July 25, 2012
Nov 30, 2012
4 months later
4 months later
Being loved on
What loved looks like.
Birthday gathering
I know we disappeared after that last post and left you wondering all about Katia and our lives home. I'm sorry that we didn't just send up a flare and say "hold on, we will be back".
We arrived from the airport to the strong smell of mold blowing throughout the house. My heart sunk.
We had experienced some mold above healthy levels the year before but there had been remediation and though we knew it was in the HVAC ducts by smelling when the heat came one, we thought that cleaning the ducts would solve this problem. Instead we were smelling it being blown around the house. We had children and adults developing health problems almost immediately and persisting. We turned the heat off till something could be done.
Kataryna meanwhile, was admitted into the hospital with dehydration and malnutrition along with her uncontrolled seizures. We are thanking God for a pediatrician who champions and really cares about her.
As I stayed in the hospital, my symptoms of mold exposure would go away. When I was home, they would return. Once the level of reaction became severe, we knew that we couldn't stay.
We were very graciously taken in by friends who have totally disrupted their daily lives in the process and have had us in their hearts and home for over 2 months. During that time, we had K in the hospital, had our house tested (the counts were very unhealthy especially in the room that Gord was working every day). We needed to move but not just move, we had to clean all that was possible, wiping down everything and packing all that we could safely salvage into a POD and move it into storage. But we also had to find a place for Gord's lab to move and clean and move that, then set up again. During all of the moving, Katia couldn't be at the house with the mold, yet I had to be there to move and she couldn't be far so that I could attend to her medical needs as she requires regular suctioning of her airways and monitoring. We were so blessed by our growth group and others at the church plus family who lovingly helped us clean, pack and move and hosted Katia with our eldest daughter or our friend from Chicago who came to help
This was the all consuming activity along with adjusting to Katia's schedule and care after she was discharged from the hospital.
So, our dropping off the blogging face of the earth had more to do with the house situation than just Katia's adjustment and hospitalization.
We are looking to move very soon into our own place which may not be a purchase but another rental for now.
Katia is doing so well and is scheduled to have a g-tube placed surgically feeding into her stomach and not through her nose to her stomach anymore. The surgery is scheduled for January 3 (my late mother's birthday) if she stays well. This should improve many things we've been told and are dreading the pain of surgery and not being able to explain any of it to her yet excited for her to have the ng tube removed and the benefits that it should bring.
We were able to travel to introduce her to both Thomson's and Russell's, where the many aunts, uncles, cousins and her grandparents got to meet her and love on her.
Our children are adjusting so well to her and we want to share more of who she is as we get to know her and what is what but this is all we can manage for this post. At least you got a glimpse of her on her birthday. We realize that she stood to be transferred one year ago where she would have lost her life to being left to die alone but through the grace of God, she is here with her own family. She has brought great sweetness into our home and we are very blessed.
We arrived from the airport to the strong smell of mold blowing throughout the house. My heart sunk.
We had experienced some mold above healthy levels the year before but there had been remediation and though we knew it was in the HVAC ducts by smelling when the heat came one, we thought that cleaning the ducts would solve this problem. Instead we were smelling it being blown around the house. We had children and adults developing health problems almost immediately and persisting. We turned the heat off till something could be done.
Kataryna meanwhile, was admitted into the hospital with dehydration and malnutrition along with her uncontrolled seizures. We are thanking God for a pediatrician who champions and really cares about her.
As I stayed in the hospital, my symptoms of mold exposure would go away. When I was home, they would return. Once the level of reaction became severe, we knew that we couldn't stay.
We were very graciously taken in by friends who have totally disrupted their daily lives in the process and have had us in their hearts and home for over 2 months. During that time, we had K in the hospital, had our house tested (the counts were very unhealthy especially in the room that Gord was working every day). We needed to move but not just move, we had to clean all that was possible, wiping down everything and packing all that we could safely salvage into a POD and move it into storage. But we also had to find a place for Gord's lab to move and clean and move that, then set up again. During all of the moving, Katia couldn't be at the house with the mold, yet I had to be there to move and she couldn't be far so that I could attend to her medical needs as she requires regular suctioning of her airways and monitoring. We were so blessed by our growth group and others at the church plus family who lovingly helped us clean, pack and move and hosted Katia with our eldest daughter or our friend from Chicago who came to help
This was the all consuming activity along with adjusting to Katia's schedule and care after she was discharged from the hospital.
So, our dropping off the blogging face of the earth had more to do with the house situation than just Katia's adjustment and hospitalization.
We are looking to move very soon into our own place which may not be a purchase but another rental for now.
Katia is doing so well and is scheduled to have a g-tube placed surgically feeding into her stomach and not through her nose to her stomach anymore. The surgery is scheduled for January 3 (my late mother's birthday) if she stays well. This should improve many things we've been told and are dreading the pain of surgery and not being able to explain any of it to her yet excited for her to have the ng tube removed and the benefits that it should bring.
We were able to travel to introduce her to both Thomson's and Russell's, where the many aunts, uncles, cousins and her grandparents got to meet her and love on her.
Our children are adjusting so well to her and we want to share more of who she is as we get to know her and what is what but this is all we can manage for this post. At least you got a glimpse of her on her birthday. We realize that she stood to be transferred one year ago where she would have lost her life to being left to die alone but through the grace of God, she is here with her own family. She has brought great sweetness into our home and we are very blessed.