Maggie News

Many of you already know our news via Facebook (the easiest way to let lots of folks know things all at once), but Maggie gave us a scare this weekend. Here's a quick recap for those who need one. Maggie had what appeared to be a rash on her foot that spread rapidly up her leg on Friday afternoon. Our journey for treatment began at urgent care, who sent us to the ER, who admitted us to Baptist Hospital in Oxford for the night, who then transferred us to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis by ambulance on Saturday morning.

There was some worry that the infection might be in the joints or the bone, especially since it continued to spread even after a night of IV antibiotics in Oxford. This is not the case, as we found out after her MRI on Sunday afternoon. The wait for the MRI was both anxiety-filled and comforting. Since she wasn't rushed to get it, there was some level of assurance that the first exam by specialists did not immediately call for a stat scan in anticipation of surgery (a real fear when we were in the ambulance on Saturday). But as the test was continually pushed back because other traumas were coming to the hospital, our imaginations multiplied our worries. This morning doctors confirmed that the infection is limited to her soft tissue, and so we'll stay at the hospital in Memphis for a few more days to receive IV antibiotics before being sent home with a plan for oral antibiotics.

We're sharing happy photos above. The first photo is how the rash appeared when we went to the hospital. I've cropped other photos to spare you the gruesome images of how it looks now, though they assure us her blood tests show continued improvement even though it doesn't appear that way from the outside.

We appreciate all of the texts, Facebook messages, offers of help, and prayers you've sent our way. We're especially grateful to the team who helped watch the other 3 Mitchells while Ned and I tended to Maggie: our Hill neighbors, led by Mamsie; Grandaddy and Nana, who took over from Mamsie while they were in Oxford for the game; and now Big Daddy and Gram, who dropped everything and drove from Georgia on Saturday morning for an indefinite stay in Oxford. It's taking a village, and we have a great one. MA and Jimmy are both in Texas, or we know they'd have been in Oxford from the start.