"My Big Sisters came to see me today!" Mighty Joe Fletcher

Caroline brought me buckets of smiles today!

Abigail kept good watch over me!

Update: It is way too early to say we are out of the woods, but while we are in the forest, it is getting easier to manage and there are more signs pointing to recovery. We are so thankful for what God has done in the past five days. Here is how He has moved in Mighty Joe's body: *All his blood numbers have continued to improve. *He is no longer on fluids, just a nasal tube with formula. *Today he slept on his belly (more on that below) *They may even try a bottle today. Prayer Requests: His kidneys are still not functioning correctly! His fluids are always a teeter-totter between too much and not enough! They want to start a PIC line today to ward off infection from his central line. He has a horrid diaper rash (that's why he's on his belly without a diaper) They are trying to cure his bacterial infection with antibiotics. General Prayers: Remain the same... *His immune system to start working against the virus. *All the other PICU symptoms which will begin - rejection of catheters, skin rash, etc... Parent’s Assessment He looks a lot better today. He is not as swollen and he looks more like Joe. We are really hoping that we get to try a bottle for him today! Thanks for praying for Mighty Joe! Kendra

Hi everyone- Today was a pretty steady day. Joe slept for most of it, but when he awoke he was irritated by diaper rash, bright-eyed, and sucking away on his pacifier. All good! He is still chubby from the fluids, and as a result they couldn't replace his central line IV with a PIC line. Please pray for the swelling to subside so that we can move to a PIC line; the longer the central line stays in Mighty Joe's groin, the more likely it will get infected. The PIC line will allow them to continue his fluids and antibiotics, but it is less likely to become infected. We can also take him home with a PIC line if we have to. A little scary for me, but God is stretching me in many new ways. I am so NOT a medical girl. He is back on antibiotics because his culture came back positive for bacteria, and if I were a medical girl, I would remember the name. When Fletch updates next, you'll get the technical info :) When you spend five days in the PICU, you see a lot of sadness. All day long we watched a vigil for a 17-year-old dying of cancer. That young lady lost her fight with cancer tonight and we were broken-hearted to hear her mama sobbing. You can pray for them, if you think of it. Hold your babies tightly tonight- Kendra p.s. Fletch took a lot of photos tonight when he came after work, so stay tuned for some new views of Mighty Joe!

Sorry I don't have a photo this morning. My photographer (Andy) went home to take care of the kids and his dental practice. I've wanted to get a few pictures of our little guy, so I will put a few pictures up later today when I get the chance. Rejoice with us about what God has done in Mighty Joe: *Liver enzymes have dropped and his liver is not as swollen! *All his blood numbers are showing improvement! *His food amount has increased five-fold without any side effects! *I have been able to hold/rock him each day! *I am feeling better too! (Thanks for praying for me!) Prayer Requests: His kidneys still aren't working. He is still making "stupid pee" and now he is making too much! The ER sent a report that he tested positive for a nasty bacterial infection, so that means more antibiotics (filtered through liver and kidneys that aren't fully functional). General Prayers: *His immune system to start working against the virus. *All the other PICU symptoms which will begin - rejection of catheters, skin rash, etc... Parent’s Assessment He is still very swollen, but overall today is a better day and I see little improvements in his alertness and his ability to handle a pacifier. Thanks for praying for Mighty Joe! Kendra

Hi everyone! This is Kendra, writing from my in-laws' beautiful, comfortable motor home in the parking lot of the hospital. What a huge blessing! Tonight when I left Mighty Joe, my sister-in-law the nurse and my brother walked me out, so I felt very safe and loved. Isn't it amazing that Mighty Joe's auntie works here??? God is so, so good to us. If I could figure out how to post a photo of Joe I took from my phone, I would love to show you how he was sucking a pacifier and looking so good tonight. His facial swelling has decreased significantly over the course of the day, and I felt he looked better even over the last several hours tonight. I love ending his day by singing into his ear and sneaking kisses on his cheek. Not sure if the infectious diseases doctor would approve, but boy do I love those cheeks! In a reverse of things tonight, it looks as if Mighty Joe is producing too much pee. Not sure what that means for him over the course of the night or tomorrow, but it is something that can be prayed for further. I have had the lyrics to The Love of God running through my brain today: The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin. * Refrain: Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song. When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— The saints’ and angels’ song. Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky. ~Kendra

"Your son is very strong!" Dr. Jorge Montes, Joe's Critical Care Doctor

Due to a blog friend and the above quote , we've now begun referring to him as "Mighty Joe." Thank you for all of your prayers, visits, food, and help with our children, the house and Andy's practice. You have made this first weekend very easy for us. We met with Joe's doctor this morning, overall we are still maintaining his systems and putting out fires where they start. Remember, there is no medical treatment to stop the virus, only to deal with the symptoms that the virus causes. So, overall there is not much change today in what we are doing, just monitoring him for changes. The best guess is another week in the ICU and even longer in the hospital. With that said, there have been some improvements with our little guy. Here is what has improved: *Liver enzymes have dropped! *Blood clotting has improved! *Seizures have stopped and the EEG has been removed! *He is still peeing tons! *He has tolerated food well since yesterday without a return of diarrhea *He has tested negative for the bacteria "c. diff." Prayer Requests: With all the good news, there is still a lot to pray for in this little guy's life. There is still the unknown: *Kidneys to start working on their own. *Heart damage *Brain damage *Liver damage General Prayers: *His immune system to start working against the virus. *For Kendra to feel better Parent’s Assessment We were greeted with open eyes again this morning. He looks less swollen and much more responsive to touch. He is much more grumpy! Kendra got to hold him this morning! For photos and commentary, you can read theMangoTimes! Thanks for praying for Mighty Joe! Kendra and Andy

Psalm 29 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters.

Today is the Lord's Day, we miss the worship and fellowship of our home church (although there are several that have been texting us verses from the worship service!), we've chosen the above as our own call to worship while we sit here bedside with Baby Joe. The picture that many of you have seen of Joseph was taken on Thursday in the ER at Modesto. That was before the virus took over in full force and he was alert. We thought it might be good to show you where he is today.

Baby Joe

In PICU with mom in background

We just met with the doctor and nephrologist, here is what has gotten better: *He is peeing, but his kidneys have gotten worse. The doctor calls it "stupid pee" because the kidneys are supposed to save the good parts and filter the bad...his kidneys are dumping the good and the bad, so for today Joe will NOT need dialysis. *He gets a feeding tube today to try to start some food in his belly. We ask the doctor every morning what people can pray for, today he said to keep praying for the unknown: *Kidneys to start working on their own. *Heart damage *Brain damage *Liver damage Pray also: *His immune system to start working against the virus. *For Dr. Kallas - he was here yesterday for 16 hours and back again this morning. He's tired and he will be here for at least 12 hours today. He had one very critical patient (Yay! Joe was bumped off the top of his list). *For Kendra to feel better Parent's Assessment We think Joseph looks a little more swollen, but he's definitely more active and irritated today. Eyes are swollen shut, he's not looking around like yesterday morning. The mood of the doctors is still tense and when I ask how Joseph is doing they still shrug and say..."he hasn't gotten any worse." If you want some comic relief...feel free to check out some photos and commentary at theMangoTimes! Thanks for praying for Little Joe! Kendra and Andy