Monday Morning - A Josiah Update

Good Morning World

I just off the phone with Marie who is in Vancouver (I'm still in Abbotsford until this evening). She was able to have a conversation with the doctors this morning during rounds, and the first thing they are going to do is some work with cardiology - check that there's nothing wrong with Josiah's heart (ie. the frequent brady-s). If nothing new is discovered there, they will probably extubate/re-intubate Josiah later this evening. PLEASE PRAY THAT IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH JOSIAH'S HEART THAT THE DOCTORS WILL DISCOVER IT AND KNOW HOW TO RESPOND.

PLEASE PRAY FOR EXTUBATION/RE-INTUBATION PROCEDURE AND FOR JOSIAH'S SAFETY THROUGHOUT. There is always a risk of something going wrong when a breathing tube is removed, especially since Josiah has such a narrow trachea. The doctors will give Josiah a cuff-less tube, but that does come with some concerns since a cuff prevents secretions from entering the lungs which can lead to pneumonia. PLEASE PRAY THAT JOSIAH WILL BE PROTECTED FROM ILLNESS, INFECTION AND ALL COMPLICATIONS FROM BEING ON A RESPIRATOR. I'm not sure if the doctors are planning to give Josiah a few minutes to try breathing on his own or not, but I'll be checking in with Marie later. Hopefully I can have another blog up in the afternoon to provide more details and more specific prayer requests.

So, please continually pray for Josiah's healing. As parents we find ourselves in the 'second-guessing' stage where we are wondering if it's best to take the risk of an extubation/re-intubation with a cuff-less tube. We are convinced that Josiah has not be able to progress at all with this current tube (over a week now), but it's so hard and scary because there are risks in either direction (let him be or change it for him). And so we're forced back to trusting God ...

For the last few days I've been singing the same lyrics over and over again with Bono-like intensity:
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold onto
I'm still waiting
(U2, Red Hill Mining Town)

I sing it as a cry-out to God, not sure how Bono sung it though.

Last week my parents brought Josiah a very special gift. My Grandma Haak died when I was in high school and I didn't know until now that she - in foresight - had prepared three infant outfits for her first three great-grandchildren before she succumbed to sickness. Looking back, it's clear to me that God must have been behind her working and prompted her to do what she did. She left behind 3 outfits, 2 for boys and 1 for a girl. The firstborns of my Grandma's first three grandchildren are the beneficiaries of these gifts (myself, my brother Mike, and my cousin Rick). Mike had a baby girl 2 years ago, and Rick and I had baby boys this year. A perfect fit and match. Again, I perceive this all as a stroke of God's perfect timing and way, a huge encouragement to me that God knows what he's doing even in these bleak times. I cried a lot (twice actually) when I saw the outfit and found out what Grandma had done. It was very very moving and it is very very special to me. I love my Grandma. She was (is) one of the most incredible women I have ever known.

Shoot. I'm crying again.

In God's Hands.
- Andrew, Marie & Josiah