Home, Sweet Home! Chance flies home to Maui!

December 1, 2008

"...for the joy of the LORD is your strength." -Nehemiah 8:10

Today, Monday, December 1, 2008, is a big day for Chance. He is being discharged from Rehab Hospital of the Pacific and heading home to Maui. God has intervened on his behalf and caused many small miracles to happen to bring Chance to where he is at today.

Chance will continue with out-patient rehab at home on Maui. His progress has been anointed and incredible. In his last few rehab sessions, he was able to stand and take a few steps with the aid of a walker. He has regained much strength, especially in his right leg and arm. On Sunday when I was transferring him from the bed to a wheelchair, he could move himself forward and assist in standing, which made moving him not so difficult. He is able to use his legs to push himself up (like a pelvic lift in exercising), the difference from just a few weeks ago is amazing.

Chance is filled with joy to be going home and to be able to see all of his friends and family again. He can't wait to see, J.R., his best friend. He will be living in a new house and have a new room that has already been set up for him. Arrangements have been made, to have all of his therapy done in the home for now. Pray that he will continue to improve, steadily and fully.

We had a very special time on Sunday, just Chancey and I hanging out for the last time until I get to Maui for a visit. We sang through the Selena and Hillsong's Mighty to Save CD's together. We watched cartoons, talked about his life, my life (boy, he asks lots of questions!) and I shared many stories with him about his journey over the last three months. Some things he remembered and some things he didn't. He ate a good dinner of saimin, egg salad sandwich and some passion-orange juice.

The things he does remember, just blows me away...the questions that come up, the situations he wants to know about, and the people he remembers. The first prognosis of his brain injuries were so grim without hope...God has intervened on Chance's behalf.

The word of God promises Chance "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD," -Jer 29:11 and "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" -Is 30:15

Chance and I had a nice conversation about Jesus. I asked Chance if He loved Jesus, he smiled and said yes. Then I asked, "why?" He smiled again and said "because he loves me..." and "he has helped me to heal." Continue to pray for Chance's walk with the Lord. Pray this verse for Chance "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." That he would grow in wisdom and stature like Jesus did. His heart is very tender and thankful.

The last three months, ran the gamut of emotions for everyone involved. The first two weeks in PICU, the following month in the Wilcox ward at Kapiolani Hospital and now the last month and a half at Rehab Hospital of the Pacific. I have personally seen the hand of God move in many peoples lives through this experience. I have seen Chance's smile light up a room and his sense of humor, make us have some pretty good belly-aching laughs.

Chance is called to his purpose and so is his family. Where the scripture teaches "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Rom 8:28 Their gift of life in Chance and the journey they have ahead of them is filled with promises for our Lord.

This is my prayer for Chance:

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." -Numbers 6:24-26

Mahalo nui loa for all the prayers, love and support you have provided from near and far. Without all of you Chance would not be where he is today. The God of the universe heard your prayers and He has responded on your behalf. Thank you for being faithful in your prayers and love. They have been what has kept us going on this end. Please continue to lift Chance and his family up in prayer. There will be many adjustments to daily life in the coming months for Chance. He still has hopes and dreams that the Lord has placed in his heart...continue to pray for all the hopes and dreams to come to fruition.

G-TUBE G-O-N-E! Removed!

November 17, 2008

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things...Isaiah 25:1



Monday was another great day for Chance! His G-Tube was removed. He is eating well and loving everything. God has been moving and each day is a new miracle!

When I walked in to the hospital room, on November 5th, Tanya was on the phone. So, I asked Chance how his test was (the Barium Swallow); his response was "I passed!" The first night he could have "real" food, he ate some of what Tanya and I were eating. The teri beef tasted WAY better than the chicken and potatoes the hospital brought him for dinner. That same night, we put in the Selena CD and Chance was singing all the songs to me...we had joked for weeks that he was going to sing to me. The first song he sang when he started talking again was his A, B, C's. Here was the song list for the evening...Blue Moon, Dreaming of you, I could fall in love, One more time, and Bidi Bidi Bom Bom! He did try to sing a few more but didn't remember all the lyrics....what he did remember was AMAZING! He also danced with me...well the best he could do from his bed. He was holding up his right arm and moving it back and fourth across his chest, while kicking his right leg to the beat. We were all laughing so hard and no one could erase the huge smile Chance had on his face that night.

For the first few days, he ate ground up food but it didn't take long for him to be able to eat again. He was drinking from a straw and able to manage his fluids well. Usually when patients start eating again they give you this powder thickener for everything, so they won't aspirate. Chance really didn't need it (we didn't know we were supposed to use it) and he did fine without it.

Last week, Tanya called me and said Chance asked if I could bring him a Zip Pac. He ate almost the WHOLE THING! After that, Chance was really fidgety...Mikela asked him what was up. He said he was bored, so I asked what he wanted to do. He said "Do you want to watch the Selena movie?" So I set up the DVD player and Chance, Mikela and I watched the Selena movie. I am sure he has seen it many times and even watched earlier that day but that didn't stop him from singing along (HE LOVES SELENA)! I kept translating the Spanish bits in the movie for Chance. I asked Chance why the non-Mexican (me) was translating Spanish for the part-Mexican (him)! He laughed and said he wants to learn Spanish. So I guess I will start teaching him some Spanish!

On Saturday night, we had some Pepperoni Mushroom Pizza and spicy Buffalo Wings with ranch dressing. During the week he asked for Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Poke, Tony Roma's ribs and Hagen Daz Coffe ice cream! He has a growing list of things he wants to eat now.....and he is not shy about asking.

You can see his teenager personality emerging...he has been able to talk on the phone with family and friends with some pretty witty humor. The other night, he was talking to his dad, Randy, and the rest of the family back on Maui. It is truly a blessing to hear him speak and hold a conversation. His speech is getting better daily. He is even a little sassy at times. While at Kapiolani Hospital seven weeks ago during an extremely tough night Tanya said to me "I just want to hear him say HI MOM again." A few days ago I asked her about that night and how God had answered that prayer. We laughed, cried and rejoiced in God's faithfulness.

He is standing and taking a few steps in PT. One day last week, he stood up by pushing himself off a table top and reached for the green balloon to touch it. He scratched his eyebrow, tried to dig something out of his tooth and in jest pretended he was digging his nose the other day.

Chance is not being released from Rehab Hospital as he is still progressing enough to keep him there (once a patient plateaus in his treatment they are released). Rehab Hospital is the best place for his recovery right now. He is evaluated weekly and granted extensions on his stay depending on his progress. Please pray that he is granted all the extensions that he needs to stay and fully recover before returning home to Maui. I know his family there misses him dearly but they also want him to have the best possible care.

We rejoice with you for all the answered prayers of the saints and the faithfulness of our LORD! Please continue standing with us in prayer for Chance's full recovery. He is on his way for sure. Thanks also for the special care he is given by his nurses, doctors and the staff at Rehab Hospital. A special thank you to Auntie Desiree for loaning us the DVD player and the movies.

All glory to Jesus, Chance's Lord and Savior....on the phone with his dad the other night he asked Chance what his scripture was. Chance's reply "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." --Phil 4:13 Amen and amen...no earthly explanations only answered prayers. Thank your for loving Chance and his family.

To the only wise GOD our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen Jude 1:25

Praise God from whom all blessings flow......




Chance has a warm welcome from his family who flew in from Maui on Friday, November 7, 2008. He was so happy to see his brothers and sisters again. Chance is doing so well over the past weeks. He passed his Barium Swallowing Test last week. Praise God! Chance still has his feeding tube inserted until he can get stronger. He can now eat regular food but they still need to mash it all up. Thats okay because Chance loves it! He has eggs and bacon for breakfast every morning and sometimes a ham sandwich for lunch. He's been craving for KFC chicken as well as shoyu chicken. There's something about chicken...LOL!
Chance can communicate so much better now. He can even hold a conversation with you too. He has come along way and he's still on the road to recovery. Before you know it, he'll be jumping and leaping and praising GOD. Im still amazed at what the LORD has done for Chance.
I pray for the many others who have had similar experiences that the LORD would heal and restore and comfort in the name of JESUS! I cant help but praise God everyday for this beautiful miracle that has taken place. I thank God for all of the staff at the Rehab who are working hard to see him through. For everyone who have lifted up there prayers for Chance and his family all around the world. May the Lord bless you a hundredfold.

Here is a picture of Chance with his two beautiful and supportive sisters, Lainey and Kayla. They were so happy to see there brother (as you can see). Chance is tentatively scheduled to be released from the rehab on November 18, 2008. If he gets released he will be going to an out-patient rehab clinic in Maui. He will get to spend Thanksgiving with his family in Maui. Chance has changed since the accident. He is not the shy, and quiet boy we all knew before the accident. He is more open and his spirit is so lovely. He doesn't remember what had happened on that day, but he has never complained once about his condition, you can tell that he is filled with the peace of GOD which passes all understanding (Thank you Jesus)!
Even in therapy, he tries really hard especially when his mom, dad, and sisters are right there. Chance is a miracle and a testimony of the awesome love and power of God! TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

There's a song that goes like this.... To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory for the things He has done...with His blood He has saved me, with His power, He has raised me, To God be the glory, for the things He has done.


"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalms 23:1-4

Let the redeemed of the Lord say.....YES I SAID SAY!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say.......

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men..... Ps 107:1-2,8

November 3, 2008

There is a sign above Chance's bed dated 10/17/08 that reads "Communication by hand squeezing only" It struck me the other day (10/30/08) as I was TALKING with Chance that a few weeks ago when he arrived at Rehab Hospital of the Pacific that was his way answering questions. I read the sign to Chance and asked him how he communicates now....his response "T-A-A-A-L-L-L-K." He is answering questions with yes, no and not yet! His speech is still slurred but understandable for he most part. He and I had a good laugh about all that God is doing and has done over his stay at Rehab Hospital.

Chance has a FULL daily schedule. Up at 7:30 to get dressed and get ready for PT, following Physical Therapy (PT) is Speech Therapy (ST), and then Occupational Therapy (OT). In the middle of the day he is ushered in to the shower and then has some times of resting in bed in between all the therapies. He is progressing daily and you can really see his personality shining through it all. In OT the other day they lay Chance on his stomach to work on his neck muscles and lifting his head. He does have a strong neck and can keep his head held up for longer and longer stints. While he was on his stomach we held up shapes, letters and numbers. Chance was able to identify each item and give a VERBAL RESPONSE correctly. He sat up for a while and was asked to follow a green balloon around the room with his eyes and move his head accordingly. HE DID...then he was asked to touch the green balloon...it took a few tries BUT HE DID (see picture above). In PT he is standing up with assistance to put load on to his muscles. His muscles tend to spasm at times and putting weight through his arms and legs helps to reduce the spasms. He has a long day which wraps up at around 4:00pm. A few nights ago, Tanya asked Chance to sing to me....he started singing his A, B, C's then he continued the song by counting to 10! I joke with Chance about being in the "24 Hours Fitness" Hospital....he gets a work out all day long.

In the previous post, it mentioned that Chance remembered his mom and his dad's phone numbers and would repeat them when asked to do so. He also remembered his friend's J.R.'s phone number so his mom could call him to speak to Chance. Last Thursday, Randy asked Chance to recite John 3:16......Chance said "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. "I heard it with my own ears!

This Wednesday the hospital is trying to arrange to have the Barium swallow done at Kuakini Hospital (they need the CT Scan). It is our prayer that everything will go smoothly so Chance will be able to begin eating by mouth. The other night he had a little taste of Shrimp Poke....of course he chewed it right up (ssshhh, don't tell). When the Speech Therapist asked him what he wanted to eat he said "PIZZA!" I promised him as soon as they said it was okay I would bring him some pizza. When you asked him what he ate for the day--he said "Milk" that is what is being fed with through the G-Tube.

Chance has great therapists, nurses and doctors taking care of him at Rehab Hospital of the Pacific.

Pray for:

1. The Barium Swallow test to take place this week so Chance can eat by mouth again


2. Continued progress and healing...a requirement for Rehab Hospital is seeing improvement weekly.


3. For the "marathon" of healing that is taking place and the endurance to carry all of the family though this time.


4. For Chance to continue to improve with his speech
   

Mahalo nui loa for all the prayers, love and support you have all shown Chance. The God of the universe is hearing and responding to your prayers. He is charming all with his laugh and his smile.

Let the healing begin...

"For I am the Lord that healeth thee" Exodus 15:26

We serve a mighty and awesome God!

Here is a picture of one of Chance's therapy...he practices sticking out his tongue to help him eat food and speak. He couldn't do this about several weeks ago but now he's doing it! Glory to God!

There is a song that goes like this....I am the God that healeth thee, I am the Lord your healer, I sent my word and healed your disease...I am the Lord your healer.

It's been almost three weeks since Chance has been in the rehab and I tell you God has been so good. Chance has been improving slowly but surely. In the picture above he is trying to whistle for his grandma (Dale). Just a few weeks ago he couldn't really even pucker up his lips and now he's doing it! Praise God! Thank God for all of the hard working speech therapists that have been working with him. Chance has been going to therapy everyday from about 7:30 am till around 3:30 pm with breaks in between. The other day his mom asked him to say his alphabets to his dad and he did it! He even remembers his mom and dads cellular phone numbers! How amazing is the power of God! Randy, his dad asked him, "Chance, what is 1+1 and he said 2," and then he asked him, "Chance what is 5+5 and he said 10." His mom told him to count and he did, all the way up to 20! What a mighty God we serve!
The other day his auntie Gina asked him to put his hand into hers and he slowly lifted up his hand and put it into her hand. God is healing Chance one day at a time. It's just amazing to see the power of God at work.
Chance has come a long way from when he first went into PICU all the way up till now. Just looking back and seeing what the Lord has done is such a wonderful blessing. Everything that the doctors and neurologists said that Chance would never do, God by the power of his Holy Spirit has just totally miraculously done the very opposite. Let the whole earth be filled with the Glory of the Lord!
What an awesome God we serve! Oh the Glory of HIS Presence! Thanks to everyone for their continual prayers. Thank you all for your love, warmth, and support. We appreciate every prayer lifted up for Chance and his family. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and covering for Chance. Please pray that the Lord would continue to grace Chance's parents with the gift of Faith. That the Lord would keep them and strengthen them as well as encourage their hearts. Also for Randy's wife Mimi who is back on Maui caring for the rest of Chance's brothers and sisters. That the Lord would strengthen her and keep her as well. Please pray that the Lord would open the doors financially so that the medical expenses would be taken care of.
Please pray for the many others who have been or are going through similar experiences.
Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and for all the prayers that are being lifted up around the world. God Bless

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalms 103:2-5

Moving on to a new step of faith...

"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." --Romans 8:28



Yesterday, Chane had a very special visitor, Bryan Clay, Olympic Gold Medalist and local boy from Kaneohe. Bryan is a very warm and caring individual. He and Chance got to spend a little bit of time together. On Sept. 1, 2008 when Chance was admitted to Kapiolani Hospital his prognosis was very grim. He spent a little over two weeks in PICU then was moved to the Wilcox Ward. Each day the progress that Chance had made has been nothing short of miraculous. He is currently not connected to anything (IV's, tubes, etc.). His G-Tube installed on October 6, 2008 is working well and his meds and feedings are being administered through that. Most of the medications he was on for various reason have now stopped except that which is absolutely necessary (ie. seizure medicine, muscle relaxers, and he is still on Diazapan as needed).

Last night, Chance received a phone call from Ana and a group of family friends on Maui. His face lit up and he was smiling as he listened to each person tell him how much they loved and missed him. They played some music for him and he enjoyed every minute of that phone call. Thank you so much for calling from Maui and making Chance's night! He was responding in the conversation and smiling from ear to ear.

Today is a very exciting day for Chance as he will be moved from Kapiolani Hospital to Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific on Kuakini St. in Honolulu at 11:00 am. [http://www.rehabhospital.org/] We are very excited about this move! It means that Chance will have the best Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies available to him as he continues on the road of progress. There will be much hard work to be done by Chance, Randy and Tanya. At the rehab hospital, Chance will have at least one hour of each PT/OT/ST a day broken up into smaller chunks of time depending on his physical ability. It it s huge blessing to witness this move and a HUGE step of progress for Chance.

A special thank you to all the doctors, nurses, therapists, and staff at Kapiolani Hospital. You have been professional, loving, and caring. Thank you for being a part of Chance's life and standing with him through this trail.

The prayers of the saints and the Lord Jesus have made all the difference in this recovery process. Your prayers are so valuable to Chance and his family. We cannot thank you enough and also ask that you continue to stand in the gap for Chance and he takes another leap of faith at the Rehab Hospital of the Pacific.

Truly, "We know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37

Today Chance went to therapy in a wheel chair. He even got a new hair cut thanks to Tammy. Chance's therapy went well. He got to stay in the wheel chair for about an hour or so. He is still smiling and cracking up everytime we see him. The nurse today saw Chance in the wheel chair and said "Wow, it's a miracle." I believe with all my heart that Chance will be a testimony of the awesome working power of God....he already is! Praise God!
Thank you to everyone for all your continued prayers. They are greatly appreciated.