Sunday, May 9, 2010

Little Girl Needs Our Prayers and Support



Dear Friends,


Jackie Shenk is a sweet little girl from Broadway who is in the struggle of her life, and she could really use all our prayers and love right now.  
Jackie is undergoing treatment for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome at U.V.A Medical center.


Please join me and Dianne to let the Shenk Family know that we support them in this time of need.


Here is a note her Dad, Josh sent out this evening: 
"We will be anointing Jackie with oil around 7 pm this evening, this is not last rights at all, its a way of giving jackie up to the Lord and putting her into His hands and under His care more than likley Jackie will be heading into surgery at some point tomorow. Tonight it will be Me and Melody, all Jackies siblings, jackies grandpearents, and her great-grand parents, plus Melodys new boyfriend and my brother Ian and Amy (by phone) and all of you in spirt! Thank you all for all your support!"


Here is a Facebook group set up by her Dad.


Her family is getting worn thin folks.  


Would you please send them your well wishes in care of Josh's Mother? (Jackie's Grandmother)




Jackie Shenk
c/o Ramona Shenk
5532 Green Hill Road
Linville, VA 22834



I know these good people would never think of asking, but I know that spending so much time in Charlottesville would have to be taking a toll on their emotions, but also has a tremendous cost.  I'm asking you to consider tucking a little money into the get well cards for Jackie. 
You could make checks to her Dad, Joshua Shenk with "Get Well Jackie" in the memo line. 


I know you are good and caring people. You've shown me that many times during the past years...


Let's be there for this little girl and her family when they need some friends.


Thank you sincerely,


Lowell and Dianne Fulk




UPDATE:
A very good man in our community (Rockingham County) has offered to hold a chicken BBQ to raise funds for Jackie's family.  He understands very well.  


He will provide the equipment and use his employees to do the work, and has a ready market so no one will have to stand on street corners with coolers.  


Will you help me pay for the chicken and charcoal so that all the proceeds can be donated? 


If you can help, send me an email to lowellfulk@activist.com

13 comments:

Lowell Fulk said...

This is the latest from Jackie's Dad:

There was a spiritual presenc this evening in jackies room when we all gatherd around jackie we all sang a verse of "He's got the whole world in his hands" and then we said "He's got jackie de'an in His hands. Dad read a few verses about when the children were comming to see Jesus and everyone told them to go away and Jesus said " let the children come unto me" that realy ment alot to me. then Grandpa put oil on the top of jackies head a few of us had a prayer or two and then dad read somthing out of Romans. It was a very emotional and moving experiance for all who were involved. Its so hard to see her laying in this hospitsl bed they weighed her this evening she has put on about 12 pounds of fluid all she does is sleep thanks to the bp medicne its realy scary to imangine what jackie is going to experience in the mjorning I just love her so much and i dont want her to be in her i want to take her home and i want things to be back to normal again this is so hard. i been crying for most of the day Jackie wi8ll get better and live a full normal life its just gunna take time she is in the right place and her life is in the Lord's hands I just wish i could take her place they plan to take her off food and fluids at 12 tonight give her some colodidine its one of the bp meds then at 4 run her labs and wait to see what her Dr says. I just think of those less fortunate than jackie who dont have options like jackie does people in 3rd world countries and children on this very floor who wont make it they should not even have a wing like this any where all children should be healthy and happy! Thank you all once again for standing behind Jackie and me and the rest of the family I realy feel by creating this group and getting everybody to join has brought a sence of peace to jackies situation i know it has helped me goodnight all and ill keep you updated on Jackies condition she is such a beautiful girl and i love her so much and i love each and every one of you for supporting the "get well Jackie Shenk (SOON)!!! page. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

From Josh (Jackie's Dad) last night: jackie just finished her last batch of blood for the day they gave her some lasex to help her pee at 12pm they will cut off food and watter untill they decide in the morning based on her lab results witch direction they should go. im not afraid of her having surgery any more i just want her to get better. this lap top has been such a blessing for me these past few days as will be the case in the days/weeks to come (thanks mom) if all goes well im predicting jackie will be home in 6 weeks but who knows it may be sooner im not sure when they will take her down in the morning may be more twoard the afternoon/evening. who knows but i know Jackie did all she could to kick this thing on her own now she will the push she needs to get her over the hump and turn this thing around and start her way back home. this is somewhat of a relife for me and her mom cause it is hard just sitting there all day looking at her wondering when she will snap out of it and staring at the board on the wall with the results of the mornings blood work i wish she did not have to go through this she just looks so sad with her face all swelled up and her little arms all puffy and the iv in the top of her foot its realy hard to see her but there is hope so thats good jackie will probably be on dialissis 24/7 for several days depending on how it goes she has alot of fluid on her then they will cut back and see hows she is doing she has been peeing more and keeping down all her medicne she's just not peeing enough to day when she went it even smelt like pee but i know she is very sick because her breath smeels the way her urin did sounds kinda sick but thats the only way i know how to describe it im just happy that we live in a place where jackie can get the medical treatment that will keep her kidneys from shutting down completley i love her so much and i love each and every one of you even if i dont know you and you dont know me you are helping me and my family in ways you can not imagine just by joing her page or writing on her wall it means so much to us all thank you. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

From Jackie's Dad this morning:

well Melody just signed the consent forms for jackies surgery they should probably be here to get Jackie any time from 11 o'clock on depending what the OR looks like. It's sad to know you little girl is going to have surgery but it's also a blessing because this is going to start the healing process of her kidneys! her lab's came back this morning and her blood was way up due to the two transfusions yesterday the platlets in her blood were about the same around 77 the bun was up to 132 witch is very high BUT her creatinine was about the same it did not go up this makes all of us very hopeful that this will be a short process of dialisis but we are prepared for whatever. We have gotten so much support from all of you and all of both of our familes and my church family Melodys church familily plus the numerous prayer list's going around with jackies name on it it is truly amazing. I think i can speak for the both of us when I say it hasent been easy to share a room with your ex but we both love jackie very much and thats all that matter! we can get back to our old ways of arguing over dumb stuff when jackie get's home lol jk. Im soooooo through with all that its just a wast of time to act that way so when jackie goes home we are just gunna do our own thing and know that when jackie is with the other me or her she is in good hands! Thats realy all that matters. Thank you all for all the prayers and and Prais be to the One you pray to even if you dont pray to the God of my understanding when you are comunicating with your Higher Power and you think of Jackie it make all the diffrence in the world to me and her mom and the rest of my family! Thank you all i will deff keep you updated through the day on Jackie's condition. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

This from Jackie's dad, late last night:

Jackie is finaly back in her room. it has been a long day they are getting ready to hook her up right now... i feel so bad for jackie it just dosent seem fair. when we went in to the "wake up" room her face was so red. Jackie looks so pittifull laying in that bed commining off all that stuff they gave her to put her under but atleast she's on the road to recovery and that's a GREAT thing!!! I'd like to send a special tahnk you out to all the people who live in the suronding area that have mad my phone ring off the hook it feels so good to be able to go somwhere where i basicly sont now anyone and sit down in a room full of peoole who dont know your name but all you have to say is one word and they know everything about you and everywhere the message is still the same!!! I love eachand everyone of you thank you for keeping Jackie in your thoghts and prayers. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

This from Jackie's dad, Josh, this morning:

Jackie is pretty sore today she say's her belly hurts not sure if its from the surgey yesterday or from the H.U.S she is being treated for. She took all her med's no problem this morning with no problem and drank a whole thing of grape juice and about 1/2 a box of boos breeze! they brought her tray in but she aint eating. one of our favorite nurses who is part of the renil team (kidney) Nurse Mary has already been in today and explained that there is not much of a change in Jackies lab (blood) yet its to early to tell but we are all expecting jackie to start showing improvement wich she already has buy drinking as much as she has today we didint let her have to much last night just a few small sips and today her eys are open more than yesterday yesterday they were barley open so there is improvement already! its hard to tell how long before her kidney's start to function the way they are supposed to but i believe in my heart they WILL!!! yesterday wasnot the best day for me and her mom we had Jackies surgery to deal with and there was some negative fall out from that but i think that that is done with. It is very difficult to try to coexist with someone you never could with before and the stress of not knowing whats wrong with your child has weighed heavy on the both of us. Everyone says we are doing great im just gratefull for all the support of my family church family and my spiritual family tank you so much I do truly love each and every one of you.Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

Update from Jackie's dad:

well we are all packed up and moving to the icu unit till who knows like i said before its just so they can chande her dialis bag like they should there is no one who can change it manualy in the acute wing whe the leak around the cath is completley heald shurley they will return to the automatic method. Jackie peed again around 200ml and is slaming some boost breeze's thats a good thing she dosent have much of an appitite andher voice is very hoarse as can be expected from the feeding tube...

Lowell Fulk said...

Last night's update:

we just got in this new room and its very small but im willing to do what ever i can to help get Jackie better tahts all that matters. Hopefuly jackie will be able to return to her old room soon. I gotta tell ya im VERY impressed with the amount of attention they show Jackie up here im glad they have good docters and nurses that realy care about the chiidren they treat. man i wish that jackie would just jump up and we could go home i feel so sorry for her when ever you pick her up or help her sit up you can see she is in a huge amount of pain she seems so confused about what is in her stomach and it looks like there is some swelling/brusing around her belly its just so sad no child should have to go through this or any other type of illness but in reality bad things happen to good people but i realy feel like somthing very positive will come of this situation i mean look at me and melody out of our love for jackie we have been able for the most part get along pretty well and i never thought that would be posible. Thank you all for all you support of Jackie it means so much to me. O yeah jackie dosent have a feeding tube in the tube i was talking about was the one that went down her throat durring surgery last night. Also i probably sound like a broken record but I do truly love each and every one of you for what you are doing for not just jackie but all of us just to know that tons of people are praying for my little girl lifts my spirits in a way that is very hard to describe with out getting all emotional and crying thank you al again. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

From Jackie's dad yesterday:

I just got back for RMH my good friend Billy Fis in the hospital and getting ready to have some majior sugerey on tuesday when i left i told him that i would pray for him as hard as he had been praying for jackie! I stayed out last night to get away from the recliner for a night. Melody called me with the news this morning that they were taking jackie off dialisis today at 3!!! its just so hard to believe that just a few days ago that jackie was so sick and now the Jackie that i know and love is comming back out the jackie that runs around and says at the top of her lungs that I love my daddy she has gave me sever kisses today since i got back my mom and dad where here when i got here and they had brought Kline's icream from harrisonburg courtesey of my sister Chelsea. the docter told Melody today thaqt if all goes well she would expect Jackie to be going home by the end of the week!!! YAY!!! that is great news but im not packing things up just yet my i mean i would love for Jackie to go home toda y but i know that nothing is set in stone around here but i am very hopeful of her leaving here soon. one of the surgeons came by and looked at jackie and chacked on her the bun went deown to 90!!! and the creatin is down to 4.7 such amazing news to here. they are trying to get a stool sampel from Jackie so we can get her off isolation they need three negative stool's berfor she can get off isolation they are lookin for c-diff. when i got here jackie was sitting up in bed and the physical thearipst was getting jackie to take a few steps we put a gown on her and took her up the hall and down the hall when we got back to the room she walked from the door to the bed about 20 feet! SHE'S GETTING BETTER YA'LL

Lowell Fulk said...

Also from yesterday:

this thing sent that last one off before i got to tell you how much each and everyone of you mean to me! they say nothing is imposible if yu put you mind to it but me expressing my gratitude to all of you for the support and the love you have shown jackie may be the excecption! No maybe about it it is imposible for me to say how all of you make me feel for all the love you show jackie its's one thing to love your child and be concerned any parent should do that but to know that ther are so many people on fb and all ove the place praying for you child and worried and concerned for her is such an amazing feeling thank you all so much each and everyone of you for praying for jackie and thinking of her it's a beautiful thing. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

Today's message from Josh, Jackie's dad:

About this time last week i was worried sick about jackie her bun and creatin was through the roof and tomorow we are expecting for her to be going HOME. this is so cool mordern medicne is pretty awesome when it works.sombody coded on this floor earlier today not sure who it was or the outcome but i was scared and proud at the same time scared because i knew how i would feel if it was my child who was coding and proud because i could see a wave of docters and nurses making a mad dash up the hall to help! This is truly a great hospital RMH was good to the nurses were very kind to Jckie when they had to draw her blood for the second time one day the nurse that told us was almost crying. we are still waiting for them to take jackie down and start her surgery she hasent ate or drank since about 11:30 last night but luckily she has been asleep most of the day. They came in last night not sure what time it was i know it was dark and i was asleep i would say it was during the wee hours of the night and hooked up her iv and gave her som benaydrill to help her calm down she was starting to flip out again and see things that wernot there. i think that is why she slept so much today i just wanted everyone to know what was going on with jackie and how she was doing today it sure does my heart good to know there are so many people out there who care about my little girl and want her to get better. they say there are not many good people in the world today but i would have to disagree with that statment cause i know quite a few wonderful ple who have been concerned and praying and sending well wishes to a little girl they dont even know its truly amazing Thank You all. Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

From Jackie's dad Josh:

one of the surgeons came in around ten pm this evening and said that she had been talking to the docter's and they thought it would be in the best intrest of jackie and for her saftey they were going to wait till tomorow to remove Jackie's cathader. I guess they got realy backied up or somthing no one seem's to realy know one way or the other. so i guess that Jackie will be going home on wendsday in stead of tomorow me and melody had been telling her all day that whe would be going home tomorow hope she isint to disipointed. ive been thinking alot about last week when jackie was in the post op room waking up and the first time i saw her her face was all purple and swolen im not looking foward to seeing her like that again but i know it is important for both of her parents to be with her through all this liike we have been. I went down and got Jackie some chicken and fries after the surgon left and like usual she ate about two or three bites and she was full gues the iv's she has been on have curbed her appitite a bit it was kinda hard for jackie to get around today cause the iv line is in her foot and with it being hooked up she steps on the chord i tired to hold it up but then i think the needle in the top of her foot moves around and i know she dosent like that.i had somwhat of a close call this after noon and almost repeated my screw up last week buy almost riping her iv line out again thank God that didint happen again. i was sitting by jackie's bed reading her a book i had my legs crossed when i uncrossed them i caught her line and almost riped it out again. I sure hope it dosent take them all day to get to Jackie tomorow its not that im in a hurry to get her out of here i just dont want them to keep her up here all day and not let her eat or drink all day again.Thats all for tonight my friends thankyou again for all you have done for jackie buy keeping her in you hearts and prayers i can never be sufficently grateful for the love that you have shown my little jackie. Love Josh

Lowell Fulk said...

From Joshua, Jackie's Dad:

Well we are finaly on the last leg of our journy home they decided to discharge us around 5or6 and after a few stops im getting ready to give the laptop back to my mom and head for the house jackie and several stuffed animals in tow! It feels so good to finaly go home i got a ton of perscricptions to get filled in the morning i ran out of time but its nothing she needs tonight thankfuly. jackie is so talkative and she is acting just like her old self! it is such a joy to me to see that old Jackie back!i hope she dosent rember a thing about the past 3 weeks. but I know I will NEVER FORGET the amount of charity and love each one of you has shown me and Jackie words cant explain how much it has lifted my soul to read what you write on jackie's wall and the personal messages filled with compashion and love for me and jackie i will never be able to repay any of you i am forever in you debt and you will always be in my heart the only way i can keep what i have is to give it away. so if you or a loved one needs help or a p[rayer or anything i will gladl'y offer my spirit and love to you i just want to give back some of the love and support you have shared with me and my little girl thank you so much sorry if im not making any sense right now its like all my senses are hitting me at once im like bouncing off the wals inside!!!!!!!! My heart truly goes out to each and everyone of you i guess im gunna get off here now im just talking my self around in circles the amount of outpouring and love i feel right now is to much to comprehend so im out

Lowell Fulk said...

And a follow up:

p.s I LOVE YOU ALL truly i realy realy dooooooooooooooooo. Love Josh:)