3 weeks later

It has been quite a summer, I know that my post op updates have been negligent and I do apologize for that. We moved just 5 days post surgery and it left us in a new home, with many things to do and no internet. My husband was kind enough to set me up today in his office at work so that I can come here and update you on the rest of our summer.

This morning during worship time in church, I was reminded how infinitely awesome our God is, how he can turn mourning to joy and how he deserves all of our praise and is times oldest healer, and greatest surgeons. The nights off sleeplessness are just now beginning to take their toll on Tim and I, the stress always hits us after it’s over and the same is true now just three weeks post surgery. Our summer was spent gearing up for the worst set of circumstances, filled with stress, heart ache, worries and anxiety and I am happy to report that the last three weeks can only be described as an answer to prayer. The surgery was successful; we anticipate years before any more interventions will be needed. The nightmares that shook our home the first few nights have all but disappeared and the pain is gone. Josh’s appetite has doubled; he’s eating more than he’s ever eaten before in his life. He is gaining energy and drive everyday and his emotional strength this time has been something of a surprise to me. He is so much stronger than I knew, and I have always known how strong he is. Just last week I bought him a scooter, and yesterday he went around the block on it twice! (this may be normal for most five year old but for Josh, who couldn’t walk to the park just one month ago this is a miracle!)

Kaleb took the entire separation in stride, he was cheerful, loving and compassionate through the entire ordeal and now, if you ask, he will tell you that you must be careful of Joshua’s ouchie and if Josh lets him he will pull up Josh’s shirt to show it you. It was the Kaper that worried me endlessly, I feared he would feel abandoned, left out, alone, hurt... instead he proved me wrong and proved to me what an incredible kid we have been blessed with. He is by far one of the most compassionate little men I know.

This week we even made it to the cottage for a few days and Josh was able to swim again. At one point, sitting in the water watching him and his brother playing I couldn’t help but think how fast the last three weeks have been. Josh is a different kid in many ways. He’s still recovering, he still tires easily and there are days when he wants nothing more than to veg out if we were to let him. We have a post op appointment this coming week to find out for sure how things look in his heart now that the swelling is down, and we are praying for great results. His scar, is healing, but what once caused him shame he now proudly boasts about. His scar is now his symbol for ‘No leaks’! His smiles are brighter than they have been in a year. Life has certainly changed in the Haughton house this past few weeks. God is indeed a good God.  No matter what happens in this life I have learned that there is nothing he can’t do, and there is indeed power in the prayers of his people.

I have said this before and I say it again. I have been so deeply moved and touched by the faithfulness of your prayers and support this past year. I give God all the credit for the miracles we are witnessing as a family, and I thank you for lifting Joshua and our family up before our maker. I felt those prayers, I know that Josh felt those prayers and the simple way that Kaleb dealt with all of this says to me that he also felt your prayers. We were caught up in a bubble of prayer and it has kept us safe and at peace through out the many months of waiting and worrying, and then the horrific week of surgery and moving. Thank you seems to weak a phrase for how we feel, we are so much more grateful than we can ever express. Not just those of you who showed support during the redforjosh campaign but all of you, every single person who stopped at some point to pray for us, either once or many times. All of you have made a difference in each of our lives.