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On February 11, 2011 the family of Ed & April Smith were hit with a dramatic and life altering illness. Ed drove himself to the hospital from work, parked in the parking garage and with typical cowboy style, walked into the Emergency Room at St. Luke's and said, "I think you need to admit me, I'm feeling pretty bad." His body was in septic shock caused by ruptured organs. After a CT with contrast he went into kidney failure. They discovered he had an acute attack of pancreatitis, and in the next day his whole body filled with fluid to the point of hardly being recognizable. They did not give the family much hope. He was admitted to constant care and given blood thinners which caused him to bleed at ruptured sites internally. 10 units of blood were transfused that night and more everyday as his body could not keep up with enough blood. After that he was on a ventilator and remained in constant care for 21 days, 2 months in the hospital and four times close to death. After coming home he had several surgeries including removing his non functioning gall bladder, placed several stents and drains to help with healing. We believe God did miracle after miracle as we prayed and fasted and put Ed on prayer chains. Since then they have changed diet and been under constant medical care, lots of CT scans and examinations. Along the way there have been many almost impossible bouts with pain and suffering, not to mention the 20% of the 80/20 insurance they have accrued as debt. In his "cowboy style" Ed went back to work very quickly after being released from the hospital - after a certain amount of weeks off, your job is posted and available for another to be hired. Because of his determination and desire to provide for his family and keep their home, he has continued to work every since. Fellow employees helped with contributing sick days for the times when Ed just couldn't make it and had to do procedures or tests. ED is still filled with pain and now his sugar levels are causing black outs and vision problems, but you guessed it, Ed is still trying to work. At the encouragement of friends and family, Ed & April came to PA for a visit. While here they went to John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore to see if there were any other options for treatment or methods to aid the healing and balancing of sugar levels and pain. Family pitched in financially to help them with expenses and make that possible. It has been almost 3 years of pain and the blacking out and sugar imbalance was frightening. April and all four of their children have rescued ed from low blood sugar episodes where Ed gets confused and passes out several times. April puts frosting in his mouth while the kids sit on the floor near him with hands on his body, praying for Jesus to touch and heal. We know that God has intervened and spared his life so many times and are so grateful. The doctors in Baltimore put in a stent in his pancreas duct and discovered it is blocked both top and bottom. This totally hinders normal fluid flow which is why the sugars are so out of whack. They suggested, after consultation with the Idaho pancreatic specialist - whom the JH doctors greatly respect as a leader in the field, a surgery that is risky, but if successful a great help in restoring function. During this entire time, April has been working four days a week at a dental practice and working Friday's part time with her art. The dental practice has been very supportive and encouraging to her through this, but the whole office has had to suffer pay cuts in this economy. Some days she can't work because of Ed's situation. When Ed gets home from work he needs to lay down and rest and does not feel well. Therefore, most all the household and family responsibilities have fallen on her plate, and of course when she doesn't work, she does not get paid. Ed feels he has to keep going because they need his income to keep their home and desperately need his insurance for the family, so no matter how difficult he has pressed through. Three years of this and they are against the wall! The financial hole is big, the emotions are raw, and the day to day is difficult. Without the grace of God, His healing touch and loving family and friends they would not be standing. But we do have hope! We serve a great God! Surgery is scheduled for the first week of February. The whole family will need to travel to Pennsylvania and probably commute back and forth to the hospital in Baltimore from April's home area. They will still need to maintain their home, the children will need to get back to school, probably before Ed is able to travel, and April will need to be off of work. The natural part of this sounds impossible. But we know that in the supernatural, nothing is impossible with God! We are so thankful for the love and support of family and friends. As a side note, April's mother just returned from watching the children and caring for their needs while Ed and April were in PA - and of course, it is Christmas. She had done some shopping for the kids. As soon as Ed & April returned, they saw the presents she had bought and wrapped for them and said, "We have twelve more that desperately need us on Christmas. They have an adopted daughter they fell in love with when she was in foster care, and she has two children, a young mother of three that lives in an abusive home, a single mother with one little boy that has struggled and was their foster teen for a while, and a young woman with two sons whose parents were killed in an accident and she is grieving and has no family. She is fighting a battle with depression and alcohol. April told her mom, "These kids have no one who cares, they are ours." Ed piped up and said, "We are the only family they have, we can't forget them. If they don't come here for Christmas, they have no where to go." Even in the midst of pain and struggle they are reaching out to those who are struggling. They want to extend their love, and God's love, with a sense of belonging to these young women and their children. Would you allow the Smith family a place in your heart for prayer on a continued basis as they go through this, and if possible, financial help to go through this next season of "Hope" on their way to recovery, total healing and restoration? Thank you.
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