God is Good!

For those of you who aren't on Jacob's Facebook Team page and haven't seen my pictures and short status updates on there, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to provide you with an update. I can't believe tomorrow will be post-op day 14. Time has really gotten away from us these past few days… well, I guess it’s been a week now. I remember the day so well, almost 18 months ago, when it was brought to my attention that Jacob had a tumor on his C7 spinal nerve that was of great concern. I can recall the dread of each of the subsequent MRI results and I anticipated with great anxiety the time surgery would come and what the aftermath could be. I’m full of information about the surgery and the last two weeks of Jacob's recovery. I could write a small novel I'm sure, but when I sat down this afternoon, I tried to think of the most important things I wanted to share with everyone.


First and foremost, Jacob is doing so well! It is a miracle. Simply amazing. Jacob is off "heavy" pain medication and although he is still uncomfortable at times, he is mostly pain free. He is showering, dressing, feeding himself and walking short distances comfortably. Jacob had his 19 staples painlessly removed on Thursday at Southeastern Plastic Surgery. Southeastern Plastic Surgery has a gorgeous office, extremely pleasant staff and Jacob had one of the prettiest nurses named Leslie, and it is always nice to see anyone in the Rosenberg family! Leslie had Jacob chatting away as she removed his staples. Jacob said he didn't feel a thing. Thank you, Dr. Laurence Rosenberg! His incision looks super cool and is healing perfectly. Jacob, other than being bored, is in great spirits and ready to tackle occupational therapy for his hands next week. He is still aggravated about the numbness in his hands and upper arms, but considering what could have been, we are extremely grateful for his surgery results.

God is good and he heard our prayers. Your prayers. Jacob is a walking testament of God answering prayers. I cried tears of joy for my son this morning in church instead tears of fear. I wondered in my heart why I ever thought God wouldn't carry us through. I know a lot of you, like my mom, pray for God to heal Jacob completely. I know that it is possible, but I have felt for a long time that it isn't God's plan. I believe God is going to use Jacob and his NF2 for other things and it isn't for me to understand (although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t question it daily). At times it is very hard to swallow, to watch Jacob (and so many others we love) go through the trials of NF2, but right now, in the place we are in, I want to rejoice in the good. I prayed for God to help me decide which doctor to use. I know without a doubt for a long list of reasons He sent Jacob to Dr. A. I prayed for God to guide Dr. A to do his best with Jacob and bring him back to me in as good of shape as I handed him over. He returned Jacob to us with his strength and motors in tact in his left hand, strong legs and free of four tumors. I prayed for Jacob's recovery to be as painless as possible, and to be speedy (no one likes a miserable teenager for prolonged periods of time!). I believe these prayers were heard and answered better than I could have imagined. I prayed for love and support of our family, friends and community and we were given that in abundance! I prayed for so many things and each prayer has been answered. I know our NF2 war will continue, but I want to marvel in this battle won and give thanks to God. I will add that Dr. Asthagiri is an angel in disguise, as are our teams and staff at NIH... Oh, and Jacob too. Jacob, you are my hero. I am so proud to be your mama!!

As you can read a lot has happened since I last wrote a week ago. Jacob and I returned home Monday evening to a house full of loving family. Seeing TD, Brie and Gavin at the airport was like breathing fresh Tallahassee air for the first time in months. My heart felt full again and I was a happy girl! Time felt like it stood still when I was able to wrap my arms around Brie. I had worried almost as much about her as I had about Jacob. Her heart was broken that she had to be so far away from Jacob during such a difficult and scary time. They have been inseparable all of their lives. It felt good to have our family whole again. Jacob was so happy to see TD, Brie, Gavin, Papa Ken, Nana, Gina, Dana, and Renee, but he was ready to get to the house and eat Guthrie's chicken. We had a nice evening just all being together at home. There really is no place like home! The rest of the week has consisted of trying to unpack, unwind and get things back in order. Gavin has had a very congested nose all week, so I am running on very little sleep, but he is starting to feel better and his nose seems to be clearing up a little more each day. We are trying to get some lost weight back on Jacob and getting Brie and Gavin ready for school. Jacob enjoyed visits from Papa Ken and Nana, Aunt Becky, Uncle Todd and Chason this week. Several of the Boy Scout families visited and brought dinners to share with our family, taking a lot of stress off of TD, who is the chef in our house. Thank you all so much!! Maks and his family visited Jacob and Maks stayed with Jacob Thursday night so Brie and I could go to her Leon High School freshman orientation Friday morning. Yikes! My baby girl is starting high-school tomorrow!! Brie is nervous, but I know she is going to do fabulous. She has a great schedule including honors academics, dance, art and computer class. I really liked all of her teachers and her path to her classes isn't as crazy as Jacob's was last year. For those of you not familiar with Leon, it is an OLD, US National Register of Historic Places school established in 1831. It is three stories high and has an adjacent two story building full of classrooms, and multiple portables. Lots of stair-climbing and walking! I was sad Brie didn't get Mrs. Harris for English, but Mrs. Chancy seems like she will be lots of fun! Leon was good for, and good to, Jacob last year. I believe it will also be a great place for Brie to grow and learn. BTW, Mrs. Harris, Jacob did do his summer reading, but hasn't finished the writing part of it as of yet, but he will!! I am a bit annoyed that no one in guidance or the attendance office can seem to find the Hospital Home bound teacher form I need for Jacob, but I have faith that it will be taken care of this week... we'll see. Speaking of school, our littlest biggest guy will be starting PreK 3 on Tuesday. Gavin and I had a nice time at the Killearn Kids Preschool Meet and Greet on Thursday morning. Gavin's new classroom is colorful and full of so many new and exciting things for him to do. We liked his new teachers and had fun exploring his new room. We even met a few of his new classmates. I am little disappointed that none of his friends from last year will be in his class, but we are viewing it as a positive chance to make more awesome friends. At church this morning, Gavin participated in a very special service called the Blessing of the Backpacks. All of our children bring their backpacks and stand in front of the congregation in the sanctuary and the pastors, along with all of the families pray, over the children for the upcoming school year. Gavin was so adorable, one of the smallest on stage, and he listened and prayed, eyes closed and all! It was precious. I left feeling very good about the year to come. After the service, we went to show TD Gavin's new classroom and after looking over the other classroom rosters posted, we saw that several of Gavin's close friends from last year are in the five day program and Gavin will get to see them at recess. This made me really happy too.

I had a little me time this week. Much needed and appreciated. Nana came and stayed with the kids and I went and saw one of my close friends, Christi, at Kelly's Cottage at Lake Ella. I left two hours later feeling refreshed with a much needed cut, color and girl time to brighten my day. Thank you, Christi! I love my new hair! And thank you, mama, for staying with the kids! I’ve gotten two good runs in this week and logged 13 more miles. I have some new gear to write about, but I will save that for my running blog. Still loving running!

As I said in an email to Jacob's Boy Scout troop leader, there are not enough words to express my appreciation for the love and support we have received over the last few weeks! From close friends and loved ones here in Tallahassee, to Jacob’s Boy Scout Troop friends and family to my online NF2, hot mamas, and other digital friends and families, I am so blessed to have all of you, spanning the entire country, and even a few in other countries! I really don't know how we got so fortunate. Thank you all so much!!