Help John Nossal Get Home Safely

Many of you have been following Dad's recovery and faithfully praying for him since Sept. 14 when he fell in the shower while on vacation here in Maine. We are in absolute awe of the way God has worked through everyone's prayers to cause him to make it through four rib fractures, two fractured lumbar vertebrae, a punctured lung, a collapsed lung (his only lung), accidental over-sedation, intubation, a medically-induced coma, aspiration pneumonia, transportation by helicopter to Maine Med here in Portland, severe malnutrition due to not being to eat or drink anything since Sept. 13, another collapsed lung (due to a complication of a second PICC line procedure), and finally, a PEG (food) tube. He has truly come so far and has made it through so much in 6 weeks, all by God's grace!

While we are thrilled about his progress, my mom and I have been feeling very anxious about how we will transport him back home to Virginia, since he only has four days left in rehab. We have been wondering how we would be able to help him into a public bathroom and support him enough to feel comfortable, what we would do if his blood pressure dropped while on the road, how we could manage the food tube, and the effect sitting in a car would have on his body after lying in bed for so many weeks. Another concern is the possibility of a blood clot, since he is not used to sitting upright for very long. (He is currently receiving a blood thinner shot daily to prevent clotting.) Lastly, the journey in our vehicle would be very uncomfortable for Dad because he'd need to wear his brace the entire trip and he can barely tolerate it in small doses at the moment. So, these are just a few of the reasons why Mom and I have been feeling unsettled about the journey home. He's come so far, but he's still quite weak and fragile, and we certainly don't want to be responsible for another setback.

Of course, God in His wisdom, love, and kindness knew what we were thinking and feeling, and prompted one of Dad's college friends to reach out. This kind soul said that he and Dad's fraternity buddies wanted to pitch in to help to pay for a medical ambulance (long distance ground transportation), so Dad can have a medical professional attend to him throughout the 11+ hour drive home. (Unfortunately, because his only lung is still healing, the doctors say that he is unable to fly home.) My mom and I were so touched by his friends' kindness and, the more we thought and prayed about it, we felt like this was a good idea. (Dad's case worker, Danette, also agreed that it would be wise.)

So, yesterday, I called and emailed several nationwide non-emergency ground transportation services and received a few quotes. It is expensive, $5440 to be exact, which is much more than we had anticipated. If we hadn't already exhausted so much of our savings on lodging (even with a significant discount), it wouldn't feel so overwhelming. So, it's for this reason that we thought we'd put it out there to see if anyone felt led to contribute.

We never expected that we'd need to take Dad home by ambulance, but we feel that it's prudent, since he's already come so far and we don't want to have any regrets about this last step in his journey. If my mom or I were skilled medical professionals, it would be a different story. With this service, he would literally be taken "bed to bed," which would be an enormous blessing and comfort to our whole family. Dad wants to go home.

Lastly, please don't feel one ounce of pressure to give. Honestly, the continual outpouring of your love, kindness, and encouragement has been the greatest blessing, a wonderful source of comfort, and more than enough. We know that God will provide one way or another for our every need. This is simply an opportunity if you feel led to give.

Thanks so very much and may God bless you each, as you have each been such an enormous blessing to us,

Laura on behalf of the whole Nossal family