Today was a great day for Carson. He was able to get a fair amount of rest, which he desperately needs right now. I returned home late from the hospital and am very tired. I will include as much information as possible in order for you guys to feel closer to him. As I walked out of the hospital, just I have the other nights, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being able to be in his presence.
I feel almost hypocritical telling everyone not to come to the hospital, when I have had the privilege of being with him for the last three evenings. I do not know how I was put in this position, but I feel the Lord must want to teach me something, because I feel grossly undeserving of the blessing that it has been to be in Carson's presence.
Hopefully, you were all able to finally listen to the recording we made last night. Wasn't that amazing? What a powerful testimony he bears. If only I could record every one of our conversations. Because, really, almost everything he says is so profound. Those are the moments I wish I could share with you! However, I will say that I have had some powerful spiritual experiences in writing this blog, and the Lord has brought so many things back to my memory.
On a more personal note: I was not originally designated to be the blog writer for the family. I am not a blogger. I am not a writer. And I am absolutely not tech savvy. So many people were asking me for updates on Carson, and we all had to wait as information trickled down the grapevine. My dear friend was actually asked to create a blog, however she was feeling a little overwhelmed by everything going on, so I told her I would begin the project. I started writing the blog, hoping to hand all writing and update information through her. She knew Carson's parents much better than I did at the time. However, as I brought letters to Carson I was given information and I some how found myself in this role. I feel deeply inadequate for the job, but I am humbled. I look at this as a temporary calling. The reason I am saying this is not to boast about myself. It is to say that I too have been overwhelmed by the amount of support for Carson. This blog alone, already has well over 45,000 views in little more than 48 hours. Tears streamed down Carson's face as he heard about the amount of Facebook followers and blog views he has. I personally appreciate your support, and I pray that I will be able to do his amazing story justice.
When we arrived at the hospital, Chase Thompson was the only one in the waiting room. Chase is a very close friend of Carson's who has been at the hospital almost all day since day one. He has been so good at supporting the family and reducing stress.
The family had a birthday lunch for Ann who turned 17 today! Happy Birthday Ann! We love you!
As Ann mentioned in an update earlier, the whole family has been filled with peace today. That was so evident, his parents looked great today. I was able to play for Chase and Stephen the recording from last night. We have each been in his presence for so long, and we still have moments where we sit back and just say, "wow," while remaining otherwise speechless.
The whole family received news that Carson was going to be moved to the 6th floor. Last night Carson told his nurses that he didn't want to leave because he loved them so much. He grew so close to those nurses and will miss them a lot. The entire staff at University hospital is incredible. From my experience so far, everyone has been very friendly and helpful, they have been very accommodating.
Before the move, Ann, Camille, and Stephen were able to have a face-time conversation with Braun, Carson's older brother living in D.C.. They took some photos of the whole family which we will hope to upload very soon.
We moved rooms to the 6th floor. We all then packed up camp, we almost felt like we owned the little corner in the waiting room where we were. Changing floors got Carson a little nauseous. After things settled down a bit in the room you could tell he looked like throwing up. He asked me and Chase to give him a blessing. Chase anointed his head with oil, and I sealed the blessing. What a marvelous opportunity to be a channel of God's love for Carson. No sooner had we said, "Amen," and removed our hands and Carson said, "I feel better." He looked visibly better too.
Perhaps the highlight of the night was when family friends Brett and Shaundra Cragun came in the room. Shaundra is a musical therapist. She gently plucked some guitar chords while Carson was finally able to relax. Soon the chord changes transitioned into beautiful guitar arrangements of hymns. She first started playing, "Be Still My Soul." Carson was so moved by the rendition, as we all were, tears streamed down his face. Other hymns and songs followed, and so did the tears. Then Shaundra sang the most angelic tune which she wrote. Her voice and guitar combined perfectly to produce one of the most divine pieces of music I have ever heard. I had made a video of a part of it, however it was accidentally deleted. I hope I can get a recording again here soon. After Shaundra finished playing, Carson said, "I think this is the closest to heaven that I have ever been."I will post a couple pictures from tonight, hopefully you'll be able to see how sincerely wrapped up in the music he was by his facial expressions.
Right after Carson was finished listening to music, the humphrey's, his mission president and his wife, came to visit. They shared some incredible stories that lifted his spirits so much. During that conversation I could tell that Carson was very tired. I was so impressed with his capacity to concentrate and listen. After a while, I began to be very tired, and began zoning out everyone else's conversations as I drifted toward sleep. I then watched Carson as the conversation continued, his eyelids were like sandbags, but he was still so involved in the conversation. I am amazed with his ability to fight off sleep in order to be with people. He is truly a marvel.
He was then visited by a few other people. Again, to those visiting he might seem to be very awake and maybe just a little sedated. However, he was very tired while the conversation was going on. While he is in this recovery room, it is harder for parents and friends to regulate his visitors. In the ICU they had to be okayed with the family in order to go see him, often times he was sleeping, so they couldn't go back. Here they can just walk in. Just walking in is very disruptive to his sleep pattern and it is harder for the family to monitor. Please respect their wishes and do NOT come to the hospital. We will give as many updates as possible!
(Sorry this post is so delayed, I wrote the bulk of it last night and zonked out before being able to publish it. I am just about to leave to visit Carson, so I will fill you in on a few more things from last night and give you an update on how he is this morning.)
