Eliza Update - 2/7 9pm

Dear family and friends,

God has been speaking to our hearts about fear. What is there to fear? Our greatest fear is to be separated from God's love. As long as we are in Christ, that cannot happen. Eliza continues to struggle, but God has reminded us of the right perspective to have. We will not dwell on the possibilities/predictions/prognostications. God will give us strength to handle any future concerns when those concerns arise. For now, He requires us to rest and hope in His love and power. By the power of the Holy Spirit, that is what we will do. With sadness and repentance, we confess that we have not had the right mindset consistently. We thank you for your prayers that effectually return us to the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

Eliza had more seizures this morning, but various medications have kept her almost comatose and seizure-free since noonish. If she remains seizure-free for 1 to 2 days, the doctors will again attempt to allow her to wake. Meanwhile, lab results continue to come back negative for various maladies (I couldn't tell you what all of them are). The one virus (called CMV) for which Daniele and Eliza were tested came back negative, also.

A world-renowned neuro-radiologist based in California received Eliza's MRI today and suggested several possible causes. One cause involves a mitochondrial defect. In order to test for this, Eliza will have a simple surgery tomorrow morning to remove a piece of muscle from her thigh. The results will not return until next week.

Please don't apologize for e-mailing or calling. We appreciate all expressions of love for our family. In return, we'll try to stop apologizing for not returning most calls and emails.

Love,
Sam (for Daniele, Luke, and Eliza)