Prayers for Anna Lisa

These girls are all good friends making faces at the camera. The girl with the green sweater (front right) is Anna Lisa. She suffered hemorrhaging in the brain last week and is currently in intensive care at a major medical center an hour away from home. She is stable and can talk some but her speech is impaired. We don't know the details of the diagnosis or prognosis but she's going to have another MRI later this week. If the swelling has subsided, they may be doing surgery sometime after that.

This was totally unforeseen -- she's been a healthy, active girl until now -- she just got a horrific headache one day at school last week. The school nurse was going to make her go back to class, but she couldn't get up. Fortunately, her mother, who is a doctor, was called and she came and had her taken to the hospital right away.

Anna Lisa is a year younger than the other girls but is funny, smart, and has quirky, marvellous sense of humor -- feels more comfortable with the girls in the next grade up. Her father is Norwegian, some of her older siblings were born in Norway, and she was just there visiting family there this summer.

Today my daughter and two other girls, another mom and I were able to visit Anna Lisa in the hospital for the first time since she's been there. Anna Lisa is having a good day today. She was able to smile a little and joke a little, though she still cannot speak much, has trouble finding the words she wants to say, and tires easily. It was good to see her but we all burst into tears once we made it to the elevator to leave. We don't know what the future will bring.

Please remember Anna Lisa, her family, and friends in your prayers.



(Anna Lisa seated front center in red - Spring 2007 Dance)