Update Sunday July 1

I'm delayed in posting the updates, will catch up today. They are all written by my brother.

Update July 1

More good news today, I am happy to share. My Mom continues her upward trend.  We have now seen her more than 48 hours after her surgery, and the "getting worse before she gets better" has not happened - thank God. All of our hopes and prayers are that the surgeons removed this infection that was affecting her ability to heal, and that she has now been given the green light to continue to get better.  I do have a bit of trepidation and each morning want to have faith that she will continue to improve, but there is still fear there too.

I spoke with the head of the ICU this morning as she was making her rounds with her residents.  She told me that the update was basically that my Mom was doing better.  Her white cell count had been high and
dropped back down to about 13,000 which was good.  They hoped that it would drop a little bit more, but it has stabilized, and it may stay there, as she just underwent surgery (she also continues to not run a
fever).  I understand from when she was in Vero that 11,000 is normal (it had gone up to 22,000 and then 31,000 then back to 22,000), but I'm not sure if that's correct.  They discussed whether to move her to a normal hospital room today, and decided to give it one more day - so again, that is a step in the right direction, moving to a regular
hospital room.

There appears to be a bit of uncertainty about whether the esophagus can indeed be sewn up if it doesn't heal, as it wasn't sewn up immediately after the injury, and whether the right time to have her do the "swallow
test" which shows if there is still a tear is this Friday or a bit later.  In any event, let's keep praying that this won't be an issue- that whenever she does the test, her esophagus and body will be fully healed.

My Mom is now breathing on room air, which again is another good sign of moving in the right direction.  The nurses are having her sit in a chair for short periods of time and start to use her muscles again.  They will
also need to help her do basic things like go to the bathroom - basically, get the bodily functions working again.  The doctors will
need to assess putting in a feeding tube as well, and how her body reacts when they stop/ decrease antibiotics will also be important items.

Diana and I also had the chance to go to church at Riverside Baptist Church, our church when we lived in Miami.  The sermon message was on the Holy Spirit and how when Jesus went away, he said that he would send "one like" him, a comforter.  The comforter that Diana and I want and
that we all want to have, to feel and know things are going to be ok. We met with old family friends from Miami at church, the Jakoby family, and had the privilege of having lunch with them.  Bob Jakoby is head of the chaplain services for the Baptist Hospital system here; the point of mentioning his profession is simply to say that God seems to be putting the appropriate people in our paths, to comfort and reassure us. Sometimes holding on to fear can be comforting, and actually the scary part is releasing your fear, ironically.

We were also able to visit our mother together this afternoon, as friends from Vero came by to watch baby Nico while we went in to talk with our Mom.  She is certainly alert enough to ask about Nico- Diana
has joked that she won't be able to get Nico out of her arms when she recovers!  And then we were able to enjoy a Cuban-themed meal and walk around Bayside (a close mall from here, in downtown Miami) and just get
some sun and fresh air, which is important for us as we will be here until at least Friday.

To read of the impact that one woman can have on the lives of children and their families is humbling and inspiring, as I read the emails wishing her well from people that knew her as a Sunday School and preschool teacher in Miami 30 years ago, to those that know her as a Sunday school teacher today. It certainly helps me appreciate what a
special woman that she is, and why everyone cares for her so much.  The stories of the encouragement that she has shown others are very special to me.  I know that is in her blood, it is a part of who she is.

Please continue to pray regarding:
Praise God for the healing that has taken place so far and the skill of
the doctors and surgeons
Continued fighting off of infection and protection from any infection,
through my mom's efforts and God's hand moving specifically
Full healing of the tear in her esophagus
Her body to start working again as the nurses and doctors help her -
muscles, breathing without oxygen, going to the bathroom, etc
Baby Nico, Diana and I to stay healthy as we are in the hospital a lot
Peace for Diana and I - for the Comforter

Thank you

Russell