Hospital Visit

This Sunday, we went to the hospital. We were going to visit the husband of one of the nannies who works at the foster home. This man has come down with some sort of disease or disorder or condition... it is all very vague; some of it is lost in translation; some of it is not understood by these doctors. No one really knows whether it is a virus or an infection or some sort of disorder, but whatever it is, it is affecting his brain. It started with a headache, and in the course of a few weeks, progressed to the point where he is now... lying in a bed, unresponsive, and constantly seizing. He's being fed through a tube, and the doctors have given up hope. They've told his wife to prepare for the fact that he will die. He is not a believer, though his wife is... please hold him up.

I share this story not only to ask for your thoughts for this man... but also to tell you about our experience in what we were told is the top neurology hospital in Beijing (and therefore, one of the top in China). In his ward, there were 6 patients in one room. Everyone has a family member who attends to them, as the nurses on duty just come in periodically to monitor vital signs. This man had nothing hooked up to him other than a feeding tube. It was unlike any hospital I've been in the states, where the rooms are humming with machines monitoring numerous body functions. I was really saddened by the lack of equipment... I couldn't help wondering if it would be so "hopeless" if he were in the states...

Jacob and I agreed we've never seen anyone in a condition like him... it was quite disturbing, as he was shaking the whole time we were there. The eerie thing was, he could make eye contact... I sort of wonder if he is simply trapped inside. Please keep him in your thoughts.

I would have taken pictures to share with you... but it seemed disrespectful.