Update on My Uncle Walt - Please keep praying

My Uncle Walt Mitchell has been in a Cleveland Hospital for complications related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. His Mom died from this when she was about his age. His brother and son also have this condition. More background info can be found at Update on My Uncle Walt - Prayer request. He was recently placed on a mechanical heart.

I got this update from my Mom, his sister, a couple days ago:

Ken just called. Walt had to have another surgery today. Apparently he had a lot of fluid building up in his chest again.

When they opened him up they discovered he has some kind of fungus growing. This is supposed to be the worst side effect of the artificial heart. They aren't sure they are going to be able treat the fungus effectively. One doc has hopes and others don't.

As long as he has the fungus, he won't be put back on the list for a donor heart. If he can't get rid of the fungus, he will be doomed to live out what is left of his life attached to the artificial heart, and eventually the other organs will be compromised by the fungus.

Ken is going to ask him tomorrow in a discreet way if that is the case what would his Dad want.

From the sibling viewpoint after we went through what we did with Mom, I told him we would not want him to suffer or just waste away or be in pain.

Ken put what life has been like for Walt the last few months in perspective. He said, "For the last 3 1/2 months my Dad hasn't peed in a toilet, taken a shower, washed his own hair, ate a meal at a table, smelled fresh air, or felt the sunshine. When he went into the hospital it was summer; now it's fall."

Anyone who sent him a card - Ken wanted those to know they meant a lot to Walt and did cheer him up.

I told Ken when he is out of ICU and back in a regular room, to let me know his new room #, and we can continue to send cards.

Please keep up the prayers. If Walt ever needed them he needs them now.

I don't want to think that God brought him this far, and he won't leave the hospital with a new heart; yet I know it's all in His hands.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Related tags: journey+inside+my+mind journeyinsidemymind jimm daniel+johnson+jr hypertrophic+cardiomyopathy mechanical+heart artificial+heart