CMRI Christmas appeal- georgies story you can select the following address http://www.cmri.org.au/Christmas-Appeal-2012/default.aspx

 

Funding come thru

Dear all some good news at last - the funding application was successful so our home help can continue.its not quite as much as before but we are very relieved to get it.thankyou to all who have prayed in this regard and to The Lord for answering.re jobs I along with 300 others are all on affected staff list for either redeployment or redundancy.

Dear all just letting you know our funding for Georgie still hasn't come thru and current funding will run out mid Dec.We have some more visits to do at westmead later this month.ange is well and gone to Vic with James for a wedding so Georgie and I are on our own.
Work is very uncertain at present with the Govt cutbacks we've been told our jobs will finish in the near future.well it's just as well we know the one who knows our future.

All fairly good of late.have had word we have secure funding for home help until the end of the year.dept dadhc are trying hard to obtain further funding.another trip to westmead is planned late Nov.the Childrens medical research institute at westmead are going to do a bit of a story on Georgie to try to help with their next funding drive for research into childhood epilepsies.they hope to find a cure to treat these kind of severe epilepsies when they first happen.all of their research come from donations.

A week at Westmead

Last week we spent the whole week at Westmead in a care-by -parent room with Georgie.
She travelled well in the car and had a perfect settled week making all th eappointments possible and so much easier.
She had comprehensive reviews of neurology, endocrinology, physio, rehab, dental, occupational therapy, orthopaedics, respiratory. So a number of x-rays, blood tests, EEG.speech pathology - (not for speech help but just swallowing.)
She weighs 43kg and is about 145cm tall/long.
A few changes with medications.
She recieved lots of attention and many questions answered as to her overall physical condition and medications etc. We also gained a lot of tips here and there for her care.
Drs still do not know what caused Georgie's illness but sadly have had a a number of other children with the illness and said around the world it is now not uncommon. They felt confident that they would one day understand how it happens.
We will have to go down again in Nov for fitting of some foot and hand splints. We have had no help with this in Dubbo and fortunately the orthopaedics team at Westmead were so determined to help. Some of them were fighting back tears as we spoke of the situation and how little help had been forthcoming in this area. It is frustrating to say the least to have to constantly fight.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the visit was the positivity with which Georgie was received. No one was talking any more of her passing on but rather that she has proved the test of time and so she should recieve all the attention necessary to make life as good as possible for her with a long term view in mind.
Please know they don't expect she can improve, but live - yes. Still there is prayer and a God who sees and hears - and answers.
The professor of neurology who oversaw Georgie's case from the start took me personally for a visit to Bear Cottage where he arranged for us to all go for a holiday. He said to me "I have wanted to be able to do something  for your family for a long time." I assured him he already had as he fought hard for Georgie for so long and it tested all his knowledge to do so. He asked me "greg does Georgie ever say anything" and he believed me when i told him yes sometimes she does. Sometimes it is just like a different language and sometimes there is an odd word that sounds familiar. Sometimes she makes other noises but often there is just silence.
We had lots of visitors from around the hospital.In fact we reckoned Georgie had more visitors last week than in the previous year! Nurses and Drs and friends all came to say hello.
James spent the week here on his own and we met him at Bathurst where his football team were playing their grand final. It was great to see them win. We were so proud of the boys. James plays fairly but hard and is getting known for his solid tackling.(You can tell I'm proud)

Having written all of this I am also feeling greatly for my African brother Moses and his wife and their elder daughter living in Uganda. Moses is a Ugandan man who also reads this blog and has led many others to pray for Georgie some years ago with prayer and fasting. and still prays for her. Moses came to Australia and stayed and visited with us. I heard him a number of times during the night up praying. Just a week ago he lost his little 8 month old second daughter to pneumonia and anaemia. We feel his loss greatly and would ask you please pray for him and his wife Rachel. Moses is currently running a gospel campaign in Uganda and our friends Mick and Janine from Nyngan are over there helping. We are so blessed in our country to have the medical help we do have although we often complain it is not perfect. Moses is a health worker and a pastor and he and Rachel have started an aids orphanage in Uganda which is greatly in need of development and support. They have recently commenced a blog at http://www.simplesite.com/LCFUganda/

Well we thank you for your ongoing prayer and love.

"All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. All to Jesus I surrender at Thy feet I humbly bow, worldy pleasures all forsaken, take me Jesus , take me now.
All to Jesus I surrender, Lord I give myself to Thee, Fill me with Thy love and power, Let They blessings fall on me" (Judson W. Van de Venter 1896)
Greg

August

Dear friends well we are almost through winter and the winter wogs. It's been a long cold one but we thankfully have a warm room for Georgie. Now the days are warming we have been able to get her outside again. It is a nice time of year up here. I had a meeting with 3 ladies from dept ADHC about funding for Georgie. The main funding source will stop at the end of August. They have some funds which could possibly tide us over for a while. They have put her into the highest need category for home help funding but just have to wait and see whether they are successful. I also work in the dept agriculture and there are lots of rumours of cut backs at the moment including my section so praying for Gods leading here. He always provides. Georgie is booked into Westmead for several days the week after next where they can go over everything for her. We value your prayers in all these things. God bless

Funding stopping

Hi, we just found out tonight that basically all of Georgie's funding will stop for at home help in August. The main fundor decided they have given her enough money and won't give anymore. This is really hard news.

Dear all, Georgie got over the worst of it all after about a week and is pretty much back on track again now. Thankyou for your prayers and messages. It's her 14th birthday tomorrow.

Dear Friends, just letting you know Georgie has been very sick with seizures etc. It is the worst i've seen her for some time. It saddens me greatly, so I appreciate your prayers for peace for her. Ange is away for the week with her friend at the Hillsong conference for the first decent break in 5 years. She has been really enjoying some of the speakers and music. (so of course we don't tell Ange Georgie hasn't been well) Emily is here for the hols and been helping me.
We have some wonderful help lately with Georgie.
On Monday I was just starting to make a lamb casserole and the nurse said "I'll do that- I make a great lamb casserole". Was true too!
Have been listening to some wonderful preaching and teaching via podcast from Milton Ulladulla Baptist church both my former high school R.E teacher (Bernie Hughes still doing RE) and my former youth leader Dougy Knight (Senior pastor)are now based there.
It just helps so much to feed your mind on the things of God and the truth. I'm sure it's part of putting on the helmet of salvation.
A lovely friend (from Africa now Aussie) bought Georgie a new CD/mP3 player just recently. Funny but our CD player which we've had for about 19 years stopped working within a week. Now isn't God clever?
I've written out the lyrics of a song on a Jane Saunders CD for you. Probably highly illegal to write them out but if you like them maybe you can go buy the CD....(by Jane Saunders and Colin Buchanan)

The Other Side.
They are waiting over on the other side,
As your boat drifts out beyond our view
Saints are watching for you on that distant shore,
Oh, farewell.
Jesus will keep you 'til you reach the other side,
Can you hear Him calling your name?
Brothers and sisters gather to greet you there
Oh, you're home!
Angels are singing heavenly songs
Through our tears we sing along
You go before us with Jesus as your guide,
Oh, to the other side
One day we'll meet you - over on the other side,
When we're together we'll worship The Lamb.
We will be singing over on the other side,
Oh, Halelu.
And we'll be singing glorious songs
And all of heaven will sing along
Blessed reunion! Nothing will divide.
On the other side.

Hi just a quick note all been sick with the flu etc inc Georgie now too so all tired.em home for a month uni holidays .what a life!

Dear folks thankyou to those who stay in touch and keep praying. Had a lovely afternoon last week with 3 people from Yeoval who came out and spent a few hours talking with Georgie and praying with her and reading to her and sitting with her holding her hands and treating her like a person. It was really nice. It reminds me of our Lord's words "she has done a beautiful thing unto me". Lately we have been getting Georgie to concentrate on trying to hold herself up and she does pretty well with just a little support in a sitting position. Trying to get her to concentrate which she seems to be doing.

Georgie been having some peaceful days and some hard days with seizures and coughing.i just hate these times and have never got used to it.

May

Dear folks just a few dot points Weather is dry but beautiful up here so Georgie getting out regularly Georgie a bit sick at present with a chesty wog Met a fellow during the week who has been Praying in his bible study group for The last 5yrs now.was very encouraging To hear and see his heart for her and us. Georgie been vocalizing a bit lately It is freaky as it sounds like words but they Are not distinguishable.just occasionally at Night when we're having reading time. Have had cut backs in funding so now for showering One of us needs to be on hand. Paying for her meds as well hoping the Safety net will pick up the bulk. Bless you for praying

Hi it's been a while since i wrote anything. Not much has changed in many respects.
Em is down in Sydney now at Uni and loving it.
Some cut backs in funding again for Georgie's home help will mean maybe a 20 or 30 % reduction in home help hours.
Ange works two days per week at a local high school and been really enjoying those days.
James in year 11, working two nights a week cooking at achinese kitchen, breeding many birds - a good kid. Now has his "L's"- lookout Dubbo.
We have received a couple of lovely cards from people to send a word of encouragement to us knowing that this Easter will be 5 years since Georgie got sick.
Interestingly the head neurologist once made a statement to me that if she lived she may live five years. Why five years i've no idea.
Dates become landmarks i guess.
Have thought at times of writing a book as so many have suggested. I've always tried to cover the awfulness of things that really happened for so many reasons but as well as this there were so many wonderful things that happened. I read the other day how Paul said "i did not want you to be ignorant of the many trials we suffered...."
Well thanks all who keep praying!
Blessings Greg and Ange