Today was supposed to be a calm, quiet day. After church I spent some time eating lunch and reading my book, then stopped in the park and read some more. Erselia and I went for a leisurely walk through the park and looked at all the artisan stuff for sale at the market. We returned to the hospital about 3 pm. I noticed how my mood changed when we walked into the hospital -- more subdued, more depressed.

We arrived at the Intensive Care Unit and a man whom I recognized but could not place said ¨Hermana Margarita¨ (Sister Margaret). His wife was in tears and we learned that their son had been admitted to intensive care while we were for our walk. He had fallen off his bike on Thursday and he had a headache but nothing that serious. It became worse so they took him to the doctor in Vibora who called the local ambulance from the gas company and they transfered him to Yapacani. There he was intubated and sent off to Santa Cruz in an ambulance. He ended up in ICU, two beds down from Jhonny.

How I would like to tell you that things are well with Jose Luis but that is not so. The doctor told us that he had an aneurism in his head and that there is blood throughout his brain and into his body. The prognosis is not good. He is literally brain dead and is being kept alive with a respirator waiting for a specialist´s opinion -- the same doctor that operated on Jhonny. We were told that a normal brain rates 15, one in danger rates 7 or 8. Jose Luis is rated at 3. . His eyes do not move and his skin is cool. While we were there the doctor took off the machine and his breathing stopped. It is incredibly hard on the parents and the mother is very, very upset. I bought her a relaxant and she is now sleeping.

This is not what I had expected when I woke up this morning. But I am very grateful that I was in the place where I could help this family. Please add them to your prayer list.