Update

     First of all, let me start off by saying how humbled we have been by the outpouring of prayer and well wishes we have received over these last hours for our little Hazelnut.  God is making it so evident that He is present and that we have so many people behind us, and it truly lifts our spirits.  Since I am sure most of you want to know how we got to the ICU, let me clarify a few things:

• She has been fighting this BK virus in her bladder, which has been causing the bloody urine and clots in her bladder.  It has been unbearably painful for her since Sunday, and she has been unable to pass the clots on her own.  So yesterday, the urology team decided to take her to the OR for a procedure (not surgery), where they put a camera through her urethra and a tube to help remove the clots that have been causing all of the problems.  She was in for two hours and the clots were so large, they were unable to remove them, but they did get some smaller ones out.  So they tried their best to break in up in the hopes that over the next days she would (painfully) pass them on her own.  Unfortunately since the procedure she did not urinate at all, so they have had to insert a catheter to help flush things out.  This has only been slightly successful, so they are now going to do an ultrasound on her kidneys to make sure they are not damaged.
• Unrelated to the bladder complications is the VOD.  The VOD has been causing such extreme fluid retention that it is causing problems with her liver.  It makes her very uncomfortable and can be life threatening if we are not vigilant and extremely proactive.  That is when the decision was made to move her to the ICU (not because of the procedure with her bladder; although this is still an unfortunate complication we have to deal with).  
• The ICU is providing several things for her care.  The first, and most important, is she is hooked up to a machine called CVVH (Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration).  It works by inserting a line in her neck that has two tubes coming out.  Fluid is flushed into her body that then grabs the excess fluid build-up and helps pull it out through her blood since her body has been unable to do it on her own.  The blood gets filtered and warmed and is then put back into her body.  Removing the fluid is critical to reverse the effects of VOD.  And the VOD is not a permanent problem (praise God), and can be reversed, but it is presently very serious.  The doctors said that although it is serious, they have it under very tight control and are ahead of it.  They are very good at treating this, and have seen much worse cases than Hazel's.  That makes me feel relieved, but in now way does it make anything easier.
• The fluid build up has also moved to her lungs and has made it very difficult for her to breathe well on her own.  Her body has worked so hard just to breathe, and she needs to rest in order to heal, so they have decided to put in a breathing tube.  Even though it is very hard to see her with it in, it has allowed her to finally be comfortable.  It is the very first time I have seen her pain free in several weeks.  I would not trade that for anything.

     We do not know how long exactly that we will be in the ICU, but this time here is so important.  The doctors, nurses and specialist have to remain very vigilant so nothing get's out of hand.  But we know she is in the right place and will get the care that she needs.  And ultimately, we know that our mighty God has her in the palm of His hand and is the one who is in control of the entire thing.  Please pray for our whole family as we navigate through these next days, and pray for complete restoration!  Here is a picture of Hazel and her army of machines fighting for her: