Friday Evening - A Josiah Update

Hello All

Just a brief note. Josiah has had a pretty good week, but seems to have picked up a bit of a bug here over the last couple of days. He had a trach change today and such, but right now the doctor feels Josiah has a common trachea infection that most trach patients get. If that's the case, Josiah will be able to get over it without antibiotics - nice. Encouragingly, Marie says Josiah looked better as the day carried on. Thankfully he hasn't need a boost of oxygen (still on room air), and his ventilator rates were increased only slightly to help him out.

Just so our visitors know, we have moved out of the big common room in TCU and have move to one of the side isolation rooms. Life there is so-far, so-good. It's hard being a little more out of sight of the nurses and really hard that we can interact with the other patients as well, but the there is a little more privacy offered in this setup.

Marie and I are planning to move into our condo next week Thursday. Josiah will then be joining us five days later - YAY!!

Something you can be praying for: most of you know that's a nursing shortage anywhere you look, and the same is true of community home care nursing. We have a few solid potentials lined up to take care of Josiah when he gets home, but they have to wait for ventilator training which takes place mid-May. As it is now, Marie and I will be providing all of Josiah's care for 2+ weeks at home without any 'nurse breaks'. There may be one nurse who could come in for short periods, but we'll have to see.

So as you pray for Josiah to get better, please pray that 1) Marie and I will have the energy and wits to care for Josiah in the coming month, and that we'll all be kept safe and healthy, and 2) that we'll receive the nursing we need throughout the year.

In 'Yay God!' news we unexpectedly received disability financial assistance for the past year: a very welcome surprise news indeed!

In Joy & Anticipation
- Andrew, Marie & Josiah