Fundraiser to support the Nanny Schieber Family

God has done so much in this little woman. She has handled the past three weeks and 5 days with grit, gratitude, and grace. You all have prayed for her so well, and God, in His incomprehensible omniscience, is choosing to answer those prayers and restore her strength. I have to admit that I have struggled a bit with guilt. We’ve spent the past almost month around really sick and injured children. And they have mamas too. Mamas that I’m sure have cried in the shower floor with wash cloths in their mouths so their child doesn’t hear those sobs. Mamas who have felt desperate impatience for test results and for surgeries to end. Yet, He hasn’t restored all of those children. Some He’s even called or will call home. We don’t deserve His healing. We don’t deserve His answers to our prayers. I shared this with a dear and WISE friend, and she reminded me that God’s ways are His ways. That He is going to use this for His glory. Another healing is also taking place. Belle has struggled with anxiety and depression for the past year and a half. We have just been on the upside of this since October/November. And I feared this situation would bring it back. But this is Belle Nanny just a few minutes ago. She often just sits in bed and smiles now. She has a light about her that was dimmed for a while. But here it is again. She’s looking at the tv, but there was just a commercial on, and it wasn’t even funny. She shared with her counselor — just hours before the accident — that God was teaching her to find the joy in every situation. And here she is — laying in a hospital bed. Just soaking in the moment and finding joy.

Address for Belle Nanny in Rehab: so those of you that have asked about cards/care packages, this is where to send them: Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Attn: Isabella Nanny – Patient 601 Children’s Lane Norfolk, VA 23507

So far, we’re loving it here at CHKD! UVA spoiled us and now we’re feeling spoiled here too! It’s amazing to see how caring and loving the nurses, doctors, PTs, OTs, and other support staff are! There are a couple of kids here with significant cognitive as well as physical needs, and the staff love on them so well. Today, Belle is getting a feel for her new routine. PT is definitely more intense here, but that’s what she needs to make progress! Thank you all for your continued prayers! We continue to feel them!

We are here in CHKD in Norfolk! We are all settled in and excited to start tomorrow with a new routine. Everyone here has been great! It’s moving day! Off to rehab we go…as soon as transport gets here! Excited to see how God is going to use this chapter in Belle Nanny’s story!

5/21 – PM Update - Another good day in the books. She's eating more and tired from the PT, but she's making progress every day. I would like to publicly thank all of you for the PRAYERS but also for the ways you've helped us! Karen Dalton Dunnick, thank you for organizing the GoFundMe. So many have contributed to that or helped in other ways. You all have been beyond generous. And God is using your blessings to meet needs we didn't know we'd have. For example, today we talked about the kind of clothes/shoes Belle will need for rehab. Ummmm--my little girl is STYLISH and sweatpants/comfy shoes aren't quite in her repertoire. So, thanks to you all, we're going to be able to get her what she needs without having to pull from a bill, etc. Of course, we're going to have bokus of medical bills, but those are the least of our worries. But every cent we've been given is going into a saving account for Belle to take care of her needs as they come. So, thank you for being kinder to us than we deserve! We know SUCH amazing people!!!!! We love you all!!! Belle AM Update – She’s still sleeping after a full day yesterday! She’s eating a little more and has definitely been way more comfortable! She’ll be mad at me for sharing this, but we’ve all seen the power of prayer. As we suspected, she cannot control her bladder and bowels … YET! She’s aware, and she now understands that learning to walk again will be a challenge, but she believes that God will heal her. She told me last night she’s ready for the hard work, but she wants to sleep first. Please keep praying for • Wisdom as we meet next week to make decisions about rehab (options are – spinal rehab vs. regular rehab with a spinal specialist; pediatric vs. adult). Our case managers/social workers are seeing what will work best with our insurance but also consulting with doctors about what will offer the best outcomes. • Regaining strength and control • Other patients and parents in the PICU (We’re so blessed to have our faith in God and an amazing support system that some of these families do not have.)

5/16 Evening update. Praises — she got the NG tube out and had some ice chips this afternoon and evening. We’ll try water tomorrow. Prayer requests stay the same. She had a pretty good day. Our goal is to give her medicine soon to make her sleep tonight and manage pain so she can be even more awake and alert tomorrow. She had PT twice today. She’s ready to do the work! Before I give an official update, I just can’t thank you enough for the outpouring of love you’ve shown Belle, Katie, and the rest of us. I’ve tried to keep up with messages, but it’s been difficult to keep up with everyone, so if I haven’t responded, know it was read (probably in the middle of the night) and soooo appreciated. The cards, gifts, and other forms of support are actually humbling, and we’re so grateful. People have asked us what we need and honestly, we have no idea and as a friend said, “It changes minute by minute.” PRAYERS have been felt because there’s no way Belle could have the attitude, she has nor could I, to be honest. Thanks is so insufficient for what you all have done. Here’s the current scoop: Belle had a really good day yesterday. Here’s what went well: • Pain was manageable. • She started PT and has been practicing a little. (She’s very, very limited in what she can do on her own, but she’s determined.) • She got to visit with Katie a really good friend, and that went a long way to perk her up. Night didn’t go so well: • Pain was very high. • Sleep was restless. • Because of the pain, she was very anxious and agitated. I thought she was asleep when one of the team of doctors was in here and I said, “She had a great day, but a bad night.” Belle cracked an eye open and said, “Well, you can’t have everything.” Her attitude has been so pure, gracious, and sweet throughout all this. Most important prayer requests for today: • Because of her lack of mobility, blood clots are an obvious concern, so wisdom for the doctors in how to best prevent. • Also because of her lack of mobility, she has some fluid in her lungs, which is common. The concern is with her internal injuries, they want to make sure blood doesn’t accumulate there and that, of course, she doesn’t develop pneumonia. o The good news is she has been coughing (although that’s pretty painful with her ribs/abdominal injuries), and we’re able to suction out what she’s coughing up. • Pain regulation so she can get rest at night and be awake, alert, and physically and mentally strong to do the PT. • Peace for her when the pain isn’t tolerable. • Continued signs of improvement from her abdominal surgery so she can make progress toward drinking water, etc.

Update 5/14 on Belle: she came through 11 hr surgery late last night! Long story but they found the culprit! Her common bile duct was severed during the wreck. They were very thorough to make sure there was no other damage. They did have to remove her gallbladder and reconnected her intestines. Her spleen is still there. Her pancreas was badly bruised but should heal itself over time. They cleaned everything and stitched her all up. She has a drain from her stomach (like the ones from her back) and we’ll see how long she’ll need that — probably at least a week, so they will push back moving her to rehab for sure. There are things to watch out for, but they’ll closely monitor. She’s sacked out and they’re going to try to keep her asleep so she can recover from her 11 hour surgery! The plan is to stay on top of her pain as much as possible because they had to dig around so much and she has such a large incision (plus the matching one on her back). We are continuing to claim in Jesus’ name the verse Luke 8:50-56 Please pray this over Belle. Continue to pray for her healing.

Belle Nanny update 5/13 - noonish. While this morning started out well, we've hit a set back. It appears she has a hole somewhere in her intestines, and they'll have her in surgery within the next 20 minutes. This is a rather extensive surgery, as it requires a large vertical incision and lots of "digging around" to find the hole. Because of her other internal injuries, there's a good chance her spleen may start bleeding worse, in which case, they'll remove it. Depending on what they find, the surgery can be anywhere up to 4+ hours. Please pray for the surgeons, the nurses, and of course, Belle. Up until midnight, she's been in so much pain, and now another surgery. Pray for her pain to be managed well and for Belle's sweet, positive, strong spirit to continue. Watching her navigate all this has been nothing short of awe-inspiring! 

Katie and Belle Nanny (and two of their sweet friends) were involved in a car accident Tuesday night. Although everyone experienced minor injuries, Belle’s are the most extensive. She has a ruptured spleen, lacerated kidney, several fractured ribs, and she sustained a burst fracture in one of her lower vertebrae. She was flown to UVA for an extensive spinal surgery to add in rods and screws. She is currently in the PICU at UVA recovering. Belle does not yet understand the extent of her injuries. Because of the location of the fracture, she may have some temporary or even permanent bladder and bowel issues. Before the surgery, the surgeon advised the surgery was “her best chance at walking again.” The good news is she is able to make very small leg and toe movements. She does have some feeling, but there is also some numbness and what Belle describes as “staticky” feelings when she’s touched.

 

Everyone is literally taking each hour as it comes. The current plan is to keep her in the PICU at least through the weekend and then assess how she’s progressing. As long as the internal doctors agree her spleen and kidney and the associated internal bleeding is under control, the plan would then be to move her to a rehab facility. The doctors have not yet estimated how long that might be needed. We are praising God that she has movement, but we definitely need prayers for the following:

 

• Blood pressure to stay stabilized – she has lower blood pressure normally, and the doctors want it on the higher side to keep blood flowing to her spine and abdomen.

• Pain management – of course, pain is expected, and she’s a trooper, but it’s been very intense the past 12 hours

• Rest – it’s hard to rest in the PICU, but the rest helps with healing and gives her a break from the pain

• Bladder and bowel function to be as normal as possible

• Internal bleeding to stay minimal

• Strength to return to her legs and feet

• Spiritual strength for her as she has a very long road ahead

 

Those of you who know Belle know she’s active. She LOVES to dance and be part of shows. She’s ambitious and driven and a hard worker. She recently got a job at Bojangles to start saving for college, and she loves working. When she gets a goal in mind, she’ll do what she can to make it happen, which is on her side. We’re claiming that she’ll not only WALK but DANCE again one day!

 

Her attitude so far has been tremendous. She keeps thanking everyone and worrying about everyone else. She has not asked about her future or complained other than asking if she can have more pain medicine. She’s been nothing but sweet and strong.