A belated Christmas and New Year greetings to you. We apologize for the lack of communication and greetings for the past 2 months.
This is posting is way overdue but still in time for Lizzie’s surgery on 14 January. I hope that this will reach everyone, especially those who is not yet aware of Lizzie’s current situation. We asked for your kind prayers and trust that our collective prayers will move the hand of God.

Let me elaborate how this surgery comes about in such a short time. In early November 07, Lizzie’s cardiologist reviewed her and discovered that her O2 level is low at 62%. We were shocked that it has dipped so low without us noticing. We have been looking at the colour of her lips, finger tips and toes and the colour had been good till then. Since then, we bought a new pulse oximeter to use it on Lizzie to be absolutely sure. It is indeed true that her O2 has dipped with her growth and heightened activity.

Since that review with the cardiologist, life has become more stressful. Lizzie is on O2 support almost ¾ of the day and we do not allow her to crawl or play as much. Most of the time, my mom, Elaine and I will share the load of holding Lizzie in front of the TV to watch Barney, Elmo and other kids’ DVDs, hence keeping her still and more importantly her O2 at an acceptable level, with the help of O2 tanks or O2 concentrator. I have never imagined learning more nursery rhythms and children’s songs now than when I was a kid.

The next review with the cardiologist at the end of November confirmed that Lizzie will require a 2nd shunt to be inserted on her left side to support her body’s growing need for O2. While we know this is coming, the reality still hit us hard. Thinking about how much she has already gone through and what lies ahead just tear our hearts to pieces. Apart from another series of scars on her body, we are also disheartened that this is another step towards her open-heart surgery. We are praying for a miracle for our daughter.

The past 2 months have been tough for us both physically and emotionally. Our daily routines, apart from work, are centred on Lizzie and maintaining her O2 level above the acceptable level (of 65%). Any desaturation will immediately put us on high alert and the nasal cannula (the tube that dispenses O2) immediately goes on Lizzie’s face. This happens several times a day as well as at night. We have no time left for anything, much less Christmas and New Year celebrations (so please forgive us for not sending any seasons greetings). There wasn’t much celebration mood left in the house anyway. Our quality of life went down as we are not able to go out of the house much, considering that Lizzie will need O2 any time. Lizzie is very frustrated too, having to be restrained constantly at a stage where other kids her age are learning to walk, play and talk. We spent most of our time in front of the TV so that we can keep the O2 cannula and the oximeter probe on her.

We tried to rationalize why this is happening and whether we could have prevented it. Of course, we can’t but we tried anyway. While we continue to trust that God’s plans for us and Lizzie is sovereign and will ultimately work out, we admit that we do feel fearful of the coming events. The only thing we can do for our daughter is to pray for her and to get as many people to pray for her as we can. Please pray for our little girl when you have some time. Here’s our prayer requests:

1. That God will heal Lizzie miraculously before this 2nd shunt operation, if this is according to His will. We do not want to insist that this is the only way but we will want God’s will to be done in Lizzie’s life, no matter what is the outcome.

2. If the operation is going through on 14 January, 9am, please pray that God’s hand will guide the surgeon and protect Lizzie from harm or any complications. We pray that the operation will be done smoothly and swiftly.

3. We also pray that Lizzie’s recovery will be in double-quick time and her stay in NUH will be short. This is not only because we anxious about her recovery. There are always many medical students around and they always asked to examine her due to her peculiar condition. Both Lizzie and us cannot get much rest at times. We also fear higher risk of infections and complications as more people touch her during this period.

4. Please also pray that God will sustain us physically as we need to care for Lizzie in hospital and at home. Caring for Lizzie now is already a 24-hour job. It will only get more intensive immediately after the operation.

I want to thank everyone who have been supportive and understanding towards us since Lizzie was born. We appreciate the support, care and encouragements with sincere gratitude.

God bless you and may your new year be filled with blessings, peace, joy and grace!!

Simon & Elaine