We stand in awe today of God and his grace in giving Jesse a miraculous recovery over the last few days. This morning began with the return of Jesse's surgeon, Dr. Mitchell from Texas. Dr. Mitchell was completely unaware of Jesse's circumstances that occurred Friday and over the weekend, because he left town Thursday night for a funeral. This morning he received the old message from Friday of Jesse's cardiac arrest and told us that he was worried in thinking that little Jesse had died. Friday morning Jesse had gone through 45 minutes of CPR that was unsuccessful in starting his heart, and was put on a life support machine called ECMO. Dr. Mitchell didn't know what to expect as he came into the hospital and was very surprised to see Jesse and learn that he was off ECMO and doing so well. He said it was unbelievable that Jesse had come through this so well and said "God has really blessed Jesse because the majority of children in this kind of situation do not survive".
A few nurses were also here this morning who hadn't been here since Friday and had last seen Jesse put on life support. You should have seen all their smiles and tears as they saw him today still alive and his heart functioning on its own. One nurse said she and her little girl had prayed for Jesse all weekend and had been afraid to call and see what happened. She was so excited to see the answer to their prayers.
Later this morning Jesse's chest was closed once again, this time with staples. Just before and during the procedure we were having a hymn sing and prayer with 2 other families with children with heart problems. We were singing in the hallway leading to the CICU, and Dr. Mitchell said he could hear the music all the way back in the care unit, and said "Let them sing!" The closing of the chest was a fairly simple procedure, but at the end was complicated by Jesse's sensitivity to medications which sent his blood pressure falling extremely quickly. His heart did not completely stop, but Dr. Mitchell initiated CPR while administering epinephrine, and in 3 minutes his heart was functioning again, and has been relatively stable through the rest of the afternoon. We were thankful that Dr. Mitchell had returned this morning and performed the procedure himself. Praise the Lord!
This evening Jesse is getting his first feeding since being here - through a tube in his nose at a rate of 1cc per hour. (There are 30cc's in 1 ounce.) We pray that his stomach tolerates the food well, and he will start getting stronger.
We continue to give thanks to God for his mercy and protection.
Love,
Kristan and Chad
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am so thankful for the work that God is doing in Colorado. Great is thy faithfulness, O GOD! I will continue to pray. I have 2 candles lit: one for Jesse and one for my father-in-law.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates.
Lots of love,
Lori
Praying!
ReplyDeleteDeb B. (homeschool mom) --Iliff,CO
Praise the Lord for the good news and His faithfulness to you in these days. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Thanks for the updates.
ReplyDeleteDan and Beth (in Sterling)
WOW!! God is good.
ReplyDeleteWords cannot express our gratitude to the Lord for His continued intervention on Jesse's behalf, but our hearts are soaring in praise. We continue to pray for Jesse, and for you, Chad and Kristan, without ceasing. We are also lifting Kim in our prayers this morning - that her flight would be uneventful, that she will feel as though she's soaring beneath God's wings where there's no room for fear!
ReplyDeletePsalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. ...4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
love, Twila
It's good to be back home in Sterling -- but hard to be so far away from Jesse.... My thanks go out to Brenda, Andrea, Vivian, Rick and Karen for taking such good care of Emil and making it possible for me to be away so long!
ReplyDeleteGrandma Mari
Sorry Glenda!!! Emil just read my posting and asked who "Brenda" was. I think I'm still half asleep. THANKS again, Glenda.
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Mari
Again, tears and emotions over how amazing our God is and how you have faithfully trusted him. What a testimony!! Love and continued prayers to all of you...the Clevengers
ReplyDeleteDear Chad and Kristan,
ReplyDeleteAgain, the Lord has shown His greatness!! All of us are praising the Lord and singing hallelujah! Jesus Christ is always there, sometimes He's holding our hand and sometimes (when the times are dark) He's carrying us through. Your faithfulness through this dark time will give you a chance to share and praise God's glory in the light to be a wonderful testimony for Jesus Christ. We are continuing to pray for Jesse's healing and strength for the whole family. May all of you get some good rest also. Isaiah 41:13 says " For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."
Praise the Lord for all the great things He has done. We leave with this song written, words and music, by Ira F. Stanphill "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow"
I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said;
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
Ev'ry step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter;
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining;
There no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.
I don't know about tomorrow
It may bring me poverty;
But the One who feeds the sparrow
Is the One who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His Blood.
Refrain
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.
May God continue to show His greatness and love and bless all of you.
Love,
The Dirks Family
Jesse and you all are in my prayers!
ReplyDeleteWith love,
Mattie Trautman
njHi Kristan and Chad, I have been checking on Jesse`s progress today and I`m guessing no news is good news! Hope all is going well! Love Judy
ReplyDeleteChad and Kristan,
ReplyDeleteJust read your update from Monday and we are so thankful that Jesse's heart is working on its own. God is good!
We are praying for all of you every day.
Love The Schaefers
Jim, Lisa, Allison, and Ryan