another sad day..

Keith shed many tears all day today as he said goodbye to sister Elaine and nephew Nathan. We often wish the family could live close to one another, but God has called us to different ministries around the world.

My parents want to share their thanks to all those who have visited Keith. We want to encourage you with specific requests when you visit from now on. The biggest thing he needs to work on is his speech. When you visit, make Keith talk. Don't let him respond with grunts, but with specific words. Also, if Keith is up to it, ask the RN if you can take Keith around the hospital in the wheelchair. The RN's and CPN's are allowed to move Keith in and out of the wheelchair, then you can walk him around, so he won't be confined to the hospital room all day long.

Another great news and prayer requests - pray that Keith will fight hard to gain enough strength to visit ANC next Sunday!!! The doctor said by next Sunday, he may have enough strength to get out of the hospital for 3-4 hours. What a treat for everyone. We wanted to keep this a surprise, but we covet your prayers that he will have enough strength and motivation to work towards that goal.

"don't go Nathan"

Keith spoke a lot today...mostly trying to convince our nephew Nathan and my sister not to leave. They are leaving for Mexico tomorrow afternoon. Since the entire family has been separated for many many weeks now, the other two kids really want to see their mommy. So, my sister's heart is really torn right now as it'll be hard to say "goodbye" to Keith. Please pray for Keith, that he will continue to find strength and comfort and joy in our Lord Jesus.

We also feel unsettled in our hearts as we see the lack of medical attention Keith is receiving. Please pray with us - that Keith's needs would be met promptly and properly, especially when he needs to empty out his bladdar. Pray that he will take initiative in asking the nurses for help, especially as he's able to talk a lot more now.

be encouraged Keith!!

The results of the MRI show improvement from his previous MRI at Torrance Hospital. Praise God for that. Continue to pray that remaining damages will be gone!

The doctor said that he's projecting Keith's stay in the hospital to last 4-6 weeks. Hopefully, Keith will be able to get out sooner. He expressed today in tears that he really wants to go home.

Let's continue to encourage Keith. My sister Elaine will be returning to Mexico this Friday, so Keith will not have the comforts of a family member keeping him company all day long. Since my parents work long hours, my mom will try to visit for a few hours each day. We thank God that the hospital is close to their work place.

We appreciate all your love and support for Keith. Many of you went out of your way to minister to him. I want to encourage you to continue fighting with him through prayer, words of love, and visitation.

Keith will (finally) get a haircut tomorrow. He's not looking forward to it, because he always wanted to grow out his hair. This would've been his only chance, but his hair will be snipped away tomorrow. Can you believe that a haircut at the hospital costs $11??? Unfortunately, it's not part of the medical care.

if you want to bring food for Keith...

Here is a practical idea for those who want to bring yummy food for Keith. In the afternoon, after receiving therapy, he usually gets very hungry (usually around 2-3pm). Dinner is served around 5:30pm. If you want to bring food for him, coming around that time in the afternoon would work best. Encourage him to self- feed, but he may need your help.

Reminder: He in on a diabetic diet which means low-carb, low-sugar. Try to bring healthy food. If you really want to bring his favorite chicken, please remove all skin and give him the meat part of it.

We are encouraged that Keith is improving daily. He's able to get up and sit down by himself. He's able to walk with a walker. He even used the toilet (#1 and #2) today.

Prayer requests:
-Please pray for the medical team. It seems that there are always good and not-so-good nursing staff everywhere we go. Continue to pray that the medical team would be mindful of Keith's situation and be diligent in giving him the best care.
-Pray that he will continue fighting strong, not to grow discouraged, but remain hopeful. He's definitely proven himself to be a strong warrior through this battle!

reminders when you visit the hospital

On the corner of Witmer and Wilshire is public parking which costs up to $4 for the entire day. We recommend you park there instead of the hospital parking structure, which charges for every 30 minutes (maximum of $6 total).

Also, please be careful not to bring any types of food to fill Keith's stomach. If you want to bring food, we advise you to contact our mom (you can call her Mrs Park/kwon-sanim/or Keith's mom at 213-448-3335) to let her know. He should be eating low-carbs and non greasy food. Yes, too much KFC is not good for him, although he'll never resist. Let's not tempt him too much! =)

Reading out Scripture

Some updates:
-Keith is able to read Scripture on his own. He read out three verses in Korean today. After that, he got tired. Now, we understand why he didn't like receiving speech therapy, because it was too basic for him. As his diaphragm is strengthening, he's reading better and better. We recommended to the speech therapist to use the bible for his therapy. Let's pray that this tool will be a witness to the speech therapist.
-There are four doctors working with Keith: Internal Medicine, Diabetes, Neurologist, and Therapist Doctor. Let's pray for wisdom for this medical team as they care for Keith. Keith had an MRI done today. Let's pray that the doctor sees signs of improvement, especially on the #3 nerve.
-Continue to pray for Keith to keep fighting hard.
-He's wearing regular clothes now. .. but they're way too big on him...
-He's able to page the nurses himself, letting them know he needs to empty his bladder, etc. Praise God for that!

Keith at Good Samaritan Hospital, Rm. 649

Praise God that Keith has been transfered to Good Samaritan Hospital this afternoon.
He is in the main hospital, room. 649. It is a private room. He was welcomed by a Korean nurse. Let's pray that he will be assigned good nurses and therapists to work with him. Pray that he will fight hard and have the motivation to recover quickly.

transfer to Good Samaritan Hospital tomorrow

Keith will be transfered to Good Samaritan Hospital tomorrow afternoon. Let's pray that God would appoint the right therapists and nurses to care for Keith. Keith is really glad to get out of Torrance Hospital. He agreed he will work harder at the new rehab program. Continue to pray his heart and body will be motivated to keep fighting for full recovery.

Specific information of his transfer will be given after he's admitted.

men don't talk much...especially Keith

One of Keith's youth teachers came and told my sister that Keith is not speaking much these days because men don't like to talk all the time. Funny comment...we'll just take this silence from Keith as him just being a typical man. And he was always a man of few words...

...but he finally spoke this afternoon. Guess what came out of his mouth? "Give me a diet coke". He's so silly.

A few updates:
-Keith may be transfered to Good Samaritan Hospital (downtown LA), rehab center anytime. There is an opening for him, so he is being considered for a transfer soon. Please be sure to check this blog site before you take a trip to Torrance.
-Continue to pray that he'll be motivated to exercise his entire body, especially his speech.

focusing on Jesus...

Please continue to pray for Keith. This battle is a long one but we cannot forget to pray for Keith. Continue to fight with him through your prayers. Today marks 2 months since he was admitted to Torrance Medical Center. It's been an amazing journey as we see Keith hopeful and focused on Jesus through all the trials and hardships he's been through. Yet, this road to full recovery continues - now with a totally alert mind and a body that is slowing getting back into shape. Pray for God's continuous protection over Keith's heart as he's bound by the four walls of the hospital room. Pray that he'll be willing to receive speech therapy. He's been reluctant to receiving speech therapy as well as talking since Sunday. We really want to see him transfered to an acute rehab program soon, but he needs to keep fighting hard.

Items of praise:
-Keith is eating well! The nurses or visitors help feed him, but he's eating really well.
-He took a shower today, with the help of two therapists. After more than 2 months, he finally took a real shower.
-He continues to keep his humurous spirit by laughing and smiling.

As a reminder - we want to encourage you to keep sending your love through emails and visits. Please write only words that will encourage and strengthen him and of course, to make him laugh. May the Lord bless you to speak God's heart to Keith...thanks.

Keith in tears on this Sunday

This morning, as my mom went to visit Keith before church, he just responded with tears. We can only imagine how he longs to worship at church. For someone who NEVER missed a Sunday worship service his entire life, worshipping with the great mass of people seems to be the desire of his heart.

He did well with the physical and occupational therapists today. However, he refused to work on speech therapy. For some reason, his heart was reluctant to do many things today. Let's continue to pray for Keith:

Items of prayer:
-For Keith's heart to be guarded with the perfect peace of God. For his heart to continue to give thanks in all circumstances.
-Continuous regaining of strength and full opening of his right eye
-No more diabetes.
-Please pray for his youth group. Before Keith began serving there in July 2004, the high schoolers were without a pastor for 6 months. Not having pastoral care has been very difficult - no shepherd, no vision, no movement...they are all longing for Keith to return to them quickly. Pray that Keith will not get discouraged thinking about the realities of his ministry, but he'll respond to this situation by interceding for each of his youth.

making plans for acute rehab

It takes a few weeks to be admitted into an acute rehab program, so we are now taking steps to move Keith, hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks. He's been improving everyday, so the therapists hope he can be transfered soon. Today, he walked with a walker as well as along two parrallel handrails. He thoroughly enjoyed a chicken sandwich a church member brought. He enjoyed the many visitors from today. And he's able to respond and say more. I was actually able to have a short conversation with him over the phone today. So good to hear my brother's voice again.

Continue to pray that his diaphragm will be strengthened to produce better speech. Pray for continuous regaining of his bodily muscles and strength. And continue to pray for no more diabetes!

Also, pray that Keith will be able to take a real bath. Since he was admitted to the TCU, he hasn't been able to receive a bath. We are hoping Dr. Murthy can allow this. There's a lot of dead skin as well as the build up of a lot of moisturizing cream on his body. Pray that there are no dental problems since he hasn't been able to eat for a long time nor brush/floss his teeth well.

walking with a walker

Keith was able to walk with the help of a walker today. He walked down the hallway of the TCU. This is a major step for him. Walking with a walker is much harder than with a handrail.

The other day, Keith made the therapist laugh. After some physical therapy, they asked him if he wanted to continue to go back to bed. He responded in a low Terminator-like voice "Back to bed." The therapists thought it was so funny.

Please pray that Keith will be able to improve before my sister Elaine returns to Mexico. She returns with her son Nathan on Jan. 28. It's been wonderful to have at least one family member with Keith everyday since he was admitted to the hospital, to keep him company as well as making sure he gets the necessary medical attention. Please pray that before Elaine returns, he can be ready for acute rehab or even ready to go home. When he qualifies for acute rehab, we're hoping to transfer him closer to my parents' work and his church family, who can visit more often. We cannot imagine leaving Keith without one of us at the current TCU because we don't feel comfortable with the quality of the nursing care. So, continue to pray for quick and full recovery.

eating well...

we have many things we be thankful for:
-Keith is able to eat on his own. The feeding tube is still on him, but he's getting enough food orally. The tube is still on him, just in case they may need to feed him through it. When he's not too lazy or tired, he does a good job eating on his own.
-Keith is able to talk more and more each day. When the speech therapist gave him simple words to read, he was able to. However, he has some difficulty reading sentences.
-His right eye is half open now. He's able to keep it open when he's not too tired.
-He's able to walk forwards and backwards with the support of a handrail.
-Keith really enjoyed the many visitors that's been coming. Time passes more quickly and he enjoys the love showered upon him.

Continue to pray:
-Continuous regaining of strength
-Please pray for the nursing staff to give Keith the medical attention he deserves. It's been quite stressful for my sister to make sure the nurses are doing their job. Today, my sister broke down when talking with a nurse as she tried to encourage them to give more care and attention to my brother.
-Continue to pray for Keith to keep fighting with joy and faith
-Lastly, pray for my mom who got sick. All the stress and fatigue caught up with her now. Pray for quick recovery.

More love to Thee, O Christ

More love to Thee, O Christ, More love to Thee
Hear Thou the prayer I make On bended knee
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee
More love to thee, more love to Thee

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest
Now thee alone I seek, Give what is best
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee
More love to thee, more love to Thee

Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise
This be the parting cry, My heart shall raise
This still its prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee
More love to thee, more love to Thee

As you pray for Keith today, bless his heart with one of his favorite hymns of all times: More love to Thee. Keith - we bless you to continue to love Jesus more and more each day. Through all the trials and sufferings, may you never cease to worship Christ your Savior, the lover of your soul. May the joy of the Lord be your strength to keep fighting...

As my mom tries to sing this hymn to him often, he can finally sing along with her - with his quiet, slow speaking voice. We cannot wait til Keith can fully speak again b/c we believe he's going to testify for the rest of His life the saving grace of God. His testimony will crush down the enemy!

keith's right eye

Keith's right eye is slowing opening. Right now, all you can see is a bit of the white part of his eyes. When his left eye began to open, it took about 2-3 weeks to open fully. Over a period of many days, he was able to open his eyes wider and wider. It seems like that will be the same case with the right eye. Hopefully, within the next week or two, he'll be able to open it fully. The eye doctor took a look at him a few days ago and said there is absolutely no damage! We praise God for that.

Keith - keep fighting!

As the weather has been gloomy and rainy outside, that seemed to be Keith's heart today. As my sister Elaine visited him this morning, Keith put his hands on her face, saying "my sister" and then started to cry. They both cried for a while. My sister told Keith not to get discouraged, but to keep fighting with a strong heart. As Keith is totally awake and has a lot of time to think about all that he's gone through, let's pray that God would continue to encourage Keith's heart with His strength, comfort, hope, and joy. This is a time when your visits and letters would encourage Keith the most. You can leave comments on this blog or email the hospital directly (address on the right). Let Keith know you are praying for him and love him dearly.

MEDICAL UPDATE:
-The feeding tube will continue to remain until Keith establishes a steady eating pattern.
-Dexadrine will continue to be administered for a little longer period.
-Keith was able to walk a lot more today with assistance. Pray that he can regain full strength and ability to sit and walk.
-His speech is improving everyday. I finally got to hear my brother say my name over the phone. =)
-The nurses are paying more attention to Keith. After many conversations with the doctors, therapists, and head nurses, we are slowly seeing the nurses becoming more involved with Keith as their patient. The doctor mentioned that the TCU is not the most popular place nurses like to work at. Let's continue to pray that Keith will find favor among the medical team and get the medical attention he deserves.

One last prayer request - please pray for my parents, especially my mom. After almost 2 months of working full time, then traveling back and forth to the hospital, they are very tired and weak. Pray for God's continuous strength and health over their lives.

eating 3 meals a day

We praise God that Keith can now eat 3 meals a day. He can eat most (quantity) of what the hospital provides. Let's pray that the feeding tube can come off soon!

His speech is getting better everyday. He can say words, but very slowly...but there is major progress everyday!

It's simply amazing how God has been answering every single prayer request offered for Keith. Thanks again for being part of this amazing prayer team for our dear brother. Let's pray for complete recovery - for Keith to regain strength to sit on his own, to start walking again, and eventually to return home. And don't forget to pray that Keith will be rid of his diabetes forever!

tears of sadness...a tribute to Keith's brothers

This morning, Keith's niece Naomi, nephew Nahum, and brother-in-law Abraham returned to Mexico. Elaine and nephew Nathan are still with Keith. As Abraham prayed for Keith and said "bye" to him, Keith shed many many tears. It was so nice to be all together during this Christmas season. We spent last Christmas together on a crazy road trip to Colorado Springs. This year, much of the time was spent in the hospital.

The 3 men of the family - Keith, Abraham, and Ted - all brothers-in-law are very close. They treat and relate to one another as blood brothers. Although their times together are not often, when they are together, they have so much to talk about since they have so much in common - being in full-time ministry, being typical men who love little gadgets, etc. They're all very easy going and get along so well. As Keith never grew up with brothers, we are so thankful our brother and husbands enjoy one another.

During one of my visits to the hospital, the therapist said to me and my sister "you must be the sisters-in-law. We met Keith's brothers the other day". We just smiled and kindly corrected her that we are the blood sisters...my sister and I are so thankful for our husbands who stuck next to Keith day in and day out, often watching him lay so quietly in bed. They covered Keith in prayer throughout the long days and nights in the hospital, they shaved him, shampooed him, gave him physical therapy...never with a complaining attitude.

We praise God for the 2 brothers Keith has in the family. I dedicate this post to them who sacrificed much of their energy, time and prayers to be there for him. THANK YOU for your gift of love.

starting to speak...

As Keith is regaining his ability to eat, he's slowly making progress in speaking. Hallelujah!!! Tonight, my mom asked Keith what he was craving. She kept asking if it was chicken, but he responded in a low but understandable voice "bulgogi". After many weeks of silence, my mom was so excited to hear Keith say "umma" and "appa". My parents were very encouraged tonight. Thank you for your continuous prayers. We believe that Keith will speak soon. Pray that this will happen quickly. As he's now slowly eating real food, they're slowly weaning him from the feeding tube. This afternoon, he expressed (through spelling) his desire to eat "dduk-bo-sahm", sushi, and "jjam-bong". We're sure he'll be eating out alot once he's out of the hospital...he'll probably regain all his weight back quickly =).

Continue to pray:
-full recovery of strength through physical/occupational therapy
-be completed weaned from feeding tube
-able to regain full ability to eat and speak without getting tired

Let's also pray for Keith's youth group. As they are without a pastor for a long period of time, let's pray that God would continue to shepherd the youth and grow them and the ministry.

devoured KFC!

Yes, Keith literally devoured the KFC chicken today. My sister said it was quite a sight. He also had some cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and diet coke. They had to stop him from eating the entire bucket. We praise God that he did not aspirate from eating real food...I guess it had to take KFC to make him swallow with no problems. Let's continue to pray that Keith will continue to swallow and eat well...once he can get enough nutrients from foods, the feeding tube will come off. Since the same muscles are used for eating and speaking, let's pray that he'll be able to speak soon.

Thank God for good old KFC!

Also, we praise God that the MRI of Keith's neck was negative!

Room Change to 135

Praise God that Keith is moving to a private room. It's just two doors down. He's now in the Transitional Care Unit, Room 135. Unless someone with a serious condition is admitted to TCU, Keith is allowed to keep this room to himself.

keith's new hairdo from 1/3/05

Still looking good even in bed. Click here to see Keith.

"I am not sad"

Yesterday, my sister asked my brother if he was in pain anywhere. After many questions of why he was hurting, she finally asked if he was sad. When she asked this question, he slightly moved his fingers. So, I was joking around with him saying not to be sad that I'll be going back home to San Jose. Afterwards, she asked him to write something. She wrote out the alphabet and he spelled out "I am not sad". We all had a good laugh. We praise Jesus that He continues to protect Keith's heart and we continue to claim that no sadness will conquer over Keith's heart.

Keith also has a new roommate. The grandfather who is sharing the room with him has been moving from the TCU back to a regular hospital room b/c his condition is not stable. So, it seems that he may stick around for a while. He's quite talkative and complains a lot, so please pray that Keith will get to rest when needed. We're hoping he'll get his private room back soon.

yummy banana!

Keith ate banana today. Tomorrow, he will be more adventurous and daring b/c the speech therapist approved of Keith eating KFC! Hopefully eating foods he likes will push him forward to full recovery quicker. The therapist is unsure why it is taking Keith this long to speak. When he sneezes or coughs, he's able to produce sound. But he cannot produce sound voluntarily.

As you pray for Keith today, pray that he will regain the ability to speak! We have confidence that no work of the enemy will succeed. Let's claim the victory in Jesus and command his tongue to be loosened and start preaching again.

Continue to pray for Keith's heart to be strengthened and encouraged and hopeful. The family is slowly leaving one by one. My family returned to San Jose last night. My sister's family will leave for Mexico this Saturday. My sister and her boys will stay for a few more weeks. We're hoping Keith will recover quickly and come home soon. Continue to send your encouragement and prayers to him. Check the profile description on the right to send the email directly to the hospital.

a new hairdo!

Tonight, we shampooed Keith's hair and gave him a new look. Since he gave us permission to upload his picture, we will post one soon. The nurse gave us a shower cap which has shampoo and conditioner inside...and we gave him a thorough head cleansing. He smiled the entire time.

Keith had an MRI of his neck. Let's pray that there is no damage in his body and all the MRI results will be negative. His neck pain is decreasing and he's gained more control of his neck.

Please pray:
-Ability to swallow and speak. He's able to eat about 4 ounces of pureed food, but after that, he gets really tired. He has thrush in his throat area, so please pray for complete healing and ability to eat and speak. We have complete confidence that God will restore his voice because God has called him as His mouthpiece to the nations!
-Regain of strength. He was able to stand up for a few seconds today with the help of two therapists.
-Protection of Keith's heart to stay hopeful and joyful in his road to recovery.

Funny story of the day:
Keith sneezed so hard today that things flew out of his mouth into my hair and my mom's face. We laughed so hard! But it was pretty gross!

First Sunday of 2005...worship at the hospital

We held a family worship service surrounding Keith's bed. With mixed emotions of joy and tears, we gave thanks to God for the first Sunday of this new year. We are so proud of the tremendous progress Keith has made...but we join his desire to get out of the hospital bed to be with his youth at ANC, to sleep on his own bed once again, to eat real food, and especially to start speaking again. He expressed his desire to see more people visiting him. As he's getting bored at the hospital, having company allows time to pass quickly. So, we want to encourage you to take some time in your busy schedule to visit him or email him. This will allow him to keep fighting strong with an uplifted spirit. From M-F, he receives therapy during the morning and afternoon, which tires him out. However, on Sunday's and the majority of Saturday, he's just hanging out with not much to do. Let's continue to pray that God would protect Keith's heart to fight strong and be joyful in all circumstances. Pray for his speech to return quickly...that he'll get back on his feet fulfill God's purposes in his life as Christ's ambassador.

Father's heart

I want to share with you an email from Kenny. Hope you don't mind sharing this with other people.

"I wanted to share an experience I just had with my daughter Ashley. Yeah, she's already 100 days old and looking forward to meeting you. Well, I took her for her first immunization shots about a month ago. It was so agonizing for me as a father to imagine the pain she would helplessly go through. As much as I knew that this experience was a necessary one, I also knew that the pain she would go through would be unbearably tough for me. It became all the tougher knowing that I would have to be the one to hold her down as the doctor administered the shots. As the doctor pierced her infant skin, Ashley wrenched out a cry and turned her teary eyes to me as if to say, "Why are you letting them do this to me?"

I'll tell you Keith. I broke into tears right at the moment. I wished I could tell her that it was all for her, but she wouldn't even understand. As much pain as she was going through, my pain was even deeper. The only consoling thought was that I knew my child would be stronger after this experience. Ashley might have a vague idea that her daddy loves her, but my love for her surpasses all her imagination.

Keith, God loves you so much that He needed to guide you through this experience so you would be that much stronger afterwards. You may have a vague idea that your Heavenly Daddy loves you, but His love for your surpasses your wildest imagination.

I'll leave you with my favorit A.W. Tozer quote, "He whome God will use greatly, He will hurt deeply."

one step at a time

Last year, we were struggling to get out snow storm in Nevada. Highway 80 was closed and seemed that we had to stay a couple of days more. Abe (my husband), Keith, and Ted (Sandy's husband) went into Starbucks for an internet service. They checked weather forecast and any opened highway. They succeed in finding one but required snow chains. On New Year day we drove by beautiful city of Lake Tahoe. We didn't have time to hang around to enjoy the city. Someday, we said and drove on.

This year we spent most of the day in the hospital room. We didn't have Rice cake soup, which is korean traditional food on the first day of the year.

Although it was a holiday, he still had physical therapy. His nurse told me that he got up and took 3 steps with some help. As a baby is learning to take step, Keith is getting ready to start all over.

QT for this morning came from Genesis 1:1-10. God spoke and there it was. His creatures were created by what he said. I asked God this morning to speak to Keith. Lord, all I want from you is to say, "Keith, get up." He will gain his strength and walk, talk and eat as he used to. Lord, speak to him.

Thanks again for your prayers.