52 Days Later

I know this is a few days overdue but thank you for your patience. Dad is out of ICU! We are starting over. Thanks to the Lord we get to start again. Each day he is taking small steps to getting stronger. He is slowly getting back to a full diet and has started physical therapy. This Friday they are thinking about moving him to the VA hospital in Kansas City. The surgeons at Leavenworth have said they will not do any surgery to determine what this is going on in his abdomen. From this point on anything we do will need to be weighed with whether it will do more harm then good.

Dad and I had a good conversation today. We talked about his desires if he needs to be resuscitated, intubated and surgery. He knows he could have a couple good years or he could pass tomorrow. He is at peace with death and he feels he has had a good life. If he gets several good years he is looking forward to it but if God takes him home tomorrow he is happy with that too.

He asked me today if the doctors have confided in me what they think might finally do him in. Keeping in mind they really don’t know because look how far God has brought him. He has made it out of ICU twice in the past seven weeks when they didn’t think he would. The doctors have said that infection might be what takes his life. They don’t really know but because his immune system is extremely compromised, infection is a constant threat.

Keep praying but most of all let’s just praise God. He has answered so many prayers and has given us many wonderful days, precious conversations and a deeper faith in our Lord. I had the opportunity the other day to witness to my dad’s best friend Jerry. Jerry was concerned with my dad’s soul and told me that years ago he and dad talked about baptism. Jerry said my dad has never been baptized and asked if there was a chaplain at the hospital. I explained what baptism was and that we are not saved by our works but only by trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior! He thanked me for explaining it to him and said no one has ever explained baptism to him like that. Please pray for his salvation.

I do have one more extra special prayer request. Please pray that God will make a way for my 92 year old grandmother to see my dad. My dad hasn’t seen her in years and I know it would be so precious to him to have an opportunity to visit with her. Without getting into too much family nonsense, my uncle has claimed guardianship over my grandmother. There is a custody battle over my grandmother and I’m praying that she will be freed from my uncle and will get to live the rest of her life in peace. I’m trying to stay out of this situation because I have good reason to believe my safety would be an issue if I come in contact with my uncle. Please pray for a miracle that my grandmother will be reunited with my dad and the rest of the family.

Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you for your support. Thanks be to God for His goodness and love!!

Stacey

Little Change but God is Good

I can't express how much I appreciate all of your prayers. Thank you.

There is very little change at this time. They have reduced his oxygen from 100% to 80% which means his body needs a little less and is utilizing it better. At this time they are treating him for pneumonia. They are doing their best to keep him comfortable and the only thing that seems to do that is morphine.

Since he has no spleen and has cirrhosis of the liver his immune system is highly compromised. The slightest infection or bug will cause him to be extremely ill. He has been a heavy smoker for the past 43 years and I can only imagine what this has done to his lungs. He has pneumonia in both lungs and the delicate process of breathing is challenged. The process that takes in oxygen and releases carbon dioxide is not working very effectively. He needs high oxygen levels to over saturate his lungs in order to maintain enough oxygen. When you don't get enough oxygen your entire body craves it. Every cell relies on oxygen in order to survive.

There is still the concern with this fluid in his abdomen. It is infected, accumulating rapidly and is in random spots throughout his abdomen. They are able to tap his belly for samples of the liquid but not for volume. Since they don't know exactly what it is or where it is coming from they don't know how dangerous or serious it is. What we do know is that it isn't suppose to be there. They have taken a culture on it and tested it in the labs and it grows. I'm not exactly sure that this means other then it isn't good. I'm hoping to learn more in the morning when I meet with the doctors.

He is very lethargic and can no longer speak. He is so terribly weak. As of Saturday he'd get frustrated because I couldn't understand what he needed or wanted. Today he was just so weak he didn't even try. He is tired of having the oxygen mask on. Every time he wakes up slightly he pulls it off. It hurts so much to see his suffering and I would rather bear it myself.

Saturday I was having a lovely pity party for myself. There is another gentleman in the ICU. He has been intubated and unresponsive for days. The waiting room was full of people visiting this man all day. His name is Bernadette Bonds and his wife's name is Gail. They were all taking turns that day sitting with Mr. Bonds. Two at a time for about 20 - 30 minutes each. All I could think about was how nice it would have been to have someone else sitting with me or relieving me of my post for just a short time. The Holy Spirit decided to crash my party for one. What if Mr. Bonds doesn't have Christ? We could have an entire army of people there with us but if we don't have Christ we have nothing. A peace fell over me and I realized that He was all I needed, and He was all I wanted. I began to pray for the Bonds family and I hope I get the opportunity to witness to them. Please pray for that opportunity and that I'll have the courage.

Today's service was about the body of Christ and supporting one another. I whole-heartedly agree that we need to depend and support each other. But when the time comes and you feel alone remember that you aren't alone. Jesus is always there and He has given us a Helper and Comforter.

Thank you for praying for Dad. I hate to see him suffering and I hate even more not being able to do anything more about it. Prayer is probably the most powerful tool we have, so why do I sometimes feel it isn’t enough? Maybe it isn't that I feel it isn't enough but just that I want to feel as if I've done more.

Many of you have expressed concern for me in regards of overdoing it or the stress of it all. I appreciate the concern and keep praying! All I can say is God is good and He equips us for what He has called us to do. He gives me strength and sustains me. I have good days, bad days, good moments, bad moments but overall, in some ways, I am better then ever if you can believe that.

Stacey