Monthly Archive

Woo Hoo! Things are really moving fast now! Lea felt better this morning. Her nausea wasn’t as pronounced as yesterday, and she was in much better spirits.

She had a little food for breakfast: maybe a tablespoon total of Cream of Wheat and oatmeal with milk and cranberry juice. Her nurse, Jamie, gave her some medications by mouth this morning! She didn’t want to take all of them by mouth for fear of getting nauseous again. So, some of her meds were given through the feeding tube.

 Although she felt a little anxious about getting sick after eating and taking the medications, she actually did quite well. Dr. Mah had said earlier that she would have a couple of rough days when she started eating again, and, once again, he seems to have been correct. She did quite well, today, and was feeling good after noon.

Her friends from Indiana left to fly home this morning, and she was really sad to see them go, but they got to meet Dr. Mah just before they left. But, she really had a good day, after a little bit of a tenuous start. PCA Domenica and nurse Sarah gave her a bath just before her 11:30 physical therapy session, and then she got her tracheostomy changed!

Rather than downsizing to a smaller plastic version, which allows use of the ventilator in an emergency, she got a much smaller metal tracheostomy with a plug! Her voice is much stronger now that she doesn’t have part of her breath escaping through the speech valve, and she is doing so well that she is no longer on oxygen. She can breathe more easily now, and appears to be doing much better overall since the change.

This evening she felt good enough to get in a cardiac recliner, and, as a surprise, her nurses, Jamie and Sarah and I whisked her off to the family lounge at the east end of the floor, where we had her food tray waiting on a table set by the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the downtown area.

We turned off the lights so she could better see the city lit at night, and while the medical team left to do other things, I spoon-fed her a romantic dinner of hot chicken broth and cool, red Jello. (She chose not to have any of the chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, or green beans). Cheap date, huh?

Over one hundred days in the hospital! It has been a long journey, hasn’t it; full of twists and turns, tremendously soul shaking emotional highs and lows? As we are blessed with the opportunity to look back on this experience, we recall the many sleepless nights sitting by her bedside listening to a machine breathe for her, or tossing and turning in a nearby motel style bedroom too far from her to rest comfortably, knowing that no one is there to lay a loving hand on her brow if she stirs uneasily or begins to frown at some imagined concern.

Ten weeks of a drug induced coma allowed her body to focus its energy on healing; 30 surgeries to gain control over a devastating disease that had threatened to take her life day after day, downturn by downturn. The horribly excruciating hours of endless waiting outside the Intensive Care Unit while some mysterious “procedure” was being conducted in her room were nerve wracking. 

But, as I look back on where we were, and how far we have come, I am again, humbled by the outpouring of support you have given us, and the mercy God has graciously given us through miracle after miracle. I remember, so clearly, all the tears shed for her mourning that we might lose this wonderful example of God’s love and how He works in our lives. 

Praise God for His mercy whenever you tell this story. Proclaim the power of prayer, and how we have seen miracle after miracle worked in answer to our prayers. Glorify God for guiding the hands of the surgeons, and the guiding day-to-day decisions made by the medical team to bring miraculous healing to fruition.

Praise God for putting such loving caregivers at Lea’s bedside to help her through this horrible ordeal. Sing His praises, for He is a loving and benevolent Father who loves His children, and is constantly at work in their lives.

The day dawned drizzly and cool. The wind whipped red and yellow leaves high into the air and let them fall again to the damp pavement. It all sounded quite romantic, but I went from my room to the hospital via the double super secret underground tunnel. It was dryer, and a lot warmer that walking to the hospital out of doors!

Lea had a pretty rough night, and a rough day today. Her stomach was giving her fits early this morning, and it continued all through the day today. The nurses kept giving her small doses of medication to relieve her indigestion and anxiety, but mostly to no avail. Her blood pressure hit new highs up over 200+ today on several occasions, and her anxiety level was fairly constant.

The mid-level, or APRN, Kelly, worked with Lea’s medications throughout the day to try to help her get comfortable, but it appeared that the root of her problem is that her stomach can’t tolerate stomach acids, and makes her nauseous. When her stomach is constantly pumped, as it has been for the past three months, she seems able to get comfortable enough to rest. But, when we try to let her digestive system go to work, she gets sick.

She didn’t eat anything again today, and was again too ill to get out of bed into the cardiac chair. Her friends from Indiana who have been here since Monday have, unfortunately, been unable to spend much time with her. There have been a few times she felt good enough to visit for a little while, but largely we have had to go away and let her rest quietly.

Since we don’t have a lot of happy news to share about progress and improvement, I think this is a good time to share one of the messages that have been such encouragement for us. There are many wonderful testimonies we have received, but there are some that bear witness to what the Lord has been able to achieve through this difficult time. I’d like to share one of those with you.

Again, I have removed only names, and sometimes locations. The context remains the same. “My husband and I are some of those people praying for Lea and for you who have never met either of you.  Here in Houston and beyond there is a large group of people praying for Lea’s healing and for comfort and strength for you.

Praise the Lord that we can join together in the community of faith in Jesus Christ over the miles and make our pleas known to God.  And He is ever faithful.  (I picked up a little card in a Christian bookstore last Monday, a Pass It On message card, which says: “Trials are not enemies of faith but are opportunities to prove God’s faithfulness.”)

We cannot tell you how much your emails and the spiritual insight found in them have meant to us.  Your faith in God, and love for your dear wife, have shown through the emails you have written, proclaiming God’s faithfulness and witnessing to His grace.  This has been a true inspiration to us and we thank you for sharing your deepest thoughts in such a trying time.

We will continue to pray that the Lord will grant that miraculous healing we are waiting for, even more miraculous than what He has done so far, after all, all things are possible for the Creator who loves us so much.”  

That is a wonderful testimony, and helps us remember to give the glory to God. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. One of my cousins sent me the following story during the time Lea was in a drug-induced coma, and I hadn’t had any kind of response from her for months. It arrived at a time when I needed a little bolstering, and it gave me a great blessing. Here’s the story:

”It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman in his 80′s, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation I asked him if he had a doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer Disease. As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him. “And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled as he patted my hand and said, “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.” I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, “That is the kind of love I want in my life.” That is the kind of love Lea and I have been blessed with, and I thank God every day for putting her in my life.

And, by the way, I thank Lea every day for the strength she finds somewhere within herself to fight the daily battles to recover from this illness. She is amazing! She is a fighter, and she will overcome these little bumps in the road, with God’s help. He has blessed us so richly!

He is leading us through these trials, and I pray for His grace in our lives in the years ahead. As much as we will miss the friendships we have made here, I pray that we will soon be LEAving Hartford!!

In Christian love,
Larry

Lea had a good night last night until about two a.m. when she awoke with a touch of nausea. She asked to have her speech valve put back in, so she could talk, and asked the respiratory therapist to suction her lungs to make sure they are clear. They were.

Then she began talking about this being the day Lance is going home, and two of her friends from back home are flying in for a couple of days. She asked for her bath to be done early, so she could be ready in plenty of time, but worked herself up into such a state that her night nurse, Steve, had to give her a sedative.

She was awake when I arrived at six o’clock, and started getting all worked up again. She told me she wanted her bath, but she wanted it done quickly to get it done in plenty of time. I explained that we had at least four hours before anyone arrived, but she again worked herself up again and had to have a sedative to help her settle down.

She then got very cold. I covered her with a blanket, and made a cap for her head from a pair of washcloths. She continued to shiver. Her day nurse, Adam, turned up the heat in her room to “Unbearable,” and put another blanket on her. I HAD to take a picture, because Lea is always hot, never cold! 

She still wasn’t feeling that well when Lance arrived, so after a fairly brief visit, he and I left for an hour or so to let her take a much needed nap. When we returned she seemed to be better, but was experiencing pain in her thigh where the skin was scraped off for the skin graft, and the vacuum pump on the stomach dressing was causing her discomfort.

Adam gave her a little medication to take the edge off without putting her back to sleep, and she and Lance were able to visit until time for him to catch his plane. He took my truck to the airport, hooked up with Lea’s friends who were arriving at about the time of his arrival, and they drove the truck back to the hospital.

Lance had a safe flight home, and got to talk to his mother by phone shortly thereafter. Lea had quite a surgical procedure this afternoon, when Dr. Mah and Dr. Ivy removed the vacuum pump from her abdominal wound and checked the skin graft. They reported that 95% of the skin is growing, which is wildly successful. The outlook is very good for the wound to be covered in healthy skin one day.

Dr. Mah also removed the drain from her abdomen! Another tube gone! The site of the drain will be closely watched for some time, as these sites often develop an infection about three weeks after the removal. Soon after, she was given a swallow test, and she was able to swallow many more items than before, and handled all but sticky foods or items with combined textures. She was able to swallow thin liquids, so the prohibition on those was lifted.

Her first request was for a tall, ice cold, glass of water. She still can’t gulp, but can sip all she wants to now. She is a pretty happy camper! This evening, at around six o’clock, Lea’s nurse Adam, Danielle and I started carrying personal effects from her ICU room to Step Down Unit #3, and shortly after that, moved her, as well! She was particularly happy with the move when she discovered a food tray waiting for her, and a bottle of her favorite cola on ice!

Adam helped the step down nurse, Julie, get Lea hooked up to the new room’s monitoring system, and Steve, her night nurse from last night, came in to see her and wish her well. By this time she was getting really tired, and asked for me to cover her up, and shut off the overhead lights.

After taping her Call Button to her gown, and getting other things arranged for her on her bed, we all took our leave and bid her a good night. We will pray this evening that God will watch over her and comfort her in the new setting, and that she will find restful sleep tonight to carry her closer to recovery tomorrow. 

There is no voice mail in the Step Down Unit, nor for the normal hospital rooms, so there will be no further updates via the phone messages. The attached photo shows Lea being set up in her new room. Nurse Julie is on the far left, Step Down Patient Care Assistant Dominica to her right, nurse Adam behind the head of her bed, and ICU Patient Care Assistant Danielle on the far right.

Glory to God for His benevolence!

Lea had a good night last night, waking up only once around two a.m. After her bath this morning she asked to have Maria brush out her hair and put it up for her. Meanwhile, I went to the cafeteria and got her some oatmeal and flavored yogurt for breakfast, served with large quantities of ice chips, since she can’t yet have thin liquids to drink.

She was able to go all night without any ventilator support or other respiratory assistance. Halleluiah! She tires out easily, and even a five-minute phone call is enough to exhaust her to the point that she needs a nap to recover her strength. She is still receiving nutrition through a tube feed and is eating only for recreational value. They call it “pleasure eating,” and isn’t really a part of the nutritional program; it is just to satisfy her desire for eating and swallowing food.

She has been off the ventilator for nearly three days now without any problems, and seems to be handling the change quite well. The next big change will be to downsize the tracheostomy. We don’t know at this stage whether she will be changed to a smaller version of the unit she now has in place, or whether she will be given the more “permanent” metal version, which can not be hooked up to the ventilator. The metal version is step one of downsizes to close up the trachea.

We are getting closer to a move to the Step Down unit. The mid-level, Brian, came in today and said the staff is trying to reserve the largest step down room, which has a little more privacy, and that it may be available tomorrow or
Tuesday. The nurse, Sue, suggested that I start packing up some of Lea’s things we will want to move to her new room. Little does she realize that we have taken lots of stuff out already; it’s just that we have so much in there it’s hard to tell! 

At 5:30 Sue came into the room and told Lea that she had just had an idea; Lea could do her own voice mail tonight! Sue dialed in, did a short intro, and then held the phone to Lea’s ear and mouth so she could leave a message. It was quite a good message, and she sounded good, though weak. You’ll have to dial in and hear her voice! We may not have voice mail once she is moved to the Step Down Unit.

Lance played games with her all day, in between naps when she had enough energy. They played Skip Bo a couple of times, and an electronic game he bought her called Hangman. We used to play it on paper, so it’s only fitting that you have to buy an electronic version nowadays. But, mostly they talked, and they have had a great time sharing memories and talking about hopes for the future. They ended the night by watching a movie together.

As we near the 100- Day mark of hospitalization, we are beginning to dare to say that we have the end of our stay here in Hartford in sight. Dr Mah is talking to our personal physician back home about various medical facilities that have the ability to provide the kind of care Lea will need upon our return. She will not be going home, but rather, transferring from one hospital to another. But, we will be closer to our friends and family, and hopefully, will be able to draw on them for assistance and support.

We have had photos of Lea hung in her room so the medical staff could get an idea of the spirit that her sleeping body held. Now that she’s awake, it’s her turn to get an idea of the wonderfully powerful pray-ers she has had supporting her. Do you have a digital photo of yourself, or your family or other support group? If you’ve had Lea in your thoughts and/or prayers during her ordeal, and haven’t already sent us a photo, please email her one so she can begin to actually see all the faces of those who have joined together to support her through prayers and good wishes. She has enjoyed those we’ve already received.

Thank you for your unending support. If you need for us to pray for you or a loved one, please let us know.

She didn’t rest well last night, but was still able to stay off the ventilator all day today. Her night nurse, Moira, told me that she had slept about two hours on the sleeping pill, two hours on a pain medication given at two, and was still sleeping on a small dose of Dilaudid given at four when I arrived at six. She opened her eyes, saw me standing beside her bed, and gave me a smile, but didn’t move otherwise. I leaned down and pressed my cheek to hers, and held her gently for a few moments, and she fell right back to sleep.

At about eight o’clock she finally began stirring, and awoke at 8:30. Sue, her nurse, and Maria, the Patient Care Assistant, gave her a bath, washed her hair, and changed her gown, while I went out to the waiting area and visited with Lance. Later in the morning she got into the cardiac recliner, and she and Lance played some of the games he bought for her.

Throughout the day she felt restless, and couldn’t get comfortable no matter what she tried, but most of it, I think, is just being weary of being in bed and that her mind is fully alert and ready to go. She is impatient for her body to heal so she can resume doing the things she wants to do, like writing, typing, playing cards, working on puzzles, sketching and painting.

She doesn’t see the amazing progress she has made, but rather, focuses on what she can’t yet do, or can’t yet do at the level she expects of herself. She still has remnants of the withdrawal tremors in her right hand, and although they are getting much better, she still can’t steady her hand enough to write or draw. All the other tremors have already cleared up and are long gone.

She is experiencing progress on muscle control in both her legs and arms, and is able to move her legs to make herself more comfortable. She still can’t stand because of the drop foot, but the tilt table will help with that, and once she gets into physical therapy we’ll be able to better advance stretching of the tendons in the back of the ankle. That tendon is very strong and provides the support to help you stand and lean forward. Her tendons are not stretched enough right now to get her foot flat, so she can’t stand, let alone lean forward.

But, all in all, she is making good advancement on all fronts. The ventilator was moved out of her room tonight, because it is no longer required. She has spent the last 48 hours off the vent, so she should be able to strengthen her lungs and recover near normal use. The tracheostomy will remain in place for some time, just in case she has a relapse and needs ventilator support for short periods. We expect that she will get a smaller tracheostomy in the next week or so, which will allow her to breathe more easily, and should make it much more comfortable for her.

I find it pretty ironic to say that Lea and I have been blessed by this illness, but when you realize what has been accomplished in the lives of others through your interest in her progress and recovery, and the sharing of her trials with others, it seems obvious the impact this sharing has had on others. Here’s a note I received a while back that seems very appropriate to share today:

“Larry, first of all, God Bless you or should I say God has blessed you. I cannot tell you what your emails have meant to . . . us. We understand what it is like to have death rattling the door trying to get in. You are holding on, praying for the miracle. I received mine in January with the remission. It was after 4 years though, God runs on his clock not mine! I am sure it was his lesson of patience which I sorely lacked!

I have emailed your letters of love to many of friends and prayers groups. They have called your writings that because the Love for Lea and God are tangible in these letters. I will get email asking about them. It is a miracle of spectacular proportions in many ways.

Your letters have enlightened others into a place that most do not get to go. When you face the possibility of your physical self departing this “life” you have no more things to hide. You can share easily the feeling that brought you together, keep you together. The beauty and purity of your love for each other cannot get lost in the everyday “priorities” of soccer, basketball, work, bills, whatever you put in front of yourselves, the way life gets in the way.

What a gift you have given people. I know Lea would be busting with pride for the lessons you have passed on.

I had a similar situation with my Mom. She had open heart, had a pulmonary embolism plus other complications, was in a chemically induced coma for 48 days (respirator included). I still remember her body reacted when they suctioned out the lungs. Like I tell her today, you may not remember but I will never forget. It took her over a year to even resemble what she was before the illness. When she started to wake up she wanted to know what happened but she could not speak. She would try to write it out on my chest but she would only do circles. It was very desperate for me because I wanted to give her the answers but the counselors had told me not to tell her too much up front. She would not remember what you said, and they get upset when you tell them.

I have listed the places I have sent the emails. Everyone said it was OK to pass on so here goes:

Noblesville, IN, Jacksonville, Fl, Champagne, IL, Miami, FL, Bogota, Columbia, Provincia de Goizueta, Spain, Barcelona, Spain, Madrid, Spain, Washington D.C., Manassas, VA, Pompano Beach, FL, Rio Negro, Columbia, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Orlando, Fl.

I give you my prayers. My friends and family pass them on as well. We will continue to ask for her recovery and your strength. I do not write with the eloquence that you do. So I hope you feel the love that surrounds you and your family! We remain linked by prayer.”

Thank you for your testimony! I have received many blessings like the one listed above, and am coming out of this illness a much stronger witness for our loving God, who has worked miracle after miracle in giving Lea miraculous healing. I have witnessed a great working of faith, and have felt God working through me. I suspect that’s a joy not everyone gets to feel, and I praise God for preparing me to deliver my testimony in a way that serves His will, and delivers glory to Him.

It was another very good day for Lea today. We started our day, as usual, with a bath, but didn’t wash hair today. She only wanted it brushed and put up on top. I had planned to spend the morning with her catching up on some of our email and other reading, so I was well prepared, with everything sorted and in order of receipt.

I started removing all but the latest email and greeting albums, and many of the personal effects from the ICU this week, in hopes that we will get to move to a step down unit, and then a regular hospital room very soon. I am now bringing new messages over from my room in the morning, and taking them back to place in the appropriate 3-ring binders. The hospital, of course, is still bringing greeting cards and eGreetings sent through the hospital’s website to her room.

I visited the ICU Step Down unit a couple of days ago, and discovered that the rooms are much smaller than these in the ICU, and probably only hold one visitor at a time at most. I’m not sure there was even a single chair in the smallest room in the unit. Each room has one bed, and the rooms are side by side facing a nursing station, staffed by a nurse and a technician who can view all three rooms at the same time.

So, rather than having half a nurse, where one nurse handles two patients, like we do now, the step down unit has one nurse for three patients. The unit is located in the hospital wing immediately adjacent to the ICU at this end of the regular hospital rooms. There were many familiar faces in the rooms that we had seen in the ICU at some time during our stay here. After Step Down, patients move to one of the regular hospital rooms in that wing for additional treatment.

We took a step closer to making that transition today. Lea had her skin graft completed this afternoon, and then rested (slept) for a couple of hours after the procedure, without assistance from the ventilator. She is now at the point that she will be allowed to stay off the ventilator as long as she wants, up to 24 hours. She can go back on the ventilator whenever she needs to, if she thinks she needs it to rest, but her trials are done, and she can stay off the vent if she can get comfortable without the support.

It may take a few days of trying to go without support all day for her to build confidence that she doesn’t need the machine to help her. She has some short-term damage to the lungs because she has required high pressure support for so long, and may have some long term damage, but we won’t know about that for five or six months after her hospitalization has ended, and she has had a chance to heal completely. She will need a diagnostic evaluation around springtime or early summer. During the next several months she will be especially susceptible to colds, flu and other infections, so we’ll have to be careful about that.

She is quite tired this evening, and will be trying to go to sleep early, I suspect. I will be staying with her tonight until she drops into slumber, as David is preparing to travel back to the Midwest in the morning. Our son, Lance, will be arriving tomorrow for a weekend visit, and she is really looking forward to his arrival. When he departs Hartford next Monday, two of her longtime friends from work will be arriving for a three- Day visit. So, she’ll be busy, and will be loving every minute of it.

I am so very grateful for the blessing of being with her! Her presence here in this world today is only by the grace of God, and was made possible by the power of your prayers, and the prayer support of others to lift her up to Him. Thank you for your efforts to make today possible.

Lea was awake and smiling when I arrived at six this morning. She looked so pretty with that big smile going! She had a good night’s sleep, and was ready for her morning bath. As we were finishing up, Dr. Kureshi, one of Dr. Mah’s associates stopped in to check on her, and told us that the skin graft is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, although a time hasn’t yet been fixed.

We are making slight adjustments in feeding by mouth, feeding by tube, and other procedures such as when to medicate, with what to medicate, and how to regulate her sleep/wake schedule. We continue to enjoy chatting with her, although it is mostly all about her comfort right now and what she “needs.” We also reminisce about the granddaughters, rides in the convertible, family trips, funny events at work, and other things that help her exercise her memory.

She hasn’t been in the mood to watch any of the home movies lately, nor any of the oldies movies I purchased for her. She has watched a few minutes of television news in the last two or three days, but it puts her to sleep, just as it does me.  She naps frequently, often dropping off into a deep slumber for up to half an hour at a time. I think she is finally beginning to get some quality sleep, albeit in small bites.

The trips outside have definitely helped her attitude and her general awareness, although she probably won’t remember much at all about the things we are doing today. She asked me this morning, however, to print out a couple photos of yesterday’s field trip to let everyone see them, because “they enjoy them so much,” referring to how excited the nurses seem when they learn that she is getting to go outside now. She doesn’t realize their excitement comes from her overall improvement, rather than where she gets to go on her tours.

Physical Therapy put her on a tilt table today, to work on stretching her Achilles tendons, so she will be able to stand when she begins physical rehabilitation. Her feet have lain unsupported in the bed for so long we have to work on getting those tendons back into shape so he can begin walking rehabilitation as soon as she is off the ventilator. The boots we have been using have helped, but standing on her own two feet on the title table will help stretch those to the point she will be able to lean forward.

She was also taken downstairs today to have her feeding tube repositioned in her small intestine, as it had begun working its way out, or “up” into the stomach. The liquid “food” input into the tube was going into the stomach, and may be interfering with the rehabilitation of her digestive system. The repositioning will help with that issue, and we should see positive results within a couple of days.

The highlight of the day was the bi-weekly family conference call, in which Dr. Mah briefs the immediate family by telephone of the progress we’ve made, challenges that lie ahead, and the possible courses of treatment to resolve each issue as we reach that point in Lea’s healing process. He talked today of the skin graft procedure which will be done tomorrow afternoon, of the eventual removal of the drain from her abdomen, and other items that may be addressed in the next few weeks to make sure she is medically sound.

The hospital’s caseworker talked about conversations that are ongoing between Hartford Hospital and our insurer to find a facility with suitable capabilities to take Lea as a patient, and Dr. Mah is talking to our personal physician about her treatment, and what her medical needs will be upon transfer back to Indiana, as well as what needs to be done if certain ailments appear, etc.

It was about at this point that the conference room door swung open and nurses Liz B and Barbara wheeled Lea into the room in a wheelchair, with her life support equipment hanging out all over! Dr Mah, who was speaking at the time, said, “And, here she is!” You could have heard a pin drop. As she was pushed up close to the table to be able to use the speakerphone, you could hear sniffles over the speaker. She said, “Hi, everybody. Well, I made it!” There were several minutes of excited conversation with the family, as those of us in the room watched her. There were no dry eyes in the room. There was such silent joy!

You could see such pride and compassion on the faces of those around the table: Gena, our social worker, Kelly, nursing supervisor, Dr Mah, behind Lea, on a couch, her nurses, Barbara and Liz Blair, and David and myself. It was a wonderfully extended moment of grateful celebration for all of us, and praise and thanks giving for the miracles that brought us to that moment. Every eye was on her as she talked to her sons, her brothers and sister. She arrived late to join us on the call, but I can assure you, as she came into the room and joined the call, she took center stage and captured our hearts once again!

But, the story behind the story is just as exciting. We had the conference call planned ahead of time, and I had contacted each of the participants the day before to remind them of the time, etc. I did not tell them that we had all conspired to have Lea secretly join the call. We knew we couldn’t get the cardiac recliner Lea has been using into the conference room, as the doors are too narrow. So, we planned to do the call from her ICU room.

Gena arranged to bring a speaker phone to the room, to swap out with the phone already installed. We planned to put Lea into a cardiac chair, and push her bed out into the hall, to be able to get chairs for all of us in the room. But, everything went wrong. Lea had to be transported downstairs for the tube-feed procedure, and was still in her bed as the time for the call approached.

Worse, the speakerphone wouldn’t work! As it turns out, the telephone line itself has to be programmed for the type telephone instrument to be used on it, and this line was not programmed for a speakerphone. So, someone from facilities was called to come up to the room as get the line fixed so we could do the call. Four o’clock quickly approached, and was just a few minutes away. The phone line couldn’t be changed over as easily as we had hoped.

About that time, a medical technician arrived to install a port in Lea’s arm so she could be fed through an IV, since her nutrition levels aren’t where they need to be. She arrived during the confusion and panic of the moment, and made it quite clear that she was nearing the end of her shift, and if we wanted the line installed today, we would have to work around her schedule. That didn’t make anyone of us very happy.

However, we were past four o’clock, and it was evident that we were not going to be able to do the conference call from Lea’s room. So, everyone but Lea headed for a family lounge at the east end of the hospital, from which we had done previous calls. We regretted that Lea wouldn’t be able to attend, but proceeded anyway, as it was already past 4:00. As parting comments to the nurses, who had been looking forward to her being on the call themselves, we told them that we would be on the call for about thirty minutes, and reminded them that the cardiac recliner would not go in through the doors.

That’s why we were so delighted when Liz and Barbara wheeled her in the room. They, along with Danielle, had worked frantically, to get her out of her bed and into a wheelchair (for the first time), and figured out how to attach all her equipment, got her on a portable oxygen tank, and headed out of the ICU. It was quite a feat for them, and quite a treat for all of us! We have been so very blessed to have such caring caregivers!

After the conference call there was general ear to ear smiles, “thank you”, and back patting, and throughout the ICU there was a happy, uplifting, cheerfulness that helped “make the day” for a lot of folks who have taken care of us over these last three months. It was a victory of sorts; the payoff for many months of staying the course in faith that the end result would be worth the means. And, indeed, it was.

Lea felt so good after the call, we accepted Liz’s offer to take a short trip outside. We wrapped Lea in blankets and took the elevator to the front lobby, and rolled easily out the front doors in the wheelchair. It was a beautiful day! It was warmer than yesterday, not quite as breezy, but not as sunny either.

We went back to Meditation Garden, and sat in the gazebo for a few minutes before heading back inside. Lea and I chatted while Liz and David busied themselves with things that gave us a few moments alone together. It was a great experience, and just capped off the day with a wonderful few moments out in the real world.

Lea enjoyed it, and went back inside ready to get into bed. She was tired, and getting hungry. She was looking forward to a restful evening after a very busy day, and then a good night’s sleep. David will stay with her until she falls to sleep, and I will be there at six in the morning, to start her new day.

Boy! To say this was a very special day is a gross understatement! It was terrific! It was a blessing of the simplest kind; the type we take for granted. And, yet, it was such a victory to know that our prayers have been answered, and she has once again been able to reach out and do something we could all do every day, but don’t take the time for . . . to just say, “I love you. God bless you.”

Lets pray that His blessings will continue to flow through her as she recovers and witnesses for Him in the years ahead.

Today was a stellar day! Lea was still sleeping soundly when I arrived at six o’clock, and her night nurse, Flo, kept everyone out of the room so she could finish out her sleep. I crept into her room and turned on some soft music in the background because I knew rounds were coming up, and the conversation outside her door would wake her if I didn’t do something to cover the noise.

At about 7:15 she woke up, well rested, and saw me standing out at the nurse’s station and gave me that beautiful smile of hers. We started her bath, and put her hair up, because we wanted to get ready for another field trip, in case we got to take one. I had her pick out the skrunchy for her hair, and I put it up on top of her head so the wind wouldn’t blow it in her eyes. It was fun having the wind blow it the first time, but once is probably enough. (Sorry, guys. A skrunchy is that colored elastic thing that goes around the base of a pony tail to hold it in place). The things you learn in nurse’s training!

It was raining in Hartford when I went to see her this morning, but by midday the sun had come out, and it turned out to be a very nice fall day. So, she got to get bundled up in her chariot and was taken outside for a longer stay, since she handled the first trip so well. Respiratory Therapist, Cliff, nurse Chris, and Patient Care Assistant, Danielle, took her to the gazebo in the park area we visited on the field trip. The attached photo shows Lea with her medical team during today’s trip. My brother, David, escorted the group on today’s outing, and snapped the photo.

She was glowing with radiance when I returned to the hospital after the outing, and was in good spirits. She was off the ventilator for over twelve hours by late evening, and was not overly tired at that point. She has been able to clear her throat fairly well, ate a good portion of frozen yogurt, and she is beginning to assist with her own oral care, by trying to hold a toothbrush.

She is gaining a more extensive range of motion in her joints as the therapists continue to work with her three times a week, and Dave and I work with her in between their visits. Flo brought her a couple of exercise balls that she likes for exercise of her hands, and she seems to be willing to do her leg exercises more frequently now. So, all in all, I feel that she is making very good progress, after having to take a day off to recuperate from several active days in a row.

She told me today that she wants a pedicure, a manicure, a haircut and a massage! Guess she’s getting better, huh? Thank you, Father!

This was a tough day. Lea had trouble staying off the ventilator this morning, and couldn’t seem to get her breath. She coughed and coughed trying to get congestion out of her throat, but never did get it to clear enough for her to be able to talk much. We finally had to put her back on the vent and give her some medication to get her to settle down.

Later in the day, while I was teaching my classes, she had trouble breathing again, and experienced a panic attack that sent her blood pressure sky high. About that time the drain from her stomach started showing fresh blood, indicating that the ulcer they cauterized last week hasn’t yet healed up, or there is another source of leakage. It isn’t at the level that required emergency reaction, but does remind us of how fragile her condition is.

She complained of fatigue and soreness all over, displayed a bright red rash on the face and neck, and just didn’t feel well at all. Dr. Mah ordered an ultrasound of her gall bladder, and the technician found several small stones and some sludge, and we will learn from Dr. Mah tomorrow what course of action he wants to take. Dave and I talked to the nurse, and it was decided that it would be best if we left for the night, to decrease any frustration she might feel, and let them take care of her to maximize her rest and recovery tonight.

Two other doctors visited today, and told Lea that they have been studying her present condition and family medical history, and that they were beginning to get her back on some of the maintenance medications she was taking before being stricken with this illness. We were told that she is going to be a little diabetic, and that she is going to be super sensitive to estrogen, which can elevate the triglycerides, so she won’t be able to take some medicines she took before.

The good news is that they were talking about “when you go home!” How wonderful! This is such GOOD news for us, and such BAD news for her. She doesn’t have any idea how far she has come (and says that she isn’t ready to learn any of the details yet). Can you imagine the trauma she is going through trying to absorb all that is going on around her? There must be twenty different doctors, including those doing their residency, that are in and out of her room on a regular basis, all the technicians doing bedside procedures like ultrasounds, swallowing tests and X-Rays, as well as therapists and practitioners.

There was a really bright spot, though, yesterday, when she had some visitors stop by and visit briefly. Carl and Pat Monnin are some of Lea’s pray-ers in Austin, Texas, and were in Massachusetts visiting their daughter. They came by the hospital to meet Lea, and Carl, who has a fine tenor voice, sang a beautiful tune for Lea at her bedside. And, Lea sang along on the chorus! This was a wonderful blessing for her, and my heartfelt gratitude goes to them for caring enough to stop by and lift her spirits.

She also got an uplifting email from our friend Joe, who can empathize with a lot of what she is going through. He wrote:

“Hi Lea,

Pat and I were so excited to get your phone call last week! It was so good hearing your voice and made us feel that you are now on the road to real recovery. We were both crying afterward because we were so happy!

I went to the emergency room on Monday night around midnight, after my defibulator had shocked me. It had done that the previous night and was the third shock overall. That Monday night, I felt like I was going to get shocked multiple times, and I almost did. While in the emergency room, I had another spell and it was getting ready to go off again. The Dr came in and told me to brace myself and then told me to cough. I did and that stopped it, but they said then that they were going to admit me.

They put me on an Amiodarone drip to control the heart rhythm. I had dropped low on both potassium and magnesium. They spent Tuesday getting my electrolytes corrected and then did another trans-esophageal echocardiogram. This showed that the blood clot in my left atrium was gone, so they decided that I would probably do better if they went ahead and converted me back to sinus rhythm, which they did on Wednesday.

I got out of the hospital last Saturday, 15-Oct. We had been planning to go to my niece’s wedding at 4:30 that day. I had asked one of the assistants for Dr. Rordan, the electro-physicist who was taking care of me, to see if he would come around to discharge me by 11:00 AM so we could go to the wedding. I waited until about 1:30 before mentioning to one of my nurses that I guessed we were not going to make it. She said she would try to get in touch with him and he showed up about three minutes later.

It took about 30 minutes to go through the discharge process and another thirty for me to take a shower and get my suit on that Pat had brought with her that morning. We made the wedding, much to everyone’s surprise. It was out by Eagle Creek. We stayed and had some food at the reception then skipped the remainder of the festivities and left for home. I am maintaining the sinus rhythm so far, but I have very little stamina. The Dr told me to take it easy for the next week and then I could start the cardio rehab work again.

Larry said in one of his letters that he and Dave were doing shifts so someone would be with you all the time. When I became awake, there was a time when everyone was having a doctor’s conference and I was left alone the room – I think I had been napping. Anyway, when I woke up, I didn’t know where I was, no one was around, I couldn’t find any call button and I couldn’t move anything. I was really scared! When they finally came back, I asked them to never leave me alone again. That is when Pat and Scott started the shifts like Larry and Dave are doing now. You have no idea how much it did for me to know that someone was there when I needed them!

I was really happy to hear that you are getting to eat some things now. Believe me that having the green beans pureed is the only way I would recommend eating them there. My food there was terrible, but I was on low sodium, low cholesterol, diabetic, 1800 calorie diet, and a 1000 cc fluid restriction (that alone nearly killed me). I doubt that you will have as many restrictions, so yours may be better. Larry will probably be able to go out and get you pizza and everything. I loved reading in Larry’s letter about how you would roll your eyes and say ummm!

I remember doing the same thing, particularly when they gave me some orange sherbert, and then later grape pop-cycles. Oh those pop-cycles were good. Nothing ever tasted so heavenly. You forget the simple pleasures we take for granted in life. I am still having some troubles eating. I often eat a little bit and then feel a little queasy and don’t want any more. I often have to force myself to eat, particularly the proteins, since I know that I need them badly. I did not really understand what Larry talked about “thickening your fluids”, but I’m guessing that it has something to do with you being to swallow properly without choking. How do you thicken ginger-ale?

I was also tickled to read that you were getting to move around the hospital a little bit. I never got to go outside or see any of the things that they talked about, like where the apartments or ice-cream shop were. I presume after you get off the ventilator, PT and OT will really start working with you. It is hard but well worth it.

It will take a long time for you to get back to where you were before, but you will be surprised how quickly you will be able to get a little arm strength back. It makes such a huge difference to be able to grab the rail of the bed and pull your-self to one side or the other. Don’t give up on those exercises they will want you to do, even though they will make you really tired.

I will leave you for now but I will try to get better at sending you notes more frequently. Pat and I love you both very much. By the time you get back home, I hope I will be able to visit you frequently, perhaps even to spell Larry at times so he can do things he needs to attend to. We will do anything we can to help you get back to normal. Perhaps we could start planning our next trip. You know – the one where Larry and Pat get sick. Then again, perhaps not! “

Praise God for the wonderful blessings delivered to all of us in such abundance! I am very grateful for the friendships we have been able to make during our time here in Hartford, and for the old friendships we have bettered, and for the reconnection we have all made with loved ones we have let slip away into all too infrequent contacts. Thank the Lord for warming our hearts with love for others, and for being willing to display it. It feels good, doesn’t it?

I’ve included another photo from Lea’s outdoor excursion yesterday. Toward the end of the tour, as we were heading back to the hospital, we came upon this scene in which a man was helping an elderly lady get out of his truck and into a wheelchair. Without hesitation, Chris and Danielle both went to assist them, while Lea waited near by, just enjoying being a part of normal life again.