Pray - but for what? another bachelor party story
 

56 days ago the 26 year old son of a good friend and distant relative flew from San Diego to Austin to attend the bachelor party of his soon to be brother-in-law. His wife being 7 months pregnant stayed in San Diego.

A little after midnight he left the party saying it had been a long day and he was really tired and was going back to the motel. Friends said he had 2-3 beers at the most. Security cameras at the parking garage showed his walking out of the elevator, unlocking his car then walking over to the 4 ft outside retaining wall. He stood there a few minutes, straddled the wall, leaned back against a support column and fell asleep. Over an hour later he wakes with a start and falls the wrong way. Seven stories later his fall is somewhat broken by some bushes and 6" of mulch. Missed concrete sidewalk by less than a foot.

A man sees him hit the ground, dials 911, the EMS is there in less than 5 minutes and has him in Austin's main trauma unit in less than 5 minutes. Massive head injuries, 3 broken vertabrae were the main injuries. He has been on and off a ventilator since then. Is not responsive to commands, drifts in and out of consciousness, etc. Earlier this week they did some kind of spinal shunt? to help drain the fluid off his brain. He was transferred to a hospital in Dallas that is supposed to have the best TBI treatment in this area a few weeks ago. Last report said he has developed mild pneumonia and had some kind of infection in blood and they are giving him antibiotics to try and control.

His wife has since had their baby and are both OK after a struggle. Dr.s said extreme stress was the main problem. These are very religiious people and everyone in the family network gets an e-mail update just about weekly which always encourages everyone to please pray for _____ and his family.

I am definite backslider religion wise and after several conversations with other family members we kind of ask ourselves what exactly should we be praying for ?? I truly believe it will take a miracle for him to ever come out of this and his current conddition could go on who knows how long .. I just don't know if I really believe in miracles anymore.

Just pray for the family that God help them with their suffering whether the end of the suffering for the husband or that he be healed and bring joy to the family.

They're religious, so they say to pray. I'd say, "Cross your fingers.' Sad story to say the least.

Our Family will add Him and His Family to the people we pray for:

Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place our worries in your hands. We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us. Amen

i couldnt fall asleep in such a precarious position. damn, i hope it all works out well for the kid.
and the family.

Pray for the miracle, I will.

IMO, the best thing to pray for is assurance that whatever happens, the wife and child will realize that they will be ok and will still have a happy life.

Medically, the chances are slim to none of significant recovery after TBI if he isn't showing significant signs by now. By significant I mean able to be a productive member of society. There's always a few miracle stories though...

Did he get hypothermia treatment?

Prayer Sent!!!

Thanks for your response Rick. Your middle sentence confirms my thoughts, it will truly be a miracle if he recovers. I just know by the tone of the progress reports that hope is definitely fading. His wife is having a very difficult time as one might imagine but she and their new daughter have a very large and caring extended family so support will never be an issue for them.

As to hypothermia treatment? I really don't know what all treatment he has received.

and to everyone else who responded, thanks for the prayers as they are definitely needed...

6 months later and the worse case scenario has happened.

Per his wifes blog: They just moved him from the hospital to a nursing home as doctors say no more can be done for him. He is in a persistent vegative state but not on a respirator. Health insurance is paying for nursing home for now but will not continue. They will not continue paying for skilled nursing care because he shows no signs of improvement. Wife is appying for medicare/medicaid but to qualify she must essentially be destitute and this doesn't happen overnight. As his wife says, how am I supposed to live with a 6 month old baby if I have to be destitute to get him into a nursing home. (She is apparently consulting with attorneys who specialize in these type cases but who knows?).

The pressure and stress his wife is under is mind-boggling. She is a very religious person but several of her friends think she has gone off the deep end re: her continuous conversations with God.

And to make matters worse, apparently the wife and his parents are no longer on good terms. Unfortunately, this appears to be turning into another Terry Shiavo? case.

If you are a religious person, pray for them. They really need it.

Very sad situation.

So sorry to hear.

On my prayer list...