New Location

We wanted to let you know, as mentioned before, we've been experiencing some restrictions with Oscar's health insurance. The insurance company will no longer cover his care at Kindred Hospital, so we've had to consider other options. At one point the few nursing home options that were available to take him were out of town, which would limit his visits from family and friends. Now that Oscar is breathing on his own, and is no longer on the ventilator, another option opened up right here in Greensboro.

Oscar has now been moved to Guilford Health Care Center, located at 2041 Willow Road. and he is in room 128. Visiting hours are from 10:00am until 8:00pm. Two great things about the location of this facility, is Griffin now is not limited on how often he can visit his Dad, plus the location is right next to Mt. Zion Baptist Church where Oscar and his family worships. This most likely will make things even easier for member's of his church home to drop by for visits.

We learned the other day that Oscar had his eyes opened for about 5 minutes. He wasn't blinking, it was more of a blank stare, but we thank God for any activity he shows. There was another EEG done last week, so we should get test results in sometime soon. Monday was Tarsha's first day back to work, and things went pretty well. The kids were very happy to see Mrs. Williams back, and she had lots of hugs to pass out : )       

Happy Birthday Oscar!!

It was great spending the evening with Oscar on his birthday. Family and some friends dropped by to visit and to share some love. We all gathered in the cafeteria for ice cream and cake, and we sang the happy birthday song to Oscar using a cell phone that was held to his ear. Each of us went up to his room by two's to be with him, pray, and to give thanks to God for all He's doing in Oscar's life. Oscar was off the vent for about 5-6 hours on Wednesday, and as of Thursday, they have completely moved the ventilating machine out of his room. We are so very thankful, and he looks great. He's a little smaller, and now has a mustache and a goatee. Can you imagine "Smooth Oscar" with a goatee? Thank you all for your love and support                 

Huge Step Forward

We wanted to share some good news. Before when the nurses at the hospital have tried weening Oscar off the vent, there were complications with his heart rate, and due to the fact that his breathing was too fast, the weening process was not successful. Yesterday they tried and there was some improvement, so they wanted to make more attempts sometime next week. Today when Tarsha arrived at the hospital, Oscar was breathing own his own. It was explained to her that they tried again since he did well yesterday, and he had been breathing on his own for 2 hours, PRAISE JESUS!! They will reconnect him shortly, and do this again in the morning, and each day hereafter as they try to extend the length of time that he is breathing on his own. This is a huge milestone in the process of his recovery. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.   

Keep Praying

We've been continuing to pray for Oscar's healing, and we thank all of you who have been joining us. His condition has not changed yet, but he is completely in the hands of the Lord. At times, there is movement with his head and his eyes when he is spoken to, and this is encouragement to us that he can hear what's been said. One of the nurses encouraged Tarsha and a good friend while they were visiting to keep talking to him. She explained that cells regenerate while he is resting, so talking to him should continue to be part of his recovery. Once again, Oscar has been moved to another room. His new room is number 206. This is only due to it being a better fit for staffing at the hospital. Oscar's birthday is Thursday, Jan. 27, so some family & friends will be at the hospital to love on him that evening. Thank God for family & friends!!  

 

A few things you can be praying with us about is a quick recovery of an infection Oscar has in his tracheotomy right now. He has been given meds to help clear it up, so hopefully it will all be gone soon. Visitor's will need to make sure they robe up, and wash hands before and after all visits. Another thing to pray about is the fact that we are in search of another health care facility for Oscar. Based on his diagnosis, the insurance company has stated that they will no longer cover the cost for his care at the hospital. This means he would need to be moved to another level of long term care, and options available to cover the cost are either to pay out of pocket or to apply for Medicaid. Lastly, many of you know that American Express in Greensboro will soon be closing down. This is where Oscar is employed, and right now we don't know exactly how this will affect him. In all of these things we just continue to trust God, lay all this in his lap and depend on Him. Some days are really hard, but when they are we can stand on Psalms 61; 1-2. Hear my cry oh God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.       

Oscar Update

Hello family & friends,  

The update on Oscar's condition currently remains the same. Based on testing done last week, he does not respond to sound, touch. or pain, and results from another CT scan are the same as the first. There are several doctors in charge of his care, but none of them are very optimistic about his recovery. This is why we ask that you continue to pray with us for guidance, and most of all for the complete healing of his body. The doctors are not very hopeful so It's up to us as believer's to hang on to that hope we have in Christ Jesus. It is a blessing that the doctors and nurses on staff are still progressing with all his other needed medical care. The doctors have been trying to wean him off of the ventilator, but as of last week it wasn't successful due to his rapid breathing. They are not sure why his breathing patterns are too fast right now, but they will continue to explore possibilities until they find the cause before attempting to try weaning again. He is being fed the approved amount of nutrition needed according to his height and weight via a tube in his stomach. They also have someone occasionally making sure his skin looks good, and they perform "range of motion" activities. This is something like physical therapy to keep his arms and legs from being stiff. We are facing some challenges with the insurance company as well, dealing with what they will and will not cover, so this is another prayer request we want to put out there. As always............thanks for your prayers

New Room

We know that Oscar occasionally has visitors at the hospital, so we wanted to make sure you all knew that he was moved. His new room number is 210, visiting hours remain the same (10:00am - 8:00pm). Visitor, please sign in at the front desk in the lobby. 

We also want you to know that an account has been set up for Tarsha and Oscar to receive gifts of monetary donations. These donations are and will be used to help balance out expenses occurred due to the current situation. Cost of gas from traveling back and forth to the hospital, and the cost of medical care can be very expensive. Please don't feel obligated to donate, but certainly if you feel lead, it will be greatly appreciated. Donations are accepted at any NC State Employee Credit Union. It's in Tarsha William's name, and ask for the "joint account". As always, thanks so much for all you do, and for your continued prayers.  

Thank you

We wanted to say "Thank You" to those of you who were able to come out to the prayer vigil and pray for Oscar on Friday, Dec. 31. For those who couldn't come, thank you for taking time out to pray wherever you were. It means a lot to Tarsha and the rest of the family. Most of us all know Oscar as a dear friend or brother in Christ, and our hearts are heavy knowing that he, Tarsha, and Griffin are going through this difficult time. On the other hand, it is a blessing to know that they are so loved, and have so many people standing with them.

Thank you so much to those of you from American Express for your prayer's, support, and for adopting Griffin during Christmas. He had a great time opening all his gifts. He was a little under the weather that morning, running a fever, but it didn't seem to stop him from enjoying himself. There are no words that can express our appreciation what you all have done. God has a plan for Oscar, and while not yet evident to any of us, we continue to look to him for guidance and comfort.