Shay Stallings Memorial Scholarship Fund

Danny and I would like to thank everyone for their support during Shay's battle while at OU Medical Center, Children's Hospital in OKC, as well as those who were able to attend the services for Shay. Your love, prayers and support is what has gotten us through each day.

Danny's cousin, Rick Hughlett, was gracious enough to set up a Memorial Scholarship Fund in Shay's name for us. This fund will provide one scholarship annually to a Fair Grove High School graduate to attend Ozark Technical Community College while pursuing a degree in teaching, as Shay wanted to follow in his Uncle Chris' footsteps and become a teacher. Our goal is to raise $10,000 for this fund over the next year so that the interest from the fund can be used for the scholarship and it will live on and on...

If you would like to contribute to this fund, you can make checks payable to the "Shay Stallings Memorial Scholarship Fund" and mail them to Commerce Bank at 1345 E. Battlefield St., Springfield, MO 65804, please be sure and put "ATTN: Carolina Decker" on the envelope.

Again, we want to thank everyone for you continued prayers as we try to make sense of our loss, they are very much needed.
God Bless each of you!!
Love to all,
Danny and Christy Stallings

T-Shirts

If you are in the Fair Grove area and you ordered T-Shirts they will be available for pick up at Fair Grove High School.

Funeral Information and Obituary

Christian Shay Daniel Stallings, Fair Grove, Mo, passed away on Friday, December 18^th at the age of 17 at the University of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City after complications due to heart surgery.

Shay was born December 4^th, 1992  in Oklahoma City to Daniel and Christy Stallings. Shay resided in Moore, Oklahoma, St. Petersburg, Florida, and most recently Fair Grove, Missouri.

Shay had a true passion for sports. In his youth Shay competed in football, wrestling, and his ultimate love, baseball. Shay’s ability to continue playing competitive sports was cut short due to a heart defect but Shay stayed active in sports watching college football along side his dad, rooting on the St. Louis Cardinals, and most recently filming Friday night football for the Fair Grove Eagles.

Most importantly Shay had a passion for the people around him. What people will remember most about Shay is his loving spirit. Shay would never forget to say thank you, tell you he loved you, and he never missed a chance to give someone a hug. Shay was good at a lot of things but he was great at being a son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a grandson and a friend. Shay loved his family and friends and they loved him.

Shay’s true character was revealed in the last few months of his life. Shay courageously battled a bacterial infection that attacked the organs in his body. Doctors and nurses alike were amazed at Shay’s strength and determination and would routinely shake their heads and state “this is one tough kid.” Despite the unfortunate circumstances Shay found himself in, he never complained. Even though Shay was gravely ill he would muster up all the energy he had to give you a thumb’s up. Shay is a champion and now a hero to many for his relentless effort to fight off a horrible infection. Shay will be greatly missed.

Shay is survived by his Parents Danny and Christy Stallings, Fair Grove, Mo, grandparents Jerry and Karen Lohr, St. Petersburg, Florida and Donald Stallings Fair Grove, Mo. Siblings Nickole Hanna, Tampa, Florida and Zayne Stallings, Fair Grove, Mo. Shay is also survived by a host of Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends.

Shay is predeceased in death by a grandmother, Mary Stallings, 1996, an Uncle, Jerry Lohr, 2004 and a cousin, Joseph Jones, 2008.

Services for Christian Shay Daniel "Shay Boy" Stallings are set for Tuesday and Wednesday. The visitation will be Tuesday night from 6-8 at Greenlawn East. Greenlawn east is located just off of highway 65. In order to access Greenlawn you will exit off at Sunshine and make a right at Bedford (by Sam's club). Greenlawn is asking that we park on the Highway 65 side of the building.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday afternoon at the Fair Grove High School gymnasium. Regardless of how well you knew Shay we are inviting you to come celebrate Shay's life with us on Wednesday even if you only knew him through this blog. Shay's family has requested that service be kept casual. We are asking that everyone simply put on their purple. We want everyone to be comfortable and we want to celebrate in accordance to Shay's taste. Shay loved Fair Grove so it only makes sense that we surround him with the purple thunder.

The family will be wearing their Team Shay t-shirts. If you purchased a shirt I will have those available to you at school. If you have a Team Shay shirt feel free to wear that on Wednesday.

Initial Funeral Information

Don't know some of the specifics but wanted to go ahead and get some information out to folks since we have some that will be traveling.

The visitation will be held Tuesday night at one of the Greenlawn funeral homes. I will know the specifics of location and times sometime tomorrow.

The funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon at the Fair Grove High School gym. Shay's mom and dad felt that having the funeral in the gym was most fitting because of Shay's love for Fair Grove and the outpouring of support from the Fair Grove student body. Once again we have not determined a time but we will solidify that tomorrow as well. I do want to go ahead and start spreading the word to the fair Grove student body and the Fair Grove community about the funeral. We are going to take a little different approach than the norm. We really want to just celebrate Shay's life. Shay never really was one for dressing up so rather than getting all dressed up in our fancy pants we are asking that you simply pack the house in purple. Essentially we are asking the purple thunder to dress like they would for any sporting event. Now I guess all you okies who don't have purple can simply wear the Oklahoma Sooner crimson and cream, one of Shay's other loves ;)

If you are traveling from Oklahoma and need a place to stay please let me know and we will work on finding you a place. If you are looking for a hotel try to find something around I-44 and North Glenstone. This will put you in close proximity to both Fair Grove and the funeral home located in Springfield.

I will post the final times on Sunday. Thanks everybody!

Goodbye to a True Eagle Warrior

Dear Friends, Family, and Strangers,

Our little buddy Christian Shay Daniel Stallings went to be with Jesus at 8:30 this evening. Shay passed quickly with his family at his bedside.

I remember when I was coaching I would hear the words "its not whether you win or los but how you play the game." I thought to myself that has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. But now I know exactly what it means. Sometimes you can pour everything you have into preparing for a game and the results don't come out they way you like. Shay gave everything he had. He fought and fought and fought some more. Shay's mom and dad gave it everything they hand spending every waking moment at Shay's side. The student body, faculty, and Fair Grove community at large gave their time, money, and hearts. Likewise Shay's Moore, Oklahoma community gave everything they had helping support Shay and his parents while he was in Oklahoma. Shay's mom's Acosta Family gave everything as well.  Those of you reading this blog have prayed faithfully every night for Shay.

My point is this we can all rest in knowing we gave it all our. Shay fought like a champ and we were all there to help in some way. Great job team Shay. Through this we have all grown in our faith and we have grown as a family and we have grown as a school and community and we have grown as a body of believers. My pain is to intense to express but we all need to rest in knowing that like Shay we fought the good fight and there will come a day when we will stand with Shay next to our Lord and savior.

I will post funeral arrangements as they come available.  I do know that the services will be in Missouri.

God Bless

Story Time

We did not receive the results from the MRI tonight so there is not a lot to report. I want to take a few minutes to share a story with you. As we are now all in this together you know what we are experiecing right now. As I left Shay's room tonight something really neat happened.

I am continously amazed at the cast of characters God is using in Shay's story. He has used so many people in so many ways that I can't even describe. Tonight he used the most unlikely character to really enourage me in a time of need. As I was leaving the unit the ICU housekeeper approached me. She is an older lady who quietly comes in and cleans Shay's floor and then quietly leaves. She was very hard to understand but I was holding to her every word. She asked me are you that young mans brother pointing toward Shay's room. I said no mam that is my nephew. She said "well I just want you to know that I have worked in the hosptial for several years and I have never seen anyone go through what he has gone through. He is the toughest boy I have ever seen. I want you to know that God has his hands all over him. God is going to heal to him. I pray for that boy every night when I go home." We went on and had a conversation about Job and the trials he faced. Shamefully I never got her name but God used her tonight to lift my spirits. I don't know anything about this lady but I would ask that as you pray for Shay tonight pray for the Lord to bless the houskeeper from PICU in some way.

Friday will be a big day of news. Shay's vitals are stable and he looks great. He actually looks better than I have seen him look through this whole ordeal he just simply won't wake up. Please continue to pray for a postive MRI reading and for Shay to regain alertness. Blessing to all of you. 

Headed down for the MRI

We will be going down to the MRI in about 5 minutes..

Just wanted to let everyone know, will post more when we have some more information.

Thanks!

Thursday Dec. 17th... still waiting

Well, it's almost 5:00 pm and we are still waiting to hear from MRI to see if they will get him in today.  Shay is stable, he is off of all the blood pressure medicine and holding his own.  His heart rate is good and they have turned the ventilator down to 50% oxygen.  He is doing fine on the Prizma dialysis too.

There hasn't been much of a change, his feet moved during the night while Aunt Kelly was keeping watch over him, but the nurse has a big huge name for what it was and apparently, it isn't anything for us to get too excited about just yet.  One thing that did happen today, while the nurse was cleaning Shay's mouth with this sponge that has this yucky mint flavored stuff on it, he bit down on the sponge and kind of scrunched up his face, he did it again when she cleaned his mouth later on.  The nurse again told us that she is not sure if it was a reflex or if he just didn't like that sponge, but I am betting that he didn't like that sponge.  :)

If we do get to go down to the MRI later, I will post again.  In the meantime, please continue to pray for the whole and complete healing of Shay, mind and body.  Thanks so much!
Love,
Danny and Christy

Talk with the Doctors

Hey, it's Christy again.  Danny and I talked with the Doctors and here is what we know...

Shay did not wake up after his surgery on Monday, this could be due to the fact that when they did the dialysis last night they tested the fluids they pulled off of him and he still had quite a bit of the sedation medicine in his blood, in fact they found that he still had traces of other medicines that they had not given him since Friday.  Shay did have some type of siezure yesterday evening, from the chest down his body was shaking, and after they gave him medicine for siezures, it stopped.  Siezures are not a good sign, but since it was not a typical siezure that is normally seen in these cases, we are hopeful.  The CAT scan done yesterday did not show any swelling in his brain.  Shay made it through today's operation without any real issues.

Game Plan:  We wait.  We wait for Shay to go through about 48 hours on the Prisma Dialysis machine in hopes that the machine will clear most of the medicine from his blood so that he can wake up and the Dr.'s can evaluate his brain function.  We wait to see if he is stable enough to have the MRI done tomorrow.  This would hopefully give us a better picture of just what is going on in that beautiful head of his.  :)  We wait to see if the lower portion of his left lung will heal and re-inflate properly.  The next couple of days are all about waiting.

I think God may be testing our patients on this one, we have nothing to do for the next couple of days but wait, and yes, you guessed it, pray.  God is allowing us time to lift Shay up in prayer once again, and that is exactly what we are asking you all to do.  Pray for Shay's healing, his strength, that God will comfort him through this trying time.  Please pray for Shay.
Thank you all!
Danny & Christy

Out of Surgery

Well Shay has made it out of surgery and is on his way up to ICU. The surgeon stated that they did everything they needed to do and there were no issues with Shay during the surgery. There is still a small air leak and how this heals will depend on what Shay's body can do. Simply his repaired lung needs to inflate. We are now entering into a waiting game. In order to determine the level of the brain injury we will need to have an MRI. At this point Shay is not strong enough to go through that. For the moment just contine to pray for Shay to get stronger and pray that any brain injuries would be minimal.

Shay in Surgery

Shay has just went into the operating room. Shay experienced some leg twitches over night that appear to be some sort of seizures. The doctors told Danny and Christy that this is an indication that there is probably some brain damage. They are uncertain of the severity. They told Danny and Christy that they would not put Shay on the bypass machine if his hearts stops. So today becomes a very big day. In order to stay in the fight Shay's heart will have to make it through the surgery. I will post after the first update. Pray.

December 15th Update

Sorry for waiting so long to post again, but Danny and I have been up at the Hospital all night and most of today, just waiting.
Here is what is going on with Shay...

Since last night's surgery we have been waiting for Shay to wake up, this has not happened yet.  The Dr's don't know why exactly so they did a CAT scan of his brain today to look for any swelling that might have occured due to the CPR, the CAT scan did not show any signifigant signs of brain injury.  We were encouraged by this, although the Dr. did warn us that the CAT scan is not always the best way to view these types of injuries, an MRI would give us better information but Shay is just not stable enought to endure that procedure, so we can only go by the CAT scan for now.

So why hasn't Shay woke up from surgery?  They can't really say.  A person with normal liver and kidney function would most likly have woke up by now, but as we know, Shay's liver and kidney function is comprimised so they just don't know how long it might take him to metabolize the medicine from surgery.  His brain could be in a state of 'shock' from the trauma he went through yesterday and may just be protecting itself, or there could be some brain injury that the CAT scan did not pick up.  These are all explanations that the Dr.'s have given us.  Some other information about Shay's condition; one of his pupils is responsive, one is not, his Carbon Dioxide levels are high and his oxygen has been turned up to 100%, his potassium levels are very elevated.
Game Plan: they are putting Shay on the Prisma Dialysis overnight, this should help his potassium levels and make him more stable for surgery tomorrow which is the next step.  They will be taking him to surgery at 7:30 in the morning to remove the packing they left in his left chest last night to help with bleeding issues, check the lung to make sure it is sealed and then properly close his left chest.  They believe this should help the Carbon Dioxide levels in his blood.  We will also continue to watch Shay closley in hopes that he does eventually come around and wake up.

This is everything we know to date.  We will post throughout the day tomorrow as we get new information.  Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and support.
We love you all,
Danny & Christy

Surgery is Over

They have finished with surgery, they removed the upper left lobe of his lung, the remaining lower left lobe is still infected but they are hopeful that medicine will heal this in time.  They were able to get Shay off the bypass machine and for now, he is holding his own.

The big test will come later tonight, the Dr.'s want Shay to wake up so they are not going to give him any sedation medicine.  They want to do some tests to see if he has suffered any signifigant brain injury while they were administering CPR.  Please concentrate your prayers on Shay's brain function.  Please Lord, continue to show us your miricles and preserve Shay's brain, keep him whole, show him your love.

This will be my last post tonight, I will follow up in the morning.  Thank you again for your continued prayers!
Christy

Prayers are needed

About 5:15 pm this evening the nurse came out and let us know that Shay was in full Code and they had shocked his heart and given him medicine, but they were administering CPR and doing all they could.  About an hour later she came back out to let us know that Shay was given CPR for about 40 minutes before they were able to get him hooked up to the Ekmo (bypass) machine.  He was having bleeding issues and they were trying to get his blood pressure stable and they would proceed with the lung surgery.
Our last contact with the nurse was about 30 minutes ago, they will be removing the upper lobe of his left lung, he is still having bleeding issues and they are going to attempt to get him off the bypass machine when they complete the surgery.

At this point, all we can do is ask for your continued prayers and support.  I will report again later once we get word that they are completed, it is going to be a very long night.

Second Surgery Update

Just got a call from the nurse, they have just finished up with the bronchoscopy and have just made their first incision.  They didn't have a lot to report except that so far Shay is tolorating everything pretty well so far.

Keep the prayers coming and I will continue to post with updates.  Thanks!

First Surgery Update

Just spoke with the nurse, they are still doing the bronchoscopy, (going into lungs with camera), they found A LOT of puss in the lung that was bubbling up.  Not exactly sure what to make of that just yet, but it's not good.
The nurse said that they were waiting on a special tool to be delivered from a neighboring adult hospital and when it arrived it was broken, so we are going to be a bit behind, but we have come to understand that when we are told 3 - 4 hours, it usually means add a couple of hours to that time.  We were prepared for that.

Please continue your prayers and I will post again as soon as we receive any news.
Thank you!
Christy

1st Update from Christy

This is Christy, I am filling in for Chris since he is working very hard today.  We have made it through our first hurdle today, they were able to do the CAT scan and could see what they needed to see without having to use the contrast dye.  This is very good news because the dye could cause his kidneys to shut back down and we just got them to start working the tinest bit, so this was very good news.  They believe that the chest tube is actually inside the hole in his lung and that is why the air is coming straight back out of it.  This could mean that the hole may not be as bad as they originally thought.  We won't know for sure until they get him in surgery.  The surgeon is going to clean out an infected area between his lung and chest wall, and then repair the hole in his lung.  We are hopeful that a repair will be all that is needed, but there is still the possiblilty that he could loose part of his lung.  Prayers, prayers, prayers!  Please continue to pray for Shay's lung and for God to watch closely over the Dr.'s during his surgery.

They had begun the hemo-dialysis after we got back from the CAT scan but they have stopped it and have told us that they should be up to get him to take him to surgery in about 30 minutes (around 2:15 p.m. CST).  I will post again as soon as we have more information.

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers, we thank God each day for our loving family and friends and all of the prayer warriors out there.  You are all such special people, we couldn't imagine getting through these past weeks without you!
Thank you!!!  Christy

Surgery Update

Shay's surgery will be closer to noon so we will not know have a lot of updates right away. Here is what Shay's mom had to say this morning:

christinestallings said...

Good morning, it has been a long night. Shay really made me work for him last night, every 15 minutes or so, he had me scratching his head or rubbing his feet, he had a little trouble getting comfortable. The surgery has been moved back a little bit so that the Dr.s can do the hemo-dialysis on Shay as well as a bronchial scope to try and see the tear. Just spoke with the surgeon and they are taking him to CAT scan, then doing the dialysis, then the scope and then surgery. We have a busy morning. Please continue to pray for Shay and for the Dr.'s to guide them in helping him. Will keep you posted, God Bless! Christy

Emergency Surgery

Well the string of good days have come to an end and we have our backs to the wall again. I am going to do my best to explain what is going on but I don't have a firm grasp so I am sure Shay's mom may blog a response later that will provide more insight.

Things looked good this morning with his liver and kidneys but he was having a very hard time breathing. Shay's dad said he did not look good and was really laboring in his breathing. His latest X-Ray on his lungs showed that there was a tear in his lung. Shay will be going back down to the operating room in the morning. They are going to open him up and see what can be done. The doctors informed Shay's parents this morning that there is a chance they may have to remove part of the lung or worst case scenario all of his lung. I don't know if that is tomorrow or over time. This is obviously another major setback and we pray that God will see Shay through yet another major hurdle. Shay is a fighter but we are growing  concerned about the number of  procedures. Please be in prayer for Shay tomorrow as he undergoes surgery.I am understanding this situation to be very critical. My sister just told me that they were not allowed in the room to see Shay because his mom was not there. Typically they have been very open with incoming guests so I was a little taken back by that. Shay also has a high fever and his vitals have been unstable today. Thank you for the continued prayer.

December 11th

The morning started off a little rocky.  His left lung had air around it so they had to put in a chest tube. They got a lot of air and crud to come out which is good. He had hemodiaylisis  today. They put a catheter in to check his urine and they got some out. They said there is a slight chance that his kidneys may be coming back. Shay had physical therapy in which they worked him out pretty hard doing bench presses Coach O'Neal style. Shay's nurse said his muscles were popping out.

Next Wednesday will be big care meeting involving the cardiologist, kidney doctor, ICU doctor, social worker, and rehab doctor. In this meeting they will be talking about the expected outcomes. They will be talking about the expectations for his heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver and possible dates for starting rehab. This will be a big meeting and we need continued prayer for the healing of Shay's organs and his mental health. Shay is having a difficult time now that he is aware of the reality of his condition and is appearing to be a bit depressed.

I will probably be blogging every other day from now on unless significant news occurs. Just wanted everyone to know that nothing is wrong but as Shay's become more stable there is less to report.  

A Little Update

The main thing going on right now is Shay's infection with the catheter. They are going to try and treat this with an antibiotic. If this does not work they will have to pull it and go through the procedure again. This would not be the best case scenario because it would probably push his stay in ICU back two weeks. Danny met with the kidney doctor this morning and he explained some things with the kidneys. He basically stated that if the kidneys are not functioning with the next month and half then they will most likely not come back. Shay can live up to twenty years on dialysis but ideally we would like to see them just heal. If Shay becomes healthy and strong he could be considered for a transplant. I am not sure how all that would work but I know Me or Kelly would be happy to donate one of our kidneys if need be. Hopefully it will not come to that. I know I am still very hopeful that as Shay comes around more and more that we will see things improve. Shay's lungs are still messy and it looks like he will probably be with the trach for a while. It looks like Shay and family will be in Oklahoma for quite some time. The childrens rehab hospital that Shay will eventually go to requires a parent to be with the child through therapy for some reason. So what that means is Shay's dad will work with him through the day while mom works and then when mom gets off work she will come to the hospital and dad will pick up little brother. Fortunately they have found a church daycare that is going to watch Zane for a minimal cost. This is going to be a hectic time for Shay and family.

Holding Steady

There has not been a lot of changes since the last post. The catheter in his stomach tested postive for bacteria that is resistent to the to antiobiotics he is currently on. We are not sure what that means just yet except that that visitors have to wear gowns and gloves when they are in the room. Shay asked again today how long he would be in there and Shay's mom had to explain the rehab process again and one tear fell. Shay's mom said he is doing okay now.

The doctors discussed a bit of a time line with Shay's dad this morning. They said that if things continue to go good Shay could get out of ICU within a couple of weeks. Shay may not be completely off his machines at that point but he could still get out of ICU. Now the discouraging part is that after Shay gets stronger he will be moved to a rehabilitation hospel. They are expecting the stay in rehab to be a couple of months. That was the news that caused Shay to become a little upset. With that being said if I were a betting man I would bet that Shay will rehab a lot quicker than they are expecting but none the less Shay is looking at best case scenerio a couple more months in the hospital. Bummer I know but at this points I fill fortunate to have this problem.

On the Road

Shay has had another pretty good day. Shay is becoming aware that he has a lot of work ahead of him and he is trying to get a head start on things. He has been asking the nurses to help him exercise his legs. Last night they told him that he could not exercise his legs because it had not been long enough since his last workout. He reminded them again at 2:00 am that he wanted to exercise his legs. With a little help from the nurses Shay sat himself up in bed today. Shay's dad reported that it took all the strength that he had but he managed to get himself most of the way up.

Other than that there is not a lot to report. It looks like at this point from the what the doctors are saying that we are on the road to recovery. It will be a long hard road but we are on the road!

Praising the Lord

Shay's morning started off a little rough but the news has improved throughout the day. At the time we left Oklahoma Shay was experiencing high fever and what would appear to be anxiety. However his condition really improved throughout the day. Before we left Shay had convinced the nurse to give him some ice chips. The nurse just a day before told us that it would be a "quite a while before he could drink anything." Well Shay proved them wrong today. He first whispered the words water to the doctor and the doctor said do you want some water? Shay then thought he would push his luck and whispered "sprite." The doctor allowed Shay to have a drink and Shay swallowed just fine! Shay also had a popsicle and was sweet talking the nurse and his mom to let him have a sonic slushy in a few days. 

The most important news today to report is the biopsy report. The doctors have reported that the biopsy showed that his liver his healthy and not in failure!!!! His liver is very sick and enlarged with infection but doctors believe that antibiotics will heal it in time. Shay's bilirueben levels were down to ten today which is an extreme improvement. Just a few days ago they were in the thirties. Shay is off dialysis right now but there is a good chance he will have to go back on. Last night they moved him to a special bed that rotates him. This is to help with the bed sores that he has developed.

Shay has become more alert and consequently more anxious to get out. He is starting to ask more questions about what has happened and he is also wanting to get out of the hospital and home to Fair Grove. He asked his mom if he could be home by Christmas. Today Shay was also telling the doctor that he wanted to try walking. Shay then started trying to move his legs around like he was riding a bike to try to show the doctor that he was strong enough to walk. We have said this time and time again but he is such a strong kid.

This is spectacular news. Our hope is that there will be no more major setbacks or disturbing news from this point on. Shay has a long long long way to go but once again it looks like we have crossed a major bridge. Thanks for all the prayer.

Team Shay shirts will be in on Friday. The cost is $11. You can send payment to Christy Stallings 2809 Angela Francis Place, Moore Oklahoma, 73160 or if you are in the Fair Grove area you can pay Mr. Stallings.

Saturday Dec 5th

Shay is resting and his vitals are good. The experimental medicine given to lower the level of bilirueben in Shay's liver does appear to be working. Shay's bilirueben level was down all the ways to 15 today. It had been at 33. The X-Rays on his chest did not show any improvement in his lungs between yesterday and today. Shay is a lot more alert now and can answer all of your questions with a yes or a no. Eventually he should be able to whisper and maybe even talk as he adjusts to the trach. The biggest problem for Shay at this point is methadone withdrawals. Shay has been receiving so much pain medicine that his body is going through major withdrawals much like a drug addict would go through. This is causing Shay to be very sick to his stomach. On top of that he is still coughing up a bunch of crud so he is having to deal with some vomiting. All in all though Shay is doing very good.

In addition to praying for Shay's liver I want everyone to begin praying for Shay's mental health. Now that he is becoming more alert he is becoming more aware of his situation. Shay is not one that likes to be in the hospital but the reality is that he will be here for a long time. I am certainly not complaining because it is a great alternative to the unthinkable. However its going to be a mental battle for Shay so please pray for his mental health as well.

Shay was visited by friends from Fair Grove today and you can tell that this really lifts his spirits. The students at Fair Grove made Shay a video on Friday and we were able to play that for him yesterday and today. Shay's eyes got really big. I think that he was really shocked by the outpouring of support. I know everyone has heard me brag on the students of Fair Grove already but I am going to do it again. Fair Grove students and staff are simply the best!

Shay's Happy Birthday Video

Shay Whispers

Today was a relatively quiet day. Shay was pretty sedated and appeared to be quite comfortable. The doppler ultra sound results will be back tomorrow which will show how his blood is flowing to and from the heart and liver. The big biopsy test results will probably be back on Tuesday.

Shay and family recieved an unexpected guest today. Austin Miller was passing through Oklahoma and stopped in to see Shay. Danny and Christy were extremely happy to see another member of the Fair Grove community and enjoyed the visit.

Shay did have a few moments today where he would wake up and whisper to mom and dad. This is the first time in many days that mom and dad have been able to communicate in some way with Shay. One of those moments involved Shay waking up and saying "mom I lover you" only to fall right back asleep. Then later on Shay woke up again and mom told him that tomorrow was his birthday and his eyes got really big and then fell back to sleep again. Then when he woke back up he asked what day is was and mom told him that it was December 3rd and that he has been really sick but he is getting better and SHay shook his head yes. Shay then proceeded to go back to sleep again. Then when he woke up again he asked mom if grandma and grandpa really got him an ipod touch for his birthday. Mom had told him about the ipod a week ago when he was really sick and out of it. Apparently even though he looked like he was out of it he was very aware of what people were saying.

I think that is it. We are looking forward to a good weekend with Shay. Hopefully I will have some good moments to share with you later on this weekend. We will be on the road late tomorrow so there will not be a post for Friday night but I will get everyone updated on Saturday. Until then please pray with all your might for the healing of Shay's liver. Tuesday will be a big day.

Out of Surgery

Shay went through surgery this afternoon and it went well. He is stable right now and was asking for mom as soon as he got out (mommas boy). Shay did have some bleeding during the biopsy but they did get that under control by giving him four units of blood. They also put the peritoneal cathater into his stomach which will be used for dialysis beginning tonight. They successfuly got the trach tube in. The tube that they pulled out from the vent was very infected with brown smelly stuff. They are going to keep him sedated for 24 hours to keep his body still. They don't want him moving or coughing so that he can rest and heal. They are going to continue to suction out his lungs every hour. We will not know the results of the biopsy until probably Friday at the earliest. Please continue to prayer for that liver until then.

Shay's mom wanted to express a gratitude of thanks to her co-workers at Acosta foods throughout the United States. They have currently raised over $2800 in cash. Every Wednesday the company is having pot luck fundraiser dinners in which employees donate cash. Someone has agreed to pay $500 toward their electric bill, pay their car payments for the month of december, volunteered to pay their mortgage for January, provided them with a gas card, and purchased Shay's older sister a plane ticket to fly in over Christmas to see Shay. Acosta foods along with the community and school of Fair Grove have been a blessing in removing the financial burden associated with this tramautic time. It has allowed Shay's parents to be by his side without financial worries. Most importantly we want to thank Acosta Foods, the community of Fair Grove, and the entire blog team that have dedicated themselves to praying for Shay and encouraging the Stallings family.

Danny and Christy wanted everyone to know how grateful they are for all the financial gifts. Like myself they do not have the words to express how we feel. There are simply not words to explain. A close friend of mine gave me a good piece of advice and said sometimes you just have to graciously accept. Please know that we are eternally grateful to each and everyone of you who have given your money, your time in working to raise money, writing encouring words on the blog, and commiting yourself to prayer. My prayer is that you will be richly blessed in return. God bless all of you.

Lots to Report

Chest X-ray looked good today but Shay has developed pneumonia in one of his lungs. His white blood cell count was down today from yesterday so they think his pneumonia is getting better. The rash on Shay’s body is now mainly just on his legs. When the dialysis machine runs out tomorrow they are going to see if his kidneys will work on their own. They are also putting a new experimental medicine in his fluids that they are hoping will attach to the bilirueben in his liver and pull it out. This drug has mainly been used on people awaiting a liver transplant but it has only been used on people whose bilireuben levels are in the fifties. Shay’s is currently in the thirties. It has been very effective when used with people in the fifties to bring theirs down but typically it is not used under these conditions. They also stopped his benadryl and lowered his methadone so they are expecting him to be a lot more alert. They are going to go ahead and do a liver biopsy. To prepare him for this they are giving him plasma to help prevent bleeding issues that may arise. They are putting a new catheter in his stomach for a new dialysis machine. They are also going to put a trach in his throat to get the tube from the vent out of his mouth. All three of these procedures will be performed at the same time but we are not for sure when they are going to do this. They have to make sure his blood is clotting at the level they need to. The best guess is Wednesday or Thursday.

Shay was in very good spirits today. Mom always asks Shay “do you know how much I love you” and Shay responded with several head nods. The other highlight of the day was when Shay pushed his dad out of the way so that he could watch the basketball game on TV. I heard a great comment today that I wanted to pass on as well. During an admin meeting today my boss said that he heard a very fitting comment at church on Sunday. The comment went something like this “God sometimes waits for the impossible to show his mighty work.” That is good stuff.

I also wanted to pass on that Friday will be Shay’s 17th birthday. If you live in the Fair Grove area we will be leaving on Friday afternoon for Oklahoma if you would like to send cards. The other option is to mail them to the address below. I do believe that in some ways this is going to be one of Shay’s best birthdays ever.


Christian Shay Stallings
OU Medical Center/Children’s Hospital
ICU Room 9228, Bed A
1200 Everett Drive
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 73104

So Long to November

Let me begin with a few of the positives from today. Shay was finally seen by a dermetologist today about the rash that had developed on his body. They discovered that it was one of his meds he was on but they don't know which one yet. The rash was looking better and not bothering him quite so much. Shay will be on the dialysis machine for two more days and then they are going to see if his kidneys can function on their own. Shay was coughing a lot of stuff up today which is good but I can speak first hand that this is very hard to watch because you can see the pain on his face when he coughs. For the most part mom said that Shay appeared to be in good spirits. The ultimate focus at this point has turned from his lungs to his liver. The plan today was to do a biopsy on his liver but the decision was made to not go through with this because a biopsy can cause a lot of bleeding so they are going to bring in a liver specialist to see what he suggests. We will hopefully know more on this on Tuesday.

Shay is extremely sick right now and his liver needs your every prayer. This is a difficult time for everyone right now and you are faced with a multitude of emotions. To be completely honest I am scared and worried but I am also reminded of the words of my mother who used to always tell me "if you are worrying you are not praying." Truth is Shay's liver needs prayer just like his heart did a month ago. I am also reminded of a song "blessed be your name." The words of this song speak to the situation we are in. Click on the link to listen and just like Dorie on Finding Nemo says "just keep swimming" I am going to ask that you "just keep praying."


Blessed Be Your Name

Thumb Up

Well it is hard to believe but we are starting week five of Shay being in the hospital. We have been very focused on the lungs the last few weeks but it now appears that the most immediate concern is Shay's liver. Tomorrow will be a big day of tests on Shay's liver. The bottome line is that Shay's liver has not improved over the course of the last four weeks. At some point in time (monday we believe) they are going to do a biopsy and ultra sound to hopefully glean a little more information about what is going on there. Shay will also be switching over to a different dialysis machine some time this week. Shay's x-rays on his lung did show a little improvement this morning. His kidneys are still not functioning but there does not appear to be any damage so they are hopeful that in time (possibly a long time) they can return to normal operation.

I once read a book about developing a positive attitude. Shay could be the poster child for this book. There is a part in the book that talks about the bumble bee. Scientifically, due to its body shape, weight, and wing size, the bumble bee should not be able to fly. Regardless of what the experts say the bumble bee gets up and flys everyday. Scientifically Shay should not be here. However with help of the Father and the couragious and positive spirit that Shay posseses he is still here fighting. Just to give you an example Shay has been extremely wiped out this weekend. One of the questions I always ask him is "Shay how are you doing today?" Now truth be told if I am sitting in his position I would probably be quick to fill sorry for myself but Shay always musters up all the strength he has to raise his thumbs to give the "thumbs up". I will tell you this on one hand it makes me extremely proud to be his uncle on the other it makes me ashamed of my own actions. What if I approached every day with that kind of optimism? What if I disregarded the "problems" that I think I have? We can learn a lot from Shay. If Shay can face his day with optimism surely we can too. Shay is such a neat kid.

Saturday the 28th

We had another setback today with Shay's lungs. Another air pocket developed above Shay's right lung that is trying to collapse it. As a result they had to put another chest tube in slightly above the spot where they just removed the previous one from. Shay's vitals were up and down today but he was more alert at various moments throughout the day. Shay did become alert enough to hand out a few hugs and fist bumps as well as writing the word "sit" requesting to sit up and giving his best effort to whisper back the words I love you. Shay stayed very focused on the OU-OSU game throughout the afternoon. The nurses pretty much leave the TV on college football games because they say he seems more relaxed.

I really don't know how many people outside the immediate family are still reading this blog but for those of you that are still reading this my prayer is that all of the vigelence in prayer that was shown the first few weeks would continue. The bottom line is that Shay is an incredibly sick child. His lungs, kidneys, and liver are not working so we still need everyone praying. God performed a miracle when he stopped the bleeding in Shay's heart. Shay is in need of more miraculous healing. Please continue to pray for Shay and to keep Shay on all the prayer lists you can think of.

Friday Night

There is really not a lot to report tonight. Shay is still on the vent. They have not made any more attempts at taking him off. Shay continues to be really out of it. We were not able to get much out of him  today. Hopefully tomorrow he will be more alert.

Thanksgiving Night

There is not really any exciting news to report tonight. The last fews day have been a bit discouraging after all the good days we had last weekend. Shay had a rash break out over most of his body. They are not sure at this time what is causing this. Shay has not been very alert for the last few days. Its a bit of a bummer going back into this mode because it was nice being able to communicate with Shay. Shay has been experiencing some pain so they are having to up his meds which makes him "out of it."  The x-rays are showing improvement on his lungs but he has not reacted well to breathing without the vent. I am not sure when they will take another shot at taking him off. Shays liver and kidneys continue to be a real concern. His bilireubin levels in his liver were in the 30's today which the way I understand that is pretty high. They have mentioned doing a biopsy to see what exactly is going on. Shay's kidneys are not showing much improvement at this point either.

We are not necessarily taking a step back but it just feels like we are not moving forward. Basically we are in a situation where we need to realize that this thing is not going to be a race but rather a marathon. We are going to have to start mentally preparing ourselves for a very long haul. I would be fibbing to you if I told you that I wasn't disappointed about the lack of progress. I was anticipating seeing Shay off the vent and talking by the time we left but it looks like we are on a different time schedule. Never the less I am eternally grateful that Shay is where he is at. It definitely beats the alternative.

Shay is such a neat kid. Shay has had two bad days and you can notice the discomfort on his face. When he was heavily sedated he appeared to be in a coma but now he is in and out and you can get him to respond. Despite his situation he continues to stay strong. This afternoon his Aunt Kelly and Aunt Carol asked him if he was doing okay and he could not muster up enough strength to focus his eyes on them or nod his head yes but he managed to raise his thumb to give them the thumbs up. I wish I could have that kind of positive outlook when I think "life has me down." I love this kid. He is my hero.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today was a quite day. They attempted to turn back the vent this morning but Shay did not like that at all so they had to quickly hook him back up. Basically what happened was Shay was alert enough to notice that the machine was not breathing for him and he started to panic a bit. So I am assuming they will try again in the morning. His x-rays looked very good this morning on his lungs.

As each of you are enjoying much needed time with family on Thursday I would ask that you continue to petition our Heavenly Father for the healing of Shay's lungs and kidneys. I would also ask for prayer for Shay's parents. The ups and downs become emotionally taxing. In addition you are surrounded with the reality that exists in a pediatiric ICU unit. On Tuesday a year and a half year old who was in the room next to Shay passed away.

On a personal note Haley, Shay's cousin, got to see him for the first time today since his surgery. This is no easy task for an 11 year old but she did a good job staying strong and Shay was very happy to see her. Shay grabbed her to hug her a couple of times and gave her a fist bump. It was a neat moment for our family. Haley really misses her cousin.

With all of that being said I want to wish each and every one of you a happy thanksgiving. I know that this year I am especially thankful. I am thankful for a merciful God who still performs miracles, family and friends, and a community who reaches out to help those in need.    

The Good and the Bad

Well I will start off with the bad news. Its not actaully bad news but not the news we wanted to hear. Some how Shay managed to get air into his lungs so they had to put a chest tube in this morning. What this means is that it will probably be a couple more days before they start talking about taking him off the vent again. Shay also had a pick line put in today. They had to increase his sedation meds so he was not very responsive today.

Now the good news. After not being responsive all day long Shay managed to wake up a little bit for his Uncle Chris and Aunt Kelly. We were sitting there talking to his dad and out of nowhere Shays eyes opened wide and he raised his arm up in the air wanting hugs. So as it turns out all the crying on the way down to Oklahoma by my wife thinking she was not getting her hug turned out to be for not. I can't explain how awesome it was to actually get to look into his eyes and talk to him and have him nod his head in response. I know there is a lot of disappointment in the fact that he did not get off the vent but for those of us that have not seen him in a few days this was a good day.

Huggy Bear

Today has been a good day for Shay. Shay has been trying to talk, writing messages on paper, and giving out lots of hugs. Shay has been resting this evening. They have been turning down the vent periodically and Shay has responded well to this but they are still getting a lot of fluid off his lungs so they are not 100% certain that he will come off tomorrow. They are going to stop feeding him at 4:00 this morning just to be prepared in case he is able to come off.

On top of all the good news there is still some areas of concern. Shay's liver and kidneys are still not functioning. The doctors are still hopeful these could return after the vent comes off but they are also letting the family know the reality that this could be another signifigant hurdle we will have to jump in due time. Please continue to pray for the healing of Shay's liver and kidneys.

My wife made reference to a song today earlier in a post that I thought I would mention it here again. The lyrics have really hit home when we recollect on this experience and how so many people have had to completely rely on the Lord's strength not only for the healing of Shay's body but for comfort for of all those close to Shay during this difficult time. The lyrics read:

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

 listen to strength will rise

Lots of Love

Well Shay did not come off the vent but he was very alert today. All of his numbers are stable so there is not a lot to report. Those who were fortunate to be at the hospital today got to enjoy some funny moments with Shay. Since there is not a lot to report I thought I would share a few of these stories with you.

- This morning when Shay's dad got there Shay raised up and gave his dad a big hug. I guess he does like his dad after all :)
- My brother told Shay that he was going to have to do a really good job with his physical therapy today because she was really pretty and Shay grinned really big.
-The mom of one of Shay's childhood buddies from Oklahoma was visiting and Shay's mom asked him if he remembered Cindy. Shay shook his head no. Mom asked again "Shay you remember momma Sharkie". Shay shook his head no again. Mom asked Shay for the third time "do you remember Kyle's mom" and this time something went off in Shay's head and he raised up with open arms to give her a hug.
-Shay was raising his hand like he was wanting to write something and the physical therapist asked him if he wanted to write something and Shay nodded yes. She handed him the paper and he scribbled real tiny. They asked him if he could write bigger and it was the same scribble marks but only bigger. Then the nurse asked him what it said and he looked at it and got a confused look on his face, puzzled himself by what he had just written.

So as you can tell Shay was full of hugs today and it definately made for an enjoyable day for the family. His aunt Kelly is a little jealous right now and I can onely hope he is still in the hugging mood when we arrive Tuesday night. As of right now the plan is for Shay to be off the vent on Tuesday. For those of you interested in t-shirts the cost is going to be $11.

Saturday Evening

Shay has had a somewhat stable today. He did have some moments with high blood pressure and a slight fever but they appear to now have that under the control. The X-Rays that came back this morning only showed minimal improvement on the lungs so we can't guarentee that he will be taken off the vent on Sunday but that is still the hope.

I do have a story to report. In one of Shay's awake moments today his mom asked him if he knew who she was and he nodded his head yes. She then asked him "who am I" and Shay whispered mom. She then proceeded to tell Shay that his dad would be there real soon and asked him if he wanted to see his dad. Shay shook his head no. Danny warned me that Shay only wants his mom in the hospital but I didn't realize it was that bad!

In case you did not see the post from last night (Sorry So Late) there is an oppurtunity for you to order t-shirts in support of Shay.

Sorry So Late

My apologies for not updating the blog sooner but it has been long days and long nights at work. Shay is still stable. The last couple of days have been pretty quiet. Shay was not able to come off the vent today but they are hopefull that he will come off on Sunday. Shay is becoming more alert which is good and bad. When he becomes alert he becomes aware of the tube going down his throat. Shay is still on dialysis for his kidneys.

On another note Shay's cousin Shanna from Oklahoma has put together a t-shirt for Shay. The t-shirt is designed to promote our unity in helping Shay heal as well as offering our praises to our Heavenly father for healing Shay. The T-shirt motto "Pain is temporary...victory is forever" was taken out of the Fair Grove Football program guide. The quote was originated last year by an FGHS football player and has hung in Shay's room since the onset of this ordeal. The quote has been a daily reminder and encouragment for the family.

If you are interested in the shirts email Shanna at shanna.jones23@yahoo.com . She needs your name, phone number, number of shirts, and size. Cost will be determined on the number of shirts ordered ($10-$13).

Wednesday Night

Shay had another stable day today. His lungs have shown some improvement. The doctors still feel that he is on pace to take a shot at coming off the vent by this weekend. Shay is showing more alertness. His liver and kidneys are still not functioning properly but the doctors believe that once Shay wakes up these will improve. We are still trying to take one step at a time. Right now we are focusing on getting Shay off the vent and awake.

Good News On a Tuesday Evening

Keeping my fingers crossed as I write this but so far Shay has had a really good day. Actually a reall really good day. In the overnight hours they were able to get a lot of junk out of his lungs...enough to fill a pop bottle. The doctors reported that his lungs are operating 75% on their own. What this means is if..if....Shay can stay strong and keep trucking along the way he is they could try to take him off the vent by this weekend. Lets continue to pray for the healing of Shay's lung so that they can remove the vent (kinda of like extreme home makeover...instead of move that bus we can all start shouting move that vent!) The doctor said that they were not overly concerned with his irregular heartbeat and do not feel that a pacemaker will be needed at this time.

Now this is all wonderful news but we have to be patient because we have learned that the news can change in a moments notice. But as of 6:00 Tuesday evening the word is good.

Back On The Coaster

Today started with some really good news. The doctor reported the most recent x-ray of Shay's lungs were showing some black spots. This is good. The previous x-rays were showing pretty much an entire white out. So we were very excited to hear about some improvement in Shay's lungs.

Our excitement was overshadowed by some less than favorable news this afternoon and evening. This afternoon Shay's heart rythm went a little crazy so he had to be shocked again to get it to level out. We are not sure what is going on this evening but his blood pressure has drastically dropped. They have given Shay some meds to try to get this up but at this time I have not heard if it has come back up.

Please pray for patience and comfort for mom and dad in addition to the healing of Shay's body.

"Be still and know that I am God" - Psalms 46:10-  Everlasting God

Shocking to Peaceful

Shay started his day with a little jolt this morning. They gave Shay a small shock to get his heart rate leveled out. Since that point early in the day he has appeared to have a very peaceful day. The x-rays that came back on his lungs showed some slight inprovement but the x-rays are two days behind. They have taken a lot of crud out of his lungs this weekend so hopefully when the next x-ray is read it will show improvement. Shay's lungs are in an interesting cycle. The doctor said that if they could get him off the vent and sit him up he could cough up a lot of the crud that is causing the problems. However as it is right now is lungs are not strong enough to go on their own.

I do have a good story to pass on to you this evening. Basically every two hours the respiratory therapist comes by to put a machine on Shay that shakes his lungs and then they try to suction a bunch of the crud out. When they start to shake Shay he usually becomes alert for a few minutes. Tonight mom started rubbing Shay's hair and Shay got a disgruntled look on his face. Mom asked Shay if he wanted her to stop messing with his hair and he nodded his head yes. So apprently even heavily sedated and very sick teenagers still get annoyed by their mothers from time to time.

Just to be honest it is hard to still see Shay laying in the bed unable to speak. So many of you have left verses or comforting comments. I can't say thank you enough because they have really helped me in a time of need. I was really struggling with everything this weekend and it was good to read your comments. Tonight I am encouraged by a couple of verses. John 11:3-4. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, " This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for Gods glory so that Gods Son may be glorified through it." and Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plan to give you a hope and a future."

God knows the future and his plans for us are good and full of hope. If God provides our agenda we can have boundless hope. This does not mean we are spared from such trials as we are going through now but it means that the Lord will see us through to a glorious conclusion accoring to his plan.

Saturday the 14th

Well there is not a whole lot to report tonight but here is what we have. Shay's heart rate is still pretty high. They thought they were going to have to shock him again today but they did not end up doing that. They were able to get it down with some meds. His blood pressure has stabilized tonight. They put Shay back on the dialysis machine. This is really helping get the fluid out of his body and will help the swelling in his body. They have gotten quite of bit of crud out of Shay's lungs today through the respiratory treatments. They will be doing an x-ray on Shay's lungs in the morning to see where they are at. We are hoping that this will be a positive report.

Our prayer request for tonight is for God to clear his lungs. We feel that if we can get him off the vent then we can start moving forward again. Many thank you's to all of you who have been so faithful in your prayer. Shay is still very sick and needs our every prayer. 

Friday the 13th

Greetings from our new vacation home in Oklahoma City. I have just finished making my weekly contribution to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. I don't want to create a lot of panic but Shay is having a difficult night. Shay has had some major issues with his blood pressure recently. His blood went from really high to very low for unknown reasons. Shay's oxygen levels were low as well but they are starting to climb. Shay has also developed a slight fever this evening. We are also a bit concerned this evening as Shay is not being responsive at all, even when he is being messed with by nurses. We have not been given a whole lot of information but there is something going on with his stomach. They have mentioned doing an ultra sound to see what is going on there. One of Shay's lungs continues to be problematic. They are constantly trying to get the crud out of his lung. Right now the crud is choosing to come out his nose rather than the tubes in which it should be draining from (not a pretty site but mom is there to suck it out with a suction device.) Shay's other organs are still not great.

Well the good news....the Fair Grove Eagles are playing in the state quarterfinals tomorrow. Other than that there is not a host of good information to report. This is a reminder for all of us that God is not finished with us praying for Shay. I believe that is it for now. Hopefully I will have some better news to report in the morning.

Ups and Downs

Well Shayboy continues to keep taking us on the emotional roller coaster. Today was less than a good day. One of Shay's lungs continue to be a problem. Shay had to be put on medicine today to bring his heart rate down. The accelerated heart could be due to several things including pain or being messed with by the doctors. Shay also had some issues with his blood pressure today. Shay had been taken off the dyalsis machine but had to be put back on because his kidneys are not functioning properly.

I was hoping Shay might be off his sedation medicine enough to talk to him this weekend but it doen't look real favorable at this point. The bottom line is Shay is not out of the woods and needs our prayer. I would also ask that you pray for Shay's mom and dad. I know that it is becoming taxing hearing goods news one day and then bad news the next. This is obviously going to be a long process so please pray for patience for Shay's support group. I would also ask that you continue to pray for his doctors.  Thanks everybody!

Wednesday Report

Shay had a much quieter day today. His right lung is looking much better. They are still working on his left lung. They have been busy taking crud out of his lungs. Physical therpay went well today as he followed their commands. Needless to say this is a much better report then we had yesterday. Everything has appeared to level out on his heart since they shocked him yesterday. They did put him on blood pressure medicine but it is in a small doseage. Not a lot to report tonight but no news is good news!

Pictures From Hats for Shay Day

Not So Terrific Tuesday

We have been on such a run of good days we really did not see today coming. Shay ran into some issues today with an excessive heart rate and high blood pressure. Essentially one side of Shay's heart was working much faster than the other. They had to shock him this afternoon in order to get it to come down. They have now put him on some medicine to help control this. Shay's lungs continue to be a focus point. One side is bad and the other is really really bad. They were able to get some of the crud out of his lungs today. The nurse said the stuff that they pulled out of him was the worst that she had ever seen.  We have certainly been pretty excitable over the last fews days but we were reminded today by the doctors that Shay is still a very sick kid.

Definately not the news I was looking forward to posting but at least Shay responded well to the shock treatment. Please continue to pray for the healing of Shay's lungs.

The Latest

We knew from Shay's progress things were moving in the right direction but the doctor officially used the words "he is getting better." The doctor was surprised by his progress and said the he was ahead of schedule. The main concern right now is still Shay's lungs. There is still a lot of crud in the lungs and one of his lungs is collapsed. The doctors do not seem overly concerned with this. They believe that Shay will be off the vent within 10 days or less. They tried to put a feeding tube down Shay to get his stomach used to real food but it did not agree so they are going to try a smaller tube on Tuesday.

The highlight of the day was Shay's physical therapy. The PT is used to ensure that Shay maintains mobility in his joints as he is bed ridden. During PT the doctor asked Shay to move his arms and Shay responded. This means that he was hearing people today. Shay's mom and dad got to enjoy some hand squeezes tonight. Each day they will slowly take Shay out of sedation little by little.

I do apologize for the late post but we had a big sectional football win two hours from home tonight. Go Eagles!  I do ask that you continue to pray for Shay's lungs to get strong enough for him to get off the vent.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts there is another traumatic event occuring within our school family.Our middle school principal has a daughter just over a year that was born with heart complications. Recently they have discovered cancer in both of her kidneys. There are a host of complicated scenerios in this situation. Pearl is a little lady who is  facing a lot of hardship. I am asking that you dedicate yourself to praying for Pearl and her family and her doctors the way you did for Shay. Thanks and God Bless.

Sunday Report

Shay had yet another stable night and is off to a great start today. Shay's nurse reported that he had a "fantastic" night. You can see an immediate difference in Shay's color. The general public would probably be alarmed if they saw Shay right now but for those of us who have been here through the ordeal he really looks great. Shay has lost about half his tubes and machines. His swelling is starting to go down as well. Today they turned the vent down on Shay slightly and so far he has responded well to this. Shay still has a lot of fluid in his lungs. They are going to use a machine on Shay that vibrates his chest breaking up the mucus so that they can go in and suck some of the fluid out. They are going to begin slowly pulling Shay off his sedation medicine. We are hoping that this will happen before we leave town to get some eye movement out of him but our ultimate hope is to see Shay fully alert when we return next weekend. There are still a lot of questions that you have that we have as well. We really no nothing as far as a time line. Right now it is still day by day but at least it is no longer minute by minute. One thing I am certain of if they give us a time line I believe Shay will beat it. Before we knew how bad this was going to turn the nurse was telling Shay he would not be getting around for several days. Shay looked at his mom and said "they don't know me very well do they."  The sooner Shay gets off the vent the better. That we do know. Now that Shay is stable we will probably just start posting once a day. Shay is still very very sick but he has taken great strides this weekend and we are hopeful that he will continue making these strides. Hopefully it will be mostly good news from here out and I am looking forward to the coming days when I can pass off the editing job for this blog to Shay. 

Fair Grove Students

I know many of you are probably anxious to hear about how Shay's day has been but before I can do that I have to tell you a little bit about the students at Fair Grove.

Overwhelmed is what we are filling right now. The students at Fair Grove have now raised over $2000 to help support Shay's family during this very difficult time.  Most recently the student body had a "hats for Shay day". The students raised over $900 on Friday. Tonight a friend of the family made the trip from Fair Grove to Oklahoma City. When they arrived in the hsopital room they had with them bundles and bundles of cards and banners for Shay from the students. On a nightly basis students are leaving messages that touch the heart of Shay's family and will touch the heart of Shay when he comes out of the medically induced coma.

As we have stated before Shay is new to the district. I am also in my first year with the district. In my position you really don't have the oppurtunity to build relationships with kids. In fact the assistant principal is often the guy students love to hate. Regardless of this the students at Fair Grove have demonstrated the type of character they possess. They have chosen to reach out and help a fellow student and family in need. I can't help but also brag on the parents of these students because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You have instilled compasion in the hearts of your kids.

There are not enough words that I can say to express how grateful I am to you. You make me proud to be a Fair Grove Eagle and my prayer is that all of you who have contributed in some way will be blessed. As some of you may know Shay's dad lost his job the day before this started. The funds that you have raised will allow his dad to be with him during this difficult time and still be able to pay the bills this month as well as help with the expenses incurred while staying at the hospital. Students please know how much I appreciate what you have done. You are simply the best.

Okay now the update on Shay. Shay took tremdous strides today. The doctors and nurses are very surprised by his progress. Shay became completely indpendent of the bypass machine and now has his chest closed. His blood pressure is also very good. Shay is very stable right now. Our biggest concern at this point is now his lungs. We are asking that you now specifically pray for Shay's lungs to heal. Shay has other organs that are in distress but we are confident that these will continue to improve as his heart grows stronger. I get the feeling from the nurses that they are amazed at where Shay is at. Just to give you an idea of how bad of shape he was in the hospital was becoming concerned about the amount of blood he was going through. Shay was literally breaking the blood bank and the hospital was worried about keeping up.

As you continue to pray for Shay I would ask that you also remember Pearl Hollan. Pearl is the daughter of a coworker of mine and they have discovered cancer in her kidneys. Please pray for this family during such a difficulult time.

Giving Thanks

Shay responded very well last night to being off the bypass machine so well in fact that they are taking the rest of the equipment off this morning (they had left all the tubes in place in case they had to go back in). Shay looks very good this morning. The nurses said that he had an "awesome" night. They are actually going to take a shot at closing him up today (this may or may not happen). Although we are very conscious about the existing complications in Shay's body right now this is the first time that we have felt the confidence that he is going to pull through this.

As we have met with more and more doctors and nurses we have learned about how lucky Shay was even to make it to the hospital. Shay arrived here with congestive heart failure and his body was septic meaning all his organs were under attack by the toxins in his blood stream. In the words of Shay's mom "it just hit me but these doctors have literally been bringing my son back from the dead." Shay is here because he is tough kid but there is more to it that I fill compelled to share that with you.

Shay is here because of the healing power of Jesus Christ. It is 2009 but God is still performing miracles. There are two specific accounts I want to tell you about. First of all on Monday night we were losing Shay. In the middle of that nightmare we called on everyone to pray. God heard those prayers. On Thursday we were at a critical point in which his heart had to regain strength. A body of believers specifically prayed for the bleeding to stop and a pastor drove from Springfield, Mo to pray over Shay and within hours his heart had regained strength and the bleeding had stopped. Gods provision began when he led Shay's mom to bring him to this hospital where Shay is being treated by the best. Your obedience in prayer is why my nephew is here. Praise God for his willingness to heal Shay and God bless each and everyone of you for your faithfulness in prayer.

The road ahead is a long one so we are asking the you still commit to the complete healing of Shay's body. Please continue to pray for Shay's heart to stay strong and for his lungs and liver. Please check back tonight I really want to share with you how great the students are at Fair Grove. I was going to to do it last night but wanted to wait one more night.

One Tough Kid

Well the nurses and the doctors confirmed today what we already knew, "he is one tough kid". Let me catch up to speed on our day today. Shay has been worked on literally non-stop today beginning at 7:30. There has been a steady parade of machines, nurses, and doctors passing our waiting room headed to Shay's room.  Let me go ahead and say that Shay is off the bypass machine right now and his body is responding very well. The is a very important hump that we got over today. The main focus today has been getting all of the air and fluid out of Shay that has built up in him as a result of being open so long (let me just throw in that mom and dad got to see their son's beating heart today as they walked into the room with his chest fully open...I had the opportunity but chose to pass on that one). They are getting to a point where they would like to close him up but he is so swollen from being open that they can't get him closed right now because it would create too much pressure on his heart. Shay is moving the direction that we need to but I want everyone to understand that he is still very sick. What we learned to day is that Shay arrived at the hospital "septic." What this means is that when his heart could not properly pump blood through his body bacteria was getting backed up and going to all of his organs. The bad news first. Shay's lungs have a lot of fluid on them from being septic and from the surgery. Shay also has issues with his gallbladder and liver. They are going to put him on a special vent to help with this. The good news is that his brain activity and kidneys look good. Once again I say Shay is a tough kid. He has been walking around and going to school with all of this going on for several weeks.
The doctor was very clear that we have a "long long long road ahead of us."  So there is a lot going on but I am breathing a little easier tonight because God has answered our first prayer. His heart has gotten stronger and the bleeding is slowing! Praise God for showing us favor and making Shay's heart stronger. Thank you to each of you who have committed to praying.

We are anticipating Saturday being a day of some setbacks just because of everything he has been through today. A bit of a lengthy post but wanted to fill everyone in. This was a step in the right direction. I have another awesome story to share with you about the Fair Grove student body. I will share this in a post later tonight.

Friday Afternoon

Our little buddy is hanging tough. We are trying to maintain calm and make sure everyone understands we are in a serious situation. With that being said we have received the best news we have heard in a few days. Our morning started with a series of ups and downs. We heard this morning that his bleeding had slowed down but then we quickly learned that this was due to a blood clot caused by some meds they had give him.  They inserted another tube into Shay that allowed them to get some drainage off his chest and pressure off of his heart. Now the good news. The recent echo has shown that Shay's heart is stronger than it was two days ago! This means that they feel they can start turning down the bypass machine to see how his body responds. If this goes well we can get him off the medicine that is causing him to bleed. This will take several hours to see how he is responding so you will have to check back tonight. I want to caution everyone with the minute by minute changes we experience here. Things can change on a moments notice but for right now this is the best news we have received since this tragedy occurred. Keep praying!

Friday Prayer

Good morning friends and family. As you all know this is going to be a big day for us filled with what we assume to be many ups and downs as the doctors try to ween Shay off his bypass machine. I am asking that "Team Shay" would whisper the following words to our Heavenly Father that were left by an anonymous person.

My heavenly Father please watch over Shay and his family it is a big day for them. Lord I pray that you will strengthen Shay's heart so it will beat on its own. Please help the bleeding in the heart and let his heart and body start to heal. Shay is loved by so very many people. Lord please oh please take care of him. We love you Lord and thank you for all our many blessings. Amen
 
Dear Lord please be watching over little Pearl and her family right now also. I pray that you will comfort them and heal her kidney Lord. You are an awesome God and we love you Lord. Amen
 
Dear Lord while visiting Shay at the hospital we have met many parents with very sick children I pray that you will watch over these children and be with their parents dear Lord. We love you Lord. Amen

Thank You From Mom and Chris

There is not a lot to report tonight. Shay is stable but has a big day ahead of him. He must get off the bypass machine in order to get off the blood thinners that are causing him to bleed. We are going to take a shot on  Friday and see what happens.

I wanted to go ahead make sure that everyone saw my sister-in-law post last night as well as adding a few thank you's of my own.

Danny and I had to take some time after reading this update tonight to compose ourselves and let it all sink in. There are no words that can describe how we felt when we read this. We have been so blessed and thankful for the prayers and love that have been sent by all of our Fair Grove community, friends of Shay's, school administrators, teachers, students who haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet and friends of our family members who have never met him but love our family, so many of you have sent prayers and words of encouragement for him, and filled our hearts with comfort. We couldn't have asked for anything more. Tonight, your generosity and concern for our son is overwhelming. We can not find the words to tell you how much we appreciate the donations, "Thank You" just doesn't seem like enough to say, but we do thank you, all of you. You have no idea how much stress this has relieved for us. Although nothing is as important to us as our son and his fight for his life, we have also been dealing with the reality of my husband being laid off from his job just 2 days before I brought Shay to Oklahoma, though our thoughts have been focused on Shay and his battle, the worry of Danny's situation has weighed heavily on our hearts, because of you we can set all our other worries aside and completely focus on Shay.
Shay is a fighter and we are confident that he is going to get stronger every day, and I am going to tell him tomorrow just how much his town, his Eagles family,loves him. We are so glad that we are a part of such an incredible community, with the most wonderful, caring people we have ever met. Every time we have met someone new in town, they always say how much they love Fair Grove and how wonderful the people are there and we are true believers.
I also want to thank my very special brother-in-law, Chris, for his wonderful way with words and keeping this blog updated for us. So many people have let me know how much they appreciate it, and it's been an incredible comfort to us to see everyone's comments.
I only wish I was as good with words so I could tell you all how much we appreciate all you have done. God Bless you all.
Please keep the prayers coming and I will continue to share your comments with Shay, I really think he can hear me and knows how much he is loved.
With Love,
Danny & Christy Stallings

In addition to Christy's comments I want everyone reading this blog to know how important the following people have been in making this very difficult situation much more tolerable and ultimately allowing us to be here with Shay:


1) Thank you to everyone faithfuly reading this blog and praying 
2) Thank you to friends who sacrifice time at work and at home to watch our kids 
3) Thank you to the student body at Fair Grove for the love you have shown to Shay
4) Thank you to my bosses who care more about you as a person than as an employee
5) Thank you to Pastor Kevin from Springhill who drove all the way from Springfield to Oklahoma to visit Shay 
6) Thank you to my wife's clients who have found different child care arrangements in order for her to be here

7) Thank you to Coach O'Neal and the FG football team 
8) Thank you those who worked to secure donations for Shay's family

Evening Report

Let me begin by explaining what happened this morning. Shay has been having some bleeding and this morning they thought they may have to go in and make some repairs, possibly even surgery. Praise the Lord this what not the case. They concluded that the bleeding is due to the medicine that he is on to thin his blood. The problem lies in the fact that this medicine is needed in order for him to stay on the bypass machine. However it is also causing him to bleed. So as you can see this is a catch 22.  So once again we are asking that we specifically pray for Shay's bleeding to stop and and for his heart to regain strength. The good news here is that Shay's bleeding is steady rather than sporadic. Apparently this is a good thing.

The plan for the next few days is going to be to ween Shay off the machine. I can't exactly state how this process will work but what he hope to see is Shays heart be able to pump on its own and as a result see the bleeding stop. This could take several tries over the next few days.

Shay was more responsive tonight then any time we have seen prior to surgery. You can look into his eyes and actually see a little bit of Shay. We know he is listening because he is batting his eyes. This is giving us the opportunity to coach him up on staying tough and fighting hard for us. We have also been able to share some stories with him. He enjoys watching the Eagles and Fair Grove running back Caleb Schaffitzel. In talking to him about the game I got a rise in his eyes.

Shay has also come off one of his breathing machines. These are small victories but they serve as important moral builders for the family.

I also want to mention that the middle school principal that I work with has a daughter just over a year. They discovered today that she has a cancerous tumor on her kidney. Her name is Pearl Hollan and I am asking that you would add her to your prayer list as well. They are on their way to St. Louis. 

Please Pray

Shay is trying to give us a scare this morning. They have found some leakage in his heart. They are going to try and stich this up in ICU but if they are not succssful he will have to go back into surgery. This is not what we need. Please continue to pray as Shay fights through this. Kelly and I are headed to Oklahoma. I will post when we get to Oklahoma.

Purple Thunder

Before I give you an update on Shay I want to take a few minutes and brag on the school and community that Shay is now living in since this blog is reaching people in Florida, Penn, Texas, and Oklahoma as well as Missouri.

Fair Grove is community where they take care of their own. Shay is relatively new to the community but there has been an outpouring of support for Shay through words of encouragement and prayer. The student body and the community does not know Shay all that well but they have treated him like he was born an Eagle. My brother and I jokingly told Shay in his moment of alertness two nights ago that he is now the most popular kid in Fair Grove. Actions speak louder than words and the actions of the Fair Grove community demonstrate the type of people that have been surrounding Shay. Shay's condition was mentioned at the pep rally by Coach Oneal and Shay received a round of cheers in his support. Additionally a donation table was set up to help Shay's parents with daily living expense while at the hospital. The community of Fair Grove donated $821 to  Shay's family tonight at the game! The students are also planning a "hats for Shay" day on Friday in which they donate a dollar and get to wear hats. Our students here are second to none and I just want everyone to know what a great community Shay lives in. Thanks to everyone who donated at the game tonight. In case you are wondering about the "purple thunder" heading that is the name of our cheering section. As you can see the purple thunder does even far greater things than cheering on their teams. Purple Thunder a sincere thank you.

Okay now that I made you read that I can tell you a little bit about Shay. There is essentially no big news to report tonight and most likely there won't be a lot of news on Thursday. Here is the plan. Shay is going to rest all day on Thursday and then Friday is game day. On Friday they are going to take a shot at weening Shay off the bypass machine. We did learn today that Shay is only on the bypass currently at 50%, much better than the 100% we were thinking. So as stated before we need Team Shay to specifically pray for his right ventricle to regain its strength for Friday. God bless

Wednesday Afternoon Report

Shay had his chest area cleaned out this afternoon. This process went good. There is a little bleeding on the heart but they believe this may be due to the blood thinning medicine that he is on.  Shays vitals are still good and he is now on a sleep sedation instead of a paralysis sedation.  The culture came back on the infection in Shay's body and they found that they have been treating him with the antiobiotics that they needed. Shay had another echo performed on his heart this afternoon. This brings with it some good news. The right ventricle has shown no improvement but the left side is looking a little stronger.

It was a tough day being away from Shay but I know he is in good hands with Mom and Dad. Mom is doing a great job at what great moms do best and that is taking care of their sick babies! Many of you know Shay's dad as being the wild man but I want everyone to know that I am proud of my brother. I was able to be in the room with Shay and his dad and it was good to see the other side of my brother that I don't see a whole lot. He is a good dad. I can speak about his soft side without fear of being knoocked upside the head because he is 350 miles from me.

My request for everyone on this blog tonight it to petition the Lord and Savior above to make Shay's right ventricle strong. Please join me in specifically praying tonight that God will show us favor and make Shayboy's right ventricle strong. Expect an update around 10:00 this evening. 

Wednesday Morning Report

There have been no new developments with Shay. He is stable and we anticipate this to be the case while he is resting up as the machine are doing the work for him over the next couple of days. They will be going in this morning to clean his chest area this morning to prevent infection.

Since there is not a great deal to report this morning I will try to catch everyone up to speed. Shay is now stable. He is still on the bypass machine and the vent. His lungs are looking better. He is being treated with heavy antibiotics and a dialysis machine to rid his body of the infection that spread throughout his body during surgery. His right ventricle is not working at the rate it needs to right now.

Shay demonstrated to us last night that he was going to fight and we new that would be the case. Please continue to pray for Shay's body to fight off the infection and for his right ventricle to regain its strength. God bless

Evening Report

Shay's vitals are still very good. Tonight was a great night. In order to help the rehab process later they are bringing Shay out of sedation from time to time. Tonight Mom, Dad, Kelly, and myself were able to talk to Shay and he was trying to talk, nodding his head, and squeezing our hands. I am trying to stay humble about this but at the same time we are about ready to jump through the roof. I feel that I should also include that he asked for his Uncle Chris! Hopefully this is the first of many more successes.

Kelly and I are headed home back to the great community of Fair Grove where I can return to lanyard enforcement (FGHS students will get this one). Its tough to leave but at least we are leaving on a positive note. Even when I walk into Shay's room and look at him with all of the machines and wires on him he makes me smile. Its going to be a tough few days without being here but I know he is great hands here with these nurse and doctors. They are awesome.

Mom will continue giving me updates and I will post them as they come in. Thanks for all of the prayers and support. It means so much to the family. Reading the comments are therapeutic for the family while sitting here at the hospital. Now that Shay is on a type of sedation that will make him more alert mom will begin reading all of the posts to him. God bless each and every one of you who have prayed and commented. We are nowhere close to being out of the woods so please don't cease in your prayers. We just scored our first touchdown of a big game.

Tuesday Afternoon Report

Shay is resting comfortably. Shay has been visited by a host of family and friends. Shay is not able to talk but we are busy talking his ear off. They have started Shay on a dialysis machine to help clean his blood from the toxins and infections in the blood. Hopefully this will speed up the process of getting rid of the infection. The Nurse just stated that he is very very stable. This is the best news we have heard today. Shay's condition tends to be minute by minute. A lot of ups and down but for the moment things are stable and his vitals look as good as they have today.

One thing is for certain this hospital and its ICU team is second to none (no big surprise since the University of Oklahoma is involved...can't imagine what kind of treatment he would be getting at the Univeristy of Mizzou Medical Center...if they even have one...just joking MU fans). In all seriousness the team that is working on Shay are top notch.  They are by the bedside round the clock. Everyone can rest in knowing that he is getting the best care possible here at this hospital. They specialize in these types of cases.