Ella's update - January 17, 2016

Greetings team Ella. Our little warrior is getting closer and closer to full strength. On top of a very active day the doctors decreased some the support Ella receives from her ventilator. On top of that she engaged in some physical therapy as well as spent some recreational time sitting more upright in a therapeutic chair. This was the first time that Ariella was nearly upright since her admission 3 weeks ago. She did well with her therapy and tolerated sitting in the chair for almost 30 minutes. It was clear at the end of the 30 minutes she was physically drained but she did quite well for someone that has spent several weeks laying on her back. While sitting in the therapeutic chair Ella did some painting as well as sticker time. Her respiratory treatments continue to go well in spite of the frequency and while they are physically demanding they are certainly helping our angel stay clear of her secretions so that her lungs can continue to expand and she can continue to get strong enough to breathe on her own. The plan over the next day or two is to continue to reduce the amount of support she receives from the machine until we can get to a place where they can do some trials to simulate having ella breathe on her own. Your thoughts and prayers continue to be invaluable and among the most effective interventions we have received. We are looking forward to a great week and with your faith and strength we know that that this is almost over. Continue to trust in God's plan. We are all more than conquerors.