Home Again

Jon is back home again recovering from surgery. Pray for him to regain strength, energy, and movement in all his muscles.

Surgery Update

Jon is out of surgery on his forearm. Recovery from this surgery is going to take a little longer than initially expected so Jon will be remaining in the hospital for the next 2 days.

Please continue to pray for a speedy and full recovery.

Surgery

Pray for Jon as he goes into surgery tomorrow morning at Harborview. Pray for a successful and a problem-free surgery along with a speedy recovery. Jon looks forward to being back home and having visitors. I'll update asap to let you know when he'll be back in Tacoma and taking visitors.

Recovering

Not much new to report. Jon is at home recovering. Traci's sister, who is an ICU nurse, is flying in tomorrow to help with care for Jon. Pray for her to have a safe trip and visit.

Home But Not For Long

Jon is at home. He will be home until he goes back to have surgery on his arm on Tuesday. It is great to have Jon at home but you can imagine the transition issues and care schedule that needs to be maintained.

Jon is medicated for pain and requires Traci's full-time attention. Please refrain from calling or stopping by for a visit and continue to wait until after Jon is done with all his surgeries and is recovering back at home.

Traci and Jon appreciate so much your love and care for them and they can't wait until they can host and have regular visitors. They love each and every one of you.

Still Waiting

They are still waiting at the hospital to see if Jon will indeed make it home today. Doctors are still running tests and debating the best course of action for Jon. Keep praying. He may be home tonight. He may not.

Home Sweet Home

Jon is scheduled to come home today at some time to continue recovery until he has the next surgery on his arm. Pray for a smooth transition from the hospital to home.

Update on Jaw Surgery

Jon's surgery went well today. He had two plates placed in his jaw. The best news is that he won't have to have his mouth wired shut. The doctors are actually using some really strong rubber bands to keep his mouth in place so that it can heal and the time should be shorter than anticipated. This is great because he was a little discouraged about facing 4 weeks with having his mouth permanently shut.

Surgery: Jaw

Jon is scheduled to have surgery this morning on his jaw. Please pray for a quick and trouble-free surgery and for Jon to recover quickly.

Sidebar

Added two new sections to the right side column.

1. Online Giving - Give to the Fredricks family online.

2. Directory - Contact the coordinators responsible for specific areas of service. Contact the church office if you have questions related to something other than meals and donations.

Another Photo

Jon is still recovering and is doing better.

Give to the Fredricks

Any serious medical situation, like Jon is currently facing, can result in numerous financial obligations. Many of you have already expressed a desire to support the Fredricks financially through this difficult time to ensure that Jon and his family have all the resources and care they could possibly need. If you would like to make a donation to the Fredricks family you can do so in following ways.

Make checks payable to Discovery Community Church.

By Mail/In Person:
Discovery Community Church
1712 6th Avenue
Suite 300
Tacoma, WA 98405

253.761.1357

Discovery Services:
Drop it in the offering box at one of the Discovery services.

Online:
Fredricks Family Fund

The Latest

Jon is stable and doing good. He's recovering and is scheduled to have surgery on Monday. The doctors plan to work on his arm and his jaw.

I will have a post up this weekend with details on how to donate to the Fredricks family.

Flowers and Gifts

Due to lack of space and Jon possibly moving to different rooms during his stay the family would like to request that you refrain from sending flowers and gifts to the hospital at this time. Thanks.

Photo

Disclaimer: Jon just received his medication and can't see anything because he doesn't have his contacts or glasses.

We love him. Keep praying for his recovery.

Traci's Prayer

Traci wants to communicate to all of you that she is praying the following over Jon.

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.

3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,for you will answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;no deeds can compare with yours.

9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.

10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

Surgery Postponed

Jon had a rough night with some complications related to his blood and oxygen flow. His surgery for today has been postponed. He has been moved to Internal Medicine where they are keeping a closer eye on him.

Pray for Jon to recover quickly.
Pray for the doctors and nurses to have wisdom in caring for him.
Pray for Traci to be comforted.

Send an Email to Jon

If some of you want to send your well wishes directly to Jon, Harborview provides a service for doing this. Feel free to visit http://www.uwmedicine.org/Facilities/Harborview/ClinicsAndServices/emailGifts.htm
and follow the directions. Jon has been moving to different rooms as his treatment progresses so just provide his full name (Jon Fredricks) in the form provided.

Hospital volunteers will read, screen, print, and deliver your emails to Jon’s room. Please be considerate of Jon and Traci’s energy level and condition and limit your messages accordingly. Also know that Jon will not be able to respond to these emails.

Update on Giving Blood

If you're interested in donating blood in Jon's name, here are a couple pointers:

1. If you call the number for Harborview, you will enjoy the wonderful experience of speaking with a myriad of very nice (and some not so nice) people before reaching someone who can tell you that they don't accept blood at the hospital. They get all their blood from the Puget Sound Blood Bank.

2. The Puget Sound Blood Bank has multiple permanent donation location. The closest one is in Tukwila. Additional location information can be found at http://www.psbc.org/programs/blood.htm or by calling (800)398-7888.

3. If you can't make it to one of the Puget Sound Blood Bank locations, there are some closer donation centers through Cascade Regional Blood Services which serves Pierce and South King Counties. You can find donation location information at http://www.cascadebloodcenters.org/locations/index.htm or by calling (253)383-2553.

4. If we have enough interest, we can sponsor a private blood drive where a mobile blood donation unit would come to a location of our choosing. If you are interested in participating, or have additional questions, please email Heidi Busik at PerplexedNLife@Yahoo.com.

Note: You can donate blood in honor of Jon but you can not designate it for him. Someone in great need will benefit from your donation, even if it is not Jon.

Help

Many of you have offered to help in any way and the Fredricks are so thankful. If you signed up to receive needs by e-mail please be patient and check this blog often. This will be the first place all needs to the greater "Love-The-Fredricks" family will be posted. If you have a specific expertise we have recorded it and will call on you if and when necessary.

Many of you have asked about giving monetarily to the Fredricks and we're working on the best way to receive and distribute that to them. I hope to have an update about that soon. You can know that their needs while staying in Seattle are being taken care of at the moment.

Traci is truly grateful for the amount of love shown to her, Jon, and the kids. She loves you all and thanks you.

One way that Traci mentioned that you might be able to help is to give blood. Jon is going to have another transfusion and Traci thinks it would be great if people came to Harborview to give blood to the blood bank as a service toward Jon and others. More info to come on blood donation.

Visit with Jon

I was able to see and talk with Jon today. I can honestly say that he looks way better than I imagined. I got permission to take a photo and post it here and will do so as soon as I get the cord for the camera. As I talked with Jon I was surprised by his mental sharpness. He can't speak well because his tongue is swollen and he can't see well because he has no contacts and his glasses arrived shortly before I left. But he is thinking well for somebody so banged up.

Couple of observations to share with you. First, he remembers things, even seemingly insignificant things. Second, he still cares greatly for others. He is still concerned about his family, the church, and the burden that is being put on his friends and staff. Third, he is humbled by the grace and mercy he and his family received. Fourth, he sincerely believes that he's going to be back quicker than most people think. Finally, he still has a great sense of humor, able to laugh at himself and poke fun at others.

Prayer Request

Please pray that the swelling in Jon's arm goes down so that the doctors can perform surgery tomorrow.

The Next Thing

Jon is scheduled to have surgery on Friday. Please begin to pray for that surgery as well as Jon's current recovery.

The Kids

Many of you have offered to help with the kids. That is great! Right now the kids are in Tacoma staying with families from Discovery. They are being taken care of and a schedule has been created for them to be cared for according to Traci's wishes. They will likely go back up to Seattle on Saturday to spend the weekend at the hospital with Jon.

Pray for the following:
1. Emotional health of the kids as they miss their dad and his presence.
2. Spiritual growth for the kids - Traci said she hopes the kids will learn to trust in God through this time.
3. Physical strength for Traci as she gets small amounts of rest as she attends to Jon's needs in the hospital.

Hello

Just talked with Jon on the phone. He said, "hey Rob. Sorry for messing up your schedule." I told him not to worry about anything and to focus on getting better. Everything else will be covered. It was great to hear his voice. No other update on his condition. He's still recovering from yesterday's surgery but it's great to know that he's awake and talking.

Surgery Update

Jon had 9.5 hours of surgery today on his arm. The doctors were able to do extensive work on his elbow and reconstructing the arm. They also examined his pelvic bone and determined that it wasn't fractured but was "crumpled" which is less severe than a fructure. He is currently recovering and Traci is with him. She is doing okay considering the circumstances. The kids are being taken care of and the plan is to make sure that Traci always has someone near by to help wherever she is.

Jon will take the next couple of days to recuperate and prepare for the next surgery on Friday. The outlook for now is that he will be up at Harborview until next Wednesday with one to two more surgeries.

For those of you considering a visit my recommendation right now is to wait until after Jon has gone through the surgeries and has recovered more. He isn't in any condition to have visitors and any precious time he has awake and conscious will likely be spent with Traci and his kids.

I realize that many of you want to wish him well and see him. So do I. I didn't get to see Jon tonight but my main concern is to help the family in any way possible. I know that is your main concern as well. For now, it's probably best to give space for recovery and adjustment for the family. Traci is so grateful for the amount of love that has been shown to her, Jon, and the kids.

I will update more as I receive news. If you have questions or suggestions please contact me by e-mail, rob@discochurch.com. Please continue to pray for the requests listed in previous posts.

Contacts:
Meals: Providing meals for the family when Jon is released or transferred back to Tacoma.
Mandi Mills, mandimills@gmail.com

Schedule Coordinator: Scheduling care for the kids and a constant on-duty minister for Traci until Jon is released or transferred back to Tacoma.
Amy Weideman, amyweideman@gmail.com

Help the Fredricks

Many of you have asked how you can help. Right now the family is just trying to walk through the surgeries that Jon will need and to support him as he goes through them. There are a few things that you can do.

1. Please check this website for updates and pass it on to anyone else that you know would be interested. Please refrain from calling the Fredricks at home or on cell unless it is an emergency. You can imagine the amount of phone calls they are receiving.

2. Provide meals. You can sign up to provide a meal for the Fredricks family by e-mailing Mandi Mills (mandimills@gmail.com).

3. Pray.

Surgery

Jon will be undergoing surgery this morning on his arm. The surgery will last for at least 6 hours.

Pray for the doctors and medical staff.
Pray for a successful surgery.
Pray for Traci and the kids to know faith, joy, and peace.

Accident

Jon and Mary (his daughter) were in a car accident today. Doctors have released Mary because she wasn't hurt. Jon is in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center. The left side of his body was banged up pretty good. He will require surgery on his arm and jaw. He is able to talk but may have suffered a concussion.

Please pray for the following:

1. Recovery for Jon.
2. Comfort for Traci and the kids (Mary, Hudson, Maggie, Charlie)
3. Wisdom for Traci as she makes decisions regarding the family and Jon.

When more is known about ways to help the Fredricks family we will inform you through an e-mail list or through this web page. If you would like to be added to the e-mail list please send an e-mail to office@discochurch.com with your name and e-mail address and "Help Fredricks" in the subject title.