July 28, 2005
July 28, 2005 | Updates
I don’t have much time this morning to write this update, but wanted you all to know how Samuel is. First, my sister, Kaylee, asked me to post information on the account that has been set up for proceeds from fundraisers or other donations to help with the expenses of Samuel’s care. The account is with Wells Fargo Bank and is in the name of “Debbie Bird - Benefit of Samuel Jewkes”. The account number is 9941743115. All proceeds from any fundraisers or any donations will be placed in that account and used towards the cost of his care now and in the future.Samuel is still struggling very hard to get through every day. Last night was very difficult as he struggled with his posturing from about 7:00 until 8:30 pm. It was very frightening for all of us as his heart rate would go above 200 beats per minute and his respitory rate was up around 70 to 75 breaths per minute. This lasted most of that hour and a half with only small 1 or 2 minute breaks here and there. He was drenched in sweat and it was really hard to watch as it seemed it must be just too much for his little body. He had another one of those episodes this morning and they had to give him such a large dose of sedation medication that they said it would have been enough to really put me under. But he is resting at least for a while now.
They are considering and most likely will - put a Baclefin pump in him over the next little while. It is a pump implanted in his body that can deliver a medication straight to his spinal cord to try and reduce this posturing. They normally do not do something like this until a child has dealt with posturing for 6 months or so. But apparently, his posturing is some of the worst they have ever seen and they are very concerned about his health with the amount of work his body is doing each day.
They will test the Baclefin on Monday and put a type of spinal drip in his back if it works out. Then they would put the pump in the next Monday because it requires surgery that would have to be scheduled and all that red tape. We are PRAYING that it works! I don’t know what we’ll do if it doesn’t. And we’re PRAYING that he’ll be OK until then. Please keep that in your prayers also.
Otherwise, we are holding in there. It’s a hard ordeal, but we are blessed to feel the spirit every day and we know that God and his Savior love him very much and are watching over him.
Tom did ask me to clarify that although we are having complete faith that he will recover and be well again, the doctors are not as optimistic - which is, of course, their job. They say that the best we can really hope for is a child in a “writhing little body” that is cognitively aware and to them, that would be a miracle. But, we are having faith that he will do much better than that, and we know that if (when) he does, it will astound the doctors and be more than any miracle we have ever witnessed or even considered might happen in our lives. We just feel that, at this point, it’s best to have complete faith that God can and will heal him. And so we believe that he will.
Thank you again for all your support. And thank you for your messages. They always bring a peaceful feeling to me.
We love you all.
Teresa
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