Imelda sent us the following testimony:
“For several years my father has been staying in an assisted care center.
In February he had a cold, but it seemed to get better. Still he lost his appetite. Before he liked any kind of food and he could enjoy anything.
End February we went to visit him. He looked grey and said that the nurses wanted to phone the doctor on call, but he thought it was not necessary. He rather would wait until Monday for his personal doctor to come. We were concerned.
Sunday we went back and he turned blue around the mouth. So we decided to get the doctor on call.
Monday morning they took a blood and urine sample. That afternoon his doctor came with the results, they revealed that my father was in a bad state. He was completely confused and acted not normal anymore. He does not remember anything of that moment.
He was rushed to the emergency service of a hospital in Leuven. We were told that his condition was very serious: pneumonia, Blatter infection and - last but not least - heart failure. That last thing concerned the doctors most.
He stayed on intensive care for a week and he was totally confused. He had all sorts of nightmares and believed they were real. The doctors warned us again that this was very serious, and that the forecast was not good. The bypasses he got 15 years ago were completely clogged and operating was no option because of his age (88 years).
Of course we prayed and asked our heavenly Daddy for the best solution, preferably that my father could stay with us a while longer, and in a good condition. And look, after a week he was in a regular room at the cardiology ward where he slowly recovered. After three weeks in hospital he moved back to the assisted care center. They received him with open arms, for the doctors at the hospital told the center that there was a big chance he would never come back. The hospital report reads: life expectancy: short; comfort therapy suggested.
A funny thing was that spoke in refined Dutch to the staff the first days, which was quiet unusual there. He said that he had been in the city for three weeks and that he got used to speak refined Dutch there. He added that they should be glad that he did not went to China, otherwise they would not understand him at all.
Now, two months later, my father is a great condition. He enjoys his food and a beer again. He is going for a walk again – something he has not been doing for years – and he is thankful for every day.
Thank You Father for giving us this pleasant time. We do not know how long it will last, but it makes us very happy!