Hello! It is almost here!

YES!! It is almost here. We feel like we've waited, well, all spring and summer for this moment.

October 9th they are going to turn on Lisa's bionic ear.

The surgery went well, and she is feeling great. So now we're in the home stertch.

We'll certainly report on what her hearing test comes out to after activation. This will be her starting point... She probably won't do very well on the phone right away, but conversation should be passable. We don't know we'll have to see. I really want to video the event, so you can see her eyes bug out when she starts to hear... :D

Thanks again for following the blog, and praying for us.

While we have not had a miraculous "healing" experience, we've felt God's grace this summer in too many ways to count. So many of you have been a part of that, too.

Thanks for praying.

Tom & Lisa

Ps: this is our photgrapher for the day. I wonder how he can shoot with his eyes closed?

Lisa's activation date

Yes, the surgery went well, and Lisa continues to heal back to normal.
The device was installed but she needs to heal well before they turn it on, and we begin the process of her learning how to use the device to hear well.

So she is scheduled for 2 appointments. Oct 9th, and 10th, and then a follow up appointment the 15th.
These are the miracle appointments. When they turn the device on, she will hear probably 30-50%. So already we'll be able to converse orally. (We've been waiting all summer for this moment.)
So please keep praying.
I do plan to video the activation if I can.
Then those who are interested can see her face light up as she hears for the first time since easter. :D
That will be a fun day...

Thanks for stopping by,
God Bless
Tom & Lisa

Surgery is done!!

Hi. The surgery was completed successfully today with no complications.

The doctor said that he did not have to cut any nerves... (one complication of this surgery can be that taste bud nerves need to be cut...) So that didn't have to happen, that is a blessing.

Lisa had no nausea nor dizziness following the surgery so she was released to come home...

She is here, and doing well.

So that's great!



Here are a couple of pics:




Lisa had to have her skin marked before the surgery.

Lisa, all ready to go.

Here she is safe at home... ready to recover...

Thanks for praying for us, and following along.
It means a lot.
Tom & Lisa Seward

Tomorrow is the big day!

Hi. Lisa and her mom are down in Ann Arbor tonight. Lisa is to arrive at the hospital at 6:15 am tomorrow. She will be prepped for the surgery.
Surprisingly enough this surgery is an out patient procedure. So unless there are complications she will be released tomorrow afternoon and will be back here at the house for recovery over the next 2 weeks...
Thanks for praying for Lisa, and pray also for the doctor. Dr. Telian. He has a lot of experience in these cochlear implant surgeries...

Thanks for sticking with us.
Tom & Lisa

1st Day of School

Hello again!
This week is different for our kids... They are starting school like all of your kids, with a few differences.

Ben starts 7th grade. He's been homeschooled in Africa for the last 3 years, homeschooled in Ft Wayne, IN 1 year, he's also been to public school in Quebec 1 year. We wont bother with the rest. But needless to say, he's had a varied school experience this far. He is excited about starting school in Haslett, where he'll be in a class of 30 or so others who speak English, and can swap gameboy games...

Caleb is starting school as well. 3rd grade. With the difference that he's never been in a formal classroom. (although, he has visited the mk school in Bamako, Mali on occasion...)So he is very excited about school. He got on the schoolbus today, and had to transfer at another school before finally arriving at his school.
He was so cute this morning...

Hilary is at Dakar, 3rd week of school starting there...
She is happy there. We are so pleased that she could return,and didn't have to face the challenge of yet another new school. She is a Jr this year... and should know most of the ropes by now...
Her roomates' name is IZZY. You can pray for Hilary and Izzy that they would build one another up, and enourage each other in having a good attitude.

If you wonder what being in a dorm in Africa is like, look at these pics...

Hilary & Isabeau (Izzy)

The girls in Hilary's dorm.

Power outages happen fairly frequently in Dakar!

We are counting down the minutes to Lisa's surgery. Sept 10th...

Thanks for stopping by, and praying for us!
Tom & Lisa Seward