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.

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.