Last night Tracy and the other visitors were made to leave Tom after visiting hours had ended and he was not yet awake. They held in their as long as the nurses allowed and Tracy even protested leaving him while his blood pressure was low. They assured her of phone updates if any changes through the night. All the visitors were very tired and this time to rest was needed, although the most difficult part is leaving Tom. Around 10:00pm the medical team attempted to slowly wake Tom and to ensure he is stable before removing the ventilator breathing tube. He was able to respond correctly and breathe good so we are very excited to say that Tom has the breathing tube removed and is breathing on his own. Last night when the nurse called, Tom was barely able to speak but he said “I love you” to Tracy as she wept over the phone. Prayers answered! Praise God!
Most recent update today is that Tom is in an immense amount of pain. His pain is so severe that it is making talking difficult and his body is sweating. In moments when pain is slightly less he says “tell my people to pray”. This is the part where Tom has to maintain a warrior mentality as this journey will become very difficult when the expectations to get up and stand/walk are near. We continue to ask our prayer warriors to stand strong with Tom in lifting him up when he can not walk, and he can not talk, that God will hear our prayers and get him through this journey.
Update: 9:40am Tom received a walking epidural to help with pain relief.
Ashley Bolser