Where There is Life, There is Hope!
Where There is Life, There is Hope! This comment, among many that we have received since Chase’s most recent setback rings continually in my mind. Despite the somewhat forceful suggestions that we received from the conventional medical practitioners that we are at the “end of the road” and should use the care of hospice, we’re keeping our faith as strong as ever that Chase will be healed and we’re already being rewarded.
Chase has started responding again, a little at a time. Yesterday he seemed to move a couple of his fingers ever so slightly and repeated it when I noticed and asked him to do it again. Today, he was even more responsive, moving his left toes and foot as well as the fingers on his left hand and his right shoulder and forearm (which is something he would’ve struggled to do a couple of weeks ago). Chase’s heartrate has remained stable for the past two days and he quickly got over his fever (within a day of it starting).
Although he hasn’t been able to open his eyes yet, he’s clearly indicating his cognition and presence. This is extremely encouraging since the improvements have happened so quickly after this setback due to the bleeding inside of his tumor. We are thrilled with our decision to stay the course and we’re pushing for the opportunity to take Chase back home with a ventilator so that he can get back on track with his recovery. We’re hoping that this can happen early this week, as soon as we can arrange for the ventilator to be provided and to be adequately trained on it.
Once again, we see some blessings in this recent turn of events. First of all, with the help of a ventilator, Chase’s body does not have to work so hard to maintain his O2 levels – prior to the vent, his respirations were extremely frequent and shallow (30-50 per minute), which meant that he was expending a lot of energy that we would prefer him to utilize in fighting the tumor. He was also very reluctant to get outside and around (probably due to embarrassment) – now we’ll be getting a specially designed wheelchair and a portable vent that will enable us to take him for walks to get fresh air, sunshine, etc. which we believe will help in his recovery.
The vent will also necessitate the help of a respiratory therapist, which is actually quite welcomed so that we can get some occasional breaks (we very rarely ever get to leave together and this should enable an occasional “date”). The additional set of hands will also be a big relief even when we are around to help with things like getting Chase washed up, exercised, etc.
One of the main sources of our inspiration through this most recent challenge is a relative of Saint Padre Pio. Over the past few months, we received several references to St. Pio (who we had never heard of) from various sources. One of the recent reference was a real eye-opener: in a book about the extraordinary life of Pope John Paul II, it mentioned that when he was asked to pray for someone back home in Poland who had a terminal condition that was very urgent, he sent the prayer request to Padre Pio who he had a very high regard for and the person had a very quick “spontaneous remission”. It struck me that if that’s who the Holy Father turned to for help with prayers in a time of need, we ought to consider it.
But even this wasn’t enough to keep our attention on accepting this help of intercession, until St. Pio’s relative contacted us after having heard about Chase and told us that she is praying for him (another Prayer Warrior) and sent us some St. Pio’s prayer cards. Then we began reading about the story of Padre Pio which is truly amazing, and the prayers that he suggests are incredibly moving, particularly the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he used incessantly to pray for anyone seeking his help. www.padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=prayers
Ironically, this is essentially the same set of prayers that we were requested to use in preparation for our upcoming prayer healing service for Chase, http://www.latinmass.bravepages.com/infant_jesus_of_prague.htm Thus, we welcome any / all of Chase’s Prayer Warriors to join us in using these prayers, as we reverently ask for Divine Intervention to provide a spontaneous remission and finally remove this burden from Chase, who has bravely carried this cross for over a year. Thanks again for all your support and God Bless!
Love and gratitude,
John & Carol
Chase & Barbara Ann
Chase has started responding again, a little at a time. Yesterday he seemed to move a couple of his fingers ever so slightly and repeated it when I noticed and asked him to do it again. Today, he was even more responsive, moving his left toes and foot as well as the fingers on his left hand and his right shoulder and forearm (which is something he would’ve struggled to do a couple of weeks ago). Chase’s heartrate has remained stable for the past two days and he quickly got over his fever (within a day of it starting).
Although he hasn’t been able to open his eyes yet, he’s clearly indicating his cognition and presence. This is extremely encouraging since the improvements have happened so quickly after this setback due to the bleeding inside of his tumor. We are thrilled with our decision to stay the course and we’re pushing for the opportunity to take Chase back home with a ventilator so that he can get back on track with his recovery. We’re hoping that this can happen early this week, as soon as we can arrange for the ventilator to be provided and to be adequately trained on it.
Once again, we see some blessings in this recent turn of events. First of all, with the help of a ventilator, Chase’s body does not have to work so hard to maintain his O2 levels – prior to the vent, his respirations were extremely frequent and shallow (30-50 per minute), which meant that he was expending a lot of energy that we would prefer him to utilize in fighting the tumor. He was also very reluctant to get outside and around (probably due to embarrassment) – now we’ll be getting a specially designed wheelchair and a portable vent that will enable us to take him for walks to get fresh air, sunshine, etc. which we believe will help in his recovery.
The vent will also necessitate the help of a respiratory therapist, which is actually quite welcomed so that we can get some occasional breaks (we very rarely ever get to leave together and this should enable an occasional “date”). The additional set of hands will also be a big relief even when we are around to help with things like getting Chase washed up, exercised, etc.
One of the main sources of our inspiration through this most recent challenge is a relative of Saint Padre Pio. Over the past few months, we received several references to St. Pio (who we had never heard of) from various sources. One of the recent reference was a real eye-opener: in a book about the extraordinary life of Pope John Paul II, it mentioned that when he was asked to pray for someone back home in Poland who had a terminal condition that was very urgent, he sent the prayer request to Padre Pio who he had a very high regard for and the person had a very quick “spontaneous remission”. It struck me that if that’s who the Holy Father turned to for help with prayers in a time of need, we ought to consider it.
But even this wasn’t enough to keep our attention on accepting this help of intercession, until St. Pio’s relative contacted us after having heard about Chase and told us that she is praying for him (another Prayer Warrior) and sent us some St. Pio’s prayer cards. Then we began reading about the story of Padre Pio which is truly amazing, and the prayers that he suggests are incredibly moving, particularly the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he used incessantly to pray for anyone seeking his help. www.padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=prayers
Ironically, this is essentially the same set of prayers that we were requested to use in preparation for our upcoming prayer healing service for Chase, http://www.latinmass.bravepages.com/infant_jesus_of_prague.htm Thus, we welcome any / all of Chase’s Prayer Warriors to join us in using these prayers, as we reverently ask for Divine Intervention to provide a spontaneous remission and finally remove this burden from Chase, who has bravely carried this cross for over a year. Thanks again for all your support and God Bless!
Love and gratitude,
John & Carol
Chase & Barbara Ann
posted by John & Carol Sammut at 9:15 PM
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