Late Update - April 26, 2000

Dear Family,

Pam talked with Suzanne this afternoon and there was some very encouraging news.

Today Skylar sat in a "cardiac chair" for four hours. I am told this is something like 
a recliner, presumably intended to help him remain upright and better exercise his lungs. 
His oxygen saturation during that time was excellent!

At the "care conference" this afternoon, the doctors told Suzanne that tomorrow morning 
at about 4AM they will turn off Skylar's feeding tube. This will allow his bowels to 
empty out. Then sometime tomorrow, they intend to try to remove Skylar from the 
ventilator!

By temporarily cutting off Skylar's feeding, there will be less danger of him vomiting 
and introducing foreign matter into his lungs. If he handles being off of the ventilator 
well, they will restart the feeding. If that goes well, in a few days they may be able 
to take out the feeding tube and let him start eating by mouth! The diet will be a 
"liquid diet" at first, starting slowly to recondition his stomach to accept food and 
also allowing for his throat to heal somewhat from the irritation of the tubing.

Please pray that all this will go well. There is some possibility that Skylar might 
have to be re-intubated onto the ventilator, but I pray that will not be the case. We 
are very excited at the prospect of Skylar breathing on his own after more than six 
weeks of ventilation! The Lord has been very kind to Skylar and to us!

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Love,

Dann and Pam