Sad news

Many of you may have already heard this news, but if not, we apologize that this is the way in which you are learning.

Anna passed away late Thursday night.

Monday and Tuesday were both typical days in Anna's life.  School, homework, holiday preparations, and a little bit of play thrown in for good measure.  The only minor medically related news was that she mentioned a slight sore throat on Tuesday morning, but by the end of the day it was gone.

Wednesday morning Anna work up with a nasty earache.  We gave her some Tylenol, told her to get the day started, and we'd see how things went.  The medicine kicked in, she got ready and ate breakfast, and we went to CI for her weekly PT session.

During PT she was having a rough time and was obviously feeling sick.  I scheduled an appointment at our primary care clinic for 9:25 and did the necessary communication regarding the change of plans for the day.  Anna's PT and I gave her the option of bailing out on her therapy session since she was feeling so crummy, but she wanted to keep going.  Then at about 8:30 a.m., she asked to stop.

We went to the clinic appointment, but the doctor we saw said her ears were clear, but thought Anna was probably starting on an upper respiratory infection.  So we went home to ride out the virus.

The rest of that day and night were tough, but typical for the start of a nasty virus.  Fever, aches, low appetite, etc.  We made a few calls to the nurses on call, and were referred back to our primary care clinic on Thursday morning.

At that appointment, the doctor thought she had influenza, but ordered some lab work anyway.  We went back home.  Around 2 p.m. a nurse called us and based on Anna's lab work and some new symptoms, we should go to the ER for IV fluids.  We chose to go to the American Family Children's Hospital.

Until about 5 or 6, we all still thought it was a bad case of influenza.  About 6:30, things took a serious turn for the worse and Anna was transferred up to the PICU.  Although she wasn't doing very well, until about 1:00 a.m. we still thought that whatever was wrong could be "fixed".

In the end, Anna was surrounded by me, Matt, and our pastor.  We brought Kate and Ethan to the hospital when they got up on Friday so that they could say whatever good-byes they wanted to say.

We are left with more questions than answers at this point, but may have some of those medical questions answered in the coming weeks.

We assume that Anna had an infection of some type (viral or bacterial) and that the infection spread rapidly.  For whatever reason, her body just wasn't up for this particular fight.

We suspect that Anna had some underlying condition, possibly related to her heart, that made her more susceptible to the course this infection took.  We suspect that this underlying condition was a result of her treatments.  These suspicions have not been confirmed by any medical professional.

We thought hard about whether to share this information before Christmas, or to wait until after the holidays.  We decided that the best way to honor Anna's memory at this point was to tell everyone, and remind people not to dwell on the sadness.  Please look for some way to see a special joy in the events of the next several days, just like Anna would.

We KNOW with certainty that Anna is in heaven with Jesus surrounded by all of the believers in Him who have gone before her.  In fact, I'm guessing that there were quite a few waiting for her with wide open arms.  We KNOW that Anna is more whole and more free than she ever was here on earth.


We are asking for privacy at this time.  We see the emails, texts, messages, and cards.  Thank you.  They do mean a lot.  Just please don't expect a response.  We will reach out to individuals as needed.  Awhile ago, a friend shared with me the idea of the "ring theory".  It's a good concept to keep in mind during times like these.

We are tentatively planning for a service on Saturday, January 5, but do not have any details in place at this time.  We will share that information sometime next week.

Please pray that our family has peace and that we find comfort in each other.  Please pray that we have people to lean on and to hold us up when we need it, and that they are able to carry us for as long as it takes.  Please pray that we experience God's presence in our life.