Hello From Canada

We arrived in Victoria BC on Saturday via a ferry ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was a wonderful sunny afternoon and it was funny watching the boys try to walk as the ferry rocked side to side. On Sunday we went to Victoria Foursquare church and it was a great service, God is present here in Canada. We went downtown and walked around Victoria, what a wonderful city with lots of interesting architecture. Later that evening we had a chance to meet Leon, yes the same Leon that posts on this blog. It was an interesting first meeting, as I felt like I was meeting an old friend, even though we had never seen each other before. We had a wonderful visit and Leon had a chance to meet all the kids Sue's parents took the kids home on Monday and left Luke, Sue and I to focus on HyperBaric Oxygenation Therapy (HBOT) for Luke.

Luke and I have been in the HyperBaric chamber 5 times. We dive each day at 10:30 in the morning and 4:00pm in the afternoon. Please pray during these times that God will reawaken the dormant brain cells and resurrect the dead ones.

I thought I would describe what it is like to go into the chamber with Luke. The chamber is about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide on the outside. The chamber is a bit like a small submarine, a cylinder with rounded ends. It has a sliding door on the side that creates an airtight seal. Before we go into the chamber, both Luke and I change into 100% cotton clothing and remove all metal. The purpose of cotton clothing is to prevent static electricity and the possibility of a spark that in an atmosphere of pure oxygen would be dangerous. Once we are dressed, we climb into the chamber through the side door and I sit down on a bench and then Sue hands me Luke and I lay him on some pillows on the bench. Luke is wrapped up in a 100% cotton blanket to keep him warm during the dive. Next I connect an oxygen hose to Luke’s mask that covers his trach and then I turn on the oxygen. Then they close the big steel door to create an air tight compartment. The technician then begins to pressurize the chamber and as this happens you can feel the pressure build on your ears, kind of like when you fly in an airplane, only a little stronger. It is normal for the chamber door to make some noise as it settles into place. It takes about 10 minutes to get to a depth of 16-20 feet which is about 1.5 – 1.75 ATA (atmospheres absolute). At depth it becomes quiet as the noise of pressurization stops and is replaced by a quiet hiss of the oxygen being fed to Luke’s trach. Sometimes Luke sleeps, other times he just looks around trying to understand where he is at and what is happening. Sometimes I will work with his legs and arms doing PT, other times I will hold him or just let him lay there on the bench. Today while he slept, I read psalm 119 out loud and prayed that God’s word would bring life to Luke’s brain cells and that God would revive the dormant brain cells. There are 3 round windows about the size of a large dinner plate, one on the door and one on each end. At times it feels a bit like being a gold fish, as Sue and others peer in the windows to see how we are doing, plus I get this urge to eat goldfish food J. After an hour at depth, we begin the process of depressurization and surfacing, this takes about 10 minutes. At this point we climb out of the chamber and head back to the hotel.

Luke and I go for a dive in the morning and then wait 4 hours before going for a dive in the afternoon. At this point it is hard to tell the affect it is having on Luke. At times he seems more alert and at times he seems more relaxed. Yesterday evening he fell into a deep sleep and his arms were out stretched and relaxed. By the end of the week, Luke will have 12 dives under his belt, and this is just the first step on his journey to recovery.

Let me know if there are specific questions you have regarding Luke’s treatment.