Eliana Update — August 24, 2026

Eliana continues her fight in the ICU.

There isn’t a lot new to report today.

Sleep / sedation withdrawal:

Status: Last night was pretty rough. Eliana barely slept. As her sedation continues to wean, she is experiencing what appears to be withdrawal: itching, repetitive movements, nausea, and fever. She is also experiencing pain from her pancreatitis that seems to refer up through her left shoulder. She still has a tremendous amount of mucus, remains very raspy, and is coughing continuously. Between all of it, there just wasn’t much rest.

Prayer: Now that we have a better sense of what is happening, pray that we can stay ahead of these symptoms, that the withdrawal is short and manageable, that her pain is controlled, and, most importantly, that she can finally get some deep, restorative sleep. Pray also that the mucus continues to resolve, the coughing subsides, her airway continues to clear, and her lungs continue to heal.

Fever / infection:

Status: Because of the fever, they started another antibiotic. We are hoping the fever is simply part of the withdrawal process and not evidence of a new infection.

Prayer: No new infection. Please pray that the fever resolves and that the antibiotic ultimately proves unnecessary.

Respiratory:

Status: Take a look at the picture of that beautiful little girl. That small mask is the non-invasive respiratory support she continues to use. The next goal is to get rid of it and transition her to a nasal cannula — the two little prongs that sit in her nose and provide supplemental oxygen.

Prayer: Continued respiratory progression. Pray that her lungs and airway keep getting stronger and that she can comfortably transition to the nasal cannula and continue moving toward complete respiratory independence.

Kidneys / dialysis:

Status: This is probably the biggest thing happening today.

Eliana remains in acute kidney failure and dependent on continuous dialysis. Today, however, they are planning to take her off continuous dialysis for approximately four hours. This is not a transition to intermittent dialysis. They are simply giving her a short window off the machine, providing a treatment intended to see whether her kidneys can produce urine, and observing how her body responds.

Our expectations are intentionally low. This is information gathering, not a declaration that her kidneys are recovering.

Prayer: Pray that she tolerates those four hours well, and then pray boldly for what we have been praying for all along: that God will humiliate us for our low expectations.

Pancreatitis / pain:

Status: The pancreatitis remains painful, particularly in her abdomen, with what appears to be referred pain into her left shoulder.

Prayer: Less inflammation. Less abdominal pain. Less referred pain. Complete healing of her pancreas.

Blood pressure:

Status: Her blood pressure continues to need support and stabilization.

Prayer: Pray for increasing stability and for her body to continue taking blood-pressure regulation back.

PT / neurological recovery:

Status: We are hoping for another good PT session today and continued opportunities for Eliana to show us more of what she can do.

Prayer: More movement. More responsiveness. More strength. More cognition. More Eliana.

Thank you for continuing to pray for and be mindful of Eliana. Each of you has so many obligations, responsibilities, and people requiring your time and attention, and yet you continue to make room for our little girl. We are so thankful.