Continuing to Believe in Miracles and Praying for Chase to Receive One!

Our little trooper, Chase, seems to be bouncing back once again. His bloodwork today was the best it’s been in several months and he’s been incredibly stable since we got back home from the hospital. Chase’s breathing has also been improving – he’s nearly back to where he was when we were weaning him off the ventilator. His edema (swelling) has also gone down considerably, which is very noticeable all over his body; hopefully this is occurring inside of his head as well, which seems to be the case since he is showing several signs of improvement.

Chase still hasn’t been responsive though and we’re praying vigilantly for an Easter miracle (or sooner)! We’ve been watching movies lately and reading books describing other miracles to continually reminding ourselves that they happen every day – why not for Chase?! This Wednesday (3/28), a priest from the Saint Pio foundation will be visiting to pray over Chase and he’ll be bringing some very special relics as well. Please join us in fasting and praying on that day – we’re expecting the Sacrament of the Sick to be administered at around 12-1 pm EST.

We know that God is the ultimate healer and we are all (including St. Pio) only instruments of His divine will. We’re doing our best to keep the faith and believe that we will be rewarded for our devotion and patience. Our next prayer service will be held at Holy Name on Sunday, April 1st at 3 pm in the main church – since it is Palm Sunday, a prayer service had already been planned during this holy hour. We truly appreciate all the support and blessings Chase’s Prayer Warriors are continually sending him – Praise the Lord!

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann

God Will Have the Final Say in Chase’s Outcome

After several days of receiving IV antibiotics, Chase’s bloodwork stabilized again, including a significant increase in hemoglobin. We were able to get Chase back home yesterday, although he’s still not responding other than doing some of the breathing over the ventilator.

Nevertheless, as we’re being encouraged by so many of Chase’s Prayer Warriors, we’re keeping the faith and believing that all things are possible with God – there is no order of magnitude in miracles and this will certainly be a major one. We certainly could’ve stopped the struggle to recovery without being discharged from the hospital; however, our faith has carried us this far and we believe that God will have the final say. We appreciate all the Prayer Warriors continuing to support Chase in this journey. We’re planning another prayer service on the first Sunday in April at 3 pm – more details to follow.

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann

Preparing to Abandon Chase into the Arms of God

Thanks to all who participated in our prayer service for Chase last week, in person or in spirit. He really needed the boost – as we conveyed to those who attended, we were most concerned about his bloodwork. His hemoglobin had dropped to critically low levels and after trying all the natural remedies we could without success, we decided it was time for a transfusion again. We know from experience (twice in the past year) that Chase tends to respond well to transfusions and usually returns to stability for several months. However, this time after receiving one unit of blood, his hemoglobin still wasn’t as high as we had hoped and his potassium dropped to a critically low level as well which was baffling his doctors.

We investigated our options and eventually had Chase transferred to the ICU at St. John’s hospital in Harper Woods. Fortunately, they were very proficient at diagnosing the underlying root cause as a blood infection (sepsis). We started IV antibiotics yesterday and Chase seems to be responding quite well – after another unit of blood and IV potassium, his bloodwork seems to be stabilizing once again. He’ll need to remain under close monitoring in the ICU for at least a couple more days as they further analyze the blood cultures and refine the antibiotics to target the specific bacteria.

The bigger concern is the result of the MRI that was taken to ensure that Chase didn’t have a brain hemorrhage since they suspected he had been losing blood with the low hemoglobin. The good news was that he did not appear to have any significant hemorrhage or seizures; however, it did not provide good news overall relative to the condition of Chase’s cortex. Although it wasn’t as bad as his Neurosurgeon had predicted (it wasn’t completely dissolved, indicating brain death), it was severely compressed due to extensive edema (swelling) as well as a layer of fluid around the perimeter of the brain that seems to be blood byproducts. Once we confirmed that the blood infection was the root cause of our immediate concerns, it also seemed to explain these issues. We’re praying that the response to the IV antibiotics will be to enable the edema to subside and the fluid around the brain to be resorbed providing more room for his cortex and other areas of the brain (while somehow miraculously avoiding any permanent brain damage).

After receiving the impressions from the Radiologist and Neurosurgeon, we are struggling with holding onto our hope and fearing the need to make some critical decisions soon. There is no doubt that the only thing that will enable Chase to pull through all of this is a total miracle – thus we are completely abandoning him into the arms of God. We know that ALL things are possible through divine intervention and we certainly don’t want to put any limitations on God. We are continuing to hold Chase in faith and invoke the healing power of Jesus – please join us in this prayerful intention. Thanks for all your support and prayers. We need all the strength we can get during this trying time.

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann

Upcoming Prayer Service

Our prayer services are normally scheduled on the first Sunday of the month. However, the person who has been organizing these services and receiving messages from Our Lady of Emmitsburg has asked that this month’s service be postponed to the following Sunday – March 11 at 3 pm. Unfortunately, we have some conflicts with Barbara’s activity schedule that we’re trying to work out (final swim meet of the season and Brownies) so Carol will not be able to attend this service. It’s going to be held at the new chapel of St. Anastasia parish at 4571 John R Road in Troy, Phone: (248) 689-8380. We want to continue including intentions for all sick children, so please forward any prayer requests.

Chase is really low on energy this week, after another rollercoaster ride with electrolyte imbalances. Something along the way caused his magnesium to be elevated and resulted in hyper-reflexia where he seemed to be having spasms all over his body. Fortunately, we were able to diagnose the condition and treat it fairly quickly. The good news was that this provided an indication of nerve function in his limbs and all over his body; however, after 24 hours of spasms, it has left him completely depleted. We’re praying that he regains his energy soon so that he can resume responding with movements in his legs, trunk, shoulders, etc.

Thanks to all Chase’s Prayer Warriors for helping us to keep the faith and continue to believe in this miracle. We’re remaining vigilant in our prayers while invoking the will of God and His infinite mercy. Please spread the word about the upcoming prayer service and our need for continued prayers.

God Bless!!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann