Special Fast for my Dad

Hello Friends and Family!

Sorry for long post but my family and I are going to have a Special Fast for my Dad (Donald Hall) this coming Sunday (4/29) and the next Sunday (5/6). Many of you may not know what a Special Fast is and we don’t want to force it on anyone J In place of fasting (if you can’t fast or do not want to) we would appreciate any extra prayers on these days or even every day.

We are fasting (going without food for 2 meals and end with a special prayer before you eat) to help my dad get better so that he can return to work and just be able to do the things that he loves to do (camping, fishing, etc).

Many of you may not know, but he has pancreatitis and has not been able to have any food and water for almost 4 weeks. He went into the hospital on April 1^st with a severe pain in his stomach and has been on a PICC line with his food in a bag going into his arm every day for 20 hours. He can only have ½ a cup of ice chips in the morning and again in the evening. He’s losing a lot of weight, which can be a good thing, but not this way. This has made him very weak and unable to do much besides just relax at home and watch TV. We are grateful that we can be at home and receive in home care from nurses and my mom doing his IV’s every night.

Anyway, we know many of you keep in him in your prayers already and we so greatly appreciate it. We’re just taking the next step and doing a Special Fast. We know it’s all in Heavenly Father’s hands and we’ll accept his will but we also pray that he can get better fast and so he can eat normal food again and just be himself again. He goes in for a CT scan on 5/3 and his next doctor’s appointment is on 5/9. Our Stake is having fast Sunday this Sunday because of Stake Conference, so that’s why we are doing the 2 different Sundays. You don’t have to do both Sundays if you don’t want to J

Thanks again for all your love, prayers and support.

Love, The Donald Hall Family

Mihaela Jane Lowery

It has taken me awhile to get the courage to write this post...or even blog for that matter. I am the proud aunt of a sweet little baby girl...Mihaela Jane Lowery...and she is an Angel in Heaven.

We got the call Tuesday...Valentine's Day of all days...in the afternoon that the doctors could no longer find the heartbeat of Monika's baby girl. We were in shock. She was 38 weeks and never had any symptoms that something like this could go wrong. I debated whether to go or not, not knowing if I could be strong enough to be there for Monika and make things worse, or just suck it up and go be with my family. I sucked it up! And I'm so glad I did. Our friend Julie found us red eye flights late that night and flew all night long and landed in Tennessee around 8:30 am. I thought for sure we would miss the birth since she was induced that night we left. A sweet lady from Monika's branch picked us up in Nashville and took us the hour back to the Base to the hospital. She couldn't get us on base, so another lady from the branch picked us up and took us then took our luggage to Monika's house. It was amazing seeing all the service people were doing for us who didn't even know us. Some more people brought us in lunch/dinner that evening.

We walked in the hospital around 9:30 and poor Monika was only dilated to a 1. I felt so bad for her that she had to go through all the stages of labor and not be able to have a baby crying for her in the end. The labor was very slow and they gave her an epidural. Finally around 6:30 that evening Monika was a 10. It hit me hard then. The room became very quiet and we all knew what was coming. I don't think any of us knew what to do. Monika was a very good pusher and I'm so glad this part was fast for her. Mihaela was born at 6:46 PM and was beautiful! She had Monika's nose. Poor little thing was bruised so bad, but she was still beautiful and an Angel!

We did a lot of crying...still do. This little girl has touched so many people's lives and she never took a breath. We have heard so many stories of people who have gone through this same thing that we didn't even know. I'm glad that Monika can have that support system. It was a long week in Tennessee as we packed a lot of her clothes ...blankets...toys....diapers...everything so Monika wouldn't have to do it later. This little girl was so SPOILED and LOVED! We headed back to Phoenix a week later and had to begin all the preparations for her burial. We had a lovely service up in Alpine and so many family and friends came to support Monika and Michael. We love you all so much! Family and friends have done so much for us...bringing in food, sending edible arrangements, and just giving hugs and love. I have the best friends in the whole wide world!

She would have been 7 weeks old already. So many people have had babies lately. It's kind of hard to see pictures and everything...but I don't want to not see them either. We should celebrate life. Mihaela is in a far better place and someday we'll get to see her again. It's just been a rough year for our family. First Grandma passing away in August, now Mihaela, some members of my family losing jobs, and my dad being in the hospital a few times. I think we've had enough for awhile :) Even though my dad's still in the hospital I hope he can come home soon...we can't take any more heartache for awhile.

Anyway...here's just a picture of me being an Aunt :) And Monika made us a shirt to wear when we took her home from the hospital (she made them before this happened). It's all now stored in my hope chest :)

Mihaela Jane....we love you!