Feeding tube is OUT!

Keith underwent a minor surgical procedure of having the feeding tube out of his stomach. He saw the entire procedure, although he didn't feel anything. I'm so glad I can receive actual updates of my brother directly from him.

Yesterday, he went to ANC. This time, he got out of the car and walked to the youth service by himself...no wheelchair, no walker! Praise God for such progress...now, we can't wait for him to dance and scream at the top of his lungs during worship!

personal message to all

As I spoke with my brother today, I asked what he wants to say to everyone. He said, "Thank you for praying for me...I'm going home soon." He is encouraged to know you are praying for him faithfully. He often asks about this website...very curious to know what secret stuff I'm writing about him. =) Thank you for your love and ministry to my dear brother...he's come this far because of your prayers...what an amazing testimony that God hears the prayers of His saints!

Praise God that the GI feeding tube will be taken off this Monday. It was originally scheduled to be taken off in a few months.

I asked Keith if he'll be able to drive when he goes home. He gave an honest "no." Please pray for Keith's recover back to regular life...that he'll be able to recover fully to return to work full time, to drive again, and do all the things he used to do and even more.

so happy!!!

The nursing staff have commented to my mom that Keith has been so happy these days. We praise God that He continues to lift Keith's soul with His abounding joy. Keith is really determined to leave the hospital next week, so that's been giving him a lot of motiviation to fight hard. The exact date of his discharge has not been confirmed yet.

He's also taking walks outside of the hospital with his physical therapist. It must be so nice to see sunshine! This afternoon, the doctor will examine his stomach area and possibly take the feeding tube out. It hasn't been used for many many weeks now.

So, continue to pray for him and make your visits to the hospital before he leaves.

Keith called me!

What a pleasant surprise to see my brother's name as an incoming call! He has the ability and voice to call me...and we actually had a real conversation. It was no longer me making assumptive statements, then hearing my brother grunt on the other end. I heard the acupunture he's receiving is to help him in his speech. He's received it for 2 days now by a Chinese doctor at Good Sam. My mom said she has seen remarkable progress in his speech the past few days. Praise God for His continuous healing!

"I want to go home..."

This has been Keith's daily journal entry. The speech therapist asks Keith to journal his thoughts each day...and he writes "I want to go home.." or "When can I go home"?

The other day, Keith received acupuncture on different parts of his body. Since then, he's been able to speak a lot better. These days, he can walk really well on his own, so he can now go to the restroom without any assistance. The doctor is predicting Keith will fully recover within 3-4 months. Praise God for the hope we have in Him! He is truly our Healer and Strength!

Keith is also eating much better, which is allowing him to speak better. His setback lasted for about a week. I was joking with my mom that he was probably very sad to see me and Isabel leave. He started to experience his setback on the Thursday we left LA to return to San Jose. That same weekend, he thought he couldn't attend church also...but praise God that Keith is doing better.

Prayer Items:
-Keith is still experiencing pain on his left shoulder. He still cannot use his left arm well. So, all the more, his left neck and shoulder area continue to experience stiffness.
-Pray for his right eye to open fully!

plans to go home!

This morning, the doctor, all therapists, social worker, nurses, my parents and Keith had a meeting to start planning for Keith's discharge and to review his progress.
Here are a few updates:

-Keith is estimated to be discharged in 16 days!!! Praise God!
-Keith is doing great in all his therapies.
-Little setbacks in his recovery are normal especially since no other problems have occured.

His time in the hospital is slowly coming to an end...so make your trip to see him soon. Continue to encourage him and rejoice with him.

Refiner's Fire

Dedicated to my brother Keith. An excerpt from a book I came across:

"When God wants to use a man, He will often put him through a discipline of lonelines as He did these great biblical saints. Spiritual maturity and qualification for service is often brought about by suffering. There are no short cuts to spirituality. Valleys of discouragement often come before the mountains of victory; pain before pleasure; hurt before honor; and crisis before Christ-likeness. Thus, one of the key purposes of loneliness is to crowd us to Christ and force us to faith. God is more concerned with our holiness than with our present happiness, and so the process of sanctification is often a very painful one. "

Keith - even through your period of loneliness in the hospital bed, God is watching over you and preparing you for a huge task.

Keith, the History Maker

(picture taken at a Mexico Mission trip last year)

It's been over 3 months now. Can you imagine yourself at the hospital for 3 long months??? I simply cannot. Even after I gave birth to two babies, I wanted to leave the hospital right away. I simply cannot imagine how Keith is enduring being bounded by the four stale walls of the hospital for this long. Only the grace of God is persevering him. He has his up and down moments, but overall, it's been an amazing testimony of God's favor upon Keith's life. His recovery has been amazing. Originally, the medical team predicted 7-10 days for skin to regenerate. God started to regenerate skin in less than 48 hours. It was predicted it would take 6-12 months for Keith to recover...after 3 months, Keith is able to eat, talk, walk, write, read, etc. We often forget what Keith actually went through...I have to reread old entries to remind myself that truly God saved my brother's life.

According to the speech therapist, Keith is doing great. We are worried (especially my mom) that Keith seems to be going backwards in his recovery...he's not able to eat or talk as well as before. However, all the therapists and neurologist shared that Keith is making remarkable progress.

Let's not forget to pray for our dear brother. I thank each of you for being so faithful in praying for him these past 3 months. I ask you continue to commit yourself as Keith's faithful intercessors - for his stay in the hospital and even for his future ministry. Besides praying for regaining of strength, pray for Keith's heart and mind, to stay focused on Jesus, not to grow discouraged or tired.

If you get a chance to visit, encourage him with your words and prayers. The therapist said that's the greatest therapy he can receive right now - motivation to keep fighting hard.

second visit to ANC!

We praise God that Keith was able to attend his youth service again this morning. There were many complications regarding his short leave from the hospital. My mom actually left the hospital last night telling Keith that he won't be able to attend church today. So, early this morning, I contacted the hospital, reminding the nurses that going to church is therapeutic for him and has been authorized by his doctor. After an hour of waiting, I finally got a phone call from the hospital letting me know that Keith can go. We were all so overjoyed at the news! We know that Keith has been waiting all week long for another Sunday to come.

Keith has not been eating well the past few days. He's been having some problems swallowing. He said there's no pain, but he simply could not take in food. He kept salivating also. As a result, he was having a more difficult time speaking and was growing faint. This morning, the neurologist examined Keith and said that most patients have setbacks during their recovery. It's very normal. The neurologist said that Keith has been recovering so well and he does not worry about this small setup Keith is experiencing. We know that his surprise visit to church has given him new strength to keep fighting.

Please continue to pray:
-Keith to start eating well...no problems swallowing
-Regaining of strength
-Right eye to open and function properly

The Big winner of Scrabble

Keith played scrabbel with another therapist and patient. He was the big winner today. I encouraged him to go to the recreational room and spend time playing board games and watching movies. If you visit, please encourage him to get on his wheelchair (just call the nurse), take him to the recreational room and play a game of chess or something. We had a good laugh because one of the words he decided to spell was "anus"...funny!

"Pray for strength" was Keith's prayer request today. He feels himself getting stronger each day, but he knows that is what he needs to go back home and to church.

It was sad for us to say "goodbye" this afternoon. I had to return to San Jose, but my short trip to see my brother was so encouraging, yet full of tears as I was once again reminded of the reality of his condition. Our family has absolute trust that God has BIG plans in store for Keith. He does not simply choose anyone to walk such a path. Keith is His special servant...yet, the road to becoming such a chosen servant is not easy, but costly.

Please pray that Keith will continue to have the bigger, eternal perspective as he goes through his daily routines. Pray for protection of his heart, to fight strong and joyfully.

update on Keith's right eye:
There are two different opinions on Keith's eye, but only God knows. The primary doctor said that Keith's right eye will take a while to recover. However, he seemed definite that Keith will either be cross-eyed or see double. He suggested waiting 1-2 years to see how his eye stabilizes. AFter that period, the neuro-ophthalmologist can examine his eye and correct it.
Then, this afternoon, the ophthalmologist examined Keith's eye and is predicting 2-4 months for full recovery.

Pray that there will be absolutely NO DAMAGE to Keith's right eye...and that it will open completely!

Keith walking on his own during physical therapy this afternoon. Since Monday, I've personally seen Keith walking with the support of a walker to walking with no support today. The therapist had a belt around his waist to catch him if he lost his balance, but he didn't. He walked around the entire 6th floor with no problems! Praise God. 

getting back into shape...

During physical therapy, I made Keith play with a light ball. He served it like a volleyball really well and passed the ball like a basketball also. When I asked him to set the ball, it was a bit challenging since his left hand is not completely fine tuned. Then, he kicked a weighted ball across the hallway into his room. We can't wait to see Keith getting back into shape and play basketball and volleyball again.

This afternoon, I asked my brother what foods he was craving. He said "mandoo". He was craving that yesterday also. When I bought some mandoo for him, he literally shoved it all down his throat. I barely got to steal one and enjoy it myself. It is sooo good to see him feeding himself and enjoying food (as alwasy). It was just weeks ago he was barely able to eat anything. Praise Jesus for answered prayer!

Please continue to pray:
-for continuous regaining of strength in all areas. For voice to produce stronger speech. For left arms and hands to be fine tuned. For Keith to become more self-sufficient (i.e. going to bathroom on his own, start walking on his own, etc).
-Pray for his speech therapy. I asked the therapist to make Keith write familiar passages on his journal and recite it out loud. Let's pray that Keith will be a powerful witness to all those treating him.
-Pray for Keith's heart to stay focused and thankful. Today, I shared a lot of "real" stuff with him. He's not familiar with SJS, so I took the time to explain the seriousness of SJS and all the trauma my brother experienced. He has absolutely no recollection of what happened during his time at the burn unit. He was getting a bit sad hearing the realities of SJS, but I reminded him that I was sharing all this to really emphasize the miraculous healing God has performed in his life. So continue to encourage Keith through your prayers, that God would give him strength to keep fighting hard.

Hoping this video clip will work. Here's a home video of Keith getting physical therapy...walking with a walker!  

Keith eating dinner on Monday night. We are so proud that he can feed himself by sitting up straight and using the fork.  

With niece Isabel who is bonding with Uncle Keith on his bed. Although the nursing staff warned me not to take the baby in b/c of her immature immune system, I politely told them Keith needs to bond with his niece. 

at youth service with mask and wheelchair. My mom had fun dressing Keith up that day...he looked so handsome! 

ANC pastors praying for Keith 

Speaking at youth service. 

Keith means "warrior"

With a room full of guests and a lot of chicken, we found out that "Keith" means "warrior". Although Keith named himself many many years ago because it was the closest English name to "Kee Hoon", we know that God gave him this name. Keith has proven to be a strong warrior for the Lord and for his life. He has been fighting so diligently and I've personally been so encouraged to see my brother recovering so well. I got to spend the entire day with him, observing the different therapists and keeping him company. He barely got any rest during the day because he was either receiving therapy, entertaining guests, eating, getting sugar level tests, and ocassionally releasing gas here and there...but he kept awake with a huge smile.

Some observations from today's therapy:
Physical Therapy: Keith has pretty good balance now. With the help of the walker or even holding onto the therapist's hand, he's able to walk smoothly. He is practicing walking up and down steps with not much problems. His left arm has improved a lot, but still needs to be fine-tuned in his motor skills.

Speech Therapy: Keith is now asked to journal. He wrote many many sentences today describing his 5 nieces and nephews. Then, he was able to give a speech to all of us. He is learning to use his diaphragm to project his voice. Continue to pray that this would become a natural task for him to produce clear speech.

The doctor is estimating that Keith will be in the hospital for 3 more weeks (max). Keith is so eager to return home and go back to the ministry at church. I think he's really counting the days.

Some personal sharing: As I watched my brother tonight, I couldn't stop crying in my heart. I didn't want to show him my tears. Before bedtime, he was given 5-6 pills (antibiotics, vitamins, benadryl for itching), then given insulin and another drug to prevent blood clots (this was injected into his stomach area where there is more layer of fat). Also, he gets sugar level tests done with a small prick on his finger throughout the day. My prayer for my dear brother tonight was that he would not be dependent on all these drugs and needles to be healthy and strong. I cannot wait for the day when he can go throughout the day taking nothing and getting nothing pinched into his body. Continue to pray for full recovery, that he would leave the hospital stronger than before.

Please do not hesitate to visit Keith. His stay in the hospital will last just a few more weeks, so don't miss this wonderful opportunity to bless him with your presence. If you bring food, please be mindful of his diabetes...thanks.

Keith so happy to see his niece!

I was so excited to see my brother today. I flew down with my baby Isabel and finally got to see my brother since early January. I was greeted by his huge smile and laughter. He just could not contain his joy when he got to see and touch his baby niece. I think he was happy to see me too =). We had many many laughs today. So good to see my brother talking, eating by himself and in such a good mood. This was the first time we actually had a conversation...!!!

Since early January, there are so many improvements...it's truly a continuous miracle of God's amazing grace over Keith. A few things I've been encouraged by today (compared to his status in early Jan).

-Talk!
-Sit on his own with no problems.
-Eat and feed himself (although hospital food can get no worse!!)
-Able to control his bowel movements and call the nurse to help him walk to the bathroom
-With the help of the walker, he is able to stand up with no problems.

Continue to pray:
-there are still many scars on his legs - pray for complete recovery of skin with absolutely no scarring!
-For his speech to improve - to speak louder! He has to be preaching soon!
-Stable sugar level and pray for diabetes to be gone!
-Strength to keep fighting to come home soon.

Funny story: For all those who visited Keith while he was at the burn center, he has absolutely NO idea you came to visit. I mentioned many visitors that came by, and he had no clue! So, please come visit again, so he can definitely remember you came to see him at the hospital. I promise he will welcome you with a huge grin!
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first visit to ANC in 3 months!

We praise God because He answered all of our prayers for Keith to worship with his youth. Keith got permission to leave the hospital for a maximum of 3 hours. My parents and a fellow high school teacher safely transported Keith all the way to Sunland where Keith got to sit in the youth service. The music was quite loud for him, but he thoroughly enjoyed his time there. He also got to briefly greet the adults during their service also. It was a rainy and windy day, but Keith got through it without much stress and fatigue. He wisely used the mask the hospital gave him to cover his mouth and nose, to make sure he doesn't catch anything.

We are looking forward to Keith making regular visits to ANC on Sunday's and eventually to drive there on his own and preach to his youth. Let's pray that we would see this day come soon.

Few updates:
-Keith's right eye is still not fully open
-He still has the tube in his stomach
-He is still taking provigil (no longer dexadrine)

Continue to pray for Keith to recover and come home quickly!

looking clean and sharp!

Keith finally got a haircut the other day by someone from church who is a hair salonist. My parents did not want to pay big bucks for a hospital haircut.
He's talking a lot more. The speech therapist is teaching him how to speak better and louder. His learning how to use his diaphram and muscles to produce speech.

He's making remarkable progress every day and we're hoping he can visit ANC this Sunday.

Continue to pray for him, to stay focused and joyful in the Lord.