Morning report:

It is so good to see Chuck! Aside from looking like a crazed hermit (scraggly beard and long finger nails), he looks beautiful. His HUGE bruise (the hematoma) is gone; and two of his abdominal wounds are healed (one more to go)!

He is no longer running a fever. Whew! He is tolerating a "trickle" of gut nourishment. Of course, one of the FIRST things he wanted when I arrived was ... a popsicle. Cautiously, they are still rationing his intake of ice chips and popsicles.

I'm not sure about his lungs ... will talk to Dr. Taylor later today. Chuck gets very anxious when off the ventilator. His body handles it fine, and he could probably go for an hour ... but he gets too panicky. Please pray for this specific issue. He must do better off the vent before he can get food, liquids, etc. Any tips for keeping him calm? I tried to think back to my "terrified-of-flying-days." The only thing that ever really took care of that was becoming a believer. Suddenly, I was healed of my irrational, yet paralyzing fear. Please pray for Chuck to be freed from his fear.