A Miracle

I think God gives us moments to laugh about. This one in particular just gives me a chuckle when I hear it or see Emma. The doctors told Pam and Dave that there wouldn't be anymore children for them due to the chemo treatments Dave had been receiving. I think they were just fine with that information (correct me if I am wrong, Pam) since they have three beautiful kids already.

When Pam called us to let us know that they were going to have another baby, I was just amazed. It was as if God was saying..haha, I'm the one in charge! He is a great God and this baby is a miracle blessing.

This picture is a constant reminder that God is in charge and that He is also the Giver of life!

Oh Yeah, Baby!

Little "Emma" was born this past week. What a miracle she is!

Finally....

Home!

Dave was released from the hospital today. He still has a long ways to go in the healing process but at least he can do it while at home.

Please continue to pray for quick healing.

Great News

Dave is doing great! He is now receiving solid food and is able to stand with assistance several times a day. His tracheostomy insert has been changed to the smallest size. This will allow the hole to begin healing over; the next step will be to remove it entirely.

A nurse informed the Mayhew's that the normal healing process for someone who has been under heavy sedation in the ICU unit requires 2 days of hospitalization for each day that was spent in ICU before the patient has progressed sufficiently to be discharged. However, she also told them that Dave is progressing well ahead of schedule.

Pam is thrilled with the progress her husband is making. She has been able to take the children to visit him in the hospital and that has been very encouraging for them. She is also very tired. The strain of the last couple months added to an advanced pregnancy is taking a toll.
Pam's physician and her management approved her eligibility for short term disability based on the fact that it would be physically impossible for her to continue working while coping with the needs of her family during this illness and the effects of pregnancy. However the insurance company has yet to approve it so she has not yet received any payment for all the time she's been off work and does not yet know if it will ever come. She was really counting on the Economic Stimulus payment from the government to meet minimum bill payments.

Unfortunately she was on the list of people who did not receive their payments as scheduled.
It is times like this that a person's faith is truly tested and I am thankful that Pam has been able to hold fast to her trust in Jesus and continue to wait for God's provision. She has been lately thinking a great deal about the scriptures in Job and the final outcome when all he lost was multiplied and returned to him.

The support this family has received from the church during this ordeal is greatly appreciated. Groceries, gasoline, child care, and a listening ear provided with loving friendship have all been greatly appreciated and have made a real difference.

Major Steps Forward

We are making real progress!

Dave has been taken off the ventilator permanently and will soon be moved out of ICU. Medications that cause drowsiness are being systematically reduced to obtain a higher state of consciousness so he is able to cooperate more fully with rehabilitative efforts. Today he was able to drink water, a first step in the training process required to regain the ability to eat again after being fed intravenously for many weeks. Muscles are very weak due to the long period of inactivity but the strengthening process has begun and this patient is very very motivated to make a quick recovery.

Thursday he was able to sit up on the edge of the bed for 3 minutes and he is working steadily with exercises designed to restore muscular strength. A major step taken today was that his tracheotomy balloon was deflated for a few minutes and he was able to speak. This is a blessing because some patients have difficulty recovering that ability afterwards and this gives confirmation that's one struggle he will not have to face.

Early next week Pam will be taking the children to visit their father for a few minutes. This will be an exciting time for the whole family since they have been separated for 8 long weeks!

Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery! We all want Dave to make it home before his new daughter arrives on the scene!

Joyful News

Joy!
It is Mother's day, May 11, 2008 and we are flooded with joy!
For a few hours today, the ventilator was completely turned off and an oxygen mask was placed over Dave's mouth and nose and that served as his only source of respiration! His blood gasses remained normal throughout this and he did not appear stressed. He will be going back on the ventilator tonight to allow for rest but this process will be tried again tomorrow. It is so good to have a good report, an indication of real progress! Please pray that this good news continues and increases.

Please pray for Pam also. She has been busily juggling the needs of her husband, her three young children, all the normal demands of life, and the necessary preparation for the impending birth of her fourth child. Medical personnel are saying that even after Dave is off the respirator, his recovery will be long and slow with an extended period in the hospital. She has been praying for her husband's return home before the birth of their child, trusting God to provide, and pushing away concern for what will happen when Her leave under the Family Medical Leave Act expires and a newborn is added to the picture.

God is good and He knows what is needed and is well able to provide. We trust He will work out the details and make everything turn out right regardless of what the circumstances are or what anyone says.

More Progress, slowly but surely

Dave is at 45% oxygen now and making forward progress. They tried to lower the pressure at which the oxygen is delivered to his lungs from 8 to 5, but weren't able to do that without putting him into distress, so back up to 8 it went. All of us non-initiated were wondering why they couldn't lower it to 7 then 6 then 5... and so on. However it seems to not be the right practice and so they are following S.O.P. with him.

Please keep Pam in your prayers, her due date for the baby is about a month away now. The nurses let Pam know today that Daves recovery is going to take a long time, even with him making the forward progress. This is another challenge, because of all the questions of who will watch the kids while she's in the hospital delivering and even the participation of her husband in that moment. She's really praying that her husband will be available.

Here we are thanking God for the strength and healing he is giving to Dave and the wisdom the doctors and nurses are showing. We are also praying for Pam, that she will have the peace and courage she needs to keep moving forward and knowing that God, friends and family are there for her, even when those moments happen that just don't feel like it. We all know that He is faithful who promised.

It was a good weekend

Dave made enough healing progress over the weekend to be taken off of the paralytic medication and to have his oxygen levels lowered from 80% artificial to 60% artificial. A short attempt to take him to 50% resulted in his blood pressure going up and fever starting to set in, prompting a quick trip back to 60%.

The doctors and nurses are still very encouraging at his progress and believe that while the healing process is going to take a long time, he is going to pull through.

We are keeping them in our prayers and thank you for doing the same.

(as an aside note, Sorry for the delay in getting Monday's and Friday's updates, in that we've had a pretty busy week around our home)

The Dye Results....

Well, the dye that the doctors used to trace where Dave's white blood cells were going to fight the infection came in on Friday. Basically, they are off to the same place where all of this started. Back to the lungs. So, pneumonia is still the culprit, however it's a different strain than what he went in with.

Dave looks very emaciated at this point. Pam is telling us that his hands look like that of an old man. He was able to be put on easier sedation, but that was leading to him trying to take tubes out and wanting to go take a shower, go for a walk etc. The problem is, the tubes are keeping him alive. Pam and the nurses were on full time watch to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. She couldn't leave his room to go to the bathroom without having a nurse come in to supervise.

Well, now this other pneumonia strain (a different bacteria) is attacking his other lung (now both lungs are infected) and he is having problems breathing again, to the point that the doctors have put him back into a paralytic coma trying to bring about healing.

While this is very hard to accept and watch, it gave Pam a much needed break from the daily traveling back and forth to the U of M hospital in Ann Arbor. She was able to stay home and rest for Friday and Saturday and pick up the kids from school on Friday herself. It may seem strange, but just introducing a little normalcy and a little time with Mom can help the kids security and outlook on things a lot.

The doctors are very optimistic that Dave will make a full recovery, but they just don't know how long it is going to take.

Please keep the whole family in your prayers as the struggles with the pneumonia continues.

More Struggles

The last couple of days have found Dave taking a turn for the worse. He is struggling so much. Dave keeps spiking fevers and is still fighting staph infections. To top it off, they believe he now has a ventilator induced pneumonia. His platelets are low so they tried to give him a blood transfusion this morning. Unfortunately, they had to stop it because his body wasn't handling it well. He started spiking a fever and his blood pressure dropped.

Tomorrow, they are going to try to inject a dye in him that will attach itself to his white blood cells and then do a CT Scan. They are hoping to find out if there is some other infection that is there that they are missing. He is puzzling the doctors and we are desperate to find out what is continuing to cause all these problems.

He's been in the hospital since the week of Easter with little improvement. He seems to take a couple steps forward, followed by six back.

Pam is exhausted. Traveling back and forth to the hospital every day trying to care for him there, care for her three children and maintain everything else in between is incredibly draining. On top of this all, her baby is due in June. Please continue to pray for them as they need God's strength for today.

Where we are today - battling pneumonia

In March, Dave began battling a very virulent form of pneumonia and, as this is being written, has been on a ventilator, a mechanized device that forces oxygen in and out of his lungs, for over 2 weeks. Family and friends are hopeful for a full recovery but a frequent comment is, "I've never seen him this sick."

Treatment began at a local hospital but doctors soon determined a more experienced facility was required and he was transferred by air to Ann Arbor University Hospital.

Pam has been forced to withdraw from her classes this semester, take an unpaid leave from work under the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act, and juggle child care for their three young children so she can make the journey back and forth to Ann Arbor each day. All this is compounded by her own condition as she is almost 8 months pregnant with their fourth child.

Your prayers are solicited on behalf of this family as they once again face challenges beyond what most of us ever will.

Pastor Joe Wenturine at Harvest Time Christian Chapel in Marine City has agreed to accept donations on behalf of the family to help them through this difficult time. If you would like to make a contribution of any size, please include a note designating it for the Dave and Pam Mayhew Family and send it to:

Harvest Time Christian Chapel
205 South Main St.
Marine City, MI 48039
http://www.harvesttimechurch.com

A struggle with cancer

The Mayhews are a special family.

Early in their courtship and marriage Pamela and David Mayhew agreed their lives would be best spent improving the lives of others. With this goal in view, they attended Elim Bible College to prepare for service as missionaries. Julia, their firstborn, joined the family while her parents were juggling classes, home and community responsibilities, as well as employment.

While still at college, David was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma, which he in his typical cheerful demeanor accepted as another challenge to be met with courage and faith.

Eventually the couple returned home to serve in their local community in Marine City, Michigan as opposed to the foreign mission field. Their lives have touched many others as they endeavor to always be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Dave's children fondly recall their daddy's stint as a volunteer fireman, something he unwillingly gave up due to health.

In the past several years David has undergone many cancer treatments. Some reduced the tumors and slowed the growth of the disease for a while. Some just made things worse, as in one experimental treatment that destroyed his spleen and made it's removal necessary. Finally, with no other options available, this young husband and father received a bone marrow transplant from his sister.

Role reversal became necessary due to the unplanned health issues, something both Pamela and David have accepted graciously. David has cheerfully taken primary responsibility for the home front, while Pamela acquired the training and experience necessary for employment in the medical field. She is currently employed full time as a Certified Medical Assistant and is also a full time college student working toward a nursing degree.

Although David has experienced much improved health since his bone marrow transplant, he is still more susceptible to disease due to the absence of a spleen.

Introducing the Mayhews - A synopsis of their cancer battle

Currently, we are hosting this blog for Dave and Pam Mayhew. They have been going through a lot of struggles as a family and we are chronicling the past several weeks here.

The reason for this chronicle really has a triple purpose of:

1) To keep friends and family informed of their current struggles.

2) To provide an avenue to communicate their need, with the hope that if people are touched by their story, they would be willing to send a donation, even if it's but a dollar, to help them out.

3) To provide an avenue of encouragement, in struggles like this, prayer, heart and Grace from God are the most necessary things for survival. Please take the time to post a prayer, a comforting or encouraging thought to each days posts to help strengthen the family.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story and keep up with their ongoing struggles against cancer and its aftermath.