Josh Hatcher's Blog

You know that great song from he 80s. ( I know... there weren't many.) It was by BAND AID, and they sold the song to raise a lot of money to help needy people in other countries.

My wife hates it, only because musically, it's a bit cheesy... and I'll agree with her on that point. But regardless the style of the art, the song itself is one of those "world shakers". It's one of those things that if you're standing just the wrong way, it comes and kicks you in between the legs...

1: It's Christmas time
There's no need to be afraid
At Christmas time
We let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty
We can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world
At Christmas time

2: But say a prayer
Pray for the other ones
At Christmas time it's hard
But when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing
Is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring
There are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time
Feed the world
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

3: And there won't be snow in Africa
This Christmas time
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Where nothing ever grows
No rain nor rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time
Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time again

BRIDGE:
(Here's to you) raise a glass for everyone
(Here's to them) underneath that burning sun
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

END: Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time



Read the Rest of this Article HERE.

Well, we got home Saturday, and Isaiah is feeling 100 percent better. He's doing so great!

He's still taking aspirin to keep his arteries open, and the pharmacy gave us a different flavor.. no more complaints.

He went to the doctor's office today, and Dr. Pradhan looked at him and said, "This is a miracle!" (of course it is, doc!)

Because he's on aspirin, though, he's not allowed to have a lot of contact with the outside world, to keep him away from a couple of viruses that could cause him to contract Rye Syndrome.

So that means no church for Isaiah until the end of December. :( But so far his spirits are up, and he is feeling great!!!

The doctor's have clarified a few things today. Isaiah will not be able to come home until Saturday.

They are still giving him the large dose aspirin treatments until tonight, and then those will drop down to a much smaller dose.

The doctors want the extra day to monitor to make sure his fevers do not come back when his doseage comes down.

We did find out that he and all the Hatcher's and anyone else who comes into close contact with Isaiah should get a flu shot... influenza can leave him open for Rye Syndrome because of the aspirin. So, if that means you, please get your flu shot ASAP.. (there is a clinic in Bradford tomorrow at BRMC)

Anyway, He's up and about, and as soon as he pees a little more, his IV will come out, and he'll be even more mobile.

We found some leverage to use with the aspirin treatments... ie, if you throw a fit about it, you don't get to watch cartoons. Not sure if it will work or not, please pray.

Isaiah told me to tell you all that he misses you!

if you want to email isaiah, you can comment on here, post a message on the Open Arms forum, or email me at joshhatcher@verizon.net

wel.. updates might start gettign limited... my power cord for the laptop broke.. it's brandnew, and it snapped off and broke.. bummer...


Anyway... Isaiah is still having trouble taking the medicine (it's just chewable aspirin) ..

they tried putting it in applesauce, and that didn't help..

he has had no fever for almost 24 hours.... and all of his other symptoms are getting better. His eyes are still a little read... that's about it...

not sure how long we;ll hace to be here.. the nurse said three days, the doctor mentioned 48 hours yesterday... so we'll just have to wait and see.

I am going to try to conserve battery power, since I cannot charge this thing.

They do have a computer in the library, I'll try to keep you all updated.

Well, it's been a long couple days.. and they're not over yet.

Isaiah got sick last Thursday with a high fever, and gradually several other mysterious symptoms arose, including swollen lymph nodes, cracked lips, red eyes, and several other things.

Dr. Pradhan diagnosed it Monday as Kawasaki Disease. (click on the word Kawasaki to read an article about it) The disease is very serious, and attacks the heart if left untreated.

They offered to treat it in Bradford, but gave us the option of traveling to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Based on advice from several close friends, some personal experiences with BRMC, and a really uneasy feeling in my spirit, we opted to go to Pittsburgh.

By the way, when we went into the doctor Tuesday, Isaiah's symptoms were notably easing up a little, which made him much more comfortable than he had been for the trip... thanks to all who prayed!

So we arrived last night around quarter to 5, in the big city.. but got lost three times... meanwhile, Isaiah is burning up with an extremely high fever, and all of the directions that we got from people only succeeded in getting us lost further. We prayed, and called 911, and a very sweet operator (with 21 grandkids) directed us to the hospital and stayed on the phone with us till we got here, after 6pm.


They started the treatment late last night, which is high doeses of asprin, and introvenous Gammaglobulin.. which is a purified antigen that comes from blood plasma.. it is often administered to AIDS patients and used to treat other immune deficient diseases..

He had a fever throughout the night, but by morning, his fever had dropped, and his temperature is normal.

The IVG treatment is done, but he's still taking aspirin...

and he has to stay in for a couple more days for observation... unless the symptoms come back up again, and then he'll have to go through the IVG treatment again, and then another couple days.

How to pray for us?

1. Pills. Isaiah is really wrestling with taking the chewable aspirin...he's used to liquid tylenol, and chewing up the pills for him is a VERY big deal.. those who know Isaiah well know how some things become bigger deals than others... Pray that he can give in to chewing the pills, and that the doctors can help come up with a more creative solution for him.

2. Sleep. there's not room for us both to sleep, and I really don't want to leave the hospital.. so I'm kind of sleeping whenever and wherever I can... which is tough for a fat guy in a little chair. :) More importantly, Isaiah's sleep is priceless to him, and he's gotten a little angry with the nurses for waking him up... so pray that the sleep he gets is enough to sustain him. And that he's patient with the treatment.

3. Healing. Pray that all traces of Kawasaki diseases are erased and that there is NO heart damage... Many kids walk away from this with no problems ever again. He's going to be going down for his Ecko-cardiagram in a little bit to find out for sure. He'll have to have another one done around Christmastime for a follow-up. If there is damage spotted, he will have to follow up with a cardiologist.



We love you all...

Josh + Zoe

Advice for Elders and Young Men

5 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an
elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share
his glory and his honor when he returns. As a fellow elder, this is my
appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over
it willingly, not grudgingly-not for what you will get out of it, but
because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don't lord it over the people
assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. 4 And when
the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his
glory and honor.
5 You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you,
serve each other in humility, for

"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good
time he will honor you. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he
cares about what happens to you.
8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He
prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9
Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember
that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going
through the same kind of suffering you are.
10 In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus
Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore,
support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
11 All power is his forever and ever. Amen.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

I know I'm far from perfect. And, while I'm not content to stay where I
am in life... I've pretty much accepted the fact that I am not
perfect...

But when God reveals one of those imperfections to me, i try to take
that as an opportunity to change.

Sometimes I look at my station in life... the way limited cash flows in
and flows out almost instantaneously... I look at other people getting
blessed and I turn green... and you know... I've been there before.

I remember years that I spent in the desert places before I came to
Bradford.. those places where hearing from God was scarce... I believe I
went through that because of my disobedience and my pride..... my
choices to suit myself, and my dissatisfaction for the blessings that
God had poured out on me...

I would cry out to God, and I could tell He was there.. but He was not
talking....

He wanted to, but my pride had to be cleansed. Like the whole angel with
the coal in Isaiah 6.. purging the sin....

And here I am.. smack dab in the center of God's will, getting my pants
blessed off of me.... and all I can do is focue on how little I make...
or how few EXTRA things we have....

Ouch....

And how Right I am about everything... ouch..

God I confess my pride and my selfishness to you.

Clean me up.... I want to be more like you.
Why?