Day 6 - June 21 - Pacing

Connor has been connected to a pacemaker.  His heart has been erratically beating for over a day, now.  The doctors had given him an injection of some wonder-cocktail of medicines that were supposed to help stabilize his heartrate, but that has apparently not worked.  As a result, the decision was made to connect him to the pacemaker in order to regulate his blood pressure, which I understand was the primary concern.  I've been pretty concerned when Connor's heartrate dropped to 20 per minute, but the doctors are actually more concerned with continuing a steady blood pressure to support his other organs.

As a result, Connor's heart is now stabilized mechanically, like his lungs before it.  As I understand it, this is not "life support" - the machines aren't "keeping him alive", they're helping regulate his body's functions while it attempts to heal.  Cherie, Joelle and I have an additional view -

In I Kings 18, Elijah is in a monster face-off with 450 prophets of Baal.  The challenge is to decide, once and for all, who is the real God.  Elijah is the last of God's prophets, and the test is to build two altars and set up two sacrifices, and then let the real God provide the fire.  It's sort of like an Old Testament Smackdown.  What happens is that the 450 Baal dudes build their altar, then spend all morning wailing and praying and jumping around, trying to get Baal to pay attention and light the altar's fire.  I find it interesting that Elijah spends most of the time taunting them, a practice that, while not encouraged, certainly has it's appeal now and then.  Anyway, they finally give up in frustration, altar not lit, sacrifice unconsumed.  Then it's Elijah's turn.  In true Old Testament fashion, Elijah isn't content to let well enough alone - he enlists the Baal dudes to carry water up, soaking the sacrifice, wood, and altar with water. Then he decides that isn't enough, so he soaks it down again, and again, until the water runs down the altar and fills the trench around the altar.  Finally, he asks this - to let it be known that God is God and that he is God's prophet, so that the people would return to God.

Guess what - fire springs down from heaven.  Not a measly little lightning strike, either, but a massive column of the fire of God swept down.  When the dust cleared, the sacrifice, the wood, the water in the ditch, the stones of the altar, and even the dirt were gone.  And everybody blinked, looked at each other, and pretty much got the message.

We believe that respirators and pacemakers are given to stabilize our son during this difficult time for him.  But we also believe that they are the water over the sacrifice; running down the stones, filling the ditch; so that there can be no possible doubt Who has done what when my boy walks again.

That will be an excellent birthday present.