Author: cascmedia

Pastor David Wan was admitted to the hospital on May 18th, 2021. He fought a good fight and went to rest with our Lord on June 24th at 6:07 PM (Eastern Time). He has been a spiritual father for many, and the impact of his life of faithfulness, self-denial, and authenticity is far and wide. As a memorial to the example and ministry of Pastor Wan’s life, we invite you to share how he has touched your lives in the “Comments” section at the bottom of the page.

6/25/21 – 9:19 AM – from Priscilla

I’m so sad, proud, and thankful to announce that my dad has finished the race and is with Jesus. He died yesterday at 6:07pm (Eastern Time). We were with him at the end and he could hear us. My family got to surround him, hold him, and talk to him while he passed.

We are trying to save the memories of my dad. So, something that would bring a lot of joy and comfort to my family is if you would post below a good memory or impression of my dad (even if you only knew him a little) and/or a prayer for my family or spiritual family.

Thank you for standing with me and my family.

From Dr. Joseph (at 1:36 PM on 6/24):

This is a sermon my sister preached 2wks that I thought was very powerful and reflects the heart God is calling us to have towards him in this time. I think if posted on the website a lot of people praying for my dad would really be encouraged.

6/24/21 – 7:24 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi all, unfortunately Dad’s situation has worsened overnight. His kidney function has deteriorated rapidly and his lab numbers are critical even after starting dialysis last night. His lungs are no longer able to get rid of enough carbon dioxide to keep his blood pH at a sustainable level. He is back on multiple pressors to keep his blood pressure up. They do not think he has much time left.

God we say your leadership is good. You give and you take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Even now, we ask you for healing, but not our will but Yours be done.

6/23/21 – 7:42 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Update from overnight: dad’s oxygen status last night was stable until this morning, pulse ox trended back down to low 80s and they had to increase his vent settings to 100%. His blood count (hemoglobin) is low so they will give him a blood transfusion to increase this. His white blood cell count has increased slightly, which they plan to watch for now but may be an indicator of infection. Also pray for his kidney function which has gone down slightly.

Thank you God for another day of life! The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear.

6/22/21 – 8:20 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Blessedly quiet night for dad after yesterday. No major changes in medications or ventilator, still 90% and 10 PEEP, pulse ox around 90%. Praise God for another day of life! Jesus break in with healing power as only you can.

6/21/21 – 7:57 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi all, a very busy morning for dad. Everything was all stable until 6am, his oxygen dropped from 91% to 78% suddenly, the nurse noticed a hissing sound from the breathing tube indicating a leak and they did end up finding that the balloon that secures the tube in the trachea had a tear meaning the ventilator pressures and volume was not getting adequately through the breathing tube into his lungs. A chest X-ray reportedly showed no other problems (and in fact maybe some improvement in the cloudiness in his lungs!), but the breathing tube had to be replaced emergently. In order to do so he had to be restarted back on a number of medications such as paralysis and blood pressure support, but praise God they were able to exchange it successfully. However just with the exchange and lack of vent support during the procedure, his ventilator settings are back at max 100%. His blood oxygen is back to around 90%. While not ideal, thank God the nurse was quick to identify the problem.

Things are still very tenuous, but thank you God for another day of life, another chance for Your healing work to be demonstrated! Yet will I praise Him.

6/20/21 – 9:09 AM

From Priscilla:

Yesterday we had a family meeting with the doctor. It was very difficult in that the doctor spent a good amount of time explaining that because his lungs have suffered such severe damage, dad (medically speaking) has a 0% chance of survival.

The doctor was extremely gracious and compassionate toward our family and said that he will not force us to pull life support. He is willing to continue to care for dad with his best effort. This is huge.

So, the Lord has given us more time for a miracle. It is only by a miracle that dad will live. His chances are 0%. A friend said something along the lines of “God works best when man is at 0%.” This is our prayer.

Please keep fighting with us and knocking on the doors of Heaven like the persistent widow. Luke 18 starts off the parable by saying “…And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” We covet your prayers. Thank you so much!

From Dr. Joseph:

Happy Father’s Day! Report on dad this morning was stable, no major changes, still on the same ventilator settings (90% and 10 PEEP), pulse ox around 87-88%. Thank you God for Dad, for another day of life. Thank you for another chance to be with him, to hold his hand and celebrate who he is and what he’s taught us, and to hope for your healing touch on his body. The doctors say there’s nothing else they can do, but Abba Father we know You can do all things. Please come swiftly, heal Dad!

From Priscilla Again:

The doctor said that as long as he is on the vent above 60% the high level of oxygen from the vent will burn his lungs (humans are designed to 21% oxygen in the air). Please pray that the Lord rapidly heals and that his lungs will be able to get off the 70%-100% vent settings.

6/19/21 – 11:36 AM

From Dr. Joseph:

A bit of a rough night for dad, his blood pressure was a little low so they decreased his sedation and had to start a little bit of pressor support. Stable now but since his sedation was down he was fighting the ventilator a little more and they had to increased his O2 from 80% to 100% overnight. His PEEP is still at 10. Let’s pray that he can get back to where he was last night before the family meeting this afternoon.

Thank you Jesus for another day of life! Sunshine or shadow, blessed be the name of the Lord.

From Priscilla:

We are having a family talk with the doctor now. Please pray they will not give up on him.

6/18/21 – 6:15 AM

From Dr. Joseph:

No major changes for dad overnight, he’s still the same ventilator settings, 80% oxygen and 12 PEEP. His oxygen saturation dropped a little bit down to 85-88%. Bloodwork is all OK. Let’s continue to fast and pray God heals his lungs!

From Priscilla:

The doctors want to have a sit down talk with me and my family this Saturday. We are thinking they want to seriously talk about pulling life support. Please pray for some major improvements today so that the docs won’t give up on him.

6/17/21 – 6:54 AM – from Dr. Joseph

No major changes for dad overnight, they went down on his sedation because his blood pressure was a little low. Otherwise labs and bloodwork are stable. Chest tube hasn’t put out very much fluid after the initial 1 liter. His ventilator settings are about the same, 80% FiO2 and 12 PEEP, with pulse oximeter around 88-90% overnight. Let’s continue to fast and pray for God to heal his lungs!

6/16/21 – 9:20 PM – from David Tai

We will come together on Thursday, 6/17 at 12 PM (U.S. Central Time) to intercede in one spirit on behalf of the Wan family and Pastor Wan. You can join us over zoom with the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6992360838?pwd=SldXeHpFVWE4MnhCU3lvY0NpRzlQQT09

6/16/21 – 6:26 AM – from Priscilla

Yesterday they removed about a liter of fluid surrounding my dad’s lungs in hopes of creating more space for his lungs. Unfortunately, it caused a stirring up in his lungs that made his blood oxygen levels drop to dangerous levels and the need for his vent to go back up to 100%. Praise the Lord that he is stable again, but the vent is now doing 90% of the breathing for him. The doctors once again talked to us about how they don’t think dad will survive but that they will keep trying if we want. Please continue to contend for a miracle. Pray for new, fresh lungs. Pray that the parts of his lungs that are inflamed, scarred, or dead would mend and be reanimated. Thank you!

Pray also against the decree of death. We believe in the God of healing.

6/16/21 – 6:21 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Good morning! No major changes for dad overnight, they did wean off his pressors but had to increase his sedation even more because of some agitation. Vent settings about the same, 90% and PEEP 10, pulse ox around 91%.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, He is faithful.

Thank you Jesus for another day of life!

Love you guys.

6/15/21 – Received on Morning of 6/16

From Dr. Joseph:

Hi guys, I just got a call back. They had some neurologic changes for dad this morning, so they sent him for a stat head CT to look at his brain, he just got back. Unfortunately with moving him for the scans his oxygen dipped down again, his pulse ox is around 83% on 100% O2. They were planning on the bronchoscopy this afternoon but need his oxygen to get better first.

Let’s all keep praying and fasting. God break in.

Dr. Joseph a little later…

Praise God I just looked at the head CT report, I think mostly looks ok/stable, hopefully the neurologic changes this morning are just sedation related.

From Priscilla:

They have dad back on 100% oxygen on the vent but can’t get his pulse ox up. Please pray.

6/15/21 – 6:17 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi all, no update yet from the overnight nurse. However the plan I received from the ICU attending physician last night was they are planning to do a bedside scope of Dad’s lungs today to try and get some samples. The CT scan yesterday showed severe inflammation and some pockets of air called cavitations in the bottom of his left lung. This could be because of bacterial or fungal infection and a sample would help guide treatment. He will have to receive paralysis medication to do so, and they may consider trying another round of proning as well. Continue to pray for God to heal Dad’s lungs, for protection during the procedure, and for wisdom for the hospital team on how to best treat him with all the unknowns.

6/13/21 – 5:49 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Praise God, another quiet night for Dad. His blood pressure and other vitals are good, his bloodwork is all good. His pulse ox was around 94% overnight on vent settings of 100% FiO2 and PEEP 13, so hopefully they can again start to wean those vent settings down. It seems his oxygenation does good at night but then worse during the daytime when he’s more awake and interactive so they had given him more sedation yesterday during the day and asked us to try and let him rest more during the day. Since his oxygenation was good overnight they did not have to try and partially prone him which they had been thinking of doing.

Continuing to pray for Dad’s lungs to recover quickly and for them to be able to wean the ventilator, protection against infections and other complications of being in the ICU and on the ventilator, and against any further set backs.

Thank you Jesus for another day of life!

6/12/21 – 5:33 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi all, no changes for dad overnight, praise God for a stable night. No changes to medications, all his bloodwork looks good. Yesterday afternoon they had to increase his ventilator settings from 70% FiO2 back up to 90%, and he has done well there and pulse ox shows low 90s overnight which is better than the high 80s yesterday evening. His chest X-ray yesterday still showed stable findings consistent with COVID pneumonia/ARDS. We continue to pray for improvement in his lung function and resolution of the acute respiratory distress syndrome, and that next time they get a chest X-ray it will be completely clear. Thank you Jesus for another day of life for dad!

6/11/21 – 7:00 AM – from Dr. Joseph

No major changes overnight. Dad’s blood pressure does still seem to go up and down quite a bit, so they’re working to figure out what level of sedation and pain medication to balance at. From a breathing standpoint he is holding level (pulse ox around 88-90%) at the same ventilator settings as last night, 85% FiO2 and 13 PEEP. All his blood work looks good, although no new blood gas yet today.

Continuing to pray for his lungs to recover, for stability of his blood pressure. Thank you God for another day of life.

Priscilla’s comment on pulse ox:

Just an fyi, anything lower than 85% is not sustainable for his vitals organs. What we want is over 90%.

6/10/21 – 12:38 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Yesterday the doctors told us to begin preparing to withdraw care as dad was likely to pass soon. Dad was on maximum ventilator settings and still not holding adequate oxygen saturation and it was only getting worse and there was nothing else they could do. However last night his oxygen saturation started to suddenly improve and they were even able to turn down his ventilator settings for the first time in days this morning! The doctors are surprised and still cautioning as they are not sure why the sudden turn around as nothing really changed from a treatment standpoint. He is still very sick but this is a miraculous improvement as his oxygen saturation was at a low level incompatible with sustaining vital organ function just yesterday. We are continuing to pray and believe in a miraculous healing and recovery and thanking God for another day of life!

6/10/21 – 12:20 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Update 1 from Joseph at 9am:
Update overnight, the nurse was able to wean dad’s pressors (blood pressure support) medications off completely as well as decrease his sedation, apparently he is awake enough to nod and respond again! His pulse ox has gone up to 94-96%! He is still on maximum ventilator settings, but that is a significant change from 82-83% yesterday. We continue to contend for a miracle, and will see what the doctors say today as yesterday they did not think he was going to last long. Waiting to see what his blood gas shows, this will be the best indication of how his lungs are truly doing!

(A little later update):
I just looked up dad’s labs online! His blood gas they just sent at 8am shows improvements in all categories compared to yesterday. This is very much miraculous, they predicted he would continue to decline. It appears based on the lab report that they were even able to slightly decrease his vent settings from 100% to 95% O2 and PEEP from 15 to 13, although they told me the settings were the same overnight so I’m not sure if they were mistaken this AM or if they changed them after 6am. Either way, Praise God!

6/9/21 – 9:12 AM – from Priscilla

Unfortunately, we got the call from the covid ICU that their last attempt with Dad on the vent failed. There is nothing left they can do. They lifted visitation limits so we can come in. Even now I believe God can heal. Please pray with us for a last minute breaking in of power. Thank you.

6/9/21 – 6:48 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi guys, unfortunately overnight proning did not go well, Dad’s oxygen got worse in the prone position. He is back to regular position on his back, oxygen saturation is at 85% on maximum vent settings. Keep praying that God will move to heal his lungs now, to open up lost alveoli.

6/8/21 – 3:03 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Just got a call, they are going to have to put another central line in dad and paralyze/sedate him again for proning.

6/8/21 – 2:18 PM – from Dr. Joseph

I just got off the phone with the ICU doctor, things are very tenuous with dad now, oxygen much worse, back on pressors. Everyone let’s pray.

6/8/21 – 11:34 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Johnny and mom are at the hospital now. They just updated Johnny that they are putting dad back on the previous ventilator mode (called APRV) he was on initially after he was in prone position. This is the aggressive mode to open up more alveoli with more sustained ventilator pressure. Right now the mode he is on is less aggressive (called Pressure Control). I’m only guessing, but suspect unfortunately his lungs couldn’t keep up with the aggressive vent wean and the alveoli that were open closed up, which explains the chest X-ray findings and increasing oxygen needs yesterday. Plan is to start over and go slower.

6/8/21 – 10:36 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Unfortunately I got a message from dad’s online medical record, his Chest X-ray they got today looks worse than before. Let’s all keep praying for wisdom for the doctors on what to do next and for God to move in miraculous healing. Fasting and praying.

6/7/21 – 7:14 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Good morning! Update from overnight, no major changes, dad had a few episodes where his blood pressure drops when he is sleeping, they are not quite sure why, no signs of infection and when they wake him it seems to go back to normal rapidly. May be partly related to how much lasix (diuretic) he has received to reduce the swelling in his hands and feet. He hasn’t needed any medication for it, they are just keeping an eye on it for now.

His bloodwork looks good, kidney function is almost back to completely normal which is an answer to prayer!

No changes overnight on the ventilator, the surgery team saw him again this morning and said he is still not quite improved enough for the tracheostomy, they would like to see his settings on the ventilator improve some more. At his current rate of progress weaning the vent that would be later in the week.

Please pray for another day of rest and healing for dad, protection against infection and other complications which are a daily threat from just being in the ICU, relief from pain and discomfort from the breathing tube, and rapid recovery and restoration of his lungs.

6/5/21 – 7:30 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Got a good report from the nurse overnight, praise God he is off the IV medication for Afib (amiodarone) and his heart rate is normal! They are giving him more lasix (diuretic) to try and reduce his overall edema in anticipation of likely a tracheostomy and gastric tube next week.

The tracheostomy is a different type of breathing tube that is a small surgical procedure to route the tube through his neck directly into his trachea instead of through his mouth. While a small surgery, since he is still very sick every minor surgery is very risky for dad. However this would have a number of benefits: it would be more comfortable (since not going through the mouth), it would have less risks of infection and other complications of the tube he has currently through the mouth (called an endotracheal tube or ETT), it makes it safer and easier to wean off the breathing tube eventually, and there is some good data out that placing the tracheostomy early for covid patients (~10 days after intubation) helps reduce overall length of hospital stay and may help improve chances of weaning off the ventilator. In the past before covid, tracheostomy was typically not performed until 2 or 3 weeks after intubation if someone still needed a ventilator.

The gastric tube (PEG or g tube) is similar idea, instead of the feeding tube from his mouth to his stomach (orogastric tube, g tube), this would be directly into his stomach and would be more comfortable so less tubes in his mouth. In order to go forward with the tubes they would like to see his numbers on the ventilator improve first. The two they are looking at primarily are the concentration of oxygen being pumped (called FiO2) being closer to 30% (he is at 60%) and pressure the vent is giving (something called PEEP) closer to 5-8 cmH2o (he is at 15).

The nurse said, “but hopefully he improves and doesn’t need either surgery!” And that is exactly what we have been praying for, amen and amen!

All his blood work looks good, kidney function remains ok (creatinine 1.4) and his last ABG (blood markers for his lung function) were perfect so they’re going to try to wean the vent settings again today.

6/4/21 – 8:27 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Just got an update, no major changes overnight. His white blood cell count (blood marker for inflammation/infection) is down to 5 which is normal, his creatinine (marker for kidney function) is down to 1.4 which is great (normal was 0.9 for him). He was still uncomfortable overnight so they added a medication called precedex which is a short term sedation to help let him rest overnight and they’ll take it off this morning. His central line (large IV) and arterial line were removed which are good steps, less sources for infection, although makes it a little tougher for them to get quick updated blood tests and ABGs.

The drains they place in the air pockets under the skin seem to have helped but there was some bleeding from the incisions but the surgeon came back to look at them and said it was ok and they seem to be slowing down.

Praying today for dad to be comfortable, for the Afib to resolve, and for continued progress on weaning the ventilator.

The weaning off the vent is the hardest part of the process. If unsuccessful it can cause the alveoli in his lungs to collapse. Another option is to go for a tracheostomy. Still a dangerous route, but with a slightly higher rate of survival. We are hoping the vent weaning will be successful so he does not need a tracheostomy.

6/3/21 – from Sister Ann (David’s Wife)

Just to let my family knows that with His mercy, I am well and sound. Alleluia!!! In fact, I am with David at hospital now. It would take a big miracle to get him out of that bed. But I know that we’re are serving a great big God and He is good all the time. Thank you for continuing to pray and know that nothing is impossible in Him. Love you all.

6/3/21 – 8:53 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Just talked with Jeh and the Cardiothoracic Surgeon, he does not think the pneumomediastinum (air in the central chest around the esophagus and trachea) needs surgery, just observation. However the air pockets just below the skin around Dad’s neck and upper chest could be drained with a small bedside procedure to place small suction drains. They will proceed with this today. Although a relatively minor procedure Dad is still very sick so any procedure is risky.

6/3/21 – 6:24 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Good morning, just got an update from overnight, no major events. Dad’s afib (irregular heart rate) did return so they had to turn up his IV medication which is helping to control it (amiodarone), heart rate is around 120. Blood pressure has come down to normal after increasing his sedation medication (fentanyl). No further fevers on the antibiotics and his white blood cell count has normalized. His creatinine (blood marker for kidney function) has continued to improve, 1.9 from 2.1 so that is good to see. Hoping and praying for another quiet day today so dad can continue to rest and heal.

Continue to pray for the AFib to resolve and stability for his heart rate, for full restoration of his kidney function, for improvement in the air pockets in his chest, and for his lungs to continue to heal so that they can continue to turn down the ventilator requirements!

6/2/21 – 8:47 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Got an update with Johnny and one of the night doctors. Dad’s heart rate is stable on an IV medication called amiodarone. His blood pressure is actually high now surprisingly. As such he remains off pressors. His sedation has weaned to the point that he clearly responds to voice which is encouraging. The doctor explained that the escaped air found on CT was around the center part of his chest, not around his lungs. This is called pneumomediastinum. Hopefully this can just be observed, they are getting some repeat imaging tomorrow to be sure it isn’t getting worse and turned down the pressure on his ventilator. This escaped air has been observed in a number of COVID patients, suspected secondary to intense coughing or ventilator pressure, as the lung tissue is weak and can leak air into the surrounding tissues.

Also they did find bacteria in his bloodstream, likely from his lungs and consistent with pneumonia. He has been getting strong antibiotics and hasn’t had any further fevers.

Praying he continues to be stable and for big strides in progress tomorrow!

6/2/21 – 2:34 PM – from John

Just got here. They put him on some drugs for the irregular heart beat and has been stable with his heart rate all day so far. CT scan showed lots of air in places it shouldn’t be. They’re consulting on if they can put some tubes in his chest area to get the air out. Oxygen is 94, percent oxygen given to him is 40%.

They’re consulting a radiologist to see if they can figure out what is the source of the air in his chest. From there, they’ll make a recommendation on what to do for the air.

6/2/21 – 7:03 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi guys, update on dad this morning, mostly good news, praise God! They were able to completely turn off the pressors (IV blood pressure support medications, levo) overnight! Also his kidney function improved slightly, his creatinine went from 2.5 to 2.1, a definite step in the right direction. God is answering prayer!

Dad is still very sick, and a new problem has arisen, his heart rate continues to jump up into the 130 and 140s, and they did another EKG test overnight (kind of like a seismograph measuring heart electrical signals instead of earthquake tremors) shows a heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation (A-fib). This is not an uncommon development in very sick patients and can mostly be managed with medications, but Afib can increase risk of blot clots which is already a concern. They’ve tried a few medications to try and break the abnormal heart rhythm with only temporary success and then it returns. They are very hesitant to use blood thinners for him given his history of brain bleed. Plan is to get a head CT today to reevaluate if any hematoma remains from his prior brain bleed from the fall he had last year. Also still waiting on a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) to evaluate if the heart is straining, possibly due to a blood clot in the lungs. Amazingly his blood pressure has been stable despite no pressor support and despite the AFib which can sometimes drop blood pressure.

Thank you Jesus for the small but certain steps forward, we praise you for the improvements in his kidneys, for stability in his blood pressure.

Continue to pray for full healing of his kidneys. Pray that his imaging today would all be negative. Pray that God gives the doctors wisdom on how to navigate treating his Afib, as they have to walk the balance between risk of blood clots and risk of brain bleeding. Pray that God would calm his heart beat, just like he has already done with his blood pressure.

6/1/21 – 7:53 PM – from Dr. Joseph

I had an update from Ben (the nurse) about 2 hrs ago, was in the middle of surgery so couldn’t talk to him long, but from what I understand they were able to actually wean down his sedation and pressors quite a bit, and is now on 50% oxygen (up from 40% to stabilize heart rhythm), so some improvements. His kidney function continues to take hits, his creatinine is now up to 2.5, definitely need to pray hard into his kidneys to recover. He also had a 1x fever, like Jeh said earlier maybe a pneumonia, they have sent off repeat cultures.

“Pressors” are medications that are maintaining his blood pressure. But they also damage his kidneys. So that is why we are asking the Lord to heal dad’s kidneys but to also get him off the pressors asap.

6/1/21 – 7:50 PM – from Priscilla

Johnny just messaged again and they think they have stabilized it. What a quick response to prayer! Thank you.

6/1/21 – 7:44 PM – from Priscilla

Johnny just called, he’s in the room with Dad. Dad is having some irregular heart rhythms, reportedly appears otherwise comfortable, they are going to get an ekg and see if he needs an electric cardioversion which is where they send an electrical shock through to heart to reset the rhythm, pray that it resolves on its own.

6/1/21 – 6:06 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hi guys, just got an update from overnight, praise God, Dad’s vitals were stable overnight and they were able to even wean down one of his IV blood pressure support medications (he’s still on 2). He’s still on IV sedation.

Breathing wise no major changes on the ventilator, stable at the same settings.

They did end up starting him on IV antibiotics and his white blood cell count (WBC, blood marker for inflammation) came down from 11 to 5 which is good.
His kidneys are still suffering a little, his creatinine (blood marker for renal function, normal for him was 0.9) is now up to 1.9, again not super bad but be praying for it to stabilize and improve.

Continue to pray for stabilization of his vitals, for his lungs and kidneys to recover, for wisdom for the doctors and nurses to identify and solve all the various issues, and for God’s healing power to touch him.

5/31/21 – 8:41 PM – from Priscilla

Thanks for the prayer. His blood pressure was dropping rapidly and they were able to stabilize my dad. He is still in a very vulnerable state. Please continue to pray for

1. Stable blood pressure, heart rate, and no infections.
2. Also pray that they would be able to wean him off the sedation medications and that they would not damage his kidneys.
3. They would be able to slowly lower the vent oxygen levels.
4. The air inflation of his throat and chest tissue would be able to be fixed.
5. He would have peace and not be anxious. My entire family would have peace as well.

5/31/21 – 4:05 PM – from Priscilla

His blood pressure is dropping right now. Docs and nurses are moving around the room to try to stop it. Please keep praying.

They are doing a lot in the next 6 hours that are vital. Please pray for blood pressure stabilization. Also his neck and chest tissue is filling up with air like a balloon, possibly from a hole in his esophagus or high vent pressure. Not sure. Pray doctors and nurses will have the wisdom to fix that. Also his heart rate and bp are just going up and down like a rollercoaster every slight move or change in med dosage. Please continue to fight with us in prayer. Thanks

5/31/21 – 2:29 PM – from Priscilla

Just spoke with the doctor. Dad’s blood pressure is very very sensitive to movement. They want a certain blood pressure to match the sedation so he can be weaned off the meds. However they cannot yet. They are trying to figure out why his heart is beating so fast. They ruled out infection. Ruled out heart electrical problems. Looking into blood clot. Doctor told me “honestly another reason, and I don’t think he is there yet and I don’t want him to get there, is that his body is just not coping with the disease.”

They are going to take an X-ray to see if the tubes are lined up ok in dad to see if anything is off. Also they are going to mix some antianxiety meds to see if reducing anxiety will lower the high blood pressure and heart beat. They will also add an inhaled med to open up the lung blood vessels to get more exchange happening.

Pray for his blood pressure to stabilize. His heart to be at a good rhythm. For him to be able to get off all the meds quickly. Jesus, heal Him quickly!

5/31/21 – 5:58 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Just got an update from the hospital, overnight dad‘s blood pressure did go down a little bit so they had to increase his medication to help support his blood pressure. The sedation he is in on causes low blood pressure.

His bloodwork also showed that his white blood cell count has gone up to 11, which is a sign of inflammation and can be a sign of infection. They are doing some tests to see if there may be secondary infection anywhere else in his body which can happen in the ICU.

His kidney function has also continued to decline slightly, his creatinine bloodwork which is a marker of kidney function (lower is better and his normal is around 0.9). This is not terribly high and perhaps not unexpected given some of the medication he has received, but they are going to give him some fluid through his IV to see if this helps stimulate his kidney function to improve.

From a breathing standpoint everything is stable and hopefully they can continue to make moves to decrease the ventilator settings today.

Pray for his blood pressure to remain stable, pray for his kidneys to recover, pray for protection against infection while he is in the ICU, and pray for continued swift recovery of his lungs for God to finish what he started and heal dad completely!

5/30/21 – 10:10 PM – from Priscilla

5/30/21 – 9:08 PM – from Priscilla

Everyone’s prayers are truly working. Even his ICU Nurse (who was there since covid started last year) said that when she saw dad get on the vent and start to decline, she had seen this before and thought that he was surely a goner. But even she said she is IN AWE AND SO SURPRISED that he is making a comeback. Please please keep praying. He is still not off the vent yet, and the vent is the place of high danger. The longer he is on there the higher the risk. So, he’s not out of the woods yet, but we are so encouraged that our prayers and the prayers of hundreds of saints around the world are working. So please please please don’t stop. Keep praying with us. Please keep fighting with us for every step. Thank you

5/30/21 – 9:05 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Praise God they turned his sedation completely off briefly to test his reflexes and he has response all 4 extremities which suggests no brain damage. He grimaced and moved and opened his eyes briefly!

They were successfully able to place the tube from his mouth to his stomach so he can get nutrition. He is now on low levels of sedation and the next step is for his ventilator settings to be weaned down to the point where he is now 100% reliant on the vent to do all the work of his breathing, instead he can initiate the breaths himself and the vent only helps him a little. Then they can try to turn the sedation off completely and see if the tube can come out!

Also correction, it was not his liver but his kidney that sustained a little damage. We are praying it is not permanent.

5/30/21 – 1:42 PM – from Priscilla

I made a little graphic to help people understand the journey he needs to take for healing…

He made little step forward last night so we are so thankful to the Lord and for all the prayers. We ask that everyone keep fighting in prayer for each step.

5/30/21 – 12:36 PM – from Priscilla

It’s (last night’s turn) definitely a positive step in the right direction. Strictly medically speaking the odds are still against him. Maybe 20% survival.

The longer he is on the vent the more the risk of vitals shutting down. The vent is very harsh on the body. A lot of tubes are going in and out of him right now. Tubes in his arm (arterial line), nose to stomach, mouth to lung, central line to his vena cava (by his heart), in his bladder, etc. All openings are a risk for infection. Also with all the meds being put in his blood his liver is at risk of damage. It looks like it has already sustained some damage but we are asking the Lord that it is not permanent. With him being sedated and paralyzed it is hard to tell if there is damage happening in his body. Is there brain damage? Stomach damage? Heart damage? Can’t tell. Can only pray. Thank you

5/30/21 – 7:54 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hey guys!! Praise report: Just got an update, dad did great last night supine (on his back), P/F ratio in the 300s! Previously when they had tried to return him to supine he had dropped to 130, so this is definitely a step in the right direction, praise God! They are going to try to stop his paralytic next. His kidney function took a small hit: his creatinine (blood marker for kidney function, normal for him was 0.9) went up to 1.5 (higher is worse), not too terrible and not unexpected with the medications he’s receiving, but pray no further damage. They’re having a little trouble feeding him as the tube they were using through his nose to his stomach (NG tube) kept causing nose bleeds, and they tried to switch to a tube from his mouth to his stomach (OG tube) was unsuccessful. They are going to have a specialist team try, so pray for success so he can receive nutrition. Keep praying, he’s still in a very tough spot, but God is answering prayer!

5/29/21 – 5:57 PM – from Dr. Joseph

Just got an update, dad did well with pronation again, P/F ratio 286, so they will try to flip him around onto his back again tonight and praying his ratio stays good. They are also trying some different ventilator settings which seem to be helping.

5/29/21 – 6:59 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hey everyone, update on dad, unfortunately didn’t tolerate returning to supine position (laying on his back), his ABG showed his P/F drop to 130. They had to turn his oxygen back to 100%. The goal is P/F at least >150 so eventually they turned him prone again (on his stomach). P/F went back up to 160 and hopefully will continue to improve back to where he was last night. They usually only keep prone for 16hrs as it’s a hard position for patients, can also lead to skin tears more easily than supine (back) position. Also every time he gets turned it’s hard on his body, his blood pressure drops. They will continue to check ABGs every 4hrs or so. Keep praying that his lungs can recover, and that the ICU can slowly reduce these interventions step by step: he can hold good oxygenation without proning, then without muscle paralyzers, then without sedation, and then finally without the breathing tube and ventilator at all.

5/29/21 – 12:01 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Praise report, Dad is stable in the ICU, and they were able to wean his oxygen concentration from 95 to 50 (this is the F in the P/F Ratio). This is a pretty big jump and improvement from where he was last night. They are planning to turn him back from prone (on his stomach) to regular position tonight. They had him proned yesterday because he still wasn’t doing well on the ventilator initially and prone position has been shown to help. He is still sedated and muscle paralyzed. Pray that when he is turned back to regular position that he is still able to maintain a good P/F ratio. Pray his lungs recover on the ventilator. Pray against infection, he has many tubes in his blood vessels, lungs, stomach, etc that are all sources for possible bacteria to enter. He is still very sick and medically speaking has received every standard treatment for COVID at this point.

5/28/21 – 7:19 AM – from David Tai

Dr. Joseph kindly asks everyone to please hold off calling Mrs. Wan on her cell phone at this time…

Also I realized not a lot of people realize my mom also has covid. She is at home and much better than my dad, but still has 101-102 fever so if you would please ask people to stop calling her phone that would be amazing! Lol! She is getting a lot of calls from people (esp Chinese people) but she needs to sleep and rest. She has her phone on so she can receive calls from her kids and updates about dad. But she wakes up every time someone calls and a lot of people have been calling her. But it would be great if everyone would give her some time and space to heal.

If you see this note, please forward it to others.

From the precarious moments yesterday to the current peace, we give thanks in all circumstances. The power of Jesus’ body coming together is truly an amazing testimony.

5/28/21 – 6:44 AM – from Dr. Joseph

Hey guys, the nurse for dad overnight said no major changes. They did end up having to give him muscle relaxation. In addition placed him in prone position. His oxygen numbers/ABG which stands for arterial blood gas, this is the number used to follow his respiratory status. The ABG blood gas gives us many numbers, but the important number to know there’s something called the P/F ratio. P is how much oxygen is truly in his blood. F is how much oxygen that they’re giving him through the vent. Higher is better, it means more of the oxygen is getting into his bloodstream from what is going into his lungs. The goal number is greater than 150. Dad was initially in the 120s after intubation so they gave him the muscle relaxation, still didn’t quite get him where he needed to be, so they put him in prone position and the last ABG was P/F 220 which is a much better number so hopefully they can turn down some of the oxygen which is the F. Let’s keep hoping and praying in the Lord.

5/27/21 – 3:27 PM – from Priscilla

My dad is intubated. His blood pressure dropped a lot because of the sedation but they were able to stabilize it. They said within a couple days they will have a better idea of whether “by a miracle” (as the doctor says) he gets better.

This will be our only time to visit him for a while. So, we are taking in ever moment. My family is definitely hurting, but our eyes and hope are still on Jesus. My mom is doing well and is still full of faith as always.

We are thankful to the Lord that we were able to talk to him and comfort him. We were able to pray for him and speak courage into his heart before he went under. One of the last words of wisdom he said before he went under was when he saw me stressing over what can be done to heal him quickly and he said “The long way is ok.” Thank you for your prayers.

5/27/21 – 1:17 PM – from David Tai

Pastor David’s children were able to visit and speak with him right before the intubation procedure. Joseph made it to the ICU room from Dayton about 15 minutes before hand. Priscilla sent out the following from the hospital just as we began our noon prayer time:

Please pray. They just intubated him a moment ago but he is having difficulty holding his pressure. A lot of doctors and nurses going in and out of his room right now trying to save him.

Please continue to lift up our brother in prayer in this critical juncture. There is nothing more important than the heart of the saints coming together in one spirit.

Please also especially lift up Mrs. Wan, who must stay at home for her recovery from Covid.

5/27/21 – 8:51 AM – from Priscilla

Hi friends. Just got a call a moment ago. They plan to intubate him today. We haven’t been able to see or talk to him in two weeks but they are finally letting us see him today before the intubation. We are headed to the hospital. Joseph, my brother, left work and is driving back from Dayton. Please continue prayers. Esp pray for my dad’s will to fight. He is tired. Even now Jesus can break in.

5/27/21 – 7:16 AM – from Priscilla

Just spoke with the ICU nurse, no major changes for dad, oxygenation is still not good and they did have to add a device called a nonrebreather for him overnight because he was dropping his saturation. Definitely still tenuous and at the doorstep of intubation. Thanks for your prayers! It means so much to all of us.

We are hoping to see him. We have not been able to see him or talk to him since his hospitalization. But yesterday my brother talked to a nurse who is going to fight for us three kids to be able to see him. So please pray for favor to see him and also that his heart would be lifted and he would be encouraged and strengthened to keep fighting for life.

5/26/21 – 1:23 PM – from Priscilla

This is a text I am sending out to every prayer friend I have. Thank you: Please please pray for my dad. He has been in the ICU for about 2 weeks on high levels of oxygen, unable to sleep or lie down, and today his oxygen level dropped dangerously low and he will likely need a breathing machine. The odds of him being able to come off of the ventilator are not in his favor. We are asking the Lord that this does not end in death. It would really mean the world to me and my family if you would be contending in prayer with us. I really would love the Lord to give us more years with him, but we ultimately trust the Lord’s leadership. Thank you.