Update On My Sister Leah's Condition

Hello All,

For those of you who have not heard, my sister Leah is in the hospital, having suffered initially from a condition called a "Thyroid Storm." I had never heard of it before it hit Leah, but the gist of it is that the thyroid over produces and blitzes the senses of the body. At present, she is in critical condition in the ICU of a hospital near our family home in Colton. Her prognosis is not good and we continue to ask for prayer through every outlet possible.

We learned of Leah's condition as we were leaving from Family Camp just 10 days ago. She had been admitted to the hospital the Thursday prior, 2 days before. When we got to the hospital, we assumed that she was suffering from an advanced form of the flu and would simply need a few days to recover. Immediately upon getting to the hospital, the severity of what had come upon Leah began to dawn upon us. She was lucid, but definitely not right. She was dizzy and a bit disoriented and had a fever that had not abated for several days. We were worried, but did not consider this to be life threatening until later that day.

The words "Thyroid Storm" had been uttered by one of the nurses during our visit. We came home and Googled it. The alarming statistic that jumped off of the page was that those who did not catch this in time had a 90 percent mortality rate! From this point on, we wondered if Leah had caught this in time. Shortly after our visit, Leah was put under sedation and put on a ventilator to help facilitate her breathing, which a nasty cough had begun to interrupt.

From where we have been standing, this was done to help fight off the infection that was present in her body and to allow her to heal. Unfortunately, at some point, this became more than a preventative measure and has now become full life support.

In the middle of this, Leah suffered a massive ischemic stroke. Just this past Sunday, I went to see my sister and was completely overwhelmed at her condition. Monday, I was called and told about the extent of the stroke. Tuesday I was again called and invited to a meeting with the doctors to discuss how our family would like to proceed in light of Leah's condition. I returned Wednesday to attend the meeting with the Doctors. Leah was given a 10% chance of survival and if she does, only a 10% chance that she will ever exist out of a vegetative state. Today, I go in to see my sister, perhaps for the last time on Earth.

This journey has been surreal and absolutely bizarre. For many of you who are aware of loss and how it affects you, I don't need to tell you about the feelings. Some days, in this situation, there have been causes for hope and then just as quickly causes for dread. It's amazing to me that I can carry on a conversation, or play with my kids and completely get swept away in that. And then, immediately after completing either the conversation or the playing, my mind and heart race back toward thoughts and prayers for my sister. I go to sleep praying for her and the second that I wake up, that conversation continues as if it hadn't stopped. I alternate between the good memories of 25 years and the deep sadness that there is in the awareness that there may not even be 25 more hours!

Thankfully, I do not grieve without hope. Our family is strong in it's belief that Leah is in the hands of Jesus Christ and that when she dies, she will immediately be comforted for eternity in the arms of her Savior. She loves the Lord and will soon be with her. I have confronted the same questions that everyone does and am thankful that the Lord has answered them to my heart's satisfaction. He has met me in my laughter and now, He has met me in my grief.

We ask for your prayers, first, that the Lord would deal mercifully with Leah. Second, for our family, as we deal with the potential loss of a treasured family member. But most importantly, pray for the glory of God that WILL shine through, either through miraculous intervention or by godly testimony.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. It has meant a great deal to us.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez