Please Pray for Dara

Here is my sweet friend Dara's story.....she had their baby: Isabelle Grace last week and things went downhill from there. The story is as follows with every paragraph from her husband David: Please, please pray for them!

David update: She is in intensive care. She is on a respirator and is sedated. She had something called an Amniotic embolism in which the amniotic fluid was sucked into her blood vessels and went, among other places, to her lungs. The mortality rate is extremely high. But so far all attempts have succeeded in getting her stabilized. When not sedated she is conscious. Please understand she is fighting for her life. We don't need anything here at the hospital. Just please pray today that God might continue healing her. The baby is healthy and fine and Dara is improving."

Update from David: Dara is strong and mentally alert. They had to up her sedation because she was waking out of sedation that would put most people under. That's a good sign that no brain damage has taken place and that she is strong. Pray that she would not fight against the restraints or the IVs or breathing tube as they try to bring her out of sedation. Dara can't stand being still let alone forced to lie down. But they must take her off sedation so they can take the breathing tube out. She can breathe on her own but she keeps getting agitated and she needs rest. Pray that God would communicate to her as she sleeps that she will be fine and she must trust the doctors. Pray also that talk of the baby would not upset her, as it seems to now. They are giving two more units of blood because her numbers were slightly low. Pray that she would stay stable and leveled out. Thanks for all the prayer everyone.

Update from David: Thanks for all the prayer. I am truly moved and I believe it is saving Dara's life. Prayer for the next 3-6 hours: they are going to try to wean Dara off the oxygen. Pray that she breathes on her own, which shouldn't be a problem. Pray that she would STOP fighting. She is so strong, which is good, but the strength that served her so well till now will hinder her recovery if she struggles and fights as they take her off sedative and remove the tube. God is a God of peace, not fear. Pray that Dara would have peace. And of course for her body to continue to balance and recover. Xrays all look good and blood too. Keep praying her to recovery.

Update from David: Dara worked very hard at breathing. She did a great job. She was calm and cooperative and off the sedative and alert. She got annoyed at me which means she's getting back to her old self. She did well enough to be taken off the respirator, but the specialist felt like she would benefit from another night's sleep. So she is still on the machine and lightly sedated. Pray that she would sleep and not be anxious. That her family coming might encourage her. That in the morning her blood levels would rise a little, that she would have that old Dara energy, and she would get off that machine. She wants to so badly you can see her determination. And everyone post on Todd Mikelson's page how awesome he was for being here and helping me out all day. Wouldn't have had the energy without him.

David Update: No change overnight. Dara slept well and is hopefully rested. I felt God tell me today that He is the healer, not doctors. Medical science is awesome but as one doctor told me, "Who knows. We just pumped the blood into her and hoped it would work." It was Christ working through Dara's body that did this. We are not out of the woods yet by any means. Keep praying that God would keep healing. He could choose to take Dara if He wished and He would still be a good God. But He is not immovable. He does yield to prayer. He is the healer and our hope, not doctors.

From David: "Thank God for His kindness to us. Dara is off the respirator, breathing great and very feisty. She just told me I'm fussing too much. Thanks for all the prayers. Keep them coming. Not sure how to direct your prayer yet. That she would be well enough to go to recovery and see her beautiful daughter."

From David: Most of you have heard the news, but just to make sure. Dara had a stroke during the events of Wednesday night. The stroke was "not big, not small" according to her (one of many) doctor. A hemorrhage formed on the spot where the stroke took place. It is getting smaller. They will keep checking to make sure the body absorbs it. How much of her condition is owing to the stroke and how much to stress, lack of sleep and emotional trauma remains to be seen. Therapy is in her future though. BIG prayers needed for the following: that her blood pressure would go down naturally; that the hemorrhage would dissipate, that the effects of the stroke would be minimal; that she would stay free of infection and her blood numbers return to normal; and above all that she would be lucid when she sees Isabelle. I would love for it to be a memory she cherishes forever. I feel as if all of you, many of whom I don't know, have carried us through this on your prayers. Please don't stop praying but pray us all the way home. Also, many of the medical staff are moved by what happened and by Dara's faith. Pray that God would use her miraculous continued recovery to bring many too him, while remembering that He can also use the opposite for the same purpose.

update from david:
Awesome story that just happened moments ago. My mom wanted to take me out to get something to eat. I wasn't sure about leaving, but I agreed to. On the way out I was sad as I passed hallways Dara and I had walked together on many an OB visit. But I don't turn back. We get in the car, my mom puts the key in the ignition and it won't turn. I tried and she tried. Will not turn. I said, "God doesn't want me to go. I'm going back to Dara."

My mom just told me the car started no problem as soon as I left. Back at Dara's side there was a brain doctor who was about to leave. He had ordered a procedure for Dara based on erroneous info. I was able to correct him and he cancelled the procedure. Now that's the kind of thing that's been going on here.

Please do NOT take this as proof that God will save Dara. I know from experience you can't draw such conclusions from these things. But do take it as proof that God is involved in all this to the level of car ignitions. How much more must He be involved within my wife's body?

David Update: 2:00 in the morning and Dara got to hold Isabelle again and feed her. Dara knows who Isabelle is and is VERY excited to see her. The primary concern now is Dara's hemorrhage and her memory problem. She doesn't know where she is, her date of birth, etc. She keeps calling Isabelle Elizabeth. Now this is huge progress considering six hours ago she didn't know she had a daughter and two hours ago she couldn't think of a name. Now she is starting to correct herself, realizing Elizabeth isn't right. Pray that the doctors have wisdom to see the improvement and don't rush into surgery. I believe with all my heart that much of the problem is that Dara cannot sleep for more than ten minutes with all the chaos going on all the time. The ICU nurses are the most amazing people on the planet, but the ICU is horrible on the mind. Pray, please, that she rests. Another CT scan at 4 AM.

From her husband David Watson: We had a setback today. Dara had a seizure this morning. This is not something new that requires testing, but a symptom of the hemorrhage/stroke. She is on anti-stroke medication and her blood pressure is coming down due to higher doses of meds. So we won't be getting out of ICU tonight. Please keep praying. After the seizure Dara ...said, "I don't want to be afraid," and she asked it we could pray. I told her how many people are praying for her and that we don't have to fear because so many are interceding for us. God has made clear to me that He has us here for a reason, and I believe it is a very specific reason. I feel God is telling us to be joyful and thankful, and the opposite of these is fear. Through your prayers God is strengthening Dara in Jesus that she might fulfill what it is God has for her to do.