for Jack and his family

[franciscanheart]

[quote]Barb reports:

We got word that Jack is worse...Mark and I are going up to the hospital to see him. The cancer is now in his spinal fluid. Yesterday they took him off the ventilator. He stops breathing sometimes, and Jay gently shakes his hand and tells him to breathe, and he does. Today, however, he is becoming disoriented and confused...the cancer is affecting him more. They have called in hospice. Jay doesn't think it will be today, but soon.

I ask that you all pray for a peaceful, holy death for our Jack....that it will be such to be consoling to Jay and Suzy and a cause of conversion for many.

UPDATE:

Our visit to the hospital was so surreal. We were all looking at each other and saying it doesn't seem possible, seem real. Perhaps this is a coping mechanism the dear Lord gives us.

Jack had another seizure while we were there today and when he came out of it, he told Jay and Suzy that he was ready to go. Suzy told him he could go whenever he was ready. We all cried. Suzy and Jay are holding up very well when they're in his room. Jay would come out and talk to us and that's when he would cry. They wanted to bring him home, but don't know the effect on their older children. They're afraid that Jack's room would just become the place where Jack died and they don't know if they want that. So tomorrow, they're going to talk to the people at the hospital that deal with these issues to find out how others handle this.

Perhaps, our dear Lord will take the decision out of their hands. The doctors say it could be hours, days, weeks...they don't like to speculate. It's hard to imagine when you see him that it could take weeks, but of course I don't know. They say it all depends on what part of the brain is affected by the cancer. He is drowsy all the time, occasionally tries to say something softly. Sometimes, the buzzer goes off because he stops breathing and Jay or Suzy gently shake his arm and say his name and he breathes again.

Thank you all so much for your prayers....

<>Please keep praying.

Venerable Louis and Zelie Martin, Servants of God,
You offered many prayers for your own sick children.
We unite our prayers with yours for Jack's healing.
May God look favorably on your intercession and, in His Mercy, grant us our request.
May His will be done in all things.

Venerable Louis and Zelie, pray for us![/quote][url="http://darwincatholic.blogspot.com/2006/08/pray-for-jack-and-his-family.html"]http://darwincatholic.blogspot.com/2006/08...his-family.html[/url]