God's Mercy and Grace...in my hubby's words

Sunday, February 13, 2011 11:00 PM, CST

As you all know, Sanjay, my youngest is going through a bone marrow transplant at the U of M Childrens hospital. I drove out Friday the 11th after work to spend the weekend with him and give Karla a break as she spends all week with him(a parent is required to be with him at all times). He had been sick from the chemo with typical reactions, nothing out of the ordinary for a BMT patient. He was miserable most of the week and had started nose bleeds Thursday and Friday. I was up with him all night Fri/Sat with nose bleeds and diarhea, then Saturday took an unexpected turn.During his morning weigh-in he became dizzy,not uncommon. The nurse and I sat him in his bed and he started complaining about a headache, then he soiled himself without even knowing it. I cleaned him off in the shower and by now,which was only a matter of minutes, he became too weak to stand. I laid him on his bed and he started having seizures the doctor was there within a minute and ordered a CAT scan. We took him down immediately, they scanned him and before they could even unstrap him the doc came out of the booth and told me "no beating around the bush, this is serious, Sanjay has a amssive bleed in his brain". You can just imagine my reaction. It was happening all too fast.They rushed him up to ICU andthe neurosurgeons were already there. They confirmed the bleed and then hit me with the news that there was nothing they could do because his platelets were too low. He was at about 1,000 and if they tried anything he would die  because his blood would not be able to clot. They immediately started searching all the blood banks for the platelets he needed which would not be easy because he needed AB neg which is very rare. Meantime they were throwing in any platelets they could find because they needed his level to rise to 75,000 before they could attempt anything. It was a race to raise the level because his brain was still bleeding. The proverbial "rock and a hard place". They told us he probably wouldn't make it through the afternoon. They had no idea what damage had already been done and told us another scan wouldn't even be necessary unless his platelets rose high enough. They didn't give up and continued to shove in platelets as soon as they could find them. The platelets started to rise slowly, about 5,000/hr. The neurosurgeon did some checks around 1:00pm and Sanjay was totally unresponsive. They knew we were Catholic and suggested this was the time to call a priest. We were totally devastated by this point but you know what, he was still alive too. The priest came, confirmed with the doc that Sanjays time was very short. Sanjay got his Confirmation and last rites, we were preparing for the worst, this was around 2:00 pm. We had sent for our kids by this point and we were all saying our last goodbyes but yet he was still alive and his platelets were still rising. We were just waiting. Around 7:00 pm the doc came to us and said Sanjays platelets had reached 60,000 and they wanted to do another scan. About 1/2 hr later they came back with the results and said his bleed had worsened and that his brain stem appeared to be severely damaged. They wanted to know what we wanted to do. Risk putting in a tube to relieve the pressure while the procedure would probably kill him, or they could just make him comfortable until he passes. They told us even if he survives, with his brain stem damaged, he would probably not be able to anything on his own for the rest of his life. I pray none of you reading this ever has to make the kind of decision Karla and I had to make. We decided to take the shot, we just had to. We know that Sanjay would like to take the shot. We signed the paperwork we had to sign and by the time he was prepped and all the specialists showed up his platelets had risen to about 80,000. They put in the tube and it failed. They told us that repositioning the tube was very risky and would probably kill him. They repositioned and it took and he started to drain. A lot of blood came out, about 1-1/2 cups. Now all they could do was wait. They didn't believe he would make it through the night. By this time Karla and I were mentally and physically exhausted. We decided to try and get a little sleep and just wait for the call. The call came in at 7:00 am. Sanjay made it through the night and actually had a couple of positive neurological exams. But after repositioning the tube several times throughout the night the tube finally clogged for good. His platelets were at  about 129,000 at this point and they wanted permission to do another scan followed immediately by a craneotomy. They wanted to remove about a hand size square piece if skull to relieve the pressure.  They told us that this was another "last shot" and that it was highly unlikely he would not make it through the surgery.We gave them permission. After surgery, the neurosurgeon told us that they successfully removed his skull, relieved the pressure, remove a lot of clotted blood and saw that there appeared to be no more bleeding! They showed us the "before and after" scans and showed us that the brain stem appeared to be relieved of the extreme pressure it was under. They told us not to get our hopes however we believe we saw him almost smile. During the day they shifted the tube and while the neurologist was performing an exam Sanjay actually tried to push her hand away and reach for the tube down his throat after she made him cough. It really surprised
everybody in the room. All 4 limbs responded with very minor movements but movement nonetheless. Absolutely incredible as they were preparing us for Sanjay in a vegetative state. So we just watched and waited. Sunday evening Karla was with Sanjay and the nurse had to shift him to prevent bedsores and afterward he became really agitated. He tried to use both hands to reach for the tubes, his head or something. Karla held his hand and said "Sanjay, are you in pain? if you are, squeeze my hand" He immediately stopped what  he was doing and squeezed her hand! The nurse was absolutely thrilled and said that she had to tell the doctor ASAP. Since then Sanjay has responded several times by moving fingers and squeezing slightly. Sanjay is by no means out of the woods yet, he shouldn't be alive right now let alone moving and responding.But we can't help but feel we are witnessing an awesome miracle in progress.It's was around 11:00pm and Karla and I are comfortable enough to go get some sleep.
We'll keep you all informed. Keep up the prayers please.
Ted

Adoption & Thalassemia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEh8R527NUo&feature=player_detailpage#t=1s

This is a wonderful little video clip about adopting children with Thalassemia. You may or may not know that our family adopted our 2 youngest children from India, and that they both have the genetic blood disorder  "Beta Thalassemia Major". When we first learned of them  in 2002 we knew nothing about Thalassemia...in fact, we weren't even planning on international adoption at that time. Hubby was deployed to Afghanistan!!! But through reading an adoption website of another military family who had adopted several medical needs children, I found out about Drama Queen and Lego Boy...and God whispered in my ear "They are YOURS, if you will answer my call". So I prayed , and researched Thalassemia, and emailed my Hubby in a war zone and asked him to pray and search HIS heart. This lasted for a few weeks and Hubby said...I trust your intuition...you are usually right about these things, let's go for it. The adoption journey began...                     

I will write more another day!

Real Presence

With permission from a Catholic blog friend (Totus Tuus) I am sharing a post of hers concerning the

BIBLICAL and true teaching of Christ's Body and Blood truly present in the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life. What an awesome and wonderful God we have!

Scripture, the Eucharist & Miracles

Christ was born in Bethlehem which translates to House of Bread. He was placed in a manger, which was a feeding trough...the symbolism is rich. But there's more to it than symbolism!


There's Scripture too....from http://scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html
John 6:51-52- then Jesus says that the bread He is referring to is His flesh. The Jews take Him literally and immediately question such a teaching. How can this man give us His flesh to eat?
John 6:53 - 58 - Jesus does not correct their literal interpretation. Instead, Jesus eliminates any metaphorical interpretations by swearing an oath and being even more literal about eating His flesh. In fact, Jesus says four times we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Catholics thus believe that Jesus makes present His body and blood in the sacrifice of the Mass. Protestants, if they are not going to become Catholic, can only argue that Jesus was somehow speaking symbolically.
John 6:23-53 - however, a symbolic interpretation is not plausible. Throughout these verses, the Greek text uses the word "phago" nine times. "Phago" literally means "to eat" or "physically consume." Like the Protestants of our day, the disciples take issue with Jesus' literal usage of "eat." So Jesus does what?
John 6:54, 56, 57, 58 - He uses an even more literal verb, translated as "trogo," which means to gnaw or chew or crunch. He increases the literalness and drives his message home. Jesus will literally give us His flesh and blood to eat. The word “trogo” is only used two other times in the New Testament (in Matt. 24:38 and John 13:18) and it always means to literally gnaw or chew meat. While “phago” might also have a spiritual application, "trogo" is never used metaphorically in Greek. So Protestants cannot find one verse in Scripture where "trogo" is used symbolically, and yet this must be their argument if they are going to deny the Catholic understanding of Jesus' words. Moreover, the Jews already knew Jesus was speaking literally even before Jesus used the word “trogo” when they said “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52).
John 6:55 - to clarify further, Jesus says "For My Flesh is food indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed." This phrase can only be understood as being responsive to those who do not believe that Jesus' flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. Further, Jesus uses the word which is translated as "sarx." "Sarx" means flesh (not "soma" which means body). See, for example, John 1:13,14; 3:6; 8:15; 17:2; Matt. 16:17; 19:5; 24:22; 26:41; Mark 10:8; 13:20; 14:38; and Luke 3:6; 24:39 which provides other examples in Scripture where "sarx" means flesh. It is always literal.
John 6:55 - further, the phrases "real" food and "real" drink use the word "alethes." "Alethes" means "really" or "truly," and would only be used if there were doubts concerning the reality of Jesus' flesh and blood as being food and drink. Thus, Jesus is emphasizing the miracle of His body and blood being actual food and drink.
John 6:60 - as are many anti-Catholics today, Jesus' disciples are scandalized by these words. They even ask, "Who can 'listen' to it (much less understand it)?" To the unillumined mind, it seems grotesque.
John 6:61-63 - Jesus acknowledges their disgust. Jesus' use of the phrase "the spirit gives life" means the disciples need supernatural faith, not logic, to understand His words.
John 3:6 - Jesus often used the comparison of "spirit versus flesh" to teach about the necessity of possessing supernatural faith versus a natural understanding. In Mark 14:38 Jesus also uses the "spirit/flesh" comparison. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We must go beyond the natural to understand the supernatural. In 1 Cor. 2:14,3:3; Rom 8:5; and Gal. 5:17, Paul also uses the "spirit/flesh" comparison to teach that unspiritual people are not receiving the gift of faith. They are still "in the flesh."
John 6:63 - Protestants often argue that Jesus' use of the phrase "the spirit gives life" shows that Jesus was only speaking symbolically. However, Protestants must explain why there is not one place in Scripture where "spirit" means "symbolic." As we have seen, the use of "spirit" relates to supernatural faith. What words are spirit and life? The words that we must eat Jesus' flesh and drink His blood, or we have no life in us.
John 6:66-67 - many disciples leave Jesus, rejecting this literal interpretation that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. At this point, these disciples really thought Jesus had lost His mind. If they were wrong about the literal interpretation, why wouldn't Jesus, the Great Teacher, have corrected them? Why didn't Jesus say, "Hey, come back here, I was only speaking symbolically!"? Because they understood correctly.
Mark 4:34 - Jesus always explained to His disciples the real meanings of His teachings. He never would have let them go away with a false impression, most especially in regard to a question about eternal salvation.
John 6:37 - Jesus says He would not drive those away from Him. They understood Him correctly but would not believe.
John 3:5,11; Matt. 16:11-12 - here are some examples of Jesus correcting wrong impressions of His teaching. In the Eucharistic discourse, Jesus does not correct the scandalized disciples.
More on Scripture and the Eucharist - http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/scrip/a6.html

Why do Protestants not believe John 6 when it says that Jesus’ flesh is real food and that His blood is real drink?

In Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22, Jesus says of the bread, "This is my body." He says of the wine, "This is my blood." Not "this is symbolic of," or "this represents," He says "this IS." In John 6, He repeats Himself, like He does nowhere else in Scripture, to emphasize the fact that He expects us to eat His flesh and drink His blood and that His flesh is real food and that His blood is real drink. Anyone who says He is speaking symbolically, and not literally, simply is refusing to look at all of the facts. Fact #1: The Jews took him literally, verse 52. Fact #2: His disciples took him literally, verse 60. Fact #3, the Apostles took him literally, verses 67-69. If everyone who heard him speak at the time took Him literally, then my question is: Why does anyone today, 2000 years after the fact, take him symbolically?
Also, in verse 51, Jesus says that the bread which He will give for the life of the world is His flesh. When did He give His flesh for the life of the world? On the cross. Was that symbolic? If you think Jesus is speaking symbolically here when He says that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, then you must also conclude that Jesus' death on the cross was symbolic...it wasn't really Jesus hanging up there...it was symbolic flesh and symbolic blood.
Jesus is clearly talking about the flesh that He gave for the life of the world...He did that on the cross. Those who believe He is talking symbolically here in John 6, have a real problem when it comes to John 6:51. Did Jesus give His real flesh and blood for the life of the world, or was it only His symbolic flesh and blood?

And what of the first Christians, those closest to the years after Christ? What Did the First Christians Say?

Anti-Catholics also claim the early Church took this chapter symbolically. Is that so? Let’s see what some early Christians thought, keeping in mind that we can learn much about how Scripture should be interpreted by examining the writings of early Christians.

Ignatius of Antioch, who had been a disciple of the apostle John and who wrote a letter to the Smyrnaeans about A.D. 110, said, referring to "those who hold heterodox opinions," that "they abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again" (6:2, 7:1).

Forty years later, Justin Martyr, wrote, "Not as common bread or common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, . . . is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" (First Apology 66:1–20).

Origen, in a homily written about A.D. 244, attested to belief in the Real Presence. "I wish to admonish you with examples from your religion. You are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries, so you know how, when you have received the Body of the Lord, you reverently exercise every care lest a particle of it fall and lest anything of the consecrated gift perish. You account yourselves guilty, and rightly do you so believe, if any of it be lost through negligence" (Homilies on Exodus 13:3).

Cyril of Jerusalem, in a catechetical lecture presented in the mid-300s, said, "Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master’s declaration, the body and blood of Christ. Even though the senses suggest to you the other, let faith make you firm. Do not judge in this matter by taste, but be fully assured by faith, not doubting that you have been deemed worthy
of the body and blood of Christ" (Catechetical Discourses: Mystagogic 4:22:9).

In a fifth-century homily, Theodore of Mopsuestia seemed to be speaking to today’s Evangelicals and Fundamentalists: "When [Christ] gave the bread he did not say, ‘This is the symbol of my body,’ but, ‘This is my body.’ In the same way, when he gave the cup of his blood he did not say, ‘This is the symbol of my blood,’ but, ‘This is my blood,’ for he wanted us to look upon the [Eucharistic elements], after their reception of grace and the coming of the Holy Spirit, not according to their nature, but to receive them as they are, the body and blood of our Lord" (Catechetical Homilies 5:1).

There are Eucharistic Miracles, here scientists have proven that the bread and wine did turn into Flesh and Blood...
He said he would never leave us and He is with us, TRULY PRESENT in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life!