DAVID PAUL MYERS
OUR
FAVORITE ELDEST SON
The Thoughts
of a Father, Lonely For His Son
(Plays
through once; turn on/off with controls)
Piano Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, c.1810
(Story Below)
~ ~ ~
INTRODUCTION ~ ~ ~ Bitterroot
River Valley and Mountain Ranges, Thanks
for visiting David's Webpage. Here, you will find some pictures and a
few words of reflection about our eldest son, David Myers (now 36).
First, I must emphasize that none of us (parents, siblings, or friends) know
of David's whereabouts at the time of this writing. Not that we don't
care, or don't want to know, but because of struggles with the
"misfortune" that life has dealt him, Dave has chosen to live his
life at a distance. Although we try to accept David's feelings and
emotions, yet we find it difficult to understand his sense of
reasoning—distorted due to the severe, untreated Bipolar condition that
overtook him after the accident. Notwithstanding, we love our David
deeply, sorely miss him, and wish him God's very best, wherever and however
he may be. What
happened?... you may be asking. Dave is presently struggling with the
challenges and the after-effects of a very unfortunate and totally
unnecessary construction mishap, where, through no fault of his own, he was
the hapless victim. The mishap occurred on November 11th, 1999 at a log
home company fabrication plant, near Hamilton, Montana where David was
employed. Hamilton is nestled in the beautiful Bitterroot River Valley
region of Western Montana—made famous by the classic book by Norman Maclean,
"A River Runs Through It." In the end, it left David
partially physically disabled (for life). Worse than that, it left him
emotionally and psychologically scarred... all of which broke our hearts as
we witnessed both his physical suffering and his struggles to accept the limitations
and disappointments of his new reality. The
irony of this needless calamity was, the job Dave was doing when it occurred
was merely temporary employment, and he only had one week left—having already
turned in his resignation. I had a great phone conversation with Dave
only a month or so before the accident. Dave told me he was getting
ready to return to school to complete his education (and spoke of wanting
to enter the ministry as a missionary, just like his parents). Fortunately,
to give credit where credit is due, the company that David worked for had
great insurance coverage, which took care of all David's hospital and rehab
expenses, job retraining estimates, as well as a modest personal
settlement. It even paid for my out-of-pocket living expenses during my
four-month stay in Seattle, WA—caring for David while he was a patient there
in UW's Harborview Medical Center. All told, medical costs must have
approached half a million, or more. Also, the company where David was
employed graciously responded by picking up my apartment rental expenses for
the full four months I was in Seattle. I suppose one could say that's
the least they could do, and I tend to agree. Unfortunately,
according to David's highly-qualified, Montana-based attorney, there is no
easy way to hold the company liable, which they definitely were.
Although David's employers were entirely and even knowingly negligible,
Montana's current "no-fault" labor/employment laws pose some almost
insurmountable challenges in holding the company's feet to the fire legally,
so as to successfully pursue and obtain a just and rightful settlement for
David. Not to belabor details, but the company was entirely at fault in
more ways than one, starting with failure to enforce any kind of comprehensive
drug-testing and alcohol abuse policy, combined with lax employee safety
regulations and supervisory practices—all of which contributed directly to
the situation that precipitated David's injuries. Of those who were
employed there, and who willingly and voluntarily came forth in David's
defense to attest to these facts, all later backed out, not wanting to be
"marked" or lose their own jobs in this economically strapped
region. Of course, this all left David in the lurch and out in the
cold, as it were, with no one willing to stand up and be counted, not even
his close friends there. Dave
has a very likable personality, and is about as gifted and intelligent an
individual as they come—which many have recognized. One of Dave's first
loves was flying, for which he began pursuing a degree in missionary aviation
straight out of highschool. Also, as an individual who loved God's
Creation, Dave had an affinity for the out-of-doors: snow-sports, cycling,
hiking, mountain climbing, and hunting—the primary reason that he had
initially moved to Montana's Bitterroot River Valley region. He also
enjoyed a wide variety of other likes, and had discerning tastes, and
values. In short, Dave appreciated simplicity and eschewed complexity,
and enjoyed the finer things of life, including art (Dave painted and
especially liked Bierstadt's Yosemite scenes), classical music, as well as
high-quality goods and products. I was pleasantly surprised (not to
mention amazed) to see him sit down at a piano one time when he was still in
the hospital in Seattle and play (every note of) Beethoven's Piano Sonata, FÜR
ELISE. Besides
being highly gifted and intelligent, David was a sensitive, quiet type who
loved life and all it had to offer. That being said, I sometimes
discerned a touch of sadness to his demeanor, maybe partially because Dave
found himself to be an imperfect person, or because he was hoping to find
Miss Right, and raise a family, but it never really worked out. Bottom
line, in a brief moment in time, Dave's whole life was abruptly altered, and
his life-goals and desires were shattered. It certainly was not of
David's or our choosing (or making for that matter), but a direct result of
the easily-preventable construction mishap. This sent us all into
burnout mode, as it took a huge chunk out of all our lives (but mostly
David's, of course). Since then, Dave has become very unstable, with no
real purpose and a dismal outlook on life in general. He salves his
hurts by a wanderlust spirit, traveling around the country in a homeless
condition, and avoiding anything that reminds him of the past like the
plague. (Those who have met him along the way, that I have talked
with, are impressed with his work-ethic and outgoing personality.) This
is all due to the Bipolar condition that he contracted. As a result, he
has been stressed out and stresses others out, exhibiting confusion,
disorientation, misplaced anger, deep depression, both doing and saying
things very atypical for his normal self as he tries to work through things
and search for answers. And, it's not getting any better at this point,
since he thinks of himself as being OK (and others off), which I understand
is a typical Bipolar response. As such, he won't allow himself to be
properly diagnosed and treated. Besides
the mental, emotional, and psychological consequences, Dave is a thin shell
of what he used to be physically, with constant stomach and digestion
problems—who can tell what else might develop down the line. Physical
healing occurs much easier and quicker than emotional healing. We
deeply love and appreciate our oldest son and were all profoundly sorrowed
and devastated as we witnessed his healthy body, personal self-worth,
emotional and psychological state of mind, hopes, dreams and aspirations all
crumble around him. (I
notice myself writing this in past-tense. Dave is still alive, to the
best of our knowledge; however, I understand that at least 10% to 15% of
those with his condition manage to take their own lives during times of deep
depression—God forbid. I pray for our David daily, that God will keep
and protect him, meet his deepest needs, heal his wounded heart, restore his
self esteem and sense of purpose, and bring him home safely again some
day. As mentioned previously, Dave presently wanders the countryside as
a homeless person in a quest for answers, and avoids contact with any of
us—another attribute of the Bipolar condition, I am told. Therefore, we
do not know of his present whereabouts, situation, condition, or even if he
is dead or alive. Death or life, we have lost our beloved son as we
knew him. But don't take me wrong; we'll take him anyway we can get
him, as soon as he decides to come back into our lives. We are praying
to that end.) Meanwhile, we commit David's well-being and safety to God's all-sufficient watchcare... Be well, Dave, and God bless you wherever and however you are. Come home when you want, son; you are always welcome here. We will never forget you. We will always love you; more than you will ever know, son. Nothing can ever change that... R.M. (David's Dad) |
Wagons, Ho!
|
Complicated Engineering Project Underway David, tediously concentrating on a building project on the living room floor of our home in the village in rural Northeast Thailand where we lived. Note the alignment of the blocks. Dave was still essentially a toddler here. |
Man's Best Friends, Spot and Brownie Dave with his two pet "Heinz" brand dogs (village muts). Photo was taken under our house (note square house-posts in background) in the rural Northeastern Thailand village where we lived for 8-9 years, learning the Nyaw language and culture, and ministering among the Nyaw people . circa 1975. |
Ship Ahoy, Ye Landlubbers! Dave enjoying a boat cruise, 45 minutes out to a distant Island in Pattaya Bay, Thailand (during our annual conference). There, we (older kids and grownups) would anchor in about 30 feet of water, then snorkel out and dive over the beautiful tropical fish and coral. The boat was a medium-sized wooden fishing vessel, modified for passengers. Often, three-to-five families would get together and hire the boat, at a total cost of less than $50 for the whole day, at the time (mid-1970s). The tropical sun was intense, so sunshade was required. The boats all had deck canopies. Supposedly, the waters were shark-free, or so we were told). |
Say, "Cheese" Quite often, I would snap pictures of the kids as they grew up--many photos were in a trunk that got stolen. This photo was taken circa 1977, shortly before our furlough (Sabbatical leave) in 1978, when Danny was born. The kids were sitting on our rattan settee in the living room of our cozy but quaint home in the remote village of Ban Naa Nai, where the kids spent their early years. Angela is seated to the left, Michelle is in the middle, and David is seated to the right. As usual, he didn't miss a chance to make a funny face. Cheryl (mom) made the matching outfits. |
Say, "Cheese" ...
Update: <=== Angie (left, with daughter Danielle) Michelle (right) ===> |
The Way We Were Dave (at my side), taken circa 1981 in the provincial capital city of Nakhon Phanom (nah-kawn pah-nome), where we lived after the primitive village experience. Dan (Dave's younger brother), was a baby at that time, is now 27 with a Bus Admin degree, and works in Kaiser-Permanente Hospital's admin offices. David's two sisters are Angie (32), a schoolteacher, now married with two daughters of her own; and Michelle (30), a district school nurse here in the San Diego vicinity.
David's Siblings |
Highschool Graduation Portrait Dave's highschool graduation picture (age 19), Midway Baptist Schools. San Diego, CA. I see a note of sadness in David's eyes here, but I'm not sure why, or if it's really true... maybe he was just having a bad day. From there, Dave enrolled in Flight School, and was hoping to become a missionary bush pilot. All of his profs and instructors gave him high marks, saying that he was a natural. However, for whatever reason, he quit school and did not follow through with his aviation plans. |
With Sis at Black Angus Steak House David, approx 26-27 years old in this pic, taken in San Diego a couple of years before the accident—he turned 29 in the hospital. Here, Dave was enjoying dinner at Black Angus with his youngest sister, Michelle. Michelle worked there summers as hostess, during her college years at BIOLA, where she received her BS in Nursing. Looks like they are consuming a giant icecream dessert together. |
Ja, der Volkswagen mit der Katze!
Dave (the mechanic), beginning restoration work on an old VW Camper Van he bought, which had a Porsche 914 engine. Picture was taken in our garage. When the job was completed, Dave drove the van to Montana, a year or so before the construction accident occurred. (Note our gray- &- white family cat, Sparkles, perched upon the back seat of the van.) |
Ouch! Cheryl (Dave's Mom), stroking his forehead in Harborview Medical Center's Multi-Trauma ICU, two days after the accident. There, Dave received 24-hour individual watch-care by specially-trained nurses. Harborview Medical Center, Seattle WA, is a top medical research center, connected with the University of Washington. |
Hurtin' In A Big Way! During the period that David was receiving multiple life-saving surgeries, his back surgery was put on hold until he was fully stabilized. In the interim, Dave was placed in a Rocker-bed (my term). This held David firmly in place as it tilted slowly from side to side. The purpose was to maintain circulation in and around his fractured back, sacrum, and pelvis—as well as help prevent further nerve damage, and bed-sores. Meanwhile, Dave was placed under a drug-induced coma, along with intubation-assisted breathing. He was also plugged into every imaginable monitoring device available (or so it seemed). His back surgery was later performed by a "crack" surgical team (no pun intended) consisting of highly-respected, world-class specialists. The back surgery was a complete success, and restored David's mobility with no motor paralysis. However, a bad hemorrhage occurred a few days later, caused by a weakened blood vessel that ruptured, having been damaged from the initial injury. Dave lost 10 pints of blood (through internal hemorrhaging) before they were able to locate the problem area. Finally, Dr. Hugh Foy, David's attending physician, was called in—who found and repaired the hemorrhage in short order. (See Dr. Foy's picture at David's bedside below.) |
Not A Very Happy Thanksgiving Weekend LEFT-TO-RIGHT: Dan, Michelle, Cheryl (mom), David (in bed), Jeff Birney and wife Angie, Me (Ron) Harborview Medical Center (Seattle), Thanksgiving weekend, November 1999, shortly after Dave's relapse. Our whole family is gathered around David's bedside, who was moved to the Respiratory ICU. His major life-saving surgeries were all done at this point, and Dave seemed to be doing very well. Then, wham! A major setback. I look pretty solemn here, because I honestly thought this might be the last family photo we would take together with David... he seemed that close to losing the battle. Thank the Lord. Dave was in such great physical condition previous to the accident; otherwise, he would likely have never made it, the doctors said. |
Thanks Doc; You're The Greatest! Dr. Hugh Foy, a wonderful man and the attending physician who was in charge of, and responsible for saving David's life. Here, Dr. Foy is checking and adjusting some of David's paraphernalia, including the "PICC" line, a connection device where intravenous injections are given. Note the shininess on David's face, a result of drug (medication) residue and related substances seeping from his skin. |
Look Ma, No Stitches! After many surgeries, internal fixes and refixes to save his life, Dave's stomach sutures gave way as the tissue became too deteriorated to hold, due to infection. As a result, stomach acids and contents spilled out into his chest cavity for the second time, where they flowed down into his intestinal cavity through the unhealed tears in his esophagus and diaphragm. This became evident through observing stomach bile flowing out the drain tubes inserted into David's body cavity. Thus, the surgeons were forced to apply extreme measures—hold Dave together temporarily with stainless steel retention wires and retention buttons as seen here—note the row of dots on both side of the incision. The open gap allows for "breathing room" for bacterial and viral infection to dissipate. It worked—they're the experts at this sort of extreme stuff. Why the extreme measures? Dave's stomach had been forced up into his left chest cavity by the log's exploding impact. There, it burst open, spilling raw stomach contents into the left lung area. Dave's stomach was partially destroyed in the process (only 40%-50% could be saved). We had to wait till the stomach wounds eventually closed. Meanwhile, he could not eat or drink, only intravenous feeding for over 3 months till the broken stitches in his stomach eventually closed, and all the draining tubes were then withdrawn. This horrible-looking gaping wound eventually closed up (as promised by David's attending physician), whereupon the stainless steel retention wires were withdrawn. Note also the small dark circles on David's side, evidence of the many drainage tubes that once sprouted from David's torso. Also note the various smaller scars, left from the various minor surgeries that helped in stabilizing David after his torn stomach had been partially removed and initially stitched closed—which tore open again due to infection. (NOTE:
OUT OF RESPECT FOR DAVID, PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR PROPAGATE THIS PHOTO) |
David and his dad (me), towards
the end of his hospital stay. Note stomach (G.I.) drainage tube I gladly put my own life on hold and spent the whole four months with Dave while he was there at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle—showing him that I loved and cared for him. I stayed in a nearby apartment facility, set up especially for relatives of long-term patients. This pic shows Dave's greasy-looking face... due to residue secretion of the many meds that he was being given, the doctors and nurses said. Amazingly, Dave does not experience any residual pain in his back and lower torso, of which he suffered a separated pelvis, broken L4 and L5 vertebraes, a shattered sacrum, replete with some severed nerves to his lower torso and legs, cut by sacrum bone shards. Miraculously, Dave had no motor-nerve damage, only severe numbness due to sensory (feeling) nerves being severed, which are slowly regenerating. Other injuries Dave suffered were: seven broken main ribs on the left side (folded over close to his backbone), punctured left lung, ruptured stomach (its contents spilling out into his chest cavity), ripped/torn diaphragm and esophagus, and inter-related issues. All of these injuries were due to the impact of two heavy 14" diameter logs, tumbling from height—destabilized by a worker wrongfully cutting a stabilizing brace—striking and crushing Dave to the ground. He was looking in the other direction, and never saw or heard the falling logs coming. Upon being questioned later, the drugged-up man who cut the brace said of David: "He was in the way." In actuality, David was standing at least ten-to-fifteen feet away, and the logs arched towards him on their downward path, slamming him to the ground. Amazingly, Dave did not lose consciousness through it all. Realizing that he was badly injured, he kept his cool, instructing his excited and panicked fellow-workers what to do and not do, as they lifted the logs off of his broken body, Dave related to me later. Dave was airlifted to two local hospitals (Hamilton and Missoula, MT), before finally being life-flighted in a turbo-prop air-ambulance to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA—central trauma center for all of the Northwestern States, and Alaska. I was there by that time, and rode in the air-ambulance to Seattle with him. No sooner did he arrive than his condition greatly worsened. That was the place to be—those people a used to performing medical miracles on a daily basis... Dave wouldn't have made it in most other hospitals, I am convinced. It certainly seemed like David was taking things in stride. Then, his Bipolar and post-traumatic stress conditions began to appear shortly before he was released from Harborview—March 2000—and further developed while he was living with us here in San Diego, where he completed his rehab. Those were very trying times for everyone, especially for David, of course. No one could figure out what was happening to him, or why he was acting as he was. And, it wasn't until later, when we began to realize a definite recurring pattern, that we knew something was amiss in David's thinking processes. I believe it was his sister Angela who first recognized it, and brought it to everyone's attention during a family discussion. Since most of his bitter feelings and harsh accusations were directed at me (as the authority figure), I was preoccupied beating up on myself, trying to figure out what I might have done wrong to mess his whole life up so badly. It was very consoling to understand later that I hadn't really done anything all that wrong, but that it was really David's Bipolar-affected mind speaking and acting this way towards me, all typical Bipolar behavior, I later learned. In short, it was not really the David we knew and loved that was talking and acting this way, but symptomatic of the contorted mental condition that had taken over in his life. Then, as time passed, Dave would cycle from a Bipolar high to a Bipolar low in his mental state where he would be very loving and apologetic towards me, writing me well-thought-out notes blaming himself for his ills, and not me. |
David (right), with younger brother,
Dan, after initial recovery and rehab process in San Diego. David and his younger brother, Dan, enjoying a Thai meal together (the food they grew up on) at Sala Thai, the local Thai restaurant that we often frequent. (I recognize the Thai condiments (hot sauces) and the melted-down Thai iced tea in the glass on the table.) Note David's frail and haggard appearance (at 118 pounds), a few months after the accident, as compared to his robust looks in the picture at the top of this page (at 160 pounds). This is one of the last pictures we have of David, taken not too long before he sold all his possessions (including a pristine 1995 BMWci at pennies on the dollar) and literally disappeared... forsaking friends, family, and all responsibilities. Then, one morning, two years later, right out of the blue, I got a very beautifully-written, conciliatory email from Dave. I was elated and praising the Lord. Then, the next day, Dave called us from... ready? Northern Scotland, where he had been working in a Salmon cannery on the Shetland Islands. He needed to return to the States because his UK visa was running out. The problem was, he couldn't get his money exchanged in time to get an air ticket home before his visa expired. I helped him get a ticket to New York, then a bus ticket Upstate, where a friend had a job waiting for him. You might wonder, was Dave just playing me, because he needed help, and had nowhere else to turn? I wondered the same thing, but he was our long-lost son, and asked for our help, which we gave. He did pay me back for the bus and plane fare, though, so... that puts it in perspective. David arrived in Upstate, worked for a family friend, got an apartment in Auburn, NY, and attended church regularly. Things were really going great. This went on for many months. It was like the Prodigal Son story. We rejoiced in that our lost and wandering son had returned home. However, soon he began to exhibit more and more strange behavior, imagining things that weren't true, getting upset at the friend who had hired him, acting irresponsibly, etc. In short, Dave began to exhibit the same Bipolar symptoms, just as before. Soon, the symptoms became more severe... sleeping for hours on end, then staying up all night, eating a lot, then starving himself, acting sanely, then acting weirdly, talking sensibly, then talking gibberish. Next, he was evicted from his apartment for lack of paying the rent, and slept in his car. He soon began to talk about staying in his camping tent out in the deep woods—keep in mind that it was now wintertime in Upstate NY. Then he quit his job and took off for parts unknown. Then, he returned, acting somewhat normal, then acting quirky again. This all occurred in recurring cyclical patterns as the untreated Bipolar condition influenced and controlled Dave's thought processes and actions. Through all this, one positive thing was, David respected and would listen to his cousin (my sister's daughter), who convinced Dave to get professional help and evaluation in the County Mental Health facility in Ithaca, NY. This, he agreed to do, but then disappeared the day of his appointment. That was the last we heard of him for quite a while, then he called us from Massachusetts, saying that he wanted to travel back to Upstate NY, but lacked bus fare. The destination was near the clinic were he was supposed to have visited the day he took off. Right or wrong, we decided to wire him the bus fare, and a little extra for food and expenses, along with a short note asking him to get the help he needed. He returned to Upstate NY, hung out around Auburn for a while, then disappeared again. Because of the silly, misconceived HIPPA laws, neither we, nor David's Attorney in Missoula, could do anything to intervene. Only the police could, if they considered Dave to be a threat to himself or others, I found out. They were willing to help, once I explained the situation, but by that time, Dave had left the area again. David was always very straight-forward and honest during his growing-up years, as well as a very hard worker, and responsible person. The problem is, when David is like this (as with any Bipolar sufferer), you can't always believe or trust him. He'll acquiesce and promise to anything, then break any and all promises without a second thought. We know this isn't the real David, and so we see and accept it for what it is—a severe untreated Bipolar condition. It's presently been a few years since we have seen or heard from David directly, yet we continue to pray daily for God's watchcare and protection over him. If you are a person of faith, please help hold David up before the Lord in your thoughts and prayers. As someone once wisely remarked, "We serve a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, wonder-working God. Nothing is too hard for Him." UPDATE—NOVEMBER 2006: Interestingly, David stopped by our home in San Diego unannounced in November 2006, just after I had flown back to Thailand. We had moved since the last he was here, but he managed to locate us. (Dave had been careful to avoid me, wrongly believing—due to his confused condition—that I was against him. I am definitely not... I deeply love and care for him.) While here, he spoke with his mother (Cheryl) and his two younger siblings (Dan and Michelle), who had stopped by. They all tried to convince Dave that it would be good if he would get professional help, so that he could get prescription medication to stabilize his Bipolar condition. Of course, in his altered state of mind, Dave was not the least bit interested, thinking rather that he was just fine and everyone else wasn't. This mentality is quite common among those suffering from the Bipolar condition. After that, he went to our favorite Thai restaurant, where the Thai owner recognized him, graciously fed him, and even gave him some money. Lastly, Dave stopped by the church, where we are active members, on Sunday, December 24. There, he had a friendly conversation with a missionary whom he knew, who later related this to me. That same evening, Christmas Eve., I returned home from Thailand. I understand that David had remained in the general vicinity for a while, but I was not able to locate him. I went by the Thai restaurant regularly, hoping they might have seen him. They did see him again once or twice, where he mentioned that he was convinced no one loved him. I am hoping and praying for a chance to see him personally, perchance to tell him we all love him and miss him very much, especially me (his dad ). I have no further knowledge of his present whereabouts... Dave could still be in the San Deigo vicinity, or may have traveled anywhere at a whim. UPDATE—SUMMER 2007: After more months of silence, David called home again, from New Mexico this time, where he was staying, and chatted with his mother. Upon hanging up, Cheryl related to me how disconnected and discombobulated his thoughts and speech seemed, not the typical David we knew. A few days later, I was in my office working when the phone rang again. The "voice" on the other end asked to speak with Cheryl. It wasn't uncommon for her students to call and ask for her, and I normally asked callers to identify themselves before handing the phone over. "It's me, David," was the reply. I hadn't spoken with him for months, even years... so what do I say now? I acted pleasantly surprised, asked how he was, and made small talk. David excitedly took off on a disconnected rant about all the great things he was doing, whereupon I merely listened and assented. At a proper time, I told him we loved and though of him often. I asked if I could pray for him before I handed the phone over, to which he readily acquiesced. After asking God to bless and watch over him, I then told David that I loved him deeply, and that that would never change. In response, David, sounding very sincere, said that he loved me as well. This really meant a lot to me, seeing that I knew he had been struggling with negative thoughts, brought on by his Bipolar. We talked a couple of other times, and then he was gone again. UPDATE—DECEMBER 2007... Important News
Update On Our Injured Son David's Situation: WE PRAISE GOD FOR THIS GOOD NEWS... David's Attorney called from Missoula, Montana,
this morning (Sunday, December 16, '07), and left a phone message while we
were in church. He related that he's quite encouraged because Dave is
now living in Missoula, has stabilized, and appears to be doing really
well. Also that David has exhibited no recent signs of Bipolar (Manic)
Depression for some time now. His Attorney went on to say that Dave had
now settled down, had a painting job, and had gotten some of his ID papers in
order again. This, after years of wandering and drifting in a homeless
condition, even in trouble with the police at times, but never thinking
anything was wrong with him as he shunned medical and/or psychological
evaluation and corrective medication. This, as well as avoiding his family
and former friends, typical of someone with the Bipolar condition, I am told.
Praise the Lord... please continue to pray for
Dave's healing and well being. This recent development is in direct
answer to our long-standing prayers for Dave's wellbeing, I'm sure.
Pray now, please, that he will now be open to receive professional counsel,
evaluation, and medication for his severe Bipolar and Post Traumatic Stress
conditions that have plagued him since their initial onset, following his
injury and four-month hospital stay in Seattle. It's been quite a journey since then, for all
of us, and especially for Dave, who is now nearing 37. At the time of the
mishap, Dave, then 28, had already turned in his resignation, and had only
one week left on the job. His intentions were to return to Bible school
to become a missionary—these were his plans, as he had related them to me a
month earlier over the phone. We had some really good fellowship during
that conversation—best we've ever had, in fact. Then, everything came
crashing down, literally. (Two large log-home logs fell on David,
literally crushing his upper and lower torso.) Dave's Attorney said also that Dave had been
staying at a homeless center in Missoula for a few months. However, it
wasn't clear whether Dave is still there, or now has his own place.
This was welcome news as well, however Steve Carey also said things could
reverse back again for the worse if David's Bipolar condition arose
again. So, please pray that it will remain dormant, and that Dave will
return to his normal self, and be able to get on with his life's plans.
UPDATE: CHRISTMAS 2007... THE BEST
CHRISTMAS GIFT: We experienced a very special Christmas gift
this year--I'll explain. We planned to spend Christmas and New Years
with our oldest daughter, Angela and husband Jeff Birney (and two darling
daughters) at their home in Kalispell, Montana. We (Cheryl, Michelle,
and I) landed in Missoula, Montana on Christmas Day, and hooked up with the
rental car we had booked earlier. One extra, unforeseen blessing was,
the medium-sized rental car we had booked was not available, so we were
automatically upgraded to a brand-new 2008 Infinity all-wheel-drive luxury
SUV with all the "whistles and bells" at the same price, with
insurance included. No complaints here. we first spent a while with our eldest son
David's terrific attorney, Steve Carey, finally meeting him face-to-face for
the very first time. There, we conferred with Steve as he caught us up
on recent details concerning David's situation. Then, we signed some
release papers for David's long-awaited settlement from the construction
accident that nearly claimed his life eight years before. Steve then
asked if we would like to see David, adding that he lived a few short blocks
away. Why of course, if Dave wants to see us, I quickly replied,
knowing that he often liked to keep a low profile around us, exacerbated by
his Bipolar condition. Before making the trip, I had prayed that we
would get a chance to see our oldest son and reestablish our relationship
with him, especially now that he was doing better. I had sent him a
Christmas card, and brought a gift along, for the occasion, if it was to
be... and it was, by God's grace and your prayers. Soon, Steve returned with David, who looked
amazingly robust and healthy, all things considered. He greeted us
wearing a big smile, at a gaunt 120 pounds due to his partially-missing
stomach, surgically removed after bursting open from the severe impact of the
construction accident, spilling its contents into Dave's left lung cavity. He certainly seemed pretty-much himself again,
Praise God! Steve (Dave's attorney) had related to us earlier that Dave's
transformation was likely due to his having spent some time in the local
Missoula Hospital's mental facility for psychological evaluation, as well as
put on medication, a couple of months earlier--something he had always
refused to do, thinking that he was fine and everyone else was imagining
things. Due to the over-bearing HIPPA laws, we could do nothing to
intervene, even as his parents. However, this had been initiated and
paid for by the Missoula city authorities, seeing (we were told) how Dave had
become the town nuisance, performing weird antics on street corners, etc.
Whatever the case, and however it had come about, this miracle was certainly
in direct answer to everyone's long-standing prayers for Dave's wellbeing. That's why this was one of the best, most
blessed Christmas presents ever... to see and talk with our son David in his
right mind again--and to be able to hug him and reassure him of our love. This, after years of his wandering
who-knows-where in an unkempt homeless condition, with his untreated Bipolar
condition leading him around by the nose, so to speak, causing him to act and
think incoherently. Incidentally, before heading north towards
Kalispell, we drove Dave back to where he was staying, parked and chatted a
bit longer. Dave asked what we thought of his long hair, to which I
replied that it wasn't important... and that what was important was that we
got to see and spend time with him. He got out, we hugged again,
reassured him of our love and prayers, said our goodbyes, and left. In closing, thank you for your faithful love
and prayers on behalf of David as a fellow-member of the Body of
Christ. He is not totally out of the woods yet, but this is a huge
step. Your continued prayers for him are highly coveted... God is
able. Remember, Dave was headed back to Bible school and a career in missions
when this all happened, eight years ago. God knows, and we praise Him
for His undying Love and Watchcare. .
Thanks
for taking time to read this, and for your thoughts and prayers on Dave's
behalf. UPDATE CHRISTMAS 2008:
In December 2008 Cheryl (David’s Mom) and I flew to Montana to spend
Christmas week with Angela (our eldest daughter), her husband Jeff, and their
two darling daughters, Danielle and Annika.
While there, we tried to contact David by phone, but he was not
picking up—we later learned his phone was turned off. Nevertheless, we mailed him the presents we
brought with us, wishing we could have spent personal time with him instead. During the evening of January 9, 2009,
Cheryl and I received a telephone call… it was David calling from Missoula,
Montana! We had a great chat for at
least 15-20 minutes. We were pleased
that he decided to call us, and especially glad that he is still fine
mentally. As far as we know, he is not
on any medication to control his Bipolar and PTSD conditions, yet has not
experienced any recurrences for many months—at least a year and a half
now. We have prayed daily for our David
for many years (since his unfortunate accident), that God would guide and protect
him, as well as heal his wounded body, mind, and spirit. We have never doubted God’s love and watch-care
over Dave, as we have realized it many times in answer to our prayers for him
over the years since his accident. That being said, can this seemingly-miraculous
recovery from his long-standing mental and psychological condition be a gift
from the Lord Himself. |