Pray for Jared

Jared has had quite an ordeal the past week and a half. He has been playing a new game called Stump the Doctor. Jared won the first three rounds. However, the third doctor, an orthopedic specialist, wouldn’t go down without a fight. He ordered an MRI. I took Jared to get his MRI yesterday morning. A follow up appointment was scheduled for Monday. About the time I got home from work last night, the doctor called and talked to Kristin. He told her the MRI revealed Jared has a serious infection that needs to be dealt with immediately. Within an hour, Jared and I picked up a DVD of Jared’s MRI and were on our way to Cooks Children Hospital located in Ft. Worth.
To give you an idea of the type of pain Jared has been going through the past week and a half, I’ll share a moment he and I had last night. As we were driving to Ft. Worth, Jared, knowing full well he was going to be operated on, said “I am so glad they know what is going on and they know what to do.” He was practically giddy with the prospect of an eventual return to full health. Jared was in so much pain at the beginning of the week, he missed three full days of school. He returned to school on Thursday, not because he was feeling better, but because he felt he needed to start catching up on what he missed. He was miserable yesterday. The day started off with an uncomfortable MRI. He then went to school. One teacher forbade him to from doing any work because he looked so terrible. “You can make up the work next week when you are feeling better”. Jared has been battling severe pain and fever for over a week now.
Back to my story. Jared and I arrived at Cooks last night and a nurse took us to a little cubby hole and got all the vital information from us. Jared was then taken to a room and placed on a bed (after slipping into something more “comfortable”). Eventually, the doctor came in. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw how young he was. After reviewing Jared’s MRI, the doctor told us Jared’s infection, which he called an abscess, was so severe that he felt like he needed some help in the operating room. The doctor he wanted to assist him was not available until Saturday morning. The operation is going on right now as I type this message. Now for some good news. Last night, the doctor told us Jared will have 4 to 5 weeks of recovery time. He will then be able to return to playing basketball and his normal routine. The doctor doesn’t feel there will be any long term affects from his condition. Jared will spend several days in the hospital so they can administer antibiotics intravenously, then he will probably spend several more days on crutches. We are so looking forward to having a normal Jared around the house, the messy kid he is. We have missed him, even his appetite. He has lost over 10 pounds in the past two weeks. Your prayers in Jared's behalf is greatly appreciated!