1/19/2006
Nathan and RyLee
Latest Information:
12/10/2005
Last night Ken spoke at a Christmas dinner for some Baptist
churches. There we ran into two of RyLee’s nurses from when she was in
Critical
Care. They told us when RyLee had the severe stroke-like blockage on 9/9, she
was not expected to live more than five days. Then when her
brain hemorrhaged eight days later, doctors said it was the worst hemorrhage
they had ever dealt with.
We marveled again at God’s goodness and mercy, and we thank Him for his
miraculous care of RyLee’s brain so that she still has her memory and
intelligence—she just can’t verbalize yet. (Last week she learned to say,
“whatever”)!
Her last surgery will be on Thursday, 12/15. That’s when the piece of skull bone
that’s been in the freezer will be put back in place. We
appreciate prayer for the surgery and for the bone to graft well.
Thank you,
Marcia
11/19/2005
What a week for my modem to go out--I couldn't mass mail you
all to let you know how God answered prayer for RyLee so abundantly. So sorry
for the delay.
Surgery lasted over 13 hours, 11 of which were spent severing all the blood flow
to and from the tennis-ball-sized malformation, the largest one this surgeon has
ever removed. Her vitals, including brain waves, stayed stable the entire time,
and she did not lose much blood. It appears there have been no complications.
Her vision was not affected, and she seems to be functioning mentally the same
as before surgery. This is a tremendous answer to prayer.
She got off the ventilator Tues. morning and went home Friday! (We were told to
expect a 7-10-day stay). The portion of her skull bone that was removed on 9/17
remains frozen until all swelling goes down and will be put back on in a month
or so (pretty amazing!). Until then she must wear a helmet when she's up.
Thank you all for your prayers. As you think of it, our prayers now include
RyLee's rehab of her speech and her right hand, reading and listening
comprehension, and writing. Nathan is starting to feel like he and RyLee can
finally get on with their first year of marriage (she was in the hospital seven
different times, and one time lasted 7 weeks.)
We are so glad this is over and the AVM is OUT! We thank God for all of you who
prayed and now share in the truth of 2 Cor. 1:10-11 "Who delivered [RyLee] from
so great a death, and does deliver ...in whom we trust that He will still
deliver...You also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given
by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many."
Love,
Ken & Marcia
10/28/2005
After seven weeks in the hospital, RyLee (Nathan's wife) is
going home!
She will have outpatient rehab daily until the surgery to remove the
brain malformation, sometime in Nov. We'll let you know when it's
scheduled.
RyLee can walk normally and is regaining the use of her right hand. She
is not able to speak, and understands about 50% of what she hears. She
can still read, but that area of her brain is expected to be harmed
during the next surgery. Doctors are hopeful that her brain will
eventually be able to reform new pathways and blood flow in the reading
and speaking areas. Thanks for remembering this in prayer.
It will be so wonderful to have RyLee and Nathan with us for Sunday
dinner at last.
Ken's dad had successful gall bladder surgery (by orthoscopy) 3 weeks
ago, and successful angioplasty to put a stint into a blocked artery 2
weeks ago, and blood transfusions to compensate for excessive bleeding 1
week ago! All this left him very weak and without an appetite. So he
has been moved to Draper Rehab Center, where he is eating and gaining
strength, but he doesn't like being away from home. Please pray for his
adjustment, as well as mother's. They will celebrate their 61st wedding
anniversary on November 3.
We love you all and appreciate your concern and prayers,
Ken & Marcia Hornok
10/15/2005
Today we watched RyLee walk with only minimal help. She can
swallow now
and is eating pureed food. The surgeon is amazed at her progress. He
claims no one has ever survived the brain trauma she suffered. He wants
to do the major surgery to remove the AVM (malformation) in 3-6 weeks,
whenever RyLee feels ready. She has 5 rehab sessions a day and seems
motivated to improve. She cannot verbalize yet and when she writes to us
(with her left hand) it is just a series of letters.
The rest is from Nate:
In terms of her language comprehension, it is still hit and miss. Some
things clearly get through, other times she just nods as if she
understands but she's not picking up all the details of what you’re
trying to communicate to her. All of her personality and intellect is in
tact as far as I can tell. So my visits with her, although
linguistically inhibited, always make me feel good. Last night, while
visiting after work, I was able to lay in bed with her and watch TV! I
am so grateful to have the company of my wife in a real way. Praise the
Lord. Thank you for all of your prayers everyone.
Trusting God,
Ken & Marcia
10/8/2005
RyLee has been moved to the Rehab
wing, but this pix is when she was
still in ICU. Today she will wear REAL CLOTHES for the first time since 9/9.
Nate definitely brings out the best in her. She responds more lucidly
when he is around. He cuddles with her and kisses her even though the
feeding tube is in the way.
Keep praying that she will be able to retain things (that short term
memory was not affected) and that she will be able to verbalize.
Ken's dad had successful endoscopy to remove gall stones.
He is still at LDS hospital where
they are waiting for his blood to thicken
so they can remove his gall bladder on Sunday (at the earliest).
He is comfortable and joking with the staff.
Love,
K & M
10/3/2005
RyLee has been in Neuro ICU since
9/9. According to the head of
neurology, she is progressing better than expected. The doctor is
“cautiously optimistic.” RyLee does have “dead spots” in her brain, but
other spots may be learning to compensate. She went from a ventilator
down her throat to a tracheotomy, but she will be weaned off that any
day now. Her mouth and tongue are no longer swollen, and she looks like
RyLee again. She sat in a chair for 15 min. on Sat.
As for language comprehension, she seems to understand some things
(randomly) and not others. The fact that she didn’t die on 9/17 when her
brain hemorrhaged for 12 hours is a miracle, so we are coming boldly to
God’s throne and asking for the miracle of no mental disabilities even
though her brain was oxygen deprived for an undetermined amount of time.
Rehab could take years, but already she is moving her right arm, and we
thank God that she can use both her legs.
We also ask God to use us as His ambassadors to the medical staff and
others who know RyLee. Another request is for the AVM (venous
malformation) in her brain to be safely removed sometime in the future.
Attempts to shrink it before removal are what have caused the
complications she is now experiencing.
09/24/2005
Some of you already know this, but
others haven't received an update
recently, so here it is. I print off every reply for Nathan to see, and
we appreciate all your encouragement.
Update:
Seems like every time we send encouraging news about RyLee, something
discouraging happens, and every time we share the bad news, the next
update is better.
She has been in Neuro Intensive Care since 9/9 when something went wrong
with a medical procedure. We now know that the carotid artery on the
left side of her brain is blocked. Her brain hemorrhaged for 12 hours
last Sat, and she almost died, but they were able to take an artery from
muscle tissue and lay it across the left brain so it can begin to
nourish that side.
Then on Monday she developed a blood clot on the RIGHT side of her
brain, and that had to be removed. She has been in critical condition
since 9/17. She is not able to wean off the respirator yet. The doctor
suspects brain damage on the left side, which puts her at risk for
language comprehension, speaking, and use of her right hand. She also
has a slight fever.
Sometimes we don’t even know how to pray, but we trust God’s plan and
timing. Nathan and RyLee’s parents and all of us who love Nathan and
RyLee are experiencing God’s peace. Luke 18:27 – The things which are
impossible with men are possible with God.
Thanks,
Ken & Marcia
09/20/2005
OK, now she's completely bald!
She had a blood clot on the OTHER side
of her brain yesterday, so last evening they operated on the right side
and removed that successfully--no complications, and no bleeding, so we
thank God..
So many of you keep asking what you can to do help Nathan and RyLee.
Believe me, your prayers are PLENTY! They mean so much to all of us.
RyLee is in Neuro Critical Care and cannot have visitors except for
immed. family (no more than 2 at a time) and she is sleeping most of the
time anyway.
She cannot have flowers either, but we are allowed to hang cards around
her room, so here's the address:
RyLee Hornok
U of U Hospital NCC
Third Floor, Room 5
50 North Medical Drive
SLC, UT 84132
Nathan's home address is:
2966 S. 200 E. #69
SLC, UT 84115
They don't have Internet service at their apt, and Nate is like his dad
when it comes to emails, so I've been printing off your replies to the
prayer requests and giving them to Nathan, and will continue to do so.
Nathan got his car out of hawk for $280. (He had been driving RyLee's
car and completely forgot about his car expiring in August.) I thought
it would be much more, but they had it 10 days instead of 20 like I
expected. I shouldn't have mentioned that circumstance, but he had just
told me and it was on my mind. He and Jesse both explained Nathan's
extenuating circumstances, but the towing co. didn't care, so Nathan was
able to pay the fee. Some of you have asked to help pay for this, and I
want you to know that it is taken care of, but if you still want to do
something, RyLee's mother has set up an account at Zion's bank. You can
donate to RyLee or Nathan at any Zion's branch. If you want to receive
a tax deduction, you can donate to Midvally Bible Church. Designate it
to the benevolence fund for Nathan and RyLee. They don't really have
too many financial needs at this point--for which we thank the Lord (and
ARUP where he works). So if you want to know more, Ken or I would be
glad to talk to you.
As for a prayer update, RyLee is still stable, on a respirator, tubes
coming out of her head (2), nose, chest (yes, her lung collapsed at one
point), neck, arms, etc. We want to mention RyLee's brother Derrick. He
is taking this situation pretty hard, and his parents pray that it will
bring him back to the Lord. Our daughter Leah grew close to Rylee this
summer, and she is having trouble concentrating on her studies.
Here's a quote from Henry Jowett: "God comforts us not to make us
comfortable but to make us comforters." You all have been wonderful
comforters to us.
We love you,
Marcia
09/19/2005
We have been told to expect
RyLee’s recovery to be a long-term process.
First, she is still critical and might not make it. Second, her brain
was deprived of oxygen for an undetermined period of time, and even a
few minutes causes brain damage. For this we pray for a miracle—that God
in His mercy protected her from permanent damage. Third, progress will
be seen by the week, rather than daily. She will be hospitalized for
several weeks. When the brain swelling goes down, they will reattach the
piece of skull they removed (which is frozen).
When she woke up briefly yesterday, she was able to wiggle her toes on
both feet, which is a good sign, but was not able to follow the commands
for her hands.
That’s about all we know at this point. Nathan is holding up
well—evidence of God’s grace. Pray for his continued strength, comfort,
faith, and endurance.
He has a knee injury and can’t run right now, and his license expired on
his car the end of Aug, so it got towed from the apartment complex. He
only realized it was gone yesterday, because he’s been driving RyLee’s
car, so he doesn’t know when it was towed or what kind of impound fees
he will be charged. So these are other things to pray about.
I’m going to hang these verses in RyLee’s hospital room:
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is
my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Fortress; I will not be shaken. My
salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my Mighty Rock, my Refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O People; pour out your hearts to Him, for
God is our Refuge” (Psalm 62:5-8 NIV).
We also remind ourselves of Luke 18:27 – The things which are impossible
with men are possible with God.
We love you all,
Ken & Marcia
09/17/2005
Rylee survived the surgery. The
bleeding stopped around 3 pm. They are
able to wake her up (she’s not in a coma) but they are keeping her
asleep and on a respirator so she can heal. Apparently she was able to
move her right side too which may indicate there was no stroke. The doc
says her brain was oxygen deprived however and even a few minutes of
that causes brain damage, so we won’t know about that for several days.
(more time to ask God for His mercy).
They could not fix the blockage they were planning to do Tuesday b/c
they couldn’t cut into any arteries—it would have caused more bleeding.
Thus they still have to maintain a delicate balance between preventing
clots and preventing hemorrhaging.
It was so comforting to hear Nathan pray and tell God he has no
regrets…he is resting in God’s love…he thanked God for a wonderful year
of marriage and thanked God for everything. Then RyLee’s mother told God
He was in charge when He formed Rylee in her womb, and they committed
her to God when she was born and they commit her to God again today.
We trust God’s will and God’s timing. And we appreciate all the
compassion and support we have received from each of you we have talked
with personally (before our cell ran out of juice!)
Love,
Ken & Marcia.