Tuesday 5/29

Abby had another good day she was awake and alert the whole day, albeit uncomfortable. She was constantly complaining about how the breathing tube was annoying and painful, eventually the nurses gave her some pain killers in the evening to help her get some sleep.
She was also taken off Dopamine, which was used to keep her blood pressure high, since her blood pressure remained stable as they weaned her from the drug. The doctors originally placed her on dopamine to ensure the site of injury was getting plenty of oxygen to heal properly (higher blood pressure means more blood, which means more oxygen).
Every morning the doctors are taking a CT scan of her neck injury and the results have been returning good with no infection present in her bone fusion and healing is progressing as the doctors expect.
Abby remains on antibiotics for her lung infection which is also coming along nicely, but understand that her original infection was life threatening, so it still persists to be a huge hurdle for Abby's overall health.
Abby and the family loves having good nurses so keep praying for those as we have had to ask for one nurse not to return already.




Below are some pictures that were taken last week before the bronchoscopy.

Paul reading Mocking Jay where Abby left off.

Bryan playing his guitar.

Monday 5/28

Monday 5/28 -
Abby got a restful day and is showing improvement in lung function. Communication has been problematic as the hospital has provided a communication board for us to use with Abby to figure out what she wants/needs. Abby, with her resilient attitude, refuses to back down and use this board and continues to mouth words. With the tubes in her nose, mouth, and throat her speech is muted and it is difficult to read her lips. Her brothers are in the process of constructing a more functional board that will allow her communicate with greater ease.
Please know how much your prayers, love and support mean to us, it helps sustain us through this painful journey.
Abby has come to love Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." She asks the family to read it to her aloud often and especially when she feels weak, upset, and frustrated.
Last night she was sedated so she got a much needed uninterrupted rest as did Dan and Reta, who have remained at the hospital at Abby's side. Her progress is slow but it is progress, and we are encouraged by that.

Providing Meals

If you would like to bless the Marsh family with a meal while they are in the hospital, please use the link below.

Thank you, most of all, for all the prayers!

*Don't worry if they ask you to sign up for an account first, its free and only takes a minute and they never send out junk emails.


http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=fae6a4e2-bb70-4821-b5a4-ffd4bd46ba9b

Days of Updates

We do apologize for the delay of updates as these initial days have been full of travail.

Thursday 5/24 -

Abby is resting today. Had a bit of a rough night, breathing/phlegm  issues that seem to be corrected today.  The post operative recovery continues and physical therapy has started. Abby can move her arms but the fingers aren't cooperating (yet, by faith). Legs  - Abby knows when someone is moving them.

 Please continue to pray for the Marsh's who are camped at the hospital.

 We serve an awesome God.

Friday 5/25 -

Focus is on recovery from surgery. She has been in significant pain and discomfort from all the stress to her system (accident, surgery, hospital regiment etc). Progress is slower than we all would like. We continue to trust God for her recovery.

Psalm 18: 1-2 is our prayer.

We are thriving on and feeling your prayers. Thank you!

Saturday 5/26 - 

The team at children's is working diligently to get Abby out of ICU and on to rehab. Her left lung isn't  cooperating and breathing/respiratory problems are impeding rehab progression. The nurses have been propping her up on her left side in order to help drain the phlegm from her system. 

In the evening the breathing problems became severe as her oxygen level dropped to 40%. A team of doctors and nurses was quickly assembled to tackle the issue and keep Abby stable. A Bronchoscopy was performed to remove the phlegm from her system, which was described by the doctor as "glue". They told us that there was no way she could have gotten that out on her own. After the procedure doctors also noticed an air pocket that had formed around her left lung causing it to collapse. This was keeping her lung from being able to fully expand. After the Bronchoscopy a tube thoracostomy was performed to release this pressure. 

Continue prayer for strength for Abby and our family.

We are trusting in our mighty God.

Sunday 5/27 -

Abby has had restful day. Because she was having difficulty with breathing/phlegm issues the Children's team put her on a respirator that is down her throat. There is a separate tube that is used for suctioning the remaining gunk from her lungs that are working around the clock.

Abby has been tough and the medical staff feel the uninterrupted supply of oxygen will improve her recovery.

Please pray for strength.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,

Psalm 126:5-6

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

The start of something new

Please excuse the inaccuracies of the previous initial post as it was not started by the Marsh family and available information was scarce to the initial blogger. To further clarify we have updated this post.


Abigail Grace Marsh was in a life changing automobile accident on the morning of May 22nd 2012. She was in a truck with three of her closest friends and was the only one who sustained serious injuries. Abby broke her 5th cervical vertebrae (C5) which pinched her spinal cord against her 6th vertebrae resulting in spinal shock causing loss of control from her armpits down. When the ambulance arrived, she was transported to Cincinnati Children's hospital.

The next morning Abby went into surgery that would last for nearly 11 hours. The surgeons went to work removing the disc, between the vertebrae, removed that was putting the pressure on her spinal cord. The surgeons continued and performed an amazing bone fusion which fused her C4, C5, and C6 vertebrae together, using titanium rods and plates to keep them in situ. Within this fusion, bone from a cadaver was placed between the vertebrae which will aid in Abby's healing process. The doctors say that the bone graft will heal within six to nine months. The surgery went as planned and the doctors said it would be weeks before the spinal shock would reduce and things would begin to recover.
Just hours after her surgery, being the amazing fighter she is, Abby was caught moving her arm trying rubbing her eyes to "wipe out her eye boogies" as best as she could. And continued to give her father (Dan) "nucks", by bumping their hands together. A few hours later a physical therapist came to do exercises by moving her legs into different positions, and she could some what accurately identify the locations of her limbs. She now has some sensation in her legs, which is HUGE considering her injury. 

Amazingly enough, Abby is being her normal silly self cracking jokes to her nurses and friends. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her and wants to thank everyone for the prayers. There is no such thing as too much prayer. Please continue to pray for Abby, her family and everyone else involved. The Lord is good. 

Please subscribe to the blog to stay updated on Abby's condition and on any fundraisers or news! Please use this blog to post prayers and letters to Abby and her family to read. They will keep updated on the blog and look forward to reading all the prayers and support letters! Keep praying! John 5:8 - Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”