First 24 Hours @ Home

Jayson was able to finally go home once again.  After 39 days of being in the hospital, Jayson was discharged from NMCSD PICU about 4:15 p.m. yesterday (Oct. 16th). He had received some platelets and red blood transfusion before we left so he didn't have to come back the following day to check his blood count.  It was hard to believe that Jayson was able to come home considering his condition almost 6 weeks ago. Many are amazed at his progress and we give thanks daily for Jayson's improvements. 

After saying "good-bye" to the PICU staff we headed out towards the gray double-doors and through the 2 North clinic, down the hall to the elevator, then out of Bldg. 1's main entrance.  His nurse, "Kuya" Jed, escorted us to the car and helped put Jayson with his oxygen tank in the front passenger seat of our SUV. As we drove slowly away from the hospital, I was happy, yet anxious to get him home.  I had my sister-in-law, Carole in the back seat helping take care of Jayson on the drive home.  Henry was driving our other car with his mom. At about 4:30, I was expecting it would take us 1.5-2 hrs. to get home to Murrieta. However, traffic wasn't as bad as I had expected and we were home by 5:45 p.m. Jayson did very well in the drive home and took a few short naps.  At one point when he was awake, he told me I was driving too fast.  He said he didn't want us to get pulled over for speeding, so I slowed down...slightly.

Kristen & Keilani were already home at that time along with our friend Luz. Jayson's hospital bed, walker and other miscellaneous supplies & equipment were being delivered at that time. So, we temporarily had Jayson sit in a recliner love seat when we got in the house. Once he got settled, he quickly requested his laptop and began playing games on it. 

During the evening, a few family members and closed friends came by to welcome him home. He stayed up and chatted with them for a while.

"Welcome Home" Crew

I took the first night shift watching Jayson until about 1 a.m.  Even though we had  given Jayson his medication to help him sleep, he was restless for about 2 hours.  He would sleep a little and then try to get out of bed.  He was also having some hallucinations during the night. When we were alone in the room, he asked me why "those people were nicely dressed". I asked him, "which people?" He pointed at the foot of his bed. I asked him if he knew them and he said no. So, I told him to ask them why they were dressed nicely, but he didn't. Later on that night as I laid on the cot next to his bed, I noticed that his right arm was reaching for something in the air. So, I got up and asked him what he was doing. He said he was trying to reach the hand reaching out to him. I asked him whose hand and he said he didn't know.Jayson finally slept after midnight and Henry came down to take over. Jayson slept pretty well the rest of the night.

Simple breakfast at home

The following morning, Jayson had some Fruit Loops cereal for breakfast at the dining table. Afterwards, Henry had him lie in the living room sofa to get some sun rays.  Later, Henry took out to the backyard near the pool to get some fresh air and more sun.It was quiet most of the morning and early afternoon. He had some of his "Boost" high-protein drink and a 1/4 of a banana.  He didn't have as much of an appetite most of the day.  But in the evening, his Uncle Jerry cooked some chicken/pork adobo. Jayson had some of the adobo with rice and potatoes.  

Jayson meets his puppy

Our friends Miles & Dorcy came by with the puppy they have been watching for Jayson. Dorcy had sent us a text video last September 8th asking if Jayson wanted this puppy. After seeing the video, Jayson decided he did wanted it. So, we were scheduled to pick up the puppy the following day. Unfortunately, Jayson was brought in to the hospital the night of Sept. 8th and you know the rest of the story.  Miles & Dorcy have been "puppy-sitting" for Jayson since then.  Well, today, Jayson saw his puppy for the first time. It's a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix. As I learned this week, they are also known as a Pomchi or Pomhuahua. Jayson touched his puppy's back while Dorcy carried her.  What's the name of his new puppy you ask? It's Mochalatta Colada Adams (Mocha for short). Say that a few times. Since we'll be leaving early tomorrow morning to get Jayson's blood count check, Dorcy took Mocha back home with her, but will be bringing her back this weekend.

Playing his guitar for family members

In the early evening, Jayson was on his laptop most of the time, skyping with friends and playing video games.  More friends & relatives came by at night to see him.  In fact, he even played a very short song on his guitar for some relatives. He said he needed to practice some more.

Quirap family members

Right now, Jayson is fast asleep.  His Aunt Carole is watching him right now while I finish this blog. Thank God for our family and friends. Their support continues while we're at home. Grandma Del did our laundry today and my brother cooked us dinner.  All the extra help around the house has given us more time to spend with Jayson. 

Tomorrow, we will be taking Jayson back to the hospital to get his blood count checked and if necessary, he may get some blood transfusion.  We hope to still come back home so that Jayson can fulfill his wish to be at home for 5 days. We're hoping & praying for more days than that, of course.

Jason & Jayson

We want to give a special "Thank You!" to Jason who is a charge nurse at the NMCSD PICU. Throughout Jayson's hospital stay, Jason always came by when he was on duty to check on us and to see if there was anything we needed. Whether it was to help take care of Jayson or just to listen to our story, Jason was there with a smile, a hug or a word of encouragement. He was usually with us during the weekly family meetings. He would give us a hug after a tough and tearful meeting. I want to tell you how Jason went above and beyond his job responsibilities.  Yesterday, when we were getting ready to leave, we learned that Jayson's discharge medication was not ready and we would have to wait for them. Jason stepped in and offered to deliver Jayson's medication to our home in Murrieta after work. Now, Jason lives in Orange County and he normally takes I-5 to go home.  He was willing to go out of his way, drive an additional 1.5 hrs. to bring us Jayson's medication so we didn't have to stay another minute at the hospital. He jokingly told us he was doing it because we fed him some lumpia. Either those were VERY delicious lumpia or Jason was just being humble. I know it's because he has a great big heart. With this simple act, he gave Jayson the gift of more time to spend at home. Thank you Jason for being a blessing to us.