Letter to Church about Gavin

                                                              February 11, 2006


Dear Friends,

This week Gavin, David, and I have crept along a high tight rope over a deep abyss. Your prayers gave us the courage to take the next step and sustained us in each moment. They were arms reaching out to hold us if we fell.

As you know, Wednesday morning when Dave went to wake up Gavin for school he would not rouse. It was as if he was in a deep sleep. He would moan and move but he never awoke. We called the ambulance and took him to MMC. He was in a coma due to a stoke which he had had in
the night.

When I was in the ambulance in our driveway I called Steve Rioux, Dr. Rioux – pediatric neurologist and member of our church- on his cell phone. He met us at the emergency room. He has been with us all the way through this ordeal. We are infinitely grateful for his great caring, and great intelligence.

All day we watched in the ICU waiting for Gavin to awake. Chaplain Judith Blanchard sat with David and me for hours. Peggy had brought a “prayer shawl” which we laid across him. In the early morning, around 2pm, when Dave and I were alone in the room, Gavin suddenly sat up and started talking.

The good news is Gavin is most likely going recoup entirely from any brain damage he sustained during the stroke, particularly some vision problems and finding the “right word.”

The big question is, how did someone so young get a stroke. This is very unusual and the Dr.’s are investigating every possible theory.  Until we find the answer I still get very worried. But, he is on
blood thinners.

There is so much I would like to share with you. As I write this Gavin is talking to his friends on his phone inviting a bunch of friends (in fact it sounds like half of Falmouth High School has just been invited). I will have to “negotiate” this when I am done typing.

There is much I would like to share with you. But, one more thing – right before Gavin awoke for the first time I was reading all the healing miracles of Jesus I could find in the Bible. I had read Luke
7:11-17 about ten minutes before he awoke. Please read it now.

Praise God!

Love,

Pastor Carol, David, Gavin, and Ian.


P.S. Ian has been with friends most of the week. He is worried. But seem to be holding up well. He visited Gavin yesterday and as he tossed him a chocolate chip cookie from across the room, he
said, “Gav, let’s test your depth perception. Catch!” Gavin caught it pretty well.