When God said, “Surrender Jasmine to Me,” I wrestled with that for several days. Could He take her home to Heaven? Yes, He could. Did He have the power to raise her up from the hospital bed and heal her completely? Yes, He did, and I still believed that He would. [...]
Jasmine and I lived surrendered to God, allowing Christ to live in and through us (Galatians 2:20). As I continually prayed for Jasmine’s healing, like the psalmist, I asked God to search my heart for anything that needed to change (Psalm 139:23-24). His response to me was, “Surrender Jasmine to Me.” [...]
The blog series will continue, but today I will pause to share some sacred moments. Yesterday, November 8, marked two months since Jasmine went to her home in Heaven. I went to her hometown of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii and poured some of her ashes into [...]
If you have ever driven the Road to Hana on the northeast coastline of Maui, Hawaii, then you can relate to what our journey was like. The Road to Hana has 617 hairpin turns and 59 one-lane bridges. Carefully navigating this narrow winding road for 64 miles creates constant tension for [...]
Amid the chaos, the ER doctor pulled me aside and said, “We gotta do this,” and he gave me a hug that said, “I know what you’re feeling. I’m with you.” It was the same doctor who examined me two days earlier (I was also diagnosed with COVID) and broke protocol [...]
The hospital room was in chaos! Jasmine was gasping for air! The EMT shouted, “Her oxygen level is showing 47%! I’m not transporting her at 47%! Six days earlier, on August 4, 2021, our daughter, Rhapsody, took Jasmine to a small ER hospital in Burleson, Texas, a town south of Fort [...]
As this chapter comes to a close, this will be my last post. I do not know what God has for me in the next chapter, but it will definitely be different without Jasmine's partnership. The past five days since Jasmine’s memorial service have given me time to unpack my thoughts [...]
A memorial site has been created to remember Jasmine's life and to share how she had personally impacted your own life and the lives of others. Information about her memorial gathering is also included. We would be so honored by your presence but if you are unable to attend, you may [...]
We are working on plans for a memorial service for Jasmine. I have received confirmation of the date, time, and place so please note it on your calendar. Here it is: Date: Monday, September 20 Time: 6:30 pm Place: Northplace Church 2800 Pleasant Valley Rd. Sachse, Texas 75048 For those who [...]
Throughout these updates, I have been sharing things about Jasmine, about her inner being that you may not have known. I have shared about her spiritual transformation as she grew in her faith and the outgrowth of love for people and for God. Even as her husband who has known her [...]
"When the life is over... And the race is run... I can hear you calling, "Come" I will come, while you sing over me." https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x8n7Ds7Mewhv5NGToRVVMj-S_9rDnhga/view?usp=sharing At 12:09 pm today, Jasmine heard Jesus say, “Come,” and she ran to Him as He sang over her a song of joy, welcoming her into [...]
While waiting on God to move, I reflect upon Jasmine's artistic talents. All of the decor in our home are expressions of her cultural identity and her family and spiritual values - the wall decor, flower arrangements, and the pictures of family. Jasmine also learned the cultural arts of Japanese dance [...]
Thank you to everyone who is following Jasmine’s journey. For those of you who have responded with comments, please know that my reason for not replying is to avoid resembling Facebook or a social media platform. I appreciate and am encouraged by your expressions of love, support, and testimonies of how [...]
It’s peaceful now at 4:20 am on the in-patient hospice floor of the hospital. No more whirling sounds of the ventilator or beeps from monitors. The only sound is the cadence of Jasmine’s weak breaths as she transitions to breathe on her own. After witnessing the struggle of the medical team [...]
My visit with Jasmine last night was the most difficult. I planned to leave at about 8:00 pm but left after the close of visiting hours of 9:00 pm. For 2 ½ hours, they had difficulty stabilizing her and when I left, she was not yet at a comfortable place. I [...]
(If you read the previous blog, then this title will make sense to you. You are receiving this on Wednesday, but these reflections are about the events on Monday and Tuesday.) Upon sticking with the road to Hana analogy, if our journey would have 617 turns like the road to Hana, [...]
If you have ever driven the road to Hana, Maui, then you can relate to what our journey is like. The road to Hana has 617 turns and 56 one-lane bridges. If you have driven it for the first time, chances are you felt a constant tension as you navigated the [...]
The transition from the ventilator to the trial CPAP mode (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is in process. This involved shutting off Jasmine’s sedation and switching the ventilator to CPAP mode for periods of time, causing her to initiate breathing with the ventilator providing support. In simple terms, it reduces the level [...]
I had not posted for a couple of days, and honestly, I have been struggling the past 2 days, Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, they attempted to do the CPAP trial and Jasmine's system reacted against it so strongly that they had to suspend the procedure. Furthermore, there was another situation [...]
The past 3 entries in my personal journal have been about surrender. Jasmine and I live surrendered to God, to allow Christ to live in and through us (Galatians 2:20). As I have continually prayed for Jasmine’s healing, like the psalmist, I have asked God to search my heart for whatever [...]
Jasmine has been cleared for visitation! We had a sweet video visit last night with Rhapsody, Seizen, and her sister Leona. Today, I visited her in ICU. It was a blessing to be with her after nearly 3 weeks, including her hospitalization prior to ICU. Even though she is unable to [...]
Overall, Jasmine's condition is stable, she is comfortable, and her vitals are good. Her medical team is very attentive to every aspect of her condition and they are making the best decisions considering all variables. They are treating her for an infection that is common and treatable with antibiotics, and they [...]
Sitting here watching a video of Sister Barbara Lee broke me. 10 years ago while on vacation in Hawaii, I introduced Jasmine to Sister Barbara. As a child, I didn't know her personally, only through her music. I was often bored in church, but when she sat down at the piano, [...]
While we await the results from yesterday's exploratory procedure, we can take a breather as Jasmine vitals have been holding steady from yesterday through today. There are no procedures planned for today, so barring any unforseen incident, she should have a restful evening. I am so grateful for her medical team. [...]
Yesterday's trial did not go as planned. As they prepared for the trial Jasmine's system became unstable so they suspended the procedure and stabilized her again. Overnight and through this morning she has been stable. They will be doing an exploratory procedure on her lungs to get a closer look at [...]
We envision the day when Jasmine finally comes home! We will rejoice! Life will be hard for a while. Many things will change. However, one thing about Jasmine will not change. Jasmine stays connected with friends from high school (yes, that was a very, very long time ago) and even friends [...]
Jasmine has been sedated for the entire 9 days that she has been in ICU. Today, they will bring her out of sedation to see how she will respond to a trial step toward eventually take her off of the ventilator. It will take several hours to possibly a few days [...]
Jasmine's second dialysis treatment went well. It began sketchy as her blood pressure dropped but they were able to stabilize it and proceed. Under normal conditions, dialysis is somewhat routine but the risks are greater for Jasmine, being in her critical condition. The results of the second were better than the [...]
Jasmine had dialysis yesterday. The greatest concern was whether or not her body could handle it and she did well. I asked why they did not put her on 24/7 dialysis (CRRT) that they had originally intended and the nurse explained that CRRT is for the most critical cases, and they [...]
I am strengthened by knowing that so many people are praying for Jasmine - hundreds! She will be astounded when she learns of it! This is also a lonely journey; there are details that I must carry alone. Having had covid, I also had to isolate for a while and had [...]
