.

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UPDATE 5:50 pm: Latest message from Lesley (Greysen’s Mom): “Dr. Piatt stopped in again, Ct scan came back fine. Grey has lifted both legs from the bed and he is responding to light stimulus properly. Still very sedated so we probably won’t know much more til tomorrow morning when Dr. Piatt makes his rounds. I will be staying here in the ICU and Mike will be at the Ronald McDonald House… please pray for a restful night for all and that Greysen will wake fever free, pain free and that all neurological evaluations go well… Thanks so much to all of you following us through this, praying and re-posting… I am amazed and simply overwhelmed.”

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UPDATE 3:45 pm: Greysen is running a fever. Pray that it doesn’t spike!

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UPDATE 2:15 pm: He has opened his eyes! They are on the way to CT.

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UPDATE 12:45 pm: Family is with Greysen. “He seems to be doing well though very sedated…initial lab work looks good…preliminary testing indicates that the tumor is in fact benign but we won’t be certain until pathology results come in. Dr. Piatt just visited again, we are waiting for a CT scan to check for swelling and bleeding. They will begin neurological evaluations tomorrow but he was able to wiggle his toes!”

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UPDATE 12:00 noon:  “Grey is in recovery, the doctors feel that they removed all of the tumor and  by the appearance of it they feel it is benign but are sending it for testing.  They are doing a blood test because he is a little pale and want to make sure he doesn’t need a transfusion.   Resting well.”

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UPDATE 10:40 am: Greysen is out of surgery! Family is waiting to hear how he is doing and waiting to see him! Praise God!

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UPDATE 9:30 am: TODAY, July 21, 2011, is Greysen’s surgery date. “The doctors have started the operation…last report stated they have entered the casing around the brain… they have begun the process of removing the tumor which should take the next two hours… please pray for steady hands and that God would be guiding them through this procedure…this should take approximately two hours… tonight they will do a CAT scan to make sure there is no swelling on the brain… Tomorrow will be the time when they will be able to tell how he is physically affected by the surgery…please continue to join us in prayer. Will continue to update as we hear more. Thanks for your prayers.” I will post updates here as I get them.

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For those of you who have followed my blog, you know that we have been praying for a little boy named Greysen for awhile now. He needs your prayers more than ever now. He has been scheduled for surgery on July 21st to remove the tumor in his brain.

Here is Greysen’s story from his mom Lesley:

 “Our journey with Greysen began about a year ago when Greysen was diagnosed with epilepsy. Soon after his diagnosis we were sent to AI Dupont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, DE for some routine testing, including an MRI of his brain to discover what form of epilepsy Greysen had.

The results of his MRI were not what we were expecting. As the oncologist pulled up Greysen’s scan, we were not prepared for the bright white image in the center of our son’s brain. Every parent’s fear… Our son had a brain tumor.

We spent the weekend filled with anxiety and fear, unsure of what that bright spot on the MRI film meant for our son. The following week we met with Dr. Piatt, our neurosurgeon. He was very reassuring, telling us that he was fairly confident that the tumor was benign and was comfortable waiting on surgery and monitoring the growth every few months. Our return visit 3 months later was uneventful and we were pretty confident that this tumor could remain for possibly years before it became necessary to remove it.

Last week we returned to AI once more for another MRI scan (9 months since the tumor had been found). From the moment Dr. Piatt entered our room, we knew something was different. “Our little boo-boo has grown significantly and I feel that surgery is necessary as soon as possible.” Though Dr. Piatt is assuming this tumor to be benign, he has cautioned us that this is based solely on the image on the scans and he can not know for sure until he gets in there and gets results from pathology. His concern is the rate at which the changes occurred.

Greysen will go into surgery at AI Dupont on July 21, 2011 to have this tumor removed. We are scheduled to enter the operating room at 7:45 am and surgery is estimated to take about 6 hours. The tumor is located deep within the cerebellum, (which controls coordination, fine motor skills, balance, ect.) near the brain stem. This complicates the removal, making it a slow, delicate process.

Our specific prayer requests as we take our son to surgery is obviously, that pathology would prove this growth benign and that the surgeons would be able to completely remove this tumor. Also, Dr’s have informed us that because of the location and depth of the growth, Greysen is at a risk for losing fine motor skills on the left side of his body as well as balance and coordination. We will not know how severely these abilities are affected, if affected at all, until Greysen is evaluated after surgery. (approx. 2 days post-surgery)

We are so incredibly appreciative of the love, prayers and support that have been shown to us already… and we hope to keep you all as informed as possible as Greysen progresses through this… I will make every effort to keep this page updated so that you can pray for specific needs…

Our DEEPEST gratitude to each and every one offering prayers on behalf of our family and our son.”

Please continue to pray for Greyson and his family. They all need healing and comfort. Pray that they will feel God’s presence during this trial and that they will trust that God knows the bigger picture.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9

Healing Hand Of God

By: Jeremy Camp

Pray For Grey (Facebook Group):

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/191578540900197?ap=1