Please Pray For My Family

I realize that not everyone who checks my blog has Facebook. I've been keeping regular updates on Facebook, but thought I'd better send out a request for prayer here as well.

For eight weeks, my uncle has been battling all kinds of health issues. Initially he presented with stroke like symptoms. When that was ruled out in our local hospital, he was transferred to one with more specialists, about an hour away. Since that time, he has had a biopsy, been diagnosed with Lymphoma in his brain, gone through one round of Chemo and experienced more stroke like symptoms (the tumors are putting pressure on his brain, causing paralysis of the right side of his body). I cannot even try to keep everything straight or in chronological order, but after that first round of Chemo, he was sent to a rehab facility in our home town. Soon after, he contracted pneumonia. While there, his heart went out of rhythm and they had to shock his heart. The local hospital released him back to rehab, while he still had pneumonia.

The following week, he returned to the hospital across the mountain to start round two of Chemo, was told his platelet counts were too low, and sent back to the rehab center. You can only imagine the intense disappointment that was for everyone. My uncle had two days there, then was taken to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, we were hoping for another plan or course of action. They confirmed that his current doctors were doing exactly what they'd do and encouraged the family to seek treatment near home and their support system. In the middle of hurricane rains, they returned that evening to the rehab center. Shortly after, my uncle began to have a seizure. His wife and children and several others were there when it happened and it was frightening for everyone. He was taken to our local ER and about four hours later, they transported him back over the mountain to his neurologist. My dad, cousin, aunt and I spent the night there in the waiting room, hoping for answers to come...

Since Thursday night, very little has changed. My uncle is on a vent and has a feeding tube. He was slightly responsive (opening his eyes part way, crying, squeezing with his left hand) on Saturday. I went in to sing to him on Saturday night and got a few hand squeezes and a few tears, but little else. I sat with him for four hours on Sunday morning and they transported him into a chair to sit. Still, he only opened his eyes for about ten minutes.

Please pray for our family. I love each one and I know I am blessed to be a part of a family that loves and cares as we do. We sure have our "warts" and times that we drive each other "batty," but when it's all said and done, we are there for each other. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon and we need to pace ourselves. I am trying to stay overnight tonight at the hospital so my aunt and sister (she flew in for the week to lend her hands and heart) can get a room and rest up. I don't mind doing it, but losing several nights' sleep in a week will wear on anyone. I hope that several of us can do this so that my aunt can get her rest. Since the doctors are attending to my uncle, I feel that my aunt is my first concern. We place drinks in her hand, take her down to the cafeteria to eat and say, "You are going to go sleep tonight." That is where our focus needs to be. She has always taken care of everyone else and doesn't even know how to care for herself. She needs us to do that for her and it is our honor to do so!

Also, I want to say how touched I am to see the bond between my dad and his sister (my aunt). For the past decade or so, God has strengthened their friendship and I believe they are best friends. It is a powerful and touching thing to witness the care he gives to her. He has been by her side every day or every other day since this nightmare began. I thank God for His faithfulness and provision in this realm. My dad has literally held his sister in his arms when she could no longer stand. Precious provision, the very hands of Jesus reaching out to her through my dad. I have seen him rise up and be stronger in these eight weeks than maybe ever before. God is up to something big and I continue to ask Him for His will to be done. He knows the prayers that have been prayed and He hears every one...I know He will carry each one, come what may!