For those that are not aware, Jake will be undergoing a surgery on Thursday, May 31st to correct severe curvature of his spine. He has had scoliosis for about four years and his spine is now 60% out of curve. It is starting to twist. If it is not corrected it could have very negative impacts on his internal organs and is creating pain for him. The surgery involves the insertion of two rods on each side of his spine. They initially stretch his body to try to return the spine to as straight of a position as possible and then they insert the rods and bolt the rods into his spine. The good news is it will permanently correct almost all of the curvature. The surgery is expected to take between six and eight hours. Jake will be in intensive care on a ventilator for the first few days following the surgery and is expected to be in the hospital for up to 10 days. The surgery is being performed at Gillette children’s hospital in St. Paul. It is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM on Thursday. The hospital has significant experience doing this type of surgery. Of course, they anticipate no real problems but it is a very serious surgery and we have been preparing for months by visiting a number of doctors to ensure his body can handle the stress. We are most worried about his lungs. He has been in the hospital twice for respiratory problems and they are going to monitor this very closely. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and thoughts and we will keep you updated with progress reports throughout the week.
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