Here is a prayer request I just sent out to 60 people:

Hi friends & family - we are on day 2 of a 6-day hospital stay with Cody - he's hooked up to EEG electrodes in an effort to determine whether he's a brain surgery candidate or not.  If enough seizures are deemed to originate in the right hippocampus, he will be a candidate.  This is "phase II" of this process.  Phase I was the PET scan in Detroit which showed lots of acitivity in that are.  This EEG is to confirm.  We were told there was a very small chance that he'd be a candidate, however the neurologist met with us today and said he's seen enough evidence to merit moving on to the "next phase."  In the last 24 hours, Cody had 20 seizures so they were able to gather a lot of data.  We still have to meet with a 2nd neurologist at 6pm today to discuss further what "the next phase" is.  From what I gathered today, the next phase would be the actual surgery where they place a strip of electrodes directly on his brain and monitor the seizures for a week in the hospital bed while he recovers...this helps them zero in on the exact origin spot of the seizures...and at that point they go back into the brain and remove that spot.  In Cody that spot seems to be the right hippocampus which is buried very very deep inside the brain.  Obviously we are about to barf from the thought of what I just described.  But we are not getting too dramatic or scared until we meet with the 2nd neuro at 6pm because he's the one conferring with Dr. Chugani in Detroit and making the ultimate call on this.  So this is an update, and for those of you who are "pray-ers" - a prayer request.  We need absolute confirmation from this EEG that surgery is merited.  Right now it "seems" like the seizures are coming from mostly one spot - but I don't like "seems" - I want certainty.  If they're going to cut his skull open, I want to know that it's based on conclusive evidence...not on a good guess.  So we need Cody's seizures to show us the truth - and for the neurologists to be able to discern it from the tests they're running. 

The surgery, if it occurs, would be after many discussions of side effects, consequences, etc.  We are told it would be "palliative" meaning it won't cure his seizures - it would hopefully reduce them though.  Obviously brain surgery is hugely risky and very frightening.  We haven't yet discussed how much function or personality he would lose from removing the hippocampus...but there would be some degree...we do know that.  Cody has been an ANGEL through this process the last 2 days - so patient and sweet.  We are running on no sleep and pure adrenaline.  I will keep you posted but wanted to get this news circulating now so we could benefit from the prayers of our dear friends and family.  There are 6 cases of whooping cough in the hospital so we are keeping Casey at home and trading off with him - but of course a snow storm blew into town last night making getting home an hour long proposition and also robbing us of some of our volunteers who are stuck in it.  Go figure.  We *may* get released tomorrow - depends on what the neuro says at 6pm. 

Thank you so much - we covet your thoughts, prayers and support.  We don't know what the future holds, but we know Who holds it.  Our beloved Cody's little brain is in God's hands - as his parents we pray for wisdom in making the right decisions for our little hero. 

Shawna