Hey everyone, this is Melanie. I just wanted to give you the latest update on our sweet Miss McKennlie. About 2 weeks ago we went and had a neuropsych test done where we met with a Dr. who ran her through a bunch of tests that lasted all day from 9AM until 3:30 PM. Boy, was she pooped!!! These tests were to see how she is doing with learning. The findings weren't really a surprise to me because I pretty much know where she is weak and where she is strong, but I'm glad we did it, and in 3 three years when we do it again, we will see just how much she will have improved. I was very happy to know that she scored above average on her Math (5th grade level)!! The areas in which she is a little behind are: Processing speed, reading comprehension, and something called executive problem solving. Pretty much, we need to be playing A LOT of 20 questions with her, so her brain can come up with higher levels of thinking to solve a problem. Overall, we are so pleased with her results, and even though we have a ways to go, she is really doing great. The Dr. did say that by looking over her medical history of her injury, and knowing just how bad it was, she is doing fantastic. That made me feel really good. Another factor that may be holding her back is her eyes. She was born with a condition called Duane's Syndrome. Her left eye has an injured nerve from birth, which means she cannot move it laterally. When her right eye looks left, her left eye stays straight. Since her accident, it has gotten a little worse. It's kind of stuck in one place and causes her eyes to cross most of the time. She is seeing double at times, and her right eye is dominating. We were waiting to see if over time, it would heal and go back to where it was before the accident, but it is not, so the Opthamologist at Primary's has decided that muscle surgery is our best option at this time. If you ask McKennlie, she sees FINE, but we're hoping that this will help with her peripheral vision on the left side, and maybe even her balance. She does have 20/20 vision, but they want to straighten out her eyes so they are both being used equally. We're all a little nervous for this, but the Dr. is very confident that this will work, and there are very few risks involved. If you could, maybe offer a prayer for McKennlie that she won't be scared, and that everything will go well. Her surgery is April 18th.
I HAVE to share one quick story.....Tender mercies are still happening 10 months later!!! A few weeks ago, I contacted our good friend Bill who has been in charge of the donations on the blog. I asked him if he could close out the account, and thanked him for taking care of it. He said he would and I didn't think another thing about it. So we received our bill for the Neuropsych testing and also found out how much it was going to cost for the eye surgery. Well, 2 days ago I received a voicemail from Bill saying that he went in and closed the account, and there was actually some money in there that he didn't know about. Almost EXACTLY the amount needed to pay for the Neuropsych test, and the eye surgery!! I just want EVERYONE to know how grateful we are for everything you have done for our family. Your love and donations have eased our burden so much! We will never be able to repay what you have done for us. Because of you, we haven't had to worry about her medical bills for one minute. You have been an instrument in Heavenly Father's plan for us. You have been the answer to our prayers throughout this entire experience. We love each and every one of you, and even those of you we don't even know. The only thing we can say is THANK YOU, from the bottom of our hearts!!!! We pray that Heavenly Father will bless each of you and your families for the service you have given to ours. We love you all so much!!!
Love Love Love, Chris and Melanie
