Manuel's Viewing (Picture Gallery)

Below are some pictures that were at Manuel's viewing. Thank you all for the prayers, condolences, and comforting words as we grieve Manuel's passing.

We Pray God's Peace will come to all that miss Manuel. We are comforted in knowing that he knew Jesus before he departed this world. We love him and miss him dearly. We know that God sent his only Son to die for our sins so that we can live with Him after this life. This is the promise that Manuel now knows.

Recovering from Surgery

Saturday March 15, 2014

Marcello Cristian

Marcello was placed on the conventional vent after his surgery. However, his blood gases were not looking good so he was moved to the Oscillator to make him more comfortable.  His chest x-Ray showed that his lungs were over inflated. It is thought that his tube was not in the right spot and after it was moved his blood gases began to look better. He really did not like his eye surgery. He is now getting two different drops in his eyes, an antibiotic and a steroid, which he also did not enjoy. His eyes are still swollen but he has been making attempts to open his eyes. His weight on Saturday he broke 4 lbs. but this is also due to him being a little swollen.

Sunday March 16, 2014

Last night, Marcello got an additional chest x-Ray that showed his lungs were much better. This morning, he continues to be on the Oscillator and they were able to get him down to room air. His hematocrit levels were low today so he was given a blood transfusion. His CRP this morning was 2.1 much better than 6.2 that he had been. This is good because it means his body is responding to the antibiotics. This afternoon Marcello's heart rate began to fluctuate low between 70 - 90 but his oxygen saturation remained good. We think this may be because he remains on the Oscillator vent. His weight was down 10 grams but still at 4 lb. 0 oz.

We pray that The Lord allows Marcello to recover and that any additional surgeries be kept to a minimum. We believe that The Lord has a plan for Marcello. We continue to pray for healing for Marcello and to us as we continue to miss Manuel.

Marcello's Eye Surgery

Thank you for all the condolences, prayers, and notes to our family with Manuel's passing. We have several pictures of Manuel that we would like to share with you and several status updates that had not made it to the blog that we will be posting shortly. We want to make sure that we have it all documented and validated before posting.

We have also received lots of inquiries about Marcello. To make the long story short, several weeks ago he tested positive for CMV( cytomegalovirus) and tested positive for MRSA(staph infection). The blood work he keeps getting continues to show that he has an infection. The Neonatalogist have run numerous tests, but cannot confirm the source.

On Tuesday the Neo's decided to get a spinal tap.  Unfortunately, they were unable to get it and decided to try again on Wednesday. They were able to get the spinal tap on Wednesday and on Thursday the results all came back negative. Praise God! On Thursday he had is usual eye exam for retinopathy for prematurity. The exam showed that he had ROP  stage 3 and would need surgery on Friday to correct this.

Today (Friday March 14, 2014), Marcello had the laser eye surgery. Pastor Currao was able to arrive prior to the surgery and we were able to pray over him before he was taken downstairs for surgery.  The surgery lasted about an hour and he was brought back into the NICU room. Dr Roberts came and talked to us after the surgery and said that he will be returning early next week to check on his eyes. We are here in the NICU with Marcello after his surgery and so far everything looks positive from the surgery. He is still intubated and are just waiting on him to tell us when to extubate.

This week has been so trying on our family with Manuel's passing and Marcello's continued medical condition. It is said that The Lord will never give you any trials that you cannot withstand. This week we feel as though we have walked the same path that Job had walked. As his father, I found myself questioning all that has happened, but I am comforted in knowing that he knew Jesus before his passing. The Lord has really been our strength this week.

We continue to lift Marcello up in prayer that The Lord will give the doctors an answer to what is troubling Marcello and that his eye surgery provides the correction needed to him so that he keeps his vision. Our hope is in The Lord.

Manuel Gabriel Mendez's Visitation and Funeral Details

Manuel Gabriel Mendez

Visitation for Manuel will be held at the following location:

Voss Funeral Home
316 N Chestnut St, Seymour, IN 47274

Tuesday March 11 from 3 to 8 PM.

Funeral Service will be on Wednesday March 12 at the following location:

Redeemer Lutheran Church
504 N Walnut St, Seymour, IN 47274

Early visitation will begin at 9:30 AM and the Funeral Service beginning at 10:30 AM.  All are welcome to attend.

Thank you for all your prayers.

Salatiel and Jodi Mendez

We would like to note that Pastor Lepley wrote some wonderful words about Manuel's Journey that we would like to share with you. These words can be found on:  http://onourorigins.wordpress.com/

Manuel's Last Journey

Saturday March 8, 2014

DISCLAIMER: TISSUES WILL BE REQUIRED

Manuel Gabriel Mendez

Early this morning we received a phone call from the Neonatalogist that Manuel was having some respiratory problems. He was placed back on vapotherm to see if this would stabilize his condition. Unfortunately, this did not help. We received an additional call from the hospital at 5 AM as they had found that he had developed NEC. Therefore, the hospital did a Chest and Abdominal X-Ray that confirmed the NEC as well as showed several areas of free air in his abdomen.  The pediatric surgeon, Dr Kokoska, was called to evaluate his condition.

We were told to arrive to the hospital as soon as we can make it. Upon arrival Manuel was already prepped for surgery. Dr Kokoska came and spoke to us before the surgery and said that he would see what he could fix but was not sure of what he would encounter. He returned about 20 minutes later and informed us that he did everything he could but that it was too extensive for him to fix. Dr Wareham said that this was all that could be done and that it was time for us to call in family for his last rights.

Big brothers Mateo, Macario, and Marquez arrived and got to hold and kiss Manuel for one last time. Both sets of grandparents arrived and also said their goodbyes. It was an exceptionally difficult day for all of us. Both Pastor Currao and Pastor Lepley came and said prayers over him. As we gathered to hear Pastor Currao give Manuel his last rights, Manuel would open his eyes wide every time Pastor said the Name Jesus. It was his sign to us that he knew where he was going and that he knew Jesus.

Manuel Gabriel Mendez was removed from the ventilator at 6:30 PM and remained in Mommy's arms. He took his last two breaths at 6:37 PM. Heaven got a new Angel at 6:37 PM on Saturday March 8, 2014. We are thankful and honored that God allowed us to be blessed with Manuel's presence for 74 days.

We thank everyone for your prayers and ask that you continue to keep Marcello in your prayers. At least we are comforted in knowing that Marcello has an Angel named Manuel watching over him now.

We are in process of making funeral arrangements and will post these to the blog as soon as they are finalized.