home sweet home

And indeed it is.  Preston, Elizabeth, Carson and Kellen will all be sleeping in their own home tonight for the first time!  The Clarks made it home safely at about 3:30PM CST today.  PRAISE JESUS!

Sarah said there was a little simultaneous fussing toward the end of the trip, by both boys in their separate cars, which is kinda cute, but nothing too bad.  The home health care nurses are getting all the machines set up and squared away too.  So, everything is going GREAT!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL for all your prayers, kind words and service to this precious family as they worked toward this special day.  And thank you for continuing to pray for Carson's full and complete healing as the days move forward and the Clarks settle into home life!

God bless you all!!!

home sweet home

to home tomorrow!

The G-tube is leaking more than it has been. That said, Carson continues to gain weight and his skin around the G-tube looks fine, so he seems to be tolerating the leakage just fine. Therefore, in discussing it with Dr. Yang, the main pediatric surgeon, he feels it would be best to just manage the G-tube as is instead of returning to surgery. Soooo, Carson gets to go home tomorrow (Tuesday) unless something else changes! We are all very excited. 

Please be praying for Liz and Preston for the 2.5-3 hour trip home as they will need all the equipment to work and the ability to suction Carson, if needed, as they are traveling. It will be an interesting trip for all involved. 

Kellen is riding back home with his Papa and Meme Clark, so Liz can focus on Carson if he should need anything on the way back. Thank you for all your prayers. This has been the goal for so long, it is somewhat surreal to see it actually occur. God has blessed all of us so much along the way through your faithful prayers!!! 

One more thing...if you get the chance, please also pray for our dear friend Rhonda Leeper who was in an automobile accident this morning. She is okay, but does have at least three fractures and will need much prayer on the long road to healing.  

Thank you prayer warriors!

So far so good!! Looks like Carson gets to go home on Tuesday. Liz and Preston got everything arranged at home and all the equipment Carson needs is now in their home. 

He has also had a wonderful day! No leaking from the G-tube and lots of smiles. With his Passy Muir valve, he is making A LOT more sound. His primary nurse, Christi, who has been amazing through the entire journey, got a video of Carson making lots of noises. We will have to post it as soon as we get it from Liz. Christi and I were both so excited to see him vocalizing so much. It was precious. 

It is somewhat surreal to think about visiting Carson somewhere besides Cardinal Glennon, but we will all rejoice when he is safely at home with his family. We will always have truly grateful hearts for all the fantastic doctors, nurses, and staff at Cardinal Glennon, who have made this journey home with Kellen and Carson possible.

Posted by Sarah

Well, so far by inflating the balloon on the G-tube it has stopped leaking! For right now, they believe this will be a resolution and Carson will get to go home on Tuesday. 

Today, Carson took his first stroll in his car seat and stroller. We took a trip through the NICU and all the nurses were so excited to see how well he was doing. He tolerated the stroller and car seat very well. He wasn't sure about it at first, but by the end, was a pro and ready to take a nap. Thank you for all your prayers! 

Liz and Preston are in Dexter and we are all so thankful for the wonderful people of Dexter and the cooking benefit for the Clarks.

Very short update today! Carson's G-tube leaked again today after the change. We will see what the doctors decide over the weekend. Right now, we do not really know if he will be going home on Tuesday or not. We will just keep up the prayers and wait to hear the decision. 

Liz and Preston are going home for the weekend to prepare their home for when the boys get to come home. Nana Bunch and Aunt Sarah will be holding down the fort in St. Louis while the Clarks help Preston and Liz in Dexter.

Much better day for Carson! Praise Jesus! 

He is doing much better on his oxygen saturations. Last night, he had some problems with desats, but today seems to be doing fine. 

Dr. Yang changed his G-tube again rather than do a revision surgery. He is trying a 16 French G-tube and believes that may prevent further leaking. Time will tell as always.  :)

But regardless, we are thankful!  And so thankful for your prayers too!

news story link and today's update

Today was a little discouraging for Preston and Elizabeth. Carson's G-tube began to leak considerably again. Therefore, Dr. Kavi is talking to Dr. Yang, the main pediatric surgeon, about revising the G-tube. Essentially, this means removing the one he has now and putting it in another location. Carson will have to go back to the ventilator for surgery and then begin the slow process of weaning back to his trach collar again. Just be praying for direction.

We all want to do whatever we need to do so Carson can grow and thrive. However, if he has to have surgery, it will require a longer stay in the hospital. The emotional ups and downs of having a child in the hospital are very difficult, so please keep Preston and Elizabeth in your prayers for continued strength, peace, and patience (patience always seems to be a lesson we get to learn over and over again).

Here is the link to the news story on the Clark family if you have already not seen it:

Clark's Story on TV News