Follow Andrew’s story at www.prayingforandrew.org. Be sure to sign up as Prayer Warrior on Andrew’s new website to receive automatic updates on his condition.
Love,
The Madonia’s
July 24, 2010
July 20, 2010
GREAT NEWS!!!!!!
We received a very uplifting phone call from The Ryan House (www.ryanhouse.org) today. After speaking with Andrew’s pediatrician and reviewing his medical history they have decided to help care for Andrew up to 21 days this year. The Ryan House is an amazing place for children with special needs and life threatening conditions…check out their website to see what I mean. It is staffed with volunteers and nurses who take great care of Special Needs children, so parents can recharge and take a break from the 24/7 routine of caring for their Special Needs child.
Jessica and I toured their facility a number of weeks ago and were taken back by every detail of the Ryan House. Andrew will be able to continue his numerous therapies, socialize with other Special Needs children, swim, music, art, computers, games, eat in a special dining area, and so much more. The first time the whole family is encouraged to stay for 24 hours together, to help create a very positive bonding experience with each other, the staff, and the Ryan House. We will spend August 13th there as a family. They also have programs and resources to help out Nathaniel with being a sibling of a Special Needs child. I can’t even explain in words how big of a door this has opened up for our family. I am in tears just writing this…I hope everything makes sense. Thank you, Thank you to everyone that prayed that this would work out for our family…it is such a HUGE blessing.
Love,
The Madonia’s
PS – A Few pictures of The Ryan House are below
July 18, 2010
We changed/replaced Andrew’s Mickey G-tube for the first time yesterday and it was much easier than we anticipated. It certainly needed to be replaced…we’ve been using the tube a lot recently, since he has not been eating much by mouth. We plan on refilling his appetite medicine later today, so hopefully that will help increase his appetite again.
Andrew took a bad fall the other day…bruised his nose a little and bit his lip. He always keeps us on our toes around the house. 
We are so appreciative of the extra help this past week. Many members of our church have come over and took charge so Jessica and I could have a break. Thank you so much!
We are still waiting to hear back from the Ryan House and a state agency to see if we qualify for extra assistance. We will keep you posted as we find out more.
Thank you for following Andrew’s story. May God Bless your day!
Love,
The Madonia’s
July 14, 2010
Andrew had some initial blood tests taken this past Monday. The Allergenist/Immunoligst ordered these tests in order to have the results prior to her consultation with Andrew. Unfortunately, they required a lot of blood, so we are praying that they were able to get enough the first time…otherwise we will need to go back again.
Also, Andrew seems to be back to “his normal.” We have been able to start doing his physical therapy again, increase his tube feedings to 4 cans a day, go out in public again, etc.
We are probably a few weeks from launching Andrew’s new website (PrayingForAndrew.org), so this will also help spread the word about his condition. It currently directs everyone to this blog, so go ahead and make a habit of using the new website address. Also, we just purchased 1000 PrayingForAndrew wristbands for donors/Prayer Warriors to help spread the word…Let us know if you/your church would like some.
Lot’s of other great things happening, we found a new neurologist for Andrew out here that specializes in Mitochondrial disease. I could go on and on, but probably should get ready for work.
In Christ,
The Madonia’s
July 11, 2010
Andrew seems to feeling much better. He has started eating again and tolerating his tube feedings. His fever has been gone for almost 2 days now. His only sympton left is a runny nose. We are glad that we were able to avoid a hospital stay this time.
We received interesting news this week…Nathaniel (our oldest son), has been seeing an Immunologist and we learned that one of his vaccines did not “take” with his body. It’s is very rare, but often a genetic issue. They had him retake the vaccine, which should do the trick. The interesting thing is that she feels this is the reason why Nathaniel experienced quite a few major illnesses. We wonder if maybe Andrew has been dealing with this on top of his other conditions as well. Maybe his vaccine didn’t take either, especially if the reason would be genetic. Early this week, he will need to get some bloodwork done. They will begin testing it for immune system issues. He sees the immunologist for the first time next month. Hopefully this will help us to lessen the severity of his illnesses.
One final note…Andrew’s video was played this week at General Conference. This was a great opportunity to spread his story and seek out additional prayer warriors and to find the right doctor who can help diagnose his condition. We’ve also heard reports of a great response from those in attendance…many plan to go back to their churches and spread the work. We are ever so grateful to you for your help.
May God Bless your week.
Love,
The Madonia’s
July 8, 2010
Andrew is still fighting off his viral infection. We’ve been able to keep him hydrated and temp in the normal – 100 degree range. We received a lot of help yesterday from Leanne and Denise, which was a HUGE blessing! Andrew is still experiencing pain and naseau…We pray that this will go away soon. Today we will need to start introducing more food and Nutren again, since he has not ate too much these past few days. We will keep you posted on his progress.
Love,
The Madonia’s
July 7, 2010
Back Home Again
Cardon’s ER did a great job of getting Andrew rehydrated and breaking his fever. We got home around 4am this morning. He has a viral infection, so we will need to ride this illness out. Andrew was adamant about coming home this time, so Dr. Mark (ER doc) successfully made that happen. He is on 75 ml/hr pedialyte drip throughout the day to keep his hydration up. He has a low-grade fever, but we can easily manage that at home. We appreciate all of the prayers last night…they truly helped! I am off to work now, but wanted to give everyone an update.
Love,
The Madonia’s
July 6, 2010
Going to the Hospital…Andrew has 103 temp with motrin and tylenol. Jessica will keep you updated. If you are reading this please pray for him…
Love,
Paul
Andrew’s getting Sick Again
Andrew woke of with a fever and told Jessica that he doesn’t feel very good today. He is taking motrin and Tylenol now and still is producing a temp of 99.5. We have him on a pedialyte drip through his g-tube to keep him hydrated and he had a few bites for breakfast. He is looking a little lethargic and laying on the couch right now. We will keep you posted on his condition. Please pray that he will fight off this illness…he likely caught something, since his system was weakened by recent steroids and antibiotics to fight off his last illness.
In Christ,
The Madonia’s
PS – A few people experienced a delays towards the beginning of the video from yesterday. Simply click pause and wait a few moments to allow your computer to catch up on buffering the video. This should help you to see it without the delays.
