---

Friday, December 8 - 8:30 p.m.

Life has been full the past few weeks and we are so thankful for the joys we have been given.

Carissa was home for Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful to see her fill her plate with our traditional Thanksgiving dinner rather than only nibbling a few bites.  Another wonderful blessing was having her with the family all day.  Typically her visits upstairs (she has an apartment in the basement) were brief.  This year she made cookies with her nieces and nephews, and stayed with the family all day long.

To top it off, last weekend our family (all eleven of us) enjoyed the gift of a timeshare in Williamsburg, Virginia.  We were amazed at how much Carissa walked and how determined she was to keep going.  It was Carissa's first vacation in six years and we had a wonderful time as a family.

Carissa and Sharon got home from Pittsburgh last night just in time to watch "Surgery Saved My Life," a documentary on the Discovery Channel featuring a friend and fellow multivisceral transplant patient from Pittsburgh.  The documentary gives a true picture of the experience including the patient's struggle with illness and the loss of hope, the giftedness and dedication of the doctors involved, and the miracle of new life clearly visible on screen.  We watched the removal of Gretchen's organs in amazement and learned more about the risks involved than the doctors cared to tell us prior to surgery.  Dr. Kareem's personality and drive are evident and, yes, Dr. Costa and Dr. Bond are Carissa's doctors, as well.  The documentary will air again on December 24th, if you are interested in watching it.

Carissa doesn't have to go back to Pittsburgh until January 4th!  We are so excited!  We have been back every two weeks, so this is the longest break we have had.  It's a wonderful Christmas gift.

When Carissa and Sharon go back to Pittsburgh, it will be for a longer stay.  Dr. Kareem will work more aggressively towards weaning Carissa from Prograf.  Because of the high risk of rejection during the process, we won't be allowed to stay at home.  Once Dr. Kareem determines the lowest level of Prograf Carissa's body can handle (without going into rejection), he will reverse her ostomy.  Carissa looks forward to being tube or attachment free!

Without the sacrificial gift life from a donor and God's blessing on the work of the doctors, Carissa would not have been with us this Thanksgiving nor this Christmas.  Thank you again for flooding God's throne with intercessory prayer on her behalf.

Another wonderful praise...Wayne is doing great!  He's working full time and is almost back to normal.  He hadn't been able to sing without symptoms (vibrations in his brain) until recently, and he is thrilled to be able to enjoy singing again.