Someone I'd like you to meet.......

See that sophisticated looking man on the left? That's Dr. Young. He'll come into play a little later.

See that MRI image on the right?
Notice the ladder looking column that runs up the middle? Those are vertebra with discs in between.

Now, just to the right of the "ladder", can you see the hose-like line that runs the entire length of the vertebra? That's the spinal cord - August's spinal cord to be exact.

Now look even a little closer at August's spinal cord. In the center of the picture, do you see where it's a bit indented?! A spinal cord is not supposed to be indented. But it is because a disc has ruptured and is pressing on it. Not just pressing a little bit but pressing a lot.

Here's where Dr. Young comes into play. This Thursday, around noon, Dr. Young will go in and remove the disc pressing on August's spinal cord. Unfortunately, he won't just be able to go in and pluck it out but instead may need to go behind a couple of vertebra to completely remove it. And when he goes behind those vertebra, recall what he will be right up against - yep, the spinal cord. Scary stuff.

We have great confidence in Dr. Young's skill but we have greater confidence in God's perfect and good will. A good friend has a habit of saying "God is good. All the time, God is good." Yes, He has been, is , and will continue to be.

For months, August has been skiing and playing tennis with, unbeknownst to us, this ruptured disc. That means that for months, the Lord has already been watching out for him mightily. He claims that twice he nearly wiped out recently on the slopes. Yet, for no logical reason and due to no skill of his own , he was able to remain upright. (I've been asked to consider revising this part so I'll just say that although August is a very good skier, even he isn't skilled enough to stay upright while going down the mountain backwards which is how he was headed!)

Now, since I'm really hoping that anyone reading this will be praying for August as well as Dr. Young, let me tell you just a bit about Dr. Young. He is undoubtedly one of the kindest, warmest people either of us has ever met. In the eyes of the world, he could have every reason to be otherwise - great esteem in his field and a Neurosurgical Center named after him. He breaks all molds of what you might expect of someone in his position. And we are thankful. So VERY thankful for him and his care.

Just to give you an example of this man's character, let me tell you about this morning. Today is Saturday. A day to do anything but think about the normal grind of Monday through Friday. A day when many folks enjoy a leisure morning with the newspaper, fresh coffee, and homemade waffles. But this morning, Dr. Young phoned - just to see how August was doing. And whenever he talks to us, he's not just business-as-usual. He's probing - about August, about my pregnancy, about our kids. He doesn't merely see a neurosurgical patient but he sees a whole human being, a life. (I'd love to know more of what makes him this way. Maybe Thursday......)

So if you think of it, as you're praying for August this week, also pray for Dr. Young and the team of folks who will be assisting him.

More updates to come.