Sunshine Soldier

Heart rate low. Please pray.

Silas is good. He is holding steady. His ICP is ranging from 9-12 (Remember we want this number under 20). His oxygen levels are good. Really this is all we can hope for at this time. Our nurse flat out said she is not worried about a thing. Praise the Lord!

Ryan and I are so weary. Our bodies are tired. Our minds are tired. But we have not and will not despair. Because our Lord is sustaining us. Through the Holy Spirit, who is an ever-present comfort. Through God’s Word. Through our own prayers and through the prayers of all of you.

God’s provision is absolutely amazing. Our family and our friends are surrounding us so much. People from every walk of our lives are supporting us in the most unbelievable ways. Our needs are met before we say them or often even know them. We are deeply humbled.

Please pray for rest for Silas and for all of us who love him so much. Please pray for an easy night for all of us. Please pray for strength and peace as we do tomorrow… whatever it may bring.

Our Silas loves the Lord. You can read about how he came to a saving faith if you scroll on down to “My testimony- by Silas Atkinson”.

Hello all! So many of you are reaching out to tell us that you are praying without ceasing. Thank you! In Romans 12 it tells us to be devoted to one another in brotherly love. It tells us to be faithful in prayer. You guys are so doing those things and we are being blessed continually.

Silas is doing very well. His ICP is still very good. It is 9 as I type. The team is continuing to decrease sedation and Silas is doing well with that. Such a blessing!

The process of coming down from sedation is extremely slow. He will probably not be awake until tomorrow. They want to make sure he is safe and ready.

Slow is not really my thing. But guess what, it is what God has for us. And He is using it in a mighty way.

Please pray that the ICP stays low and they can continue to bring down his sedation. Please pray that Si is safe and ready to wake up tomorrow. Please pray that when he does wake up he knows Ryan and I and is comforted by us. Please pray for a smooth transition. Please pray that when Silas can talk (once the tube is removed in his throat), that he will talk.

Please pray for continued strength and wisdom for Ryan and I. Please pray for the rest of Si’s family. This is a hard time. But God is so very good. He has never once left us or forgotten us. His love is beyond measure and comprehension.

Our Silas has such a beautiful testimony of how he came to know and love and serve the Lord. Scroll down below the updates to read it.

Things are still looking good around here. His ICP (intracranial pressure) looks so so good. It is hanging out around a 7 which is great. They don’t want it above 20. Before the drain it was up to 30.

Also, his blood pressure looks good. They even took him off that medication and it still looks good.

They are reducing sedation bit by bit. They will do a little bit of neurological testing here and there (ask for him to wiggle toes, thumbs up, etc). We are still not supposed to stimulate him. Our sweet nurse, Michelle, said that if he hears our voices and physically can’t respond that might be frustrating.

Pray that Si’s brain continues to heal. That he will begin to need the drain less and less. Pray that he can regulate his own body temperature. Pray that the blood clots dissipate and no new ones form.

Pray for patience for Ryan and I. It is not likely that we will actually get to interact with him today. Pray for wisdom about when we should be here and when we should be home.

Pray for our other children- Caleb, Cheyenne, Collin and Alexa. Pray for the grandparents as they care for our children. Please pray for my sister, Ann, as she flies here from Massachusetts tomorrow to be with us.

Thank you all so much!!! We feel ALL the love!

Anyone who is new to these updates… don’t forget to check out our sweet Si’s testimony. It’s below the updates.

The official report on Silas this morning is glowing. His pressures have stayed down. The mucus in his lungs has been resolved. They have brought the sedation down two points. The team is comfortable bringing it down 1 point per hour. There are 18 total. So, he is down to 16. And his pressures are holding steady.

Please pray that the pressures stay down while they remove sedation bit by bit. Please pray for no infection. Please pray that the blood clots dissipate and that no new ones form. Please pray for Silas as he comes out of sedation. Pray for a calm spirit. Pray that he knows he is so safe in the Father’s hands.

Please pray for Ryan and I. Pray that we are a comfort to Silas. Pray for wisdom for us. Moment by moment. Pray for strength.

Please pray for our other children. Caleb, Cheyenne, Collin and Alexa. They miss Silas so much. Caleb asks “When Si come home?“ about every 2 minutes. Cheyenne is being little mama and planning things for Si for when he comes home. Collin is wearing one of Si’s shirts and has all the questions. He is worried that Si “won’t dance all the time like he used to.” Alexa keeps saying “our family is just not the same.” She is having some trouble sleeping because she “misses Si so much.”

Please pray for Si’s grandparents who are working so hard on the homefront to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

Also, I read all the comments. I have been blessed SO much by all of them. Michael Long, I have no idea who you are or how you found us, but thank you for sharing your story. It was such a comfort to me. (For anyone who wants to read yourself you can find it under update #18 in the comments).

I am so thankful for you all! Thank you for caring and for encouraging and for praying! My brother (who is a pastor and a former ICU nurse) has been such a support to us. And a comfort. Yesterday he said (in reference to ICU patients), “Things feel hopeless one minute and so much is going wrong. Then all of a sudden, you turn the corner and things get better fast.” Praise Jesus! We are so hopeful that we have turned the corner and things are getting better fast!

God is using our boy so big. I am just blown away. If you have not had a chance to read his testimony, of how he came to know and love and serve the Lord, scroll on down under the updates to “My testimony- by Silas Atkinson.”

Praise the Lord! He is so good. His love endures forever.

The drain is working! Si’s pressures are coming down and down. They are the lowest they have been since he has been there. His oxygen levels (which were a bit compromised because of the mucus) are good.

Please pray his pressures stay down and that no infection develops.

Silas knows and loves and serves the Lord. If you have not read his testimony please do. It’s at the bottom of these updates.

The bolt was moved and the pressure remained high. They installed the drain and the pressures came down quickly to a normal range. Praise God!

Please pray for the pressures to stay down. Please pray for a restful night. Please pray that Si is not afraid. Please pray for Ryan and I. The struggle is real. We are casting our burdens as best we can, but it is a moment by moment decision.

Please read Si’s testimony below the updates if you have not already.

Please pray! Si’s pressures are staying up. They are going to move the bolt to the other side of his head to make sure the reading is accurate. If it is, they will put a drain in the back of his head to relieve the pressure. This will be a bedside procedure. The surgeon assured me that he has done thousands of them.

Please pray that if this procedure is needed, it does it’s job and the pressures come down quickly. Pray for no infection.

*If you haven’t already, please read Si’s testimony. It can be found below these updates.

Silas is holding steady. He does have some mucus in his lungs that they will have to remedy quickly to prevent pneumonia. His team is also trying to get his sodium levels up so that they can give Si medicine to temporarily paralyze him. That helps his body rest completely for better brain healing.

Pray that they can get the mucus out quickly. Pray that pneumonia does not develop. Pray that they can get the sodium level up. Pray that the medication works well to help his body rest so his brain can heal.

***Our hope is that all of you reading this know and love and serve the Lord. If you have not, please take a minute to read Si’s testimony which can be found below all these updates.

The scan looks good. There is no change. That is good. Right now Silas is at peak swelling, which is to be expected. We are hopeful that once the swelling goes down the clots can dissipate. We are hopeful that things will look brighter in the next 48 hours.

Please pray that his brain remains safe and that the swelling begins to go down. Pray that the clots dissipate and that there is no new bleeding.

***Anyone who has not had a chance to read Si’s story of how he came to know and love the Lord, scroll on down. It’s just under the updates. It’s called “My Testimony- by Silas”. You will be blessed!