***Steve Wilson Update*** 

Hello everyone! I want to start by saying thank you for the outpouring of love and support from so many people. Family, friends, neighbors, even complete strangers. There are so many people that I can never express how grateful I am for you. My heart is so touched by the kindness of others. Your prayers, love and faith have held us up when our faith was being tested and is still being tested. Steve went into respiratory failure 3 times. His parents, my parents, our daughters, family, close friends and I did not think he was going to make it. He was seconds away from being put on a ventilator. 3 Years ago, at this very exact time Steve was battling kidney cancer. He has been through so much and now he has this battle to fight. 

It has been 30 days since Steve got sick. With Steve's approval, I am going to share about his condition and what he has been battling. Steve was healthy one minute, and the next, we did not think he was going to live. Life is so precious. As humans, we are all guilty of taking good health and life for granted. When tragedy hits, is typically when we get that eye opening reality that reminds us of just how precious life truly is. 

Steve was diagnosed with Idiopathic Severe Pancreatitis, 1/2 of his pancreas has necrosis. (dead tissue) Basically the pancreas is eating itself. He has a blood clot on his liver, Pleural Effusion, Encephalopathy, Ileus, Pneumonia, respiratory failure, and so many more complications. He does not remember 10 days of his hospitalization. 3 Hospitals, 2 ambulance transfers, 2 ICUs. He had a feeding tube and could not even have a drop of water. The only thing he had was a sponge stick that we could use to wet his lips and mouth. The 1st 2 days he literally was screaming in agony. I have never seen anything so horrible in my life. It was like watching your loved being tortured, and not being able to help them. Nothing was giving him pain relief. The ICU nurses and the specialists told our family and I that severe pancreatitis is a disease that causes some of the most excruciating pain. I had no idea; this evil disease is also life threatening. 

I have some good news, and some not so good news to share regarding Steve's condition. First off, for all of those who don't know, Steve got to finally come home from the hospital. This in itself is a miracle. He saw a Hepatologist and had a new CT scan done. READY FOR THIS?.......... The blood clot is completely gone. The radiologist and the specialist said there is NO SIGN of the blood clot. We are praising God in thankfulness. Steve's body is working hard to heal itself. With his condition, there can be several very serious even life-threatening complications. This disease keeps on punching. He has to be monitored closely at home. He still can only eat liquid or soft food. We are taking great care of him. I am so thankful for our family and friends for helping us. We thank all of you for dropping off meals, the foods that Steve can eat and running to the store for us and even walking our pups for us. The amount of kindness and prayers we have received is so touching and appreciated. 

The not-so-great news......The acute pancreatitis is improving, but we are now left with the after- math of the monster. I will not go into detail, but the necrosis is beginning to pool together. (this is normal) This is the best way I can think of to describe it. The necrosis/ pancreatitis puts him at high risk for infection, bleeds and even organ failure. He has already been affected by many complications. He has surgeries in his future. He has a long road ahead of him. He has pleural effusion and the Hepatologist is consulting with a pulmonologist. They may need to drain the fluid. He is in a great deal of pain and has difficulty breathing. His pain from the pancreatitis is still really bad and sometimes excruciating. We are praying for complete healing. We still do not know how bad the pancreas is damaged. He will be getting another CT and some other types of procedures in the near future. The doctor told us he is still really sick and with NO complications and due to the severity, his recovery time could be 8 months to 1 year. 

We have no paid time off and we have a long road ahead. Our life changed in a moment. I know GOD will provide and we will get through this, but I am still really scared and so is Steve. Right now, I am trying to just celebrate that he is alive and home. Steve is my everything and my person. We never leave each other's side. As he would do for me, I am going to love and pray him through this all. 

I am a self-employed nutritionist; my background is in functional medicine & nutrition psychology. I found out last week that the wellness practice I work/ consult from, and most income is earned from is closing. This is an absolute huge blow! This is the absolute worst time for something like this to happen. We will both be without income. I am still processing all of this, but I am strong and trust that GOD will lead me to where HE wants my path to go. I will find new practices to consult with, or even a new career opportunity. Nutrition and functional medicine are my absolute passions. I love helping people. If anyone in the health and wellness profession have any suggestions or leads, please private message me. 

Please continue to pray for Steve and our family. We have a rough, long road ahead. I thank you all again for everything. We could not make it through this without your kindness. We appreciate YOU! I will keep everyone updated on Steve's journey. 

Love to you all, 

Steve and Jenny Wilson