Brain MRI Results & Prayers

Today was a very long day with some good news and our first bad news in a long time.

Brady started the warming process at 10 p.m. last night. The process lasted for a little over 6 hours. Around 9 a.m. he was brought down for a MRI scan of his brain. He was back in his room a little after 10:00. We had hoped to get the results from the test within the next hour or two.

We spent most of the morning trying to get Ali healed while we waited for any news. Ali has had constant pain from the surgery, but she's healing well. We were discharged from the hospital at 7 p.m. Thankfully, they've found a boarding room for us on the 5th floor of the hospital for the rest of the weekend. We're looking forward to this time to be close to Brady and allow Ali to continue healing.

We were able to get down to see Brady in the early afternoon. Brady was extubated (ventilator removed from his throat) and now has a CPAP tube on his nose. His breathing continues to improve and they hope he can be breathing completely on his own soon. We still haven't been able to hold him. They still want his breathing to improve a little...we're hopeful that we can hold him later tonight.

He is moving all of his limbs. We can see his entire mouth for the first time and he's making some noises (although his throat is still very sore from the tubes). His eyes are still swollen shut, but we can see them flickering and we hope they will open soon. Ali and I read him his first books. They flipped him over on his tummy for the first time (he was on his back for the entire three days of cooling). He looks so peaceful and beautiful.

At 5:00 p.m. we finally received some feedback about the MRI. Unfortunately, the brain scan is not normal. There are two or three dark spots on the brain image. We should learn more about what this means when we talk to the neonatal neurologist on Monday. They will also do an EEG test of his brain on Monday to learn more about what's happening.
We have been told that it's inconclusive on how any brain damage will affect Brady in the future. A baby's brain is still growing, so there is hope that it will grow around the injuries. There are also times when those injuries shrink or disappear. Obviously, we are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

Our prayer minister at Hosanna!, Pat Moe, came to the hospital yesterday and prayed with Brady and us. She told us that she could feel God's presence all around Brady and he was being lifted up by all of the prayers of our family and friends. Pat prays for the sick and hurt on a daily basis and has countless stories of miracles. She said she doesn't always feel the sensation she found around Brady. We know that Brady has already experienced several miracles throughout these past few days and we will continue to believe that there are more to come.
We continue to be blessed by your messages of support and hope.
With love,
Tyler, Ali, Ava, Casey and Brady