My journey end today...

Well after a very long long week it is time for me to come home. I really don't want to leave but I know in my heart that my time here is over.  I am at peace with coming home so I guess it is not meant for me to be here during these last moments.

Last night during the 9 o'clock visit the nurse gave Oscar a shot and he jerked as if it hurt. This was a natural thing to happen but the parents immediately saw it as he can feel something which then cause a great deal of issues to arise.

I truly felt if he did not pass on his own last night it would be time for me to go. I have done all I can for him and now only the machines and God can help him.

I am at peace that God has Oscar in his hands and it will only be a matter of time until his body wears out. The doctor says they can only force him to live for a period of time. At some point the medicine they are giving will no longer keep his body functioning enough to live and he will hopefully pass on his own. I am praying that if God wants him to come home he will take him because the parents will never pull the vent. They think t that one day no matter how long it will take he will wake up.

I tried to explain things to them but they will hear none of it. It is so sad. They feel they would be killing him if they pull the vent. I can't imagine what that would feel like either. So we wait. The gov't will allow them to keep him on the vent for as long as he is body will allow it.

Please just pray for God's will. That is all we can pray for how.

Carlos just called and he is at the hospital and they are discussing if he is stable enough to move to do the wave test.

I will not be able to know much now that I am not there. The parents don't ever ask questions and get facts. We will be limited in what we find out from now.

Please pray they are more aggresive to ask questions instead of just accepting what they are told.

I will be home after 6 and will call Carlos who is staying at the hospital for me today.

Until then...

Angie

Another bad night...

Well this mornings meetings with the doctors found to be disturbing again. In the night his blood pressure dropped way to low and his heart is not beating enough beats to keep the blood flowing fast enough.

The doctor basically told us that he is clinically dead at this point. They are giving him special medicine to keep his blood pressure at a minimum and they are giving him special oxygen because his brain is not functioning enough to tell his body to work.

The doctor said they have taken him off any medicine that was keeping him asleep so he can wake up any time but due to his condition they feel he won't ever wake up on his own.

The nuro doctor did the reflex test again today and there was no response at all. He wants to do the wave test again but all the doctors in charge of him agreed that moving him to another room would cause him to die immediately. He can not be moved at all because his body is living off of all the machines. They are giving me some type of adrenaline medicine to make his heart pump also.

In the morning they will access his condition and determine if he is able to be moved or not to do the wave test again. They only want to do the test to prove to the parents that he is already brain dead.

I do not even know how to ask you to pray anymore for Oscar. I suppose we need to just pray for his parents and for me and trust God has already done what he needs to do for Oscar.

I have one specific request for me. I am to leave in the morning at 10. There is no way to tell what is going to happen in the morning and even if they declare him brain dead his mom has already said she will not remove the tubes. So, with that said I think it is ok for me to come on home but I personally do not want to leave at this point.

If he passes on his own today or tonight of course I will not come home but if he does not I will have to decide if I will get on that plane. I went to the airlines office here to check on the price to change the ticket and because I took a note from the doctor they waved the $250 change fee and it will not cost me anything to get a new ticket. The biggest problem is I can't come home until Tuesday because there are not seats on any flights out.

Additionally, we have to work on Saturday and Tuesday and I am having to ask staff to do a job they are not ready to do. I trust they can do it but it will be a little rocky on my husband.

I want to be here for the family and they need me to fight for them. I really am in a fight for Oscar because you have to push them to do everything, however, I need to do what is right by my family as well. This trip is costing a lot lot more we have and I will be the only to pay for the funeral as well I am sure.

I am not giving up on God at all but I am also at peace if God chooses to take him home. He is in a much better place if that happens.

I have asked Terry to pray about what I should do. Leave or stay. It's easier for him to make this decision because I am way to tired to be making it and way to emotionally connected. Pray for wisdom for him.

For now we wait on any changes to take place or for him to pass or for a wonderful miracle from God. He is in God's hands now and it is up to God to do what he wants.

I do ask that you pray that if God wants to have Oscar that he takes him and do not make Francisca to decide to pull the vent.

Also, she got a call today and found out that the judge that decided to let her go has been over turned and they are telling her she must report back to prison on the 18th. She will not get an extension this time.

Can you imagine the stress that is causing Francisca?

Many things to pray for.. Many needs. I appreciate all your prayers and ask for you to continue praying.

I'll let you know something when I can.

Angie

God's Will

I just came from the hospital where I have had many conversations with a team of doctors. In the night Oscar took another turn for the worse.

To make a long long story short I will just say that a the medicine to take the swelling from his brain is not working and they have tested him and found the "roots to the brain" (that is what they call it) has no stimulation at all. They are not sure of the severity of damage but are certain that there is lots of it.

The test showed very little action in his brain and he is now on a ventilator. They will retest him in the morning and if there is no improvement they will declare him brain dead and ask the parents to remove the vent.

I am not trained to handle this. Emotionally I am not ready to deal with this but I find myself in a position that I am so not qualified for or ready for. I am trying hard to encourage them that God's knows best but no matter what I say how do you tell a mom it is or is not best to allow nature to take its course.

Needless to say I am now not heading to Somotillo and will stay with the family as much as possible. It amazes me how fast things can turn.

Please pray that I have wisdom in how to encourage them and pray with them. This is so hard. I want God's will for Oscar but I also don't want to loose him. The parents feel like they are giving up on God if they pull the vent, I am not sure how to explain they are not so pray I say the right words. God's words.

Here is different. There are no funeral homes. If he passes we have to take his body home which is 3 1/2 hours. I can not drive his body to Somotillo in my car. I just can't. I am going to try find another option because the rental car I have only holds 5 and there is 7 of us.

I want to be very cautious what I confess. I trust God to do what is best by Oscar. I trust him to take him home when he is ready but I also have to be realistic and have some idea of what to do if it happens. Pray for supernatural strength.

I most likely will not be online again today. I plan on staying all night at the hospital outside with the dad in my car. The doctors are not sure how much longer his body can hold on if at all and I do not want to be away if that happens.

I will update you as soon as I can and you can email Terry at thp@carolina.rr.com if you don't hear from me. Most likely if I don't write back you will know what has happen.

We are still standing strong on the word of God and knowing that we want God's perfect will for Oscar. We know he can heal his body and a miracle we need. We claim that miracle over Oscar in the name of Jesus.

Thanks for praying and please continue to do so.

God Bless,

Angie

I don't even know where to begin...

Poor Oscar has gone through so much I truly do not know where start. After my last message I was able to meet with the doctor and get a better explanation of what is going on. It was not a conversation I now wish I had. Some of this is going to sound unreal I promise you it is not.

On Friday as I have said he was great. He had played all day and enjoyed every minute of it. Sadly this entire time his body was developing pneumonia at a rapid pace.

During the night in addition to the pneumonia Oscar had a heart attack. Yes a heart attack. The doctor is not sure if the pneumonia and the pressure it was causing on his body caused it or something else. His sugar count was extremely high so that also could have caused it.

During the time of the heart attack no one saw it happen because it was 3 in the morning and he was in a regular room and had no monitoring on him. The heart attack caused a lack of oxygen to his body and during this time his body filled up with fluid. Everywhere. This then in turn caused what is called a "Water Stroke". It is caused by an excessive amount of fluid that gets backed up in the body and has no where to go.

So within one night he had a stroke and a heart attack along with the pneumonia.

Needless to say once he was found he was in critical condition. This carried into the afternoon on Saturday where they were able determine that in fact he had had a heart attack. The doctor said this is not uncommon with kidney transplants. She said that for some patients the body just freaks out. It is uncommon for all the rest to take place at one time.

So, by Saturday afternoon they noticed other complications and officially determined he was in a coma. His body organs were functioning at the most minimum level possible without completely shutting down which made no since to everyone.

Ironically his new kidney is working fine and has been.

So today the doctor had a neurologist take a look at him because of different things they were seeing and that doctor determined that Oscar's brain is severally swollen. Mostly they think due to the lack of oxygen received during the heart attack. Since Saturday they have been pumping heavy drugs in him also to slow down the amount the heart has to pump. This has added to the coma and now they are going to give him 3 days for his brain to reduce swelling.

If his brain goes back to normal on Thursday they will remove the tubes that are providing him with a medicine that is forcing the coma and allow him to function normally on his own. The doctors are very concerned that there has been damage to his brain and in fact it will not be able to maintain the normal pace the body needs.

They can not continue to keep him in the coma and they have to allow his body to do what is suppose to do the doctor said.

Wow, I got all this out without completely having a meltdown. I am oddly at peace tonight. I have not been and the family has not been but I can tell you we all are feeling the prayers of others. I can not tell you how hard this has been and then to hear he could have brain damage now.. it's been a roller coaster ride that we all want to get off of.

There are many praises to come here. First of all the nurse found him in time, a minute more and he would have been gone, second he is now in a room where he has the best treatment they can offer and has a team of doctors working on him, third I have already seen and heard his parents praying hard to the Lord. Their faith is growing rapidly and their trust in God is increasing daily.

I was at the hospital a lot today and let me tell you it is not like anything we in the US have to go through.First of all you can't even go inside and you just sit on a hard concrete bench outside and wait. There are no snack machines and drink machines, nothing. Just you and the outside. It has been really hot here but today and yesterday God allowed a nice breeze to blow all day.

I noticed mom and dad were just plain mentally wore out so this afternoon I remembered I had a deck of cards in my back pack and I pulled them out and taught a easy game to the dad and made a huge stand that he could not beat me. Within minutes a look of a desperate, worn out, heavy hearted man turned into a kid playing a game for the first time. Laughter filled the air and within minutes we had a group watching our every steps and cheering the dad on.

God took a very stressful day and gave this family just a touch of his joy and strength using a deck of cards.

It was such a blessing to see them smile at a time that the enemy would love for them to just sulk in their sorrow. Instead we choose to stand firm and be at peace that God has Oscar in his hands.

As you can read Oscar is in serious shape. He is at least stable for now. The doctor said he just about left us on Saturday and Sunday but every since then he is improving. That sounds like people praying to me.

She finished our conversation with saying that there is no way to tell know what is going on or what will happen. All we can do is pray. I made sure she knew I had the best friends in the world praying hard for him and we expected her to see a miracle happen right before her eyes.

For now we need to pray specifically that:

1. The Pneumonia leaves 2. The swelling in his brain leaves and there is no damage of any sort. 3.  His body which is very tired is strengthen super naturally 4. The medicine they are using will work better than ever before 5. On Thursday they are able to remove the tubes and allow his body to come out of the coma 6. His heart and body has no lasting effects from the heart attack or the stroke. 7. Peace for the parents 8. Dad has to sleep outside on a hard concrete bench, pray for perfect peace, rest, and strength as if he was in the most comfortable bed ever made.

I have decided to go to Somotillo tomorrow since he is stable to check in on my garden families and get fresh supplies and clothes for Oscar's parents. Their niece has been with them to help and she needs to go home to do something also so we will take care of that for them. I will be back in a two days max or 3 hours depending on the need. If his condition changes I will just be a few hours way this time and not in another country.

God has opened many doors for me to share God's word with the dad. He has been praying a lot but I am not sure about his actual commitment to Christ. I am working on how to confirm they are saved. Pray God opens that door.

I will update you more as I have something. We only get to check on him 2 times a day so it might take me a while to get answers.

Thanks again for your prayers. Keep praying, it's working and we together are going to see God's wonderful hand do great and mighty things with this situation.

Praise God for his faithfulness and his power...

Angie

On My Way...

I am sitting at the airport in Charlotte headed to Managua, Nicaragua. The last call I got from Carlos last night was not good. Oscar is in a deep coma now and the doctors have told the family it is just a matter of time. His brain is not functioning completely and his organs are not working correctly. They told the family to go ahead a prepare for his death and that only God can help him now.

Starting next Saturday our work schedule is very very busy and there is no way I would be able to minister to this family at all so my wonderful husband stepped his foot down and told me to go. I have issues with going now for many reasons but agree that if this happens next week I will look back and be mad I didn't take the opportunity when I had it.

I am still standing on the word of God for Oscar. I may not agree with what is going on with Oscar but I trust God and I trust that He loves Oscar more than we do and He has him in His hands.

Please pray for the family as I can not imagine the pain and the guilt they are going through. Remember they both were just in jail for over a year. They have missed most of his best times.

I am being called to board so I will go for now.

Pray for me as this is the hardest trip I have ever made to Nicaragua. More importantly pray for God's will in Oscar's life.

More to come.

Angie