Birthday wishes to our son

34 years ago the Lord gave us the desire of our heart, a son, and what a blessing he has been. He has filled our life with such joy, with his kind heart and loving spirit. I love how he LOVES the Lord and with that love Derek has touched many lives. Praise to our Lord for the gift of Derek. ~Maureen

Happy birthday to a bad dude

I keep encouraging Derek by telling him he's a bad dude (because he is!), he can do this, his God is bigger than this...to grab hold of his faith and cling to His God. He's responding to me today, struggling still...so I keep pointing him to safest place I can think of, the shelter of the Most High.

I'm reading Isaiah 43 this morning...providentially fitting because today is Derek's birthday and we are walking thru that the same fire and desperation I'm reading about. "This is what The Lord says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass thru the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass thru the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk thru the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze..." It also says, "because you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life." 

That's Derek - honored, loved and protected by his God...thru this very fire. I keep looking at Derek and thinking how much I adore this man...love him...seriously, he's such a great husband, father, person...he's a gift. But this God of ours loves him MORE than I do. More than any of us. He made Derek for himself, the Psalm says so. That gives me such comfort.

I'm praying today that God will make a way for Derek...like he does in verse 16 of this same psalm...He made a way for his people before by parting the sea when there was no way...so He's got us covered.

Be praying for Derek today and tomorrow especially. We're trying to pull him out of this heavy sedation so things can move forward, and it's hard for him to keep calm as he realizes what's going on around him. His blood pressure is also a concern...please pray BIG. 

Tuesday February 4 - Progress

Derek's making progress... So thank you for praying. It's more two steps forward, one step back, but we're headed in the right direction. His breathing is getting stronger every day, but there are many other issues the doctors are working to resolve. 

Please be praying he can overcome this high and relentless fever. It's good to know his body is fighting, but the fever has been with us from day 1...so we believe there is still something we're missing. I realize we're not sharing many details on his condition, but to be honest, those details change by the hour. It's a roller coaster really...and the ride is exhausting. So don't worry about the details, we can barely keep up ourselves. 

Every day I'm singing some of Derek's favorite worship songs to him...with the help of an iPod ...because I clearly didn't get that "gift"...lol. It really seems to calm his soul when he's having a rough moment. I'm hoping he's grabbing onto those words and finding that same strength and comfort they brought to him before all this. Derek loves worship...loves raising his arms unashamed to his God...and I believe God is using music to carry us both thru this. Every morning I'm blaring praise music as I get ready...finding strength for whatever this day holds...and praising god for another day of LIFE and BREATH. It's such a gift. 

Feb 2nd Update

Just a quick update tonight...Derek's vitals are good and he is stable. However, last night was a bit rough for him.  Please pray that tonight is better and that he is able to rest well. Thank you all for your continued and fervent prayers!

*posted on behalf of Dannette by Jen Martakis

Feb. 1st update

Everything is about the same as it was yesterday. There will probably be many days like this as Derek begins to heal. He is on the path to recovery and has small battles to fight as well as larger ones. Please continue to lift Derek up in your prayers. God is listening! Please keep Dannette and the family in your prayers as well.

*posted on behalf of Dannette by Jen Martakis

a good day

Today was a good day. Testing continued and we don't have all the answers but the doctors believe that the decline in Derek's condition is over and that he will begin to heal. It will be a slow process and an uphill battle for him. We are praising God for this news and are so thankful for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray. Tomorrow will be a big day for Derek as the doctors will begin to adjust the settings on some of the machines that are helping him.

*posted on behalf of Dannette by Jen Martakis

Day 1 prayer request

Well, here we are at the end of our first full day here at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I am writing tonight because a lot of people are asking how it's going up here, which we fully understand. However, there is nothing new to report, we are in a holding pattern. I promise you this.... WHEN we have good news to share we will be shouting it from highest mountain (or high-rise) we can find as well as update this site! :) We are trusting first of all that our Our Lord has this whole situation under His control! Second, we are trusting in the doctors here at NWMH, they taking very good care of Derek. 

 Our family is so touched by the outpouring of concern and love by so many!! 
 Here is a list of things that we would like to you to join us in praying for: 

• For Derek, specifically that his body will be healed
• For all of his doctors, that they would have the wisdom and ability to do what's best for him
• For Dannette, she is 30 weeks pregnant. Pray for her health and peace of mind and the strength to get through these tough days.
• For all of us in his family, strength and comfort
• For Rowan and Rigby (D & D's children), while Dannette and Derek are away from them that it's not too hard on them.

Thanks everyone for caring and praying, ~Linda

Settling in...

We wanted to post an update for you all...I know you are all so concerned for Derek and looking for answers.  I think it's important that we let you know that in this situation the answers are not going to come quickly.  Derek's transfer went well...we made it here...he's alive...they're doing everything they can to keep him with us.

Here are the basics:
The doctors are performing very extensive testing to find the source of this illness...but it is still unknown and may be for weeks. They are also treating other life threatening infections and organ failures to keep him alive.  Derek has been intibated/heavily sedated and is also on a ventilator...this is very serious.  That is why we opted for this transfer up here.

There is more involved here than a flu or pneumonia or other illness that many of us have experienced or heard about.  And that is why we are here at Northwestern!  We have a team of genius' working to figure this out...whooo hoooo!  With that said, I want to please ask you all to not send us any more ideas on what you think this "might" be. I know you have the very best intentions...to save our precious Derek. But right now there are circumstances and things involved that are beyond the guidance of a google search. If I was at home caring for my sick hubby on the couch, I would need your help figuring it out!  This however, is very very different.

We have been getting literally hundreds...no joke..hundreds of suggestions thru text or email from people trying to help...and that is ALOT to navigate.  Our phones are blowing up...lol. I'd love to be able to read thru them all and find out what actually fits here, but it just isn't possible.

What we desperately need from you is your prayers! We LOVE you all and are SO thankful for your support. 

He made it!

We wanted to give you all a quick update on Derek's transfer.  He made it safely to Northwestern and has a team of doctors going gangbusters to get him stable. Thank you to all of you that prayed for him!

As a family we feel a sense of relief and have so much more hope than we did just a few short hours ago. We'll post more info on what's been going on with him on the My Story part of this site in a bit, but we wanted to get a quick update out to everyone so you know he made it there.

A dear friend sent me this verse today...and I told her I might need to read it EVERY hour to remind myself how awesome God is...how much bigger He is than this situation.

"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped." Rev 5:11-14

THAT is my God...with angels and glory and crazy power...and yet walks us thru this day step by step to get Derek to a safe place.

prayers for northwestern transfer

Derek is in the process of being transferred via helicopter to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago...leaving Michigan City 7:45pm. Please pray for his safety during transit...he is in a very critical state and our prayer is for his very life. We know God is with him ... the God of angel armies is always by his side ... The God who holds the whole world in His hand.  Either myself or family will continue to post updates. 

(this is the first post from Derek's Caring Bridge site)