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12:00 noon: Tuesday June 30, 2020: Fighting with Mighty Max He’s out of surgery! He looks amazing! This surgeon did an incredible job! He moved the shunt to the other side of Max’s head so the right side can actually heal where the last doctor operated. Max managed to pull his bandage off and I got a good look at the incision and it looks awesome! Nothing like the other one on top of his head 😒 (im not happy with what that “doctor” at the other hospital did to my baby) They gave him meds for pain (something the other hospital did not do for him) so he’s resting comfortably. Once again, thank you all for your prayers and kind words! You guys are awesome!

Please Keep Praying

The effective prayer of a

righteous man can accomplish

much -  -James 5:16

June 16, 2020: 8:00pm - Please pray for our Max. He was airlifted to Orlando last night for his 4th brain surgery in the last 2 months the neurosurgeon just couldn’t get it right and we are sick of seeing our baby going through this torture every 2 weeks so we fought to have him transferred to a children’s only hospital. 

He developed an infection in the shunt itself so He had his first surgery today where they removed the shunt and made a drain for the fluid on his brain to drain outside of his body until the infection is completely cleared up. Then, they will put a whole new shunt with new tubing in. We’re praying this is it. This is the last time our baby boy has to endure this. The hospital we had him transferred to is the best of the best and so far we are very happy with them and what they’ve done but the neurosurgeon said we’re looking at at least a 2 week stay. It’s 2 hours away from us and we do have the other 3 boys so please pray for strength and wisdom for Jeremy and I through this journey and for wisdom for all the doctors and nurses that are working on our sweet Mighty Max     - Samantha Hopping.
🏻💪🏼

February 10, 2020: Samantha Hopping (mom) writes: is back to his sweet happy little self. He and his brother are home where they belong and we are so blessed for that! Carter got so sick, he was so tiny he couldn’t handle it. He stopped breathing in my arms. He was blue. Thank God I was able to stay calm and God gave me the wisdom to give him cpr and oxygen and get him breathing again. It was an eventful month for us with the two of them being as sick as they were. Thank you for prayers!

It is with great joy and happiness that I post this to wish Mighty Max John Hopping happy first birthday!!!!!! One year ago you came early (22 weeks) and we watched you grow stronger and overcome all the obstacles placed before you! Everyone was praying for you! You are such a sweet boy and I know God has big plans for your life! I love you Max and I can’t wait to celebrate with you later!  (Samantha Hopping, Max's mom)🎉

2-3-2020: Cathy Horling writes: Hi – I just received this note from Tilly Ann:  Good Morning Cathy.  I saw Mighty Max yesterday at the hospital.  He looks so good!  Lord willing he will be home tomorrow.  He is such a miracle and all smiles.  It was so good to see him.

1/23/2020 Update: 11:49pm: Jeremy Hopping (dad) writes: How they been fighting they're doing better though thanks for asking all is well at the moment .. we're not sure yet about how long Carter's going to be (in the hospital) it's all because of the flu that's going around it actually turned into pneumonia Max had the flu and RSV it's two separate viruses that can be deadly when it comes to infants and toddlers Carter just had the flu.. it's been very stressful

1/20/2020 Update: 8:28pm:  Please continue to pray for Mighty Max and Carter. They are improving slowly but today Max had an episode that the doctors believe was a seizure and he is in the ICU. Please pray that the doctors have the wisdom to know  what it was and how to treat it, and for complete healing for these babies.

1/15/2020    Pray for Mighty Max: Would you please pray for Mighty Max and his baby brother Carter (who was just born on Christmas)? They are both in the ICU with Respiratory Syncytial Infection, which can be serious in babies. (Cathy Horling)

Keep praying for 'Mighty Max

Update: 8/5/19: Mighty Max is doing well, PTL! He is going back to the hospital this week for further testing of his lungs and eyes. Please pray that he gets good reports. Please also pray that he will have the reservoir removed from his head. 

Update! 6/18/19 - Mighty Max is doing great! He is breathing on his own with just a small amount of oxygen now and hopefully will be bottle feeding soon. Then he can go home! All the glory goes to God for the miracles He is working in Mighty Max's life! Please keep the prayers going, for him. Cathy Horling

FYI: https://abcnews.go.com/US/miracle-baby-born-weighing-pound-heads-home-months/story?id=58704185

Click above for full story

Monday April 15, 2019: Cathy Horling writes: Mighty Max needs our prayers. He is not able to breathe on his own and the doctors think it is because he has an open heart valve that needs to be closed. Great-grandma Tilly adds:  Mighty Max’s surgery for his heart valve will be on Thursday @6:30 am. He’s up to 2lbs 12oz!!!!  

Tuesday, April 09, 2019 

1:22 PM

Great-grandma Tilly reports: 'He’s out of surgery and did great!'

 

4/3/19: 4:42pm: Would you please pray for Mighty Max? An ultrasound of his brain revealed severe swelling and fluid and the doctors want to do surgery right away. Max's mom is asking everyone to pray for a miracle, that the swelling would go down and all fluid is released so no surgery is needed!    (Cathy Horling)

His mom, Samantha writes on March 21, 2019: He’s doing awesome! They did a trial run and took him of the ventilator and put him on the Cpap and he did great on it for 5 days until he got a little too tired from doing all that breathing on his own and they put him back on the ventilator but that’s ok he did great! They didn’t expect him to make it 1 hour on the cpap. 

He’s gaining weight. Last weigh in he was 1lb 7.2 oz. the Lord has completely healed his intestine and the incision where the drain was is totally closed up and healed. You’d never know it was even there! He is on 15mls of breast milk every 3 hours. 

They’re keeping an eye on the bleeding on his brain. The last scan showed no increase of blood so that’s a very good thing! The doctor said “he just keeps surprising us and proving us wrong” he is so active and alert ! When we talk to him he looks us right in the eye he is incredible!

3-1-19  UPDATE!  7:44pm: Max's mom, Samantha, writes: 'God is so faithful! Thank you so so much for putting Mighty Max on your prayer requests Blog! I know it's all about those prayers and God has gotten us this far! He is still doing great! He is off the oscillation ventilator and he's on the standard ventilator. The oscillation one is for critical babies so we are beyond excited that he is no longer on that one. He is getting 1.5 mls of breast milk now and tolerating it very well -  another prayer answered!' Please continue to pray for Samantha and Jeremy Hopping, the parents of this precious newborn.

2-19-19: 5:30pm: Keep the prayers going for Mighty Max. He continues to defy the doctors (thank you Jesus!) and still needs more prayers and miracles. Cathy Horling.

2/15/19 5:51pm: '..Keep the prayers going for baby Max, he is doing well! PTL and thank you Jesus! Cathy Horling

2/12/19: 5:34pmGlory to God! Thank you Lord and thanks to all of you for praying for "Mighty Max" as he is nicknamed - he is eating and his jaundice is gone! Please continue to pray.. for this precious baby - we can already see God's hand upon him!  Blessings to all, Cathy Horling

2/09/19: 10:12pm: Hi everyone, Please pray for baby Max John, who was born prematurely (at about 22 weeks) and is in critical condition. He is the great grandson of Pastors Sam and Tilly Giresi. He only weighed 1lb, 1 oz and now needs a blood transfusion. We know that with God all things are possible. Please petition Him to strengthen this precious baby and cause him to develop normally, for His glory. Amen!. Thanks so much, and blessings to all, Cathy

2/09/19: 9:14am: Please pray they named baby Max (strength) John.  Right now he’s in critical condition about to do a blood transfusion thank you, Tilly Giresi (grandma)

The background on baby Max

Max has endured much in his young life. Max is the great grandson of Sam and Tilly Giresi (who , along with her husband Sam, helped in the founding of the Gateway ministry -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKGk5BuZWK0.  Their church (House of Mercy Mission)  is in Newark.

Gateway reached out to Dr. Jose (Pepe) Arruntagui, a dear friend of the ministry. Dr. Arruntegui suggested the parents offer the hospital a written waiver of personal responsibility and also request use of glucocorticoids in the 22nd week for the babies lungs. Usually a preborn is not administered glucocorticoids until the 23-week. Without this vital information and intervention, the baby may have died.

The hospital accepted the suggested information and baby Max was born on February 8th. and, according to Tilly,   "took well to the breathing machine & is now in NIC unit @ Morristown" .

Now Max needs our prayers even more.

Pray also for Samantha and Jeremy Hopping, the parents of this precious newborn,

Cathy Horling writes this:  Hi everyone, Please pray for baby Max John, who was born prematurely (at about 22 weeks) and is in critical condition. He is the great grandson of Pastors Sam and Tilly Giresi. He only weighed 1lb, 1 oz and now needs a blood transfusion. We know that with God all things are possible. Please petition Him to strengthen this precious baby and cause him to develop normally, for His glory. Amen! Thanks so much, and blessings to all, Cathy