Gifts and Blessings

Blessed to be together

Jayson had a quiet and restful night, so different from the previous night.  He's been resting most of the day with the help of his sedation medications. He's still waking up and responding to some of his visitors, but not as often as he did on Friday.  One of those visitors is his close friend, Ester, from Westview High School. He opened his eyes as she talked to him and he also shed some tears according to her. We are very happy to see him continue to be responsive to us.

The plan today was to continue managing his fever which is on day four.  He hasn't broken through his fever yet which has ranged from 100.5 to 103.3. His new internist, Dr. Zabrowski, said that his fever is not a major factor in determining whether to extubate Jayson or not tomorrow. However, he is no longer shivering and so the nurses removed the Bair Hugger machine that was used yesterday. They are slowly weaning him off one of the sedation medications, replacing it with another medication that is less likely to cause withdrawals.

Early yesterday, signs of oral mucositis developed in his mouth.  This is a painful inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes often a common complication of cancer treatment.  The nurses have been treating the mucositis with mouth rinse and antibiotic ointment.  Oral hygiene is done every few hours and his mouth is starting to heal.

Jayson's new boots

Some improvement has been made today. For most of the day, his blood pressure has been within the parameters his doctor set. His urine output is also in the goal range and there have been improvements in his breathing capabilities.  The nurses aren't suctioning out as much fluids from his lungs as before and the fluids that is being pulled out has fewer pieces of blood clots in it. So, hopefully this means there is less irritation in his respiratory system and no bleeding.

Keilani's creation

Jayson has been using the new boots to prevent foot drop.  He has them on most of the day and I said it looks like he's about to go skiing.  He's not the only one with new footwear from the hospital. Keilani modeled her creation called "Monkey Feet".

Today, we continue to be blessed with visits from family and friends.  Jayson's friend, Janessa, came by with her mom to see him.  She gave Jayson a bacon shaped pillow, bacon wallet and bacon Band-Aids.  Does this give you a hint of what Jayson enjoys eating for breakfast?  It's also the name of his stuffed toy pig.

Praise to God and Pray Over Jayson 

Aside from immediate family members from San Diego and Rancho Cucamonga, Jayson was visited by members of Couples For Christ (CFC) and Youth For Christ (YFC). They prayed over him and sang some of the group's popular worship songs. They were also joined by Brother Mike, a missionary visiting from Maryland.

Not everyone who talked to Jayson came to visit him personally.  His friend, Taryn, spoke to him over the phone and even sang him a song.  I could tell Jayson enjoyed listening to her because I could see his positive response to her voice.  He also listened to the audio recording of  "La Cucaracha" and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Wheenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" played on the ukelele by his friend, William, of Hawaii. I know these simple gifts shared by family and friends are strengthening his drive to keep fighting.

Another gift that we're constantly receiving is food. One of my aunts had commented that she was surprised I hadn't lost weight despite all the stress that I have been experiencing these past 2 weeks.  I asked her "How can I lose weight when we have many love ones bringing food to us daily and reminding us to eat?"  They are not only feeding us, but also most of the PICU staff we've been sharing their gifts with.

We should find out in the morning by 9:00 a.m. if the procedure to extubate Jayson at 11:00 a.m. will proceed. We pray that his condition remains stable and that his respiratory system is strong enough for him to breathe on his own.  When he does, we will breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Thank you Lord for another blessed day with our son.