Journal Entry 7/14 From Kristi

“La vida de la carne in le sangre esta.” …. after years of Spanish lessons, it was really the only Bible verse that stuck with me. “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev 17:11) and oh how true I have learned this to be. It all comes down to the Blood. This week was no exception.

On Wednesday we flew to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for Zacs qualification visit to participate in the Stem Cell study he was accepted into… A Stem Cell Study which holds the hope of possible nerve restoration through heathy cell injections. Zac was the 30th (not 40th) and the last (for now) nationwide to be accepted into this Mayo study. The door of the study literally closed right after him. Feeling humbled and in awe that God allowed our entrance.

Navigating an airport with a wheelchair is not an easy task. But we are getting better. I’m the luggage carrier… a 75 lb ginormous suitcase that includes his shower chair and medical supplies, plus my backpack, slide board, extra cushion, and coffees . We check in early, ask for a skinny “isle chair”, Zac does a pop-over transfer to isle chair, they wheel him into the plane, pop-over transfer to airplane seat - don’t forget to place the extra cushion underneath - now hold on tight so you don’t lose balance at take off (he actually does quite well considering he has very little core strength)…..

We had a layover in Denver; our hearts were certainly tugged with sentiment being so close to Craig Hospital and our dear friends there again.

Landed in Rochester around 4:30 pm. We quickly learned that the Mayo Clinic is more like a Mayo-City, set in the center of Rochester which is set in the center of corn fields. The Mayo Clinic is truly a labyrinth of blocks and blocks of hospitals, offices, clinics, and educational buildings, all connected by tunnels and skyways, with coffee shops, hotels, and delis scattered between.

Settled into our hotel, and closing the day off in prayer, I knelt down next to Zacs bed to pray with him, but before I was finished, he was already asleep. I just stared at his body laying on the bed… so youthful, so strong, but so unable to move. I still can’t wrap my head around it.

Even as he slept, I read to him a Scripture that had just been given to me: “For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are the one who took me from my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge.”

Ps 71:5-7

This is his testimony. He finds his refuge in God.

Thursday morning the appointments came fast and furious: up at 4:30 am (2:30 am Brookings time), blood work at 6:50, Evoked Potential Testing at 7:30 am where they hooked up electrodes to his brain to determine how much his brain was communicating with his nerves, then a stroll around Mayo Park, 2 hr Spinal MRI at noon, INSCI test at 3 pm where his level of paralysis was re-determined, and dinner at Famous Daves to celebrate at the end of the day.

It was explained to us that, although he has been accepted as a good candidate for the Study, he would qualify to continue based on his test results. “Exactly what results are you looking at?” I inquired.

“The bloodwork,” they told us. “He has qualified in every other way. So now It all depends on the blood.”

“Of course it does, Lord” I immediately thought. We are on the brink of participating in a Stem Cell Study, hosted by the top Hospital in the Nation, study that brings hope of restoration and healing. And they tell me it all depends on the Blood.

Lord, there is nothing we can do apart from You. Because of Your Blood shed on the cross, we have complete healing of our broken, paralyzed souls. You are the only One that can qualify us to receive the healing we need. Thank you for using Zacs life as such a perfect example, over and over again.

But I know You’re not done yet.

“But that you may KNOW God has the power to forgive sins, I say to you, ‘Stand up and walk.’ and he stood up and walked.” (Matt 9:6) We are all in this story together. God’s doing something big in all of our lives. For there is redemption for our paralysis. But it all depends on the Blood.