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Serious Prayer Update: Bill Turner
Sat., Nov. 6. 2021 2:13pm EDT
Seven weeks ago, we shared an urgent prayer request on behalf of ApX fan Lynn Turner of Ontario, Canada, whose husband, Bill, began experiencing symptoms of COVID on August 29 and was put on a ventilator on September 11.
We've included updates almost every week since then. Last week, Lynn thought she had good news and we shared that, but she has since found out otherwise. She sent the following on Thursday and gave us permission to share it:
I have had a very rough week. I am still trying to wrap my brain around everything.
First off, I want to tell you I have been dreading writing this email. So, our good news was ripped away from us on Sunday. I sort of feel like I'm in the twilight zone, to be honest. Bill is NOT conscious and NOT responsive, contrary to my last report. That is why I was dreading writing this email: I felt like I told everyone this fantastic news and it was all a lie.
How is that possible? It sounds like very conflicting information, but it appears that the nurses are giving me "eyewitness reporting." So if I call in the AM the nurse on the AM shift, she can tell me he's off his ECMo and talking to the doctor and all looks great, and then if I call in the PM, that nurse can tell me he's still on all three machines and not responsive. Both are telling me the truth as of the time I am calling.
This was very hard to hear and understand for a few days as we have not had any other reports of him being awake or alert. And I don't call twice a day, so I have no way of knowing if he has been awake or not since those reports last week. I would have thought it would be noted in the chart, but no one is saying it is. Now I'm fighting with the thought: "Was it real? Did it happen?"
But I am trying to believe it did and those nurses saw it — just no one else yet. See why I feel like I'm in the twilight zone yet? Anyway, I went to visit him on Monday and he 100 percent was not conscious. Also, when I got there, I was told I had to glove and gown again as he has a new pseudomonas infection.
And while I was there the resident lung specialist came in and spoke to me. He said that Bill's antibodies are really high and his immune system seems to be attacking his organs. That's the reason he is still so sick even after the virus has been gone for almost a month. He then proceeded to talk to me briefly about wanting to do a treatment that maybe controversial or experimental.
He asked what I thought about that idea, and I told him I would want to know more about it before I agreed to anything like that. He then said that Bill's medical team were going to meet later that day to discuss if they needed to try this. And they would call me in a day or two to tell me more info about the pros and cons.
As of yesterday, I still hadn't heard from them, so when I called for the update, I asked what was happening with this. The nurse told me that he was on a steroid and it appears to be helping, so maybe they changed their minds on the other plan.
I am having issues even wanting to call for the updates now as I am having issues trusting the nurses. Or wondering what I am going to hear and will it be close to what I heard last. I'm not sleeping well at all and have started to break out in hives randomly from the stress.
I have been talking to Sonja a lot she had been a very big blessing in this journey. Well, there you go — the big mess I call life right now.
Editor's Note: The "Sonja" Lynn referred to is ApX fan Sonja Cline who went through a similar experience with her husband Darnell a few months ago. We are so thankful that Sonja volunteered to get in touch with Lynn and that Lynn took her up on her gracious offer.
Please join us in continuing to pray for Bill and Lynn. Thank you.
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