Benefit for Zac Chapman

Updates from Wednesday night Sep. 9:

The neurosurgeon has scheduled Zac's surgery for 1:30 on Friday. (That's 12:30 our time)They have decided to just insert the shunt and not put back in the piece of Zac's skull that had been removed due to swelling. They do not want to increase the risk of infection by doing that at the same time.

There has been an overwhelming response to the sale of Zac T-shirts. Alannah has graciously accepted the responsibility of taking orders for these. I want to say that the price for an XL shirt is $17 compared to other sizes at $15. There may be a slight delay on getting these to you as another order had to be placed!!!

Her email address is [email protected] Please contact her if you want T-shirts. Those of you that have already emailed me, I will forward your request. If she has to ship the shirts, there may be extra charge for shipping. Please continue to pray for Zac and his upcoming surgery. Much love to you all...

 

Updates from Zac's mom from Thu. night Sep. 10:

Just got off the phone with the night nurse and Zac's surgery has been bumped up to the first surgery at 7:15 a.m. Virginia time. That is 6:15 a.m. Texas time. I would ask that everyone pray for the surgery to go well. This is the surgery to put in the shunt.

There is also a serious need for prayer regarding where Zac will be transferred to when he is ready. His ins. is not wanting to pay for him to go to Sheperd in Atlanta, but we are in the beginning stages of getting approval. The LTAC in Ft. Worth has now stated that they will not accept him as a patient.

I am believing this is happening for a reason and trusting that the Lord knows what is best for Zac and is directing us down the right path. I would rather Zac be in another state and being well taken care of then have to be sent to a nursing home here close to us. Please help us in our earnest prayers for Zac and his complete recovery!!!

 

Today's updates Sat. Sept. 12 from Zac's mom:

Zac made it through his surgery fine. They only put in the shunt and have decided to wait to put in the piece of skull that had to be removed due to swelling. He was of course sedated for this, and so we knew yesterday was a day of rest and recovery for him.

Today I spoke with his sister Jennifer who is there this weekend and she said that Zac's vent is set at 12 and he is only breathing 12. This is decreased from 14 where they have had him lately. I know that they would not do that unless his carbon dioxide levels had improved.

I would ask for specific prayer that Zac could wean off the vent. If he could do this, there would be more places that might accept him as a patient when he can come home to Texas. Also pray that the Lord will guide us toward which facitlity is best for Zac when the time comes for him to be discharged from the hospital in Virginia.

It is hard to be so far away from him for many reasons. I do know that he is getting good care where he is and that makes it (almost) bearable. I miss him so much and know that the Lord knows this too. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thine ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" Prov. 3:5-6.

 

More from Sat. Sept. 12:

Talked to Zac's evening shift nurse. He said that they have started giving Zac caffeine to help wean him off the vent. He said that when they lowered his vent setting to 12 breaths per minute that his carbon dioxide level increased above normal. So, they will not be able to lower it more until his CO2 levels improve. Zac had a bout with vomiting again this afternoon, they are not sure what caused that to happen.

I discussed with his nurse getting Zac up in a chair and out of bed. He said this could be a possibility in the ICU setting. Being a therapist, I think this could only be a good thing. We will see if it happens. Zac's temp is 100.8, that seems about normal for him at night. Keep praying for him to be weaned off the vent. All things are possible with God!!!

 

Updates from Sunday night Sep. 13:

Zac got to sit in a recliner today! The staff transferred Zac from the bed into a recliner and he sat up for quite a while today. I spoke with Fred about how Zac did as far as weaning off the vent and he said he did not do too well today. Please keep praying that Zac can wean off the vent.

Fred said that the staff plans on getting Zac out of bed every day. Zac may be having some sort of an issue with his feeding tube. For some reason it appears that he may not be digesting the tube feeding well. The medical staff will be monitoring this situation to see if his feeding tube needs to be placed in a location past his stomach.

Zac's older sister and younger brother were able to visit him over the weekend. Please pray that God will continue to supply all of our needs for those of us that have to travel to go see Zac. Thank you all for your continued prayers for the complete recovery and full restoration of our beloved Zac!!!

 

Updates from Monday night Sep. 14:

Spoke to Fred this morning and when he got to the hospital they had moved Zac out of the ICU into another area that is called PICU. (progressive ICU) He is still on the vent and has not had a significant change in his overall condition. I will call again and give another update tonight. Keep the prayers coming for our Zac!!!!

Zac's transition into the PCU (just progressive care unit) was a little bumpy, but hopefully things will only get better from here. The ratio of patients to a nurse is higher here, 5:1, whereas in the ICU it was 2:1. It was difficult to talk to his nurse as she was very busy.

Zac got a better fitting neck brace today. Fred said they are to deliver his helmet tomorrow which is to protect the area where his skull was removed. They felt it was better not to get him up in a chair today until his helmet arrives. They will do a CT scan in a couple of days to make sure the shunt is working as it should.

They have held his tube feeding since yesterday afternoon. For some reason his body is not digesting it well; we will see what decision is made about that. There has been no progress in weaning off the vent. As you can see, Zac is still in need of prayer. Please continue to pray for Zac. Father, we ask that you would continue to heal Zac's body. Please help him to receive good care in the PCU, and may the nursing staff come to love and care for him as all of us do. Your word says "Ask, and it shall be given you..." I ask for you to fully restore Zac so that he may continue to be a witness for you here on earth. Help him wean off the vent and continue to get better with each passing day. Amen

 

Updates from Tuesday Sep. 15 from Zac's mom:

Zac had an Xray taken this morning to try and find out why things are not going well with his G tube. The Xray said that "the location of the G tube cannot be determined". We are waiting to see if another Xray (CT scan ?) will be ordered, or what they will do.

Zac is breathing over the vent!! Praise God!! The vent is set at 12 breaths per minute and Zac is breathing up to 18. He is on 30% oxygen on the vent. This is still such a need for prayer. We need for Zac to get off that vent.

They decided to start back his feeding through his G tube at a slow rate. The Dr's feel certain that his tube is in the right position (in his stomach) or else he would not have vomited in the first place. They will monitor this over a 4 hour period and increase slowly to see how he handles it.

I want to thank everyone for your prayers. I , and others, were pleading with God today to please allow Zac to be weaned off the vent. I will continue to make my requests known to the Lord so that He will find favor on ZAC!!! My scripture for today and tomorrow: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

Sorry for a day gap in updates, I've been away from a computer in meetings.

From Wednesday night, Sep. 16:

Spoke to Fred who said that Zac hasn't shown any breathing over the vent today. He had another bout of vomiting this afternoon and they have stopped his G tube feeding for now. Another Xray was taken tonight and we probably will not know the results until tomorrow. Zac did sit up in a recliner for a couple of hours today and he wore his helmet for the first time!

I spoke with a neurosurgeon today on the phone that is a friend of Yuliya's. The most important thing that I walked away with from our conversation was when he said "Do not give up hope". In the midst of all of the ups and downs that have occured, there have been times when the only direction I could look, was up.

A representative from the Shepherd Institute in Atlanta, GA comes tomorrow afternoon to see if Zac is appropriate for their program. I told Zac tonight on the phone that he needs to show off for this woman, and, as Alannah said, he needs to "break out all his ninja moves"!! Please pray that Zac's health would improve and that he could wean off the vent!!

From Thursday Sep. 17:

It looks like Shepherd in Atlanta will not accept Zac without a commitment from his father and I that we will take Zac home (literally, our house) after the end of 4-6 weeks. They offer a great program for weaning him off the vent and giving him medications that are neuro stimulators, so this was difficult to hear. At Zac's current condition there was no way either of us could make a commitment like that. If only we could know what his response would be to the program, then we could care for him if he were at a higher level. Not knowing what kind of progress (or lack of) he would make, made that commiment impossible for us right now. Now we have to find a good LTAC that offers a weaning program from the vent. We need a good LTAC!!! It appears that Lifecare may not change their minds and we are not sure about Kindred.

If only there was an LTAC that could offer the things that Shepherd offered. If any of you have any recommendations, please let me know. I will give an update on Zac later on tonight when I find out what knod of day he has had. Keep praying everyone!!!

O.K. I did not mean to confuse anyone about why Zac is not going to Atlanta. They are expecting Fred and I to bring Zac home, to one of our houses, when released. We realize this is too much for us with Zac in his current condition. Therefore, he is not going to Atlanta. Now we are looking at LTAC's again; hopefully in the DFW area.

Zac is about the same. He did not breath above the vent today and they did not get him up in the recliner today. They have started him on another "brand" of tube feeding. They are starting him out on a slow flow rate. They will monitor this to see how he does. Again, God's word says,"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you..." We continue to ask God to heal Zac, to restore him fully so that he can continue to be a witness for Him here on earth. Please help him to wean off the vent and to continue to improve with each passing day. (This is day 41)

 

Updates from Jenny from Saturday, Sep. 19:

I'm sorry I did not give an update last night. Here's one for this morning. Poor Zac, his left arm started swelling so they had to remove the I.V. They tried to poke around on him and find another spot, but were not able to. (the nurse did tell me he reacted to the poking around by trying to withdraw his arm!!!) So, they have an I.V. in his left foot.

They could not use his right arm because of the blood clots being found recently. They have switched feeding "formulas", but Zac threw up again early this morning. We will wait and see what will be done about this. Again, I was told it is not uncommon for patients to not tolerate this in the beginning.

When I spoke to Fred this morning, Zac was breathing over the vent!! The setting is still set on 12 breaths per minute and Zac was breathing above that. This is encouraging and something we all have been praying for. Please continue in prayer for Zac to be weaned off the vent, to start tolerating his tube feedings well, and that the Lord would guide us to the LTAC that is best for Zac!!!

 

Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been without computer.

Sunday Sep. 20

Well, one piece of good news, Zac has been breathing above the vent for most of the day. The bad news is he spiked a temp of 102.4 last night and he is still not tolerating the tube feedings well. He has not vomited, but they are finding high residuals in his stomach. That means he is not digesting the liquid nourishment that is going into his stomach through the tube. Again, we will wait and see what the Dr's decide to do. Zac was already thin, but his dad sent a picture of him sitting up today and he is thinner. This is hard to see, your baby struggling so... Please continue to pray for Zac, that the Lord will continue to be with him and help him get better. Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope;patient in tribulation;continuing instant in prayer...

Monday Sep. 21

Not much change in Zac today. He is not breathing over the vent today. Fred said they did a test to see if there were any blood clots present in his arms and other areas(?). We do not know the results of that yet. Zac was transferred into a chair today for a couple of hours. We are narrowing our choices down for LTAC's. Fred is going to call and speak to the nurse that gave us the tour at Kindred and voice his concerns. If he is comfortable with how the conversation goes, we may have our winner!! We are ready for Zac to come home, and we are ready for him to go into an area of the LTAC where he will get a little more attention throughout the day than he is getting currently.

We still ask for prayers for Zac and also that the Lord will guide us in the direction we should go regarding LTAC's. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Tuesday, Sep. 22

Well, good news about Zac coming home. It COULD possibly happen by this weekend!! It's still in the works, so we will keep our fingers crossed. Fred said the Dr. came in today and turned the vent down to 10 breaths per minute and Zac is breathing above the vent. Really no change other than that in his condition.

We are going to ask that Zac not have any visitors at first for a while so that he can get settled in his new environment. We want this to be as stress free as possible for him, and when the time is right we will contact you when a visit can occur. We know that many of you care about Zac and want to come see him, but we need to do what is best for him. Please continue in prayer for Zac. May he have safe travel when the time comes, and may he continue to heal and not develop any more complications. May the staff in Virginia treat him well while he is still there, and may the staff in Texas come to love him and treat him well also!!

Today, Wednesday Sep. 23

O.K. I think I can post this with confidence... Zac will be coming home next Tuesday!! Had to get the air ambulance lined up. I spoke with a person who's daughter had been to Kindred and then on to Baylor, and he had good things to say about both places. God was really directing our paths!! Thank you Lord ) They lowered the vent setting to 8 today and Zac is breathing around 14; so that is good!! Gee, he must be getting psyched for the trip home!! He seems to be tolerating the tube feedings a little better also. Thank you all so much for your prayers for Zac and for the family. We love you all so much, yes, even the ones we haven't even met!! Please continue in prayer for Zac. You have all been doing a wonderful job so far!! "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" Matt 18:20.

 

Updates from Thursday September 24th

Called and spoke with Zac's nurse earlier today who told me that Zac's blood pressure went up a little today. He is tolerating the tube feedings better. The vent is still set on 8 and he continues to breath over the vent. Tuesday seems so far away!!! I can't wait!! I have had several people ask me if we know a time that Zac will arrive on Tuesday. We have not been given any sort of time frame yet. But again, we ask that there be no surprise visitors. Please be patient and wait for the immediate family to contact you. We are thinking of Zac and want this to be as stress free as possible. "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up..."

For those of you in the racing community, I just talked to Alannah and the new shipment of Zac Attack T-shirts has arrived!!! They will be at the Oak Hill race this weekend. They really are awesome...

 

Alan, if you read my earlier updates, you have to contact Alannah at [email protected] for shirts (see post 26).

 

Updates from Jenny, Sunday Sep. 27:

Fred said that Zac is doing well today. He continues to breath over the vent. All of his vital signs were good today. Zac must be excited that he gets to come home to Texas tomorrow!!! Continue in prayer for the trip home, and I will update all of you tomorrow as soon as I can when I get done visiting with my son!!! It's been 3 weeks since I've seen him...seems like an eternity. I am so excited, I hope I can get some sleep.

Updates from Saturday Sep. 26:

Thank you to everyone that bought a T-shirt at the race today. I got a good report from Alannah!! Wear those shirts with pride!!

Spoke to Fred and Zac continues to breath over the vent. He did have some more trouble with the tube feeding yesterday, but is doing better today. We found out that there is a good chance that he will come home on Monday now!! The non-profit "Grace on Wings " will be bringing him to Texas on a plane with medical staff trained in the care of critically ill patients.

This is quite the process transporting someone from one state to another. Zac will be sent to the airport in Virginia from the hospital in an ambulance. He is then transferred onto the airplane with all equipment needed, and flown to our Meachum airport. He will then be transferred into and ambulance and taken to Kindred. You can see why he will need peace and quiet for a while. Please pray that the Lord will make the trip as uneventful as possible for Zac. Pray that the Lord will bless these medical professionals who donate their time and expertise, and guide them in the care of Zac while he travels. Thank you Lord for leading us to this wonderful organization and may others who need their services find them as well!!

 

Update from Jenny, Tue. Sep. 29:

Boy, have we been busy these last 2 days! Zac's flight went without a hitch and he made it safe and sound to Kindred. The great flight crew took really good care of him; even praying over Zac before they left Virginia, and then praying over him again before they left Kindred here in Texas.
We met his primary Dr. last night, and met 2 of his other Dr's today. We have liked them all so far. They have already started the process of weaning him off the vent. Today, he was able to breath on his own for about an hour! When he is on the vent, he is breathing above it consistently now.
Zac is moving his head and cracking open his eyes. He seems to be reacting to visits made by family members by doing these things while they are talking to him. We are slowly allowing family members to visit Zac within a schedule. The physical medicine Dr. said it would be important to ease into this as to not over stimulate him.
We will be helping Zac to learn his days and nights. Poor Zac, no more late nights...lights out at 9:00!! It has been so good to get Zac home, I just can't find the right words to say thank you to all of you that have had a part in this. It is so comforting having him only 20-30 minutes away. I really feel that Zac is going to start showing more progress because he can tell he is home among family and friends