We are still here in the PICU, chugging along. Jackson is still intubated. The plan was to take out the breathing tube on Sunday but he started having seizures, which are not ideal for respiratory health. They were thinking of taking it out yesterday but his chest X-ray was slightly worse. So, now the plan is to remove the breathing tube tomorrow and put him back on BiPAP.

One positive thing is that Jackson has been very alert this week. He’s tried to smile several times although you can’t really smile with a breathing tube. He’s started chewing on the breathing tube, indicating that he doesn’t really want it in anymore. Jackson is also looking around more than he has over the past few weeks. We are cautiously optimistic that he’s headed in the right direction; and we are praying for only forward progress.

On a sad note, we’ve gotten to know some of the parents whom we have seen over the past few weeks. While it is nice to commiserate with someone who knows what we are going through, it’s hard to hear their stories because every parent who has been in the PICU for a while is dealing with some serious stuff. I’m trying my best to not worry about the other kids in here because I’m doing enough worrying over Jackson. I can only hope the other parents have their own community of support behind them similar to the support that all of you have provided to us during this ordeal.

As always, thank you for the prayers and positive vibes. We hope that our next update is a positive one.