Monday, June 21, 2010

Thank you

We would like to thank everyone for your prayers and words of encouragement during the last 3+ weeks. This has been the most difficult trial in our life and we are still grieving, so please continue to pray we will have God's peace that surpasses all understanding.  I am convinced that while now we are wounded and bleeding and hurting, Jesus will heal us, as He healed our son. We will have scars, but they will no longer bleed.

Our many thanks for making our son's memorial service such a beautiful tribute to his life. For those who planned and provided and attended or were otherwise with us in your thoughts and prayers, you are so special to us.

For those who asked about further contact information, the email address for this blog, prayingforlucas@clanlittle.us will forward to my email.

We love you.

Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)

God is good.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Funeral arrangements III

We plan on having some time during the service if anyone wants to share about Lucas. Also, if anyone is interested in performing any music, perhaps instrumentally, either before the service or softly during the time of sharing, feel free to bring your guitar or other instrument...

We plan to gather at the Spotted Dog after the service...

God is good.

Funeral arrangements II

Funeral arrangements have been finalized as noted in the previous post.

In lieu of flowers I know that Lucas would appreciate that you consider either a monetary or non-perishable food donation to the Interfaith Council Community House Kitchen, 110 W. Main St.,
Carrboro, NC 27510. Phone: (919) 967-0643. www.ifcweb.org

Please consider also writing out a page or so of your special memories of Lucas as also noted in the previous post.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. We love you all.

God is good.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Funeral arrangements

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Walker's Funeral Home, 120 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC. Tentative plans are for a visitation at the funeral home chapel from 2:00-3:00 pm with the funeral service to follow at 3:30 pm on Sunday, June 20, 2010.

We have so appreciated getting to meet Lucas' Carrboro/Chapel Hill friends during the last 3 weeks and have a special request for you as well as all others who knew him. Would you consider writing out a page or so of your special thoughts or memories of our son... such as how you knew him, what made him special to you, what you will remember most, etc. Perhaps you have some pictures of him you would share. Please include your name, contact info, etc. We would like to compile these in a scrapbook as a remembrance of our son through the eyes of his friends.

God is good.

Day 1

God is good.

Lucas passed away from this life last night, on day 21 after an auto accident.

Today is Day 1 of a new life for our son... an abundant life available only through Jesus Christ.

I do not know why God did not take him during the accident, but I do cherish the 21 days we had to be with him and pray for him and hold his hand. I do not know for what purposes God gave us these 21 days of trial, but I know that He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I believe that Lucas did love Him, and was called according to His purpose, and that just like he had been reconciled to me after a period of rebellion, God has reconciled Lucas to Himself through Jesus Christ, perhaps even during these 21 days.

This is not the end of our trial. Our grief is only beginning. But our trust remains in Him, for He is good. We have wounds right now that are bleeding and that are more painful than I could ever imagine. But I also know that those wounds will heal. We will have scars, but they will no longer bleed. By His stripes we are healed.

We are so grateful for your prayers, scriptures, and messages of encouragement. You have shared in our burden. Will you please continue in prayer for us, that God will give us great healing and great peace--a peace that surpasses all earthly understanding. I believe God has answered our prayers for healing for Lucas in a very remarkable way. He has given him life; life more abundantly than he has ever known.

We will update when we have more information on arrangements. We do plan to have his funeral in Chapel Hill.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21b)

God is good indeed.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Day 20

We are thankful for your prayers for healing for Lucas. Continue to pray for God's wisdom, strength, and courage for us also.

Pray for Adam Root and for his wife, Amy, and daughter, MacKenzie. Adam was discharged to a rehabilitation facility, but is returning to the ICU because of recurrent swelling in his brain. Continue to pray for Heather's uncle Mikey, diagnosed with brain cancer. And pray for our nurse today (Ellyn) who has a close family member seriously ill, that God would give them wisdom for treatment options.

We are blessed by a great God who encourages us through your prayers and messages to us.

God is good.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Day 19

Lucas' exam is essentially unchanged. We continue to pray for God's healing and for His wisdom, strength, and courage for our family. Thank you all for your continued prayers, verses, and notes of encouragement. You share our burden and grief in a remarkable way.

God is good.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Day 18

Thank you for your continued prayers and notes of encouragement. Please pray for healing for our son. Pray for God's wisdom for us. Pray for God's will in all things.

God is good.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Day 17

315pm

The pentobarbital level is now negligible. Lucas is no longer in an induced coma, but there is as yet no significant neurological response. We continue to pray for the Lord to work mightily in healing his brain.

Please pray for continued strength, courage, and especially wisdom for all of us.

We love you all.

God is good.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Day 16 cont.

1145pm

No real updates for the day. There has been no change neurologically. We still await the medication that was inducing a coma to be fully cleared from his system, although the level was already very low yesterday. We spent time tonight praying, reading some scriptures and singing a hymn with Lucas. I played a couple of Lucas' own recordings for him. How I wish I could feel him squeeze my hand as I hold his...

We are so grateful for your continued prayers and words of encouragement and offers of help in the comments and on facebook, email, etc. I wish I could respond to each of you--know that I read and treasure every message sent. You are all such a blessing during this time. We feel greatly loved.

God is good.

Day 16

1:10 pm

Lucas' neurological exam remains unchanged. We are waiting for the medications to fully clear from his system. He is otherwise stable (but still critical), with no current plans to make any treatment changes heading into the weekend.

We are still a bit overwhelmed ourselves right now to entertain visitors from out of town, but if Lucas' friends locally want to stop by during the day just for a few minutes, they are welcome as long as his intracranial pressures seem stable. Please understand he remains unresponsive and we do want to avoid too much stimulation.

We are grateful for everyone's continued prayers for Lucas.  Please continue to pray for God's miraculous healing for him. Pray also for strength, courage, and wisdom from above for us. We feel much loved by you all and by God.

God is good.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Day 15 cont.

Lucas' head CT shows no current bleeding (although still abnormal with evidence of significant damage), so the neurosurgeons feel it is appropriate to use a low dose of blood thinners to prevent any further blood clots.

Lucas had problems with his heart rate slowing down and we thought his blood pressure dropping dangerously low early this afternoon, but he is now off the blood pressure medicines and his pressure and heart rate seem normal. But, he is now having excessive fluid loss that had been controlled by one of those medicines, so please pray that this will be controlled and not cause further problems with his electrolytes.

We still have seen no significant neurological improvement but continue to pray that God would move mightily to heal Lucas. Our trust is in His perfect will in all things and our prayer is for His wisdom to be evident to us in all decisions.

I took some time to read some scriptures that have been shared with us to Lucas. Pray the Holy Spirit would speak these to his mind and be a comfort to him.

As always, we are thankful for your faithful prayers for Lucas and for us. We are blessed.

God is good.

Day 15

Lucas' had a quiet night. His heart rate occasionally slows down.  We are not sure if this is just a result of weaning off some of his medicines. Pray for this to resolve.

He has started on tube feedings in addition to the IV nutrition. Pray he tolerates this well.

The plan for late this morning is to obtain a head ct scan to check if he is stable enough to begin blood clot prophylaxis with blood thinners. This would not be a high dose to treat what blood clots he has in his arms, but would help prevent other clots from developing.

All other treatments needed (fractures of leg, cervical vertebra, facial bones) remain on hold pending neurological stability. Pray against any other complications.

There is still not significant neurological response. We continue to pray for the Lord's miraculous work in his brain. His medication levels may be low enough today or tomorrow to do a full neurological assessment.

We may have a chance to sit down with both the neurosurgical and critical care teams tomorrow to discuss current status and prognosis and answer questions. Please pray for great wisdom for all involved.

As always, thank you all for you continued prayers for Lucas and for us. We have heard comments not only from our current friends and church family, but also from people we do not know, and from people we have not been in contact with for years. You are all a blessing to us and we give thanks for your love for us in this time.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

God is good.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Day 14 cont.

Lucas' intracranial and blood pressures have remained stable throughout day. The dosage of one of the medications needed to keep his blood pressure up was decreased today. His respirations seem improved. These are all answers to prayer.

Please remember he remains gravely injured. The above are merely complications of the real issues he faces. The medication inducing a coma is nearly out of his system. He has a cough with suctioning of his breathing tube, but this is only a reflex. Otherwise we see no neurological function. We await testing by the neurosurgeons, perhaps tomorrow or the next day, but we are unsure.

Our prayer remains that God would fully heal the structure and function of Lucas' brain and that he would have a full recovery. We continue to pray for his other injuries that are also very serious, but that cannot be treated until he is more stable neurologically.

We continue to feel your love for us as the Lord strengthens us in response to your prayers. Your words of encouragement, scriptures, and prayers are like manna through which the Lord sustains us daily. Pray for continued strength, courage, and wisdom.

Please pray also for my younger son, that the Lord would especially watch over him while we are away from him. Pray for my dad, a prayer warrior, that God would especially comfort and encourage him during this trial as he is dealing with some health issues of his own as well as life transitions.

Continue to remember Lucas' doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and all others involved in his care, that the Lord would be at work through them with all manner of knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion.

We love you all.

God is good.

Day 14

Lucas had a stable night physically for which we are thankful. Please understand that he remains critically ill on life support... stable is relative. We continue to pray for God's healing of his brain. We ask for your prayers for patience and wisdom for us as we wait to see if he has any neurological function. His other injuries are important as well, but treatment is all dictated by neurological issues.

As always, thank you for your texts, emails, comments, etc of encouragement, prayers, and scriptures. They are used by God to sustain us.

God is good.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Day 13 cont.

800 pm

Lucas' pulmonary functions are improved today and his blood pressure medication dosages have been lowered, although we know his pressures can fluctuate at any time. He remains critically ill. We continue to patiently wait on evidence of neurological function to return and we know his healing is entirely up to God. We thank you for praying with us for his full recovery.

 I spent some time this afternoon reading to Lucas some of the scripture verses many of you have shared. The Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword--or scalpel for that matter--and while I do not know that he can hear us at this time, I know the Spirit can speak to him where we cannot.  We trust in Him and His will and His work.

Many thanks to you who share our blog/prayer requests with your church family, friends, facebook, or blog. We feel much love.

God is good.

Day 13

1230 pm

Lucas had some continued respiratory issues overnight and had a bronchoscopy this morning to clear out some of his right lung and seems to be doing better from that standpoint.

His intracranial pressures remain acceptable. His blood pressure still requires multiple medications to keep it up, but seems a little better today. He has tolerated being repositioned in bed without significant drops. His temperature is back to normal this morning (he was on a cooling blanket before to keep his metabolism low.)

At this time we are just waiting for his system to clear the medication that induced a coma and are praying he will demonstrate neurological function. We continue to pray for God's work in restoring the structure and function of his brain. Please also continue to pray for his other problems, known and unknown, that they would not worsen or otherwise cause any other complications.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family as well. We are strengthened and encouraged and feel God's peace. We are in His rest (Matthew 11:28). Pray especially for God to give us great wisdom and peace in the hours and days ahead... this is the extent of our short and long term for now. Pray that we would not grow weary in prayer.

We have asked that you also pray for Adam Root (www.adamrootfamily.blogspot.com). He is being discharged from the hospital and going to a rehabilitation unit. This is a great praise. Pray for continued healing and God's grace to be upon him and his family.

Blessings to you all who lift us up and are being used by God to encourage and refresh us. We are grateful.

God is good.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Day 12 cont.

No significant changes during the day. We are waiting for the medication that induced the coma to wear off and then the neurosurgeons will reevaluate Lucas. We continue to pray for God's miraculous healing and are so comforted by His peace. We know that Lucas is being lifted up mightily in prayer and we feel the prayers on our behalf also.

Pray Lucas' intracranial pressures would remain low and that his blood pressure would increase and stabilize on its own without the need for medication.  Pray for no further respiratory problems. Pray his electrolytes would remain where they need to be and that there would be no further complications.

Pray for strength, courage, and wisdom from above for us. Pray for a restful night. We are thankful for those who are able to pray while we sleep. We love you all.

God is good.

Day 12

Lucas had a relatively quiet night. His intracranial and blood pressures currently seem within an acceptable range. We were able to turn him in bed a bit without disturbing his ventilation. We are now waiting for the pentobarbital to metabolize out of his system and then the neurosurgeons will further assess his neurological function and we will go from there.

We continue to pray for God's miraculous healing of his brain. We know He is able. We pray He is willing. We pray for his other issues, such as the cervical spine, leg and facial fractures, the blood clots in both arms, and his overall cardiopulmonary status. We pray for prevention of other complications and infection.

We continue to ask prayer for his doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other caregivers that He would give them all manner of knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion. They have been wonderful.

Pray for courage, strength, and peace for Tina, Spencer, and myself. Pray also for great wisdom for us in the days ahead. Your texts, facebook posts, and blog comments of scripture, prayers, and encouragement are like manna from heaven. We are blessed by your love and concern for us and we know you love us because He first loved you!

Continue to pray for Sydney and her family. We entrust them to God's grace and mercy.

Pray also for Lucas' friends. We are blessed to get to know them. They our special and remind us of how special our son is.

We are always reminded here that Lucas is not alone in his need for healing. Continue to pray for Adam Root, another brain trauma patient whose wife Amy has been a source of encouragement to us. Pray for Mikey, the uncle of one of Lucas' nurses (Heather), who has been diagnosed with brain cancer. And just as they are not alone, neither are we alone who hope and pray for healing, for we know you share that burden with all of us.

God is good.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Day 11 cont.

We are so very thankful for your continued prayers for Lucas.

He had some difficulty with his lungs this morning and the doctors had trouble getting his oxygen levels under control. They are not sure what the problem was and are not sure it could not happen again. His blood pressure also drops significantly if his medications are interrupted. Please pray for his cardiopulmonary status to improve and become normal.

His intracranial pressures remain acceptable for now and he is now off the medication inducing a coma. It may take a few days to wear off before doctors can reassess to see if Lucas has any neurological function.

Pray for God to work miraculously to restore the structure and function of Lucas' brain and to heal his other injuries and prevent any other complications. Pray for continued knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion on the part of all who are caring for him.

This continues to be a very stressful trial for us so please continue to pray for strength and courage (Joshua 1:9) and the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

We love you all. God is good.

Day 11

Lucas had a rough morning with some respiratory issues. Please continue to pray for healing.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Day 10 cont.

Lucas remains in very critical condition but his intracranial and blood pressures have been in acceptable ranges today, albeit with significant medications. We are waiting to see over the next few days if he will stabilize and if there will be any neurological response as he weans off certain medications.

We are grateful for your prayers without ceasing for Lucas. Please pray for God's miraculous healing of his brain's structure and function. Pray for all the other issues such as the neck and leg fractures, blood clots, as well as a host of issues unknown to us but known to God. Pray that God would continue to work through the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others and that He would give them all manner of knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion.

God is able to heal him. We pray He is willing. Pray that in the midst of all this the Holy Spirit would speak to and comfort Lucas even in his state and that he would have true healing in Christ.

We did take an opportunity to go home for a few hours today. We had a late lunch with Spencer and it was great to spend some time with him. Please continue to pray for him. We love him and he is a great joy to us. Thank you all for your care and concern for him.

Continue to pray for Sydney. She is here late every night. This is a difficult time for her as for all of us and she shares in our grief. Pray that the God of all comfort would make Himself known to her in a mighty way. Pray for her mother and father also.

Pray for peace and strength and wisdom for us in the coming days. The next several days are likely to be very stressful. We appreciate everyone's offers of help. For now your prayers are what we covet most. Your blog comments, texts, and emails of scripture, prayer, and encouragement help to sustain us. Feel free to continue to forward this blog address / prayer requests to your churches, facebook pages, etc.

We feel much love surrounding us.

God is good.

Day 10

No changes to report. Lucas needs God's miraculous healing. We are home for a few hours to be with Spencer. We know God is watching over Lucas. God is good.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Day 9 cont

We are tired so this post is brief.

I wrote earlier that we are in a dark place.

But a dear friend reminded me that...

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 137:11-12)

For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness. (Psalm 18:28)

And so, the darkness is not so dark.

Thank you again for the prayers, scriptures, and messages of support. We feel God's peace through them.

Lucas' blood pressure has remained fairly stable, so they may try to wean off one of the medications during the night. His intracranial pressures were up last night, but OK for now. Pray it will stay low as they start to taper off some other medications. He remains critically injured and ill and we are trusting in God's healing power where medicine has no answer.

We thank you for your continued prayers on his behalf. If you awaken during the night, say a prayer. It is helpful to know he is being prayed for as we try to sleep.

God is good.

Day 9

Lucas remains in extremely critical condition. His blood pressure continues to drop and he had to start on a third pressure medicine last night. It would be easy to ask for prayer for his blood pressure, but honestly there is so much going on that it is really impossible to ask for prayer for specific things. At this point we can only ask for God's healing touch upon him. Continue to pray for knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion on the part of the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and many others who are caring for him. We are faced with some very difficult decisions... pray with us for God's guidance in all things.

We respectfully request no visitors to Lucas' room right now. He needs as little stimulation as possible. Please note that our own time is limited and our schedule unknown. But please, please keep praying for him. We don't want his friends to feel disconnected.

Please continue to lift up Spencer, Tina, and myself. We are in a dark place. Continue to pray for Sydney. She is there with us.

We love you. Thank you for your comments and scriptures and prayers. They encourage us.

God is good.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Day 8 cont

Lucas is still very critical but had a fairly quiet day. A day for us to sit next to his bed and just be with him. His intracranial pressures seemed stable, but his blood pressure has been dropping. He is now having problems with his electrolytes. At some point we need to stop focusing on this number or that number and just pray for God's healing touch upon him. God knows what's wrong with him and God can heal him.

Please do continue to pray for healing. We are so appreciative of the fervent prayers of so many--many who do not even know our son. We are confident of this--that God's will is what will be done.

Continue to pray for knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion on the part of his doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others involved in his care. They are only human, but God can and is working mightily through them.

Pray for us. We are weak, but He is strong. Pray for patience and the peace that can only come from God. Pray for rest during the night. Thank you all who pray during the night while we try to sleep. Your prayers comfort us and our son.

Continue to pray for our son Spencer at home. Thank you all who are checking in on him. We love him and miss him. Pray for Sydney, Lucas' girlfriend. He loves her and so do we. She has much ahead of her. Pray for her family.

Continue to pray for the Root family. Adam suffered a head injury about 20 days ago and his wife Amy has been a source of comfort and inspiration to us. www.adamrootfamily.blogspot.com

Lucas' nurse during the last 3 day shifts has been Heather. She is an angel. She found out today that her maternal uncle has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and is expected to live a couple months. His name is Mikey. Pray for him and pray for his family.

God is the ultimate physician, not only for my son, but for these others as well.

He is good.

The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:9

Day 8 cont

Lucas' blood pressure continues to remain borderline with no room to adjust his primary medication. The doctors are starting an additional medication to try to keep his blood pressure up. Thank you for continued prayer.

Day 8

1155am
Lucas had an uneventful night and Tina and I were able to get some much needed sleep. Thank you for your prayers.

It occurred to me that in updating Lucas' condition I might be providing details that are too graphic and I want to be sensitive to Lucas as well as to his friends, family, and prayer partners. So I will try to be just specific enough so that you know what is going on and how to specifically pray, but remember, God knows exactly what He is doing... just keep praying!

Lucas intracranial pressures are stable in an acceptable range. Pray this would continue and that swelling and inflammation in the brain would subside completely. But his blood pressure continues to drop and it is a delicate juggling act to keep his blood pressure up and not do anything to affect the intracranial pressure. Pray for wisdom on the part of the doctors and nurses in managing his blood pressure.

He still has a pneumonia, but is on antibiotics. Pray for rapid healing.

He has blood clots in both arms, but no plans for treatment, since this could affect bleeding in the brain. Pray that no clots would break off and go to the heart or lungs.

Continue to pray for knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion for the doctors, nurses, and others caring for Lucas. Pray that God is at work through them.

We have asked you to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). We ask that you continue to do so for healing for Lucas. The gospel of Luke records the parable of the persistent widow...


18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

So please, pray. A moment here, a moment there. When you awaken at night and aren't sure why... pray. Let the Son of Man find many with faith on earth who persistently pray for healing.
We cherish your comments on this blog of scripture, prayers, love, and support. They are so very much appreciated. We feel God's presence through you all

Don't hesitate to pass this on to your church, prayer groups, facebook, etc. 

We love you all.

God is good.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Day 7 cont.

925pm
Lucas' intracranial pressures are currently better with a combination of prayer, cooling him down, positioning (sitting up supported in bed), and another dose of hypertonic saline allowed after his sodium levels corrected. (I think mostly prayer, so please keep praying!)

His arterial pressures continue to respond to medicine and fluid.  He has had some complications develop. He has a pneumonia and is currently on antibiotics.  He also has blood clots in both arms which present a risk to break off and go to the heart, but are currently untreatable due to risks of bleeding with his injuries.  These, along with his cervical and leg fractures, are by themselves bad situations, but take second place to the brain pressures. However, continue to pray for the intracranial pressures to remain low as well as these secondary issues as they remain significant concerns.

We are thankful for all the voicemails (hard to take actual calls), emails, and texts of prayer and support. For those who have visited us, we apologize for only being able to spend a few minutes with you after you have driven so far, but our time can be stretched thin. Most of all we appreciate your prayers near and far for our son and for our family. Please continue to pray that God would perform a great miracle of healing in his life. Pray for knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion on the part of the doctors, nurses, and others taking care of him. We see Him at work through them and know your prayers play a part. Pray for Tina and myself that we would remain strong in this trial and that we would lean on Him and not on our own understanding. Pray for our son Spencer... I know his heart aches for his big brother. Pray God would give him special peace and comfort. Thank you all for your concern for him and your reaching out to him. Pray for Sydney, Lucas' girlfriend. He loves her and so do we. Pray for her family as I know they suffer in this with us.

And to all Lucas' friends... we are so blessed to get to know you. We are sorry it is under such circumstances. But you have been an encouragement to us in knowing how much he is loved and cared about by so many in the community. We are praying for you as well. We are trying to keep Lucas quiet and avoid any undo excitement that might increase his pressures (although he does remain in a medication induced coma) and so do want to limit visitors in his room at least for the next few days... but feel free to come by if you just need to be here for him. We are happy to meet you and spend a few minutes lifting him up with you.

Finally, please continue to PRAY. Many times it is difficult to know what or how to pray. Don't worry, the Holy Spirit knows... you just pray. Especially at night... if you happen to awaken, would you pray for Lucas that he would heal and pray for his parents that we might have some rest.

Please continue to follow on this blog. You can set it up so that you get emails when it is updated.

Blessings to you all. God is good.

Burnie

Day 7

1100am
Lucas' intracranial pressures are still high this morning so please continue to pray earnestly they would decrease on their own.  His chest tubes came out this morning. He may have a pneumonia and is on antibiotics. His electrolytes are better. He is getting some blood this morning. He did have his IVC filter yesterday, so I think we are done with any procedures other than some surgeries on his leg and neck that can wait. There is so much going on... it can be easy to focus on this number or that number... but ultimately God is in control and we pray for His healing.

Pray for continued knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion for the doctors, nurses, and others taking care of Lucas.

Pray for patience, peace, and comfort for Tina, Spencer, and myself. Pray also for Sydney, Lucas' girlfriend. We are so very grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We are so thankful for Lucas's friends who have been to visit. Please continue to check in with us and visit, although we do want to limit access to his room right now to keep him as quiet as possible.

God is good.

Day 6 cont.

1214am
Please continue to pray for God's healing touch on my son. How I wish I could trade places with him, but I am unable. But thanks be to God that His Son was also willing and able to trade places with us. And He is able to heal completely, body and spirit.

 Pray for a restful night for Lucas. That his pressures would normalize and that he would have no compications. Pray for knowledge, wisdom, skill, and compassion on the part of the nurses, doctors and others taking care of him. Pray for wisdom on our part in hard decisions and pray for trust in the Lord as he works through those taking care of him.

Finally, thanks to all of you who are praying. I don't know how many... certainly more than read this blog. Please pray without ceasing, that your prayers may be a fragrant aroma to our Lord and that He might find favor in granting us our desires. Nevertheless... not our will, but His.

God is good.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Day 6 cont.

Lucas' intracranial pressures have increased. Pray for lower pressures.

Day 6 cont.

3:30pm
Lucas has been relatively stable (but still critical) all day. He remains in a medication induced coma. He has a cooling blanket to keep his temp down and further slow metabolism. He is scheduled to have a filter inserted into a large vein (IVC) in his chest to catch any possible blood clots that may develop. The doctors feel he can tolerate the procedure, but please pray there will be no complications and that his intracranial pressures will remain low (they will have to lie him down for the procedure and his pressures increase then). We are unsure of the time of the procedure... sometime late afternoon or early evening is what we are told.

We so appreciate your continued prayers for Lucas. Pray for healing of his body and especially for the state of his soul. Continue to pray as the Spirit gives you leading. We are confident that when we ourselves are too tired to pray, others of you are lifting him up before the Father. We appreciate your prayers for us and your messages and offers of love and support.

Finally, there is a dear sister here whose husband suffered a brain injury over two weeks ago. She has been an encouragement to us as someone walking in our shoes. Please pray for her husband, Adam Root, that the Lord would give healing to him also. Pray for her, Amy, and for her daughter, Mackenzie, that the Lord would give them continued strength to persevere and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Please see www.adamrootfamily.blogspot.com for her updates.

God is good.

Day 6

845am
Lucas' intracranial pressures are down for now which is good. Thanks for your prayers. But his blood pressure drops dangerously with position changes and he is dependent on a continuous medication drip to maintain his pressure. Please pray for this. Also pray for wisdom for the doctors and nurses regarding other procedures he needs. Pray against any complications. His sodium and potassium are better. Please understand also that if I use the term stable that does not necessarily mean better, it can just mean not worse. He remains very seriously injured. Please continue to pray without ceasing. We are blessed. God is good.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Day 5 cont.

10:47pm
The intracranial pressures have risen some after the surgery... they are taking some measures to keep it down, but prayer will work the best so keep praying!  Pray for his oxygen levels to remain strong, and his lab work to normalize. Pray for healing for his brain.  Pray for wisdom, knowledge, skill, and compassion for his doctors and nurses and others.  Pray for peace and comfort, strength and courage for Tina, Spencer and myself.  Pray also for Sydney, Lucas' girlfriend who love each other very much.  Above all pray for God's perfect plan to continue and that He would be glorified in all this. I cannot tell how many are praying... but we feel His power through you all.

Day 5 cont.

7:00pm
Lucas has been stable since surgery. His intracranial pressures remain in an acceptable range. Please pray they would not rise.  There is not much more that could be done except for more aggressive surgery. We continue to pray for full healing, and know that God is the great physician and that there is nothing beyond his control.

Day 5 cont.

2:00 pm

Thank you all for your prayers. Lucas' surgery went better than we expected.  We were told to expect they would take any damaged brain tissue and were concerned as this was obviously an indication of irreversible changes. But the report was good, no apparent damage on the external surface of the brain, and no removal of any tissue. We still do not know the extent of damage underlying, but we know we serve a God who is the great physician and can heal what we cannot comprehend.

Lucas is still critically injured and we have no idea about chances for survival. But his life is in the Lord's hands, not ours, and our hope is in Him, not ourselves. Pray for healing. Pray against blood clots, infection, and other complications. Pray for his intracranial pressures to remain low. Our hope is for his salvation, but pray that even in his state the Lord may speak to him if he does not already know Him, for He is sovereign in all things.

We know that for some unforeseen time frame we will have many ups and downs... but we are determined to keep our feet planted firmly on the rock of the Lord, and let the maelstrom swirl around us, rather than trying to swim in it. Pray we would be faithful in this.

Thanks again for all your texts, calls, emails, and visits.  They mean so much to us.  We would like to limit visitors in Lucas' room for the next few days to give him every opportunity to rest, but are happy to meet with anyone who visits. We feel greatly loved by so many, and the grief you share with us takes the burden away from us.

1 Thess 5:17

Day 5 cont.

1015
Lucas' pressures have increased to the point the neurosurgeons have nothing medical to offer. Their only option is for emergency surgery to remove the front of the skull to relieve the pressure.  Because there is significant damage to the frontal aspect of the brain, the neurosurgeon feels removal of that part will be necessary, since it will not hold to the rest of the brain. They will preserve any viable tissue.  This is a life saving surgery with significant risks. Without it they feel he would most certainly die within a few hours, and with it they still have little hope. We have agreed to the surgery, realizing that even with recovery Lucas would have changes in personality. We are praying that our decision is the right one and that if it is not that God would intervene to prevent him from having the surgery. In all this we trust in God to be at work for His purposes. He had already left for the OR before we could get to his bedside. Pray for him. Pray for us.

Day 5

8:00am
Lucas' intracranial pressures increased during the night. They have him on a cooling blanket to lower his temp and metabolism and also have increased his pentobarbital to further lower his brain activity and metabolism. Please pray for lower pressures.  His sodium was improved which is good and he started on nutrition via an IV last night. Pray for a restful day for him and that the Lord will heal him.  Continue to pray for Tina, Spencer, and myself.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Day 4 cont.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Lucas. Pray he will have a good night and that his intracranial pressures will decrease and the swelling in the brain will resolve. Pray for God's healing of his brain. Pray for management of all other problems which are secondary to the neurological concerns.

Tina and I are home tonight to be with our younger son and will return tomorrow. Thanks also for your love and concern for our family in this
very difficult time. We love you all.

Day 4 cont.

The neurosurgeons opted yesterday to put Lucas into a chemically induced coma to rest brain activity as much as possible to lower the intracranial pressure. This seems to have worked, but CT scans do show extensive brain injury. He has extensive other injuries but these are secondary. Please continue to pray for a miraculous hea...ling for him. Pray for wisdom, strength, comfort and peace for Tina, my son Spencer, and myself.

Day 4

We have created this blog to serve as a central update area for those praying Lucas Little.  Thank you for your love and support of our son and ourselves in this difficult time.