An Update from the ICU

So we have an answer to all this madness. Adenovirus Pneumonia is its name. Respiratory distress is it’s game.

So Adenovirus is a nasty virus that can be really severe in all kids. Adam seems to have gotten a pretty tough run of it. The best treatment for it is time…let it pass and respiratory support along with managing the fever spikes. So they are taking him off of all the antibiotics except what he is still receiving for the osteomyelitis. He is also on a ventilator right now at a low setting…mainly to receive cpap (continuous positive airway pressure).

The infectious disease doctors say that he may get worse before he gets better…meaning he may require more extensive respiratory support than he is receiving right now. He also may continue to spike really high fevers before he improves.

So we are thankful to have an answer to this chaos…a little nervous for what the next few days may look like for him respiratory wise…but mostly filled with gratitude and peace that the God who spoke Light into existence is the Maker of Adam and knows all the details of his complicated, unformed body. He has begun the good work in Adam and will be faithful to bring it to completion.

I don’t know that Adam has ever been this sick. He has had a lot of complicated surgeries and difficult recoveries but never an acute infection this bad. We are thankful for amazing care at CHOP and thousands of prayers from all of you.

Also, another amazing gift is that my mom is in town this week! She has graciously extended her flight home to Friday instead of Wednesday to help us out. I work a few shifts this week and next week and having her here will definitely help balancing work/adam/home with elliot and rohan. Another gift is that Raja is not taking classes this summer. We went back and forth on whether or not he should for a while…I am really really thankful we decided not to. So we have 3.5 months of him being home full time so that makes this a lot less stressful.

Main prayer right now: That Adam’s lungs clear up, the virus flees, and that he can sleep. He is having a hard time sleeping with being on the ventilator. But I don’t see him healing very quickly without resting. So pray that he can sleep and breathe and heal;) As always, thank you.

 

 

 

 

As far as life at home…Elliot and Rohan are doing their thing…carrying on as wild ones do. Elliot asks about Adam and wants to see him and we stop what we are doing throughout the day and pray for him. It is pretty amazing to see the impact of Adam’s life on Elliot and Rohan’s. Though they are fierce little boys and can be particularly naughty at times…there is fierce compassion in them and Elliot things of things eternal a lot of times.

 

For example, the other night on the couch he was touching Adam’s hands then looking at his own. Elliot said “Adam doesn’t have fingers like me”

I responded “thats true, elliot”

Elliot: “but one day He will”

I responded “when?”

Elliot: “after this place when He goes to Jesus”

 

HE has surely placed eternity in the hearts of all. May we have ears to hear His voice today. I remember fretting about having more children after Adam…I would imagine worst case scenarios and assumed Adam would only bring them “issues” and problems and jealousy. In reality, their brotherhood has surpassed my expectations and become breathtakingly beautiful. Elliot wants to sleep with Adam, pray for Adam, talk about Adam, and just hang out with him all day. And rohan is starting to do the same…touching Adam softly, kissing him on the head, etc.

I reckon hospital hallways aren’t anyone’s goals for their children. Just as we do not have goals of pain, hardship, or suffering for our children. But the thing is, all of the above exist. Hospitals, pain, and suffering. There are shadow lands all over this earth. And while we are here on our pilgrim way, instead of keeping our children as far as possible from the shadowed places, let us walk with them thru it hand in hand. Is it not better to let them know of it now, while we are by their sides…rather than later when they are grown and on their own? For surely they will walk thru shadowed places. Let us teach them that He who said “let there by Light” is with them every step of the way. And no shadow can squelch His Light and Goodness and Mercy and Truth.

Because even though this world is shadowed and hard at times…we are not alone.

Let there be Light.

Light is often intertwined with darkness, this side of Heaven. As Sally Lloyd Jones of says, our Father is making all the bad things come untrue. He is saying again and again “let there be Light”. Let us profess to our children that they are not alone. For the Maker of the Heavens is on their side thru all the shadowed places until we reach glory.

The video below is from earlier this week when Adam was feeling a lot better. Just a day at the park laughing at who knows what;))