And in his word I put my hope

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope”

This week has undeniably been one of the toughest periods . It genuinely felt like, day after day, Ricky was continually hitting brick walls . Just a few days ago, he had to go back on the ventilator (through his trach) due to experiencing several episodes of apneic episodes. It became increasingly apparent that each day, he was being sedated more and more, which was incredibly concerning for all of us. It seemed that either his blood pressure was rising to dangerously high levels or plummeting too low, creating a whirlwind of anxiety around his care. Yesterday, we took the opportunity to speak with the Nurse Supervisor about these troubling issues. His explanation was that Ricky’s body simply couldn’t regulate things as it should. Well, in the face of this adversity, we prayed for strength and healing. This morning, when we finally arrived at his side, we found Ricky was slightly awake but not particularly amused by our presence. We decided to step out for lunch, and much to our surprise, when we returned, Ricky was more awake than he had been in 15 days. While he still couldn’t verbally communicate with us, his eyes spoke volumes; they spoke of a deep fight still lingering inside him. They conveyed that he was aware of us, able to follow our movements and acknowledge that we were in the room with him. His eyes also remind us that, even when the waiting feels incessantly hard and we find ourselves homesick and utterly exhausted, it’s all worth it. We feel assured that God is actively working within his body. We firmly believe that God is going to heal him.

Later this afternoon, I received an unexpected visit from a worker at Jackson County DHR, who had come to investigate a report that Ricky urgently needed to be checked on. The report claimed that Ricky was in imminent danger because I allegedly refused to “take him home to die” ; he has no insurance; he’s brain dead; and he’s in a vegetative state.

First off, the word “Die” has never crossed the lips of myself or anyone advocating for Ricky; if you take the time to read through our previous posts, you will see that our focus has always been on promoting life, seeking healing, and trusting in God's plan.

While it is indeed correct that he doesn’t have insurance, when I was confronted by the billing department regarding his astronomical bill, which had already reached an unbelievable $384,000, I clearly informed them that they could go ahead and bill us.

Moreover, the case worker was supposed to file for Medicaid assistance, but it appears she has conveniently delayed that action for a frustrating two and a half weeks.

I want to make it perfectly clear that Ricky’s brain is functioning well; I have solid evidence to back that up.

He is far from being vegetative.

To prove that, in fact, just tonight, I touched his foot gently, and he immediately jerked away from me in surprise. While I was engaged in conversation with the nurse about this unusual reaction, I noticed that, without any physical contact from me, he continued to wiggle his toes on his left foot and even raised his right leg up in the air.

It's possible that they don’t appreciate the fact that we consistently give all the praise and glory to God for everything that happens here? Who really knows the answer to that question. But from the perspective of two devoted sisters, a caring mom, and a loving daughter who have all been unwavering in our commitment to be here every single day, I can assure you that he is far from being abused or neglected in any way.