What a Week May Bring Forth

Our Thanksgiving Day was satisfying in many ways. We drove out of town, and family and friends gathered for plenty of good food, football, and fun conversation.  We took time to make our annual list of things we are thankful for: Jesus, family, jobs, good health, and just being with one another. About 7 PM, our son, Ray began to moan and hold his stomach. My stomach felt stuffed, too, after eating perhaps the biggest meal of the year. We chalked it up to way too many desserts and headed to the hotel for the night.

Next morning, Ray and I enjoyed our annual tradition—shopping for gifts he wanted to buy for his sisters. The line at Bath & Body Works was kind of long at Bath & Body Works, but once we got inside, he and I located the perfect presents. The whole time, Ray continued to grip his belly and moan, and I realized something must be wrong. On the three-hour ride home, I asked Ray how he felt, and he said, “It hurts,” as he held his tummy. We stopped for dinner, and he took a sip of his root beer and ate one French fry. Not normal. As we unpacked his suitcase at his apartment, we promised to check on him the next day.

Ray was still suffering Monday morning as we headed to his doctor’s walk-in clinic. After an X-ray, the doctor sent us straight to the emergency room at a nearby hospital for further testing. Ray was admitted and tests began in earnest the next day. The results showed a serious abnormality in his digestive tract, and surgery was scheduled for the next day.

Ray now has a colostomy as the surgeon had to remove one-third of his colon. It’s been a rough week. He is out of ICU and healing in a regular hospital room. Not only will he likely have the colostomy for life, but he will not be able to live in his apartment anymore, because the ministry that supports him and others with developmental delays does not have authorization to give special medical care. We are facing many decisions. Ray will leave his apartment and the friendship and support that he has enjoyed for thirteen years. I had to break the news to him yesterday, and he had tears in his eyes as he said, “I am sad.” Steve and I are, too.

We believe that God is with us through this difficult time. Friends and family have called and texted us, and Ray has had visitors, too, reminding him of their concern and prayers. God’s word says, “We don’t know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1)  One week has changed everything about Ray’s life and ours as his parents and caregivers. Though we feel unprepared for these heartbreaking changes, the Lord is with us through it giving grace through many tears. Your prayers are appreciated.