Thankful

This week we have been reminded of the many things we have to be thankful for...at the top of that list is our family and friends. On Wednesday morning, Ted's mom called to tell us that her boyfriend of two plus years was in the hospital because he had been throwing up blood. She said that the doctors found a tear in his throat and stomach causing him to lose a lot of blood. At that point, the doctors had fixed the tears and were just keeping him for observation. That night, Judy called back crying. During the day, Charlie had taken a turn for the worst and they were literally giving him minutes to live. Ted and I jumped in the car to head to KY. On the way, we called everyone we could think of to be praying for Charlie, Judy, and his family. When we arrived, Charlie was still holding on but the doctors weren't sure how long he had. By God's grace, Charlie pulled through the night. On Thursday, the doctors discovered that Charlie's liver was enlarged & covered in nodes. Since then the doctors have run multiple tests to determine what the real problem is. So far we have heard three different diagnosis from three different doctors. The nodes could be cancer, severe cirrhosis, or a type of hepatitis. What ever the problem, they all agree that the outlook is not good. We know that without your prayers he would probably already be dead. So on behalf of his family and ours we thank you for all of your prayers. We ask that you continue to pray for his family. Charlie's kids have been riding a roller coaster of emotions. There mother passed away 6 yrs ago of cancer. They are really struggling with accepting that this could be the end for their father. Just this past week Charlie spent time with each of them which we know was a complete blessing from God. But for his children's sake they really need some closer. Our prayer is that God will perform nothing short of a miracle. Of course, we would love for Charlie to be completely healed. But we realize that sometimes miracles look different. For us, we are praying that at the very least Charlie will wake up long enough to say good by to his children. We also ask that you pray for Judy. She lost her husband almost 10 years ago to cancer. Charlie has helped her find happiness again(and she ..him). They were planning on spending the rest of their lives together. They had no idea that time could be cut so short. Judy is so thankful for the time she has had with him but is sadden by the fact that he isn't going to be there for the future. The situation also brings up a lot of memories from losing the love of her life before. We can not thank you enough for all of your love and support. It has been a difficult week in many ways. But it has also been an amazing time of being reminded how truly Good God is in the ways that he blesses our lives through family, friends, and answered prayers.