Determination

John had another good day according to his nurse.  He was able to taste a couple of popsicles during the day.  Erin and nurse Julie gave him a shampoo and bath on the bed.  His lungs sound better so the Jiggle Jacket therapy was ordered to be stretched out to 6 hrs going forward.  Respiratory Therapy will continue as long as he is laying down for most of the day and not able to cough on his own.  Therapy will probably stop once he is able to get up and move around.  He was able to sit and hold his head up on his own for a significant amount of time.  He showed a lot of determination in coloring today.
 

He wanted to keep going even when he could no longer hold his head up so he was propped up with various pillows.

Even when his head continued to slump and he could barely keep his eyes above level of the paper, he was determined to finish his drawing for his buddy.  It is that kind of determination that is going to get him through this.

 

Jason and Erin's friends have continued to contact me with encouraging words and support to pass along.  Tonight I received this photo of the very moment John and the rest of the Rowland family first met.

(Jason on left in red, Erin holding John on right, Joe in yellow, Kate next to Joe, Erin's mom behind Erin in blue)

Prayer Requests:

- Jason's mom to be able to move to Denver temporarily.  She is planning for the move this weekend and to arrive in Denver by Sunday afternoon as long as her husband's boss says okay tomorrow

- John to continue to make significant steps in body strength so that he can start getting up and moving around

- stamina for Jason and Erin to keep juggling hospital, work and home life

Jason's Posts

Facebook posts by Jason throughout the day:

"Since my sister Shawna is leaving today, I went home to get one last uninterrupted nights sleep while I could. Instead of going to office, I really wanted to go see John at hospital this morning. He started asking for a tea party because that's what the speech therapist was tempting him with for the swallow test. I leaned over and was in the middle of giving him a hug when he lifted up his little arm and squeezed my neck. I miss him so much."

"Speech therapist. No swallowing but good tongue movement. Lots of suctioning"

"Erin sent this to me a few hours ago. "Really using neck muscles to play angry birds"  "

"I just broke the rules. I secretly kissed john on the cheek without my mask. Don't tell."

Uninterrupted Sleep

John had quite the full day yesterday.  After all the coloring, playing, and smiling, the Physical Therapist had come in and helped John up to a standing position.  She had to brace his knees, but he was actually putting a little pressure on his legs.  He needs to continue to do exercises that will strengthen his head.  She also suggested playing games on the iPad that are just out of reach, forcing him to stretch out his arms and strengthen his core.

Since John's first night in the PICU, he has been going through a barrage of tests and therapy treatments around the clock.  Just to name a few:

1) Respiratory therapy (Jiggle Jacket) every 4 hours for about 20 minutes at a time  
2) Oxygen assessments every few hours to see if he was able to come off the mask
3) Neuro checks every 1 hour, when he was first admitted, that involved turning on the room lights, shining a light into his eyes, checking his temperature and waking him up to see if he could squeeze their hand and kick
4) Early morning chest x-rays, sometime between 4:30-5:30am, which involves lowering his bed, removing the leads on his chest, rolling in a large machine with one arm hovering over his chest and one that gets slide underneath him
5) A blood draw every morning, also sometime between 4:30-5:30am, where he needs to be held still

Not the best setup for a restful night of sleep, but John has somewhat gotten used to PICU overnights because he is able to sleep through blood pressure alarms, the obnoxious IV alarm, nurses checking, switching, or flushing out his lines.  Mainly now, it is the hour after an assessment or therapy treatment that he is the most agitated. 

But yesterday's good day continued into the night.  The staff was hoping he was so tired out from the day's activities that he would sleep.  Since he can be off the oxygen mask for a significant period of time now, oxygen assessments were scaled back to every 12 hours.  However, the big news yesterday was no Jiggle Jacket during the night and neuro checks were going to be stretched out to every 4 hours.  They never came to do his chest x-ray and it is unclear if it was to allow him to keep sleeping or if it was because his lungs have improved enough that it warranted the x-ray to be cancelled.  Either way, John was less agitated and able to get some solid hours of sleep in last night to help with his recovery.  This gives peace of mind to the family as tonight begins a rotating crew of overnight volunteers.   

Jason's mom and sister, Joanne and Shawna, return to California this morning.  It is a strong possibility that Joanne's work will allow her to temporarily move to Denver.  We are hoping to find out later this evening.  If she is, she will try to return by this Sunday evening and ideally she will work out of Jason and Erin's home and help with driving the kids during the day.  There are a lot of logistics involved if she were allowed to move to Denver temporarily and a very short amount of time to get things done.  Joanne had moved out to LA to help with Shawna's family, so it would mean for Shawna's family to do their own shuffling of schedules and caretakers.  Also, Joanne would need all her work equipment and files packed up, flown out and setup before Monday morning.

Prayer Requests:
- more restful and uninterrupted nights for John
- more significant steps in his recovery where assessments are scaled back further and further apart
- Jason's mom and sister to have peace of mind with John's care as they leave Denver this morning
- Jason's mom to be able to temporarily move to Denver, returning this Sunday evening, relieving the family of the dreaded gap in extended family help
- all the big and small details that will be involved with Joanne's potential move to be taken care of smoothly and quickly

Celebration

John had a rough night, but that in itself is a good sign.  They are told that as he gets better, his nights will get worse.  But today has been a great day and cause for much celebration. 

Erin brought in his Playdoh, crayons and coloring supplies as suggested by the Occupational Therapist yesterday and John spent time doing both, working on his hand and arm muscles.  Um, anyone notice something different with these pictures???  John is no longer on the oxygen mask!!!  It was confirmed yesterday that the oxygen mask was needed because of his pneumonia and not because of brain function.  

Jason was at work today when Erin texted him this photo right at the very moment he was wanting to see his boy's smile.  I think his Facebook post says it all: "A smile!!! I'm leaving work to go see my baby "RIGHT NOW!" as John would say."

I was just joking around with Jason, but I am going to post it anyway.  If you have ever been in Jason's home or have been around when he pulls up in his van, the guy likes to blast his music.  He gets all into it and sings at the top of his lungs in worship.  Well today while waiting for the big kids, he got the loud bass to work with their Swagger Wagon's Bluetooth so he started blasting David Crowder's "I Am Holding Onto You."  Today is indeed a day to celebrate with the Rowland's and it seems fitting to put their last family photo taken on Easter Sunday.

Prayer Requests:
- continued positive signs in recovery and reasons to celebrate     
- roller coaster of emotion and continued separation from the older kids for almost the entire day
- agitated nights and seamless transition from Shawna to volunteers
- critical transition period from extended family to outside help this next week as Jason's mom and sister leave town tomorrow morning and the rest of the extended family will be leaving on Sunday
 

An Agitated Night

An update from Jason's sister, Shawna:

"John's rough day continued into the night.  He was very agitated and could not sleep.  He got mad at us quite a bit, which is a positive sign that he continues to get better.  However, I also learned tonight that often the nights are rough during this period of recovery.  Jason isn't getting much sleep (although he is currently snoring, same as john!) so it will become important for him to have company at night.  

John's alarms kept going off tonight do to the position of his leg.  He keeps wanting to curl up tightly, but we need his leg straight to get the lines clear.  He fought us on it and was generally very fussy from 12:50AM to 4:49AM when he fell asleep again out of sheer exhaustion.  We have delayed the next Jiggle Jacket/Respiratory Therapy (RT) to coincide with the X-ray schedule.  I am hoping he will sleep through both of them.

It's now 5:10AM and he slept through three more alarms and us moving him by lifting the sheets.  So far we haven't found that sweet spot to stop the alarms.  Throughout the agitation tonight his blood pressure remained steady which was also a good sign!"

One Week

One week ago this sweet photo was taken right before John was wheeled back into his 7:30 AM surgery.

Stand With Us

Facebook post from Jason:

"I have had friends with seriously ill children. It made me uncomfortable when I saw them because I wanted to encourage them but didn't know what I could say that would. I want to give you permission to visit us and say nothing at all. It is comforting to just stand next to us and mourn with us. It is comforting when you just watch john sleep. You can't really say the wrong thing. Just be there with us in the midst of our pain."

Overwhelming

Jason and Erin cannot begin to express their deep gratitude to the outpouring of love and offers of support from all around the country.  They are overwhelmed, speechless, and humbled.  It is quite obvious this family has touched the lives of many and they are deeply loved.

I would like to try to give some guidance with your support so that we can be more efficient with our planning time as well as protect Jason and Erin's time so they are not on their phones texting/emailing trying to respond to everyone contacting them.  

1) Please contact Tina Lin (teen103@gmail.com, 312-371-4195) regarding anything
2) Please do not contact them with questions in general because they will feel the need to take the time to respond. 
3) Instead of asking the questions "How are you doing?" or "How is John doing?", please subscribe to this blog to stay informed
4) Instead of asking "How can I help?" or saying "Let me know how I can help", please take the initiative and be proactive in contacting Tina Lin with your availability and what service you are able to provide

Today was an overwhelming day with medical staff coming in and out of John's room.  I was only inside of his room for a very tiny part of the day, but activity was non-stop.  John was agitated and not feeling well.  Trust needs to be built with the rotating cast of medical staff coming through to care for his various needs.  His daytime nurse, Julie, was in the room the whole time checking and changing out his lines and suctioning out his mouth when it was full of saliva and he started to complain.  The bed was inclined for his assessments and the change in body position helped to loosen some mucous.  He had no fever at that moment so he was wearing a hospital shirt and was able to be covered by both the bedsheet as well his knit blanket.  He is still on an oxygen mask.  He tried watching Word World episodes through it all and the nurse advised it would be time to turn it off if he got restless because it is a sign of over-stimulation.      

Speech Pathologist:
She spent time talking to John and Mr. Bear.  He does try to speak, but her assessment is that his lips and tongue are still weak.  She does not recommend trying to feed him for safety concerns.  On a normal soft palate surgery recovery timeline, John should be able to be eating soft foods like jello by now.  

Occupational Therapist (Rebecca), 1 session/weekday:
Her role is to check small muscles like his hands.  She carefully removed his left wrist brace which is protecting the IV line.  She asked John to play his matchbox cars with her.  He was able to point to the car he wanted when she held them out for him.  He wanted to hold each car with his right hand and he would put them down on the bed.  He was not interested in using his left hand so she put his IV wrist brace back on.  She asked him to pick up each car with his right hand, raise his arm straight up and then put the car in her hand which he repeated to do four times.  He was also able to raise his left arm straight up.  Rebecca asked Erin if she has noticed any deficit in using his hands and she responded that he is getting stronger, he will roll his matchbox cars around, and will clutch and grasp onto her.  His nurse, Julie, agrees his hands are stronger and that he will communicate more of what he wants such as suctioning, moving Mr. Bear, or repositioning a line, but he is still weak overall. Rebecca asked John to sit up without leaning on the inclined bed to check his back and stomach muscles.  She helped him sit up and John was able to do a lot of the movement himself, but his neck muscles are so weak the nurse and therapist had to immediately support his head.  John quickly complained, signaling that he wanted to lean back against the bed.  She suggested to Erin to bring in coloring items and playdoh to work on his hand and arm strength.            

Physical Therapist, 1 session/weekday:
The physical therapist will work with John on larger movements such as sitting up and, as he gets stronger in the future, to work with him on standing and walking.

Daytime nurse (Julie):
John tries to cough, but gets frustrated.  A big concern is his blood pressure and temperature, although not today for temperature.  He is still on IV antibiotics.  He needs to continue to work on his trunk and head strength.  Cognitively he is doing better with his alertness.  One of the goals now is to transition to an oral blood pressure medication.  

Just as the room was about to be quiet for a brief moment, John's IV alarm sounded off so Julie came right back in, re-suited up and checked his lines.  And then it was Jiggle Jacket time.  And later the neurologist would be coming in for an assessment.  This neurologist gave an estimated timeline of two months in the hospital and then he would be able to move back home for in-home care and therapy.

Finally, a moment of rest for the little guy.  Jason went in to the office today for the first time since John's surgery.  It was not productive office time, but it was therapeutic time away.  Some of Jason's own words that he posted on Facebook throughout today:

"My stomach is feeling queezy with the thought of leaving john to go work for a little bit. But since he will be here so long, I have to figure out how to do it."

"We were told today that there is likely to be residual effects from his brain injury. it is most likely what we've already seen, unless there is another event. As an example, it could be that he is sleepy 16hrs a day. They have medicines to help. But we were also told that kids brains are much better equipped to heal from these types of injuries than adults."

"Even though John has been getting nutrition, it doesn't go into his stomach which is how the body feels full. Consequently he has been asking for water, food, and specifically... Cheese quesadilla. He has asked me four times now. A few days ago, after asking if he could have some food, he asked me "are you guys eating?" I told him no because we hadn't eaten yet but it was really bothering me because I lied to him. Since then I've skipped a few meals to experience the hunger with him. I would be thrilled if others would consider fasting and praying for john for one meal and then breaking the fast with a cheese quesadilla and sharing the photo with me."

"John is really uncomfortable with his arm brace protecting the line in his artery. In the middle of his moaning he says "I don't like it." I told him "I know buddy. I don't like it either." John replied "you're not wearing it!" I love this little guy."   

Please make note of the new overnight working visitation shifts that are listed on the Visitation page.  Also, due to the response I am receiving about this, a Financial Support page is under construction, so please pay attention for updates on that page.
  
Prayer Requests:
- John to trust the entire medical staff so they can do their job well
- Jason to wake up refreshed and rested in the morning to be able to have a productive day at the office
- John's body to continue to strengthen in every aspect
- preparation for life after this week when extended family leave which has been stressful to think about
- John to be able to swallow so he can eat and experience fullness again
- for Jason and Erin to be free from guilt: guilt of having the ability to eat, guilt of lying about not eating, guilt about having hopeful signs of John's recovery when families around them in the PICU unit do not, guilt of neglecting their kids, etc   

Big Kids

John has been asking for his buddy, Micah, so they spent time together this afternoon watching VeggieTales. 

Even though they did not get a chance to have a family dinner tonight as planned, the bigger kids still made it to the hospital for a visit this evening.  The photo above was a chance for all the siblings to have time alone together.  The family photo last night of the entire family together in John's room was an exception because of the ICU visitation rules.  The kids have been dealing with John's condition in their own ways.  Joe has been internalizing his feelings, Kelly has been fascinated by the medical aspect of it, while Kate has been very emotional.  They switched John's antibiotics to be administered by syringe instead of by drip to make room on the tree (upper left of sibling photo) for more nutrition lines.     

Prayer Requests:
- for leniency to the number of visitors in John's room so the entire family can have time together
- for the bigger kids to be self-aware of their feelings and to find ways to express them
- for Erin to feel 100% tomorrow
- for Jason to have a productive time away from the hospital tomorrow morning to get work done

Swallow Test

The neurologist came in today to assess John and was pleased with his progress and said he was optimistic for his recovery.  John was noticeably trying to swallow a couple times today so tomorrow's swallow test has been cancelled with no plans to reschedule yet.  He has been alert at times today and able to focus and watch some videos.  He is currently napping.  He needs to wear a Jiggle Jacket every 4 hours for about 20 minutes to loosen the mucus in his lungs.  Erin is feeling a bit better so she will make a quick visit soon. 

Prayer Requests:
- for John to continue to attempt to swallow so that he will not need a feeding tube
- for his body to fight off the Rhino virus and pneumonia quickly
- for the entire Rowland family to find time to be all together again tomorrow 

Worship

This post is for Jason and Erin.  Your family was sorely missed at church this morning.  The front left pew was just so glaringly empty.  Worship seemed so fitting today with these two songs.  My thoughts went straight to you both and your sacrifice as you are living these lyrics out....

                                             I Give Myself Away

[Chorus:]
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me

[Verse 1]
Here I am
Here I stand
Lord, my life is in your hands
Lord, I'm longing to see
Your desires revealed in me
I give myself away

[Verse 2]
Take my heart
Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams all my plans
Lord I place them in your hands

[Bridge]
My life is not my own
To you I belong
I give myself, I give myself to you

Never Once

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Trending Up

A photo of John with his infectious smile last Monday 4/21, the day before his surgery.  

John shows more agitation at night compared to daytime, but last night was a relatively good night.  The only reason John remains in the hospital is because of the volatility of his vital signs.  His fever continues to come and go.  It is unclear if it is linked to his infections or his brain stem.  His blood pressure continues to fluctuate as well.  He is on blood pressure medication, but when his blood pressure is under control, he is taken off the medication to see if his body will regulate on its own.  At this point, he has only been off blood pressure medication for a couple hours at a time.  His body has been unable to regulate blood pressure without medication so he quickly goes back on medication to prevent another dangerous brain bleed.  His surgeon continues to go above and beyond her duties and still visits John regularly.  This is the second worst case of recovery she has ever seen.  John still complains of hunger pains.  He will be taking a swallow test tomorrow which they anticipate he will fail.  If he fails the test, they will put John under and make a small incision in his abdomen to connect a feeding tube that he can go home with, if necessary.  John also complains of being cold.  He had been laying on his bed without clothes and covered by a knit blanket, but because of his fever they have switched out the warm blanket to a thin sheet.  John continues to want to sit up on his own which is a good sign, but his body is so weak that he quickly slumps over in the effort which causes a safety concern when the family is sleeping.  John is also stringing sentences together and problem solving ways to move around.  He is wanting to sit in the chairs his family are sitting in, but because he can't he requests to be pushed around in his bed.  There will be setbacks in his recovery, but overall he is trending upwards.  It is a marathon and not a sprint.  

Jason was able to sleep a few hours at the hospital last night.  Erin is still not feeling well this morning so she will be staying home with the older kids today.                     

Please check the Visitation page for updated visitation guidelines.   

Prayer Requests:
- for Erin's health and for her to feel 100% as soon as possible
- for tomorrow to go seamlessly as they start the week relying on friends and family driving the older kids to and from school, activities, the hospital as well as managing routines like homework, music practice, home job duties, bedtimes, etc
- for stability in John's vital signs and for his body to self-regulate blood pressure
- for John to regain strength so he can safely sit up on his own
- for hunger pains and feelings of cold to subside
- for John to pass his swallow test tomorrow so he will not need to go under and connect to a feeding tube
- for a continued upwards trend in John's recovery
- for the swelling in John's brain to reduce

Take Them A Meal

Normally, only three people are allowed into John's room at a time.  Tonight the head nurse allowed the whole family in so they could resume their evening ritual of reading together.  This is a picture of them reading scripture tonight.  What a beautiful picture.  John sat up twice and asked for his friend and some cars that were brought for him and waved good-bye to family as they left.  A huge continued praise that his memory is in tact.  Jason's sister, Shawna, will be keeping Jason company at the hospital tonight. 

Please visit the "Take Them a Meal" page for more information and to sign up for meal drops.  

Prayer Requests:
- pray for Erin this evening as she went home with a quesy stomach

Planning Ahead

Jason and Erin are extremely touched by the outpouring of prayer, love and support from family and friends both near and far.  

In recovery, there will be setbacks along with improvements and we must celebrate the victories no matter how small they may seem.  Today has been a good day.  John is receiving a fatty protein mixture through IV along with fluids.  He watched a 40 minute episode of Shaun the Sheep and stayed awake through the whole show.  His medical assessment went well this afternoon and they were able to take one of the tubes out of his arm.     

This afternoon, Erin and I sat down to plan for the week ahead.  They have been so reactionary and living hour by hour that being able to plan for the future, even if only through Friday, is another victory.  To maintain as much normalcy as possible for the older kids, they will be attending church tomorrow with Erin's parents and going to school and all other scheduled activities and music lessons this week.  They will also be asked to keep up their home duties of cleaning and feeding their pet turtle and guinea pig.  They will be driven to the hospital almost every night so the whole family can be together for a bedtime reading routine as well as a couple of family dinners at the hospital.  Erin will be spending the entire day at the hospital and sleeping at home for the coming week.  Jason will be spending the nights with John and trying to leave to get work done for a few hours each morning.  Erin's parents will be in town for the week and Jason's mom and sister are scheduled to fly out Wednesday morning.  

Prayer Requests:
- for more good days and more victories in John's recovery           

In His Father's Arms

Jason and Erin have always been conscious of John's history of neglect that they never introduced "time outs" to him.  When discipline was necessary, they did "time ins" - holding him or sitting next to him so he was separated from his current activity, but never separated from them as punishment.  This past week has been excruciating for Jason and Erin to not be able to hold and comfort him, making this photo an exceptionally precious moment.

Prayer Requests:
- for more opportunities to cradle and comfort John
- for a sense of normalcy for the older kids
- for Jason and Erin to not feel guilty when they spend time or thoughts away from John
- for administrative tasks to get organized and planned beyond the current hour and day to provide some stress relief in planning next steps

My yoke is easy and my burden is light

Erin and I went home and slept at home for the first time. I struggled with feelings of guilt leaving him without a parent in the room. I was asleep very quickly and slept well. I woke before my 6am alarm and of course my mind started racing with concern. As I was dressing, the weight of John's situation was becoming very real to me. This verse came to my mind: Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." We adopted out of our love for Jesus and his care for those who have been cast aside. This yoke didn't feel especially easy to bear this morning as I was putting on my shoes and walking out the door to my new life. Or as I cried on my way to the hospital. Or the incredible sadness, reluctance, and yet resolve to push that 3rd floor button. It didn't feel easy as I watched my beautiful boy lay there in bed with drool coming out of his mouth, moaning in discomfort. I am not capable of bearing this burden that I've been given. But after silently crying next to John, he begun to wake up a little. He asked me if I would read to him and in the strongest happiest voice I could muster, I told him "I would love to read to you." As I was reading one book after another, letting him choose each book, He was comforted and I was comforted. I still have my baby. He is still here. He had his stroke while under intense medical scrutiny. It could have been at home. It could have been somewhere where he didn't get help fast enough. He is still with me. Not only do I have him, he is still John. He still has his personality while awake, though it is so hard to see through his exhaustion. If I get him for five minutes or five hours, I WILL rejoice and treasure each moment with him. While we were filling out the paperwork to adopt John, we were asked to fill out a checklist of things that we were willing to consider. The one thing we both agreed that we simply could not do was adopt a child with a mental impairment. Yet here we are. And if this is what is required to be John's daddy, then I embrace it. While thinking clearly, I embrace it with both arms and I embrace it with true joy in my heart. *IF* that is what is required to be his daddy. Upon further reflection, I don't think what we are going through is the yoke I'm being asked to bear. What John is going through is indeed a heavy burden. The yoke I'm being asked to take is trust in God. Trust that my heavenly father cares for John. Trust that Jesus is humble and gentle in heart. Trust that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Trust that He will give us a crown of beauty in exchange for ashes and give us joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair... Please pray that Erin and I take take up His yoke and find rest in Him.

Restlessness

John had a restless night so the doctors reduced his checkups to two hour intervals instead of every hour in hopes that some sleep would reduce his agitation.  His heart rate is still being closely monitored.  It keeps dipping below 80 and they want it to stay within the 80-90 range.  He has been given a nutrient mixture, but he still complains of hunger.  Around 2:30am he was sleeping and they hoped he would sleep for two hours until his next check.

Prayer Requests:
- for John to be able to have deep sleep in between checkups
- for John's heart rate to stay within a healthy range
- for John's hunger pains to subside until they can give him more calories 

Love Notes

Facebook Post by Jason:
"My son John is very ill. If you have met him you will know what happiness he brings to anyone near him. His smile is infectious. His energy is boundless. He has suffered a stroke in a part of his brain that controls his low level functions. This is causing him to sleep nearly all day. His eyes won't focus. He is not himself. He responds to questions and recognizes faces. He just can't keep his eyes open or concentrate for very long. The hope is that the swelling will reduce and he will make a full recovery but we are grieving tremendously and his recovery is very uncertain.  We desperately need your care. I am clinging to the prayer Jesus said before he was betrayed and ultimately crucified on my behalf: “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” "

Joe is staying over at a friend's house tonight.  Kate and Kelly are staying over at a different friend's house tonight.  Jason's sister, Shawna, will be spending the night with John.  Jason and Erin left the hospital to spend the night in the quiet of their home.  Erin's dad, Chuck, will be flying in tomorrow. 

A link called "Love Notes" has been set up.  You'll see the link near the top of the page.  Jason and Erin have full access to this website and will post when they feel up to it.  They will also be able to read every comment you leave, but this page is dedicated for encouraging notes, verses, and prayers for anyone in the family.  I am sure John would love to hear from you!

Prayer Requests:
- for Jason and Erin to process the overwhelming amount of information and uncertainty they have been given in such a short amount of time 
- for Jason and Erin to have space to grieve the loss of what their days were suppose to look like at this point 
- for Jason and Erin to find deep rest tonight
- for a clear positive turn in John's recovery 

Rhino Virus and Pneumonia

It has been confirmed that John has the rhino virus, which is common, so he is being treated for that now.  He also has pneumonia.  After further MRI review, he has a small bleed from a very tiny hole in a malformed vein at his brain stem which could be hereditary.  They suspect this might be why he is still so groggy with floating eyes and unable to sit up.  This behavior is not linked to his viral infections and hopefully will improve.  It is still unknown how long he will be hospitalized.  

Prayer requests:
- for the blood at his brain stem to be reabsorbed and for the swelling to subside 

The Past Four Days

Hello dear friends and family of John and the Rowland family,

This website has been set up as a way to provide updates on John's health.  Just to recap what has taken place this past week...

Tues 4/22: 

At 7:30am, John went in to Rocky Mountain Children's Hospital for his scheduled soft palate surgery.  Surgery went well and he was moved out of recovery into a normal room.  

 
Kate, Joe, and Kelly went for a visit after school.  Erin's mom, Linda, is in town to help.  Erin spent the night with John in the hospital.  They anticipated only one hospital overnight before going home to recover.

Wed 4/23:

Recovery is not going as well as expected.  High blood pressure, low oxygen levels, and lethargic.  They anticipated a second night at the hospital.  Jason spent the night with John.  During the night he was struggling to breathe, still had high blood pressure and heart rate, and also developed a fever.  Around 2:30am, John was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  His caring surgeon stayed by his side from 2-6am. 

Thurs 4/24:
Doctors were trying to figure out why his blood pressure was so high so John went through several tests: x-ray, CT scan, echocardiogram, kidney ultrasound and an MRI.  Jason's mom and sister, Joanne and Shawna, flew into Denver.  MRI showed healthy kidneys, brain, heart, and thyroid ruling out any underlying medical condition.  Doctors were suspecting an infection, viral pneumonia, or sepsis, but they wanted to do more bloodwork to find out.  By late afternoon, it was looking like sepsis and not pneumonia.  John was being treated with a range of antibiotics and they were now expecting a full recovery.  By late evening, a closer look into his MRI showed a lesion on his brain stem with previous bleeding.  It was unclear what that meant, but a team of specialists planned to gather the next morning to discuss.  Unrelated to the MRI results, John was expected to be hospitalized for another 7 days.

Fri 4/25: 
John is still very lethargic which is extremely unusual at this stage of recovery.  It is certain there is an infection in his lungs.  The brain stem is showing a small lesion which may have been there since birth.  The lesion has had past bleeding and it is the part of the brain which regulates heart rate and blood pressure so it is unclear if it is causing his current high blood pressure issues.  The lesion is in a very dangerous spot to be bleeding so his blood pressure needs to be under control now and for the rest of his life.  They are meeting with a neuro doctor sometime today.  John has only been taking in fluids this whole week and they're hoping to get some more foods with substance into him.  Things remain unknown and unclear and Jason and Erin are being told John may be here one week or he may be here one year.  

Stay tuned as we set up schedules and ways that you can help the Rowland family in both the short and long term, but above all please keep John and family in your prayers.

Prayer Requests:
- John to regain his vitality and energy
- for his blood pressure to stay within a healthy range
- wisdom for his doctors to provide Jason and Erin more certainty and understanding
- wisdom for Jason and Erin on how to juggle caring for John in the hospital, caring for Kate, Joe, and Kelly and their demanding school and activity schedules, while also finding time to care for their own needs and each other
- in this time of uncertainty, for Jason and Erin to not be tormented with the worst case scenarios