Inspired Blessings

The phone rang at 5:00 a.m. Andrew had taken a turn for the worst. We all gathered at the hospital. Some time around 4:00 a.m. Andrew's lungs quit doing their job. When we went to his beside several residents and nurses were crying. They do not want to lose Andrew. We had a few moments to talk to him and tell him of our love. The surgical team came up with a procedure that can buy him time while his lungs heal. The lungs may have collapsed or had blood clots, and infection. They weren't sure. As a last resort, they decided to put him on an artifical heart/lung machine. They put tubes into his coratid arterties and in his femoral arterty. The blood circulates out of his body, goes through the machine to get rid of carbon dioxide, then adding in oxygen to the blood. Andrew received a blessing from a resident and Uncle Byron. He was blessed that it is not his time to go. We all gathered on the 3rd floor to wait. Our good friend Tracy, from Germany, was on the case. We were so impressed with her professionalism. She said to me as I walked out, "Not on my Watch". While we waited, the Parks came to comfort us. They were on the way to their daughters wedding but found the time to stop by and see the Spilkers. The Parks are so Christ-like. We love them. After an hour or so, we talked to the doctor. The machine was installed. It is a very technical thing. They call it a balancing act. Every number has to be just so. We were able to see Andrew. He is under morphine. It will be as long 7-10 days to know what's up. They can do tests to see if his lungs have healed and if they can handle breathing. The life-support maching was not even working when this occured. So this was our last option. Tracy came out later and let us know that we can keep hope alive. She said that we must have prayed for the doctors. She had never seen the procedure go so smoothly. As you can imagine this set-back was discouraging and worrisome. Alex will leave to Washington tomorrow. We had hoped that he could leave under better circumstances. What I do want you to know is that we had a very spiritual experience today. Too sacred to tell in detail. However, we felt peace during this crisis. We believe that it is, in fact, not yet Andrew's time to go. The odds seem overwelming. It will be three weeks tomorrow. Although this is a big setback, we reaffirm that God is watching over us. All thing move according to his time and according to his will. Andrew's priesthood blessings have indicated that there will be a recovery. Please help us by increasing your prayers. We love you and are thankful for your support! The Spilker and Martin Family have lifted us up and held our hands. What a great family we have. G-pa Spilker brought Andrew a mini Jazz ball. He was squeezing it last night. We believe in Miracles!!