More Q&A

Q: I was also wondering, if Luke doesn't cry out loud, then how do you know when he wakes up at night?
A: Well, there are a couple of ways. First, we have an Oximeter that monitors heart rate and oxygen saturation level. Also we have an apnea monitor. The two monitors will alarm if his heart rate goes too high or too low, his saturation goes too low or he stops breathing. We have a baby monitor right next to the monitors and the receiver in our room. When the alarm goes off, it will wake you up. The other way we know he is awake, is his secretions usually increase when he first wakes, so he will gurgle as the secretions bubble in his trach. Here again the baby monitor helps us hear it from our room.

Q: Can you take Luke out much, or do you have to keep him at home most of the time?
A: We do take Luke out some, although it is quite a chore. We normally take him to church on Sunday and sometimes on Wednesday night. Our church is a block from our house, so we usually walk with him in his wheelchair. We do take him to doctors appointments and we have one on Friday 10/21 with the Gastrologist and dietician.

Q: How's the nursing coming along? Has your family finally started to adjust?
A: Great question! We are beginning to fall into a bit of a routine. We have 16 hours per day nursing for now. We have landed on a regular group of nurses that come each week. Luke is becoming more comfortable with them and this has been a huge blessing.

Regarding the prayer for Luke's complete healing. My perspective is this, I pray daily that today will be the day that God heals Luke instantly, that he will revive every brain cell and that Luke will rise up and walk, talk and be the little boy that we all know and love. On the other hand, I also pray for the baby steps, the immediate needs in Luke's body, what does he need for today. I dont think I am contradictory in praying both sides of this coin. First, is God able to heal instantly as well as step by step? The answer is ABSOLUTELY, there is NO DOUBT in my mind in God's ability to heal Luke. Is it only dependent on my diligence in prayer, partially, we are instructed to seek, ask and knock with persistance. It comes down to God is sovereign and he can choose to heal Luke today, tomorrow or next week. There have been many times in Sue and my life together where we have persisted in prayer over a particular situation only to see God move in a miraculous way. For years, we have prayed that God would give me a testimony at work, do you think I have a testimony now. All that said, I do believe that one day Luke will wake up and it will be the day that God will choose to heal Luke. My faith does not depend on God to heal Luke, but on God and His character alone. Finally, Julie, I too dont want to be ungrateful for what God has done in the baby steps, I will take them and say Thank You Lord. However, I will persist for God to heal Luke and that he will rise and walk. To your post, I say AMEN!

Teena, you mention feeling connected and that is one of the things that truly has amazed me about this blog. While there are many that are follow Luke's story that we don't know, we are connected and I look forward to being able to meet many of you here on earth face to face.

Q: How is Luke doing with his sleep? Is Sue getting any sleep?
A: Luke is getting between 4 to 8 hours sleep, usually in a few broken up blocks of time. Sue is getting some sleep about 6 hours a night. I find that the sleep we are getting is not a deep, deep sleep, but it is rest.

Thank you for all the questions and please feel free to ask other relevant questions.

Gordy