Praying

Friends and Family I am not asking for much except for a prayer.  I know you don't know the person but a prayer for this family is all that I am asking.  A former colleague I used to work with Jessica Kelley's son was diagnosed with a brain tumor this past weekend.  Here is a synopsis from their Facebook page they created....

Dear Friends,

This email is being sent to you to ask for your help for a sweet family in our community, Jessica & Ian Kelley and their children Henry (4 years old) & Miri (2 years old.)

For a while now, Henry has not been feeling the best. Ian and Jessica sensed that something was wrong and has been to the pediatrician several times. They have drawn blood work & everything has been coming back fine. About a week ago, they noticed that his hands were shaking a bit & it seemed to get worse as the days went on. Ian & Jessica decided to take him to the ER at Scottish-Rite on Friday night. The ER doctor ordered a CT of his head & they found a large mass in the front part of his brain. They were admitted about 11pm that night. Saturday morning Henry underwent a MRI of the brain and also had a drainage system called a ventriculostomy placed in his brain to help alleviate some of the pressure. After the MRI & the ventric placement, the Neurosurgeon came to the room to talk about what the MRI showed. He said that Henry has a large tumor that is “very large and appears quite invasive.” The plan for is for Henry to undergo brain surgery on Tuesday. The time of the surgery is not known at this moment but the neurosurgeon estimates the surgery to take 6-8 hours.

The Kelley family would LOVE for you to pray for them as they go through this tough time. They have a strong faith in God and know that prayer is very powerful in so many ways. Specifically for the next couple of days, they will need prayer for wisdom, patience, and perseverance while caring for little Henry until his surgery. Since he has the ventriculostomy, he has to stay in bed and has to keep his head at a relatively consistent level so that the drain does what it needs to do & works properly. We all know what a big task it would be to try to keep a 4 year old in a bed and lying relatively still.

In addition to prayer, there have been a lot of people ask what else they can do for this family. Here are some ideas:

1.The Kelleys will be having a various number of family/friends coming from out of town to visit over the next while. There has been a Care Calendar set up for them to help out with meals for them. Visit http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/126010. The CALENDAR ID is 126010 & the SECURITY CODE is 2081. The coordinator is Angela Kopacek so if you have any issues, please contact her at curt_ang_kopacek@hotmail.com or call 404-693-5662. Note: if a meal is just too much to try to fit in the next few weeks, feel free to bring something little to Mom to Mom on Thursday (ex: bunch of bananas or other fruit, box of oatmeal, snack boxes, of raisins, Granola bars, etc.)

2.Have your kids make a picture for Henry to look at while in the hospital

3.Write a note of encouragement for the family. Their address is 20 Renwick Drive in Senoia, GA 30276

4.Write a favorite Bible verse on a note card for them

5.Think of something Henry can do while in the hospital (books, etc.) to help pass time & keep him calm & entertained
 

If you feel led to do any of the above, you may bring the item(s) to our home on Sunday and it will be delivered to the family.

Thanks for your prayers and love!

 

Here is an update from today after his surgery:

Surgery's over. Henry is stable, but will probably be sedated for a couple days. Tumor is malignant and 50% was removed. We won't know what type it is or what the treatment options are until later in the week. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

 

If you would like to join their Facebook page search for- Prayer for Henry Kelley 

Jessica reads the board every night and the prayers and words of encouragement are a wonderful support for them.  

Please continue to pray for them.