Update about Dondon

Before we bring you an update about Dondon – who is still with us but in critical condition – we first want to thank you so, so much for praying with us and for the many emails that have flooded our inbox and that have brought such encouragement and help to us. 

Dondon is still in ICU. The family are taking turns watching him so that each one gets a rest. Yesterday morning he was being watched and cared for by Nayumi and Jubab. Nayumi taught Jubab how to rub his back and help him through attacks of nausea and pain that spikes from his chest into his back.

We finally got the results of his tests back and they show that he has Dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart has become weakened and enlarged, and it cannot pump blood efficiently. The Doctors believe that the cause of this was most likely myocarditis. His heart is only pumping at 38% of normal function and so he is very weak and finding it hard to breath at times and his heart is about 5 times normal size.

He is on medications which hopefully will help to take some of the load off of his heart, stabilize his blood pressure and prevent clots from developing. There was a time yesterday when his blood pressure reached dangerously low and Dondon felt a terrible weakness and like he was losing consciousness. He improved slightly after the doctors in ICU initialized an IV med to help bring his BP back up.

There are some good signs though, like you can see from this photo that he is lying flat. This was something he wasn’t able to do a few days ago because of fluid in his lungs, and he had to stay propped up. But now the medication is starting to help his heart pump slightly better and get rid of the fluid build-up. Another good sign is that his vision is clear, and he can sometimes swallow a couple of spoonfuls of soft food. Another good sign on Tuesday night was that he mustered up the energy to crack a small joke with Jubab when we arrived at the hospital, saying, “Hey brother, we can’t play any games together in here can we?”

We are back in Lapoc today after spending a night and a day out at the hospital helping the family. The roads are bad, sometimes impassable right now as trucks are getting bogged and blocking the road. Late Tuesday afternoon, after hearing that Dondon was deteriorating and very weak, we had quite an anxious trip out to the hospital, getting thrown around a bit on the torn up road and at one point getting totally stuck in a bog. Using the last bit of light left before nightfall, we had pulled ourselves out by hooking the winch onto a nearby bogged truck and thankfully, miraculously God helped us to get out and on our way again.

Something a bit amusing was that you have to wear special shoes to go into ICU but there were none big enough for Paul so he had to wear things like disposable shower-caps over his flip-flops, never mind the mud splashed on his legs from trying to get us out of the bog which we hadn’t been able to wash off yet.

Please pray that in the next couple of days Dondon’s blood pressure will stabilize, that the pumping function of his heart will start working better and most of all PLEASE PRAY FOR A MIRACLE: that he will have complete recovery and that his heart will return to being a normal, healthy heart. The cardiologist says this is possible but that he has to totally rest for 6 months and this is going to be hugely hard for a newly married young man who has been active all his life. Pray that he will accept this season in his life with grace and contentment and just rest in our Lord’s loving embrace. This next six months is going to be a journey for Dondon and Nayumi and for our whole family. 

Dondon is the brother who used to rock Jubab’s cradle when he was only 7 and Jubab was newborn, and he’s the brother who was always good for a wrestle or a fun game. We love him very much and don’t want to lose him but he is the Lord’s and we just wait for God’s plan for him which we know are good plans and not plans to harm him.   

God saved him from dying of accidental poisoning when he was 3,  and God helped him to grow even though he had a problem growing as a child. Now we are asking God for another miracle.

This was our last look at him yesterday noon before we left ICU to come back up here to Lapoc. He was sleeping peacefully. If we don’t send you much news on Dondon for awhile, you’ll know that he is still here with us, not gone home to heaven yet, but he will need much prayer over these next months if you could please pray with us over this length of time.