Laughter is the best medicine...

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." -- Job 8:21

September 23, 2008

"Chancey, Chancey, Bo-bancey, Banana-fana-fo-fancey, Fe-fi-mo-mancey....Chancey!" you ever wonder what effect goofy songs have on someone's heart. Well tonight we had a night of laughter with Chance. When I arrived at the hospital tonight, I could see that Chance was up (well not totally up yet, but as up as he could be). He is still not tracking with his eyes, but he can hear us and is becoming more and more responsive. So I just started talking to him. After a few sorta responses, I asked Chance to blink for his mom. AND....AND....HE DID! So I shouted "WAHOOO! Chance! Chancey you did it! WOW! YOU'RE AWESOME!" Tanya and I started laughing! To our surprise Chance cracked a big HUGE grin....he was smiling so we started laughing more and his smile got bigger and bigger. He is still not fully "awake" but he is with us as much as he can be right now. Tanya tried to take a picture of him smiling. So I kept talking to him. Whatever I could think of stupid, goofy things....like....

• "Chance, Jr. is back on Maui waiting for you to come home cuz no one else is going to sneak him some ice pops." Big smile again....
• "Chance, Gabie told me you tease him when he is doing his homework....you stand behind who is helping him and make faces trying to get him in trouble." Bigger smile....
• "Chance, when we were in PICU and we were sitting in the waiting room Mikela farted and everyone had to leave because it stunk so bad...was so hauna!" Almost laughing....
• "Chance, Gabie and Lainey are back on Maui in school....then have lots of homework and you don't have to worry about that now. No homework for you right now." Big smile...
• "Chance, Chance you are making your mommy's heart leap for joy seeing you smile, keep smiling!" Bigger smile.
• "Chancey, Chancey, Bo-bancey, Banana-fana-fo-fancey, Fe-fi-mo-mancey....Chancey!" Almost laughing again....

We were trying to keep him occupied while Jeanette, his nurse, was needing to change a clogged IV. Jeannette called in Paul (the flight nurse that brought Chance over from Maui), affectionately known as the the "IV Man." Paul and Janette joined us in laughing with Chance. He was struggling a bit....he needed more meds but along the way his smile was so bright and big. Randy joined us and I sang the silly song again. Chance smiled for his dad. Seeing Randy smile was great too! After Paul and Jeanette got his IV back on track and gave him his next dose of meds....it was time to countdown 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1, contact. His eyes were really droopy and then closed as he slipped into the slumber of rest for the night. His heart rate was in the high 80's when I left the hospital and ranging between 87-110, even when he is stressed his heart rate is at around 120. Last week it was sustained in the 120's and peaking in the 150's when he was agitated. He is not grinding his teeth anymore. He does move his arms and legs some (more on the right than the left). They are still working with him on passive range of motion movements to keep him from becoming stiff.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." --Is 41:10

God has been showing His mighty hand in response to your prayers. It was a very encouraging night for all of us who have seen God's thumbprint each day. One day at a time, one step at a time, one moment at a time....God is large and in charge.

Mikela, Lainey, Gabie and Randy Jr. are all back on Maui. So please pray for their hearts in this time of being separated from their brother and parents. The school quarter ends in a week. Pray that Lainey and Gabie will be caught up with all their school work.

Others to pray for:

• Michael was discharged from Kapiolani and sent back to Kaiser Moanalua. He was only at Kapiolani for his Chemotherapy treatment. I got to visit with Michael and his mom before he left the hospital. Michael accepted Christ not too long before he was sent over to Oahu and then diagnosed with Leukemia. Michael has a great sense of humor and a big smile. Please continue to pray for his healing....he is just beginning this battle as that was his first round of Chemo.
• Maddie and Marita (her mom) will be flying back to Honolulu from Maui tomorrow. Maddie will be admitted back into Kapiolani Hospital on Thursday for pre-op prep. On Friday, September 26 she will be having surgery number 24. It is slated to be an 8-hour surgery. Pray for Dr. Sutherland who will be the surgeon and all who will be caring for Maddie. Pray that the Lord will be with Maddie and that this will be her LAST surgery. Pray for her recovery to go smoothly and quicker than expected.
  
• Brittany was also released from Kapiolani Hospital and moved to St. Francis hospital for further care. She is out of PICU...praise the Lord. Continue to pray for her and her family: Jamie (mom), Killy (dad), K-one (brother), and Sandy (sister). Jamie will keep me posted on her condition.
• Samantha (2yrs old) has been in the hospital for two months with a stomach infection. When I first saw her in the halls, her dad was pushing her in a stroller with a feeding tube up her nose. Last night she was walking in the halls and playing peek-a-boo with me. No more feeding tube but still not out of the woods. She is an adorable little girl.
• Shannon's family-continue to pray for them as they step through this time of grieving. The link below was sent to me. It was made by Shannon's school friends. Shannon is the beautiful Indian looking girl in all the photos. That is what struck me about her in PICU....she's absolutely beautiful. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=117pTKlIYz0

The prayers of the saints are being heard by the God of the universe and He is answering them. Mahalo nui loa for standing with us in prayer.

Come on sing with me.... "Chancey, Chancey, Bo-bancey, Banana-fana-fo-fancey, Fe-fi-mo-mancey....Chancey!" Hope you enjoy picture I took while I was singing the goofy song. We wanted you to see his really big smile too!

The next step...

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
--Ps 100

September 19, 2008

Aloha Kakou,

Your prayers are making a difference! Mahalo nui loa....the last few days Chance has been peaceful and resting. His color is coming back and the Dr.'s are happy with his progress. We are also overjoyed with the progress he is making. On Sept. 18 at 5pm Randy and Tanya met with the entire medical team that is caring for Chance. Dr. Yim wanted to reassure them that they are all committed to seeing them through his recovery. They also discussed the progress Chance has made and what steps will be taken next.

They have his agitation under control and attributed it to withdrawals from all the heavy doses of meds he was receiving up in PICU, namely Versed and Morphine. They have him on two meds to wean him off what was given to him in PICU. Since they found the right balance he has been calm and resting. He has stopped grinding his teeth!

Since the first week, Uncle Daniel who is a Physical Therapist has been working with Chance to keep him limber. After an accident that causes trauma to the brain the bodies natural reaction is to stiffen up. Randy and Daniel have been working on Chance daily and it is making a difference in keeping him comfortable. The hospital PT and OT staff are working with Chance doing passive Range of Motion exercises.

He is still responsive to verbal cues. Dr. Yim said he blinked on command today! The meeting with the Dr.'s was very encouraging.

This is the plan for his care in the next few weeks.

• Continue to slowly wean him off all meds over the next two weeks
  
• At the end of next week once he is more awake they will call in Speech Therapy to do a Barium Swallow to determain if he can still eat and drink through his mouth. If he can't and the liquid is going into his lungs and not his stomach they will need to insert a gastric tube (G-Tube) near his stomach so he can be fed. We are confident that his gag reflex is already working and that he will be able to eat/drink through his mouth. Chance does swallow/gag when Tanya brushes his teeth or puts water to his lips with a sponge and when his mouth is being suctioned out for mucus.
  
• Physical and Occupational Therapy will continue to work with Chance to meet the criteria of being able to go through 3 hours of PT/OT a day.
• Once Chance is at the level of 3 hours of PT/OT a day he will be transferred to Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific for in-patient care. In most cases patients really blossom at Rehab Hospital. They work with them daily for hours.
• Currently there is no in-patient rahab facility on Maui to care for Chance. So he will need to stay on Oahu for now.

We are still believing that Chance will be healed and has already surpassed the Dr.'s expectations. Thank you for continuing to stand with us in prayer for restoration and healing to Chance's body, mind and spirit.

One day at a time...

September 16, 2008

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." --Phil 4:6-7

Aloha Kakou,

Mahalo nui loa to Liza and Lisa for setting this up and allowing me to contribute.

Chance is now resting in a regular hospital room as of Saturday (see last update). He is making progress. The Dr.'s said that he has some brain damage as shown in the MRI's to most portions of his brain except a portion of his right lobe. He is still in a coma they cannot wake him from, but he is responsive to verbal cues and he is moving his arms and legs. Now it is just a waiting game to allow his body to heal. The nurses in the PICU and in the Wilcox ward have been great.

Chance has had a steady stream of visitors from both here on Oahu and special friends that have flown over from Maui to see him and to pray over him. Randy and Tanya are both by his side daily with words of encouragement, scripture reading and prayers. God has his hand on Chance and is holding him and keeping him. Pray that we will figure out what he is trying to communicate to us. Being in a coma it takes time for the body to wake up again and reconnect everything. At times he gets agitated I think because he is trying to tell us something...tonight when he got stressed we moved his limbs and it seemed to quiet him. He was resting for most of the day and was resting again when I left the hospital at midnight. Tanya has been staying in the room with him to make sure he is kept comfortable all night long.

Mikela, Lainey, and Gabie have also been spending time with him, talking to him, praying for him, and loving on him. We have great Christian music and teaching playing in his room 24/7. We are praising Jesus for all the progress we have seen thus far and are blessed in knowing that our God is faithful.

Pray for:

• Those caring for him to pick up on the clues he is giving us to keep him rested and comfortable.
• He grinds his teeth when gets stressed-we have tried mouth guards but those irritate him too. So pray he will stop grinding his teeth.
• He is still on many different medications-pray for them to all work the way they are supposed to and for no strange reactions.
• He is breathing on his own and all his vitals look good. When he is stressed his heart rate is elevated. Pray that his heart rate will be not be too elevated.
• A touch from the Father to heal the things we cannot see.

Others to pray for:

• Michael, a classmate from Baldwin High is also in the Wilcox ward near Chance and being treated for Leukemia. Michael's parents own a laundromat in Kahului. They are wonderful people.
  
• Maddie was released from the hospital and will back for surgery number 24 on Sept. 26. She is back home on Maui with her family.
• Brittany will prayerfully be release from PICU o n Wednesday and moved to another facility for care. She is originally from Truk and born with a small brain and no esophagus. She was being treated for pneumonia and has been in PICU for 3 weeks.
• Shannon's family-continue to pray for them as they step through this time of grieving. The link below was sent to me. It was made by Shannon's school friends. Shannon is the beautiful Indian looking girl in all the photos. That is what struck me about her in PICU....she's absolutely beautiful. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=117pTKlIYz0
  

Most of all thank you for standing with this family in prayer...they are felt and greatly appreciated.

Praise Report from Gina

This post is a comment left on the previous post. I thought i will pull it up so the prayer warriors can see right away:

Hello, my name is Gina and I'm the sister of Randy. I, too have also been at the hospital with my husband Leonard since they arrived on Sept. 1st...First of all I'd like to thank our Heavenly Father for all that He has done so far and all that He's about to do. I would also like to thank everyone who has been lifting up Chance in there prayers as well as his family (much appreciated).

"I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord."
Psalm 118:17

I would like to share a little about what the Lord has done and His wonder working power....My nephew was found unconscious without a pulse at a beach in Lahaina on Sept. 1st. My brother and his wife Mimi tried to revive him with CPR...the paramedics took 4 times trying to shock his heart back into rhythm...finally on the fourth try, he was revived (thank God for that first miracle).

Later on that evening they had to medi-vac Chance over to Kapiolani Hospital. For the next several days he was in a coma and on life support. After taking the first MRI the doctors gave the report that Chance had brain damage in all 4 parts of his brain. Several days after that the doctor decided to take another MRI because his eyes were dilated and responding to the light. When the second MRI report came in the doctors told Chance's parents that the current MRI was worse than the first one. The neurologist told my brother that Chance's right side of his brain was severely damaged and parts of his left side of the brain was damaged also. They told my brother that Chance would not walk again and that this is the reason he is not coming out of the coma. Chance's family refused to believe the reports of the neurologists and chose rather to put their trust and hope in GOD. Exactly 2 days after seeking and petitioning the Lord for a miracle, early that morning Chance began to open his eyes and squeeze with his hand and making grunting noises while his mother (Tanya), father (Randy), and sisters (Mikeila & Lainey) were in the room with him. What a miraculous thing!!! From then on Chance has been slowly being taken off of the life support and breathing on his own...Praise God!!! On Sept. 13th Chance was moved from PICU to Wilcox (his own room) and is slowly being weaned from all the medications that was put into his body.

Please pray that the Lord would completely heal him from all his withdrawals and totally restore him whole. I wasn't there to see Chance smile and giggle but I did see Chance cry when his daddy talked to him and let him know that everything is going to be alright. Our God is an awesome God and He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love...OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!! To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise!!!

Please continue to pray for Chance and his family that the Lord would comfort and bring healing with total restoration.

God Bless,
Gina Mersburgh

Saturday Update

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? --Jer 32:27

Mahalo nui loa for setting this up. I am the cousin of Tanya Wong who is the mother of Mikela, Lainey, Chance and Gabriel (Mimi is the mother of Randy Jr. and Ezekiel their other two children).

I have been with Chance's parents (Tanya and Randy) since they arrived on Sept. 1, 2008 @ Kapiolani Hospital.

Today, Sept. 13, 2008 Chance was moved from PICU to Wilcox (to a regular hospital room). Despite the reports of the Dr.'s Chance has made positive steps daily. I stand with you all in prayer knowing that there are so many promises in the Word...Phil 1:6, Luke 2:52, and Jer 29:11. He has been faithful thus far and I know He will continue to carry this family through this. I have seen great things in the last 13 days. Today, while Randy was putting in a mouth guard to help Chance not grind his teeth.....Chance smiled, and even kinda giggled. We were all laughing and smiling with him. It was a beautiful moment.

.

Chance Needs Our Prayers

Randy & Mimi Esperanza are members of Hope Chapel. On Monday, September 1st (Labor Day), their son, Chance, had a seizure while in the water at a beach in Lahaina, and has been in a coma since then.

Chance is 14 years old, and he is a Freshman at Baldwin High School. The Esperanza's (dad/stepmom) live in Kahului. Chance's mom's name is Tanya Wong.

Chance is currently on life support at Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu. The latest MRI shows that there is a chance of brain damage.

Please pray for a miracle for Chance, and for God's peace, comfort and strength for the Esperanza & Wong families. Check back on this blog for prayer updates and for practical ways you might be able to help the families in their time of need. Feel free to leave your words of encouragement, prayers and scripture for them.

Serving Together,
Lisa Bryant

Day four....

September 5, 2008

Aloha Kakou,

I just got home from the hospital. It was a long night. Chance's condition changed a bit. They put him back on the ventilator (30%) so he would not have to work so hard and to give his body a rest. He is still heavily sedated due to blood pressure issues, they seemed to have gotten way better by the end of the night. His BP meds were reduced. The MRI confirmed brain damage in all 4 lobes but his stem is fine. Now it's just a waiting game. It could take up to two weeks for his lungs to get better. Once his lungs get better they will reduce the sedative and begin to "wake him up." Once they start waking him up, we will see the effect on his brain. Randy, Tanya and the other children are doing well, in spite of the news they received tonight. God is truly carrying them through this trail.

Chance is surrounded by friends and family day and night with people visiting. Lots of prayer happening in PICU! Tonight while Tanya and I were in with him the nurse was brushing his teeth again. His eyes moved and they moved again when Tanya was talking to him. We are happy for all the small things.

Update on other kids:
1) Maddie: is out of PICU and I spent time with her and her mom Marita down on the second floor. Maddie is a beautiful little charmer. Great girl we had fun tonight. Maddie was so happy to be out of PICU! She was wheeling herself around the ward encouraging the other kids there. She is precious. What a great new friend I have!!! What a gorgeous little girl, such a trooper considering what she has been through.

2) Brittany: is making some progress. Her mom took me in with her today. I got to talk to her and pray over her. When they first brought her in (2 wks ago) she was unresponsive and her eyes were closed. Today her eyes were open and she was moving around more. She is beautiful little girl with dark curly locks! Continue to pray for her recovery and her family as they support her. I met her older brother today. I think he is about 7ys old.

3) Shannon: The 14 year old girl from Maui is named Shannon. Please pray for Shannon's family. Shannon passed away tonight at around 8pm. She had an aneurysm that was down deep....she was getting progressively worse. There were three "Code Blues" in PICU today. The first two they pulled her out of and last one they did not. She was a soccer player and a student at Baldwin High School. She and Chance are possible classmates at school. While I was visiting Maddie and Marita....we stopped and prayed for them. Continue to pray for the family.

Please continue to lift up all these beautiful children that are in His hands and His care.

Thank yo so much for partnering with these families.
You prayers matter so much!

Day Three...

September 4, 2008

Aloha Kakou,

Chance is making strides! Your prayers are being answered! They started taking him out of the coma yesterday (they said that would not happen until the end of the week) and he is breathing on his own (he is still on the ventilator). The preliminary report from the pediatric neurologist is unclear. There might be brain damage but nothing can be determined until he sees the MRI.

The test they gave Chance in the ER on Maui said that the Ph level was at 6.7 and the EEG yesterday was consistent for brainwaves that have a Ph of 6.7. The concern: when the Ph drops below 7 there is "usually" brain damage. The Dr. said this is just "part of the picture" and they are not sure yet. He was just reporting the data. His heart is not pumping like a 14 year old should (not moving enough blood through his system). In spite of a high heart rate. They think it is due to CPR compressions but will not leave permanent damage. The radiologist is looking at the MRI this morning and will give a report shortly. The attending physician who took a preliminary look at the MRI said it was not as bad a he expected and he can now start putting together a treatment plan with the other Dr.'s

These are all the reports of man....we're waiting for the report from the Lord.

The other night Tanya assisted the nurse is bathing Chance. They got all the sand and junk off of him. When the nurse went to "brush his teeth" with a special wipe, his nose twitched smelling the mint flavor! They thought he would be in the induced coma longer and he is mostly out of that now. Two factors contributed to the MRI being allowed: 1) Him breathing on his own 2) taking him out of the induced coma

I was in PICU a few times with Tanya. We prayed and anointed him with oil. I stood at the foot of the bed and massaged his feet. He can hear so we were talking to him the entire time. He is still heavily sedated.

Tanya is doing extremely well. Trusting in the Lord. Your prayers are sustaining her. I read her all the prayers and replies you sent. She was greatly encouraged.

There are many children in PICU and here are a few of them to pray for:
1) Maddie (12 yrs old) she is a Spina Bifida baby who's spinal chord is currently leaking fluid. She is a miracle baby. She has come through 23 surgeries already and has another big surgery scheduled at the end of Sept. I have been able to sit with her mom a few times and talk. She might come to church with me on Sunday. She also met a woman who is an intern at the hospital from Mississippi, who she invited to come to church with us! They are from Makawao on Maui.

2) Brittany (4 years old) she is having some respiratory issues. Her family is from Truk in Micronesia. Her parents have been taking turns in and out of PICU. Sandy her little sister 2.5 yrs has become my buddy. So I have been helping out with Sandy to give them a break. They are believers.

3) 14 year old girl from Maui with unknown sickness. My cousin talked to her parents. She was here on Oahu at a party when she got really sick and weak. They have yet to diagnose her-just trying to keep her stable.

The nursing staff has been incredibly accommodating and wonderful. Pray for them, especially the two flight nurses. They left last night at midnight to medi-vac another child in from the big island. Some of the nurses have been there for endless hours.

It blesses my heart so much to know that the prayers of saints are filling golden bowls, all times of the day, all over the world.

Day one...

September 2, 2008

Aloha Kakou,

I just got home from the hospital. Chance was at the beach with the family, he was surfing and fell off the surfboard into the water where they think he had a seizure (He has epilepsy). When he didn't surface, Randy (his dad) jumped in and pulled him out. Randy is a Maui Police Officer, so he immediately started CPR until the EMT's arrived. On the way to the hospital Chance's heart stopped a few times and he was coded back. It took many hours to stabilize his vitals for transport to Honolulu. They induced a coma to keep him still and stabilize his vitals (he is still in that state). They arrived in Honolulu from Maui around 11pm at Kapiolani Hospital where I met them. Chance is in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).

It's just a waiting game right now. He does have lung damage and possibly heart and brain damage. They are running tests right now to determine if there is damage and what the severity is. They are doing an EEG to check brain wave function and MRI to check the tissues. They will also run tests to check his heart.

Please pray for healing not only for Chance but also healing in the families involved.

Mahalo nui,
Tina