Patched Up

Three positive developments:
1. They patched up his chest this morning and he did just fine--this is his biggest victory yet!

2. He was on 14 different meds dripping into him continuously and is now down to 11. He is totally off the meds that paralyze him; so he wiggles around a little, slightly opens his eyes and sticks out his tongue (I told him he better respect his parents!). The med most crucial to reduce is nitric, and that is now at its lowest level. Ya know, in a way, I find it a bit more difficult now that he's not totally snowed on meds because when he manages to slightly crack open his eyelids and look at me I feel like he is saying "Dad--what is going on? Help me...". But I know he isn't feeling anything, and he certainly won't remember. Shannon really likes seeing him a bit responsive, though, so that is great.

3. He just looks better (though not for any medical reason, but it makes us feel good).

Another cool thing--I've received quite a few emails and a couple blog replies that people have been praying Psalm 118 for Grant before I ever posted about it (see blog entry "Proclaimer" for background). Take, for example, this email from "Carla" (names have been changed to protect the guilty) who has been praying for Grant; she writes:

Confirmation - I prayed that same Psalm for Grant - that he would live and not die and proclaim what God has done.

Or our friend who posted the following:

I was with a group of friends last night and someone read that verse from Psalm 118. I immediately thought of Grant. I even remember thinking "I need to email that verse to Jim... tell him it's for his son."

Grant is probably a solid 7 right now (on the 1-10 scale), so while that is certainly better, he is still fighting to live. But we're almost past this stage of the journey. Then our attention will shift to praying Grant has a full recovery so he can grow up to be a robust, active, healthy whipper-snapper. It is possible that we may find ourselves there by the end of the weekend.