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I can't believe a whole month has passed since my last post.  We have had many ups and downs in the last month.    Ricci has had many ups and downs in the last month.   She makes, what we feel, are small steps in the right direction.   And then we are reminded of just how fragile her condition is, how hard her body has to work to recover.   But we are also reminded of how strong our girl is.  And she continues to fight.  And every step of the way, we are there to encourage her, to remind her of what she is fighting for, willing her with all we have to come back to her children, to her husband, to us.

On the days that we begin to feel down or emotional, we simply take one look at the beautiful faces of Ricci's three babies and our spirits are buoyed.  They are our joy!  They are Ricci!

There are days when the strain of the last 9 weeks takes its toll on one of us, but it is those days that your prayers, your support, your love, lift us up and help us to continue.   .  I know that I personally, receive on a daily basis  messages of encouragement...a text, a post to my facebook wall, a phone call, a card in the mail.  There have been many a day when a simple " <3 " moves me to tears.   So many continue to keep Ricci and her family and all of our family in your prayers and for that we are truly grateful.

We love you Ricci and we are all here, at your side, waiting for you!

We continue to wait and hope and pray that our beautiful Ricci wakes up.  Tomorrow marks 5 long weeks. Five agonizing weeks that we have not been able to see her beautiful eyes or hear her voice crack her sarcastic comments.  We miss the photos and videos that she texted to us on a daily basis.   Instead, we record all the moments she is missing so that we can share them with her later.  We pray for the day she will open her eyes and say something that is oh so totally Ricci and once again text us pictures and videos of her beautiful babies.  All we can do is pray, and so we do.

Our continued gratitude to all of you for your never-ending support and generosity.  To see a community continue to come together in faith and prayer Thursdays nights is truly inspiring. To have the support of so many through the various fundraisers is heartwarming.  Through your goodness, our belief in God grows stronger.

Please know that our love and prayers are with all of you all as well.

BE OUR MIRACLE, RICCI MARIE, BE OUR MIRACLE!

During the last 3 weeks, I have had the privilege of experiencing a true love story.   I have watched the love of a little sister for her big sister.   I have watched Ali love Ricci with all her heart.  On the surface, Ricci and Ali don't appear to be much alike.   Ricci, the tough, big sister that loves the limelight & Ali, the  more quiet, shy, little sister.   But I have learned to not underestimate that little Ali girl!  The past 3 weeks she has proven to be one of Ricci's fiercest warriors.   She has been by Ricci's side every night, all night.   She is tough and she has refused to take no for an answer.   She has proven to be more like Ricci than I ever knew.   Today I share with you Ali's words:

I could say thank you a million times and it will never be enough. To see prayer chains go from  being local, to national and then to international is absolutely amazing. I can't express enough how thankful my family is to have such an amazing vast of people who are there for us daily. I just want to thank every last one of all those who attend the vigils and to the ones who cannot attend and pray for her at the same time, no matter where they may be. I know many expect me to speak or say a prayer aloud and I want to apologize that I haven't. It's just been difficult for me to even begin to form words as we all gather in prayer. Eventually my strength will build up but as of now I'm just taking in the healing energy and prayers and bringing it back to Ricci when I return to her every night. My sister is so genuinely loved it is unbelievable. And for those who never got the chance to know her have began to love her just as well. If only Ricci could see the people in the world who are gathering by the hundreds to pray consistently. But I do know she feels the love and support from each and every one of you. She has been fighting so very hard, and it is all of you who continue to give her strength to fight another day. For those of you that know Ricci will know that she is a strong woman and a fighter and would never be caught giving up on a battle. She is not done with life and she will continue to fight as we continue to meet weekly as a group and pray daily as independents. A special thanks to those who are constantly finding ways to help. Donations, whether small or large, are ever so much appreciated. We are grateful that all of you have found it in your hearts to believe in Ricci. We are also grateful that you all have given a little from both your pockets and your hearts. Thanks to many of you, Deegan is set for quite some time on diapers, wipes, formula, etc. as you have seen the first shipment picture I have posted. We know he thanks you as well. The girls are being well taken care of by her immediate and extended family as well as friends of Mike and Ricci. We do our best to keep them cheerful and we thank you for making that possible by your help and donations. I'm so thankful that it brings me to tears to see so many people encircle in prayer at Holy Trinity; to hear prayers are being sent from complete strangers from all over the world. Her dream of being "famous" is here, however she continues to sleep. I know she will wake in her own time. So we will continue to make use of that time and pray like we've never prayed before to guide her back. To give her a full and speedy recovery is the hope. A Miracle from God is what we pray for each and everyday. My family and I are holding on tight to our faith and we know that all of you are holding on as well. During this hard and unbearable time, we thank all of you for reaching out and giving much more then you are receiving and that alone is something special that we hold close to our hearts.A million thank you(s) to all of you.We know Ricci thanks you, too.God Bless You All

So we continue to wait...and to pray....with hope... with faith....and most of all,  with love!

For those that are able to join us, we continue to meet in prayer on the steps of Holy Trinity Church in San Pedro on Thursday nights at 8pm.   All are welcome to bring a candle and join us.   If you cannot be there in person, please say a prayer for Ricci where ever you may be.