September 27 Update

Though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 57:24

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

It is by no accident that I was looking through a "Book of Bible Promises" came upon these verses. I know and trust that God has been upholding Jodie in His hand, and will continue to do so. I also have hope in his healing. Hope is what we as Christians have because of our faith in God - I pray for hope for each of you this night.

Jodie is having surgery tomorrow morning (Tuesday) around 9am. The neurosurgeons will be putting Jodie's "bone flap" back in her skull (the piece that was removed shortly after her accident to relieve the swelling on her brain). As I mentioned in a previous email, it has been "frozen" in storage since it was removed back in April. We pray that this is the "bounce" (as Dr. Yablon says) that Jodie needs to move forward in her recovery.

Jodie has been doing remarkably well since her shunt surgery 2 weeks ago. She is still in Methodist Rehab and doing so good. They are really working her hard in her therapies! We have seen an increase in her response time and in some of her motor skills.

When she was weighed today, we discovered that she has gained almost 2 pounds over the past week! What a progress. She is slowly gaining weight back - the "brain food" (what one nurse referred to it) must be helping and Jodie continues to eat 3 meals every day. She had the biggest breakfast yet this morning, eating 95% of the food she was fed! She also looks great! Of course, after tomorrow's surgery, with half her head shaved, we'll probably shave the rest (so we don't revisit the "skullet" of Memphis) - but Jodie has always looked good - hair or none at all ! Many of us can probably still close our eyes and see that precious little girl with all that blond hair in curls just flowing down her back. Well, she'll get it all back before too long - it seems to be coming in a bit darker, so we may get a brunette!

Many who have never met Jodie - just touched by her journey - have mentioned wanting to see what she looks like, so I attached a picture of her, taken at the beach last August. Beth took this picture of her looking out into the water.
Please pray for Jodie and a successful surgery and recovery. I will send a surgery follow-up in the days to come. We can all pray that this surgery and the recovery process that follows will lead Jodie to a continued path of recovery and healing. Pray for Dr. Esposito and the assisting physicians who will perform the surgery. Pray especially for her brain and for the injured areas to heal in time. We trust in God's time and in His will and in His incredible healing powers that we have already witnessed in His miracles on Jodie.

You may continue to send Jodie cards at my address (1320 Poplar Blvd, Jackson MS 39202) or to her room directly at Methodist Rehab - MMRC c/o Jodie Tharp Room 527, 1350 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave., Jackson MS 39216. Following her surgery, she'll be at UMC for a few days but will go back to MMRC - she still has her room so she will still get any mail you send to her at MMRC.

Take care and God bless you all,
Jennifer