A Taste of His Normal Life

It was a busy day for Jayson. He was awake and alert most of the day as he received visits from family members and hospital staff.

At 9:15 he had physical therapy once again.  This time instead of walking, he did some strength exercises. His Physical Therapist had him stand up straight for about a minute next to his bed and then had him sit down. He repeated this exercise about 5 more times trying to stand up for as long as he could. Of course during the entire time his PT was next to him and holding on to his belt when he stood while I stayed on the other side holding to his arms.  Jayson was able to complete the exercises and was able to stand firmly each time.  But he was tired after the session and he was moved to the recliner facing the window. He rested for about 2 hours, squirming around every 20 minutes trying to find a comfortable position.

Cousin Alyssa with a special treat!

While he was on the recliner, my sister, Jannette and her daughter, Alyssa, came by this morning with a gift for Jayson. They were at Disneyland for the past two days on a family vacation and came by with a Disneyland churro for Jayson. This is one of Jayson's favorite treat at Disneyland.  It was about 1.5 ft. long and Jayson smiled as Alyssa presented it to him.  I said he could taste it and I was thinking he was just going to lick the cinnamon sugar, but I should have known better. Jayson put it in his mouth and tried to get a big bite out of it. Of course, I thought he might get too big of a piece and he was not ready to eat to eat solid food. So, I tried to pull it away so he doesn't get a big chunk of it. He was able to get a small piece and the look on his face as he chewed the cinnamon sugar churro was of pure delight. Thank you Tacto family for that very special and delicious gift you gave Jayson.

Trying to get a chunk of a Disneyland churro.

At 11:30, he went back to his bed and slept as much as he did. Around 12:30, my Auntie Luz came by with the Berry Smoothie Jayson had requested the day before along with some hot dog & pizzas for Henry, Mommy Del & I.  I gave Auntie Luz the honor of helping Jayson drink his smoothie, but the smoothie was too thick for Jayson to sip it through the straw. So, I just put some of the smoothie in his mouth using a straw. After his first taste, I could see how much he enjoyed it. He said it was like having a Popsicle. I'm sure the cold smoothie felt good as it went down his throat. After a few more serving, he was satisfied.

Berry Smoothie...Very Refreshing!

At about 1:45 in the afternoon, he was given a bath and his body was examined for bed sores. Luckily the bed sores he already had were healing and no new sores were found.  His skin is still peeling, especially on his back, but they're all looking good. We just have to keep his skin moisturized.


After his bath, Jayson was put on the recliner once again.  He sat there for another 2 hours sleeping now and then while Mommy Del & I watched him. Grandma Lucy & Grandpa came to visit him twice today and spent some time with him as usual. They talked to him, prayed for him, encouraged him and shared their joy at the improvements Jayson was making.

At 5:00 this evening, a couple of ENT doctors came by to check on Jayson once again.  They examined his nose and mouth to make sure he was doing well and there were no new issues. I didn't get a chance to talk to them before they left so I don't know if they found anything to be concerned about. I will have to ask one of his doctors when I see them later.

The only other concern Jayson's doctors have these past few days besides his fever is his liver. It had started to show signs of slight liver failure these past 2 days. It's not as bad as it was 2 weeks ago, but the potential is there, so they are taking some precautionary steps to prevent the liver from getting worst. Please pray that this issue will once again be taken care of.

Henry's sister from Cebu arrived today and came by to visit us here at the hospital.  It's been 3 years since she had last seen us and she'll be here to help us take care of Jayson. She came here along with Henry's other sister, Melissa and her family.  They brought us some Chinese food and the won ton soup Jayson had requested for dinner. Jayson was able to enjoy the warm soup and small pieces of won tons.

It's almost 10:30 right now. Jayson is in bed sleeping.  Henry just walked his mom to the Fisher House for the night and will be back to watch Jayson tonight.  We anticipate it to be a quiet night since Jayson doesn't have any respiratory issues and the nurses will only need to check his vitals every 4 hours instead of every hour. We pray that Jayson has a restful and peaceful night.  Good night until tomorrow.

Lord, thank you again for blessing us with another beautiful day with Jayson.  Thank you for giving him the strength to do his physical therapy, the appetite to want to eat and the courage to endure all that he has. Thank you for the family and friends who continue to encourage us with their words, provide us with food for our bodies and strengthen us with their prayers. We continue to glorify and praise you Lord for who you are and who you'll always be.