Anyway, from what I've heard Gigi is a little more alert today than she has been since she's been here in Houston. Since we've been here she's been pretty heavily sedated so we haven't really been able to talk to her or interact with her. She's a little more responsive now and apparently last night she was able to write notes of things she was wanting to say. Now, they've decreased her pain medicine and are hoping to take her ventilator out later today. We are still waiting to hear from the doctor to see when the next surgery will be. Pray that we get some answers today & that they are able to try the surgery at some point this afternoon. Us kids want to stay here as long as we need to but we also realize that our normal lives are still going on and at some point we'll need to rejoin that world and catch up on things. It would be great if the surgery could happen today so that we have the weekend to be with Gigi recooping and still have time to travel home.
10:00 pm (CST): Well, things seem to have taken a sad & difficult turn. The outlook doesn't look very good. For this update I'm just going to copy & paste what Wes wrote on facebook because I feel that he explains it best. Please continue to pray for us as the next few days and weeks will be difficult. Please know that your prayers have been working. We wouldn't be where we are today without each of your prayers. The family really does feel peace about all of this and that wouldn't be possible without the grace of God and the prayers that each of you have spoken for us. Thank you so much.
Here's the note from Wes:
We have had a chance to speak with the doctor today and the news is sobering, so grab your box of Kleenex and hold on. I'll skip the details for now and just share that Cindy is a very poor candidate for a liver transplant and the list of medical proceedures to help alleviate the root cause of her difficulty have been exhausted. Bluntly, there is nothing surgical left to do.
We are not ready to close the book on this situation yet. It is a remarkable thing and a miraculous wonder to the staff here that every kind of shunt they do surgically, has already been done inside of Cindy by her own body and the handiwork of God. It is really staggering to listen to the reports of what they have discovered that has happened inside her. Her body still has the ability to respond to some extent, and they will be working the next 2-3 days to find out just how much strength they can add to Cindy and how favorable they can make her situation. There are a few things they can still do with medicine.
That being said, it would seem that adjustments her body has already made are coming to their limits and that Cindy will not survive this situation much longer. The surgeon today asked me not to give up until Monday, as they want to assess what she can do and how her body responds--they still have some things they want to test.
Cindy, our kids and other family members are aware of the situation we are in, and God has allowed us a chance to share among ourselves. There have been lots of tears, hugs, promises, etc. and Cindy has been part of this.
Now to some random thoughts and prayer requests.
1) We don't have a timeline, and God may extend this a longer than we expect--we get that, we hope that, and even if not, we don't know if we are talking days, weeks, or months.
2) We are okay--God has already used this in significant ways in our lives and in the lives of many others. It would be almost impossible to make a list of all the ways God has revealed himself to our family and the ministry to others during this time.
3) Cindy has had a chance to speak with nearly all her family members already and say things that she wanted a chance to say. Nicole's kids know she is very sick--but not that she is dying. We want a chance to handle that in our timing, so be careful what you say not only in their presence but also in front of all their friends. Kids do talk to each other, so exercise a little caution here.
4) Cindy has made only one immediate request--that she be given a notebook and a pen--we seriously intend to honor that. (There are some other things if it comes to a funeral--but that is a little premature here.)
5) Everything is still uncertain, and it is very difficult for us to make exact plans at the moment.
Here are some of our responses, plans and further prayer requests:
1) Know that all of this could change in the next day or two or three. Again, nothing is certain and there have been many twists and turns for us already.
2) I have encouraged the kids to return to their respective homes on the same schedule they had in mind when they came or sooner--so things can be put in order where they are and they be better prepared to receive whatever news should come their way in the next few days.
3) If there is nothing further that can be done in Houston, I am asking God and the doctors here to make it possible to get Cindy back to El Paso. If she must die, I would rather have Cindy in El Paso, I would also much prefer a hospice situation to a hospital--we just don't know how sick she will be when she leaves, or what her situation will look like in El Paso and I know this is selfish from Cindy and myself, but it is important to the two of us. Pray that God will be gracious here if it pleases Him.
4) I have a personal bias that we should do everything we can to prolong life, but I think it is wrong to extend dying. Cindy has made it very clear that she does not want to hang on indefinitely because of machines, if it is only going to make her die for a longer period of time. If there is a chance for quality life, we want it. If not, we do not.
5) We have the amazing list of things to do in front of us and we don't even know what it on the list. We do know that we will have to do a hard thing, and then after that--there will be a hard thing, followed by a hard thing and then later more hard things. Please be patient with us when we are short tempered, emotional, or just want some alone time--there is quite a lot here.
6) At some point I have some things I want to share about what it means for God to take us from "here to there"--where ever you are today is your "here"--and you may like it a lot ot not at all. Somewhere out there is a "there" where God wants you to go. It is not always easy to get from here to there, but it is important. I would like a chance to share some of the journey Cindy and I have taken from here to there.
7) I love Cindy--it's not like you don't know that, but I want it to be known, I love Cindy. One of my life goals has been a dream that one day I would be on my death-bed looking up to her, or she on hers looking up to me and I could say, "There has never been anyone but you!" We were married as virgins (I know it isn't your business really) and we have both remained faithful to each other and I wish this was a goal we could plant in the mind of our teenagers. I am still smitten and thrilled by my companion for the last 33 years. I will be crushed when she is gone. I love Cindy.
Finally, at every point of my life. God brings scriptures to help me. Here are three of my favorites, one of which oddly enough has turned up a lot in the responses back to me--but here they are: James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 5:6-10 (my favorite) and then this in Romans 5:3-5: And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
**I'm sure there will be more later and I usually proofread, but not this time. I do want to thank you for all you have already done and all I know you will continue to do--for those who have put money into our account we would to thank you, but all we get are dollar amounts, so we have no idea who you are or what you gave, but thank you. We love you, I expect this will be an emotional night and many emotional days will follow. I need to leave to go back to the hospital to see Cindy. Don't forget, in the words of Cindy Carlene. "God is good all the time, all the time God is good." this time included. Love you, Wes
We are not ready to close the book on this situation yet. It is a remarkable thing and a miraculous wonder to the staff here that every kind of shunt they do surgically, has already been done inside of Cindy by her own body and the handiwork of God. It is really staggering to listen to the reports of what they have discovered that has happened inside her. Her body still has the ability to respond to some extent, and they will be working the next 2-3 days to find out just how much strength they can add to Cindy and how favorable they can make her situation. There are a few things they can still do with medicine.
That being said, it would seem that adjustments her body has already made are coming to their limits and that Cindy will not survive this situation much longer. The surgeon today asked me not to give up until Monday, as they want to assess what she can do and how her body responds--they still have some things they want to test.
Cindy, our kids and other family members are aware of the situation we are in, and God has allowed us a chance to share among ourselves. There have been lots of tears, hugs, promises, etc. and Cindy has been part of this.
Now to some random thoughts and prayer requests.
1) We don't have a timeline, and God may extend this a longer than we expect--we get that, we hope that, and even if not, we don't know if we are talking days, weeks, or months.
2) We are okay--God has already used this in significant ways in our lives and in the lives of many others. It would be almost impossible to make a list of all the ways God has revealed himself to our family and the ministry to others during this time.
3) Cindy has had a chance to speak with nearly all her family members already and say things that she wanted a chance to say. Nicole's kids know she is very sick--but not that she is dying. We want a chance to handle that in our timing, so be careful what you say not only in their presence but also in front of all their friends. Kids do talk to each other, so exercise a little caution here.
4) Cindy has made only one immediate request--that she be given a notebook and a pen--we seriously intend to honor that. (There are some other things if it comes to a funeral--but that is a little premature here.)
5) Everything is still uncertain, and it is very difficult for us to make exact plans at the moment.
Here are some of our responses, plans and further prayer requests:
1) Know that all of this could change in the next day or two or three. Again, nothing is certain and there have been many twists and turns for us already.
2) I have encouraged the kids to return to their respective homes on the same schedule they had in mind when they came or sooner--so things can be put in order where they are and they be better prepared to receive whatever news should come their way in the next few days.
3) If there is nothing further that can be done in Houston, I am asking God and the doctors here to make it possible to get Cindy back to El Paso. If she must die, I would rather have Cindy in El Paso, I would also much prefer a hospice situation to a hospital--we just don't know how sick she will be when she leaves, or what her situation will look like in El Paso and I know this is selfish from Cindy and myself, but it is important to the two of us. Pray that God will be gracious here if it pleases Him.
4) I have a personal bias that we should do everything we can to prolong life, but I think it is wrong to extend dying. Cindy has made it very clear that she does not want to hang on indefinitely because of machines, if it is only going to make her die for a longer period of time. If there is a chance for quality life, we want it. If not, we do not.
5) We have the amazing list of things to do in front of us and we don't even know what it on the list. We do know that we will have to do a hard thing, and then after that--there will be a hard thing, followed by a hard thing and then later more hard things. Please be patient with us when we are short tempered, emotional, or just want some alone time--there is quite a lot here.
6) At some point I have some things I want to share about what it means for God to take us from "here to there"--where ever you are today is your "here"--and you may like it a lot ot not at all. Somewhere out there is a "there" where God wants you to go. It is not always easy to get from here to there, but it is important. I would like a chance to share some of the journey Cindy and I have taken from here to there.
7) I love Cindy--it's not like you don't know that, but I want it to be known, I love Cindy. One of my life goals has been a dream that one day I would be on my death-bed looking up to her, or she on hers looking up to me and I could say, "There has never been anyone but you!" We were married as virgins (I know it isn't your business really) and we have both remained faithful to each other and I wish this was a goal we could plant in the mind of our teenagers. I am still smitten and thrilled by my companion for the last 33 years. I will be crushed when she is gone. I love Cindy.
Finally, at every point of my life. God brings scriptures to help me. Here are three of my favorites, one of which oddly enough has turned up a lot in the responses back to me--but here they are: James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 5:6-10 (my favorite) and then this in Romans 5:3-5: And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
**I'm sure there will be more later and I usually proofread, but not this time. I do want to thank you for all you have already done and all I know you will continue to do--for those who have put money into our account we would to thank you, but all we get are dollar amounts, so we have no idea who you are or what you gave, but thank you. We love you, I expect this will be an emotional night and many emotional days will follow. I need to leave to go back to the hospital to see Cindy. Don't forget, in the words of Cindy Carlene. "God is good all the time, all the time God is good." this time included. Love you, Wes
Please tell Wes that Bill still wants to know whether he can open his eyes. He and Cindy will know what it means.
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