April 1-3 Confirmed COVID-19
On April 1, we got the test back and Dad was officially diagnosed with COVID-19. We were so grateful that the had doctors proactively put him on the malaria meds instead of waiting for a confirmation. Dad was still on the ventilator in ICU. The good news was that his usage was down from 75% to 40%. We thought that meant he was doing better and would be taken off the ventilator that afternoon, but they decided to keep him on it.
By April 3, Dad had improved, so the doctors took him off the ventilator (which is called extubation). I wrote a dear family friend: "He's off the ventilator and they just moved him out of ICU! So those are both huge praises!!! He is still very weak and sick, on top of his throat hurting from the ventilator. So please keep praying for a full recovery! But I'm hoping that he's really turned the corner now."
The good news wouldn't last long. Later that day, Dad took a turn for the worse, and he was returned to the ventilator. (We were relieved there was an available one for him to get on!) His blood pressure was low and they were trying to raise it. Mom had been able to talk to him on the phone a little bit, but he was so tired and sick that he fell asleep while she was speaking.
By now I was realizing that this was life-and-death serious. At this point, Dad's condition was so bad, he could die at any time. As I cried out to God for Dad's healing, I couldn't help wondering whether God might just want to take Dad Home to Heaven. After all, Dad was 75, he'd lived a long life and he was ready to see his Savior. Should I even pray for God to keep him with us or would that just be selfish of me? But even as I struggled with this dilemma, I couldn't help feeling that God was calling me to pray for life. I vaguely remembered the words of Joshua "choose life," (Deut. 30:19) so that is what I began praying for--that God would spare Dad's life.
I wrote in my journal "Tonight I'm not just praying for the doctors to know what to do. I'm praying for a miracle! I've claimed Psalm 91:14...I'm praying that, like Peter's mother-in-law, God will reach down His hand, touch Dad in his hospital bed, and restore him to complete health so that there is no doubt--God worked a miracle."
Around 9 p.m., I got a call from Mom to tell me that the hospital had called. Dad was now resting comfortably and his blood pressure had stabilized. They planned to keep him on the ventilator for 48-72 hours.
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