Tuesday June 9th | Mid-Day

The cardiologist just told us that the reason for the heart murmur is because of some fluid which has collected near John's heart. This is really good news because the alternative was that there was an issue with one of his valves or that there was a new problem. This is a very treatable issue and they will administer medication to alleviate this fluid and the murmur should go away. John is about to undergo dialysis which should help his kidneys. I want to clear up any misconceptions concerning John's condition. While we are remaining vigilant that John will be just fine, evidently there are some questions about what is happening currently:

• John is not conscious. While his eyes are open at times and he seems to track us and respond to voices, it simply isn't often enough or consistent enough for physicians or us to believe that he is out of his coma.


• The same is true of movement of extremities, reaction to pain and all of the other things that have to happen when a person is conscious. He responds inconsistently to the neurological testing.


• John has an elevated white blood count which is indicative of an infection. The physicians are managing this with appropriate antibiotics. They are also trying to localize where the infection is but it seems that it mostly originated from his numerous IV sites.


• There have also been questions about what's next for John. I want to reiterate that this is an extremely slow process. We aren't out of the woods yet medically. He is stable from the standpoint that we aren't quite as worried about him having more heart attacks or needing resuscitation, there are still other medical issues which must be addressed before he can be moved to a lower level of care.


• When the time comes for him to be moved (which we don't anticipate for several more days), he will most likely go to a Long Term Acute Care Facility, or LTAC. We don't know yet when this will happen. I promise to give the heads up right here when it does.

Today, I was able to pry Holly from John's bedside to go to lunch for some Chinese food. My fortune read, "Your love of life can carry you through any circumstance". I wholeheartedly believe that I accidentally got John's fortune because he wasn't with us to pick it for himself! You would simply not believe how many people John has touched and even since being at the hospital. John lives his life to help others and experience all that the world has to offer and he does have a zeal and utter passion for life which will get him through this.

Thanks to all for your continued prayers.