Dad's Update VIII - 9/27/09

 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14)

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:18-22)

Dear Friends and Family -

I am back in Switzerland with Meg for the next two weeks until 10/7.  We flew back at a moments notice on Tuesday, 9/22 after Bryce asked us to come.  He had just emerged from his 5-day medicated coma/sedation after the second surgery and was struggling a bit more than when the pneumonia battle began.  Wednesday, he was very groggy, but very happy to see us when we arrived.  Wednesday night, he slept well and was much stronger Thursday.  Thursday and Friday night's sleep were good too, but last night Bryce woke in the early morning hours to a low fever.  Today he experienced some pain in his left arm.  We are hoping this is a good sign for movement recovery in the left arm again.  The pneumonia is healing gradually, and the doctors have slowed the trachea ventilator weaning process to be careful that it doesn't re-emerge.  So long as the ventilator is in, Bryce can't talk, but must communicate with lip movements; the process is frustrating for all.

Also, the process of sucking out the remaining phlegm through the trachea hole is harder, both physically and emotionally, as it causes automatic body convulsions, but he is getting more familiar (and frustrated) with the process.  Bryce desperately wants to get out of bed/ICU and move forward with rehabilitation.  Nonetheless, he is being encouraged by the Word, our presence, and steadily stabilizing health metrics, but basically his ICU time is "getting old".  He is still playing tough and in our minds has earned a Varsity ICU letter.

Andrew Parks, one of Bryce's close Taft/Colorado College buddies, visited Thursday and brought a breath of smiles and fresh air.  Bryce came off the ventilator (2x) allowing him to talk.  Bryce's strong voice and personality came shining through and he was able to post some messages to his Facebook wall with his Mom's assistance.  Bryce continued to improve after Andrew's visit and with a little grace from above, we may see Bryce exit ICU within a week or two.  We are praying for continued, daily progress.

Now that I am back in Switzerland and spending more time again with Bryce, my research and phone call efficiency has dropped so expect some communication delays.  Meg and I had substantial logistics and computer problems this week which used up significant time.  Our new studio phone number is 011-41-41-939-40-09 and I am reachable from 2:30pm-5:30pm each afternoon EDT.  You can leave messages on my cell phone (203-606-6354), but I will only check them through my landline at night. The best way to reach us is via Skype (jrafferty2 and megrafferty) as our Macbooks are frequently in operation during the day.  Also emails work just fine.  We are 6 hours ahead EDT.

At this stage, it seems hopeful that Bryce will be able to fully rehab at the Swiss Paraplegic Center in Nottwil, Switzerland.  The resources are superb and the cost effectiveness unmatchable.  I have talked to and researched various U.S. facilities and plan to reconnect with them in a month or two once we have further color on Bryce's condition, needs, and objectives.  We continue to research trust alternatives for tax efficient donations and have a primary goal to get that rolling soon.  However, aligning our financial needs and goals with government programs will take some more thought and planning first.  I hope to get that rolling this coming week.  I will outline Bryce's medical condition and needs more specifically in a subsequent update so you all can better understand the specifics of what Bryce is facing going forward.

We are cautiously optimistic that Bryce's health issues will continue to stabilize and he will get on the rehab schedule again soon.  Please pray for his full lung recovery, solid sleep and rest each night, continued steady feeling and motion improvement in his arms and fingers, a positive and hopeful attitude, and trust in the Lord to carry him through the challenges.

As before, our hearts our deeply thankful for all your emails, prayers, and support.  Next update later this week.

John