Archive Of The Funeral Service

Click here to see the archive file, which also includes the slideshow.

http://www.francogrillo.com/Video/VincenzoGrillo_1935-2009/index.html

God bless.

Interest From The Lima News

Some of you may have noticed a reporter and a photographer from the Lima Newspaper present at the funeral. Interest was sparked when the funeral director from Chiles called in the wording of my Dad's obituary. They noticed how we stated that the funeral would be broadcast live over the Internet and decided to write a story about web casting a funeral.

The funeral director asked me to call the reporter and when I did she asked me a few basic questions like, "When did we start streaming?" and, "Who set everything up?" I also told her that we knew of friends and relatives in England, Italy, and Canada that would be watching, as well as here in the U.S.A.

As a church we have been looking into running an ad in the Lima News to let the local community know about our church and the online service. It was amazing to see the Lord provide the advertising in a way we never expected.

Here is the link to their story: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/becoming-39382-funerals-lima.html

In the end, after checking the statistics collected from the live stream, there were a total of 534 hits. I never expected a number that high.

Funeral Service

The funeral was beautiful. Brother Jeff did an excellent job and so many wonderful things were said about Dad. Tom Davis and Tim Arant beautifully sang the songs that my Dad loved and the testimonies given by Jim Crook, Steve Smith, Deb Johns and Dave Cress were heartfelt and true.

The visitation before the funeral service was precious. Everyone that greeted and spoke to us had genuine, sincere, heartfelt condolences to pass on. There were many tears, but we were all grieving together and we truly felt like one big family. We were surprised to see how many people came to the service and appreciated everyone rearranging their schedules and taking time off of work.

The graveside service was brief but again precious. The pallbearers performed their duty with honor transporting the casket to its resting place. Brother Jeff spoke a few words, read a scripture and then lead us in song. Our chorus of Beulah Land rang out with victory in our voices as we all identified with the words of the song, "...And, some day, on thee I'll stand. There my home shall be eternal. Beulah land. Sweet Beulah land..."

There were smiles, there were tears, there were memories, and there were good things said, but at the end of it all we are left with an assurance that we will be together again some day. Thank you all so much for your love and support.

I will post the archive to the funeral service shortly. God bless.

Live Broadcast Of The Funeral

For those of you unable to attend the funeral service, you may click on this link to watch the broadcast today, live (from 10am EST onwards).

For Windows Media Player: Link closed

For Real Player: Link closed

The archive will be posted in a few days.

Again, we thank you all for your prayers and support as we grieve the loss of my Dad.

Click here to visit the church web site: http://www.bcfellowship.org/

Obituary

Vincenzo Antonio Grillo, 74, died at 2:30 p.m. July 12, 2009, at St. Rita’s Medical Center.

He was born May 7, 1935, in Alife, Italy, to Francesco and Antonietta Fragola Grillo, who preceded him in death. On May 22, 1963, he married Maria Farina, who survives in Lima.

Mr. Grillo was a member of Believers Christian Fellowship and very much appreciated the family of God. The most important things in his life were his walk with the Lord, his beloved wife and his children. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his family. He loved gardening, enjoying flowers and vegetables. He was a military veteran serving for his native Italy.

Survivors also include a son Franco (Amy) Grillo, of Lima; a daughter, Vittoria Grillo, of Lima; and three brothers, Michele Grillo, Giuseppe Grillo and Salvatore Grillo, all of Alife, Italy.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Tonina Grillo.

Services will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at Believers Christian Fellowship and can be viewed online at www.bcfellowship.org. The Rev. Jeff Jenkins will officiate. Burial will be in Bluelick Cemetery.

Friends may call one hour prior to services Thursday at the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Believers Christian Fellowship.

Arrangements are by Chiles-Laman Funeral Homes, Lewis Eastside Chapel.

Funeral Arrangements

Dad's funeral arrangements are complete. Visitation will be for one hour beginning at 10 o'clock Thursday morning at Believers Christian Fellowship, followed by the service 11 o'clock.

The service can be viewed online at http://www.bcfellowship.org/.

Home to Glory

At 2:30pm Dad went on to Glory to be with the Lord. He's free. No more gasping for another breath. No more coughing and suffering, no more needles and tubes. He's with his daughter, Tonina, and the rest of the saints having a jubilee. One day we know we'll all be together again.

Thank you all for your prayers and words of support. We'll keep you posted about funeral arrangements.

God bless you.

A More Settled Day At The Hospital

After having had a restless night with lots of coughing on Wednesday night, Dad had a relatively quiet day on Thursday. His vitals remain much the same as the last post to this blog and the coughing has been less.

With camp having started now, Mum and Vicky are spending the bulk of the day with Dad, though Amy and I were able to look in yesterday afternoon and last night after the first camp service. Actually, Vicky and Mum were able to use the internet access at the hospital to stream the service in Dad's room. We're sure that Dad is able to hear and he has always loved camp.

We'd like to say thank you to the many people who have pitched in to help us with our responsibilities during camp. The load has been lightened and for that we are incredibly grateful. God bless you all.

Another Bedside Update

The last couple of days have been difficult. Yesterday Dad's care was turned over to hospice. These people are truly gifted and called to the work that they do. They've compassionately helped us understand the process that Dad is in. He will be staying in the room where he's been for the last week and a half, but the care that he is receiving is comfort care.

Over the course of today Dad's breathing has become increasingly labored and shallow, resulting in a decreasing blood oxygen level. At the same time his digestive system is no longer processing all of the nutrition being given to him; consequently the staff have reduced the amount.

This afternoon Brother Jeff, Brother Lonnie, Brother Peter Okeyo, Brother Paul Moffitt, Brother Jonathan Golf, and later, Brother Steven Strooh all came to visit Dad, to pray with him and to encourage us. This was much appreciated and a real blessing.

At the moment we are sitting at Dad's bedside. We have just read I, II, and III John, Jude, and Colossians to him. These books contain some of Dad's favorite verses.

It's very difficult to sit here and watch this all happen and hard for us to understand. Still, we know and believe that God does ALL things well. Whether in this life or the next, Dad will have the victory and all the glory will go to God.

On another note, Amy's mom (Jan Golden) had a total knee replacement here today. Everything went very well and she's resting comfortably 4 floors above us.

Holding Our Breath

The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster, to be very honest. Since last night at 11:00 Dad has had many episodes of no breathing. They have lasted anywhere from five minutes to eleven. Yes, eleven minutes of no breathing with an oxygen level so low it doesn't even register at times. From 2:00 this afternoon, until 10:30 this evening, they have happened, like clockwork, on the hour. Each time we have wondered if Dad will survive, practically holding our own breath, with our fingers on his pulse. Finally, to the amazement of all of us in the room, we begin to see faint breaths fogging the oxygen mask over his tracheotomy.

So far, for the last two hours, Dad has been resting comfortably, breathing regularly but shallow. We do not understand this process that we are in, but our trust remains in the Lord who does all things well. Although it is difficult for us to look beyond the circumstances before our eyes, we do still remind ourselves that even now, whatever we ask the Father, He can do for His glory. Our prayer remains that God raise Dad up, as from the grave, or take him home to a whole body. In either case it will mean freedom. We are asking you all to join us in asking God to perform His will for Dad's life.

Thank you all for everything. I simply do not have the words to tell you what you all and your expressions of love and concern mean to our family. May God bless each of you.

Our Strong Man

My Dad once told me a story about how his father, just after the 2nd World War in Italy, dug up all the farm land around his house with nothing but a pick axe. It took him weeks, but with strength and determination, he did it.

In the last few weeks I've learned that my Dad is just as strong as his Dad was. Over the past few days there have been a number of times when he has simply stopped breathing for 4 or 5 minutes. His complexion turns grey, his hands go cold, and his oxygen level plummets, but his heart just keeps on beating. Then, eventually, he begins to breathe again, much to the amazement of his nurses.

These episodes occur every five to eight hours, and are emotionally wrenching each time. Each day we're told that he probably won't make it to the next shift, but here we are. We've come to realize that down inside, Dad is still a strong man.

Thank you all for your continued love and support.

Bedside Update

About fifteen minutes after posting the last update from home, Amy and I received a call from Vicky to return to the hospital immediately. His nurse said that Dad's breathing had changed to a pattern called "agonal breathing." When we arrived, we could see that he was indeed breathing very differently from the early morning hours when we were with him. Twice throughout the day, we were certain that we were on the verge of seeing Dad slip away, but both times, he rallied.

His vitals have been all over today. At times his heart rate has been around 100 and at other times below 70. His blood pressure has been around 100/52 and then down to 67/43. He has also been running a temperature of about 100 throughout the day.

This is now the second night that Amy and I have sat at Dad's bedside, watching him, talking to him, and praying with him. Mum and Vicky are spending their second night in a hospitality room here at the hospital, trying to get a few hours of sleep before facing another uncertain day. We are all a little tired, but are so appreciative of your continued prayers and love. We have heard other people say in times of great need, that they felt they were being carried by the power of prayer. Now we are experiencing it. Thank you.

Free From The Ventilator

Yesterday around noon, Dad came off of the ventilator. Doctors were unsure how well he would do, but we are happy to report that his vitals have stayed good and his blood oxygen level remains high. He seemed to sleep very well through the night.

We have had another frank discussion with the medical staff and they have told us that dad is as good as he will get. The things that are wrong with him, have been permanently lost as a result of the stroke. He will remain bedridden, paralyzed in his right side, blind in his right eye, unable to swallow or talk. While we appreciate everything the Tree of Knowledge has done for us, our trust remains in the Tree of Life. With God all things are possible.

Dad's life is very tenuous and our prayer is still that God would raise him up entirely or take him home in peace. We do not want, and neither would Dad, for him to remain as he is. We know that God sometimes take us down to the wire, and we feel we're at that point. Thank you for your continued prayers for Dad and all of us.

Breathing Update

Dad has been pretty stable today and the respiratory therapist has been gradually weaning him off of the ventilator. He's gone from 16 breaths per minute (BPM) to 14bpm, then 8bpm, and closed off the day at 6bpm. Tomorrow they will try taking him off the vent altogether.

We know that Dad is in God's hands. Please keep all of us in prayer, especially Mum and Dad.

Respiratory News

We finally spoke with the respiratory doctor, Dr. Anigbugoo, and now understand what the plan is for weaning Dad off of the ventilator. Over the next 3 to 5 days the respiratory staff will gradually turn down the settings on the ventilator machine which will encourage Dad to breathe on his own. It looks like they were waiting for Dad to become more responsive and a little stronger before trying this method.

Progress Update & Relocation

Dad has been moved out of the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) over to a step down critical care unit. He's in a very nice room in a new part of the hospital, which we greatly appreciate, but we'll miss the wonderful, sincere staff from CVICU that gave genuine, heartfelt and compassionate care.

Dad is still on life support equipment. The respiratory staff have not continued the CPAP mode treatment on Dad, but say that they are still working towards weaning him off of the breathing machine. It's been 3 days since they last did that and at the moment we don't understand what their strategy is.

Dad has become more alert over the past few days. He still spends most of his time with his eyes closed, seemingly snoozing, but he's definitely spending more time awake and aware of his surroundings. The night time nurse said that on three occasions she felt movement in Dad's right hand, but before we start celebrating, we need to ascertain if this is meaningful, voluntary movement that can be developed, or a primitive, reflexive type of flinch. We're trusting that it's more signs of life.

Dad's complexion is looking good, and his lower right leg (where they took the veins for his bypass operation) is healing up very nicely now. We're so thankful for these small steps of progress, but we need so much more. Please keep praying for all of us.

The Weaning Process

The first step to weaning dad off the ventilator is to switch the machine to CPAP mode. That make the machine operate like a breathing machine used by sleep apnea patients. Essentially Dad does the breathing through the machine, instead of the machine breathing for him. On Thursday Dad did 3 hours in this mode, and on Friday he went for 6 hours. It looks like they're giving him a break for the weekend and will resume this process on Monday. It's also very likely that Dad will be moved out of ICU on Monday and will go to the newly added K-block. We'll keep you posted on this.

It certainly appears that Dad is aware of what has happened to him. The neurologist warned us that Dad may experience bouts of depression as he comes to terms with the situation. At the moment he appears to be more despondent and less willing to communicate. Along with this is the discomfort of being connected to tubes that take care of natural bodily functions, and IV's, and medications, etc. It breaks our hearts to see Dad like this, and again, our plea to God is raise him up or take him home - don't leave him in this condition. We are believing for a miracle and we know that God is more than able.

A Compassionate But Frank Assessment From The Doctor

We had a very informative meeting with the neurologist, Dr. Almadallal, who is an exceptionally professional and gifted doctor, and a very nice man. He is also very black and white, and just relayed the facts to us, which is what we wanted. I'm going to start from the beginning, like the doctor did for us.

Dad has had a massive stroke. It took place in the brain stem, which is the worst place for a stroke because that it the area of the brain that controls a lot of the body's automatic functions that we all take for granted (like regulating temperature, swallowing safely, enunciating words, breathing rhythm, etc.). The lower left portion of the brain was also affected by the stroke as the blood clot closed off supply to that area as well. The trauma to the brain caused by the stroke produced very aggressive swelling in the first couple of days. The affected, damaged brain tissue is irreparable. We very nearly lost Dad on the Saturday morning (the day after the stroke), but he rallied and pulled through. The swelling in his brain is now reducing and the doctor estimates another 3 to 5 days for all the swelling to dissipate. During this time Dad's condition could improve.

Dad’s right side remains paralyzed and has made no improvement since the stroke. The small impulsive movements from his right hand and foot are primitive responses and not the types of voluntary movement one would need to recover use of the paralyzed side. The doctor thinks that Dad will most likely remain bedridden. There is a chance that with therapy he may be able to sit up in a chair. We don't know if he can swallow and he may have to keep the feeding tube indefinitely. We also don't know if he'll be a able to talk.

They successfully treated Dad for pneumonia. We somehow did not realize that he had pneumonia, but he was treated for it, and is now free of it.

His vision has been damaged in that he cannot see to his right. Both eyes work, but cannot focus simultaneously. As a result the brain naturally uses the dominant eye, which seems to be his right eye. So when Dad is awake and alert he often has only one eye open.

The respiratory team are working on weaning Dad off of the ventilator. This is a critical step in Dad's progress. Please pray that Dad can come off of the ventilator. He will not be able to come home if he is dependant on the ventilator. The first step in weaning him off is to change the mode of the ventilator to CPAP, which they did today at 12:45pm. Essentially Dad is now breathing on his own, through the ventilator. They will monitor his CO2 level in his blood to see if this first step is successful.

As you can see the assessment is pretty sobering. We are a positive people with faith for the impossible, so a report like this almost hurts. We don't even like to speak these things, and prefer to call them lying vanities. Nevertheless, medically, this is his assessment. Our conclusion, however, remains the same. Lord, grant us a supernatural miracle, or take him home. We don't want Dad to stay in this condition and he wouldn't want that either. Please keep praying for all of us. This is easily the hardest thing we have ever gone through. But we know that God loves us and He is in control, and "even now..."

PEG Procedure

I asked the nurse what PEG was an acronym for and it's, Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy, a.k.a. feeding tube inserted through the belly. On Dad it's a few inches above his belly button. All went well once again, which we're very thankful for. Seems like it takes quite a bit of sedation to knock him out. We believe that under all those tubes, bandages and incisions, lies a strong healthy man.

Now he has no tubes going through his mouth or nose, so we can see his face clearly. The nursing staff kindly gave him a shave too, so he's very presentable. Seeing him like this really emphasises the amount of weight he has lost as his face is looking quite thin.

It's been a few days since we've spoken with the neurologist, Dr. Almadallal. Hopefully, he'll have a positive assessment to report to us.

God bless you all.

Tracheotomy Day

This morning we all went in to see Dad to give him some encouragement before his operation. He seemed alert and I explained what was about to take place. Again he gave me a sign of acknowledgement letting me know that he understood what was happening. Pretty soon nursing staff started arriving, along with medical equipment, and we knew it was time to head to the waiting room. Everything went very well. Dad was sedated the whole time so he didn't feel a thing. It was so nice to see him after the procedure with no tubes in his mouth, and no white tape wrapped around his head to keep the tubes in place. Instead, now he has the one tube coming out at the base of his throat. The feeding tube is currently going though his nose, but that will change tomorrow when they insert it into his side.

Thank you once again for praying, and for your words of encouragement. It truly means so much to us.

Change Of Schedule

Dad's PEG procedure (in which they insert the feeding tube into his side) has been moved to Wednesday morning at 7am. He is still having the tracheotomy on Tuesday at 1pm.

I was able to convey this information to Dad and he acknowledged with a small nod. It sure is nice seeing Dad responding a little bit more to us. It's still very limited and he spends most of the time sleeping, but it sure is more than what was happening a few days ago. So we're definitely thanking God for the progress. Each day we're seeing small, baby-steps of progress, which we find so encouraging. All of our prayers are being answered.

More Procedures

Dad went in for another CT scan early this morning, but it will be later on in the day before we hear the report. He is scheduled to have the feeding tube inserted at 6:30am on Tuesday, and then the tracheotomy at 1pm. This will allow them to remove these tubes from his mouth.

The physical therapist noted that as she worked on Dad's paralyzed right side his left side moved, which indicates some kind of coordination between the two. All together, these small, positive, early signs of movement give us hope that Dad can regain mobility. We know that Dad will do all he can to exercise and do whatever the physical therapists tell him.

More Signs Of Life

Mum & Vicky went up to the hospital to see dad this morning (Sunday) and the PT told them as he was massaging Dad's paralyzed right hand, he felt it move. Again, like his right foot, this could be a reflex move, but still it shows that the brain is getting a signal through his right side. We're certainly praising the Lord for this.

We all went to the hospital in the afternoon and in a quiet moment I asked Dad if he would like to listen to a Brother Branham message from an IPOD. Immediately, in direct response to my question, he slowly, and deliberately nodded. It was a definite yes. So, we plugged him into the message titled, Perfect Faith.

These were all very encouraging signs. He's still very sleepy and rarely opens his left eye. His right eye is open a lot and looks normal, but we're not sure if he can actually see anything with it.

Monday is another important day for us. We'll be speaking to more doctors and possibly get an idea of where we'll go from here. Please pray that all goes well.

A Quiet Day

Dad's situation remains stable and largely unchanged today. The weekend is very quiet at the hospital, so we didn't see any of his doctors for any updates. We did note, however, that his leg which was quite bruised, warm and swollen yesterday, looked much better today.

Now we're looking toward Monday when he goes in for another CT scan and we have our next consultation with Dr. Almadallal.

Each day we continue to ask the Lord for the same thing... abundant life.

Psalm 34:19 - Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Signs Of Progress

Since Dad had the stroke his right side has been paralyzed. This evening whilst visiting him Mum tickled the bottom of his right foot and we all witnessed it move. It was like a little flinch. I immediately went and told the nurse, and she confirmed that she had seen the same reaction at different times throughout the day. This type of movement shows that there is a basic connection from the brain to the nerves in the foot, and this will give therapists something to work with when Dad is ready. We were all so happy to see this.

There is still no movement from his right hand, but we're expecting, by faith, movement any time soon. His breathing has been a lot more regular today, as well as his temperature. It certainly seems like we're seeing some of the effects of the brain swelling reducing. However, we'll know that for sure on Monday when they plan to do another CT scan.

On Monday, Dad will also be having the tracheotomy done as well as having a feeding tube inserted into his side. This will allow the ventilator and feeding tube to be removed from his mouth. Please pray that this goes well.

Please also pray for Dad right leg. This is the leg doctors extracted veins from for the bypass surgery. Since then the leg has looked very sore and is now hot, swollen and discolored.

God bless you all.

Friday Update

This morning, around 9:00, we called the hospital for an update on Dad. His nurse through the night was still there and told us that he had been fairly alert for much of the morning. She said that she had noticed an improvement in the response of his right eye and that it had been tracking movement. In addition to that, his temperature had stabilized. These certainly are improvements over the last several days. However, we likely will not hear from the doctor (who is out of town for the weekend) until Monday when the next CT is scheduled.

When Vicky visited Dad around noon, he was more sleepy. When she asked if he'd like her to read his Bible to him, he unmistakably and firmly squeezed her hand. Now she and Mum are with him and Amy and I are about to join them.

We do want to take this opportunity to again thank you all for the things you've done: the cards and calls, the visits, the comments you've left on this blog, the errands that have been run, the meals you've picked up for us, and most of all, for the continued prayer. Thank you for continuing to hold Dad's hands up whilst he is unable. God bless you.

Another CT Scan

This afternoon (Thursday), at 3:30 Dad went in for another CT scan. At 5:30 we spoke to his neurologist, Dr. Almadallal who informed us that there is no change in the degree of swelling in the damaged brain tissue. However, we are only one day into the period of time in which the swelling should begin to decrease. This could be a two to three day process. While there is a good chance that the swelling will reduce, there is also the possibility that it will not.

At this point, we know that there are several auto functions Dad's brain does not seem to be performing, including breathing in a regular rhythm, swallowing safely, and maintaining a constant body temperature. Dr. Almadallal is also quite sure that Dad's right eye has been affected.

After discussing Dad's assessment, the doctor asked us to begin thinking about what happens once Dad is stabilized and we know all the ramifications of the stroke. He is suggesting that Dad will remain paralyzed on his right side, possibly be impaired in communication ability, and maybe unable to eat. There is even a question as to whether Dad will rouse from this stroke sleep that he is in. With all of this in mind, we are to be thinking about the possibility of the need for long term care.

Having said all that, the doctor left the door wide open for recovery. He said Dad's situation has hit bottom and now we wait to see how high the bounce back will be. Any decrease in the swelling would likely bring improvement.

So this is the situation that lies before us. But our hope is in the Lord. Certainly our emotions are all over the place, but once we begin processing the information, the anchor of faith catches and holds us. We often find ourselves saying, "Even now..."

Testing Time

Dad should be coming out of stroke sleep at this time, but today he's looking more sleepy. The nurses have told us that there is a possibility that he could stay in his current state indefinitely. They're also talking about performing a tracheotomy and inserting a feeding tube into his side which would allow the ventilator and feeding tube to be removed from his mouth. They're currently weening him off the ventilator, in an attempt to remove it, but this will only be successful if Dad can safely swallow on his own.

Dad is scheduled for another CT scan at 3:30pm and the neurologist wants to speak to us all this evening. Of course, I'm asking for your prayers. We are not accepting a long term care scenario. Instead we are believing for abundant life however our sovereign God provides that, but we are trusting for a whole and well Dad. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Stroke Day 5

Dad was less restless this morning and he was running a slight fever. He was sleeping when we visited him and we did not want to disturb him. He has now been taken off of Mannitol which was the medication they were using to control the brain swelling. As the brain returns back to its normal state Dad should become more responsive.

When Martha came to Jesus in her hour of great need, at the death of her brother, Lazarus, she spoke these words. "But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." John 11:22

Where is Jesus now? He's in the Body of Believers. Please keep interceding and holding my father up in prayer. Thank you.

Specifics To Pray For

We met with the neurologist this evening and he told us that the swelling in Dad's brain has not increased, which of course is excellent news. It seems like the swelling has peeked and should now start to decrease, but he was quick to remind us that it's still early and Dad remains in very critical condition. In the doctor's words, "We are still in the woods." He pointed out that there is a ventricle at the back of the brain that is still deformed from the swelling, and that the part of the brain that controls the right eye looks like it's damaged. He will be able to assess Dad's condition much more accurately after the swelling has decrease and the brain migrates back into it's normal position. Dad will become more and more responsive as this takes place.

So, to summarize, here are some specifics to pray for...

1. That the deformed ventricle returns to normal.
2. For his right eye functions perfectly.
3. No brain damage.
4. That his right side starts moving.
5. And that he's able to talk, eat and function normally.

At this point nothing else can be done. The best thing for us to do is pray, and I know you're all doing that. Thank you so much, once again.

Stroke Day 4

Dad went in for the CT scan this morning at 7am, but we have not yet seen the doctor for his analysis of the scan.

The Physical Therapist came in today and worked on Dad for a little while. Whilst he was there he asked Dad to shrug his shoulders and he did it immediately (just the left one moved). Then he asked him to move his foot and he did. Dad's eyes are shut most of the time, but he's very aware of his surroundings and responds when you speak to him. It's so encouraging seeing these small steps of improvements.

Thank you for interceding for us and for standing in the gap. Your prayers are being answered, but please keep holding us up. You are the Body of Christ in 2009 and healing comes through the body. Have faith. Stand still and watch the Salvation of the Lord.

Signs Of Recognition

This evening Dad seemed to be the most alert he's been since having the stroke. He was able to partially open both eyes and turn his head slightly in both directions in response to our voices. He seems to squeeze our hands with purpose, but it's difficult to know just exactly how aware he is. There seems to be periods of time when he is more alert and connects with us. Then there are other times when his movements are more random and fidgety.

Until today Dad's right eye has not moved. It's been fixed, looking straight forward, with the pupil small and pinpoint. Today this eye is moving and the pupil is larger. We rejoiced to see this progress.

According to the doctor Dad's neurological assessment is unchanged. He is still in a critical condition, and in the 3 to 5 day window when the brain swelling can reach its maximum. Please pray that he not only makes it through, but starts to move his right side.

Made It To Monday

We have reached the infamous day - the big IF day. Dad is stable and is slightly more responsive. The doctor saw him this morning and now wants him to do the CT scan tomorrow. We're still in the 3 to 5 day critical period during which anything can happen. When they say, "anything," they mean he could die, but when I hear, "anything," I see him rising up out of that hospital bed with a whole, healed body, shouting praises unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please keep praying for us. It's so hard for all of us to see my Dad in this condition.

Thank you and God bless you all for your support.

Evening Update

Dad's neurologist stopped by to assess him this afternoon and he told us that his condition is definitely improved over yesterday. However, he remains critical and could still take a turn for the worst at any moment. At this point it's hard for him to give us a definitive prognosis. Tomorrow they plan to do another CT scan and that should give us a better idea of where things are headed.

Dad is resting, but restless. The neurologist has assured us that he is not experiencing pain, and he told us that given the improvement of today over yesterday, we should all keep praying because it's working. He is still saying that if dad survives he will not regain much of his ability. We're still believing that God can do exceedingly above what we can think or ask. We're believing for total recovery, a whole restoration, a complete work.

Thank You All

Amy has just come back from church and passed on all of the loving words of support and encouragement. We cannot express our gratitude sufficiently for all of your many kindnesses. May our Lord bless each and every one of you.

Signs Of Progress

During the night at 3am the nurse called Dad's name and he opened his eye and looked at her. This morning Mum called his name and he did the same thing. He looked at her and squeezed her hand. A little tear formed in his eye and we are thinking that he is beginning to understand what has happened to him. Keep praying for him, and us, as we want to encourage him as much as we can now. We're believing for a miracle, that he will be able to walk out of this hospital unassisted.

At present they are inserting a PICC line into him, so that they can take out the many IV ports in his right arm, which has swollen. This will give them easy access to administer the medication, and also allow them to exercise his right arm.

A Cloud The Size Of A Man's Hand

The neurologist examined Dad this evening and his statement to us was that there is improvement. This morning he was critical, and now he is less critical. Praise the Lord. He also said that Dad was able to track him with his eye, which was excellent news. It suggests that the swelling in the brain is reducing. It's unknown at this point whether the medication is responsible for this reduced swelling or the swelling is reducing on its own.

This is the first piece of good news that we've had so far, but because this situation is so dire, the bar for good news is very low. However, we are still rejoicing and thanking God.

Keep Praying

The medication they gave Dad last night to slow down the swelling in the brain did not work, and this morning we were called in to the hospital for the worst. Since then things have stabilized for him. He is breathing more regularly (being aided by the ventilator) and his temperature is not so high. The doctors here have pinpointed the area of the stroke and it is of the worst kind, and their prognosis is that Dad could die or slip into a coma at any time. If he survives until Monday they will do another CT scan of his brain, to monitor the swelling.

So this is the doctor's assessment, but we know that we serve a True and Living God, a High Priest who can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. Dad simply is not going anywhere until his time is up, and God is the only One who knows when that is. Still, it is a very hard process to go through and we have shed many tears.

Again, we are very touched by all the love and support that we have been bathed in. We love you all and count it a privilege to be part of this Body of Christ.

In Need Of A Miracle

Those 2 hours came and went and I'm afraid my Dad's condition worsened. The area in the brain affected by the stroke (the brain stem) is damaged and swollen. The doctor has taken several steps to reduce the swelling so that other parts of the brain will not be damaged as well. Those steps include a ventilator and medication. In the process of ventilating dad, he vomited and aspirated food and gastric juices into his lungs, further complicating the situation. Now, in addition to the stroke complications, they are trying to prevent infection in the lungs. At the moment he is running a fever of about 102. This could be do to the stroke or an infection.

The doctors have been very honest with us and are preparing us for the worst. Still, we know and are sure that the God we serve is in control and is more than able to show Himself mighty on Dad's behalf. We know that we need a miracle.

We know that you all are standing with us in this time of desperation. Please pray especially for Mum who is so afraid of losing her lifelong sweetheart.

Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and offers of help. We have been simply overwhelmed by love from the Body of Christ.

I'll try to post more information when it is available, but sometimes it's just hard to find the time...

God bless you all.

An Opportunity For God To Show Himself Mighty

Dad has been doing so very well, as you have seen here on this blog, but this morning whilst the PT was going through some exercises with him he suffered a serious stroke. It seems to have affected the left part of the brain, in the brain stem. At the moment his right side is paralyzed and he can't swallow. He's sleeping right now, with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

The next 24 hours are critical, but especially the next couple of hours. We're praying that the Lord will allow his brain to re-route blood to the affected area and restore function and movement. We believe that Christ came not just to give us life, but to give us abundant life.

When there is more news I will try to update this blog.

Thank you for praying for all of us.

Greeting From Dad

Doing Better And Better

After a good snooze in the afternoon Dad felt much better and was able to go for another walk (which I keep missing!) and he did many other exercises. He's also doing much better with the respiratory exercises, which is great because it's very important to exercise his lungs.

Here's a picture of me checking out Dad's new war wound. Yikes - it's a monster! Luckily, I didn't go weak in the knees.

Thank you all for your cards, gifts, and comments that you're leaving here on this blog. It's a tremendous encouragement to the whole family. God bless you all.

Thursday AM

Dad did not sleep so well last night because the patient next door to him is having a lot of trouble and basically needs prayer. As a result, he's feeling a bit tired today. Still, that did not stop the physical therapist from taking him for another walk, which was the longest one yet. The drainage tube is still in and he's still losing a lot of fluid. So please pray that slows down, and can be removed soon.

If you plan to visit, he would enjoy that, but please respect the nursing staff reminder that he is still in ICU, and visits should be 2 people at a time, for no more than 15 minutes.

Evening Visit

We stopped by the hospital before church and this is what we found. Yes, Dad was working his way through another meal. Potato soup, baked Tilapia, and blueberry yogurt. Not bad. After eating he got very sleepy, and could barely keep his eyes open, so we left him to rest.

Later on they took him for another walk and it seems like each time they take him a bit further, which he enjoys achieving.

His right leg is still bleeding. This is where they took the veins for the bypass surgery. Please pray that the bleeding stops, and that the incisions heal up nicely.

Double the Distance

Dad went for another walk and doubled the distance! Now he's sleeping.

Up And Walking

Dad had a pretty good night's sleep. They woke him up at 4am to wash him and adjust his medication. They also removed the nasal tube (which went down into his stomach) and the catheter. He then snoozed some more and at 7am that gave him some chicken broth. They then did some exercises with him, and after that they showed him the best way to get up. He has to rock backwards and forwards a few times and then get up. Once up they took him for a short walk, and then back to his chair. After all that they brought in an omelet and a cup of tea, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Sounds like his appetite is back and Mum can't wait to fix him some pasta!

After all this activity he felt really tired, so we left him to have a well deserved snooze. God is so good to us.

A Milestone Reached

Tonight Dad was moved to a step down room within ICU. We're so happy with his progress. His color is good, he communicating well, and has had a lot of the tubes removed. This is the first of many milestones, and we are thanking God all the way. This time last night it was a very different story. We truly are fearfully and wonderfully made.

A Pleasant Surprise

The hospital respectfully requests that we leave the patients alone between 2pm and 4pm so that they can rest. At 4pm Mum & Vicky returned to see Dad and were shocked to see him sitting in a chair. Apparently, the nurse came in to move him and sat him up on the side of the bed. Dad felt a little nausea, but it passed. She asked if Dad felt like sitting in the chair next to the bed and he said that he would like that, so the nurse began to go to get some help. Dad said he was alright, that he didn't need the extra help, and stood up. He then shuffled over towards the chair, and the nurse helped him sit down. So when we all returned there he was, proudly sitting in the chair, waiving at us and smiling really big.

Praise the Lord!

Visitation

Dad wishes to express his appreciation for your outpouring of love and support and is looking forward to your visits after he is moved out of ICU and into the Step Down Unit.

Deep Breathing

Dad has been wrestling with bouts of nausea, but thankfully has not vomited. The respiratory therapist went through some breathing exercises, which Dad found very painful. It's very important for dad to exercise his lungs, and to cough out fluid that may be building up. All this is very painful, and he is supposed to hug his bear, called, Sir Koff-alot, to help with the pain in his chest.

They have been trying to sit him up, but every time they raise him he feels sick, so they stop. Now they are slowly raising the bed in increments.

A New Day

Dad is doing much better this morning. They were able to take the breathing tube out so he is now able to speak, but his throat is very soar, so he's basically whispering. When they sat him up his blood pressure dropped, which was not a surprise to the nurses, seeing he lost so much blood during the night. They have now given him another unit of blood.

He's smiling and is making progress, and we're so thankful for that.

Bleeding Update

Dad's bleeding has slowed down (thank the Lord) and he is doing much better. He's very pale, but apart from that the nurse says he's in good shape. He's still using the ventilator. At 6:30am they will check to see if the bleeding has completely stopped and if so, remove the breathing tube.

When we saw him (about 2:30am) he was very much with it and was able nod in acknowledgement to statements I made. He cannot speak because of the breathing tube, but a lot can be said through the eyes.

The nurse advised us that it would be better if we gave him some time to sleep, and we thought that this would be a good opportunity for us to get some rest as well. So this will be my last update to this very long day.

Thank you all once again for your love and prayers, and calls of encouragement.

Night Time Update

We just got another update from the nurse and she told us that Dad is still bleeding. This being the case they will leave the breathing tube in tonight and assess the situation in the morning. Please pray that the bleeding stops.

In Recovery

Dad is in recovery, but is having a bit of a tough time. There is some internal bleeding and they are giving him medication to control that. We're hoping that they can remove the breathing tube tonight, but that depends on whether they can stop the bleeding.

Brother Jeff and family kindly came up to visit us and it was a huge encouragement, especially for Mum. We were able to go back and pray together with Dad.

As the night progresses Dad is becoming more and more responsive. He's winking at us, and giving us a thumbs up. God is so good to us.

Out of Surgery

We just spoke with Dr. Pohl and Dad is out of surgery. He had 3 bypasses and the operation went very well. They did not need to do a blood transfusion. The doctor said it was a very straightforward operation. We are thanking the Lord for taking care of all Dad's needs.

We'll see him in recovery soon.

Heart Bypass Day

Dad arrived at the hospital at 6am. His arms, legs and chest where shaved, and he took another shower. They connected him up to an IV and gave him some medication. We were able to have a time of prayer together, and chat and laugh about things. Dad was very upbeat and positive, and kept reassuring us that he was fine. At 1pm we all went down to the holding area where we met Dr. Pohl, the anesthesiologist and the nurse. We gave dad a hug and a kiss and they took him away.

After lunch we got an update from the medical team letting us know that they have found the veins that they will be using for the bypass surgery.

Vincent Grillo's Heart Bypass Operation

Let me give you a brief history on what has happened...

Vincent went in for a stress test on Friday, May 29th. He did not do very well on that and the doctor set him up for an immediate heart cath. He had his heart cath a few hours later and they discovered that his heart has multiple blockages, which are the kind that should not be treated with stents. They said he was a serious case and should have bypass surgery within the next couple of weeks.

On Friday, June 5th he went back to the hospital for vein mapping. He is now scheduled for heart bypass surgery on Monday, June 8th and must be at the hospital by 6am.

Please pray that all will go well.