Update on Schedule - No Surgery Date Yet

03/27/2008

Diana Pillas at Johns Hopkins (Out of State Coordinator for the Pediatric Neurology Dept.) is currently working on Jessie's Surgery and PreSurgery schedule. As you can imagine, there are a lot of people and resources needed for a surgery like this. Although we do not have a surgery date yet, here is what we do know.

Please keep Diana Pillas in your prayers, along with Jessie. This wonderful lady at Johns Hopkins is doing all of this for Jessie and our family, as she, herself struggles with cancer. Diana was so nice to Jessie during our first visit and held her hand, and read with her and became her best friend for 2 hours. Remember, Diana deals with the worst cases of epilepsy, from all over the nation, and she does it every day. She has seen more cases of Rasmussen's and hemispherectomy patients than most doctors in the world. Every time we say a prayer for Jessie, we also say one for Diana. Please pray for her as well.

About the schedule:
- The below information is not set in stone, and anything is subject to change.
- We should know more the Week of April 12th. We may even have a schedule by then.
- Diana wants to split things up into two trips to Baltimore so that Jessie doesn't get "Hospital Burnout".

- Trip One will include Pre-Surgery things like (Total 7 - 8 days) :
- OT/PT/Neuropsychological Assessment at Kennedy Kreiger Rehab Center (3 Days)
- EMU Stay ( 4 or 5 days)

- Trip Two would be the actual Hemispherectomy Surgery trip (Total 4 - 6 weeks).
- The below assumes no complications...we'll pray for that.
- Surgery (8 - 12 hours) (It will be on a Thursday – 10 days in hospital if all goes well)
- Including 5 or so days in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care) and 5 days in a regular room.
- In Patient Rehab at Kennedy Kreiger (On a Monday – 2 to 3 weeks)

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.