April 27, 2000

Dear Family,

Our God is Great! One of the milestones we have longed and prayed for arrived 
this morning (Thursday, April 27th) around 9AM PST. Rejoice with us and praise our 
Good Lord for His kindness in bringing Skylar to the point where he has been released 
from the ventilator!

I just got off the phone from talking to our daughter-in-law Suzanne and this is how 
she described it:

Most of the nurses and doctors crowded into and around Skylar's room because they wanted 
to see Skylar "extubated" (i.e. the ventilator tube [which has been in his mouth and his 
windpipe] removed). Skylar was in his bed for the event.

Apparently the process went fairly smoothly. Skylar did have some discomfort and trauma, 
coughing some, and for a short time thinking that he might throw up, but he did not. They 
put a "nasal cannula" on him. This is a small oxygen delivery device which has two tubes 
that are inserted in Skylar's nostrils.

Suzanne said that when I called she hoped that they would transfer the call into 
Skylar's room so that he could say "hello" to me. Instead, they transferred the call 
to a phone booth down the hall a ways. I guess so far Skylar has only been able to talk 
in a whisper (not too surprising after spending more than six weeks mute with a tube down 
his throat). Also not surprisingly he has a sore throat. But the great news is that, when 
I spoke with Suzanne, Skylar had been breathing on his own (with oxygen support) for 
about an hour.

There is a slight possibility that he could become weary and need the ventilator again; 
however, at least in the opinion of Dr. Mathers (the physician in charge of the Pediatric 
ICU this week), Skylar probably will be able to stay off of the ventilator. This is 
wonderful news!

Suzanne expects that they will have Skylar sit in the "cardiac chair" again today for 
a while, to continue the process of encouraging him to begin moving and exercising more 
and more. He will also be encouraged to cough up and spit out anything that accumulates 
in his lungs. I don't know the details, but I am sure that the respiratory therapists 
will continue to work with him, probably using a portable lung-exercising device that 
Skylar has used often before. The device has a tube for Skylar's mouth. When he inhales, 
a small ball rises in a column of air to indicate how strongly Skylar is inhaling. His 
challenge is to make the ball rise to a particular marker on the column.

God has been tremendously kind to us in bringing Skylar this far. As most of you know, 
there were numerous occasions in the last month and a half when the doctors had as good 
as given Skylar up for dead. I read again this morning how Abraham "considered that God 
is able to raise even from the dead; from which he also received him (Isaac) back in a 
parable." Hebrews 11:19 And so, today, with great gratitude and praise to God, I have 
received my son Skylar back, as it were, from the dead. Thank You, Lord Jesus! I write 
this with tears of joy and thanksgiving.

Also this morning I read and was encouraged by Isaiah 66:9. For the last two weeks, 
ever since Skylar woke up, I have been asking God to graciously complete the work that 
He began in Skylar's life and body. This morning I read from Isaiah "Shall I bring to 
the point of birth, and not give delivery? says the Lord. Or shall I who gives delivery 
shut the womb? says your God." And I was encouraged to think that God finishes what He 
begins.

In its context, God is promising us that He will indeed complete what He has begun; 
that He will one day send the Lord Jesus back to consummate His reign and restore His 
creation to a state of perfected beauty. He will, indeed, keep His promise to "wipe away 
every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer 
be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things (shall have) passed away." - 
Revelation 21:4

I consider God's kindness in restoring Skylar to life and health to be a relatively 
small (and yet infinitely valuable to me) token and pledge of His goodness and kindness 
and compassion and an encouragement to me that I can expect, with utter confidence, God 
to complete His work on the earth and to restore His kingdom in the perfection of beauty.

Thank you, dear family, for your continued prayers for Skylar and for us. "I love the 
Lord, because he hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear 
to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live." -Psalm 116:1,2 

I have much more to say, but not today. My praise and my thanksgiving to God are great 
today! Rejoice and celebrate with us! May your praises and thanksgiving echo today 
throughout the heavens and the earth! Hallelujah to Jesus, the King of Kings and 
Lord of Lords!

Your fellow-heir of the grace of life,

Dann