Moved by God's Music

Deacon Noel prays over Jayson.

I talked to Jayson's ICU doctor after their rounds and she went over Jayson's current situation and the plan for the day.

She said Jayson's liver continues to improve slightly and they will keep monitoring it. She made it clear to me that Jayson is relying more and more on the oxygen he's getting from the vapotherm machine. She started noticing that the other day. She's concerned that Jayson may have a harder time breathing and may need to go back on the BiPap mask.  If he does go back on the BiPap mask, there's no guarantee that she'll be able to get him off of it. With the BiPap mask besides being more uncomfortable, Jayson will not be able to be fed by mouth and it will be hard for him to speak. So, the quality of life will be diminished. If he remains on the Vapotherm machine, he can be given some medications for pain and anxiety, he'll be able to eat and speak, but he will have a harder time breathing. That's why she said that my husband and I will need to decide what we want to do if Jayson gets to the point of needing the BiPap mask once again.

Tacto and Macaraeg Families

His ICU doctor also recommended that we have family members and close friends visit him while he is able to interact with others. She feels that we may not have many more opportunities to interact with him in a meaningful way. She believes that as time passes, Jayson will get more and more confuse and less alert. She encouraged us to talk to him as much as we can while he's alert and interactive.  This is very difficult to think about, let alone live through.  Although we would like to allow as many of his family and friends to spend time with Jayson, we just can't. Due to the possible very limited time we have with him, his time needs to be spent with those he's close to, who've been active and present in his life, especially these past few years and who are important to him.  We want Jayson to help decide who he wants to see and spend time with. So, please understand our situation. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but at this time, Jayson's feelings and desire is our main priority. You can feel free to contact me to ask if you can come and I will ask Jayson and my husband.

During our discussion, I told his doctor that we often ask Jayson if he's in any pain and his answer is usually "no". I also told her that we would let his nurses know if he is in pain. One point that his doctor told me that Jayson may have built a high tolerance for pain. So, even if he lets us know he's not feeling any pain, he may actually be in pain and just doesn't realize it.  I already know that Jayson has a high pain tolerance level.  I've seen what he's been through these past 2 years. He's been able to handle all the procedures and treatments courageously without complaining. I've been told by others who've gone through chemo or know of patients who have had chemo that the treatment or side-effects can be painful or at least very uncomfortable. The way Jayson has dealt with these cancers has just been very remarkable and admirable.

Remarkable and admirable, these are just two ways Jayson's been described by others. He has gained admiration from young and old, friends and strangers, believers and non-believers. The way he has faced this challenge in his life has been inspiring, especially for those who know him personally.

With Esther and her mom

Today, Jayson received many visitors.  Based on his positive reaction to their visits, it is obvious to see these visitors are dear to him. In the morning, his friend from Westview, Esther, came over with her mom.  Jayson had quickly responded to her voice and was able to interact with her, mostly through gestures. Esther and her mom could not help keep the tears away. Jayson and Esther have been close friends since middle school and despite our move to Murrieta; they stayed close and kept in touch.

Thank you to the Macaraeg family for bringing Jayson one of his favorite meals...KFC Famous bowl! He had this for a late lunch.

YFC South Riverside Brothers & Sisters

Cutie Pies from YFC San Diego

Our move to Murrieta brought new friends in Jayson's life.  For these past 6 months, he was active in the Youth For Christ ministry in South Riverside.  His involvement with this ministry was the catalyst in his spiritual development and growth.  Through this ministry, we witnessed Jayson share his testimony with other teens. We've seen him become more prayerful and content with life despite his battle with cancer.  We've also watch him develop relevant friendships with the other teens in the YFC.  It's beautiful to watch a group of teenagers who are dedicated to God and who openly and passionately worship and praise their King and Heavenly Father. This is what they did during their visit. We had a group of teens from the Murrieta/Temecula area and another group from San Diego.  Each group sang beautiful songs with and to Jayson. I'd like to share a video of the South Riverside YFC friends singing with Jayson.  We were very amazed at Jayson's reaction to God's music. He continues to worship God from his bed.