Free blog design by Louise Franks {Blog} Designs. Digiscrapping elements by Louise Franks{Digiscrapping} Designs.»

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain

Did you sing that song in Sunday School? It's cute.

As the title conveys, I am still climbing, and I even have a bit of sunshine in my spurred boots these days. Perhaps it’s a result of REAL sunshine and nicer weather (which is apparently supposed to change tonight, as they’re forecasting stupid SNOW later today!). I always feel a bit doom-and-gloom-ish during the early spring, when winter lingers and the sun sits behind the clouds. Add to that some emotional thunderstorms and it’s a bad combo.

I don’t have the time or energy to write a heart-wrenching novel today, so, I will stick to a few 411 bullet points, as a bit of a life update:

*No news from St. Louis yet. I DID see that our package arrived and was signed for on Monday, so now we wait...

*I’m feeling pretty hopeful about Dr. Park’s assessment. Cautious hopefulness, but hope nonetheless. My latest worry (because I have to have at least ONE) is about the finances. I think that this surgery is offered in Canada (BC), by someone much less experienced than Dr. Park (who also performs a more invasive type of SDR, requiring more recovery time and a larger incision). I don’t want to go to BC, I want to go to St. Louis, to a surgeon who’s performed over 2000 of these surgeries! The problem is, unless we can convince one of Ellie’s doctors to plead our case to our insurance company (the government), and maintain that this exact surgery is not being performed in Canada, we won’t receive any funding from them. If they deem this surgery unavailable in Canada, our insurance will pay for 75%, which could amount to $30,000. A HUGE chunk o’ change. We’d still have to come up with close to $20,000 out of pocket, but that seems so much more reasonable than the entire $50,000. Oh my word. Fifty grand. Here come the heart palpitations…

*I’m going away for the weekend. Yay me!

*Ellie was hilarious this morning and it did my mama-heart good to see her giggling all the way to daycare. I don’t know what was in her morning milk, but the girl laughed all the way to the sitter’s, and was excited to see her friends and her precious childcare provider. Sweet, sweet Ellie.

*I love my job. I really do. I love my hours, I love the people I work with. I could not be more career-blessed right now.

*Most of all, I feel REALLY REALLY blessed by the amazing people in my life. Richie is freakin’ fantastic. I have exceptionally wonderful family (minus one or two weirdos). I cannot find adequate words to tell my precious girlfriends how much I love them and their listening ears. I am surrounded by angels in human form. It’s a whole lotta goodness.

3 comments:

Bill and Melodie said...

$30,000 is BIG to you and me but not to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills!
I have to tell myself this everytime I think about how much our adoptions will cost.
And just as I have told the very negative people who look down on the cost of adoption, if your child needs medical care that cost that much, you would spend it. Period. God will provide the money. You may have to fundraise, but allowing others to give blesses them!
I love you guys and am praying that Dr. Park has the right answer for sweet Ellie.

* ~ *Jessica* ~ * said...

Good Luck scheduling an appt in St Louis! From start to actually get one, it took us 18 months just for the CP Center. I hope hope hope you guys get in much quicker than that!!!!! I know the mound of paperwork for that was crazy!!!!!

* ~ *Jessica* ~ * said...

Forgot to add- St Louis also has financial help. You can apply for scholorships to help pay medical bills, etc. Since they are out of network for us and, obviously, Arkansas Medicaid won't cover Missouri costs- we are going to see if we can get some help to. We've had 3 appts, and MRI and several other things- and our bills have piled up well beyond the 2,00 mark- thats w/ insurance paying 80%.