Marc's Musings

I've received a few questions from people who live outside of Corpus about sending cards, etc. For cards and the like, I would send them to my parent's house (contact me directly for the address). For anything else (flowers, etc.), I would send them to the hospital.

John Maxwell - Room 4201
CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi–Shoreline
600 Elizabeth St.
Corpus Christi, TX 78404

Dad is continuing his improvement. He still has a long way to go, but his progress this far has been very good. His speech continues to improve and he is able to have more meaningful conversations. He still has some trouble finding the right words, but that has happening less and less.

I was in Corpus on Saturday evening and most of the day on Sunday. I spent most of that time with dad. Bob and Jan Kraner, Cliff and Dena Kraner and their kids made the trip down from Houston on Sunday. They were in Corpus for a few days and spent quite a bit of time with dad. Buz and Janet Maxwell were there on Sunday for a little while.

Tonight, dad had several visitors. Robert and Dorothy Maxwell were in Corpus and stopped by, as did Kirby and Kaaren Barker. Katrina Powell and Kim Cooper, who I went to high school with and worked for dad at the Cancer Center, were there. Dad really enjoyed seeing them. Gary and Sherrie Moyers also made an appearance.

(Side note: Dorothy just graduated with a physical therapy assistant degree and had dad moving his right fingers.)

I hope most of you are sensing a theme here. For those of you in Corpus, that theme would be to GO SEE DAD! One of the big reasons we’re back in Corpus is so that dad can see a lot of his friends. He needs to see a lot of people who can encourage him to continue working hard and making progress. He needs to see people besides us. He sees us all the time and needs to know that other people care about his progress.

Dad is in Spohn Shorline in room 4201. He is in therapy on and off for most of the day. The best time to go for a visit is anytime after 4:30 in the afternoon. Nobody needs to feel like they need to stay for a long time, but just to stop by for a few minutes will mean a lot to him (and us).

As I mentioned in my last update, Kathryn Taylor (mom’s mom) passed away last Tuesday. I went to Corpus and on Wednesday mom and I went to Abilene for the funeral, which was on Friday morning. Charlton and Eddie Sharp, the minister at the University Church in Abilene, did the service. The both did an excellent job. Charlton did the history portion of the service and laid Meemaw’s life out like a book, which was very fitting as she worked in ACU’s library most of her life and loved to read.

Charlton’s parent’s, Charley and Terrie, and his sisters, Kamalyn and Marissa were also in Abilene for the funeral. All told, we had eight kids ages six and under. It was a lot of fun playing with those little ones.

All in all, it was a good trip to Abilene, except for the flat mom and I had on our way back.

Anyway, please continue to pray for dad’s continued improvement.

Kathryn Elizabeth Mallett Taylor, 89, passed away Tuesday, May 23, 2006 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Kathryn was born on August 2, 1916 in rural southeastern Ohio. After graduating from Ohio University and teaching school for several years, she married Clarence Everett Taylor on September 2, 1941. Everett and Kathryn moved to Abilene in 1956 to become part of the faculty at Abilene Christian University, working as partners in the University Library. Kathryn continued their work for many years after Everett’s death in 1976. She loved the ACU Library and volunteered frequently after her retirement.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Urban and Susie Mallett, and brothers, Harry and Jim Mallett. She is survived by two daughters, Karen (John) Maxwell of Corpus Christi and Ellen Greenwell of San Antonio, Texas; six grandchildren, Marc Maxwell, MaryBeth (Charlton) Taylor, Davan (Sarah) Greenwell, Stefan Greenwell, Chris Greenwell and Michael Greenwell; five great-grandchildren, one brother, Franklin Mallett, and three sisters, Lucille (Harry) Powers, Geneva (George) Powers, and Gladys (Marlyn) Cunningham, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Kathryn was a member of University Church of Christ for almost fifty years and leaves behind many friends.

Funeral services will be conducted on Friday, May 26 at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of the University Church of Christ with Eddie Sharp and Charlton Taylor officiating. Interment will follow at Elmwood Memorial Park. The family will be receiving friends at North’s Funeral Home from 6 – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. Memorials may be made to the Abilene Christian University Library or a charity of your choice.

I just got off of the phone with mom and dad. Jane and Sue, two of dad's cousins, and Mike and Hope were all at the hospital for a visit. Dad was sitting in a chair, having some dinner and visiting with everyone. The plan for tomorrow is to depart Lubbock about 7:00 in the morning. Dad will be traveling via ambulance and mom will be following along in her car.

There seems to be some confusion concerning my parent's going back to Corpus tomorrow morning. As previously mentioned, my mom has been offered, and accepted, a position to teach in ACU's College of Education. My parents are still moving to Abilene in August. The temporary move back to Corpus will allow my dad to see his dad and much more of his friends than have been able to see him in Lubbock. It will also allow mom to spend some more time with her mother, not to mention all of the preparations that will need to take place to get ready to sell the house.

I've mentioned before, but want to reiterate that my parents have been talking about retiring to Abilene for years. This was not some quick decision that was made after dad had the stroke. Dad has been adamant all throughout this ordeal that they go ahead with the move. Now that most of you will have much more access to my parents, I would ask that you would continue to be supportive of my mom's opportunity at ACU.

I hope that this clears up any confusion.

Dad has been responding fairly well to therapy lately, especially water therapy. The therapy sessions still are pretty draining for him, but he is making progress and we are seeing improvement. He has been able to move his right foot in the water, which is certainly good news and another sign of progress.

Lately, dad’s speech has been improving, but, at times, he still has trouble finding the right words. He is doing better and I’ve had some good conversations with him over the phone, but it is frustrating for him (and us) when he has trouble with the words.

It looks like dad will be moving back to Corpus early next week. He will be moving by ambulance and will be in Spohn Shoreline’s rehab facility. We feel that dad has received excellent care in Lubbock and it has been difficult trying to decide our next step, but the time just seems right to make the move.

The move will allow mom to spend some more time with her mom, who is in a nursing home in Corpus. She has not been doing well lately, so this should be good for both my mom and grandmother. It will also allow dad to see granddad, which will be good for both of them, and more of his friends. Plus, I’m going to find a way to sneak our dog, Mazie, to the hospital to see dad. That will probably do him the best of all!

I wanted to thank everyone for the prayers and words (and emails) of encouragement. They mean a lot to all of us. Please continue to pray that my dad will continue to improve. Pray that the move will go well next week and that he will continue to receive excellent care in Corpus.

I was in Lubbock last Sunday for a visit with my dad and wanted to let everyone know what his status is. He is still making progress, although it is still slow and a bit frustrating for all of us. His speech is improving. I just got off of the phone with him a few minutes ago and was able to understand him much better than in the past. He is also eating more than he has been.

The therapists are working with him pretty hard every day, which is certainly aiding his recovery. Mom informs me that he has had some movement in the fingers on his right hand. This is a great sign and, hopefully, only a precursor of things to come.

We are still in the process of weighing our options for dad’s next destination. We’ve still got a lot of decisions to make regarding his care. As my parents will be moving to Abilene in August, the already difficult decisions are being compounded, so please continue to pray that we will make the decisions that we need to make.

Mom was in Corpus for about four days late last week. Her mother is not doing very well, so it was good that she could get down there for a visit. Since I was able to go to Lubbock on Sunday, mom was able to extend her stay in Corpus for a few extra days.

Mary Beth, Charlton and the kids are going to Lubbock on Sunday for a few days. My parents will certainly be happy to see them.

I apologize that it has been a while since my last update. It has been a little crazy around my office lately and it’s been hard to find enough time in one sitting to compose a new one.

Please continue to pray for my dad’s recovery process and for the decisions we will have to make in the near future.

Yesterday, I was having lunch with a good friend, who also happens to be my inspiration for blogging, and she suggested that I place all of my updates on my blog. I had already thought of doing this, but have been somewhat busy with work lately. Now that I have some time, here they are.

April 14:
Dad is now in “big” rehab. The physical, occupational and speech therapists have been working with him for three hours each day. He’s been doing very well, but has been wiped out at the end of these sessions. Needless to say, he has been sleeping a lot. He has fallen asleep a few times during the middle of a conversation, but that probably has more to do with us being boring than with him being exhausted!

The good news so far is that the physical and occupational therapists are sure that the muscle function in dad’s right side is working. The problem is that his brain doesn’t know it yet. His brain is forced to find new neural pathways to communicate with the right side of his body. Each of the therapists has been pleased with the progress so far.

Ever since my dad’s stroke, we’ve received a lot of questions concerning when he would be able to return to Corpus. Until my last update, when I indicated that dad would be staying in Lubbock for his rehab, I had been intentionally vague regarding any possible return to Corpus. I can now, finally, announce that my mom has accepted a position at ACU and my parents will be moving to Abilene in August. She will be teaching two graduate classes and assisting in the implementation of an online masters program in education.

Over the past several years, my parents had been looking at this possibility. As many of you know, both of my parents attended ACU and mom grew up in Abilene. Part of the reason my parents were in Abilene when dad had his stroke was for a final set of interviews. Mom was offered the job on February 21. Dad had the stroke on February 22.

I want to be very clear that this is not something that just came up and was decided on a whim. This is something that has been in the works for several years. Furthermore, we have spoken with dad numerous times since his stroke about the job offer and he has been adamant that mom accept the position.

Right now, it looks like dad will be in rehab in Lubbock for about another month or so, at which time he will potentially move to a rehabilitation facility in Corpus. The plans for dad’s rehab seem to be modified each day, but this is what its looking like now.

I am writing to you tonight from Corpus. We received word that my grandmother (mom’s mom), is not doing too well. My mom, sister (and Pierson) and I made the trip down here to check in on her. She was doing much better than we expected, but we were only there for a visit for a few minutes this evening. We will spend more time with her tomorrow. Tomorrow, we also plan to spend some time with my granddad (dad’s dad). Dad is still in Lubbock, but is in good hands. Mike and Hope are checking in on him. Mom and Mary Beth are planning on heading back to Lubbock early next week. I will be going back to Houston tomorrow afternoon.

It has been over seven weeks since my parents were last in Corpus. The house is in good shape, but Mazie, our dog, sure has missed us. It is certainly good to see her! Our neighbor, Chris Verburgt, has been taking care of Mazie and our mail, among other things. He has helped us out more that we can describe. Thanks, Chris.

Please keep the prayers coming. The items I mentioned in my last update are still very important. Additional, please keep in mind all of the changes what will take place in association with mom’s new job and the upcoming move.


April 9:
I had a good visit with dad and mom this weekend. I arrived in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon and will leave early tomorrow (Monday) morning. Dad seems to be doing much better that when I last saw him two weeks ago, which was much better that two weeks before that. If my math is correct (remember that I’m not that good with numbers!), dad has been in Lubbock for 47 days now. The progress he has made over that time has been remarkable, but he still has a long way to go.

As I had mentioned in a previous email, the doctors have taken out the tracheostomy. It was good to see dad with fewer tubes coming out of him. He has been talking more and more, although it is somewhat difficult to understand him and he sometimes has trouble finding the words for what he wants to say. He still looks really frustrated, which I can completely understand, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, for him or us.

The doctors have also reduced the tube feeding to nights only. Dad is free to eat whatever he wants, but has not had too much of an appetite. (Hey, I wouldn’t eat that hospital food either!) We’ve been offering to get him anything he wants, but he hasn’t shown too much interest in that option yet. One of dad’s favorite things is to add chocolate chips to Bluebell vanilla, which mom picked up at the store. Dad looked happy to have some and ate several bites.

Dad is still paralyzed on the right side of his body, although the occupational therapist, who was working with him on Friday, felt that he may have had a little feeling on that side, which is certainly encouraging news. Dad’s blood pressure has been doing pretty well, although he is still on four different medications to control it.

Dad is now in a sub acute rehab room. This is sort of a “baby” rehab and is somewhat unique to Covenant Hospital. The therapists put dad through about 1 ½ hours of rehab a day, compared to about the 3 hours a day that he will begin with when he moves on to a rehab facility. As a bonus, this does not count as rehab days with the insurance.

Speaking of rehab, as of now, we are planning on staying in Lubbock for dad’s rehab. We’re leaning toward this decision for several reasons, not the least of which is that the doctors here have taken a real interest in dad’s welfare and have really been advocating on his behalf with the insurance companies. Additionally, we like his doctors and feel like we are receiving excellent care. We feel that the continuity of care, versus moving him back to Corpus and changing doctors and therapists, is in dad’s best interests right now. Mom has also begun investigating her retirement from the Education Service Center, with an eye on retiring in August.

When I arrived on Saturday, dad was watching CNN, unfortunately there’s no Fox News in the hospital. As a matter of fact, the choice of channels to choose from is somewhat limited. I did a little checking around and found out that my good friend Brad had an extra DVD player that he wasn’t using. I borrowed it and was able to connect it to the TV in dad’s room. Saturday night we watched Walk the Line, which he enjoyed.

Friday night, Phillip and Marissa Hare came by the hospital for a visit. Marissa is Charlton’s sister. Unfortunately, mom had left the hospital to run a few errands (which I’m sure included a stop at Wal-Mart!) and I wasn’t in town yet. They did manage to leave some white cake (mom’s favorite) and a CD.

Mom, Mary Beth and I want to single out Michael and Hope Martin (and little J.H.). They have been so good to us through this whole ordeal. They have constantly been stopping by the hospital to visit and bringing food, not to mention allowing me to stay at their place when I am in town. Hope is basically an adopted daughter to my parents and a sister to Mary Beth and me. I’m sure that they will say that my mention of them is unnecessary, but it means so much to us, especially my mom, who has been here the entire time and spent countless hours at the hospital. Mary Beth and I are both conflicted about not being able to be here with her. Anyway, Mike and Hope, thank you.

We want to thank everyone for the continual prayers and words of support. They mean a lot to us. I know that my updates have become less frequent over the past couple of weeks, but it difficult to put into words information that is second hand. I speak to mom everyday and she has done a great job of keeping Mary Beth and I up to date, but I feel much more comfortable informing everyone what’s going on when I have first hand information.

The prayers do work and we have seen much evidence of this, so keep them coming. Items to pray specifically for are as follows:

1. That dad will have the ability to endure and the will to be fully engaged in his rehab and that he maintains a positive attitude.

2. That dad’s appetite will slowly come back.

3. That dad will continually become more and more mentally alert

4. That dad’s communication will continue to improve.

5. That dad will regain feeling, and eventually the ability to move, on his right side. (Interesting note: Mary Beth has been praying specifically for this for over a week and Mom’s BSF class prayed specifically for this on Friday morning, the same day that the occupational therapist thought he may have has some feeling.)

6. That we can all be a positive witness through this experience.

7. Anything else you may be led to pray about.


March 26:
I just got back to Houston after seeing dad and mom this weekend. When I arrived in Lubbock on Friday night, it had been a little over two weeks since I last saw dad. He looked quite a bit better physically. The nurses had him sitting up in a chair and he was alert. He’s been mouthing words more and more often, although communication is difficult as he is unable to talk due to the tracheostomy. There is still no movement on the right side of his body.

Mentally, he seems really frustrated. The lack of communication, specifically, and the whole situation, generally, seem to be weighing on him.

Dad’s blood pressure has been doing well, although it did spike up a couple of times this weekend, and he’s down to only four BP medications now. The pulmonologist indicated that his lungs appear to be clear. He’s been coughing up less and less of the funk (that’s my own medical term, not the doctor’s) left over from the pneumonia. The quicker that the funk is gone, the quicker that they will be able to remove the tracheostomy.

The pulmonologist indicated that they were going to try to remove the tracheostomy in the next few days. Additionally, they are going to test his ability to swallow tomorrow. If that goes well, he should be able to begin eating some real food. Removing the tracheostomy should allow him to actually talk. We’re hoping that these two changes will raise dad’s spirits. It will be nice to be able to just talk to him again.

Dad did have a rough night last night. A few issues popped up that caused a lot of discomfort and he didn’t get much sleep. I arrived at the hospital today around noon after going to church with Mike and Hope. At that time, dad was up in the chair and the physical therapists had already been there to work with him. About 10 minutes after I arrived, the nurses got dad back in bed and he was out for the rest of the day.

Bill Hays (Brenda Jennings’ brother) was in Lubbock on business and stopped by the hospital this afternoon to see dad. They’ve known each other since they were in fourth grade. Dad did open his eyes and get to acknowledge his presence for a minute, but was quickly back to sleep.

In speaking with mom after I got home, she indicated that dad appeared to be sleeping comfortably this evening. Mom was back at the Henderson’s (Charlton’s grandparents) house for the night. This is the first night that she will not spend at the hospital since they moved dad out of ICU last Monday.

Speaking of mom, for those of you that have been calling her, she will generally not be listening to messages or returning calls until after 9:00 pm each evening, when her cell phone minutes don’t count against her. Being away from home, she has been using a lot of minutes, so she’s going to try and cut back a little.

We’ve still got some big decisions ahead of us in regards to dad’s long-term care. The biggest decision is where to place dad so that he gets the best care possible. Hopefully he will be talking soon and can provide us with his thoughts.

The homework assignment this time is to pray for the following:

1. Wisdom in making the decisions that must be made over the next few weeks.

2. That dad’s mental state and frustration level don’t get too bad. As I mentioned, we’re hoping that he will be able to communicate and maybe eat some real food in the next several days, which should help tremendously.

3. Patience for dad and the rest of us to deal with all of this. I know how frustrated I feel, so I can’t possibly begin to imagine how frustrated dad must be. We’ve know early on that, at the very least, we would be in for a very long recovery process. Knowing that up front doesn’t make it any easier to go through it.

4. Anything else you can think of.

Again, thanks for the continued prayers and support.


March 22:
OK, so this isn't really an update, but dad did have another good day today.

Many of you have indicated that you would like to send cards to dad. After talking with mom, the best place to send cards is to the hospital (see the address below). We have been reading every card that we receive to dad, so they will not go unnoticed by him.

John Maxwell – Room S973
Covenant Medical Center
3615 19th Street
Lubbock, TX 79410


March 21:
Late last night, dad was moved out of ICU and into a telemetry room, which is a step-down from ICU. From here, the doctors and nurses will still be able to monitor all of dad’s vitals and provide quick support if needed. There was no strain on the beds in the ICU unit, so Dr. Sedler (the neurologist) didn’t see any reason to rush the move. He wanted to have a few consecutive days of ‘no surprises.’ Dad has been off of the respirator for a few days now and his lungs are clear. His blood pressure has been holding steady as well.

Dad has been alert and has been able to be on the receiving end of yes-no conversations. Mom has asked him questions to which he very clearly has been responding. This has obviously been helpful for her, because she doesn’t have to only listen to Mary Beth and me (and others) for advice. She can also get dad’s opinion.

Dr. Sedler is positive about the progress that is being made, but continues to remind us that dad’s recovery will take a long time. It appears that the real dangers on dad’s life have passed. We are now in the preliminary stages of beginning to think about rehabilitation. Hopefully, he will be able to be moved to Corpus before too long, but I haven’t heard any real talk of that yet.

One of the major items to focus on now is dad’s attitude. He’s aware of what is going on around him, but I can’t imagine how frustrating this must be for him. This will be a long, slow and frustrating rehabilitation process, so we’re going to need patience and positive attitudes.

Mom, Mary Beth and I want to thank everyone for the cards, calls, visits and prayers, but especially the prayers – keep ‘em coming! As I indicated above, we’re going to need to maintain a positive attitude and a lot of patience. Additionally, we have some big decisions to make, not the least of which is dad’s long-term care and rehab. These are the specific areas in which we request prayer.

I’m heading back to Lubbock on Friday afternoon and am looking forward to seeing for myself the progress that has been made. I will send out another update when I get back to Houston on Sunday. I know that it has been hard on mom to be there without Mary Beth or me. It’s also hard to see what progress that has been when you’re there everyday. Hopefully, my visit will have an uplifting effect on mom and dad. At the very least, I will be able to provide dad some colorful play-by-play on some March Madness!


March 14:
I just got off the phone with my mom and sister. Dad had a pretty good day today. Mom said that he had his eyes open more than they were closed during this morning's visit. He was alert and was winking and waving at mom and Mary Beth. The doctor mentioned that this was the first time that he thought he saw some of dad's personality, rather than just responses to commands.

Mary Beth call me last Friday and was really excited. She had snuck Pierson into ICU to see dad and he seemed really excited to see him. He was smiling at him and playing with his hands and feet. It was a good day

The doctors inserted the PEG this afternoon. Just to refresh your memories, this is the feeding tube that has now been inserted through dad's side, which means that it is not through his nose any longer. This should make him much more comfortable.

Yesterday, another X-ray was taken and the doctor was really pleased with how clear it looked. Hopefully that means that the pneumonia is almost taken care of. Dad's heart rate has spiked for short periods of time over the past few days. The doctors were going to give him some medicine to, hopefully, take care of that problem.

Mom mentioned that they may be moving dad into a room in the next few days. I believe that this will not be your stereotypical hospital room, but a least its not the ICU.

The doctors are in the very preliminary stages of beginning to think about rehab. This does not mean that it will happen tomorrow, or even in the next week, but it is a start. I think that they want us to begin thinking about the rehab options.

We want to think everyone for their continued prayers and support. Here is your homework assignment:

1. Continue to pray that the blood pressure will stay normal without the use of a lot of medications and that the pneumonia does not flair up again. Also, pray that there is not any issues arising from the heart rate spikes.

2. Pray that he will continue to receive excellent care if and when he moves out of ICU. Pray also that the transition is easy on dad (and the rest of us).

3. As we begin the process of looking at some long-term care options, please pray for guidance and wisdom. Mom informed me that the number of options of how to do some of this is pretty substantial. We need to have as much information as possible to make informed choices. Please also pray that we will be able to find a good rehabilitation hospital, when the time comes.


March 9:
Dad had a peaceful day today. He basically slept all day. Since he does not have the tubes in his mouth anymore, the nurses were able to sit him up in a chair for about four hours today. He was able to open his eyes and look at us a little in the morning, but was not very responsive for the rest of the day.

The doctors are in the process of weaning dad off of the respirator. Hopefully in the next few days he will be off of it completely. His blood pressure has been staying in the range that the doctors want; however, he is still on five different blood pressure medications.

I am back in Houston this evening with the intention of going back to work on Monday. I will take a few days to decompress before getting back into the stress of the job. Please continue to keep my mom and sister in your prayers, specifically that they will maintain a positive outlook. It seems like this becomes more and more difficult as time goes by. I don’t think that it will get any easier now that I’m back home.

This will be my last daily update for a while, so I won’t have first hand knowledge of what is going on. I will, however, send out periodic updates. In the meantime, please pray specifically for the following:

1. Dad’s mental state – I would certainly be depressed if I was in his situation. He seems to be aware of what is going on, but is unable to communicate. Please pray that he is able to keep a positive disposition and that he has a will to get better. I didn’t get my stubborn determination from nowhere, so I’m pretty sure that he does have a will to get better.

2. Pray that his blood pressure will stay in the desired range and that the doctors will be able to reduce the amount of medications used to control it.

3. Pray that the antibiotics will destroy the pneumonia.

4. Pray that each day will be a little better than the last and that his responsiveness will become better and better.

5. As I mentioned earlier, please pray that my family will keep a positive attitude and that we will not become impatient, as this is going to be a very slow process. Additionally, as various family members travel to and from Lubbock while this continues, please pray for out safety.

6. Most importantly, please pray for a positive outcome for the situation. I think that we can live with the bumps in the road, but that fact is that we don’t know that outcome. We need guidance in making decisions and confidence that, once made, we have made the right decisions.

My family thanks you for your continued prayers and support.


March 8:
Dad had the tracheostomy this morning. He also had the feeding tube inserted through his nose. These procedures went well and he looks so much more comfortable without those silly tubes in his mouth. He had a big morning and was pretty much non responsive for the rest of the day. Hopefully he will begin feeling better and better over the next few days.

Please continue to pray specifically for my dad’s blood pressure to stay in the desired range. Right now he is on five different medications specifically for his blood pressure. Obviously, we would like to be able to reduce this number. Please also continue to pray that the antibiotics continue to work on the pneumonia.

Charlton and the kids (except Pierson) had a safe trip back to Grants today. We will miss having them here, but they will be back on Monday.

Today is my mom’s birthday. She had several groups of people call and sing happy birthday to her. Our good friends, Mike and Hope, and their son, J.H., took us all out for a birthday dinner tonight. We had a good time. We plan to celebrate mom’s birthday again when dad can celebrate with us.

Please continue to pray for my mom, sister and me. We need patience and to keep a positive attitude. Dad has been in ICU here in Lubbock for two weeks now and this will continue to be a slow process. Dr. Sedler (neurologist) continues to believe that dad has a good chance for a meaningful recovery, so we need to focus on the desired end result. This will become more and more challenging as Mary Beth and I eventually head back to our homes.


March 7:
Dad’s day today was similar to yesterday in his level of alertness. It’s still slow-going, but we were able to talk to his neurologist again today and feel much more comfortable with the situation. We understand that this is just a waiting-game. Dad is certainly not out of the woods yet, but it looks like we’re going to be able to get past the bumps in the road. One of the nurses told us that nothing good happens fast, so we just need to continue to be patient.

Today the doctors inserted a filter into a vein carrying blood toward his upper body from his lower body. This apparently looks like an upside-down umbrella and is designed to prevent any blood clots that may form from entering his lungs. The doctors indicated that this procedure went very well.

Early tomorrow morning, the doctors will insert the tracheostomy, which will allow the respirator tube to be removed from his mouth. In order to remove the feeding tube that is also in his mouth, it is planned that next Monday the doctors will insert a PEG, which I believe is an acronym for some big medical words. Basically this procedure will insert the feeding tube through his side into his stomach. These two procedures are designed to make him much more comfortable. In the interim, they will use a small flexible tube that will run through his nose. That doesn’t necessarily sound too comfortable to me, but at least he won’t have any tubes in his mouth from this point forward.

Please pray that the procedure in the morning will go well. I want to continue to pray that dad’s blood pressure will stay within the desired range and that the antibiotics will continue to work on the pneumonia. Just keep praying!

I talked to my granddad today and he seems to be doing much better. He is going back to the doctor tomorrow and is expecting a good report. It appears that his pneumonia is gone and that he is getting back to normal.

Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. My sister and Charlton wanted to take her out to celebrate and were able to sneak off to the store and get her a cake, so that we could surprise her. After the morning visiting hours were over, we all piled into the minivan and headed towards Texas Land & Cattle. The first thing that Ashton, my 2 year old nephew, says after the doors were closed was, “We got you a cake!” It was pretty funny.

It’s been really nice having Charlton and the kids here for a while this week. The kids certainly have a way of providing some much needed comic relief. They are leaving tomorrow to head back to Grants.

After talking with my mom and sister, I am planning on heading back to Houston later in the week and my sister will probably head home a week from tomorrow. When I leave Lubbock, my updates will be less frequent, as I will not have first hand knowledge of the situation. That DOES NOT mean that it is any less important to continue praying for a meaningful recovery.


March 6:
Today was one of those down days for dad. He wasn’t as responsive as he had been over the past few days. He had a fever today and his blood pressure is still tending to stay on the high side. We saw Dr. Sedler (neurologist) today. He indicated that he doesn’t see any reason why dad can’t make a meaningful recovery, so we’re still moving forward with that goal in mind.

As a means to that end, the various doctors are planning several procedures over the next few days. The first, which will probably take place tomorrow, is a tracheotomy. This will allow them to get the respirator tube out of his mouth. The second procedure will be to place his feeding tube through his side, again allowing them to get another tube out of his mouth. These two procedures should make him much more comfortable, while allowing for better care. The third procedure will basically put a filter in a vein from the lower body to contain any blood clots that may form in his legs.

Charlton came back to Lubbock today with the kids. It was good to see them. They will head back to Grants on Wednesday. Goldie Wallace, who now lives in Lubbock and grew up with my mom, brought my nephews some books, which they really enjoyed.

Please continue to pray that my dad’s blood pressure will stay under control and that the antibiotics will root out the pneumonia. Please also pray for my mom and sister (and me). Today was a little depressing and the days are beginning to wear on us. Mary Beth and I are also going to have to make some decisions in the near future about going back to our homes. She has her family that needs to be taken care of and I have a job that is pretty busy this time of year.


March 5:
Dad had another good day today. He was pretty alert and seems to be feeling better. They are slowly reducing the amount of blood pressure medication that they are using, so hopefully he will be able to go off of that soon.

We bought a small CD player and I played some Stevie Ray Vaughan for dad today. He seemed to enjoy it. We’ve also been reading Max Lucado’s new book to him.

Charlton will be coming back to Lubbock tomorrow with Kaden and Ashton. We’re looking forward to seeing them, especially my sister. It will be nice to have them here before they head back to Grants on Wednesday.

We’re hoping to see the doctor again tomorrow as he had been taking a few days off. Hopefully we will get some good news from him. Please continue to pray that my dad’s blood pressure will stay within the desired levels and that they will be able to stop using the medication. Also, pray that the antibiotics will do their job on the pneumonia.


March 4:
This morning dad had another bronchoscopy. This is the procedure in which the doctors send a little camera into the lungs to see what's going on in there. They are able to take samples and suction out any secretions or other stuff that shouldn't be there. They were able to look in both lungs this time and removed a lot of the stuff that didn’t need to be there. They should have the results of the samples that they took in the next few days. They also did another procedure in which they looked in his stomach. There is still an ulcer there, but it is not bleeding, so that was good news.

Dad’s blood pressure is still tending to stay really high. The doctors changed his medication today and it is staying in the target range. However, when the medication runs out and the nurses are replacing it, his blood pressure shoots up pretty fast. His blood pressure will have to be under control before he can be moved out of ICU.

We were very surprised, and pleased, to see Kirby and Kaaren Barker when we arrived at the hospital this morning. Dr. Barker is a recently retired oncologist in Corpus and my dad was (and is) the administrator of his practice for the past eight years or so. He has been a friend of my family’s for just about as long as I can remember. I believe that they knew each other growing up. Anyway, they flew up here for the day to see my dad. It was really nice to see some friendly faces from Corpus and to have someone else to answer our questions. That surprise certainly made our day better.

Terrie, Charlton’s mom, who had been here all week helping out with Pierson (my 4 month old nephew), went back to Ft. Worth today. Having her here was such a big help for us, especially when I was back in Houston earlier in the week. We’re certainly going to miss having her here to help out with Pierson.

We also received a care package from my parent’s small group at church. It will definitely come in handy and it is nice to have those touches from home. My parent’s neighbor, Chris, sent all of our mail and we received it today. I’ve been helping mom out by trying to make sure that all of the bills are covered. (That CPA license is finally coming in handy!)

I think that the specific prayers that we need now are that my dad’s blood pressure will begin to stay at normal levels without the use of a lot of medication. Additionally we need to pray that the antibiotics take care of the pneumonia. Dad had a big day today with the procedures that were performed in the morning, but he seemed to be doing o.k. He was sleeping peacefully when we left tonight.


March 3:
Dad seemed to have a pretty good day today. He was much more responsive today than yesterday and even smiled at my mom! His day was better than yesterday, which was better than the day before. We're hoping that we've seen the last of the big hurdles and that the progress that has been made over the past few days continues.

The doctors are planning to perform another bronchostomy (yeah, I have no idea how to spell that one) tomorrow. They have already done this procedure once, but stayed within the right lung. They will focus on the left lung this time. This should allow them to take some samples for testing and clean out anything that shouldn't be there. Dad is still fighting off the pneumonia and it appears that the antibiotics are doing their job.

The doctors are planning on doing a tracheotomy in the next few days. This should help dad be more comfortable as the respirator will not be in his mouth any more. It will also allow the doctors and nurses to more easily keep his lungs clear.

Please continue to pray that the antibiotics and blood pressure medication will continue to work and that his temperature will stay in a normal range. Please pray that he has seen the last of the major hurdles and that he continues to show improvement.

An anesthesiologist at the hospital, Dr. Fincher, who we’ve mentioned before, has a doctor working with him. Her name is Dr. Coleman. She is from Corpus and asked her dad, Mr. Eubanks, if she knew any of the Maxwell clan down that way. He remembered that when he was little, a Maxwell family had the only Studebaker in Corpus. He remembered how cool he thought that car was. He also remembered that the son of the Maxwell family had a ruptured appendix and was in need of blood. Mr. Eubanks gave blood for that boy. That boy was my dad, he was five, and that is the only other time he’s ever been hospitalized. It is indeed a small world. (I hope I got all those names and facts right. It's late and I'm tired!)


The following are a few updates that predate my February 28 post from Charley Taylor, my brother-in-laws dad and good friend of my family’s.

Charley’s update on Feb. 26:
Charlton tells me as of 7 PM tonight the following: Johnny is more alert in the mornings. He is responding more now with raised fingers, squeezes, slight gestures and opened eyes. When Marc left his side once today, Johnny raised his left hand and waved to him. When Charlton went in this afternoon, Johnny raised his hand to grab his. (Apparently all hand movement by Johnny is with his left hand. I have heard nothing more of any developments in the use of his paralyzed right side.) The dox have discovered some fluid in Johnny’s lungs. Pneumonia is always a danger when someone is lying in a bed like he is, so a test is being run today to determine if pneumonia has set in. Results will be back in a couple of days. We need to pray for it not to be pneumonia, for that would be very bad for Johnny. There are still plans to remove him from the ventilator tomorrow or Tuesday. As more friends and Christians in Lubbock learn about Johnny’s plight, the family is being blessed. They are receiving more visitors. Hope and Michael enlisted a group of people at Greenlawn C of C to furnish supper meals for Karen & Mary Beth for all next week. They are bringing the food to the hospital for them. Rudy (one of Charlton’s best friends in college) and his wife Lisa gave Karen & Mary Beth a $25 coupon to Appleby’s for them to enjoy a meal there. Charlton and the two older boys will probably head back home to Grants, NM after lunch tomorrow. Aside from all that, you probably don’t want to know just how many dirty diapers Ashton (the 2 year old) had today. It’s just nasty! I’ll leave those details to be shared between father and son and grandfather, I guess! We all thank you for your generous prayers. Keep ‘em up!

Charley’s update on Feb. 27:
Johnny had a rough night last night. At some point both his ventilator and feeding tube came out. He may have pulled them out in his sleep. Anyway, it took 3 tries to get the feeding tube re-inserted in his nose, which has been extremely painful for him. So, Charlton said Johnny was pretty drugged up this morning, which I take to mean he had been sedated in order to re-insert the tubes. On top of this, they found out that John Sr., Johnny’s father in Corpus Christi, has developed pneumonia and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He should be there for about 3 days if all goes well. The family also asks for prayers for Karen’s mom, Kathryn Taylor, who is in a care facility in Corpus Christi. She is basically bedfast and is receiving good care, but has not been able to experience Karen’s daily visits for over a week now. Charlton, Kaden & Ashton are returning to Grants, NM this afternoon and Mary Beth and Pearson are staying behind with Karen. My Terrie is driving to Lubbock in the morning and will stay until early evening on Thursday, when she will drive back home. She will principally help with Pearson so Karen & MB can go in together to see Johnny. Marc plans to go back to Lubbock on Friday. Keep those prayers a’comin’. We send our love and thanks to all.