Aloha to our Friends & Family,
Theresa is certainly not being neglected here. As I type this, there are 4 MDs, 2 ICU nurses and a respiratory tech all squeezed into her small ICU room. Unlike a school dance though, having many suitors is not necessarily a good thing here. Under these circumstances, being treated like a wallflower may be preferable.
That said, the past two days have seen highs and lows in Theresa's recovery. Although she made it through Friday night's marathon surgery to repair both of her femurs, other leg fractures and stopping of the blood loss, a serious complication arose on Saturday morning. The neck fracture that previously was not deemed critical asserted itself by pushing against one of the vertebral arteries that supply blood to the back of the head. Left untended, this could result in blood loss, clots, or worse. An emergency angio procedure was ordered to close off that artery by inserting platinum coils through her femoral artery all the way up to the neck, similar to the method used almost two years ago to close off Theresa's aneurysm (that girl may end up with more platinum in her head than most people have on their fingers.) Amazingly, by the time the interventional neuroradiologist started the procedure, the CT scan showed there was no longer a problem. A large clot had formed and the result was the artery had sealed itself off. For good measure, the surgical team packed some coils on both sides of the clot. To me, this self-repair was God's doing and qualifies as a miracle, the direct result of your outpouring of prayers and healing energies. Please keep them coming.
Today (Sunday), the surgery to replace the herniated disc in the neck was scheduled but canceled due to low blood oxygen levels. Thus the immediate goal is to improve Theresa's breathing before any further surgery can proceed. In conjunction with the pulmonary intensivist (who makes up these titles?), the respiratory tech is spending much of his 12-hr shift trying to boost Theresa's breathing. I ask you to join me in praying that her oxygenation improves to the point where the surgery can go ahead without delay.
On a semi-related matter, there now seems to be a feeding frenzy among the press regarding this story but it is entirely one-sided to the point that the "unidentified Waikoloa woman that drove the other car" is relegated to footnote status. I felt it important to let people know that this woman has a name and she has touched many in the community, including hundreds of Theresa's former patients. Here is a link to today's front page article in the West Hawaii Today that helps to set the record straight:
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/11/21/local/local02.txt
The reaction to this story has been positive and the show of support for Theresa is evident in posts to her Facebook page and elsewhere. I won't waste any more valuable energy feeding this media circus and even turned down a TV interview today. The hospital did suggest I field some questions over the phone to relieve their communications department from the constant media inquiries, so I agreed and gave a short phone interview and two photos to KHON2, the local TV station. Such is the price of an accidental brush with fame.
Mahalo for your continuing prayers and support, each day is better than the previous one.
David (and Theresa by proxy)
P.S. One of my former classmates wrote a beautiful prayer for us and I have asked her permission to include it for all to share. Thank you, Loraine. Your prayer is a gift from God.
PRAYERS FOR THERESA
Heavenly Father,
You are the creator of us and our world and all that is good in it and we give your praise.
We lift up Theresa into your loving arms and thank you that she survived the terrible car accident and that the emergency workers were able to extract her from her car and airlift her to Honolulu so that she can receive the critical care that she needs. We pray that you will once again bless Theresa with your healing grace so that she will make a full recovery.
We lift up David to you. Please help him to be strong and to get the rest and support that he will need while he keeps his vigil at Theresa’s side once again.
We thank you that Theresa and David have strong faith in you and that they are able to call on you in prayer and to ask us to pray with them.
Lord, we pray that the doctors and nurses who are overseeing Theresa’s care will be skilled and caring and that you will guide their hands and actions. Please bless Theresa as she goes into each surgery and help her to feel enveloped in your love and the knowledge that you are with her.
Please help us not to forget Shakti and Colt who were injured also and we pray that each of them will make a full recovery. We ask you to help Shakti to deal positively with her feelings about causing an accident and injuring Theresa so severely. Help us to all to forgive her and pray that she will have peace.
And Lord, we ask that you help us not to ask why this happened to Theresa after her miraculous recovery from her brain aneurism. Please help us to accept that some things are not knowable to us and help us to be content with knowing that Theresa, and David, are in your care.
We ask these things in the name of your son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Amen
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