[UPDATE: Tim has passed.]
This just in from the writer of the letter I answered in Christian woman: “She’s pulled the plug on her own son, whom I love and cared for. How do I deal with my anger?”
I wanted to give you all an update about our dear Tim. It has been 23 days since Tim last had his tube feedings or i.v. fluids. For some reason, he is still hanging on. It is the longest we have ever seen someone hold on without nourishment or fluids. I don’t know what God’s plan is in all this. I keep praying that the Lord will take him home and end his suffering. A minister told me something so comforting . . . that Jesus is feeding Tim and he is not suffering. I’m really clinging to that right now, as it’s one of the few things that keeps me from falling into a deep depression.
Late last week, the insurance company stopped hospital coverage, and the doctors sent Tim home with hospice care. Now, his mother and her boyfriend have him lying on a couch. They didn’t even want his hospital bed from our home. The agency for which we work chose not to seek legal action, as his mother is Tim’s next-of-kin, and it’s ultimately her decision as to Tim’s care.
I’m mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, and we are still in desperate need of your prayers. We also care for a young lady, a full-time placement in our home who has autism. She has also been Tim’s sister for the last seven years that she has lived with us. She doesn’t understand where Tim is, and it’s hard to explain to her. If anyone has suggestions as to how we can help her say goodbye to Tim, I would appreciate them. She’s been in a cycle of tantrums and bad behaviors, as her routine of Tim being at our house has been disrupted. We’re trying not to discuss the situation in front of her, as she cries when we cry (very unusual for most children with autism).
It’s been a long, hard unusual situation, and I will do my best to keep you posted. Please continue to pray for us.
We will.
If there’s more to say, those words come in a language I don’t know.
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