Christmas 2009

Confirmation of Dates

                                     Ellie and her boyfriend Matt

First of all, if you want to see a video of Ellie being tickled by her cousin Chelsea (who we were recently privileged to have stay with us for 3 months), go to:


http://gallery.me.com/mccrackenscott/100024

If that doesn't work for you, try:

http://vimeo.com/8015900

And here is one of Ellie during and after a bath:


http://gallery.me.com/mccrackenscott#100026

Or if that one doesn't work for you, try:


http://vimeo.com/8018081

This week we made final DATE confirmations for Ellie starting the HBOT, and us staying at the Ronald McDonald House in New Orleans, beginning in January 2010.  The only major thing left is to work out our transportation while there.

Thank you!

Dear Friends,      

Thank you so much for helping my daddy and me go to America so that I can get some special therapy treatments.  I like my physical and occupational therapists here in Greece, but daddy says maybe the other ones can help even more. I hope so. We get to leave on the big airplane on January 8, 2010!

We are not 100% sure that it will help me but we won’t know until we try, so thank you for helping us try something that might help me learn to talk and walk and sit and hold things and feed myself.  Wow!  I am getting tired just thinking about the possibilities!

If you want to read more about the clinic and the therapy we plan to experience, you can find information at: www.hbot.com

I am very grateful for your help.  Mommy and daddy are very grateful too.  I heard them crying and thanking God for such loving and caring and generous friends.  They told me that I am blessed to be in a family that God has given so many good friends to.  I believe they are right!

I hope some day you can see me, or see a video of me, doing the things we hope God will help me to do.  Until then, thanks for your help with the therapy and for your prayers on our behalf.

Love and Thanks,

Ellie MingYun McCracken

Update on Ellie's Medical Fund...

Dear Praying Friends,

WOW!  Thanks for praying!   Here is what has happened since we sent out the Q & A last weekend...

1.  A Greek couple we know contacted us and said, "We would like to offer a "matching challenge" of up to $5,000 Euros (about $7,300 USD)."  In other words, for every dollar/Euro given by someone else, they will give a dollar/Euro, up to 5,000 Euros (about $7,300 USD).  

I honestly don't know how this couple is able to do this, but this is what they have offered, and we want to humbly and gratefully communicate it to you.   So if you would like to be a part of this effort for Ellie's therapy opportunity, now your contribution can work TWICE  as much!  For every dollar you give, our Greek friends will give another dollar!

Also, another couple from China and a couple from the States wrote to say they were planning to help in some way.  Additionally,  an American friend who lives in Afghanistan wrote to say he is donating some stock to I.T. on our behalf.  

 

It has truly been an international outpouring of love: people from Pakistan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Italy, Greece, America, Denmark, Finland, Dutch people living in France, an American living in Afghanistan, and China.

If you already sent something before receiving this, THANK YOU!  Your investment will count double as well.  I had originally forgotten to include food and local transportation costs in the initial estimate so I am sure God knew that before I realized it.  :) 

Also, my original email said that we will need a MINIMUM of $10,000 US dollars for the FIRST round of 40 treatments of HBOT, accommodations, and plane tickets.  ANYTHING COMING IN BEYOND this will go toward the second round of treatments if we go that route.

SERIOUSLY, we are STUNNED and OVERWHELMED by the quick, loving, caring, prayerful generosity that has gone above and beyond the usual amazing demonstrations of your partnership with us.  We thank God and we thank you (for letting God use you).  

2.  Although nobody's U.S. insurance will yet pay for HBOT, one positive result of our recent update was that a confusion about our insurance coverage for Ellie was cleared up (thanks, Dianne), and it will pay for some of the OTHER "normal" medical/therapy issues related to Ellie's CP.

HBOT for Ellie?

Dear Praying Friends,

We seem to be facing some "question marks" in some important areas of our life right now. Thanks for praying for us to know God's mind and heart regarding these matters.

Others have been asking the questions below and we thought you might be interested in an update as well. One of the subjects concerns Ellie's therapy...

Q: How is Ellie doing?
A: As most of you know, Ellie was officially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) in November 2007. After almost 2 years of physical and occupational therapy we have seen definite, but very slight, improvement. She is a mostly happy girl that brings us much joy (you can see/read more about that on this blog). She does not speak, does not sit up by herself (except in her special chair that keeps her from sliding out), cannot hold her bottle or feed herself, cannot stand or walk. (Ellie turned 3 in April 2009). Although we love and respect her therapists here, and they love and care for Ellie, we are being encouraged to pursue more (short-term) "progressive" therapy possibilities in the States to supplement her therapy opportunities here.

Q: What kind of "progressive" therapy possibilities in the States?
A. We have been doing quite a bit of research and interaction with some clinics in the U.S. regarding HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy. We are currently interacting with a clinic in Louisiana about the possibility of Ellie receiving HBOT there in the first months of 2010. You can read more about that clinic and HBOT at: www.hbot.com

Q: Will this HBOT cure Ellie?
A: There is no current cure for Cerebral Palsy. If God does not choose to miraculously heal her (which we pray for), then therapies to improve current limitations are the best we can do. Some children do not respond well to HBOT. Others respond almost "miraculously" well. There is no guarantee how Ellie will respond; as her parents, we only want to TRY to do the best we can for her. We think this may be something that could work well for her.

Q: What will this kind of thing cost?
A: Insurance pays for HBOT for many medical conditions, but currently NOT for treatment of Cerebral Palsy. The first round of 40 treatments of HBOT (after which it should be known if she is responsive or not), accommodations, and plane tickets will cost a MINIMUM of $10,000 US dollars.

Q: How do you expect to pay for this?
A: We don't know. We believe that where God guides, God provides. If He is not leading this way, He will not provide and we will not go. If He does, we will. (Scott and Ellie would go--it will last from 3 to 6 months). So far, a missionary couple and two immigrants in Greece approached us with contributions toward such a fund. We currently have a total of $1,150 EUROS or $1,690 USD toward this.

We can (and will) use any excess (over and above our monthly amount) in our International Teams account toward the therapy bill.

Some have asked how they can help financially. Here are the options for giving:

1. Send it to International Teams. Make the check out to International Teams, and enclose a note that it is for Scott and Vicki McCracken's MINISTRY account. You WILL receive a tax-deductible receipt for this, and we will request whatever EXCESS is in our account (for us it will become a taxable "special needs" amount) before coming to the States. Send to:

International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin, IL 60123-1570

2. Send it to International Teams. Make out the check to International Teams, enclosing a note that it is for Scott and Vicki McCracken's PERSONAL use. You will NOT receive a tax-deductible receipt for this, and I.T. will include the amount with our monthly salary deposit.

3. Send a check directly to us and we will deposit it in our bank account and use it when we need it. Obviously, you will NOT receive a tax-deductible receipt for this way either. Our address is:

Scott and Vicki McCracken
Panagiotou 3
Papagou 15669
Athens, GREECE

Any of these options works for us. Seems like option #1 is really the best for all concerned, but it is the EXACT SAME to us no matter which option you choose.

Thanks so much for this generous and caring demonstration of God's love for Ellie (and us) that goes about and beyond your already generous and faithful investments each month.

Very very grateful,

Scott and Vicki

Find out more about online giving at:
https://wwws.iteams.org/iteams/

Ellie on YouTube...

Click the link below:

You can see a new video clip of Ellie laughing at some puppets on TV

OR if you cannot access it there, try this link...

http://vimeo.com/6871218

Erratic Sleep Patterns

It is impossible to forecast how Ellie will sleep each night.  She follows no discernable pattern.  I tracked for 2 months everything she ate (and when), how much she slept at night and during the day, how much (and when) she exercised and went in for therapy, the phases of the moon, when she had a bath, etc., etc., but there did not emerge any kind of pattern.  Sometimes she sleeps well, and sometimes not.  Sometimes she sleeps long at night and takes long naps.  Sometimes short nights and short naps.  Sometimes short nights and no naps.  Sometimes short nights and long naps.  Etc., etc., etc.   Sometimes she does not sleep well at night, and then falls asleep in her chair (or in my arms) during the morning...

 

Ellie's Exercises

These are SOME of Ellie's exercises we do at home.  It generally takes an hour to go through all the repetitions and timing of each one.

Although there are some exercises she consistently does not like, her mood when exercising generally depends on her mood before exercising.  Today, she was not in a great mood (before or during).  Some days, however, she is full of smiles and laughter while exercising.  At least she is way ahead of me on that count.  :)

 

 

   

 

  

      

                                                             

Rome

Ellie wins "Tourist of the Year" award!  She did great (as long as we kept moving) during the hours and hours and hours and hours of walking we did in Rome last week.  Tim and Rachel (and Joy) showed us a fabulous time.  Even Vicki being laid up in bed with a bad back for two days was not able to steal the wonder  of experiencing this amazing city!  And as content as Ellie was to be pushed in the stroller that the Uthmanns loaned us, she always expressed great delight when we returned to the hotel.