Daily Archives: October 5, 2009


5 Hours!!!

Aaron was off his vent for 5 hours straight today! Until today Aaron hasn’t done anything or gone anywhere while off his vent, but today while he was off his vent, he had 1 hour of therapy, he went down to the 2nd floor to check out the cafeteria and porch, went back upstairs for a make-up therapy session, and he even ate a little bit near the end. He was exhausted when he finished; I think both mentally and physically. It’s hard for us to really even imagine (much less know) what Aaron is really going through, but I can tell you that there is a lot of fear and anxiety in anyone who is weaning from a vent. Imagine that you are having great difficulty breathing; you just can’t get a deep breath and you feel like you’re going to suffocate. Then someone gives you a  machine that makes it much easier to breathe; its comforting and makes you feel safe again.  Now imagine that you have to give that up and you have to work for every breath you take, and even though you’re not really suffocating, that’s what it feels like. That’s what Aaron did for 5 hours today. If he can do this every day, he will gain strength and it will begin to become easier. I thank God he has been able to come this far. I ask that you pray that Aaron will be able to put his life in the hands of God and overcome his fears and to quote my cousin Chuck… soon toss that vent into the weeds!