May 4, 2009

Thank you again for your love and kindness, for your faith and prayers. I have felt a need to keep you informed of our son's condition - although it is very difficult for me to do so.

Today has been a most difficult day with many tears shed. Bryce's condition continues to seriously deteriorate. The doctors are convinced that the cancer is very aggressively destroying his liver, which is shutting down his body. They are doing everything they can to keep his vital functions working.

They give him only a slim chance of surviving the next few days. It is so very difficult to see him suffer. His body is so swollen out of proportion - he has about 35 extra pounds of fluid in his tissues. For part of the day he wasn't fully sedated and we were able to communicate some with him. This was good and bad. You could see the great suffering he was going through in his eyes. (His eyes that show how bad he is hurting have too often haunted me - this being the case since he was a baby and started having medical problems.)

However, on the positive side - though he cannot talk because he is on a ventilator when we would tell him that we love him he would mouth that he loved us too. He also gave us two thumbs up, which was very touching to us.

They inserted a chest tube in each of his lungs. His right lung drained off nearly 1 1/2 quarts of fluid today. Tonight before we left they were trying to get another main line in him so he can be put on dialysis, but were not successful by the time we left.

Although he is way too ill to be on chemotherapy, the oncologist told us they have no choice but to start this tonight to save his life. The chemo could take his life or may save his life - it is truly being between a rock and a hard place.

Kendra and I have very humbly placed our son's life in the Lord's hands. We truly want to live by the motto of trusting in the Lord with all of our hearts and not leaning unto our own understanding. We have faith that he can be healed, if it be the Lord's will.

Thank you again for all that you do.