Update 3

Hello All,

I visited the Andrews yesterday & it was generally encouraging. The doctors told them they want John & Heather to go home & sleep or at least "take shifts." John was suppose to do that Friday night & Heather yesterday. Although John didn't go home, the hospital brought a cot in for him & they both got a solid eight hours that they desperately needed.

Micah now has a "halo" on that protects his neck. He's tentatively scheduled for surgery tomorrow that'll place the "pins" to fuse his neck together. A lot of people have been asking if these pins will need to be replaced as Micah grows & the answer is no. If this surgery was performed on an adult, they'd likely loose close to all their range of motion but in a person Micah's age, he should have "normal" side to side range & his body will learn to compensate for up & down.

He was still running a 102.2 temperature yesterday morning so the hospital placed a cooling pad under him to regulate his body temperature. This pad automatically adjusts to conditions as Micha's temperature changes. By mid day he was at about 99.

Micah's vital signs looked overall good. The doctors actually closed the drainage port (that removes excess cerebral spinal fluid in an effort to prevent swelling) & his intracranial pressure was good.

They reduced the amount of sedative Micah has been receiving to determine his response to "pinch" (pain). Initially only his legs responded but a later test revealed all extremities are responding. While the dosage was higher, the respirator was breathing for Micah (this is normal) but once reduced, he started "bucking" the respirator. Breathing over it, on his own. This is good.

It's important to remember that although this is encouraging new, Micah is not "out of the woods" by a long shot. He and his family need your continued prayers now, more than ever. Micah's surgery is a pretty major deal & there is new evidence of brain injury and the doctors aren't sure how it will effect Micah.

The Andrews shared with me how they see God's hand in this situation. They feel incredibly blessed by all of us. Their strength of faith is incredible yet they take no credit for this. John told me yesterday he's "completely poured out" and is totally relying on God. He couldn't make it thought this without Him.

Again, please pass this on to your prayer chains and continue to pray with me. Let's pray for healing & comfort. For strengthening & recovery. Above all else, for God's will.

Thank you all so much for your faithfulness and friendship. You help in more ways than can be expressed.

God bless you all!
 
David Mendel