Update Rev. Bernabé G García health 06 Nov 2012

As I left my house early Tuesday morning to take my son Daniel to the school bus stop my phone rang.  I glanced at the phone and saw that it was a call from my brother Joseph.  I thought he was wondering if we were going to work out today and so I answered the phone cheerfully.  The first words out of his mouth chilled me to the bones.  “Bernie,” he said, “the doctor says that we need to talk as a family we need you to come to the hospital now.”

“Ok,” I said, “I am on my way to take Daniel to the bus stop.  I will get there as fast as I can.”

Joseph went on to explain that my dad’s doctor had called for him at 6:30 A.M.  The doctor was concerned that my father’s wishes were not being taken into account.  Apparently it appeared that my father did not want to wear the B-Pac mask.  Without that mask he would be reduced to a non-rebreathable oxygen mask, and the next step down from that was to reinsert the ventilator tubes down his mouth, or to do the tracheostomy.  My father said he did NOT want the tracheostomy and the doctor interpreted that to mean that dad wanted to go home (to God).

How could it be?  We would be right back to where we were Friday night!  I rushed home, made arrangements for someone to work my shift, woke my wife, got ready to go, and hurried to the hospital.  All the siblings were called and informed that we needed to meet at the hospital urgently.  I groaned inwardly as I imagined another day filled with stress.

However, when I arrived I found that Joseph had managed to control the situation.  He had talked to dad explaining that the B-Pac mask was needed to improve the functionality of his lungs so that he could go home with his family.  “Dad, do you want to go home?”  Dad shook his head no.  “Dad, not home with the Lord, but home with your family, do you want to go home with us?”  Dad nodded his head vigorously.  “Well, dad, if you refuse the mask, then the doctor thinks that you are choosing to die.  Is that what you want?”  Dad shook his head NO!

A few minutes later, when the nurse asked if he was tired, he said yes.  She then asked if she could put on the B-Pac mask and he said that she could.  Thank you Lord!

We waited for a few hours in the hospital.  Mom and Joanna arrived almost right after I did, both were noticeably shaken and almost in tears.  I quickly explained that the crisis had already been averted, but that the doctor still wanted to talk to us as a family.  Debbie and Moy arrived shortly afterwards.  We sat waiting for Billy to appear, but when he had not arrived by 11:00 A.M. we were told that the doctor was leaving for the day, and that perhaps we could talk to him tomorrow.  So we scheduled for an 8:30 A.M. talk with the doctor on Wednesday morning.  Please keep us in prayer.

I left around 2:00 P.M. to pick up my son Daniel from the school bus stop and took him to his Rugby practice.  On the way to the practice we ran out of gas and walked the last half a mile to the practice facility.  My son Bernie III was kind enough to buy a gas can and bring me some gas so I could get back on the road.  By the time I got home it was close to 8:30 P.M.  I took a small nap and about 11:30 P.M. made my way back to the hospital.

My sister Joanna sent me her report from her day at the hospital:

It has been a tough day today.  Dad told the doctor he did not want his oxygen mask on anymore and he wanted his hands to be untied.  He kept asking for Bernie Jr.  He kept saying he wanted to go home.  The doctor understood home (with God) so they untied him and took off the mask.  Then they called all of us this morning so the doctor could talk to us.  While waiting for all of us to get there, Joseph questioned dad and found out that dad wants to LIVE and go home with his family.  He understood that in order to go home he either needed the oxygen mask or a tracheostomy and he definitely did not want that.  When he started getting sleepy, the nurse asked him if she could put the mask back on and he said yes.  Around 4:30 P.M. he pulled the feeding tube out.  Debbie went in with him.  When I got there at 4:45 P.M. I went in and he was shook up.  Apparently he did it on accident and was very anxious about it.  We were able to calm him down and the nurse also calmed him.  The nurse had to reinsert a new tube.  He has been stable, but really needs everyone’s prayers.  His lungs have a long way to go for complete healing.  Dad is very tired of being in the hospital.  Things could go long and wrong, but we must have faith that God is going to finish the work.  It should say a lot when I say that he is STILL in ICU day 8.

My brother Joseph told me that “they now want someone to say with him inside all night because he is pulling off the mask.  We are going to have to take turns with him in the room because it is rough.  I am telling you right now it is rough.”

So while stable, there are some issues.  Keep my father in prayer.  Continue to pray for complete healing and strengthening of his lungs.  For him to be a little less stubborn and a little more willing to take the doctors advise on his care.  Thank you very much.  God bless you.