One Day at a Time...

We first want to apologize for the delay in this post but we are sure you are just as busy as we are. Jared is each day making progress in rebuilding his strength, we couldn't have imagined how difficult and tedious the rebuilding process would be. But Jared is determined and that makes all the difference. All of his levels are looking great and he should start the next round of chemo in the following days.

We would like for you to pray specifically for a battle Jared is in currently. The doctors currently have Jared on a detox from the pain medicines he has been taking. His body is physically addicted to these drugs and Jared needs to break this addiction. This is very, very difficult (we stress, very difficult) and causes Jared to have anxiety and panic attacks among other things. Please pray that in the next few days Jared would begin to see a breakthrough in this time of detox and also that the Lord will comfort and put great peace on him during this time. This detox is very instrumental in Jared's moving forward and his body being as healthy as possible for what lies ahead.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. And as always we are overwhelmed by your prayer support for Jared.

Coming out of the fog

Sorry that it has been a few days since the last blog but we were vacationing in the Carribean. Just kidding. Time gets away from though in some regards it seems to move slowly. Jared has been over a week out of ICU and he is a little clearer and stronger each day. His goal for the end of the week was to stand on his feet however he did that on Mon. afternoon so Dr. Davis asked him what he would do on Friday? The reality of his present state has been coming clear the past few days and has been overwhelming to him to say the least so please pray for strength and courage in his inner man as well as the body. He does not see how far he has come since a month ago but we see daily improvement. We were talking about that this morning. As I was trying to encourage him two different staff people came in and remarked at how good he looked and how well he appeared to be doing. A timely word from the Lord (Prov. 25:11). The chemo. and radiation appear to be keeping things in check. The goal now is to rebuild Jared's strength for a bone marrow transplant. Dr. Davis has been talking with Baylor-Dallas about Jared which would be great especially logistically but we will do whatever. Let me brag on Christina for a second. She is the most amazing young lady. Over these past months she has met all the challenges and obstacles head on, not flinching but going right at it. I don't know that many young women her age could do it. We thank the Lord everyday for her and for the gift she is to Jared an us.(Prov.18:22) Thanks for all the love and support.

...A Step In The Right Direction !!

...Jared left ICU on Monday afternoon......YEAH !!! He is back on the Oncology floor and making progress everyday !! The chest tube is out, he is now eating on his own(nachos yesterday) and his days are full of activities ! He is doing physical therapy a couple times a day, getting up in the chair, breathing treatments, and going for radiation treatments and crossword puzzles and......March Madness !!!! His levels are looking OK and the main thing now is to get him up walking and getting stronger !! We are still asking for no visitors at this time, Jared is just dealing with a lot and getting back up on his feet quickly is very important. We don't have any information on the bone morrow transplant at this time but we know it is right around the corner and he needs to be in the best shape possible for that !! Christina has been on spring break this week so that was good timing ! We continue to stay focused and believe God to move on Jared's behalf. Please continue to pray for his strength to be renewed....and ours too !!

...out of my devotional yesterday.... Lord, you are more reliable than the ground I stand on and your faithfulness is more than I can comprehend. Thank you for hearing my voice and rescuing me when I cry to you. When I am shaken, you steady me. When I am in trouble, you save me. Amen.

Dianne

A Big Turn Around...

Jared had a few really bad days on Thursday and Friday but had a big turn around on Saturday, which was a huge miracle(we cannot stress to you enough what a miracle it really was), and he was able to get off the ventilator. Thank you Lord!! He is very, very weak but his breathing is really good and he is resting quite soundly.

Please pray for strength as Jared begins to get up and going this week, even the simplest task like sitting up in a chair, takes a lot out of Jared. Please continue to pray that his levels will normalize and he will gain strength each day. We are not quite sure what this week holds for Jared but we will keep you posted.

E-mails to Jared

If any one would like to e-mail Jared, you can do it following these steps. The nurse will get them and read them to him. Probably brief greetings and thoughts (nothing to lengthy) would be great.
1. Go to Texas Health Resources web site.
2. Go to online services, open to "send patient e-mail."
3. Send your message to Harris HEB hospital.

...the best part of my day !!!

Just wanted to give you all a quick update. Jared has been in ICU two weeks today. He started some breathing test yesterday to begin the process to get him off the vent tube and has done well with them. He has been up twice in the "chair" (not the kind we sit in) and it was a little hard for him but he hung in there for about an hour each time. All of his levels remain low...still waiting...infection/fever are the things we want to pray against at this time. Again they want to see his levels come up before they take him completely off the vent. He asked for some DVDs to watch today and they gave the OK for that and he also can have music playing in his room !! He has been taken off some of his sedation medication and that is a good thing but he can also get a little anxious at times. It is a tough road ahead but we are all pressing through. When they asked him if he wanted to get back up in the "chair" again today he wrote"whatever it takes to get out of here"....and seeing that fighting spirit come through... was the best part of my day! Thanks again for all you do for us !
Dianne

......still waiting..........

...We are still in that forever place of "waiting" !!!! All of Jared's levels, white/red counts and platelets remain low due to the chemo treatments and until they start moving everything is on hold. Getting the vent tube and chest tube out depend on his levels. He is getting blood/platelets off and on. One GOOD thing is that he has not had any fevers. He is awake for small amounts of time through out the day and wanting to write to try and tell us something but his handwriting is not all that great and we are not the best at guessing what he is trying to say ! Again the main thing right now is seeing his levels move up. Due to his low level counts we are asking for no visitors at this time, it is just to big of a risk for him right now. Thanks for understanding !! If you could join with us and pray that Jared could be at rest and peace during this time we would appreciate it. It seems like every time he opens his eyes its a new world and we are constantly reminding him of where he is and what is going on but it is extremely frustrating and frightening to him at times.
...We remain HOPEFUL that any day now we will see things begin to turn around for Jared !!
Thanks for all that you do for us !!
Dianne