January 5th, 2026

Ruth stayed pretty much the same today! She got more platelets transfused—platelets are what clot blood, and they have been consistently disappearing over the past week or so. This is likely because her inflamed intestine is using them up in an attempt to control the internal bleeding. Today she had an Xray and a chest ultrasound. We’re still waiting to hear back on the reports from these. We’re praying that her heart valve is closing well and that her stomach isn’t showing any further signs of worsening. Pray that it gets better! Based on her appearance/behavior today, I think she’s struggling a tad bit more fighting off something or other (recovery from inflamed gut/ibuprofen stint maybe). But for all that she’s still decently lively and active.

Thank you for your prayers!