Please Keep Fighting for Aubrey

Thank you so much for all the prayer support for Aubrey Gallo.  The response to this website has been overwhelming - it has received 3,563 visits since we started it yesterday (and quite a few visits are from Germany, not to mention those in Mozambique, South Korea, and Barbados).

What an awesome reminder that we are part of Christ's worldwide body - a family who takes care of those in need.  May God bless all of you for continuing to keep watch over this precious girl through your prayers.

Here's an email from Andy, Aubrey's dad, to all of you who are praying.

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Again, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and for your interest in how Aubrey is doing.  It's hard to say where we are at this point.  The good news is that last night was the best night Aubrey has had since coming to the Pediatric ICU.  We still don't know the cause of the encephalitis, so the doctors continue to run tests.

Aubrey is on four medications to suppress her seizures and keep her in a medical coma.  The doctors lowered one of the medications today to see how she would respond, and she didn't have a full-blown seizure.  That's good.  This could be a good sign that she's going to stop having seizures - so to find out if she's finished with the seizures, the doctors are going to lower the anti-seizure medications even more.  We pray that she doesn't begin having more seizures when they lower the medication.

The drain in Aubrey's skull is pulling out high amounts of fluid.  This is not good, because it probably means that we have to keep the drain there longer than we would like.  Otherwise her brain will have serious swelling issues, and swelling can cause brain damage.

Ideally, the doctors want to wean Aubrey off the seizure medications, remove the drain from her skull, and then get her off the ventilator.  At a minimum, it would take a week to do all of that.  If she doesn't respond well to the weaning, we may be back at square one.  That would be frustrating.

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Here's how you can pray for Aubrey:

1. Pray that she will have no seizure activity when the doctors lower her medication.
2. Pray for the infection and swelling to cease so the drain can be removed from her skull.
3. Pray for reversal of any brain damage.
4. Pray that her older sister, Lilly, will not feel lonely or stressed.
5. Pray that we will remain strong and full of faith in God.

Thank you to all who attended the prayer vigil today, in person or in spirit.  I heard it was powerful, and Ashleigh left encouraged.  Thank you to those who don't even know us (and in countries we have never visited) but are standing with us in prayer.

Thank you to those who the Lord has woken from sleep with Aubrey in mind to pray.  Thank you for calling, emailing, bringing meals, sitting, and crying with us.  We desperately appreciate your support and prayers.

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If you have any encouraging scriptures God has put on your heart as you have been praying for Aubrey, please feel free to include them in the comments section.  We are standing on the Word of God and believing Him to speak health into Aubrey's body.

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