Big Man Down!!!

Wednesday - May 6, 2009 - BIG MAN DOWN!!! Sadly, our friend, James Wong had a stroke early this afternoon. With God's blessing upon him, James was not at home, since he lives alone. According to his friends from work (Panasonic), he wasn't feeling well on Tuesday, and went home early. James did not go into work on Wednesday, so they were worried, but did not know how to contact his family or friends.

James was at a gas station when the stroke hit. Thank God for fast acting strangers who immediately dialed 9-1-1. He was rushed to the emergency room at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. The doctors quickly diagnosed his situation. They treated the blood clot in his left brain by giving him a medication through his leg, and it disolved the clot without surgery. He was placed in an induced coma, and his body temperature was lowered by several degrees Celsius to minimize his brain activity, hence, to promote healing.

It wasn't until Friday morning before James' nephew (Nick) got a hold of Angel through Facebook. Thank God for Facebook!!! Thank God that Angel is a techno freak who loves having the latest and greatest electronic toys. Angel can be notified very quickly with his many gadgets and gizmos. From that point on, Angel started a phone tree, email tree, blog, etc...

The doctors increased James' body temperature one Celsius per day, until he was back to normal. This process would take a few days, as they closely monitor his brain activity over the weekend.

Monday, May 11, 2009 - Our women's group (Kathy, Grace, Donna, Lori, and myself) went to visit James at the hospital. We knew he would still be in a comatose state, but we wanted to go and pray over him. We were allowed in two at a time (just like Noah's Ark). Brian, the head nurse on duty, explained to us what the course of treatment would be. James should be up to full temperature by the end of the day. As long as the numbers look good, they would start weaning James off the medicines that induced the coma. He said it would take about a week for James to wake up.

James is a big strong man, and he is stronger than the doctors expected. He actually started to wake up on Tuesday and was trying to talk. By Wednesday, he was able to say a few names, but not much more. We were very excited to hear about his progress. This is a very crucial time for his healing, and we are not to over stimulate his brain.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 - Angel and I went to visit him again. I was very glad to see him awake. At first he didn't recognize me, since I was wearing a face mask, but then he actually said my name! I was very excited about that! The head nurse, Linda, allowed me a few minutes to pray over James. After all, God is the ultimate physician! James was also able to see his friends, Wendy, Mark, and their little boy. Unfortunately, a group of his co-workers were not able to see him.

It's truly a blessing to see how many people love James. Due to the sheer number of visitors, the nurses are overwhelmed. They need to monitor the number of visitors per day, so James can continue to get the rest his body desperately needs. He is still trying to piece together of what is happening to him. Although he is awake, he is not fully cognitive. Per the nurses request, please hold off on visiting him for a little while. Before you visit, please contact either the Surgical ICU at 949-365-2173 or contact Angel, our designated SPOC (Single Point Of Contact). Yes, our BIG MAN IS DOWN, but only temporarily. Thank you for your loving support and your continued prayers for James. We know he appreciates it. According to his doctor, he is expected to make a full recovery. PRAISE THE LORD!!! (PTL)

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Here are the many links to keep up with the updates about James.
+ Mission Hospital Surgical ICU at 949-365-2173.
+ Angel (SPOC): blog http://kahitnaano.blogspot.com/, or email angel.esguerra@gmail.com.
+ CaringBridge website (started by the hospital and updated by James' brother): http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jameswong888 (You can leave your personal message for James to read at a later time by signing the guest book).

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