My Uncle Jim...and his MIRACLE...

James Baker, one of the most Amazing, humble, wise and FAITHFUL men I know...I blogged sometime last year about his fight with Pulmonary Fibrosis, and then prostate cancer in the middle of trying to get a lung transplant! They planned on moving to L.A. for a transplant from UCLA, and was heart broken when he was turned down because of a technicality. They kept the Faith, the doctor's were doubtful, but not Jim, he would just keep saying that it was gonna happen, and he knew that his work here in this life was not done. We would get dire news, and then have a Family Fast, or a ward fast, and prayers...We were fasting and praying for a MIRACLE, an against all odds MIRACLE....Jim would hang on...

I don't know a lot about this disease, but I do know that there is NO cure, and that your lungs are just rendered useless, he was suffocating, every breath a fight, constantly, his oxygen as high as it could go, he would be exhausted just getting up to go to the bathroom or get into bed, but he kept going to work, and attending all Family functions, even Baptizing my cousin Ray who is battling Cancer himself, it was a beautiful thing to see his faith in action... My sweet Aunt Charlene, never leaving his side always keeping the faith even when it looked VERY bleak.. Every night she would lay awake and listen to him breathe, waking him if his Oxygen would get too low, I witnessed her love first hand...Cleaveland (The Cleaveland Clinic) has a transplant program, and they were determined to get there and get on the list, getting him there was a huge risk but they went, a Family effort driving the Motor home cross-country to get an interview with the program director to see if they would think about putting him on the list, they had no guarantee that they would help him. They got there, they got an interview, the director didn't think it looked good because of Jim's current health status being so poor. She had to leave the room for a moment, that's when Jim and Charlene shared a prayer that her heart would be softened, she came back in the room with a new attitude, and said she really liked him and that she would do her best to get him on the list. Then Jim took a turn for the worst, almost as bad as it could get, they had to admit him and put him on a ventilator, he would NOT be put on the list, he also had a fever, and we were told that he would not come off this machine, it was what was keeping him alive. Devastating after coming so far. His family, his daughters, and Son's in Law, his Brother and Sister's in law all got on Planes and flew out to be with him and my Aunt, we kept praying.....we had a Fast...My Dad was able to communicate with him at 3 AM, he asked him if he wanted to fight and keep going, and Jim without a doubt let my Dad know that he wanted to fight! So we kept Praying...When my Dad relayed this news to me he was crying, we all love Jim so much, my Dad and Jim have not only been brother's for most of my Dad's life but best friends, there is no-one that my Dad respects More...The next day his Fever broke and went away, Jim was breathing better, and yesterday they turned the machines down and he breathed on his own! This is UN heard ofwith lungs as bad as Jim's, unless you have Faith and believe in MIRACLES! My Dad just called and they HAVE A LUNG! How grateful we are! for another family's sacrafice...And they are getting ready to put it into this AMAZING Man! I will keep you posted.. Prayers Please..