"Gold Standard" Surgery Update!

Hello prayer warriors!

Thank you for your patience as we worked to get this update put together. Let me start by saying, the surgery went perfectly and Louie is on the Specialty ENT floor recovering. Now that we all can breathe a sigh of relief and thankfulness, let me share some more.

The team that worked on Louie did a fantastic job and the surgeons were God-fearing, Jesus-loving people. It was apparent through so many small details that they prayed for Louie and asked for God to provide them with His wisdom as they worked on Louie and made decisions throughout the 10 hours of surgery. It was an incredibly long day and was definitely much harder than expected. 

The surgeon relayed to Marianne that he ended up not being as conservative as he could have been with the amount of the tongue he took. He told her that he did what he knew needed to be done to ensure Louie would be here for a long, long time. I am so thankful for that! Louie is a blessing to so many people and we look forward to living life together with him for many years to come, making memories and enjoying the many blessings and joys a life with Christ offers. 

After surgery, Marianne was able to join Louie and stayed the night with him. Nita (mom) stepped in that first hour post-surgery when Marianne was overwhelmed and did so much to help. God knew that she needed to be there! Marianne is advocating for Louie and being his voice when it comes to his care, and this was (and will continue to be) invaluable. Marianne and Nita are really focusing on showing the love and light of Christ to every person that enters Louie's room.

Things were a bit rocky to start with, they had some issues clearing Louie's airway so that he could rest comfortably, but today has been much better! As you can imagine, this was a very extensive surgery and recovery is going to be a long and hard road, but Louie is taking it as it comes and remembering who is in control! Marianne relates Louie's tender heart to the heart of David; his aim is to be pleasing to the Lord in all he does and he is praising through the pain. 

During the next week or so, Louie will stay in the hospital to recover, regain his strength, and prepare to go home. Please be in prayer this upcoming week for Louie and Marianne, that Louie will recover beautifully and the doctors would continue to be in awe of how well he is doing! We would love for every nurse, therapist, doctor, and staff member to be impacted by the love, faith, and joy of Louie and Marianne. That their hearts would be drawn to Jesus and that their encounters would impact their eternity!

The text messages, Facebook comments, scriptures and prayers have been so encouraging to Louie and Marianne. Thank you for continuing to lift them up and cover them during this time. 

Louie and Marianne with a photo bomber!

Louie and Mom! Love those smiles!

Kaili (granddaughter) selling bracelets to raise money for Papa!

Here are some shout outs to the great God we serve for the miracles He performed!

-The margins taken during surgery had no cancer! This is incredible!

-The two areas of concern located around the previous cancer site visually looked good to the surgeon, they are being sent off for biopsy! Let's pray that no cancer is found!

-Originally Louie was supposed to have his feeding tube placed in his stomach. The surgeon decided last minute to give Louie a feeding tube through the nose and see how he does. He must know that Louie loves to eat and we serve a God who can restore, heal, and delights in giving His children the desires of their hearts!

-Louie was supposed to be heavily sedated after surgery but the doctor decided that because Louie was doing so well that it wasn't necessary! Thank you, Jesus!

-They were told to expect extreme swelling after surgery and Louie's swelling is minimal. He looks pretty darn good for a guy who just underwent a surgery like this! Only God!

-Louie was going to require surgery on both thighs but because of how strong Louie is (shout out to his work ethic and dedication to working out!) and how good the tissue was, he only required surgery on the right leg! Wow, this wasn't even something I thought to pray for! 

-The surgeon had a massive headache hit him mid-surgery that could have caused him to not give Louie his full attention. He told Marianne that it completely subsided, thank you for praying specifically for the team all day yesterday. Your prayers absolutely were heard! 

-They did not have to completely remove Louie's tongue, they were able to save a portion, which includes a nerve and an artery. Louie is able to move it a little bit already, this is a HUGE win!

-A little after midnight the nurse wanted Louie to stand up and walk. Louie was able to do this and even did it one more time, this is incredible considering how soon after surgery this was!

-The doctor removed Louie's tube today and asked Louie to say "1-2-3-4." Louie was able to say this and is being encouraged to practice! Thank you Jesus for giving Louie his voice. He will use it all of his days to praise Your name and share Your good news! 

-Louie received what is called "The Gold Standard" method of reconstruction, ensuring "robust healing." We are so thankful that he received the absolute best of the best! 

Once again, thank you for your prayers and for your outpouring of love, it means so much! If you would like to help cover medical costs, please head to the link below, we are a quarter of the way to our goal: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/louies-fight-united-in-faith

Sending lots of love and gratitude to you all!

Sara