Just a quick note to let you know that Lea is once again stable, though we apparently came close to losing her. Once again, the teriffic nursing staff at this hospital pulled together as a team, and helped Nick, her nurse, pull her through. You probably won’t hear an update on the system tonight . . . Nick had already pulled extra hours for the day, and yet, chose to stay on and help get Lea stabilized.
Her surgery today, while successful, was disappointing, in that the surgeon found more dead pancreas at a time when he expected her to be healing. She, also, failed to rebound after today’s surgery as she has in the past. Her blood pressure could not be stabilized, and she had difficulty adjusting to the new tracheotomy breathing process because she had been on the oral tube for so long.
I am emotionally exhausted, so will make this note short, and will give you more information with the next update. I am meeting with the surgical team tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. to get some details on our status, and will let you know as soon as I can.
Thank you for the emergency prayers, again! They worked! (Thank you Lance for sending out the request) She did a complete turn around in about two hours! Praise God for His blessings. What a roller coaster ride! ( I like fast cars on level ground! )
Thanks to the Irwin team, where Lea works, for the care package I received today. The picture of the staff you sent is wonderful! Thank those of you who have sent notes and messages. Forgive me for not responding to those individually, but know that I sincerely appreciate them, and plan to have Lea respond to each one with a personal note when she is able.
I am very grateful to each one of you, and pray that your kind prayers for Lea will also bring blessings to your own life. Your heartwarming comments bring joy to my heart and will be a source of great healing power for Lea when she is able to read them.
In His love,
Larry
(Thank you, Jesus!)
Surviving God's Woodshed 
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 5, 2005 at 1:30 am
Dave Vaughn
Sent: Friday, August 5, 2005 @ 1:30 PM
Subject: Larry & Lea Update from Dave Vaughn
After Mom and I have had a short while in Hartford with Larry and Lea, I feel it is appropriate to give MY view of the situation here. Larry does not object and, hopefully, I can clarify just what our group of friends, family and the wonderful list of those who are providing spiritual support can do for Larry and Lea.
Lea’s medical status.
While we all remain confident of God’s will, the power of prayer and miraculous healing, it can be clearly stated that Lea is precariously delicate, vascillating between acute critical and critical rather than between critical and recovering.
Lea has 24 hour dedicated nursing observation rather than being one of the dozen other patients in Bliss Critical Care Unit 2. Lea is in constant, extreme pain. Only medication stronger than morphine is sustaining her tolerance of pain and she still has a completely rigid reflex action to any touch, since she is unable to differentiate between pleasant or painful contact. At this level of medication and trauma, only her core brain functions, heart and a limited amount of ONE kidney activity is NOT supported by a machine.
She is undergoing ALL the discomfort and trauma of any invasive surgery every other day. To think that there is any “recovery” between surgeries would be inaccurate. I doubt that there is any portion of her body either internally or externally that is not bruised from the stress of surgery, injection, bloating or being physically moved every two hours.
As the doctor said, the medical assessments are still very much against Lea’s survival and the recognition that she has not improved in the last 10 days is a clear signal that she continues to be gravely ill. We hope God is not ready to take Lea from us and are continually encouraged by Lea’s apparent reaction to our voices. Your prayers for miraculous healing and His continued use of Lea to touch the hearts of others for his purposes is encouraged.
Larry’s physical and mental state.
His treadmill test went well. He is a bit of a zombie, understandably. As you will see below, he has a routine, but he is clearly still in a state of shock and disbelief. The despair of seeing Lea’s pain and the eagerness to see some progress when so little real change exists is draining. I
know his daily updates are the only way he can “close” his emotions to prepare himself for the next day. After spending the night time in the room with him, I know he only sleeps for a while and truly rests little. All in all, he is a Vaughn male. Hard exterior … mush inside. Speaks with disdain about worry … while his insides churn.
Perhaps the greatest assurance is that he spends 80% of his time in a hospital and 50% of
his time in an intensive care unit! In many ways, the strain is equally hard on him. He is having difficulty dealing with worldly issues, but appears to physically sound for a cardiac recovery patient! Your prayers to lift Larry up are encouraged.
Specific requests regarding spiritual support for Larry.
The greatest blessing is Larry’s acceptance of God’s will. It has truly been a blessing to see the love and tenderness of my brother caring for Lea the only way he can. The heart ache of being so close to someone suffering so much is indescribable. Larry talks to Lea as though she is awake even though there are no real responses other than an “awareness” we can’t understand. There are no signals. There are no signs. There is only our hope that a movement or a droplet of tear or a wiggle of a foot or the opening of her eyes means SOMETHING!
We have shared tears away from Lea, but express only optimism and encouragement when we are around her. The routine Larry has established is to remind Lea that it is him. That he isn’t going to hurt her. That he is going to touch her hand or her forehead or her foot or her knee before he even considers touching her. Mother and I do the same. Larry can place a cool wet wash cloth on her forehead and tell her that it will feel good. After a while, he can very gently brush the side of her hair that lays on the pillow. He can very gently apply lotion to her feet.
He does this moving from one side of the bed to her feet to the other side of the bed, limited by all the equipment that surrounds her. He speaks to Lea continuously. He reassures her. Tells her of what has happened in the couple of hours since he has last seen her. He reads her EVERY email, EVERY card, EVERY e-card. This process repeats 6-8 times a day, as he is required to leave for an hour every 2 hours when she is turned and every nursing shift change. The extended separation related to her surgery is filled with anxiety that can only be relieved with the next visit.
We have prayed with Lea and tried to emulate Larry’s tender loving care whenever he is away or has to conduct a webinar. We accompany him when we are allowed and try to give him an attentive ear during those times of separation from Lea. Larry needs prayer to sustain him. To give him balance. To reinforce his confidence in God’s will.
Larry needs the daily flow of email, cards and e-cards. It is every bit as theraputic for him. Your messages build him up and witnessing the love and caring of others for Lea gives him strength. It is important to know that prayers are flowing for Lea AND to be able to share the flow of short messages of encouragement with Lea. Talking to Lea becomes difficult after a while. Being able to share YOUR thoughts make this routine more fulfilling. It would be helpful for you to acknowledge Larry’s care for Lea in your messages and your prayers are needed for both Larry and Lea.
Larry’s immediate needs.
The Atlanta Lions Club chapter is creating a matching fund for Lea and Joe Stroup. Yes, the chapter is still active and extended thru 2005. We need to seek private and organizational donations by getting this nightmare scenario out publically. More on that later, but let me give you a snapshot of the situation for Larry and Lea. (I hope my brother will forgive me for extending a request for assistance. His pride would never allow him to do this, but we are a large, resourceful and loving group. There are many who can verify the giving nature of Larry and Lea’s community and family activities. I think it may be their turn to humbly accept our love.)
I find it difficult to imagine that Larry will be able to maintain a good long term personal balance without regular support here in Hartford. I am attempting to initiate social services, massage therapy, etc. We need to develop a schedule of friends and family visitors to avoid any additional long term periods of solitude, especially as it appears that Joe Stroup, Pat and Scott will be returning to Indiana early next week. I am trying to find a local church that we can attend and work to get Larry into a small group. Besides the flow of visible support for Lea mentioned above, we have to recognize that Larry will be living in a hospital “hotel” room for 4 to 6 months.
If he ONLY eats hospital cafeteria food, he can eek by on $60 a day plus miscellaneous weekly expenses like laundry, postage, gas, etc. which probably total less than a $100 a month. While this isn’t what any of us would call good living, he is close enough to Lea to respond to doctor’s
calls that he come immediately (this has happened several times … and EVERY time before any surgical procedure by standing order) and I don’t think he would be comfortable any further away.
This is going to be a minimum of $10k for the remainder of this year, not counting ongoing expenses for cell phone service, vehicle maintenance, webinar business supplies, renters insurance, etc. Bottom line, in addition to maintaining the house, grounds maintenance, storage unit, car insurance, etc. in Atlanta, I think Larry is facing “operating” expenses of $15k here.
Ongoing costs in Atlanta, including related payments, are estimated to be about $2250 per month, another $15k. I have no idea of what substantial medical costs will be, but Lea’s full pay will reduce to 60% after 90 days due to her long term disability. To the extent possible, Larry has resumed some webinars. I think you get the picture, so I’ll not belabor this point.
Lea’s medical/financial impact on short and long term lifestyle.
If Lea survives, she will be facing a year of rehabilitation, minimum. This is going to require constant transportation to a Hospital or other medical facility. Accommodations and specialized equipment will be essential. Caregiving will be a full time job. Location of a residence will require
careful thought and study.
None of this can be answered for now, but medical coverage by insurance will fall well short of anticipated costs. Larry has resolved himself to their previous lifestyle being over for the foreseeable future. He cannot fathom the financial aspects. I think that becomes our job.
We need to relieve Larry of his current financial burden so that he focus exclusively on existance here. The Lion’s club activities of Larry and Lea over the year suggest we can depend upon the Lion’s Club to provide the mechanism for support which will provide those who are willing to
donate a charitable cause. I am working with the Atlanta chapter, which remains active, to make that happen. We will be coming to you to extend the network of those who are aware of their needs to gain as much assistance as is needed.
That is my current assessment. Larry will provide another update later today, reflecting Lea’s latest surgery which was not easy, included a tracheotomy and did not go well. It is clear that she has additional infection. She needs your prayers NOW. Prayer is very much our only
priority for the difficult surgery she has ahead of her on Sunday. Larry has just been sent here to his room because Lea has taken a severe turn for the worse. We will advise family immediately and hope you will understand that an update may be delayed.
March 15, 2007 at 10:01 am
Prayers
DAY TWENTY-ONE RESPONSES
FROM: Phil
Aug 5 @ 2:47 AM
Larry, I’ve been following your notices about Lea every day. Thanks for the reminder of her upcoming surgery. Please know that my prayers are with her, you, and the family. I know we have the Great Physician at our sides…and He is fully able to help. I join my prayers with yours for Lea’s full and speedy recovery. I admire your consistent presence with her, Larry. It speaks volumes of the depth of your love for her. My thoughts will be with you and Lea during this day.
REPLY FROM: Larry Vaughn
Aug 5 @ 7:40 AM
Thank you, Phil. God’s blessings for you, as well.
FROM: Gracie
Aug 5 @ 9:31 AM
Larry – Your letter moved me deeply, so much so that I hesitate to write you for I’m unable to put into words the depth of my feelings. You articulate so well and are able to express your thoughts very clearly, it takes me away as I journey along with you. You could write a novel for your writings capture my heart as I’m sure they have others. I am baffled by it all yet I see no reason for you to have received this vision to turn around and loose Lea. I had an out of body experience when I was expecting my first born daughter, Dana.
I was about eight months pregnant when it occurred. I will spare you the details that led up to it but at that time I had never heard of such a thing. I was extended upward looking down on the form that was once me realizing it wasn’t. I had no form yet I never felt so alive as I did in that moment nor have I since. My bodily form was stretch out in front of our wood burning fire place. And I realized in that moment I was much more than a body, that wasn’t who I was. I was quickly transported into another room and stretched out across our bed, sideways. I felt for sure I was going to die and I scared my poor husband Donnie to death for he had just arrived home for lunch when I told him what had just occurred.
He quickly transported me to the home of our pastor who calmly told us it was a delusion and had not really occurred, (NOT)! You’ll never convince some one who had such an experience it wasn’t real for it is more real than life itself. I know we are eternal, I have no doubt. I have had countless experiences yet I find out that so have many others. This was my first. I’m sure Lea will have a story to tell.
My sister has a dear friend who has the gift of dream interpretation as well as the gift of praying for others with healing results. I hope you don’t mind but I sent her your last letter. I do this often asking for her insight. She is so lovely both inside and out. I adore her, her name is Sheila. My other daughter Shayna a few years back had that flesh eating disease. It was a harrowing experience and at that time I was bedfast, long story. She too was never alone 24-7.
Laura David was one of the many who spent countless hours with her. She even postponed her wedding even almost cancelled it because of Shayna’s condition. Now, back to Sheila! She travelled to Hannibal with my sister Karen and sat in the hospital two nights with her seeking her healing and it was during this time everything shifted forward. Shayna still spent more than a month in that hospital and then was transferred to a
rehabilitation wound healing center. This was one of those times I was so glad I wasn’t relaying on my faith. It is so strange that I’m so involved in this with you but I am, so be it.
FROM: Lance
REF: Emergency Prayer Request
Aug 5 @ 1:34 PM
I just got a call from Dad. Mom has four or five people nurses/doctors working on her as I write this, trying to keep her alive. She has an infection in her abdomen and, in my opinion, seems to be crashing. We need your prayers now. Ask for God’s healing grace. Let His will be done. But please, please, can we just have her for a few more years?
FROM: Jacqui
Aug 5 @ 3:39 PM
Dear Larry, You are an amazing man and Lea is a very blessed woman to have you by her side every day believing God to continue to heal her. Your love for her and for God is evident in every update you send. I’ve only met Lea once and that was during a meeting. She seemed to me, at that time, like a very warm woman (and from the emails you’ve sent here, I see my judgement was right). I know God will honor your believing for her.
In one of your updates you mentioned you thought you were being selfish for wanting Lea to recover. Let me assure you, you are not! It is not God’s will that Lea be sick or die. Look at Heb 2:14: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
It’s the devil that wants people sick and dying! God needs people like you and Lea around to help people come unto a knowledge of His Word and develop that close relationship that is available and live a more than abundant life. And you get the privilege to believe for her to recover, defeat the adversary, and carry on God’s will for her life.
As it says in Ecc 9:5 – 10: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
Once we die we have no memory because there are no thought processes taking place and we cannot help God – we simply wait for the return of Christ when we can meet him in the air when we will get to enjoy heaven with our Heavenly Father. As 1st Thes 4:16,17 says: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
So you see, Larry, you are doing exactly what a man of God should do. You are praying continually, you are asking others to intercede on Lea’s behalf as well and doing everything you know to do. That is believing and acting on the Word. You are being faithful and that is what God calls us to be. (Thankfully, He doesn’t ask us to be perfect!) I pray that what I’ve shared with you will set your heart and mind at peace. I’m sure Lea would want you to be doing exactly what you are doing because that is the best help there is. I will continue to lift all of you in prayer as well. Bless you!
FROM: Carol
Aug 5 @ 6:46 PM
Larry, I have been sending the daily updates to my son Scott in Qatar and this was a note he sent today…I thought you might like to know what he has to say.
“Wow! I have been praying for them both. I sent an egreeting. I guess it was received? If you should happen to talk to Larry or email him please tell him that there are prayers coming from my corner. I have always thought the world of the two of them.
Scott, Flt C-21 Qatar (Persian Gulf)”
FROM: Link
Aug 5 @ 7:17 PM
Here is the Korean feast we enjoyed on Friday in Oahu. Yes, those are gas grills in the middle of the table… Yummy!
FROM: Raymond
Aug 5 @ 8:22 PM
Larry, That was probably the most touching letter I have ever read. I know it took everything in your being to write it, especially during this time. I must tell you it touched me deeply and gave me new resolve to want to do the right thing by Christ, my wife and family, friends and acquaintenances, and to live every day to the fullest, enjoying the love, joy and happiness that comes with knowing Christ, even in difficult times. Our prayers continue for Lea, and your family is constantly in our hearts and minds. Thanks again for the update and sharing your story.