And Then The Phone Rang

July 26, 2008 at 1:11 pm (Rohkohls)
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I was writing a post about Mackerdoodle’s milk allergy, and then the phone rang.  It was our friend Chris - the one I have been asking you to pray for.  So Mackerdoodle’s milk allergy will have to wait.  This, oh y’all, this is so much more important.

Quick summary:

In December of 2006, Chris was working on the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans.  He was a passenger in a traffic collision - the facts of which are still fuzzy - and barely escaped with his life.  The vehicle in which he was riding was uninsured.  The other vehicle (if there was one) ran the scene of the accident.

Chris has permanent back, nerve and tissue damage, but with a family to support, he has attempted to return to work in order to support them.  This has, in Chris’ words, wrecked his body.

Today, after leaving his final job, he can barely walk.  He is in constant pain, and his doctor is tellig him that if he doesn’t have another back surgery followed by six months of complete inactivity, he will never be pain free.

Today Chris, Adrienne and their three boys are living with Adrienne’s mother.  On Monday Chris, against every fiber of his personality, is filing for disability.

Y’all they need prayer, they need support, they need help.  Chris has tried to be faithful in providing for his family, and it has beaten him down at every turn.  They have medical bills from his past medical treatments still unpaid, and now he’s facing another surgery followed by six months with no possibility of work.

But what they do have is faith and hope.  As Chris was talking to Jonathan, he kept saying “This is all for God’s glory.  He’s still on the throne.”  They are doing their best to train up their boys in the gospel.  They are still trying to be faithful in this trying time.

I wish I could fix it.  I wish I could pay all the bills, and give them somewhere to live and make Chris’ pain go away.  I wish I could, but I can’t.  But I can pray.  And you can pray.  And maybe together we can lift them up spiritually and physically.

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Good News and Bad News

April 9, 2008 at 6:10 am (Family and Friends, Rohkohls)
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I’ve been meaning to post about Chris Rohkohl’s herniated disc surgery and keep forgetting to do so while I have my computer in front of me.  So here’s the news:

First: the surgery itself went well.  When Chris woke from the anesthesia he was able to wiggle his toes, and bend his ankle, both things he had been unable to do since the accident.  Since coming home, he has been able to lift his leg to walk, and to bear weight with it, and the pain has been relieved significantly.  Please join us in praising the Lord for this great answer to prayer!

Unfortunately, after being home less than a week, Chris developed an infection which has been causing debilitating headaches.  Any time infection and spinal surgery are together in the same sentence, it’s cause for serious prayer and medical attention.  He is back in the hospital now under observation while Adrienne is at home with a terrible head cold.    So please continue to lift the family up in prayer.  This has been a long journey for them, and they need continued strength as they run this marathon.

If you want to know more about why Chris is suffering these maladies, click here. If you would like to help Chris and Adrienne with the continued financial burden they bear, you can visit my old blogger blog and click the pay pal button on the top of the sidebar.

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Chris Rohkohl’s Surgery

March 30, 2008 at 9:17 pm (Rohkohls)
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Today (Monday) Chris Rohkohl is having surgery on his herniated discs.  Earlier in the month, he underwent a series of spinal injections to reduce the swelling in the hopes of alleviating some pain and returning some mobility to his left leg.  Unfortunately it had the opposite effect.  His neurologist is very concerned that the damage to Chris’ sciatic nerve may already be permanent and his loss of mobility in his left leg may be irreparable.  Hoping to be proven wrong, she’s performing surgery today.  At the very least, they hope to reduce his pain.

Please pray for healing for all of Chris’ injuries, wisdom and guidance for the surgeon, a speedy recovery, and the success of the coffee business.

If you want to know more about why Chris is suffering these maladies, click here.  If you would like to help Chris and Adrienne with the continued financial burden they bear,  you can visit my old blogger blog and click the pay pal button on the top of the sidebar.

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Rohkohl Family Saga

March 11, 2008 at 7:42 pm (Rohkohls)
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Well, the Rohkohls continue to covet your prayers.  Chris went in for treatment on his herniated discs and the treatment made the herniation worse.  He now has almost no movement in his right leg.  This most certainly means surgery, which means more bills and more time off work.  Please continue to pray for Chris’ physical healing.

But, on top of everything, Chris’ mother fell, and when she woke up in the hospital, didn’t recognize any of her family.  This is yet another item that we need to lift up to the Lord.

So please pray for the entire family, and, as always, you can visit my old blogger blog and click the pay pal button if you want to help financially.  Click here to read their entire story.

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Rohkohls

February 19, 2008 at 11:32 am (Rohkohls)
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On Sunday afternoon I buried a Rohkohl update in a post about a lot of other things.  So here’s a post just for them.

A quick recap for newcomers: our friend Chris, a self employed construction contractor, was a passenger in a car wreck December of 2006.  Both the driver of his vehicle and the driver of the other vehicle were uninsured.  His injuries were numerous and severe and as a result of them he is still not cleared medically to work.  For details, and for pictures of what he looked like a day after the wreck, click here and read from the bottom up.

Please continue to pray for them.  Chris is trying very hard to do the Godly thing and provide for his family, but the work he has is making his back injuries worse (the last he heard from his doctor, if he continues to work, he’ll require back surgery) and is still not providing enough income to meet all of his family’s needs.

Please pray for:

  • healing for Chris’ body.
  • financial provision.
  • peace and rest for Adrienne as she cares for Chris and their 3 boys
  • the 3 boys - Hayden, Micah and Eli - to understand all the love and care, but be oblivious to the stress, pain and need.

Please rejoice in this:

  • God’s continued mercy
  • Chris and Adrienne see God’s hand at work in their situation
  • Ongoing health of the 3 boys

If you’d like to help the Rohkohl’s financially, go to my blogger blog and click the paypal button on the top of the sidebar. WordPress won’t let me post it here.

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Rohkohl Update As Requested

November 13, 2007 at 7:45 pm (Rohkohls)
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Well, no sooner had I posted the request from someone for an update from the Rohkohls, and I had an e-mail in my inbox from Adrienne. It read:

I am trying to give you an update, however, Eli doesn’t want me to. Will try again later tonight.

You see she has a 5 1/2 month old, and I have a 3 1/2 month old so we haven’t been in touch much. I really hate that, but it’s why there hasn’t been an update lately.

This evening, however, Adrienne found a moment to send a response, and I will post most of it as she wrote it so you can hear her words and read between the lines.

Let’s see . . . I fear that my husband will never be quite the sameagain. He will never regain the vision in his right eye - says doc. The herniated disks in his back/neck are still just that and give him a lot of pain. He finds himself semi-stumbling (usually at the end of the day) quite a bit and due to that will only hold the baby sitting down.
Also, he is complaining that his head (thoughts) get fuzzy sometimes and this concerns me. We have been told by some that a negative result of head trauma may reveal itself long after the injury occurred. His doctor doesn’t seem overly concerned so unless it gets worse I guess we shouldn’t worry. All that aside, Chris is doing well emotionally, and would tell you he is thankful the accident happened for it strengthened him spiritually.
Me on the other hand . . . I don’t believe I have slept in a month and a half. Do you hear the violins’ melancholy tune? The Lord found it appropriate to let Eli’s teeth begin erupting at 4 months. Poor kid just can’t deal with it and has a hard time at night. He was sleeping all night long prior to his teething. Now at 5 1/2 months his bottom two are out, one of his top front is breaking through with the other following close behind. Hayden and Micah didn’t start until 6 months. I wasn’t ready yet. I told the Lord this and yet the teeth keep oncoming. Other than his fussiness Eli is a wonderful baby who adores his big brothers. . . .

She then gave me an update on how Homeschooling her two older boys is going, and concludes with this:

. . . One new thing - we have obtained the services of an attorney who believes we have a case against our insurance company regarding coverage of Chris’s accident. Now, I am sort-of pessimistic by nature so I am not getting my hopes up. If we are granted a claim this would mean the payment of our hosp. bills, lost wages, home care, etc. This would come in handy as our state aid will cease soon, however, there is no time frame for when we could see payment so we are in need of prayer in this area. We are thankful for all of those who have prayed for us and helped us financially and otherwise over the past 11 months. I cannot say what we would have done without the help of so many people. We are truly blessed.

So, please keep them in your prayers. Thank you to whomever requested the update, and thank you to all who have prayed and donated. The button is still on the sidebar, so

If you don’t know why Chris’ thoughts are getting fuzzy, click the Rohkohl label to read their story (start at the bottom).

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Rohkohl Update

July 15, 2007 at 4:07 pm (Rohkohls)
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Just a reminder to keep praying for our friends the Rohkohls. Chris still hasn’t been cleared by doctors to work, but he opened the coffee shop to try to meet the needs of his family. The coffee shop is breaking even, which is good, but it means he still isn’t drawing a wage.Please continue to keep Chris’ healing and the family’s needs in your prayers.

For more details on their story, go ahead and click the label under this post.

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Happy Announcement

May 30, 2007 at 10:36 am (Rohkohls)
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Regular visitors here will remember my friends, the Rohkohls. If not, click on the link at the top of the side bar to read their story.

I am very happy to announce that they have GOOD NEWS to report to the world.

Their third son, Elias Jonathan was born yesterday afternoon at 1:53 in the afternoon.

He was 8lb 3oz and 19 1/2 inches. Both baby and mama are doing well.

We rejoice with them and this beautiful blessing.

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Update on the Rohkohls

May 2, 2007 at 12:18 pm (Rohkohls)
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted on our friends the Rohkohls. For details on their story and financial need, click on the Rohkohl link on the top of the side bar.

The Lord has provided the opportunity for Chris to open a business with his father. This means that within a few months, Lord willing, they should have a steady income again. This is such an answer to prayer.Here is the rest of the update in Adrienne’s own words:

About a month ago Doc found 4 herniated disks. Two in his neck and two in his lower back (non-surgical at this point). Even though this has been a (painful) setback we are still amazed at the rate at which he has recovered (thank you Lord!!!. Everything else is healing well except for his eye - still need prayer for that one!! I believe I had mentioned before that he had lost his sense of smell yet it hadn’t altered his taste. Well . . . . he has nearly lost all ability to taste. To quote my dear husband - “He has the rest of his life to get over it” :).It’s wierd but this accident has been a blessing in so many ways. I have never in my life been a witness to so many miraculous doings from the Lord. He has blessed us over and over by providing what we need - right when we need it. If it weren’t for His moving people to give financially we would not have been able to sustain ourselves over the last few months. We are ever so thankful for all that we have been given and look forward to being in a place where we can be of help to others in the same way.

If you’re wondering about the severity of Chris’ original injuries, here are 2 pictures of him the day after the wreck:

Now you can see how miraculous his recovery is.

They still have hospital bills, and a month or two without income, so if the Lord lays it on your heart to help them out, please click on the Paypal button. It goes directly to them, without touching me or anyone else on the way. They are also expecting a baby, due at the end of May.

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Rohkohl Update

January 26, 2007 at 11:01 am (Rohkohls)
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I just received this update from my friends about whom I have been blogging. As always you can donate to them by clicking the PayPal button on the top of my sidebar.

Chris has had some important doctor appointments recently so I thought I’d give you a run down of how he is doing. His opthamologist gave a rather vague prognosis of his right eye. Chris cannot make out shapes of things as everything is very blurry. The doctor said that there isn’t anything that can be done for it so only time will tell whether he will regain his regular vision. Orthopedics said he is progressing ahead of schedule as far as his pelvis is concerned. It will still be a few more weeks of using his walker though. So far, we do not have a clear time table on his return to work. Urology determined his bladder to be healed so he was able to have his catheter removed. This was both a blessing and a curse which I won’t get into now (ouch!!!). Chris has been experiencing dizzy spells and he lost his sense of smell. His ENT explained that the dizziness is normal for head trauma and may continue for some months. His sense of smell however may never return. The Doc said if Chris cannot smell Christmas dinner 2007 it is likely that he never will. Oddly, this hasn’t really affected his abiltiy to taste. The facial and skull fractures are healing and will not require surgury. His kidney, at this point, is a non-issue and is healing on it’s own. The ribs do not give him trouble these days - a blessing!! He has been plagued with neck pain recently which may need looking into. Overall - a much better Chris than what we had a month ago!! We are thankful for all of the prayer we have received - it has been fruitful. God is good.

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