Jonah’s Journey
Tomorrow Jonah will be six weeks postop open heart surgery and it is amazing watching him recover. Not only health wise, but spiritual wise also. He has grown leaps and bounds through this whole adventure.
Immediately following his open heart surgery when we got to see him for the first time in the ICU
There is nothing that prepares you as a parent to see your child like this. BUT I look at that picture now and think WOW in six weeks he has come so far. God has done an amazing work in Jonah and for Jonah.
Yesterday, he was allowed to go back to practice and we have the video attached above. He is in the bright orange jersey (23) – his official number is 22, but we had him wear that jersey so he stood out so the boys didn’t get too rough with him. I was a nervous wreck him going back. He is working a protector over his sternum (even though the doctor said he did not need it, but mom thinks he does LOL)
The first time back to practice when he could ONLY watch his team, BUT not practice
Jonah was so thrilled to be able to go back to practice and I think his teammates and coach were just as excited as he was. They had a scrimmage and Jonah did very well. After practice he said he was a little tired, but no chest discomfort or anything cardiac – PRAISE GOD.
I have included pictures of Jonah playing soccer at his fullest in the fall and winter. He plays for the #1 club in Michigan, the Michigan Wolves. God knew last year that this is where we needed to be and we are so thankful for those blessings. Not only Jonah’s team, but the entire club has embraced our family and given us more support than we could have ever imagined. We are blessed.
Nobody is going to get by him when he sees the ball – LOL
Jonah did so well his coach told Jamie he thinks he is going to use him this weekend in the games for a little bit. We were actually going to wait until April 19th, but since he is doing well and the coach is going to take it slow, we decided that it would be okay.
When Jonah got home last night to see him glowing. He was so full of life again. So happy to know he is back doing what he loves – playing soccer. I cannot tell you how much this fills my and Jamie’s hearts with joy.
Look at how far off the ground he is – SPIDERMAN
It has been a tough road for us too. It is not easy watching your children go through a health crisis. We have found that we worry about everything with him now. If he acts overly tired, is it because he didn’t get enough sleep or is it that his heart is not functioning properly.
We know this is a congenital defect and that Jonah will have ups and downs for the rest of his life, but we are so thankful that he is able to play soccer again. We are so thankful that God has placed him with some of the best physicians in the country.
If he does play this weekend, I know that it will be very emotional for us. It was funny to hear the parents talking and the one dad said, he hopes nobody gets to rough with Jonah because there may end up being some red cards given out to his teammates. Jonah’s team is very close. They have formed a very unique friendship in a short time that they truly do watch out for each other and I know they are very overprotective of Jonah right now. I think the parents and coach are too 🙂
The team celebrating after a goal – that is what a TEAM looks like
I cannot tell you how much your prayers have meant to our family. To know we have had such a tremendous support system has been amazing. When we have felt so exhausted, I have known I could ask for prayers and 1000’s of you would be covering not only Jonah, but our family too. You are all appreciated more than you will ever know.
Jonah will be making a video in the next week or so to let you all know what it has meant to him as well. I am excited for you all to see that. Please know our family loves each and everyone of you very much.
GOD IS GOOD. . . . ALL THE TIME!!
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My name is Joni Meyer-Crothers and I run this couponing/money-saving blog along with my husband, Jamie. We love to show others how to save money in a BIG way! We do all the work for you. . we do the matchups and show you where to get the coupons, many FREE printable coupons. Sit back and follow the blog and watch your savings increase! Couponing is a ministry for our family as we we love to show others how to save and share from their couponing harvest!
