*update* urgent prayer & praise!

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----------------- UPDATE -------------------

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Within minutes of me shutting down the computer after leaving the below post, Hope called me to let me know that the NYC hospital had called her (she and her husband were half way there) that the organ they were going to use for their daughter's transplant tonight had started to die. With that, it was determined that the organ would not be able to survive a transplant. So, they are now turning around and heading back to Connecticut. No donor match. No surgery. I can only imagine the disappointment they're struggling with at this moment. Pray God's mercy on them. Pray for a donor for Alana. Pray her health stay strong until one is found.

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------------------- ORIGINAL POST -----------------------

A few times I've mentioned to you that the Feliciano family was in need of our prayers. They were in the process of adopting a very sick little girl (named Kevy, but her name was recently legally changed to Alana once the adoption process was finalized) who was in need of a bowel transplant. They've been waiting for a donor for quite a while and this afternoon Hope (the mother) got the call from the New York hospital that a small bowel/intestine was in their possession and that she and her daughter needed to head to NYC as soon as possible. This has been a long answer to prayer, however, prayer is still very much needed for this family.

Alana (not quite 2 years old) will be going through a major surgery tonight. A successful surgery is her only chance of survival and it's quite an invasive one. Hope will be staying in NYC (away from her husband and 3 kids at home here in Connecticut) for about 6 to 8 weeks. Having been through that same situation during Ethan's cord blood transplant in Boston, I know that she will need your prayers and encouragement, as it is difficult to live in a small hospital room with your sick child while also being away from your loved ones for such a long time. I will find out her address at the hospital and will post it here as soon as I know. So many of you reached out to us during such a difficult time and I know Hope would likewise benefit from your thoughtfulness. I'll keep you posted....

But mostly, please simply pray for this family. Pray for the 3 kids at home (2 under the age of 6 and one in highschool) who will miss their mother terribly. Pray for Cesar (the husband) who will have to take care of the home and the kids, while missing his wife and being a part of Alana's recovery. Pray for Hope as she endures a scary and lonely roller coaster ride over the next 2 months. And, pray for Alana.... pray her body accepts the new organ, that her recovery is without complication, pray her body remains free of infection, and pray that this procedure cures whatever it is that is attacking her little body. Pray God's hand be in every single decision that the doctors make, and that Hope feels His comfort and peace each step of the way.

Thank you in advance friends. I spoke to Hope this evening as she was on her way to NYC. I understood the fear in her voice... the apprehension. But I assured her that we would pray.

Strangers we might be, but at the throne of God, we are united brothers and sisters... lifting one another up.