Our Miracle Child

This is the last post on the "Believing for Aubrey" blog.  It is, however, the first post written by her mother, Ashleigh Gallo.  Please read through to the end, where Ashleigh makes a very small, but meaningful, request of all of you who have supported little Aubrey during this time.

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Aubrey's Third Birthday Party

Our miracle child - Aubrey is just that!  When I describe this adventure to other people who are just finding out what happened to Aubrey, I simply cannot tell this story without talking about the healing power of God.

Aubrey has indeed made a full recovery, making it hard for most people to believe that just six months ago, Aubrey was so close to dying from a critical case of West Nile encephalitis.  But she has no evidence of brain damage, and she is thriving despite all she went through.

When she came home from the hospital, she only had two therapy appointments before it was clear she did not need any more therapy.  She was testing at or above a three-year-old level in all physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy only three weeks after she came home!  Unfortunately, she was waking several times a night, crying - but now, even that is a distant memory.  Our daughter is healed.

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Dad and Mom at the Party

This week marks the six-month anniversary since she got sick, and - more importantly - it marks her third birthday. This coming Tuesday we venture to the neurologist in hopes that they will begin weaning her off the seizure medication.  Andy and I thought this milestone would be the perfect ending to her recovery updates on the blog.

I am still amazed at the number of people from all over the world who visited this blog during the first week - around 19,000!  Thousands more continued to visit afterward.

We thank each of you for praying, fighting, forwarding her story to others, and holding us up during this amazing testimony of FAITH.  We have had the remarkable opportunity to see Christ's Church in action during a tremendous trial.  Standing at her bedside in the ICU, we knew this experience would make us stronger, but we had no idea that it would be largely due to all of your prayers.

And so we say thank you for the part you played in her healing.  We know that Aubrey is marked for God's kingdom, and we look forward to seeing the godly woman she will become.

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Lilly, Aubrey's Sister

We invite you all to write Aubrey a message, a prayer, or your thoughts on how her story has affected your life. We are going to leave the blog up for two weeks so you have time to write.  Afterward, we will be printing out this entire blog and all your messages into a book for her to have when she is older.

Psalm 91 was given to us by a number of you.  It became a our prayer during this journey, and it is a testimony of what God can do.

Please take a moment to read through it and be encouraged.

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Aubrey with Grandma

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Little Piano Player

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side, 
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”

The Royal Partygoers

   and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Alive and Well

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”

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God bless you, and thanks for leaving a message for Aubrey.

Aubrey is a Miracle

A Message from Aubrey's Dad

Aubrey at the beginning

"Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death." Phillipians 1:18-20

I know it has been a while since the last update, and I know that all of you have continued to keep Aubrey and our family in your thoughts and prayers.  We are sincerely grateful that you have continued to stand with us.

At this point, I feel confident in saying that Aubrey's recovery has been a miracle. She spent 11 days in the ICU and another nine days on the pediatrics ward.  There were times we thought she might die.  We had no idea what the future would hold for her if she survived.  The nights were long, lonely, and stressful.

But she woke up, had no further seizures, and improved so rapidly that within a period of two to three days, we went from considering surgical placement of a feeding tube and a month long stay in a rehab hospital to realizing that we could probably take her straight home.  She has been home now for almost three weeks, and the progress has continued to be remarkable.

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Miracles by leaps and bounds

Aubrey only required the NG feeding tube for five days before we were able to remove it.  At her first follow-up with pediatrics, she had already gained one pound of the four pounds she lost in the hospital.  Her eating and drinking continued to improve on a daily basis, and I am happy to report that she has now completely regained the weight she lost in the hospital. 

Quick improvements

She has had one visit with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy and they were anticipating that she might need outpatient therapy once every two to three weeks until the end of November.  She goes back to the therapists tomorrow, and I fully anticipate that she will not need anymore outpatient therapy at all.

[UPDATE (the following day): Aubrey just returned from three hours of therapy.  She has gained six months of gross motor skills in the last ten days.  Her fine motor skills are testing at the three-year-old level.  There is no need for further therapy as she is functioning at or above her age level.] 

Her motor skills have continued to improve to the point that she is climbing up playground equipment and chasing her sister down the sidewalk.  Her speech and vocabulary are no different than before.  I think she still has some subtle deficits in her fine motor skills but anticipate that these will continue to improve.  Her swallowing has completely normalized and we were able to stop thickening her liquids.

She had a follow-up with neurology a week ago, and they were quite pleased with her progress.  Her doctor said that the major question marks had been crossed off the list.  When I asked him to clarify, he said that when she was in the midst of this, there was question of how neurologically compromised she would eventually be.  She could have struggled like a child with severe cerebral palsy.  She could have continued to have seizures as they weaned the medications.  But instead, she only continued improving.  Aubrey is a miracle.

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The Doctors are Amazed

More improvement

Several statements from her physicians have been notable to me.  Her ICU physician told the pediatrics residents that because of all the horrible, devastating things they see happen to children in their careers, Aubrey is someone to remember, because cases like hers are what keeps you going as a pediatrician.

One of the infectious disease physicians said that she has made "a miraculous recovery."  Her attending physician on the pediatrics ward told me that he had a feeling that she would get better, but that he had no idea it would happen this quickly. 

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Believing for Continued Healing

There are three issues we continue to deal with.  First, there is still a question of some minor neuro-developmental delays, but it will take some time for us to determine if that is the case.  I anticipate that there will be little to no neuro-developmental delays based on her progress so far.  They said she has between a 5-10% lifetime risk of developing a seizure disorder because of the severity of her infection and seizures.  She will need to remain on the anti-seizure medication for at least six months to a year.  We hope that eventually she will be able to discontinue the medication and that she will remain seizure-free.

Aubrey's goes home

Second, Aubrey is extremely emotional, and we are dealing with a number of behavioral issues.  It has become quite clear that the emotions and behavior are not different from what we dealt with before.  They are simply far more intense.  Aubrey is a very good girl, but she was by far our most difficult child, and her behavior is truly testing our patience.  We are unsure how to handle it, because it could be caused by several factors: behavioral/emotional problems are common in children after encephalitis, they can also be caused by the anti-seizure medication, she is recovering from a long, traumatic hospitalization, and she is still two-years-old.

Last, we are somewhat concerned about her vision.  At times she looks a little cross-eyed and we have noticed some things that may indicate her vision has been affected.  The infection was located in an area of the brain that controls vision.  She has an appointment with an eye doctor at the end of November to help sort this out.  Even if her vision has been affected, it is very minor as she is functioning almost normally.

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A Word of Thanks

Aubrey today - a miracle

My job has been incredibly supportive in allowing me the time I needed to be with my family, and I will be going back to work soon.  My fellow residents have offered numerous times to bring meals, help with childcare, or to do anything we need.  Our church and family have been an enormous support.  When this started, I truly felt that the doors of our church had been kicked open, and people were running to our rescue.  We are so grateful.  And the enormous prayer support we have received from all over the world will never be forgotten.  Thank you for praying and for sending your comments and emails.

This may be the last update for quite a while.  We are so thankful that we have our Aubrey back.  In fact, I am thrilled to even write that sentence.  Everything about her is back: her personality, her loving attitude toward her younger brother, her playfulness, her relationship with her older sister, being a "daddy's girl," her disarming sweetness, and her intensity and passion.

We do not know how long the behavior and emotions will remain an issue but trust that God will guide us in how to handle it.  After all, he rescued our daughter from the jaws of death.  We continue to trust Him and thank you for standing with us through this time.

Grappling with God's Sovereignty: What's the Point of This?

Thank you for continuing to pray for Aubrey in line with the prayer requests of the previous post on this blog.  Many of you may be unaware of the hours that the Gallos' extended family have spent sitting with Aubrey at the hospital, babysitting James and Lilly, cleaning the house, making meals - all while praying their hearts out.

Andy's sister, Lauren, has been particularly involved, since she lives with Ashleigh and Andy.  I asked her to share some insights she's gained from this ordeal.  She has shared this excellent post on how she has wrestled with God's sovereignty through this painful experience, and I commend it to you.

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Lauren and Aubrey

God’s sovereignty has been my favorite attribute to study, ponder, and pride myself in understanding for years.  I know God controls everything, and He always orchestrates circumstances with the dual purpose of promoting His glory and my eternal good.

But recently, God apparently decided that I needed to let this truth seep a little more deeply into my heart.  Since Aubrey’s illness began, I have been thrown into a period of study and introspection that has made the truth of God’s sovereignty more beautiful than it was before.

For an already contemplative person, this turned me to a consuming search for a satisfactory reason why this happened.  In that, I’ve learned to cling to Christ, His word, and His unfailing promises.  I’ve learned that God saw the tears my family would cry, and He grieved with us; but only He has the big picture and the ability to plan every single thing for our good.

I decided to write this entry for the blog to help me make a little bit of sense out of Aubrey's illness - an illness I first considered irrational, pointless, and an unwarranted punishment.  My perspective has changed, and I hope I can accurately convey what God has so graciously taught me over the past several weeks.  I also hope it will encourage a fellow believer who is or will be going through a seemingly pointless trial.  I hope you’ll see that even if you never learn why, it’s not really pointless at all.

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When Aubrey had her first seizure, I was supposed to have already left the house for work.  But God had other plans.  Instead of leaving the house at 6 a.m., I was just getting up that morning because I had gotten a cold the day before.  God’s sovereign plan kept me home so I could take care of Lilly and James while Ashleigh rushed Aubrey to the hospital.  This seemingly trivial part of His plan led to a course of events I never imagined.  A month later, I am still absorbing it all.

Just a few moments after Ashleigh left the house and the initial shock wore off, I started asking God why.  As dramatic as witnessing Aubrey’s seizure was, I was equally haunted by the image of Aubrey's mother seeing Aubrey suffer in an unexpected and horrific manner.  I don’t yet understand the love of a parent for a child, but then I started to grapple with reconciling the pain my brother and sister-in-law were currently experiencing with a commonly known Biblical truth: God the Father loves His children on earth more than a parent loves his own children.

Here began my earnest study on the sovereignty of God.  I poured over Jerry Bridges' book Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts, I searched for sermons on God’s sovereignty, and I found myself seeking God’s truth during any spare moment.

On the way to work, I was reading and searching for an answer.  During my lunch break, I’d slip away to search some more.  While I sat with Aubrey and wondered if she’d ever be the same, I was looking.  I found myself teetering emotionally, shedding more tears than I knew I could produce, and my only avenue to stability was God and His truth.

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I’ve always sought lessons, and I'm usually pretty good at applying them to my life.  This was the first time that God started to teach me the hardest lesson I’ve ever encountered: Trust God.  Know that He is good.  Know that circumstances are planned and perfectly orchestrated for the good of His children, no matter what, even when you have no clue why.

Lilly, Aubrey, and Aunt Lauren

What’s more, trust God, even if He never answers your burning desire to know why.  Do not allow your questioning to turn into accusing God and insinuating that He is not as good as He claims.

I say God started to teach me because I know this will be a continual process.  But I pray that the during the calm seasons, when I am tempted to believe that I can sustain and prosper my own life, I will not forget these scriptural truths that became alive to me in the crisis:

• God knows the tears His children will shed, and they are ever-present before Him: “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record?” – Psalm 56:8 
• God does not willingly afflict us, and He is full of compassion: “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”  – Lamentations 3:32-33 
• “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.” - Ecclesiastes 7:14
• Even the terrible things were planned: “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” - Isaiah 45:7
• All things work together for good, to make us more like Christ. - Romans 8:28. 
• I may never understand how what appears irrational, pointless, and unwarranted punishment works for good, but God says it does: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28. 
• “If we are to honor God by trusting Him, and if we are to find peace for ourselves, we must come to the place where we can honestly say, ‘God, I do not have to understand. I will just trust You.” –Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts, p. 135

And so I declare to the Lord - No matter what, I am going to trust You, even when I hurt and it all seems pointless.  I will continue to seek lessons, but if I can't see them, I will still trust You.  Thank You for preserving Aubrey, for listening to the prayers of Your saints, and working good for Your children.  We are so thankful, Father.

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I want to end by leaving you with this truth-packed song that has been my theme for the past few weeks.  I hope it touches your heart like it has mine.

Four Areas Where Aubrey is Still Struggling

It's been a few days since we updated you on Aubrey Gallo.  Andy and Ashleigh are very thankful to have her back home, but it hasn't been without its struggles.  Here are four areas where Aubrey is struggling (with some success), but she still needs your prayers...

1. Weight gain: The NG tube is no longer in Aubrey's nose, so she is now starting to eat and gaining weight - but it's a slow process that can be frustrating and requires constant attention.  For example, they have to keep an eye out for signs that liquid is getting into her windpipe, because it could cause pneumonia.
2. Motor skills: Today, Aubrey went to receive therapy, and all the therapists were shocked at her progress and that she didn't have to go to inpatient rehab.  They did tell the Gallos that Aubrey's motor skills have regressed to those of a child about six months younger than her.  But the therapists are nonetheless very encouraged at Aubrey's rapid improvement and believe she will only need to come to therapy once a week for a while.
3. Emotional volatility: Aubrey is going to do a follow-up with neurology on Tuesday.  She's showing an unusually low tolerance for a number of simple things like putting on her shirt or having her diaper changed.  It could be the anti-seizure drug that's causing this, or it could also an aftereffect of the encephalitis.  
4. Possible epilepsy/vision damage: The doctors will try to figure out whether Aubrey has epilepsy as they continue to treat her, but there is some evidence that children who go through this illness have an increased risk of epilepsy.  There's also a possibility that Aubrey's vision was damaged by the West Nile encephalitis. 

Please pray for the following:

• that Aubrey will continue to eat normally and continue to gain weight
• that her swallowing will no longer be an issue and she will continue to tolerate thin liquids
• that the emotional volatility will improve
• that she will eventually be able to come off the seizure medications, have no epilepsy, and that she will not ever have another seizure
• that her vision will heal
• that, as Andy prepares to return to work, they will successfully figure out how to deal with a child who still isn't quite the same as before.

Thank you for continuing to pray.  We know you have your own issues and concerns, but your comments, prayers, and emails are such a potent reminder that Andy and Ashleigh are not alone in this.  We'll try to put up some new photos soon.

Aubrey is Home!

After the tremendous progress that Aubrey has been making, yesterday, the doctors decided she was ready to go back home.  In fact, she only has to do outpatient care at the rehab hospital.  Praise the Lord!

It's remarkable to think that, just a week ago, the post on this blog was so dire (see "A Visit to Aubrey - Definitely Keep Praying.")  Since then, Aubrey has surpassed all of the doctors' expectations.  We believe the Lord was listening to the thousands of prayers and, in response, giving her supernatural rehab that medicine could not offer.  As a result, three weeks after nearly dying at Walter Reed Hospital, Aubrey paid a visit to our church tonight.

During the service, I went over to say hello to her.  She seemed very bashful and wary at first, which is unusual for her.  But I felt so happy to see her looking healthy, and I leaned forward and said, "Aubrey, I love you."  She looked back at me and said, "I love you."  What refreshing words to hear from a little girl who couldn't even speak this time last week.

Andy and Ashleigh still request your prayers for Aubrey and their family in the following areas:

1. Aubrey's still not eating quite enough, because she's dependent upon the NG tube, which doesn't provide all the nutrients she needs.  She could probably do a lot better with eating, but the problem is that some of the food and drink is going into her windpipe.  Please pray that her throat will heal.
2. Aubrey's still on an emotional roller coaster.  She's been through a bizarre, frightening experience - especially for a two-year-old - and she needs to experience God's peace.  Pray that the Holy Spirit and His angels would comfort her and wipe away all the scary memories.
3. Andy says Lilly, Aubrey's sister, doesn't quite understand the situation (she is four, after all), and when she is a little rough with her sister, they find themselves short-tempered.  They don't want to be that way, so please pray they will have grace for all three kids.

Thank you again for all your prayers.  I'm amazed to see that there are so many of you from all over the world who are checking this website or receiving email updates.  Your prayers are drawing the body of Christ together, glorifying God, and making a difference in the Gallos' life as a family.  

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