Kai

I can’t imagine how it would feel to receive the phone call every parent fears most…

5:09am, April 12, 2009
“I spoke by phone with the patient’s father (father and mother are returning from India), explained to him that his son is critically ill and his major organ systems are failing, including lungs, heart and kidneys. After securing an intubated airway and IV lines the patient’s condition continues to deteriorate”.
Dr. Calvin Kuan, Pediatric Intensive Care

That dreaded fear became all too real for Kai’s parents back in April. My dad and Kai’s grew up together, and have been friends longer than I’ve been alive. Kai is almost exactly the same age as my own son (14), and my heart has been breaking for what Kai and his family have been dealing with for seven long and excruciatingly difficult months.

As I sit here reflecting on things I’m thankful for, I feel guilty for all the time I’ve spent sweating the small stuff. I have mixed emotions around the holidays (as I shared in my last post), but when I read the most recent update on Kai… it knocked the wind out of me!

Of course the health of my family is at the top of my ‘things to be thankful for’ list… after all we’ve been through with my husband and his health issues, I’m extremely grateful to have my family intact.

I thank God each and every day for the husband and children He’s given to me, and for the joy they bring to my life. As I read over the messages I’ve received for the last seven months… it reminded me how blessed I truly am!

The following are bits and pieces of email updates that were written by Kai’s devoted dad…

April 14th
Kai’s condition remains very critical but his vitals have stabilized.

He has a group A strep bacteria infection which has compromised his heart, kidneys, liver and brain functions. At this time he is being sustained by the most amazing array of life support systems including a team of incredible doctors and nurses.

April 17th
We sit at both ends of Kai’s hospital bed with our hands on him whispering words of love and encouragement. If Kai was any taller his feet would hang off the bed like his long hair which cascades off the pillow.

Over the last 24 hours Kai’s vital signs have achieved a new level of stability. He is still on full life support but as a result of his improvement the docs have begun to reduce some of his meds (several are narcotic types).

May 6th
Kai continues to show improvement each day and there are two areas of his current treatment we would ask you to focus on in your prayers for him. For the past 24 days Kai has received substantial quantities of morphine type drugs and as a result he has developed both a tolerance and a physical dependence for these opiate derivatives. The time has come to reduce these medications and to assist with the withdrawal they have introduced methadone.

May 15th
After thirty two days of having a breathing tube down his throat (the size of a small water hose), and after a careful review of all his recent respiratory stats, the doctors decided Wednesday afternoon it was time to extubate (remove the tube).

June 5th
Today was a long day of surgery from 8am-3pm. Numerous grafts were harvested from his left thigh to cover more of his left foot. A portion of the metatarsal bone just below his left big toe was removed and that area of the foot closed up.

July 30th
At the end of a long day of surgery, and a stint in the recovery room, Kai has returned to the intensive care unit (after his departure from the ICU a month ago).
Looking like Mother Teresa on morphine, the Comeback Kid received a hero’s welcome. Stable and settled back into his old room, Kai is resting comfortably with the help of lots of pharmaceuticals.

August 13th
For the next two months Kai will be focused on gaining weight, getting stronger, improving gross and fine motor skills and recovering cognitive functions. If all goes well we will return home in early October.

October 12th
On the anniversary of his sixth month in the hospital, Kai got a one hour pass for a hospital outing. Before he was allowed to leave however, Kai had to prove to the physical therapy team and his doctor that he could safely transfer from his wheelchair to the car unassisted… he aced it with eagerness, showing everyone he was road ready.

Once Kai was in the car, I disassembled his wheelchair and loaded it in the trunk. Opening the driver’s side door I looked in at this brave young man and paused… I couldn’t just hop in and drive off so casual like. Instead I came around to his side, opened the door, leaned in and we had a long teary hug… this first venture out had been a long time coming. I cannot come close to describing all that I felt, but it’s certainly right up there with babies being born.

November 21st (subject: ‘The Best of all Thanksgivings’)
Seven months and one week later on Friday November 20th, we wheeled Kai out of the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto. We are elated and we are scared like parents going home with their first newborn. Aside from the wheelchair, our car is packed with hospital supplies, a walker, and enough medicines to open a pharmacy. We will remain here in the area nearby the hospital for the next month, accessing outpatient services (wound care, labs, physical therapy) until Kai achieves a level of stability before we return north to our wooded home.

Kai has numerous unresolved medical issues, and he remains somewhat fragile. However, all the hospital docs agree his strengthening and healing will accelerate more quickly outside of the hospital and especially away from the risk of infectious diseases, so prevalent in any hospital.

Kai’s acute pancreatitis has cleared up and his appetite has roared back, eating more food than three teenage boys (trays of sushi, quarts of soups, slabs of salmon, oatmeal, juices, etc). He is exercising, getting stronger, reading a lot, catching up on math (multiplying compound fractions), and writing (especially his Christmas list).

Other than sampling a long list of foods Kai is craving, we have no plans for Thanksgiving except to give thanks to all the health care providers who worked with our son and to all of you for your vigilant prayers and constant loving support… this is a journey he would not have survived without all of you.

May our gratefulness fill your spirits with great Thanksgiving blessings,

Kai’s parents

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Please take a moment and say a prayer for Kai. The family still has a long road ahead of them… as I think about what they’ve been through… and what they’ll continue to face… I’m humbled and broken.

This Thanksgiving… hug your kids and count your blessings… and keep in mind… God is good!

Blessings to you and yours!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

Tagged as: Family, Healing, Hospital, ICU, Infection, Prayer, Thanks