A Busy Sunday

Visited by Bishop Buckon and Fr. Spencer

Sunday, Oct. 6th, was a busy day for all of us and I wasn't able to post anything in the blog that day. Jayson was able to sleep completely throughout the night.  I watched him until 2:00 Sunday morning and then Henry took over until 9:00 a.m. Saturday night was the first time in several days that Jayson wasn't waking up every 2 hours agitated or restless.  For the first time in a while he slept comfortably and soundly.

               

I had gone to the 8:00 mass on Sunday morning and the military bishop of the western states, Bishop Neal Buckon, was the presider. There was a young soldier who was confirmed during this mass.  It was a beautiful ceremony and Bishop Buckon's homily was even more beautiful. He talked about faith, God's love and hope. His homily touched me deeply because it was very relevant to what our family was going through.  It was as if God was talking directly to me and these were the words He wanted me to hear. Bishop Buckon told us to trust and rely on God's power of love and stay faithful even during difficult times, especially during times of trials. As I sat during mass, I could feel God's presence close to me. He spoke to me through Bishop Buckon, through the readings and through the music.  It was a perfect mass.

After the mass, we took a group picture with the bishop and joined him for fellowship and food.  I got the chance to speak to Bishop Buckon.  I told him how beautiful his homily was and how touched I was by it.  I also shared Jayson's story with him and I asked if he had time to come and visit Jayson that day. I was honored when he said "yes".

I went to Jayson's room right after speaking to Bishop Buckon.  It was about 9:30 already. I was happily surprised when I entered Jayson's room and saw him wide-eyed, alert and eating.  This was the most alert he has been the past few weeks.  It was obvious that he had a very restful sleep during the night.  My husband said that he woke up around 9:00 and was eating a lot.  He was very responsive and was able to speak more clearly. I just praised God for every improvement that I was seeing.

With Auntie Dinah & Sydney 

With Auntie Andrea, Uncle Jerry & Andrew 

Our friends, Dinah & Sydney Sigala, arrived soon after I did. They brought with them some delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Yummy! Jayson couldn't it them, but the rest of us enjoyed them for him.  My brother and his family arrived a few minutes later.  They were also amazed at the sight of Jayson and how well he looked. Jayson gave his cousins a high-five and was interacting with them. 

About 15 minutes later, Fr. Spencer (NMCSD Chaplain) arrived with Bishop Buckon and his nephew, Kevin, who is a navy nurse.  I introduced them to Jayson and to the other family members in the room. Jayson raised his right hand and shook the hands of Fr. Spencer, Bishop Buckon and Kevin.  They greeted Jayson, prayed with him and Fr. Spencer gave Jayson the holy Eucharist. It was just a small piece that Fr. Spencer placed at the tip of Jayson's tongue.  This was the first time in about a month that Jayson had received the Eucharist. It was a wonderful sight to see. Bishop Buckon encouraged Jayson to continue relying on God to help him with his illness and reminded him to continue to praying to Him. We are so thankful for being present to witness this special moment.

I spoke to one of his ICU doctor soon after.  She told me that Jayson's liver continues to improve and she said he was looking great.  They still have their concerns, but she was pleased to see he had a good night. Jayson continues to run a fever and still has some fluids in his lungs, but they are able to manage both.

I think the visit from his YFC friends really helped Jayson's spirit and set him on the path to recovery. Only time will tell, but seeing Jayson worship and sing with them is evidence this is in fact true.  Their presence and uplifting music lit a fire in Jayson.  He was more energetic and expressive during their visit and afterwards. It had been more than 2 weeks since his YFC brothers and sisters came to visit and I know Jayson misses being with them as much as they miss spending time with him.  As Jayson's mom, their presence and voices were the best gifts they could have ever given him.

Reunited again with Francis Perlas

A hug for his friend, Janessa

In the morning Jayson was awake and alert for 3 straight hours!  I think this is the longest time he's been like that in almost a month. We will pray that his progress continues. He took a few hours nap in the afternoon and the rest of Sunday afternoon was spent with more visits from family and friends.  The Perlas family came around 3:00 p.m.  Jayson ordered a "banana strawberry milkshake smoothie" from Francis, one of his closest friends.  So, Kristen went to McDonalds and bought him one.  We gave Francis the honor of feeding it to Jayson as we videotaped and took pictures of them. Jayson also received visits from his high school friends, Janessa (she gave the bacon pillow) and Ester along with their parents. Jayson gave them hugs and were more interactive with them. It was great to see Jayson being more expressive and more alert.  

Deacon Jim prays over Jayson

Deacon Jim, Sister Merly and Sister Dorcy of CFC SR (Couples for Christ South Riverside) came by to visit with a surprise for Jayson.  Sister Dorcy brought in 2 pictures of Jayson's puppy that she's been puppy-sitting for the past month. We posted the pictures under the TV where Jayson can see them. Before leaving, they prayed over him.

Blessed to have so many who support Jayson

Henry again stayed with Jayson overnight along with his sister and mom.  I was able to go home to Murrieta late last night with Keilani. We went to check on our house, gathered a few items and then we slept at our friends' house (Isip Family).  I left the following morning around 7:00 and headed back to the hospital to relieve Henry.   

When I arrived at the hospital around 9:00 a.m., I could tell Jayson had another good night's sleep. He was already awake and alert. Many of Jayson's doctors and nurses have commented on how well-rested he looked. They are very pleased at where he's at. Per his ICU doctor, his liver has again improved, but his kidney is about the same. They will remove a medication they've been giving him to help his heart because they don't think he needs it anymore. They will begin physical therapy once again to get him moving and walking more.  All of this is great news and we're glad we can share some good news with you once again. 

                                                    

He was given a bath earlier and after eating some lunch, he quickly fell asleep for about two hours.  Fr. Spencer came by about an hour ago to pray with him and Jayson received communion once again. Afterwards, he asked for another smoothie so my dad quickly went to McDonalds to get another strawberry banana smoothie. I'm so glad that his appetite is slowly coming back.  Even though he's still limited to soft foods, he's eating more of it. I'll be waiting for the day he asks for the popcorn shrimp from Red Lobster because that'll tell me that he's getting better. Until then, we'll continue with our prayers and be thankful for everyday we're blessed to have Jayson.