Please pray, think good thoughts, whatever you do, please do it..

Hey guys, I know this is completely unrelated to snakes, lizards, whatever, but over my short time here I've felt like this place and the people here really care about each other and what goes on in their lives.. Anyways, because of that, I am asking for prayers, good wishes, whatever it is that you do in a time of need.. I work with the youth at my church, and one of our kids was injured tonight during a soccer game.. He was lifeflighted to the hospital and he is currently in emergency surgery because he has swelling in his brain, and they are trying to relieve the pressure.. He is 14 and an awesome young man.. I'd really appreciate it.. I know not everyone has faith and prays, but anything is welcome!

*sends all the good vibes she can*

I hope he recovers well. The brain is an incredible organ that is more resilient than we think.

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

*sends all the good vibes she can*

I hope he recovers well. The brain is an incredible organ that is more resilient than we think.

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Thank you so much!!

Sending prayers and good wishes for the boy.

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

Sending prayers and good wishes for the boy.

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Thanks so much.. I am such a believer in prayer chains.. I'm really proud of how the rest of the kids have rallied together sending updates, prayed, and lifted each other up.. They are a tight knit group of kids, and they're taking this really hard.. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow.. I doubt I'll be able to see him, but hopefully I'll find some good news out.

I'll be praying for him! It's so scary when a kid gets hurt... I hope everything goes well!

no worries he will be fine...:gj:

He's in my prayers. God bless him and I hope he pulls through.

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Originally Posted by majorleaguereptiles

He's in my prayers. God bless him and I hope he pulls through.

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Me, too.. I don't know much about anything medical, but they originally thought he broke his neck, but he didn't and just has the brain swelling, and my dad said between the two, he has a better chance of full reovery with the brain swelling because had he broken his neck, he had the chance of being paralyzed.. It's all greek to me, lol, but he is in good hands at the best trauma hospital in the city and while I know it's all in God's hands, I still hope it's His will to bring him through to a full recovery.

Brain swelling is a very scary thing, but doctors these days are incredible.. I'm sure he is in very capable hands, both spiritually and physically! <3 He's got a lot of people sending him a lot of love and well wishes! I am praying for his family as well, hospitals will always be scary.

Update: He is out of surgery and they have a tube inserted to help with the swelling. It has gone down some, but he is now in a coma because of the injuries.

Medical induced comas are common with brain swelling injuries. The body is an amazing machine that can heal itself over time and rest. Prayers are with you and your youth group.

Prayer chain started

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Originally Posted by Monster Dodge

Medical induced comas are common with brain swelling injuries. The body is an amazing machine that can heal itself over time and rest. Prayers are with you and your youth group.

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It's not a medical induced coma, he has gone into a coma. I thought they just put him into a drug induced coma, but I just heard from the youth pastor who is at the hospital and he said no, the doctors did not put him into the coma. Thank you for the prayers everyone.

This young man and his family will be in my daily prayers.

They will probably keep him in the coma, whether it is medically induced or not, for a while.
Keeping the brain's activity levels low helps optimize and speed up healing.
It also makes it easier for them to take care of him and monitor him without risk of him hurting himself.
The catheter will help relieve the swelling, and they will be able to monitor the pressure in his brain (ICP or intracranial pressure). He probably rated low on the Glasgow scale, which means he had a pretty severe injury, especially if he was unable to regain consciousness.
I imagine they've done a decompressive craniectomy, which means they removed a piece of his skull to allow the brain to swell without becoming trapped against the skull itself.
If you get any word from the doctors on how he is doing, post it.
Right now it sounds like he will recover, but be warned, he will probably not be the same. :(
Depending on the side of his brain the injury was on, he could have lost some memory abilities, learning abilities, communication skills, etc. He may be a different person--brain injuries can change someone's personality.
Please keep us updated. I am not religious, but I'm hoping he's ok--the doctors know what they are doing.
I hope this helped. :) I want to be a nurse someday, so excuse any "doctor speak" i left in. :/

Thank you everyone for the prayers and good wishes.. I haven't heard any more news since late last night, so I'm hoping and praying that no news is good news, and if he's not any better, he is hopefully at least the same instead of worse.. I am getting ready to head to the hospital in just a few.

I hope that he only went into a coma for his body to "heal" itself, and he is out shortly. They said the next 24 hours is very critical on if he will make it, which was to be expected with an injury like this. I don't have any word on how the other player is doing, but I hope he is not severely injured as well. They were on opposing teams and apparently collided on the field, so this was just a "freak" accident.

Update: I just got back from the hospital, and was not able to see him. Because they don't want too much stimulation in the room, they are only allowing his parents in and they have occasionally allowed the youth pastor in as well. They are saying that medically they have done all that they can for him, and that while the swelling is decreasing rather rapidly, he still only has a slim chance. They are giving it 72 hours or so before they suspect they will be able to say the extent of his injuries. This kid is in need of a miracle right now. Medically, there is nothing else that can be done. That is his only chance at the moment. I am not going to class tonight because we are having a prayer service for him at church, and since I work so closely with the youth, I'm going to go be with the kids.

As for the other player, he was taken to the emergency room, but was released quickly, so praise God it's not both of them that are so critically injured.

Shellie, I'm not sure what the name of the surgery they did is, but all they did was put a tube in to drain the fluid and help reduce the swelling and pressure in his brain. He is in some of the best human hands he can be in, as definitley in the best spiritual ones as well.

I've prayed right now for strength and peace for his family...wisdom and sharpness for the doctors...and a miraculous healing for the young man. God IS in control.

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Originally Posted by JLC

I've prayed right now for strength and peace for his family...wisdom and sharpness for the doctors...and a miraculous healing for the young man. God IS in control.

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Thank you!

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Originally Posted by ShortStack

Update: I just got back from the hospital, and was not able to see him. Because they don't want too much stimulation in the room, they are only allowing his parents in and they have occasionally allowed the youth pastor in as well. They are saying that medically they have done all that they can for him, and that while the swelling is decreasing rather rapidly, he still only has a slim chance. They are giving it 72 hours or so before they suspect they will be able to say the extent of his injuries. This kid is in need of a miracle right now. Medically, there is nothing else that can be done. That is his only chance at the moment. I am not going to class tonight because we are having a prayer service for him at church, and since I work so closely with the youth, I'm going to go be with the kids.

As for the other player, he was taken to the emergency room, but was released quickly, so praise God it's not both of them that are so critically injured.

Shellie, I'm not sure what the name of the surgery they did is, but all they did was put a tube in to drain the fluid and help reduce the swelling and pressure in his brain. He is in some of the best human hands he can be in, as definitley in the best spiritual ones as well.

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Hope he gets better! I will be sending good vibes!

Oh no! How scary, I hope he recovers well...the family and this young person are in my thoughts all the way from Canada!

Thank you!

The latest update is that the swelling is still decreasing, but for the most part his condition is staying the same. The say that's good even though he's still considered to be in critical condition, because staying the same is better than him getting worse or going back and forth.

He will be in my thoughts, and I am wishing for the best.:please:

Sending prayers to that young man & his family for strength & healing. Please let us know how he's doing if you can.

Oh Nicki, I am so sorry to hear this. God is amazing and miraculous, but he tends to follow his own plan - its tough. (In my belief) We are all here with our arms wrapped around you as you traverse this very difficult situation. You are very strong, and your strength will be desperately needed in the hours and days ahead. The family and the youth really appreciate all that you are doing (even if they are not in a position to tell you). This young man sounds like a wonderful, compassionate and courageous human being, and he will have many prayers in his name.

My prayers go out to the entire community, who this young man's life and light, has brightened. Keep us updated as you can Nicki...

Oh my goodness ...this is just so terrible. You definetly have prayers coming from me and my family. I just cannot believe something like this happened on a soccer field. How incredibly scared the parents must be. I am so sorry that this child and his family are going through this. Please send them all of our well wishes and keep us updated on his condition.

Stay positive...he is young and strong and that will work in his favor!!

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Oh my goodness ...this is just so terrible. You definetly have prayers coming from me and my family. I just cannot believe something like this happened on a soccer field. How incredibly scared the parents must be. I am so sorry that this child and his family are going through this. Please send them all of our well wishes and keep us updated on his condition.

Stay positive...he is young and strong and that will work in his favor!!

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I know, everyone is still in shock. First he wanted to play football, but his mom said, no way.. too dangerous. Then he wanted to try boxing or mma, and she said, no way.. too dangerous. So he finally asked to play soccer, and she told him sure, that wasn't as dangerous. Now, the poor lady is blaming herself because she let him play. It was truly a freak accident. He was the goalie and the player on the opposing team was coming at him, he ducked, and got kicked in the back of the neck, and it cut the circulation off to his brain. He is very physically fit and strong for his age, so we are praying that really, really works in his favor and helps his body to heal itself quickly. He is one of those kids that never says anything bad about anyone, and is good friends with all the kids in the youth group. Not to mention he can cross reference scripture and knows the Bible better than most adults. Thank you again for the prayers and good wishes, yall.. It's so nice to know that there are prayers being lifted up for him not only in our church, city, state, but also all over the country.

Generally the "golden hour" following the injury to the brain is the most important in terms of medical operations. If he got in within about an hour, which it sounds like he did if he was air lifted, then that is good.
A coma is a strong predictor of a poor outcome, but semi accurate outcome prediction depends on other factors as well, which right now we don't know. I think it's best that we don't know--it would only depress most of us. Typically with severe TBI a person either dies, or recovers enough to live on their own--very few cases are in between those outcomes.
I am not religious, as I said before, but I know the doctors will do, and are doing, everything they can.
I'm sorry this happened. Tell the boy's mother it is not her fault...life is dangerous. She could no more have prevented this than she could have stopped his school bus crashing, him getting hit by a drunk driver, etc.
It was not her fault, it wasn't her choice. The circle of life isn't always kind, or fair--but it keeps going.
My best wishes go out to everyone who knew the boy, no matter little they knew him, and the boy himself.
:tears: I'm really, really sorry. Stories like this tug at my heart strings--everybody's heart strings...but we have to keep going, even when we don't want to. :(
Stay strong. Provide support when you can, and take care of yourself and your emotions when you need to.
:tears::tears::tears:
Shellie

For those on FB, we now have an "event" made for him.. You don't actually "attend" anything, but it's just a place to get prayers going, the word passed along, and some updates if we hear them.. Please join if you can, and keep inviting others.. Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/e...68796913167434

If for some reason you can't get that to work, add me and I will get you an invite in.. Here's my FB:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/p...?id=1462576730

Update: I talked to one of the guys in my Sunday School class who has been at the hospital most of the day, and he said there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the swelling did increase some, but they are working on getting it back down again. They have also found 2 places where he is bleeding on the brain, and they are trying to resolve that. I'm not sure what all they will/can do for that, but hopefully it's nothing serious.

GOOD NEWS: He was trying to MOVE! When I first heard that they was "flinching" when they moved his IV, I figured it was just some sort of reflex, but they have said they think he is trying to move. He has tried to pull away when they move the IV in his right arm, as well as tried to move his right leg, and some of his left side.

While he still needs prayers, God IS answering the ones that have been said so far, like we knew He would. Please join the FB event if you can to get the word out there even more(See my above post). The first link if the one for the event, and the other is for my FB page in case you cannot get access to the event for some reason.

Here are some news links:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content...BWshkQrgQ.cspx

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...191628&catid=3

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...1/792730365001

Hi Nicki ~

We started a prayer chain for him here in Minnesota...started yesterday. Let us know how he is doing when you can!

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Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

Hi Nicki ~

We started a prayer chain for him here in Minnesota...started yesterday. Let us know how he is doing when you can!

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Thank you! I just cannot believe how many people are joining in on this, but it's amazing :) It is working!

I am going to the hospital tomorrow, so I should have an update then.

I'm so sorry to hear this. :tears: My prayers are with him, his family, you and his friends in hopes he makes a full recovery.

Update: I just got home from the hospital and it seems that he is as stable as he can be, all things considering. His BP dropped really low earlier, but they gave him medicine to get it back up, but then the pressure in his brain went up as well, because as they raised one, the other went up and vice versa. It took them a while to find an okay balance, but they finally did. They also did a chest x-ray and saw some secretion and when they went in with a tube, they drew it out and sent it off to the lab. They think it is pneumonia setting in, but they said that wasn't too major and they expected something like that, so they will probably just give him antibiotics. As of right now, they plan on keeping him in the medically induced coma for a few more days, to see if they can get the brain pressure lowered just a little more. When the pull him out, they aren't sure if he will wake up immediately, or if he is still in the coma he was in when he came out of surgery, but they will cross that bridge when they get there. While he's still very sick and has a long road ahead of him, they are really happy with the progress he is making, and how he is healing. Sorry this was so long, but thanks again for the prayers and good wishes!

Wow.....

How are his parents holding up? I cannot even imagine what they are going through! Please make sure someone is taking care of the household things right now for them. Seems like something so little but it really does help! Our prayers are with him and his family

I have only seen them one time each.. When I went to the hospital a couple of days ago, I saw his mom.. She was still in quite a bit of shock, but it had only been a day, so that's understandable.. I saw his dad today when I went, and he seemed pretty good.. He said his wife was asleep, so he didn't want to bother her, which makes sense.

My prayers for him and family. Is there somewhere we can contribute to family food or lodging near hospital?

sent from my EVO , with Tapatalk

Thanks for the update, I check back regularly....more prayers coming his way...

I just got to read this and I will keep him and his family in my thoughts.

Kids are very resilent when it comes to these kind of things as compared to adults.

This is a somewhat long story, but when my son was 5, he was visiting his mom when her and her bf at the time were cutting the tops off of large pine trees. For reasons she still can't explain to me, she let him be out there next to them watching. Needless to say, one top the cut that was about the size of an average Chrsitmas tree fell straight up and down and landing directly on his head. Had that hit you or I it would have more then likely killed us.

THANKFULLY she didn't call and wait on an ambulance and rushed him to the ER. Even more thankfully, the Neuro surgeon happened to be in the ER visiting someone. He had a severe subdural hematoma ( the same injury that killed Sonny Bono ), and the Neuro surgeon rushed him right to sugery. The made an insicion along his hairline from the top of his head to below the back of his ear, removed part of his skull and took out the hematoma. They closed the skull with titanium. We were told that the damage could be severe and he may have serious complications for the rest of his life and to prepare ourselves.

To shorten the story, in less the 48 hours he was wide awake, eating breakfast and playing video games and acted like nothing happened. He could remember everything up to getting hit. The doctors were truly amazed! He is now 11, and has shown NO effects from this. In fact, he is very advanced for his age and doing 9th grade school work!

Despite how bad it seems, like I said, kids are resilent, and they can recover very well. I too believe in the power of prayer and positive thoughts and I will continue to keep him in mind and ask my firends do the same.

Oh man that is so sad. It's so unfair when something like that happens to a child. I'm sending all the good vibes I can that he pulls through!

With a very, very heavy and sad heart, I must update this thread. I went to church this morning and everyone was really upset.. I was told that they declared him brain dead and had taken him off life support earlier in the morning. The youth group was a mess, as was I and many other people. My friend and I left church early and rushed to the hospital, only to find out they THOUGHT he was brain dead, but there was some miscommunication and he was not yet off life support. They took him to do whatever test that is done to see if someone is brain dead. After a few hours, they came and told his mom they needed to talk to her. The youth pastor of my church came in the waiting room a while later, and unfortunately told us that he was OFFICIALLY considered brain dead, according to the test results, and that he had passed away. It was quite a shock, because while we knew he wasn't out of the woods, we truly believed he would pull through this. Please pray for and foremost for his family, and secondly for the youth group. Many of them are extremely shaken by this, and understandably so. I chaperone trips, stay with them for their Wednesday night services, and whatnot, so that youth group are some of "my kids" and I cannot believe this has happened. I was too shaken to drive myself home, but I'm more calm now and just went back to the hospital to pick my car up. Thank you to everyone who prayed and wished the best, but God has a bigger purpose for this situation. He needed him more than we did, and as hard as it is for us to accept, we must.

Im so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you and his family. God has plans for us all and know he is safe now with Him.

...:(
I'm so sorry.
The coma was a bad sign.
I'm...I don't even know what to say.
Send everyone my well wishes. I will post a memorial on my FB wall for him and alert my friends.
He will forever be on my mind and in my heart.
I'm so sorry....I know the doctors did all they could...I just...am sorry.

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

Im so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you and his family. God has plans for us all and know he is safe now with Him.

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Thank you.. We're all still in shock.. Even as much faith as I have, I am struggling and I'm a few years older than the youth, so I can't even imagine how they are feeling. His family has gone through some very tragic deaths, so this was the last thing that they needed. Heaven did gain an awesome angel today.

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

...:(
I'm so sorry.
The coma was a bad sign.
I'm...I don't even know what to say.
Send everyone my well wishes. I will post a memorial on my FB wall for him and alert my friends.
He will forever be on my mind and in my heart.
I'm so sorry....I know the doctors did all they could...I just...am sorry.

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Thank you Shellie.. None of us really know what to say right now.

Oh goodness...that is just terrible. I am so sorry for his family, and the other child involved. I am sure it is hard for him as well. We will be sure to say a special prayer tonight for him!!

I'm so sorry to learn of this,

Wow...

Although I will never meet the family...this is a situation no mother or father should have to endure...I will pray for strength for the Walter family and friends.

I am sorry.