Author: Brenda Rodgers

John needs a lot of prayer this morning.

He is “awake” meaning that he has been off of sedation since Saturday; however, he is still not responding to commands. He moves his arms, legs, and head, but will not do what we ask him to do (“squeeze my hand”, “wiggle your toes”, etc.).

John is going for an MRI and CT scan this morning. He is also having his gall bladder checked.

Please pray fervently today that nothing is wrong with John’s brain. Please pray that he is just taking longer to wake up and that he has not had a stroke or any other brain damage.

We are all very concerned about this and need immediate and diligent prayer. I will update you as soon as I can on how he is doing.

Thank you so much!!!

John is doing pretty much the same as yesterday. The concerns the doctors have are the same. They want John to become more responsive, and they are watching his kidney function. Overall, they are not concerned, but there are just a few things that are on the radar.

I want to take some time to thank each and every person – our friends and family and all the people who we don’t even know – for sharing this burden with us this week and throughout this journey. I know that it is a heavy one, and I appreciate your love, care, concern, and prayers so much.

When John and I got married “two became one”. So when the other half of my being, my soul, my existence, my heart was slipping away I was heart broken and desperate. I would have done anything, given anything, for people to pray for him. I was on my hands and knees begging.

Thank you for hearing my cries, my begs, my pleads, and my desperation, and for coming to our aid in prayer. An infinite number of “thank yous” could never be enough to truly show you what it has meant to me and what it will mean to John when he wakes up and understands what he has been through.

Through seeing the response of so many people we know and don’t know who diligently pray for us, you have taught me how to be a better prayer warrior for others. When people ask me to pray for them I now know what their heart is feeling, how they are desperate for that need, and how I should selflessly spend my time in prayer for their needs. Thank you for showing me how to do this through your example.

John has not been fully conscious since last Sunday. He has lost a week, and so much has happened in that time. He does not know yet that it is over – that he has a new heart. And he has not experienced this outpouring of love like I have. I cannot wait to share it with him. I can see his face now, and he is going to be speechless.

As you know John is not quite out of the woods yet. We always appreciate your continued prayers for us as he continues to recover and go home. I will keep everyone updated each day.

Thank you, infinitely, thank you!

We are still in the midst of needing desperate prayer for John’s recovery. We have been given the gift of a heart that we prayed relentlessly for, and now we are ready for John to experience the joy.

Please continue to pray specifically for these things:

1. John wakes up soon without any neurological problems or without having had a stroke.
2. John kidneys begin to work better and stronger for him. He begins to get rid of more fluid and toxins from the sedation medication. That John does not have kidney failure.
3. John’s new heart continues to beat strong and well and that it’s able to sustain his body when he is ready to get up.
4. John is able to get up and walk quickly and without much support from physical therapy.
5. Wisdom for all of the doctors and nurses.
6. John is peaceful and comfortable as he recovers and wakes up.
7. There are no complications with John’s recovery here or at home. If there are, that God will give us the strength and endurance to get through them.
8. John’s new heart gives him 50 more years of life here on earth to serve God and be His disciple.
9. God continues to be glorified and lives continue to be changed throughout this journey by being a part of or hearing John’s story.
10. That I remember that God is always in control. He knows every detail of this process before it ever happens. That I remember to just rest in Him.
11. John and I will never take for granted his new heart. That we will use this experience to serve God for the rest of our lives.

***12. John’s heart donor’s family. That God comforts and loves them deeply through their grief. That they will turn to Him for all that they need. They feel John and my gratitude and endless thankfulness for their donation to us.

Today has been a good day! John’s doctor is happy with where he is. He is still watching a few things including John’s kidney function and neurological status, but overall things are going well. John has moved a lot today, but he is still not fully awake, and he is not following commands yet.

I want to tell you the story of this past Friday – the day of John’s transplant.

To explain the full extent of God’s goodness and provision for us, I’m going to back up to last weekend – before John was intubated with the infection.

Last weekend John and I were hanging out in his hospital room just like we did every day. I started having a feeling that John’s heart was coming really soon. I told him about this, and I said that I felt like his heart would be here either this week or the next weekend. I was also making arrangements with some of our friends from Georgia to come up. I told them that we would love for them to come, but I had a feeling that his heart was coming this week or weekend, so the plans might need to change.

Well, even though I felt like the transplant was close, I didn’t expect for the week to go like it did, but as you know John got a really bad infection and became very sick and in need of a heart within days. Our prayers turned from “send us a heart” to “send us a heart this weekend”.

Our friends from Georgia planned to come in on Saturday and spend Saturday and Sunday with us. My brother, Brandon, came in on Thursday, and Jamie and Will, John’s sister and brother-in-law, came in on Friday.

On Friday I was sitting in the lobby next to the elevators on John’s floor, and his surgeon came by. He asked me if I was going to be there for a minute. I told him yes, and he said he’d be back in a minute. When he came back he said that John was matched with a heart, but he didn’t like it for John. I said, “O.K., but do you think we’ll get a heart within the week?” He told me that there was a lot of activity, and he really thought we’d transplant this weekend. That was the first time any of the doctors had put somewhat of a time on when they thought we’d get a heart. I was thrilled!

A little while later I was in John’s hospital room, and his surgeon came in again. He said that he had gotten more data on the heart, and he was going to go and look at it. He liked it better now. As you can imagine, I was beside myself. It still wasn’t for sure, but it was closer than we had ever been before.

I immediately got on the phone and told our friends who were coming into town and Jamie and Will. Our friends were supposed to come in on Saturday, but they said to let them know as soon as I could whether or not it was a go on the heart and they would leave right then.

Well, it was a go! Several hours later I got word that they were bringing the heart back. I immediately got on the phone. Our friends left right then.

In the meantime, Brandon, Jamie and Will, John’s parents, and I were told to come back to see John. They were already starting to put him to sleep and prepare him for surgery, but we got to tell him that we loved him one more time, and we prayed over him before he went back for surgery.

John’s surgery started at 9:34 p.m. on Friday night. Most of our families were there and our friends were on the way. Not only were our prayers answered for a heart and for the heart to come this weekend, but God knew the most perfect time He was going to give us this gift. He blessed us by being surrounded by our family and friends. If things had gone the way we originally expected and planned, I would have been here by myself when we got the call that John got a heart because we couldn’t plan for everyone to come up ahead of time. I would have had to sit in the waiting room myself and receive all the updates myself. God is absolutely amazing and perfect and so, so good!

We were told the surgery would be about 5-8 hours. Every two hours we received a phone call updating us on the surgery. The nurse told us in the first update, “They are transplanting.” The next update, “They are still transplanting, and he is still on the heart/lung machine. His new heart is beating” Hallelujah! Then, “He is off of the heart/lung machine. He is not closed up yet. They are mending his incision from ECMO.” And finally, “He is closed up. They are bandaging him now. He will be coming down the hall and into his ICU room momentarily.” Thank you God for hearing our cries and answering our prayers!

The surgery took about six hours. It was about 4:00 a.m. Right after that our friends from Georgia called to say that they were here. When they got off of the elevator on the third floor we were all standing there waiting to see John being rolled down the hall to his room.

A few minutes later he came down the hall, and he was surrounded by his family and his closet friends all right there to see him!

A little while later John’s surgeon came into the waiting room to talk to us. He told us that he was pleased, but that this was a very critical time. He told us to thank him two to three weeks from now when John is at home.

It took John’s nurse about two hours to get him cleaned up and settled. Our friends and I waited for a while, but decided to head on back to the hotel to get some sleep and come back in the morning.

I got back to my hotel room at 6:00 a.m. I was back up and at the hospital at 10:30 to see John.

Yesterday was such a wonderful, special day. John was transplanted, and I was surrounded by family and friends. Eight of our friends from Georgia traveled up to see John and support me. We hung out all day and went to dinner last night. I felt blessed beyond my wildest imagination.

Today everyone went back home. Tomorrow my best friend, Christina, is coming up from Georgia with her mom and baby Abigail to spend a few days with me.

I give God all of the glory for providing for our every need. He answered our prayers specifically by sending John a heart this weekend, but He also sent it at the most perfect time when all of our family and friends were in town. It was always planned this way, I just didn’t know it. He always did, and He knew the path He wanted us to take. He was always in control. God heard our prayers and answered us not because we deserved it, but because of His endless grace and mercy.

My heart is full with awe.

Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving us, loving us, and answering our prayers out of your complete gift of grace.

24 hours – That is how long John has had his new heart.

I want to share all that Friday and into Saturday entailed as we found out that John was having the transplant and throughout his surgery, but I just haven’t had time yet. Right now I am trying to catch up on some sleep when I get back to the hotel at night.

To give everyone an update on John today, he is stable. No moves forward, but no moves back. He is off of his sedation medication, but has not woken up yet. He moves his body and eyes, but hasn’t had any other responses. John has been on a lot of sedation medication for almost a week now, so he may be slow coming out of it. They are watching this closely to make sure he has not had a stroke or some other neurological damage. Right now it is too soon to tell, but this is a huge prayer request.

John also is not getting rid of fluid like they would like, and this may be part of the reason he has not come out of sedation yet. His body hasn’t been able to get rid of the sedation medication quickly. They are watching his kidney fuction closely and making sure that he does not have any kidney failure. This is sometimes common when the body has gone through a major trauma like a heart transplant, but something that we do need to take to God in prayer as well.

John is off of one of the most aggressive heart medications he was given to help his new heart beat vigorously, which is good. He is still taking a few other heart medications and a blood pressure medication.

We have been blessed beyond measure this weekend with a visit from many of John and my friends from Georgia, John’s sister and brother-in-law, and of course John’s parents. It has been such a wonderful support for me to have so many people who love us here, and I can’t wait to tell John. He is going to be so grateful that I have been taken care of so well and that he is so loved!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!

Our prayers were answered last night as John had his heart transplant, and it went well!

He is now recovering, but still needs a lot of prayer. This is a very critical time!!

Please continue to pray for John. God is hearing our prayers, and He loves that we’re coming to Him.

These are our immediate prayer requests:

1. John stops bleeding.
2. John’s blood pressure becomes stable and good.
3. John has a fever, so pray that his fever goes away.
4. John’s new heart does not weaken which sometimes happens. John does not need additional support to help beat his new heart.
5. John wakes up from sedation nicely and as expected.
6. There are no further complications with John’s recovery.
7. John recovers quickly and fully.
8. Wisdom for the doctors and nurses.
9. God continues to be glorified and given ALL of the credit for all that He has done.
**10. Very Special: Please pray for John’s heart donor’s family. Pray that right now they are experiencing God’s love, peace, and comfort as they mourn. Please pray that they know how infititely grateful we are for their donation.

Thank you so, so very much!! I’ve said it a million times, but there will never be words to express my gratitude for your time in prayer for John. Thank you!!