Behind the Scenes at the Zoo!

I love that after 10 years of living in Uganda we are still discovering fun new things to do on our days off! We had a day off all together at the end of the summer and we're so glad we decided to try this out. 

After going on several safaris the zoo isn't the most exciting place to go, but this experience, getting up and close to the animals and feeding them is now up there as a favourite! 

First stop was feeding the lions and leopards. Our guide started off doing this himself but of course asked my children if they wanted a turn too, I was just hoping their hands didn't slip! 

The giraffe are so friendly, and so tall! Always a favourite of our family. 

The shoebill was adorable, he greets you by bowing and let us get nice and close. He was really cute, Joel even gave him a hug. 

My favourite animal is the elephant, I love them on safari, they have so much personality! This was definitely my highlight of the day. 

The elephant just tried to steal baby Isabelle, oops! 

Even though I have seen photos of people with the cheetah's here and we were told they are used to seeing people so are friendly, I was still a bit nervous to have me and my kid this close. They say the only thing you can't be is nervous, they can tell, so just be calm and it's fine. That's a lot harder to do when they start licking your feet and eating your jeans, but I thankfully 

stayed calm!

You're supposed to be a bit older to see the cheetah but our guide let Finn go in quickly. 

These were just the highlights from the day or the best photos to share, but the chimpanzees are worth mentioning as well, we could just watch and interact with them for hours, they're hilarious.

We would definitely recommend this experience if you have a few hours to spend in Entebbe! 

Answers for Avin!

We have a diagnosis, Chronic Osteomyelitis, which is a staph infection in Avin's spine. We're so thankful for quick answers after the biopsy and that she was able to start treatment right away!! This week her many Doctors have been working on a treatment plan, we have heard a few different options over the last few days but they have come to some decisions finally today. 

Avin will be on an IV treatment for the next 6 weeks and she will be admitted into the hospital for that entire time. Right now we're at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, the hospital we're at might change still to Surrey or Langley, but for now we're here and visitors are very welcome!! 

Jeff and the boys are planning to come to BC in mid-November and everyone is very excited for our first Christmas in Canada in quite a few years!! Avin should be out of the hospital by the time the boys arrive, she will then be on oral antibiotics and monitored for the next 6 weeks or so. We hope after that she'll get a clean bill of health and we can all return to Uganda together!

 We are just taking this all one day at a time right now and although there is still some uncertainty in the timeline of everything we are just so thankful that there is a treatment and also for the excellent care Avin has received at BC Children's Hospital! 

Thank you very much for your continued prayers for Avin and for all of us over these next few months! 

Also, if you know of a house for our family to stay in from mid-November until mid-January, send us a message, thank you!!! 

Avin

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Avin!

I know many of you only know bits and pieces of what is going on with her health so we wanted to explain a bit more about it. We had no idea when this all began in March that she would still be sick all these months later or we'd have shared a lot sooner! 

In March Avin was diagnosed with malaria, which she has had several times and always recovered well from. This time after her normal dose of pills the parasite count was still high so she went on an IV treatment and then a second dose of pills. During this second dose of pills she started having very bad back pain which had never happened before. 

Through the month of April she had good days and bad; she was still having some back pain, fevers, general weakness and was just tired a lot, but we were told by the Doctors that due to her bad case of malaria she just needed time to fully recover. 

At the beginning of May her back became very painful again, she had more blood work and tests run, but other than a high white blood cell count they could not come up with a reason for her feeling sick again, she was put on antibiotics for a bacterial infection which seemed to help and she was feeling better by the end of May. 

By the second week of June she was again feeling unwell so we made an appointment with a Doctor in Kampala who specializes in Tropical Disease, he spent a lot of time reviewing her history and running more tests. There were a few things in her blood work we had not heard before this visit that showed she does having something going on, he had a few ideas but did not have an exact diagnosis. Most of the sicknesses he suspected could be treated with Doxycycline, so she began a month long treatment on this antibiotic. We also confirmed a flight for her to Canada in the summer and instead of having her return to Uganda right away we allowed time for her to see a Doctor while there if needed.

She started to feel a lot better after taking the Doxycycline and we thought this was the end, but again after a few weeks the back pain started up, she became tired easily and was just feeling off again. 

While she was in Canada we were hosting a few different groups in Uganda before joining her, including a team from Peace Portal Alliance Church with friends of ours, after hearing about Avin's situation they arranged for her to see a Doctor who works in the Emergency Department at Surrey Memorial. The Doctor was able to speak to Jeff over the phone so when they got to the hospital she went right in and had all the tests needed. One of those tests included an X-ray and the Doctor saw immediately that there was a problem in her spine. 

She is now under the care of a few different Doctors at Children's Hospital, in Infectious Disease and Orthopaedic Surgery. She has had a CT Scan and an MRI, these have led them to a diagnosis of an infection in her spine, possibly Tuberculosis but they can't confirm that or begin treating her until they know for sure. 

So a bone biopsy from the infected area of her spine (in the middle of her back) is needed next to confirm a diagnosis, this is scheduled for today at 11am. 

Our timeline for Avin being here and how long this will all take has changed a lot in the last couple months, and we are realizing that it's just going to be day to day, as hard as that is!! Right now I (Shannon) am in Canada with Avin and Mazzy, while Jeff and the boys are in Uganda. There are a couple groups coming to Uganda in October and it's a busy month at the school, so for now we will continue like this and pray that Avin is home in the next month or two. If after the biopsy results that seems unrealistic we'll change our plans as needed.

We'd appreciate your continued prayers for healing for Avin, and especially for the procedure Avin has today, Monday October 2nd to go well. If they get a large sample during the biopsy there is a lot better chance of a confirmed diagnosis and then a proper treatment! 

This is taken the day before Avin first got sick with Malaria! 

Being treated for malaria in March. 

Avin is just really missing being home in Uganda!! 

She is still having good days and bad days but has learned her limits a lot better lately, so although she does not always want to be just taking it easy, she knows the pain she has later if she exerts herself too much isn't worth it. That's hard though for a usually very active 14 year old!! Mazzy has helped a lot with entertaining her while she's stuck at home laying down. 

Our family has all felt very loved and supported during this time, we are thankful for a car to drive while we're here, and a couple different houses that we've been able to stay in, but we especially appreciate your prayers for healing for Avin and for us all to be home in Uganda soon! Thank You!!