Today is “weaning” day…hopefully Chuck will be taken off the respirator. The boy looks a mess … he’s doped, swollen from all the fluids they’ve pumped into his body, and tubed out the wahzoo. The tubes are protruding from almost every orifice in his body: one up his nose, one in his mouth, an arterial line, a central line, three tubes in his back draining fluid, and two in the front which collect the blood produced during the breaking of his bones to straighten his spine. The blood is cleaned and pumped back into his body … amazing. I am happy to report he looks better each day. I'm anxious see how he's improved over the night. Oh, and there is the hair issue. It's a bit greasy ... so I've spiked it ... a little something for my amusement. He'll never know.

Concerns: his blood pressure is a bit low which prevents the doctors from fully knocking the boy out. Pray his blood pressure comes up and stabilizes … oh for a day or two of perfect, peaceful sleep! Please pray that the hardware stays securely in place.

Please say a pray of thanksgiving for Chuck and Mary (my wonderful in-laws). They've been great through this whole thing! Oh yes, I left Debbie off of my prayer list yesterday. She's the nurse who called me each hour from the O.R. to update me... BIG prayer of thanksgiving for her. She was such a comfort ... and used words I could understand ... like "the stuff in his spinal cord"... rather than the clinical terms.

We feel so fortunate.