Joye's Update 7/12/08

It's been another pretty quiet day today. Andrew is breathing better, but is still very tired. They did a chest X-ray and found that a small portion of his left lung has sort of collapsed and does have fluid built up . . . as they suspected was happening due to his shallow breathing yesterday. They have decided that his wean time will have to be decreased to 14 hours until further notice. This will give his lungs a bigger rest and hopefully the bigger breath when he's on the vent will help to make his left lung healthier. So basically, today was just a "rest" day for Andrew and we didn't spend much "together" time today so he could get a lot of rest. We are planning on going to church in the morning, and we're hopeful for a better day. Starting Monday, our schedule will be much fuller with more education classes that will prepare us for home. Speaking of home . . . work began there today. My sister (the woman in charge), brother-in-law (the man who does what the woman in charge tells him to), nephew (demolition man), and good friends Jeff (contractor from Wickenburg), Jay (floor man), Deborah (another woman in charge), and Tammie (interior designer) completed all the demolition work today. They are going to widen the door to the master bedroom and replace that door with one that swings open 90 degrees so that Andrew can push it open with his chair from either direction; they removed the door to the master bath and will replace it with an arch opening; they took out the garden tub in the master bath for a larger shower area; they removed half the linen closet and the full closet from the master bedroom area to provide more room; they removed the carpet in the master bedroom and will from the den, and they will replace it with wood flooring; they will replace the carpet area in the living room with ceramic tile; they will put a ramp on all three exterior doors; they will put a fence around the pool; and they will also put in a back-up generator system for the things that are necessary during a power outage. It's a big job, and I'm so thankful for my family and my friends for helping us out with this huge undertaking. I'm so grateful and we are so blessed to have this done before we return home. We also feel so blessed for all of you that are praying for Andrew. God is seeing us through this and our faith is keeping us going. Not for a moment have we taken our eyes off the Lord. Good Night and God Bless. Joye