Getting Back on Track

Chase seems to be getting back on track over the past couple of days, after having a bit of difficulty getting over what seems to have been a bug of some type. This was the first set-back in terms of his stability in several months and it lasted about a week. Anyhow, we’re pleased to report that he’s breathing well once again, his blood work looks good and his vitals are all very strong. We’re hoping that he keeps this up and can get back to making progress on his way to independence from the ventilator.

We continue to be inspired by all the prayers and support we receive from Chase’s Prayer Warriors around the world, as we….”Bear our Share of Hardship for the Glory of God”. We are constantly reminded that faith is the realization of things hoped for – this is clearly a test of faith and patience which we are continuing to endure. Chase is an inspiration to us all as he, once again, continues to fight and bounce back from all adversity.

Our next prayer service will be on the first Sunday of February (the 4th) from 3-4 pm at the chapel of Holy Name at 630 Harmon St. in Birmingham, MI 48009. Please spread the word for our Prayer Warriors to join us in person or in spirit as we continue to lift Chase on his road to recovery. Thanks for all the love and support!

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann

Chase is Connecting with Carol

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been using a very gifted “intuitive” to help us communicate with Chase. He seems to be very comfortable conveying telepathically his needs and desires as well as how he’s doing with the various treatments. We’re continuing to do everything we can to support Chase in his recovery while keeping him comfortable and “connected”, according to his suggestions. This includes having Barbara sit next to Chase while doing her homework after school and read to him every evening. We also spend about a half hour with him every night for family prayer.

During a recent session, Chase conveyed that he wanted mommy to learn how to “connect” with him with the help of our intuitive. Apparently, he wants her to be able to capture his thoughts in order to write a book that would help other families and children in dealing with these kind of situations. Ironically, for the longest time Carol had an intuition or calling to write a book, but didn’t think it would come so soon. Chase is very excited that she’s receptive to working with him and developing her ability to “connect” in this special way.

In general, things are continuing to go fairly well with Chase’s condition; however, over the last few days he had a terrible bout of diarrhea that has thrown his electrolytes for a loop. Fortunately, we’re on top of it with the experience that we previously gained and we know how to correct the issue. Hopefully, this will be worked out over the weekend and he’ll be back on track next week.

We truly appreciate all the prayers and support for Chase and our whole family.

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara

More Steady Progress

Chase continues to be incredibly stable overall (vitals, bloodwork, etc) and he’s making slow, steady progress. Today, during one of his PT sessions, he was able to move both of his shoulders along with his trunk and he had considerably more movement and strength in his legs. He really seems to be “waking up”. We’re hoping that his progress will continue to accelerate with more immediate signs of his recovery.

Chase is also making more progress toward becoming independent of the ventilator. We met with a very experienced Respiratory Therapist recently who was very impressed with how far we’ve progressed in the weaning process, as Chase is triggering most of his own breaths now. We’re really on track to get him off the automated vent settings during the day – pretty soon, it’ll essentially be the equivalent of only CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). We intend to continue using the vent at night, since he seems to need this support and it also ensures that we all get a better night sleep with the proper alarms in place.

We’re spending more time lately visualizing Chase’s complete recovery after our evening prayers and we believe this is helping. We end our sessions with complete gratitude and confidence that our prayers are being heard and granted by God, as we see Chase responding once again. We truly appreciate all the prayers and support – Chase’s Prayer Warriors are an integral part of his recovery. He couldn’t do it without you!

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara

Prayer Service Update

Since we had a very busy holiday season, with lots of visits from Chase’s Prayer Warriors as well as Christmas Carolers, we decided to delay the next prayer service (normally planned for this Sunday) until the first Sunday in February (the 4th) at 3 pm. We will announce the location in the next couple of weeks.

We’re pleased to report that Chase is continuing to make steady progress. He seems to like the PT sessions that we’ve been doing, so we’re increasing the frequency to 2-3 times per day. He also seems to be really working hard to open his eyes – occasionally he can open them slightly (about 1/3) but his pupils aren’t responding yet. We’re sure that’ll be next in the progression of his recovery. Chase is continuing to trigger most of his own breaths (with some pressure support from the ventilator). We’re developing a more structured protocol to get him completely independent as soon as possible, which he seems to be ready to achieve.

We truly appreciate all the continued prayers and support. There’s no doubt that it’s making all the difference in Chase’s recovery. Please join us in projecting heartfelt gratitude to our Lord for the fact that Chase is still with us and making steady progress. We believe that an attitude of gratitude for the miracle that’s unfolding before our eyes is what we need to accelerate his recovery.

Thanks again and God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara