hey everyone. this blog is our best attempt to keep all of you, dear friends and family, updated on the life of Geoff. right now it's Maggie writing, although i'm sure that i won't be the only Hathaway child to be posting comments here throughout the next few weeks. i just want to thank you guys personally for all of the beautiful support and love you have shown our family this past week; it is honestly so overwhelming and gives us so much strength to carry on.

i'll bring you guys up to speed on some of the details of this past week. my dad was rushed to the Montevideo Hospital on Monday morning after he showed signs of having suffered a severe stroke. within the hour he was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis, MN, and rushed to ER and then the ICU. after an MRI was done, we found out that my dad had, indeed, suffered an ischemic stroke. he had what is known as a 'dissected artery', a tearing of the carotid artery that ends up clotting the brain with blood. he currently does not have control over the right (dominant) side of his body or speech.

the danger with this stroke lies in the fact that the blood in his brain can cause swelling -- an anticipated but scary reaction to a stroke. this potential swelling can prove fatal if the swelling continues to put pressure on his skull, which has no room for expansion of the brain.

the first few days after the stroke, we thought we were seeing steady improvement -- and we were! -- but yesterday morning after the latest CT scan came through, we learned that the swelling had suddenly increased, and we would be forced to do surgery -- to open up a portion of the skull to allow for the brain to expand a bit more without putting so much pressure on the inside of his brain. with the surgery completed, my father remained in critical condition -- the surgery did not FIX the problem, it only eased the intensity of the swelling.

throughout yesterday and today he has remained under sedatives and a respirator . . . the swelling remains, and the doctors have been continuing to put all of their efforts together to pull my wonderful father through this phase, the critical phase.

both Sam and Etty have flown home from their travels in New York and Europe, and are here supporting my dear father and mother in this ordeal along with Clara and Rose and i. there are always at least two of us spending the night in the waiting room so that we can keep loving and watching over my father, and we are all here during the day. we have had incredible support from family and friends, who have helped us through each day. but of course, our greatest source of STRENGTH comes from our Lord, and we rest in His arms and TRUST in His faithfulness and goodness. our prayers remain full of FAITH and HOPE, and we PRAY often.

we hope to keep you updated frequently so that you, too, might be able to walk with us on this journey of faith and prayer. i could write for hours about my father and what a wonderful, faithful, passionate man he is, but i know that your hearts already abound with love and respect for him . . . as many have told us, if there is anyone who can pull through something like this, it is my dad -- a man of great courage, discipline, and determination. and we BELIEVE it.

"One thing God has spoken, and two things I have heard; that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving."
-- Psalm 62:11-12