Cathy's dad may be dying

Jerry called Cathy with news that dad (Al) was very, very sick. He was told to say his last goodbye's to his dad over the phone. We called Georgia for more information.

Dad's medication was causing a breathing problem, so they took him off the medication. Last night, he started having problems again and hallucinated. The nurse providing hospice care for dad (her name is Pam) spoke with the doctor. It seems that the cancer had returned in the last two months and spread to his liver. Dad's liver is releasing chemicals that is causing the rest of his body to shut down.

The hospital thinks he has between 24 to 48 hours left to live. If this is the end, we will know soon.

Up until yesterday, dad was ambulatory and in full possession of his mental faculties. The nurse says he is not in any pain (morphine and something else), but he is no longer responsive, either. We do not know if he is conscious or not. Jerry, Cathy, and I were given a chance to tell dad that we love him over the phone.

I was not expecting this. Two days ago, when we got in touch with Sandra, we prayed and just expected dad to recover and eventually get his voice back. I was waiting to talk to him when he could answer instead of just listen.

We are still praying for his recovery, selfishly. Certainly, Al would be received into heaven with joy and celebration, but I would rather he live here for a few more decades.

Sandra was upset at us as she never received our voicemails and answering machine messages. Whatever misunderstanding there may be between us and Sandra (dad's wife), God has seen to it that we have a tender heart toward Sandra. Last night, Cathy kept waking up with feelings of anxiety and panic, with the thought that I was dying. She would see me snoring and go back to sleep, and it would happen again. During these attacks, Cathy thought, "What am I going to do? My other half is dying!" This happened through the night. Cathy thinks this is God's way of helping her relate and sympathize with Sandra.

Please pray for:

• God's will, whether he restores Al again or takes him home
• Comfort and grace for Al's family
• Protection and stability for Al's church (where he pastors) as the new pastor take over his responsibilities

Cathy's dad still sick, Georgia uncertain

We've been calling Georgia to check on Cathy's dad. The last time got to speak with either Al or Sandra was Sunday, August 9th! I've left messages on the answering machine at church and their home, and Cathy left messages on Sandra's cell phone, but we just couldn't get in touch.

However, Cathy's sister-in-law, Tracy, called the nurse, who then gave the phone to Sandra, and got this bit of news: Cathy's dad is having some difficulty with the treatment, which caused him to lose his voice again as his throat is swollen, so he can't speak. *sigh* Cathy was then able to call Sandra.

Somewhere along the way, someone told Cathy that they hospital thinks he has very little time left, maybe a month or so. Dad's church, and Sandra, is taking it on faith that God will continue to have mercy upon him. We are hoping and praying for his healing. We still remember his miraculous recovery in August and January.

Prior to dad's stroke, though, he sat down with Sandra and discussed having someone take over the church in his stead should he no longer be available. So, the church will go on, and it has adjusted to dad's absence, waiting for his return.

This affects our Georgia plans in some ways. A year ago in November, Al had asked me to go to Georgia and work by his side so he could train me as his replacement. It seems he may have had to turn the church over to someone who is available now. So it seems we may not be serving at Cathy's dad's church after all.

I'm OK with that; the well being of the church is far more important than my desire to serve in any one particular location. If dad has appointed someone else to head the church, then I think it would be best if I were not around, for even a perceived challenge for authority could be bad for the church.

Unfortunately, I cannot speak with him right now, and do not wish to burden him while he is ill. I've all but decided to let the entire matter go quietly. I plan to tell both Al & Sandra that I understand and respect their decision and will continue to pray for his complete recovery.

We have spent the last year planning to move to Georgia, so if the transfer comes through we may still go. Unless I have misunderstood Cathy's dad's wishes, we'll stay away from the church to avoid causing problems.

Cathy's dad, Al, is recovering

OK, here's the latest (and probably last mass email) on Cathy's dad. The short version is that he is recovering very well and will not have any surgeries done. He does have problems with his leg that will take some physical therapy, though.

The longer version is that they did managed to get a CT scan and determined a few things: dad's bleeding was healing and he would be OK, the bleeding was caused by blood pressure rather than a blow to the head, and dad's left leg is numb because of the bleeding instead of his head.

Dad's much more himself now. He's still quite frustrated with being in the hospital and just speaking takes effort, but Cathy and I got to speak with him on Sunday.

It turns out that it was his left leg (somehow I got the impression of right leg). Al has difficulty moving it but feeling has returned fully. The physical therapy started today.

I've had time to think and wonder, and I asked many times my medically-inclined friends if we overreacted when dad was whisked to the hospital. The answer has consistently been, "no." Given what we know now about his condition, dad's recovery is remarkably unlikely. And, given the expectation of the hospital staff (that he would die any second) it is not only amazing he is alive but that he is able to converse with those who love him. They are now quite certain of his full recovery; quite a reversal. Like I said, I would like medical charts as proof for future reference.

I would appreciate your prayers for Al in the coming days. Also, please pray for us as we decide what to do next and when to do it. We have set tentative firm dates for going out to Georgia... the dates are flexible to a degree, but we'll be there before Winter if I have my way. Please pray for guidance and provision. Thank you.

Cathy's dad is in the hospital

At about 6:30 we heard from Cathy's sister that her dad, Al, is in the hospital. He has two hemorrhages applying pressure on his brain. At first they were just holding him there while waiting for a surgeon to relieve the pressure. From the first call we were told that it does not look good.

Cathy's dad is on a ventilator and they are trying to control his blood pressure.

Each passing minute makes his recovery less likely. He might lose some sight, movement, or worse, although it is possible that most if not all complications would be mitigated by relieving pressure on his brain.

About 8:30 PM we heard he was being airlifted as a surgeon became available. There will be an examination and possibly surgery.

About 10:45 PM our time they were at the destination, but I don't know how long they were there before we heard. I haven't heard anything since. We've been praying and praying, and I hope no news is a good thing at this point, since it probably means they are treating dad right now.

Please pray. I'll be twittering updates as we go and blogging / emailing after a major update.

At this point, we're thinking we'll pack the RV and head out to Georgia, either to help during Al's recovery or to attend his funeral. The doctors are very pessimistic, but this is the same guy that God healed last year. God is good; we'll see how things turn out.

Georgia Demographics and Health Care

Most of you know that I want to move to Georgia and work along side Cathy's dad at church and in the community. The idea is to do this outside of my day job hours... but who knows, maybe I'll win the lottery (I should buy a ticket).

CiteHealth offer a lot of information in one place. It's supposed to be about free information on health care providers, but I found a lot of demographics data about Georgia and a whole lot of other states. Since my father-in-law's church ministers to people who had drug and alcohol problems, it was interesting to see that there are no rehab centers near him. Who knows, maybe CiteHealth doesn't have a complete list.

According to them, Georgia only has 3.6% of the workforce in IT jobs... so maybe if I move I can find a decent job (still hoping for that transfer, though).

Oh, and get this: they give you a Starbucks card for linking back to them about their Health Care Reports. Since I am posting this anyway, I'm getting Cathy some coffee!