Our Friend Luke

Please be in prayer for our friend Luke and his family. He is almost 3 and has had some serious medical issues but is a very active little boy. I remember what it's like to hand over a child to a medical team and trust they and God will take care of your little one. It's not easy. The following is an email from Luke's mom. *********************************************************************************** Hello family and friends!I just wanted to let you know when Luke's surgery is scheduled and to ask for prayer. Dr. John Vander Woude will perform surgery on Luke on July 20th at 7:30am at Sanford Hospital. I was told the surgery will only take around 45 minutes, and Dr. Vander Woude will be cutting/releasing the heart ligament that is encircling Luke's trachea...a rather simple procedure that carries minimal risk. Luke will have a chest tube in for 24-48 hours following surgery to monitor drainage, so that means we will be spending time in the hospital. Hopefully we will be home by Thursday, July 23rd at the latest. We are just ready for this to be done so we can put this issue behind us. I have noticed that Luke's breathing has become more labored and louder when he exerts himself, so it is time to get this taken care of. I guess I would ask for prayer for Luke, that he would cooperate during the hospital stay and get the rest that he needs. There will be some pain at the incision site, and I've been told that kids will rest and stay still when they are hurting...so I hope this is the case with Luke. Pray for Dr. Vander Woude, that God would direct the procedure and everything would go smoothly. Dr. Vander Woude has an excellent, excellent nurse, Kathy, who I have visited with numerous times. She has been very reassuring to me. And finally, please pray for Brendan and myself...just for peace of mind over these next couple of weeks and during the week of surgery. I have to admit that it was very difficult to turn him over to nurses for his simple brochoscopy procedure a few months ago, so I need to trust that God will take care of Luke! Every time I look at him, I can't help but think of what my little guy will be going through in a couple of weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers and support - we feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a supportive and genuinely caring group of friends and family. We'll keep you updated!Love, Sandy