I can't sleep and I need to post one last thing for the night. Dad's illness has been a crazy roller-coaster ride that nobody ever wants to go through. We are all as one, family and loved ones pulling together to get through a tough time. Tonight at about 11:15 PM as my sister, my mother, and I were reassembling at the hospital, we passed Tom's wife Carol's sister, Karen, in the Highland Hospital parking garage. Karen, who is always upbeat and full of enthusiasm, was clearly on a huge down. She was nearing the verge of tears as she said that Carol was never going to recover and was on the brink of death, and that they were going home and had some huge decisions to make. I hugged Karen and she told me that our Dad and our family are in her prayers every day. I told her she and her family were in our prayers every day as well.

When we got back to the ICU waiting room, Tom was alone in the room sound asleep, snoring, simply exhausted from his 8 week vigil. He had approached us early in our stay at the ICU and had comforted us, kind of "showing us the ropes" about how a family goes through an extended ICU stay. Tom has been faithfully by the side of his wife Carol for the duration of her illness, and has always been her advocate, her strength, and her love. He is living proof that the ICU holds not just pain, but an incredible amount of hope. Please pray for Carol, Tom, and their families.