Elijah Update (May 10)

Dear Friends,

Great News Today! God has healed Elijah to the point were the doctors and nurses were able to remove his ventilator today. Aunt Heather (Joel's sister) and Uncle Scott were here today to witness the great event. We are so excited and Elijah is looking great. Everyone who comes in to check on him comments how great he looks.

Dad and mom were both gone for this great event. Mom was back in Ness working at the Flower Shop, and Dad was at a continuing education class here in Wichita. Aunt and Uncle Seratte from Lawrence, Kansas, baby-sat for a couple hours. They were a great help and allowed dad to take this class. Heather and Scott called both of us to let us know that he had been extabated. It was a grand event, and I'm sure there was much hoop and hollering.

Elijah's cough is very raspy, and he still doesn't cry more than a very small squeak. But at least he is able to make some noise now. I expect it will take several days before he will do much vocal crying.

It is just amazing how happy and healthy he looks. Praise God for such a great miracle. God has been so faithful in holding us and strengthening Elijah through this process. A nurse calls Elijah "The World's Toughest Baby." Of course we know that he is so only by the grace of God.

Another tube was extabated during the writing of this e-mail.(many e-mails take hours from start to finish) I was helping a nurse move Elijah up in his crib as we changed his diaper and his bedding. When we had finished I noticed that his left chest tube was just laying in his crib no longer attached to Elijah. Medically, in my mind, Elijah needs his left chest tube more than he needs his right chest tube at this point. So I pray and ask you to pray also that God will use this for Elijah's good - to heal him and not to harm him. Our little boy is sleeping on his side now, looking so very comfortable and content. He is chewing/sucking on his hand and seems to be very much at peace.

Elijah had three more visitors today. I wish we had extended this invitation to come and pray a long time ago. Thanks Trish, Alan and Angie. Oh yes, thank you Aunt Heather and Uncle Scott, too.

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May 11: (Judy speaking now)

I was able to make it back last night after working several busy, busy days. I know that Joel had wanted me to get rest, but that did not happen with Mothers Day around the corner. It was great to see Elijah with all the swelling down and the ventilator out of the room. It makes it much easier to kiss his sweet head.

During the night we received a call that made our hearts drop. Our nurse called the Ronald McDonald House and the manager wanted to know if she could leave us a message. The nurse said: "NO, you go up and knock on their door and wake them up!" Sometimes we wonder... They were concerned about Elijah's breathing and wanted permission to re-intibate him (to put him back on the vent.) if they had no other options. After about ten minutes I called back to see how Elijah was doing, and they said that he was resting well without a need for the ventilator. Praise the Lord! This morning we arrived to find him on something called CPAP. Our Respiratory Therapist (RT) explained it as the feeling you get when you put your head out the car window when it is going fast. This is to help his lungs get used to breathing again and help him take deep breaths.

For a few hours they were concerned again that he would need to go back on the vent.

It is now 4 p.m. and the doctors think they know what the problem might be. His chest x-ray showed alot of "white" on his left side (the side the tube slid out of last night). This could be one of two things...

1. The left side is full of fluid
2. Elijah has a collapsed lung and therefore the lung does not even show up on the xray.

After a radiologist reading of the xray and an ultrasound to be sure. It was discovered that Elijah' s lung has collapsed. He is now getting some "aggressive" respiratory care. The RT is "pounding" his chest with a thing that looks like the end of a plunger. This helps to break up any mucus in the chest. He will then "deep suction" his lungs to get this out. Please pray with us that this clears up this problem quickly.

Elijah sure has put up with a lot!

Today we received some more visits. Thank you, Sharon Entwistle, for getting your classmates here to pray. Go RVA Class of 90! The prayers over our son have been amazing! We feel Gods presence! Thank you. We have appreciated everyone who has come, prayed, sent cards, sent food, whatever you have done for us we are so grateful!

Joel and I are getting to know our doctors and nurses way too well. We know about their families, their children, their dogs, their travels, what books they read... The list goes on!

Well, you know that you have been in the hospital a long time when... you begin to know Phlebotomists (people who draw Elijah's blood) by name and recognize them in the halls. Today we had a super sweet girl (who tells us hi wherever we see her!) who said that everyone in the lab was celebrating yesterday when they heard that Elijah was off the ventilator! She shared a wonderful story of her nephew and how no one thought he would live. He is alive now and is 7 years old. She said, "Never give up hope!"

Elijah's message to the world is "Never give up hope!"

Please continue to pray for Elijah.

JJ and Super E