I Need My Mom

We got some very scary news last night. My mom had some sort of cardiac episode and is in the ICU. The worst part is that she is in Hawaii with my grandma so we can't be with her. My dad flew out this morning and is still on his way to her. Luckily my grandma stayed behind with her (they were scheduled to fly out early this morning central time) so she isn't alone. It started off with her snorkeling and at first we were told that she got water swamped and inhaled a bunch of salt water, but that she was doing okay. She still would have to miss her flight because she was getting breathing treatments, but that she was talking and doing fine. Then they thought she had a small heart attack or something of that nature and that caused her to get exhausted and breathe in the water, so it was a little more serious.

The next few phone calls were terrifying. There was something seriously wrong with her heart and they were going to run an angiogram and check for any heart blockages and would call us back after the test - maybe an hour or more. The next call came only 30 minutes later. They told us that they were doing everything they could but her heart was shutting down and they couldn't find anything on the angiogram even though the test wasn't done. We knew it was bad because they called before the test was even over (the doctor confirmed that the news was grim at this point but only after the next call). Thankfully the next call was that she was stabilized and might have suffered some sort of virus that attacked her heart.

She's currently on a breathing tube and a balloon pump (pumps her blood for her) and apparently like 5 IVs, including sedatives. They're hoping that using these machines will allow her body to rest and repair itself, but it's too early to tell. They said the next 72 hours (about 55 now) are the most critical. She stayed stable all through the night with little to no changes. My dad was able to book a flight this morning and he is on his way to see her. He is a rock but is obviously freaking out right now, as are James, my brother, and I. We're terrified.

I'm having a lot of selfish thoughts about why I need her to come back home. I need my mommy and I don't know what to do. But most of the midwest and beyond is praying for her it seems, and that comforts me because I absolutely believe in the power of prayer. We've been talking about how it could have been worse than this but that God had it worked out for her. She ended up having this episode on an island that had a great hospital with what seems to be a great team of doctors and nurses - instead of the more remote islands that they had visited. She was in a snorkeling group that had a man that recognized she was struggling, helped her to shore, and insisted on getting the paramedics even though she thought she would be fine (I will forever believe he saved her life). She was in a hospital when her heart starting shutting down which helped the doctors respond to her needs quickly and efficiently. And her mom is with her and she's not alone. All God's doing...

What we need now is for her heart to gain some strength so she can be weaned off the balloon pump. We need her to not have any more declines. We need her to slowly get better and stronger so she can get back home to her loved ones.

If you believe in the power of prayer, please pray for my mom. Also, if you could throw in one for my dad and my grandma who will be at the hospital with her constantly, I would so appreciate it. Thanks.

ETA: My mom's been improving! They're hoping to wean her off some of the machines. Praise the Lord! After my dad got there and called to tell me that she had improved, I went into "get it done" mode and quickly relayed the news to all my points of contact, then once that was all over, I ran into my parents' bathroom, sat on the tile floor, and cried tears of relief. She's doing much better than we were told to expect and we're so grateful. It's truly a miracle to me.

ETA: She's off both the heart pump and the ventilator. She had the pump taken out last night and Dad said she's wanted the ventilator out for a long time. She's still very weak and groggy but she's improving all the time!