Another Update On Dad

Well, it's a new day with a good bit more to update since I wrote yesterday. Yesterday felt like a long day for all of us, and I think a big part of that was we spent a lot of time waiting. I guess God is helping us to grow in patience. At the same time, yesterday was a day full of HUGE progress.

Early yesterday morning, as I had previously recounted, Dad was making big steps (and he still is). After we had left his room in the open heart recovery area of the hospital, his doctor came through and approved him to have the balloon pump that was on his legs removed. Then a little later, they took out another tube, and then a chest tube, and then a tube that was going into his neck monitoring pressure in one of his arteries.

By the time we made it in at 2PM, virtually all of the monitoring apparatus, tubes and pumps on his body removed. He had been approved for stepping down, and they said that as early as this morning he should be able to sit in a chair.

He is moving along brilliantly. His blood pressure and breathing are better than most americans'. His pulse is dropping down to a much better level as his body recovers from it's trauma. It was a little higher yesterday in the same manner that ours would be a little high the day after we ran a marathon or the way I felt three years ago after running the Clarksburg 10K.

This is amazing news. And yet, at the same time it was a long day. He was approved for a room early yesterday afternoon. But no rooms are currently available. As of 11.30AM EST Dad is still waiting for a step-down room where he can have regular visitors. Because there are no rooms available, it makes the time go slower. He only gets visitors for 30 minutes every four hours. We only get to spend time with him for 30 minutes every four hours. We are grateful that Dad is alive, and yet at the same time, we've been a little frustrated by our inability to be together with him. Again, God is giving us a great opportunity to work on our patience (as I shared with Dad this morning).

While this waiting has been a minor setback, Dad has made incredible progress and recovery after having his chest opened twice in a 15 hour period. He also had the arteries checked in his neck and found minimal blockage. This is incredible news because we were concerned about the possibility of a stroke when he had his bypass surgery done because we knew there was blockage in the neck, we just didn't know how extensive it was.

Dad is still pretty tired, and during our most recent visitation time, I started talking with him and could see and sense he was tired so I just sat with him while he slept, until I was asked to leave at the end of visitation. Pray for him to continue to gather strength.

Thanks again for following this blog, my twitter, and my facebook. I'm amazed at how fast word can travel through the internet, and I've received encouragement from friends in many faraway places. I just got back from talking to dad, and told him that the folks serving Nuru in Kenya, as well as my friend's family's church in India have been praying for him, as well as you and many of your friends wherever you are. I'm humbled by your interceding on behalf of our family.