Update: Well, it turns out that Jake's trachea, which should have been the diameter of about a quarter was only the diameter of a drinking straw! Think about that! As I said in the earlier post, no wonder he felt like he couldn't breathe...he couldn't! I blooped, though, (is bloop a verb?...oh, well, it is now) on writing that the damage was due to tracheotomies... remember, we thought he was going to have to have a tracheotomy, but he never did. Duh! The damage was from the ventilator--probably due to a combination of the amount of time he had to have it in and the fact that it had to be reinserted after the initial removal. Anyway, the good news is that the Lord was taking care of Jake this week! It turns out that the nurse he had at Tri-City Hospital was an energetic spit-fire who has three kids of her own and whose husband is quadraplegic, so she is very familiar with the specific needs of those with spinal cord injuries, and she was able to give Jake the care he needed with genuine concern, skill and dignity. Then, the EMT driver of the ambulance Jake took from Tri-City to UCSD turned out to be a Fallbrook High alum and former classmate of Travis, so there was immediate rapport and sense of familiarity there! Then Jake got in to a fully booked, cutting-edge hospital the day before a long holiday weekend and was treated by one of the premiere laser surgeons in the county. This laser specialist who performed Jake's procedure at UCSD turned out to be a great guy who was so impressed with Jake's demeanor and intellect that he has invited Jake back to shadow him as part of Jake's pre-medical training! And, as it turned out, the surgeon's friend's teenage son also suffered a spinal cord injury similar to Jake's, so he, too, had first-hand familiarity with SCI patients and their unique needs, and was able to speak words of hope to Jake and Laurie based on this other boy's recovery! (I hope that the specific, detailed and somewhat impossible way that Jake's needs were met is blowing you away...cause it's blowing me away!) Praise You, Lord for your specific, detailed intervention in Jake's life! Truly, this is a weekend for thanksgiving!
Jake will need to go in for one or possibly two more throat surgeries during the next month. Most likely, he will need to have another laser surgery performed, and he may need to have a temporary stent placed in his trachea for about a month or so to prevent scar tissue build up, and to help the area heal properly. If he requires a stent, that will then necessitate special breathing treatments 3 to 4 times a day and a special follow-up procedure in addition to removal of the stent at the end of the time period. So, please pray that the laser surgery will be successful and adequate for Jake's healing, so that he doesn't have to undergo the extra procedures.
Annoucement: Tonight our varsity Warriors football team will be facing Escondido High School at Escondido in the quarterfinals of the CIF play-offs, so please pray the Lord's protection, blessing and supernatural intervention over our boys, and please don your red & white and come down to support them from the stands. Kick-off is at 7:00 p.m. Also, please join the team and their families back at the Hukilau after the game for appetizers and Prep Pigskin Report. John Toma has decided to open the Hukilau for the team and the community after each of the Warriors' play-off games, win or (dare I say it) lose, so that we may continue to celebrate and share the memories together right to the very end. (He will be offering a condensed, appetizer-only menu.)
Also, please join the team and the community in congratulating Coach Joe Silvey on being awarded the North County Coach of the Year Award! Yeah, Coach!
Prayer: Dear Lord, we come to You today amazed and grateful for your specific care and provision in Jake's life. We thank You that He is in your heart, and that You never take your eyes off him. Please continue to do your works of grace--in him, to him and through him--that You will be magnified and glorified here on Earth. And Lord, we thank You for Coach Silvey, our coaching staff and our Warrior boys. We thank You that You have lifted them up and blessed them this season, and that You have used our football team as a rallying point for Jake and our community, so that love and unity abound. What a privilege! Please guard over our team tonight and bless them in every way. We thank You for your goodness and grace. Amen.
"The Lord watches over all who love Him...My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD." Psalm 145:20, 21
