Still pressing on

Joey's Status:
* His white cell count is down to 13,000.
* Hist stomach infection is gone but he still has 2 more days of antibiotics.
* His temp hasn't reached 100 for the past 2 days.
* He has been moved out of ICU.
* They have been trying to insert a bite block into his mouth in order to do the peg procedure, however its been creating some complications because his teeth are loose from biting the previous bite block too hard.

Fundraising effort:
* Chevys fundraiser raised $5,600. Joey's family will get a check back for $1,250.
* $824 was made for the carwash fund raising effort.
* Thank you to all for showing your support.

Joey's physical status continues to improve, however we continue to pray for complete restoration of his perception, and self awareness.

We continue to see hints that he is only getting better, and are waiting patiently for him to wake up.

His wife has been by his side daily, and this picture reflects the love that she has for him. (Her friend took this while they were sleeping. :-))

Please continue to pray for his wife (Tamra), and mom for strength, and peace knowing that God is in control of the situation.

Hebrews 13:5,6

...For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear....

Joey,

God has not left you. He is still working on you, and your life was spared for a purpose. You will do what God has called you to do, being a living testimony to his goodness and healing power!


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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Endurance Test

Joey's Status:
* Still breathing on is own.
* Fever has gone done.
* Coughs periodically.
* Still has the tracheal tube in place.
* May move out of ICU within the next week.
* Not speaking yet.

Progress is slow, but we do see progress week to week with different things. It could be something as small as a slight facial expression, or as big as a sound coming from his vocal cords. One family member mentioned he did make some moaning noises at one point.

We are still in this waiting game. It is a very surreal experience. Just a month ago we were able to talk, joke, and hug. It is a painful thing to ponder on what we could have done more of before this incident. The flip side of this is that we know by faith he will be ok, and we will have plenty of time to make up for those things that we wish we would have done.

All I can say is, don't take you loved ones for granted. Tell them you love them everyday, and put as much effort as you can into appreciating them, and making sure they feel special. Don't wait for a hospital call to realize what you value most in life.

We will continue to rely on God through this situation no matter what. He will be the source of our strength, and provide an outlet where we can direct our burdens. We know upon Joey's return the end result will be:

* Closer family and friends.
* A greater reliance on God.
* A greater faith.

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Baby Steps

Joey's Status:
* Off of life support. He is breathing on his own now.
* Still has the feeding tube
* Is coughing alot.
* Eyes seem to respond to verbal queues.
* He hates when they suction his lungs. His face turns red.
* Wakes up off and on.
* Not talking yet.
* Slight fever.

Joey continues to make progress physically. We see progress, but the wait is painful. In God's timing he will snap out of it, and we will be able to start talking with him again. As of now, we just take it one day at a time.

Special thanks to all those who have time to sit with him during the time slots that were setup. The time slots were setup so we can have another pair of eyes watching him to make sure he was ok, and who can watch him better than those who care about him.

Continue to keep Joey, and the family in prayer.

Thank you....

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Thank you for everyone who came out!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the fund-raiser at Chevy's. It's awesome to know he has so much support from his family and friends.

Please continue to please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Feels like progress

Joey's Status:
* Still has a slight fever. (hit 103 today)
* They found the infection (finally). C. diff. Looks like this is caused from antibiotics, and/or being in the hospital.
* White blood cell count is back down.. this is a good thing. Means infection is subsiding again.
* Joey was able to breathe on his own for 3.5 hours today.
* They tried to take him off of Tylenol today to see if his fever would go away, however his fever spiked up, so he has to stay on the Tylenol. They believe the fever is related to the brain injury.
* He had a bite block in his mouth, and this was recently removed. He actually was biting the block so hard a couple of his teeth were pushed deeper into his gums. Dentist will be seeing him to help take care of this.

Today was a good day for Joey. It appears he is starting to respond. Here is a synopsis of some things that have started to take place:

* Nurse asked Joey to move his foot, and it appears he moved his foot on queue. Nurse validated it was a response.
* Nurse stated that it appeared he was responding to a friends Dad. Need to find out what exactly the response was. I think it might have been eye movement, but will find out, and update the blog again.
* Some family members were talking with Joey, and it looks like he attempted to respond verbally. This is something we are trying to get him to repeat.

Family and friends continue to pray. There will be a fund raiser tomorrow at Chevy's on Almaden from 4-8PM. There will be a concert as well. Please get a flyer at the door, and state you are there for the Joey Nava fund raiser. A portion of the money paid for your meal will be directed toward the Nava family.

Also, please hold Hiram C. in prayer. Him, and his wife/family have been faithfully praying, and supporting Joey. Hiram is the father of one of Joey's childhood friends. He got into a serious motorcycle accident yesterday. Please lift him up in your prayers as well. here is his blog (updated July 22) http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hiramcatrett

God is continuing to draw more people closer to him through this situation. He is continuing to do wonderful things, and we see, and realize progress everyday. Even though it seems to happen in baby steps, we will take progress in any shape of form until Joey walks out of the hospital.

Thank you to those who have donated, and to the many people who continue to pray for him.

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Making progress

Joey's Status:
* White blood cell count is lower.. (Infection is subsiding)
* Was able to breathe 2 hours without life support. Next is to try 4 hours.
* Vitals look good.

Interesting tidbits:
* He doesn't like when you rub his facial hair.. It creates a reaction. :-)
* Appears his eyes might be starting to move based on verbal queues.
* Responds with little movement when his feet are tickled.

Word of Joey's status is starting to circulate. Yesterday, an EMT arrived at Kaiser who was not familiar with Joey, his family, or friends. He informed us that many people were praying for Joey. This is a huge blessing. We know without a doubt we have God's attention, and he is listening to the many people who continue to pray for Joey.

With subtle hints we know that God is in control, and he is continuing to do his work. We continue to hear stories of people who were in similar situations to Joey, and who have successfully pulled through. More recently, there are many circumstances that seem coincidental, but these are the silent signals that make us aware that God is intervening.

We have started to move beyond the worry state, and now visualize the reality of Joey talking, walking, and sharing his testimony.

Isaiah 41:10 -
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Still pressing in.

Joey's status -
* Tracheal tube still in place.
* Eyes still open half way.
* His eyes appear to move from left to right sporadically.
* Slight fever.
* Taking medicine to regulate blood sugar.
* Continuing to take antibiotic.


Went to visit Joey today, and his eyes were half way open. It seems like his eye move from left to right, but just not sure if its controlled at this point. His breathing seems good, however seems like he still has an infection somewhere, but doctors aren't 100% sure where it is. They have been drawing a lot of blood for testing, so he had to get a transfusion.

Still believing, still pressing on.

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.

Who cares what the doctor says?

Joey's Status -
* Slight fever.
* Lungs are improving.
* Not talking.... yet.
* Not moving... yet
* They removed 1.5 gallons of fluid from around his lung.
* His eyes open half way.

Yesterday was another hard day. We met with the neurologist, and he had nothing good to say. Much of what he said in not so many words was prepare for this to be permanent, and you should decide if you want to remove him off of life support, and his feeding tube.

Silent Response: Thank you doctor. I ask you to just provide only the scientific facts, I don't care much for your opinion. If it was your wife, child, or mom, would you be so quick to pull the plug. Especially since it has been less than two weeks?

We are pro life, and as long as he has a beating heart, and air in his lungs, the opportunity is always there for God to intervene. Every visitation just affirms that God is continuing to do something, and nothing in me tells me he is permanently going to remain this way.

We are in a waiting game. God will come through at the right time, and we will continue to stand on his word.

I know we can't go back in time, but there is still questions about why:

* Why didn't the nurse respond sooner when family members were telling the nurse he was having a hard time breathing?
* Why did they have to sedate him during his painful episode? If they didn't medically sedate him, this might not have happened.
* Why didn't they put him in a hypothermic coma like other hospitals do during this situation? That might have prevented further brain damage, and swelling.

Still hard to fathom how someone goes into a hospital for an infection, and comes out with brain damage.

In any event, our focus is on the future, and we EXPECT him to walk out of the hospital. We are expecting nothing short of a miracle for Joey!

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We ask your support:
* To assist Joey's family financially. Any donation is welcome. No amount is to small. We just ask that you help anyway you can. (Please use the paypal link below.) We want to continue to help Joey's wife until Joey is able to return to work. To those who have donated thank you so so much.
* Please continue to lift him up in prayer. We continue to petition God for a full restoration.