March 25, 2002 (Monday)

Day 30

Around 6:00 a.m., they finally let me in to see Jared. It was shocking to see him laying there with the tube in his mouth and to see the dried blood on his face. The nurse gave me some tissue to wipe my tears. Jared was not responsive. I asked a few times about Jared feeling pain and if he knew the tube was in his throat. The nurse said they would make sure he was comfortable.

I had to leave at 6:30 a.m. for the nurses shift change. The doctor came in and then left. Rhonda and I went up to the stem cell room. I went to the family restroom and cried for a minute. Stacy helped me to push one of the folding chairs into the room for Rhonda. We laid down. I cried myself to sleep.

William and Adam arrived at 8:00.  Adam laid back down to get a little more sleep. I laid down again but soon got up and went downstairs to PICU. Dr. May came by and said that Jared was sick and that we would have to take things one day at a time. The doctors had their rounds and then Dr. May came back and said they were going to get an ultrasound on Jared's liver and a cat scan on his head. Tom and Dess arrived while the doctor was there.

After he left, we all hugged and they talked to Jared. They (William, Tom and Dess) left to get something to eat. I stayed and then went with Jared to get his cat scan. I met William on the way back. He went with Jared and I went upstairs to try and sleep. Tom and Dess were there and we talked for a few minutes and then Rhonda and Adam came in. They had went to get lunch. Tom and Dess left and we all settled down for a nap.

Hunting Trip - 2000

Rhonda sent an update email for me and we watched Trading Spaces and rested. We then prepared to go back to Jared. When we arrived, William said that Jared had just come back from getting the ultrasound. They took him to the x-ray room because they needed better pictures. I sat with Jared while William went back and forth to the waiting area. Adam stayed with me. We talked to Jared.

William came and said that there were a lot of people in the waiting area to see us and Tom and Dess were preparing to leave. Melanie and family were in the waiting area. They all visited with us and Melanie came back to see Jared. She prayed and then she and Rhonda went to get William because Dr. May had come to Jared's room. He said that the cat scan was normal. He also said the ultrasound didn't show anything but Jared still had VOD.

After the doctor left, William said my dad, Mark, and stepmother, Joyce, were outside. He went back to the waiting area and started sending family and friends back a few at a time. We stayed with Jared until the next nurses shift change.  It was time to eat so we all left to get food. Tom and Dess had already left. Mark, Joyce, Debbie and Patrick left after we ate.

We went to the Hope Lodge to get a room and then back to the hospital. We all want to see Jared again. He now has a feeding tube and they were x-raying to see if it was working. Adam left to go to the stem cell  room where Rhonda was. William and I visited with Jared and then left. I told the nurse to call me if there were any problems.

I went upstairs and talked with Angela. Then I packed up and Rhonda and I left for the Hope Lodge. William and Adam were staying in our stem cell room at the hospital. We ran into Wanda, Michelle, Kim and Tasha from church. They came with us to the Hope Lodge and we all talked for a while. They left and Rhonda and I played Yahtzee and talked. It is now almost 1:00.

*Lord, please have your way. Help me to remain steadfast. Help me to love you with my whole heart. Have your way in Jared. Give him, Adam and William good sleep. In Jesus name. Amen.
__________________________________________________________________

From: Rhonda
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002  2:30 p.m.
To: Family and Friends

Hello everyone. This is Lisa's friend, Rhonda. I just wanted to update you on the latest concerning Jared. Around 12:30 a.m. this morning, Jared was transferred to ICU. He was having trouble with his breathing due to his throat being filled with thick phlegm and blood. Being too exhausted, he wasn't able to cough to clear his throat. He had very labored breathing for about six hours prior to this. The doctor's thought it would be best to put him on a breathing machine to give him a break from the stress of labored breathing. Jared is also having some serious complication with his liver and kidneys. He is resting with sedation. Please continue to pray for his complete healing. I will update you as soon as I get more information. Thank you for your prayers. Rhonda

From: Frankie and Family

We are praying hard, and have our prayer warrior friends and relatives praying as well. We love you all.

From:  Louise (Transplant Coordinator) 

Dear Rhonda, Thank you so very much for keeping us updated even if the news is not the best. Please give Lisa and Jared our fondest regards. Let them know everyone here is keeping Jared in their thoughts, hearts and prayers. Please continue to let us know what is happening. Also how is Adam and William, please give them our regards as well... take care...

From:  Diane

Dear Rhonda and Lisa,
Thanks for the update. We are praying fervently down here, for Jared and the family. We really appreciate the updates, praise God for email.

From: Valarie

Thank you Rhonda, for the update. I realized this morning that we hadn't had an update from Lisa in a few days, and I had a bad feeling about it. I was planning on typing her an email when I got home. It doesn't sound very good, does it?  With a 7 year old daughter that is my life, I can only imagine how hard this must be on Lisa. How's she holding up? Is William there with her?
I'm rambling here with my own thoughts, knowing you probably wouldn't have time to answer, but please do keep us all updated when you can. Thanks so much.