Please No Visitors

Thanks for all the love and support that has already been demonstrated to my parents.

Yesterday, Sunday, mom and dad were blessed with a lot of visitors, friends & family – but it ended up being way to much for him. With their permission, we’d like to communicate that mom and dad love the cards and prayers but we’d like to limit the visits to immediate family and pastor/elder for now. He is just so weak. He wants to visit but his strength is being sapped out of him. Hopefully soon we can put the word out to stop by – but for now he needs to rest and get better – or at least quit getting worse!

Benji (my son) and I went up to see dad this afternoon. Ben stayed in the family waiting room with my sister while I went in. Mom and my sister were in the waiting room taking a break for about 10 to 15 minutes when we got there. I went over to dad's room and as I entered his eyes were big, face all red and his arms were moving about. He looked terrible. I tried to get him to tell me what was wrong - but he was panicking. They had a breathing c-pap machine on and he got claustrophobic. His room couldn't be closer to the nurses desk - but they had no idea what was going on with him. Mom felt terrible when she got there. Feeling like she had abandoned him. We got the machine off, cooled him down and then he was okay. It was HARD to see him like that. He then spent the next 20 minutes trying to cough and clear his airway. He is unable to generate a good cough. He tries and tries. They had to push up on his abdomen when he coughs to help him. His arms are still weak but he is able to move them, although not high enough to wipe his mouth, or even lay on his stomach. He can't use his legs at all right now. He is completely bed ridden. They try to have him sit up in a special chair for a few hours each day - it takes four people to move him over and back because he is unable to help at all.

So why am I giving the world this personal information about dad. 1 - he doesn't know I am! 2 - so you understand the desperate need for prayers and 3 - why we are asking for no visitors at this time.

Our pastor on Sunday said "God wants us to get to the Point when praying" so here are the points to pray for:

• the biopsy results to come back with a definite answer
• for the doctors to know how to treat dad
• for the nurses to have a special measure of compassion and patience
• for mom to feel peace and be able to rest when she leaves his side
• for dad to remain calm, be able to articulate his needs and to begin to get better or just get completely healed

Thanks for checking in. Thanks for praying for my folks. ~ cheryl