Miracles Happen Everyday

Today Mary made more huge strides in her recovery process. Still in intense pain at random times during the day but cracking jokes, smiling and chatting with everyone she sees. Early this afternoon Mary was able to walk up and down the hallways of the hospital with someone on each side to help her along. Both of her eyes are swollen shut, but she was able to get a small glimpse out of her right eye to see out the windows of UCSF at the Golden Gate Bridge.

She has been in pretty good spirits all day and even got to see herself in the mirror for the first time today. We were worried that she would be sad or scared when she saw her swelling but being the Mary that she is, she simply had a good laugh. It is only temporary and was expected by her doctors, which makes things easier.

She had a rough patch this afternoon, intense pain in her head and body, but was good as new for a couple of hours with some heavy drugs:)
Mary's fave nurse, Brittany

Zane went back to Provo tonight, and it was bittersweet. He has been amazing with Mary. He is always by her side. Helping her eat, helping her to calm down when she is in pain, massaging her to make her feel more comfortable and listening whenever she wants to talk. She did not want him to go but they will see each other soon and a little of that "Zane Magic" will return!
Mary brushing her teeth for the first time:)

Today we saw Mary's personality come back and had fun joking, laughing and telling stories. Tonight she was able to talk to her siblings, and what a blessing that was. Catherine was able to video chat with Mary and Peggy for almost 2 hours and they had so much fun. Technology is truly amazing.Sister CatherineBrother Phil

Tomorrow she has another angiogram to triple check that they got all of the AVM out. We ask that you keep her in your prayers for tomorrow. We have continued faith and have been blessed so much in the past several months. We could not have imagined a better ending to one chapter and beautiful beginning to the next chapter of Mary's life. What a bright future she has ahead.

We love you Miracle Mary.

Continued Prayers

Zane and Mary, she always has someone by her side.

Mary is doing really well today, considering what she has had done. This evening she was moved out of the neuro ICU and onto the neuro recovery floor. What an amazing thing. This means that she is completely stable, although on pain killers to keep her as comfortable as possible.

She has had major pain today but not more than expected. Any movement of her head or near her head is torture, so we stay close to her side and try not to make any sudden movements. Today she had a CT scan to verify that everything was removed and as far as that scan went, everything looks great. On Monday she will have another angiogram (where they go through the femoral artery and dye is shot through the vessels up to her brain) to triple check that all of the AVM was successfully removed.

Mary likes to have her hand held and just to have us near. Today she was very quiet, simply exhausted but she did whisper to us a little here and there.

We are so impressed with UCSF staff and hospital. They are amazing and treat us so well. Exactly what we need this week. They have 2 neuro ICU floors and an entire neuro wing for recovering neuro patients.

Mary is not the typical post-op patient-they treat her fabulously. They let us be with her in her room and have been very accommodating. This has been a huge relief for our family.

There are beautiful views out of every window and an amazing cafeteria (helping with the occasional Diet Coke need:)) She now is in her own, quiet, private room-which is a great blessing.

Today has been a difficult day. Lots of pain, which is expected but always hard to face. They are taking phenomenal care of Mary and are planning to get her up and out of bed within the next couple of days. She has made it this far and we expect that she makes great strides within the coming days.

Continued prayers are greatly appreciated. We love you all.

Miracle Mary

Mary is sounds asleep... She did great for her CT scan today. She is very quiet and tired but the doctors are happy with her status. She is in the ICU today and we will find out soon if she will be moved out of the ICU to recover or will spend a few more days there.

Peggy and Brad are by her side constantly and are enjoying watching this amazing girl recover. Mary has had a rough past 8 months but yesterday we saw a glimpse into a very happy future for this girl.

Although there is a long road ahead, we know she can do anything!
Zane feeding her applesauce, only took 1.5 hours:)
Always close by.

More pictures and quotes from Miracle Mary to come!

AVM out.

Today Mary's AVM was successfully removed! They closed her up around 5PM in San Francisco, and we are patiently waiting to see her. When Dr. Lawton came to give us the post op update he said, "All went well!" It was one of those moments we will never forget.

He thanked us for coming to him and San Francisco and said that all of the prayers helped.

We are so thankful for Dr. Lawton and his surgical team! In about 5 minutes we will get to see Mares and cannot wait. She is so strong, so brave and truly a miracle.

Here's to a successful recovery!

We love you Mares.

Below are some pictures from today.

Lots of waiting, here is a restaurant we went to to get our minds off of things

This is why we came to San Francisco

Zane and Brad waiting patiently

What a beautiful place

For more information and posts as Mary is on this journey, check on her sister's blog:

thewillenbrechts.blogspot.com

<3

Here we go!

In the pre-op room, ready to go!

At 9:15 this morning the first incisions were made. The surgeon guessed that the surgery would be 6 hours, but we are just focusing on the small updates that we get each hour.

Mare was very happy. She drifted off to sleep easily before these brilliant surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists went to work.

Surgery is still underway and they are studying now how they will proceed with the removal of Mary's AVM. But don't worry, Mary was telling all of the nurses she loved them and was trying to relax by starting to plan her next vacation to Freeport Bahamas:)

We Love You Mares.

Necklace that was given to Mary by Zane and they let her wear it into surgery.

See you soon Mares!

Peg and Brad taking a walk to distract themselves and getting hourly calls updating them on Mary's status!

Believe! Mary’s 7 month AVM Anniversary!

On a Wing and a Prayer

I still have to pack myself but for the most part, we are ready to go! We have a team of eager helpers all set to care for Thomas, our dogs and our home. Tonight we were able to have a special evening at home with Phillip and Jessica. They and my parents will stay with Thomas during our first week away. It is not easy for me to leave Thomas for 2+ weeks under such serious circumstances. But imagine how grateful I am to have our family nearby. It is such a blessing that my film student son’s first job just happens to be 30 minutes from us. Amazing!

Thomas, Mary, Phillip, Jessica~the night before we fly to SF

After some routine appointments on Wednesday, we will try to make the best of Mary’s free night before she is admitted on Thursday. We’ll have dinner at a favorite spot, drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and take in some sights of the city.

While we are in San Francisco we have some wonderful support. Brad's company, Oracle, has allowed him time off to be with us and have given us great personal support. My cousins who referred us to Dr. Lawton, my aunt and uncle, and Jessica’s family all live in the bay area. Brad’s parents live in Placerville, about 2.5 hours away. All of this was important in our decision to choose a San Francisco surgeon vs. those surgeons in Dallas or Phoenix.

Mary and Zane

During that difficult decision process, Zane helped Mary to have the courage to choose surgery over Cyberknife, saving her life. He was with her the day she found out the date of her surgery. Even though he has a heavy load in school and is also preparing to take the MCAT’s, he has arranged his life in order to be with Mary as much as he can. It is important to both of them that he is with her before she goes into surgery and when she wakes up.

The visiting hours are much more restrictive at UCSF than the ICU here in Vancouver. But we plan to be with her every moment that we can. We anticipate she will be in the hospital for about 1 week. We will stay an additional week in the bay area in case there are any immediate complications. Dr. Lawton expects that we will then be able to fly back and Mary can recover at home for about 6 more weeks.

Mary and Peggy

Believe!

Just before Thanksgiving, we flew to San Francisco to meet with Dr. Lawton. I had so many concerns and mixed emotions as we sat in his office that day. From the moment we found out that Mary had a large AVM in her brain, we were told that surgery was not an option. We had learned everything we could about Cyberknife (radiation surgery) and Mary already had all of the preparatory tests completed. They even had made the special protective mask that she would wear.

Yet, there we sat~in a strange hospital~700 miles from home~with a surgeon we just met~telling us that this ‘impossible’ surgery could save Mary. He made every effort to be sure that we understood the risks and the benefits of surgery vs Cyberknife. He explained why he believes he can remove Mary’s AVM and why it is ultimately a much better option for her. He told us that he can give her a 90% or better chance for a full cure and complete recovery within 8 weeks!

In 2010, UCSF was ranked #1 in neurosurgery and neurology on the west coast. Dr. Lawton is one of the few vascular neurosurgeons in the US, qualified to remove Mary’s AVM. He will be her surgeon on Friday. Many students and specialists all over the country will learn from Mary’s AVM. UCSF has an AVM study group that will follow Mary’s case for the next 2 years. Mary and I are so excited about that!

Of the many people who read about Mary, I know that this audience is comprised of many different religions. Even though some of you do not believe in any religion or even in God, there is still a measure of hope and faith. Thank you to those who have prayed for Mary, even though you have not prayed for anything else for many years. Your combined good thoughts, well wishes and prayers on Mary’s behalf have made a difference in her life. I believe that we cannot get through this trial or any other trial without each other.

I believe that we have seen miracles through Mary. On June 19, 2010 Mary lived. Over the course of her critical condition in the ICU, she lived. 10 weeks later, she began classes at BYU. In 7 months, she has not been sick one time (an actual illness, not including nausea & headaches!). Mary’s AVM separated itself after the hemorrhage, ending up in the Sylvian Fissure, making surgery possible

No matter what you believe, miracles have happened to Mary this year. I believe that there are more miracles to come. Mary will have a successful surgery this Friday morning. She will fully recover and lead a full, happy, normal life!

Believe!

Read more about Mary’s story at:

sanguineaubergine.blogspot.com