My Step Father.......

(My Mom and Step Father two years ago.)

My family back home in Iowa are waiting this morning to hear if my Step Father will be in for a big surgery this morning.

Please be in prayer for my Step Father, Glenn Hightower.

He's been in the hospital in Iowa (where my main family lives) for over a week now.
He has been in terrible, terrible pain and the EMS took him there last Tuesday.

They have ran test after test and Saturday they discovered that he has an "aneurysm on his main Aortic vein in his heart."
Along with some major Arthritis in his hips.

My family back home has been through a journey this week trying to figure out what the various Dr.'s involved were going to do to help him.
Because they weren't doing anything and were not on the same page and no one was informing our family as to what was happening.
Not counting that the hospital wanted him out of there because the Insurance companies won't pay to keep him there for non treatment, blah, blah, blah.

In fact they were to ship him off to a nursing home yesterday.

The Heart surgeon didn't think he could take a surgery...because he's already in so much pain and not well at all.....and the Orthopedic guy wouldn't do anything because of the high risk with the heart issue.

But yesterday my sister Jenny who has basically been handling this whole situation and has been the one to get some answers... finally got the Ortho Dr. to agree to do some sort of epidural for him to relieve the pain for him this coming Friday..then tonight.....the Heart guy told her that ......
"They had decided (the Ortho and the Heart guy finally got on the same page) to do the ENTIRE surgery and more tomorrow if all his blood work came back fine"......
He needs two stints put in because now they have found another "weak artery" and the epidural for the hip pain. They figured they might as well do it "all" once they got him in there.

Which has been my greatest concern more than anything.

Today is his BIRTHDAY and he has turned 82.(This is a photo of him in Hannibal Mo. his hometown a few years ago.)

He is not in good health and hasn't been for many years now .......so this surgery concerns me and my sister very much.

We haven't told our other family members (like my Mom) but this isn't rocket science either and I am sure they feel this way as well..

All of this news came on top of my other sister Jerri just being diagnosed with
"Pre-Eclampsia".......she is about 5 months pregnant with her first child at 38 year old.
She lives with my parents and drives for them because my parents do not drive.

My Mother is to have a surgery next month as well. She isn't in the best of health either.

Ever since the news came to me on Saturday I have been wrestling with wether I should go home to help.
And I really want to go.
It's just "distance and the timing" of it all this that is the hinderance.
I've been praying about this and pricing flights (which are way over priced of course)....and now with the bad weather up there it's not even thinkable right at this moment for me.

Many of you know that I am also myself in a "Drug Study" currently for "R.A." and I have got to do that med infusion on Monday or risk being removed from the study. So that holds me here as well for now.

PLEASE pray with me that Glenn comes through this surgery alright and recovers.
And if it is the Lord's will indeed that I can get up there before too long.
I had planned on going up there for two weeks in mid February. And IF I have to go sooner I will but I don't want to go home for a funeral.

My heart is breaking because I am so far away from my family at a time like this.

I knew when I moved away that this would all happen one day.
Just as it did for Don when both of his parents became ill and passed away.
And now "that day" has come for my side of the family......


It will take me two days to drive home and I don't have anyone to come with me in the dead of winter. And it's brutal up that way right now.
IF I fly.....it's over $500.00 for a plane ticket right now and there are still travel issues in that realm as well.

So I am torn regarding the trip to Iowa.
And I want and need to go home to be there for my Mother and my family.
But God knows all this......

Please pray for my Step Father's soul to be at peace with his Heavenly Father.
That part torments me worse than the "how's and when's" of traveling back home issue.
I need comforted in that area.
Regardless of what happens...whether I make it up in time or not.
I need to know that my Step Father is going to be "okay in his heart"..and not due to the surgery.
Believe me I have learned that there that there IS a GREATER "Surgeon" already at work. And I am thankful for that.

Thank you for your prayers...