To you this may seem like a dirty empty old cot that you wouldn't imagine touching, let alone, sleep in. To me, this bed being empty is worse then my worst nightmare. This is a snap shot of the kind of days that I pray never happen. You all know my friend Jimmy. This is Jimmy's bed. When I'm in Nicaragua one of my favorite people to see is Jimmy. I always find him here laying in this cot. When I visit him, his family will help get him out of the cot and into a wheelchair just long enough for my visit. Today, I drove to Jimmy's house with provisionals & medication. I was so excited to see Jimmy, surprise him and give him a great big ol' hug! As I walked up to the house I realized there was no Jimmy in sight. Fearfully, I hesitated and asked his family, 'where is Jimmy?'. They proceeded to tell me he was in the hospital. My face stared to sting and burn, my heart began to race and a huge knot immediately grew in my throat. I barely could keep from panicking as I anxiously demanded to know everything. From years of being paralyzed Jimmy has suffered from severe bed sores and lack of circulation in his limbs. These bed sores have become so severe at times that they have been life threatening; exposing his raw skin all the way to the bone. I found out that Jimmy had an accident while playing with one of his little cousins. One of the open sores on his leg became extremely infected. Jimmy had to be placed in the hospital and undergo surgery to try and get rid of the infection and keep it from spreading into his blood. He has been in the hospital for 8 days. His family assured me that he is on his way to recovery and would be allowed to return home on Monday. My heart is still heavy, but so thankful that Jimmy will be ok. This cot, is where Jimmy spends most of his days. Since he is paralyzed, Jimmy does not have very many options. He lays in this cot 24/7. Can you imagine a life trapped inside, no bed to lay in, confined to this dirty cot, with no end in sight. Every day, you wake up knowing that this is as good as it's going to get. I absolutely adore Jimmy. He never complains, always smiles and has the sweetest, soft spirit about him. This reality is ending for Jimmy. When he returns home, we will be surprising him with a new tempurpedic mattress. This will help end his battle with some of his continuous bed sores... Not to mention feel 100 times better than this old run down cot! There are certain people that come into your life for a reason. Jimmy is one of those people to me. As much as I try to do to help Jimmy, it will never be equivalent to how much Jimmy has taught me about life. His friendship is the kind that changes you and puts everything into perspective. Please share some prayers for Jimmy to have a painless and speedy recovery.
Here are a few photo's of Jimmy when we saw him in December before Christmas.
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