"Didn't see that coming!"

Sunday after church my sweet boy was walking into the kitchen with a fresh Coke bottle and when he got to us  the bottle slipped through his hand and shattered on the floor! Soda and glass went everywhere! My sweet sweet 4 year old little boy stood there with a perplexed look on his face and said with a very matter of fact voice "I didn't see that coming!?!" LOL! It immediately made us all laugh.

Monday night my father in law walked into the ICU room and broke some serious ice with the same exclamation......."I didn't see that coming". Making us all laugh. I so appreciate the people God has surrounded me with to help me get through this season in my life.

WOW! What a ride! I want to first think God! I know the He is the only reason that I am able to write this update to you all. Your prayers to Him saved my life. currently I am at about 50%. I feel (and look) like I was hit by a freight train. As of right now, 4 days into this season of my life.....I have what the doctors called "significant" Pneumococcal Pneumonia in both my lungs. I am in a lot of pain and every breath still seems to be a struggle. The good news? I am out of the woods and on the road to recovery.

As most of you know my wife and I were at a wedding on Sunday night. I started to feel cold. Cold turned to freezing, freezing to violent uncontrollable shakes and shivers. We went to Urgent Care straight from the wedding and already had a temp of 104.5. Urgent Care could not get my fever to break with medication and all the tests they did were negative (they couldn't find out what was wrong). They told us to go right to the ER.

Colleen and I went to the ER on Monday early morning and I was basically the walking dead. Blood pressure was 61/41 (120/80 is normal). Long story short the pneumonia was so severe it took over my body and went into my blood stream causing my organs to start shutting down. I was admitted directly to the ICU. I wont go into too much detail here about the next 24 hours but suffice it to say that I was closer to seeing my heavenly father then I think I want to admit. The Lord decided to intervene and I improved so much over the 2nd night, when the doctor came in the next morning he was visibly surprised that he did not have to put me on a ventilator. I guess the Lord has some more work for me here on earth :)

Over the next day or so the focus changed from saving my life to finding out why an otherwise healthy 36 year old would get so sick so suddenly. With the Lord, my wife and hundreds of family and friends with me in prayer we searched for answers. The Doctors thought it was several things. They tested......we waited....they tested ......we waited.......they tested.....HIV, Lung Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure......

And the winner is.......NOTHING!

So whats the answer? For those that know me, you know I have been "sick" in some way shape or form since November. Never seeming to be able to get over what I had. The doctors think that I was just a walking time bomb. Add stress, working too much and exposures to who knows what with a compromised immune system I created the perfect storm.

How am I doing right now?? As of today I am SICK, VERY SICK. Although I am not dying anymore I am fighting one of the worst types of pneumonia's you can get. I am on a heavy regiment of IV antibiotics and at the very best i'll be in the hospital until the end of the weekend. I am hopeful for a full recovery and trust that God has a plan.

Colleen and I appreciate your prayers and help. We are humbled by your friendship and so happy that God has surrounded us with amazing people to minister to us.

God bless you! I hope to see you all soon.
Mike