Margaret Richey here.  Thought another update on our family was in order, so here goes.

Our daughter, Suzanne, who is going to be 20 in a few months, continues to amaze people with her courage and her will to overcome.  She had an aneurysm of the brain nearly two years ago and is now walking (with two crutches and braces on her legs), and is talking again when doctors said she never would.

It's been nothing short of a miracle!

Jim and I are, as you can imagine, estatic.  We both remember when she lay in the Pediatric Intensive Care unit, fighting for life; now the old Suzanne we knew and loved is coming back in stages.  We see glimpses of what used to be, and it's enough to give us a sense of hope.

Michael and Tyler, her brothers, are her greatest cheerleaders, her greatest advocates.  They would do anything to make their older sister like she used to be; however, they know that it is a day-to-day thing with her.  They are very patient with her; Jim and I couldn't be more proud of our boys than we are right now!

The fact that Suzanne is walking (and talking) again is probably the greatest Christmas gift we could have ever hoped (or asked) for!

I am about three-fourths done with the book I am writing about our daughter's struggle.  It is tentatively entitled "Suzanne's Miracle:  The Long Journey Back"; we hope to have it out sometime next year.  It's been a love affair, full of tears, and full of hope, as I recount the moments that led to Suzanne's aneurysm, her time spent in the hospital, and up to the present time.  It's been a long, arduous process, but with the Lord's help, I'll get this book completed!

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We plan to take our family out for Thanksgiving lunch after we watch the parade, and as for Christmas, we are going to go to my mother's house in nearby Madisonville.  She will be so thrilled to see the progress Suzanne's made in her recovery; she hasn't seen her in six months!

I am going to go; have to go to the store.  I will write in here again soon with another update.  Until then, this is Margaret Richey saying so long and may God bless you as much as He's been blessing us as late!

~With warmest regards~

Your friend, Margaret.  :)