11/12-13

Sorry to have left everyone hanging a bit.  It’s been busy.  

A social report: James and Mark returned to college yesterday.  This morning I received texts from them informing mom of their safe arrival home.  Such good boys.  Josh and I were at an apartment not far from the hospital getting a few hours of sleep.  We’d survived the break and enter battle that occurred next door and were on our way out to the hospital.  I called Sharon to inform of her sons reported safety.  “I was just saying to Lana, I wonder if the boys are home yet.”  Always on duty Sharon is.  We enjoyed Josh sharing scripture with us that had been selected for him by his fellow “Sr. Leaders” back in Taiwan.  Local seminary students James and John Kong whom Sharon and I taught back in their middle school years are in San Diego and came by to pray for Sharon this morning.   Looking back at yesterday:  The praying nurse from the other day returned to be with us for Sunday morning.  We’d requested her and she’d requested us.  It’s nice to share being wanted.   She shared her great sermonesque story with us.  Sharon was comfortable and alert to enjoy the moment.   There are so many great people here in this ICU ward.  I wish I could share all the stories I’ve discovered with them. Alas we live in an online world that demands privacy and protection.  Heaven’s coming and all will be open and safe then.   We have received helped in difficult moments, and open sharing from the heart in others.    Last night we enjoyed a full on theological discussion with one nurse who is really in seeking mode and had questions to which she desires answers.  PTL  Later we learned that she informed another nurse that we are “super christians”.  Gotta love the humor in that.  I’ve asked permission to share todays nurses story by name because it is her name that is amazing.  Faith.  “Really“ I say to her, “that is your name?  We are needing that today.” “It gets better.” she says, “My mom is Grace and I have a sister named Hope.  I also have a brother….” she gave a perfectly timed pause during which I thought, “please don’t say he was named “Love”.  She says, “Joshua”.  “Ah” I tell her, “I like these names.  My mother was also a ‘Grace” and we have a Joshua right here.  I was secretly hoping that your brothers name wasn’t ‘Love.”  She says, “yeah but I wanted him to be named that.”  Again she gives a perfectly timed pause. “He would have been the greatest of us all.”  I had a good long laugh at that point.  While I’m still giggling she says, “There’s still more.  My full name is Faith Chekinah Grace Concepcion”.  “Wow” I say “you’ve got the most theologically complete name I’ve ever heard of.”  We share smiles in the pleasure of enjoying this great given name and all the fullness of it’s great meaning.  A bit later, unbeknownst to Faith, the cleaning lady came by.  “What’s your name?” my common introductory measure. “Maria” stated in a beautifully Latino form.  “Really” I’m saying to Lana.  Lana says, “where’s Jesus” (also  pronounced in the Spanish way)  Maria looks up and away as if searching her mind.  “3rd floor maybe I think.” she says.  I’m not making this up.  I don’t think I could even if I tried.  It’s lunch time.  Another nurse just stopped by with part of their homemade vegetables to share with Sharon, “wait a sec.” they say, “I’ve gotta go warm it up first.”  Really?  I’m blown away again.  Sharon has always loved her food hot.  This generosity goes the other direction as well.  We have so much food in this room I’d have to stay here a month to finish it all.  Turns out I’ve learned of a whole new hospital underworld of pleasure I never knew about.  The power that is released in a moment that a patient gives a staffer a snack is incredible.  Thus I’ve been on a hefty drive for us to be the most popular patients in the history of Sharps all the while solving the problem of diminishing the mounds of sustenance that our generous friends, who give above and beyond the call, have brought us.  One last social moment of sharing.  Two of the staff asked me to surprise the Pharmacist on duty, who is from Taiwan, with my Chinese.  I approached him and without introduction said in Mandarin, “Hey big brother (Da Ge) can we get some heavier meds for my wife please.”  He looked at me in shock and after it settled in for a moment said, “woah.”  His colleagues who put me up to it enjoyed the moment.  Okay I just said “one more moment” but now it’s gotta become two because an attendant just walked in with lovely get well balloons from one of the myriad of friends who are praying  for us and giving to us.  I gave the attendant a bag of chips.  “Eiyaah! One more additional story to add because they just keep coming.  Nurse Faith just came in and asked if she could pray over Sharon.  She did so quietly as she gently held Sharon’s face.  After awhile she said that  she saw Jesus holding Sharon in His hands like a little lamb.  She said to Sharon, “when I touched you I just felt, what a wonderful home for the Holy Spirit’”.  I’m standing there tears just streaming down my face.    ”Life should always be about sharing and there are so many ways to share. Thank you all so much it’s been a humbling experience thus far.

A physical report. Sharon’s blood has been relatively stable  but then this morning my vampirous wife received another bag of blood.  Probably bag #11 since all this began just over a week ago. Our thanks to the 11 individuals out there in the world who’ve given so that Sharon can receive the life giving energy that dwells there in.  She was working hard before and during that transfusion but she’s settled now, watching an episode of Call the Midwife with Lana.  That’s been our go to series during this battle with cancer  This is the cycle that she’s in that we can all pray her body can break free of.  She needs to make her own blood.  Beyond that she’s been getting rave reviews for every test that comes her way. Yesterday her airflow tube was downsized.  She went for a walk around the ward.  That PT gave her an A.  There is talk today of moving her out of ICU and downstairs to a regular room. These are all is a very good signs.  Despite all these successes Sharon said to me in one moment yesterday "I'm not out of the woods yet honey."   As usual she’s not wrong.  She lacks energy and breathing remains labored.  Her appetite not back yet which is odd for the daughter of Art Stejskal.  So here are your things to pray specifically for in Sharon’s body. 1.) personal blood regeneration. 2.) increased lung capacity (certainly a connection between those two) 3.) increased appetite 4.) internal temperature stabilization, she keeps getting hot then cold, nobody enjoys that fluctuation 5.) the disappearance of apparent cancer cells that remain and can be assumed to be growing. 

Each day seems replete with both challenges and blessings.  As they both keep coming and we will just keep crying and trying as we go forward step by step in faith that God  knows best and is leading with what is up next.