A new beginning

It has been a very long time since I have updated this blog because like many of you I have been attempting to find a new normalcy after experiencing the extreme lows and highs of such an awesome act of God. It feels like a lifetime ago that this story began, but it really was only a few months ago. As I have said all along, I believe we have all been called to be a part of this journey for one way or another, and I believe if for not other reason than bringing peace to so many hearts, this story of faith, Uncle John's story, must go on.

I spoke to Uncle John and Aunt Maureen yesterday, and I can't even explain how refreshing it was to hear that Uncle John continues to make great strides every day. He is now off of sternum precautions, which gives him a little more freedom. His major priority right now is continuing to rewire and retrain his brain, as well as restrengthen his left shoulder. He continues to go to therapy three times a week, and spends the rest of the time reconnecting with his family, and just keeping busy. Please if anyone still reads this, feel free to leave an encouraging message to John. He has a lot of free time, and I know he could use the company (even if it is just through emails).

If there is one thing I have learned from all of this it is that life is short and must be savored every minute it is lived. I am so thankful to have John back with us, and I know he is SO thankful to be here. It blows me away that after everything Uncle John's body and mind has been through, his faith in God and his outlook on his life has been so steadfast. The more difficult life gets, the more evident it becomes that God has us all by the palm of his hands, and we simple need to take John's lead and trust that everything will work out, even if it is not the way we imagined our lives.....there's always room for new beginnings.

Our miracle man

'Thank-you' just doesn't do justice for how appreciative my family is to all of you who came out to celebrate Uncle John's life! You are the reason April 18th was such a success. Uncle John loved every minute of that night, from seeing old friends to visiting with family that he hadn't seen in ages. We had a great turn out, and hope everyone enjoyed the party! I dont know about you, but it was really surreal to see Uncle JOhn after two months. He looked amazing, and I cannot stop saying how happy I am that he was able to attend his own party...because let me tell you we did not plan on that possibility.

Uncle John has officially been dubbed our miracle man, and i could not think of a more fitting name. I was talking to Aunt Maureen over the weekend, and we both agreed that if you read about his story and miss the faith aspect than this journey simply becomes another story. I told Kerry that the party was not because of what happened to her Dad, because people experience trials like that every day. The celebration and amazing turnout took place because of the wonderful person that their dad is. His faith in God's plan is the most miraculous and most remarkable part of this whole story. For those who don't see that, I pray that they can open their heart and that their eyes will see that God's hand is at the heart of this story and He can be at the heart of yours if you let Him.

That being said, Uncle John's story is far from over. He has followed up with the heart surgeon, and the doctor is very pleased with how things are going. John will have to continue to closely monitor his blood pressure and follow up every six months to check on his heart. He is back to eating normal foods, and his last stitch from his tracheotomy hole was removed last week. This just means that there is no residual effects from any of his previous life sustaining tubes. Every week he gets stronger and stronger physically. He continues to get physical, occupational, and speech therapy three times a week. He is working very hard to regain his previous state of independence and normalcy. But mostly, he is savoring every moment with those he loves most. As lesson we should all live by!

Continue to pray for Uncle John to maintain his strength and courage and faith throughout this next phase. God bless, and thanks again for all those that helped celebrate the life of our miracle man.

The crosses we carry

Easter is a time to celebrate the great gift that Jesus gave when He died to save us, but it is also a time to celebrate second chances and the miracles of life. God gave us all a second chance to be redeemed through His son's death, and God gave Uncle John a second chance to live a life that has and will continue to impact hundreds. I remember after Uncle John was taken out of his house in the ambulance, I went in the bathroom to collect my self, and saw a quote on their wall from Mother Theresa that read "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." I remember smiling because even in the midst of such tragedy this real truth gave me peace knowing that everything would work out just the way that it was supposed to.....and it sure did! It is so hard to put into words the joy I feel that Uncle John is able to be home during this Easter season with his family. Happy Easter to all of you, and now, for a letter to all of you from Aunt Maureen.

To all of our Family and Friends,

Happy Easter! For the past several weeks I have felt in my heart a desire to share with each of you some of my own reflections on our journey with John's miraculous return to healing. It seems so fitting to do this on Easter Sunday. I have been reflecting on the gift of life and the challenges of facing the trials and crosses that God asks each of us to carry. John and I are very aware that the events of the past two months have not only touched us and our children, but many around us who love and care for us. We have a renewed sense of the value of the gift of life and the fragility of life. We also have a renewed awareness of all of the love that surrounds us and how God uses others to love and care for you when He asks you to carry a difficult cross.
In the past year, I have personally seen several close friends lose loved ones to violence and terminal illness. In the past week, we have lost a well-loved priest in our community. Two days before John was discharged from the hospital, I was en route to see him and came upon a young man who had just been involved in a motorcycle accident. I stopped to make sure he was okay. He was scared and bruised, but was alive and okay. All he could say was "God Bless You!" The day before John's discharge I personally came upon a situation in which a new mother and father gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in the hallway on the way to the Labor and Delivery department of Virginia Hospital Center. I was stunned and yet so grateful to share in two moments in other people's live that I am sure deeply impressed upon them the gift of life. Two days after John came home from the hospital, a priest who three weeks before had told me he was praying for John had a heart attack and died after Holy Thursday services. What is the common thread in all of these situations? How precious is the gift of life! I know each of you have shared in and witnessed the grief associated with losing a loved one. I am also acutely aware of how blessed we have been to be given the grace of more time with John who is so dear to us. In a very real sense, this Easter we are celebrating the renewed gift of life in John. He now has a fresh and new appreciation of the gift of his own life and it shows in his resolve to live his life now committed to whatever God has planned or in store for him. As Christians, we have just observed a period of fast and abstinence and ended with Holy Week. Because John was not yet strong enough to attend Holy Week services, he and I decided to watch the movie "Jesus of Nazareth". It was a wonderful reminder of the self-less love and mercy of Jesus and His father's profound love for each of us. It was a beautiful reminder of how Jesus carried His chosen cross out of Love for Each of us. I thought about how easily we forget that sacrifice or take it for granted.
The lessons I have learned through this journey are many, but the most significant is that:when the Lord asks you to carry a cross or tests your faith, if you turn to Him and trust Him to know what you need He will provide for you. We live in a culture that falsely tells us that we are in control of our own lives and our own happiness. Our journey with John has showed us how false that is!. God has and will continue to be in control of each of our lives. He decides when we are born and when we die. We can make a lot of choices in between, but if we allow Him to guide us and help us, He will overwhelmingly provide for us. We are humbled and so grateful to Him for how he has provided for us these past few months. We only hope and pray that we can live the rest of our lives in a way that truly shows our appreciation and honors Him. God Bless Each of You and we wish you a blessed Easter! For those of you who are coming, we look forward to celebrating John's renewed gift of life on the 18th of April. Love to all,
Maureen

Life is Good

I just wanted to update everyone to let everyone know John did come home! I spoke to him yesterday as he sat in his recliner with his dog resting besides him and his eyes fixated on the latest golf tournament. He said he was enjoying very much being home, and as one of his friends commented, 'Life is Good'....yes it is! Thanks again for all of the continued prayers. He still has a lot of work to accomplish to regain his strength, but if anyone can do it, Uncle John is the guy!!

Tribute to Uncle John

I know this whole blog is a tribute to Uncle John and all that he has come through these past months. However, this post is a special tribute to not only what he has accomplished, but to the person that he is and has always been. My hope is that this tribute can give Uncle John a sense of peace as he embarks on this new chapter in his journey. I hope this helps to remind him that he has a very important purpose in this life. This journey has affected the lives of hundreds of people, and I hope others can relate to my tribute, as well.

Uncle John,
As you leave the hospital for the first time in two months, I feel compelled to share something with you. I choose to make my tribute public because of how faithful many people have become in following your story......so here it is.

February 4th not only changed your life, but it changed the lives of so many across the country, especially mine. My view on God, faith, and prayer changed drastically after that night! Before that fateful night, I was living my life on my own terms. I strongly believed I had complete control over the way my life turned out. I thought by simply being a good person that would be enough! I thought that I could go through life without God because I did not feel worthy of His love, and so I drifted away...further and further away as I grew up. Like many people out there I have been praying day in and day out for a miracle in my life so that I would know God was real. What I didn't realized until now was that He was always present, but in my own selfishness I chose to not be open to Him.
You, on the other hand, through EVERYTHING, both good and bad in your life always KNEW God was real. It seemed like the more stressful life got, the more your faith deepended. I remember after that night, Aunt Maureen told me for the past year every single day you went to mass and prayed for a miracle. Although, this is not what you had in mind, you have taken the hand you have been dealt and still remain deeply indebted to God. Your family has shared how awesome you have been in taking this 'new life' and fully accepting it as God's plan.
After that night, i kept replaying that evening through my mind and I really can't explain it, but something changed in me. I know without a doubt that I was not in that room with you by my self. I know that Aunt Maureen was not alone, and I now you were most definitely not alone. I know that someone bigger than myself was present that night. I did not hear a voice or see a shadow, but I felt something very strong. I still do not feel worthy of God's love, but I no longer feel quilt or shame in coming to Him when I need Him. You have showed me that it is not what you do in your life that makes you worthy of God...it is simply how capable you are of opening your heart to Him and believing in His power.
I know this is YOUR story, but Your story has become MY story in how my faith began! I thank-you from the bottom of my heart for praying for that miracle! What I hope you realize is that your life is the miracle, at least it is the miracle in my life! I am so thankful to have you as an uncle, and I can't wait to see you in the presence of your home and can't wait to hug you! You really are my hero, and as you have said before God took a look at the story of your life and said 'I am not done with him yet'! Good luck, stay strong, and keep on believing!


Feel free to continue to leave encouraging comments, and please leave your own tribute to John and how he has changed your life. As I have said this is his story, and I want it to continue when he is at home.

Homecoming

That's right, he's coming home! Waking up in his home, sleeping in his own bed, doing his morning jig with Kaley (their dog), and getting back to his life is no longer a dream, but is finally a reality! The doctors have said they are very pleased with John's progress, and have set Tuesday as the day that he will get to finally go home after over two months of being in the hospital. Thank-you God for taking hold of Uncle John and never letting go. Many of us never imagined this would even be a possibility, but at the same time we never gave up hope. This hope and wish for our quiet giant has come true, and his hard work and our endless prayers have paid off. Congratulations to John and to his family. After all that they have been through I am so happy that they have this news to celebrate.

Life may not be the same when Uncle John comes home, but as God is my witness Uncle John will not have to face this 'new life' alone. As is apparent by the number of people following his story, he is loved so much by so many people. I hope this can give him some comfort and help him keep his strength as he faces this next chapter in his book!

Please, if you are reading this leave an encouraging comment for John and his family. I want this post to receive the most comments. Remember, to leave a comment just click on the word comment at the end of this post. If you do not have a gmail account click on anonymous and just leave your name at the end of your comment!

Thank-you and God bless!

Lessons learned

Let me start by saying I am deeply sorry for the lack of updates because this in no way reflects the amount of progress Uncle John has made these last few days. It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives, that I almost forgot what I was being called to do. So for all of you avid blog readers, I am sorry. I feel like God has given me such an amazing honor to be the one to deliver news about our quiet giant, and I certainly don't want to take that for granted. Now, onto what Uncle John has been up to these last few days.....

What do eating, drinking, breathing, walking, reading, and talking all have in common? Well, these are all things we have become masters at and now perform on a daily basis without a second thought. However, for Uncle John these simple tasks have become his days work. He works very intensly every day for about an hour to an hour and a half with speech, physical, and occupational therapy at relearning and 're-mastering' these seemingly simple tasks. I am so glad Uncle John has the strength and courage to work this hard day in and day out. I have heard first hand from both Uncle John and his family that he has made incredible strides in all of these areas. I am so pleased to report that the other day he not only walked further than the day before, but he also walked on his own. WOW! He still has quite a long way to go, but I am still so amazed that walking on his own is now a goal! The trauma to his body and brain can improve with time, but it is a lot of work! Uncle John also got his first haircut in almost two months. I think he was starting to dig his elvis do, but he knows it is about time to get back to his old self, so the 'do' had to go.

Every day John moves closer and closer to going home, but I hope we can all continue to carry the lessons that we have learned during this next phase. We have all been called to be a part of John's journey in some way, shape, and form. For whatever reason, God has chosen to use John to help heal so many broken hearts and restore so many people's faith in God. His story has inspired so many people across the country to believe that with God in your life, NOTHING is impossible.

Uncle John is starting to come to terms with all that he has been through, and has gained a new found peace in his own life and understanding that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. Uncle John has always been a believer, but his faith as been reaffirmed through this experience because it is so apparent that God truly is in control and He will provide just what we need....all we have to do is believe! Just as we have been so touched by Uncle John's steadfast faith and courage to trust in God's plan, he too has been touched and in awe of all of you. Aunt Maureen told me today that the part that makes her the happiest is seeing Uncle John recognize the amount of love that so many people have for him. He is such a humble man, and is truly in awe of the outpouring of love and kindness from all of you.

I want to leave you with a scene from a book that Uncle John is currently reading thanks to his amazing daughters. It is called The Shack, and this scene is Jesus' response to Mack when he talks about his fears for the future.

Mack: “Why do I have so much fear in my life?”

Jesus: “Because you don’t believe. You don’t know that we love you. The person who lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love… to the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe that I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it; you talk about it, but you don’t know it”.......If you knew I was good, and that everything-the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives-is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me.

Step by Step

By God's good grace, Uncle John has made a great step forward, literally! He walked 40 feet the other day with the help of a walker and a physical therapist near by. WOW! What an amazing accomplishment for someone who experienced all that John has been through. He is also eating now completely on his own. So hopefully the feeding tube will be out soon.

As we have all witnessed, Uncle John has this incredible resilience that will not be broken. I still remember his face that evening this whole thing transpired, and even then you could tell he was fighting hard to stay a live... and he is still fighting. Each day brings more and more steps in the right direction but he still has a long road ahead. It is nice to finally hear the possibility of him going home is in the near future, whenever that may be.

As someone reminded me today, when things get bad, you just have to keep the faith. Well, this is exactly what the Hannan family and Uncle John have done. Actually we have all done this on John's behalf. As a Christian community, we have come together and helped to keep John and his family lifted up through our prayers and thoughtful actions. The title of this blog is called the power of prayer because I truly believe that God has heard every single breath of prayer since the beginning of this journey. He had a plan all along for Uncle John, but I like to think our prayers helped 'encourage' His plan.

God bless all of you for keeping this family in your daily prayers. Please keep it up! Have a great weekend!

Second Chances

I want to thank everyone once again for all of the prayers for Uncle John. He is able to fight so hard because of the amazing person he is, but also because of the many people supporting him through love and prayer on a daily basis.


Here is the latest update from Aunt Maureen sent yesterday:

Uncle John enjoyed a busy day today. Gavin spent the night at the hospital with John last night. Since Matt and Gavin were on spring break, they both spent a good amount of time filling in brackets preparing for March Madness.. If this had to happen, it was so considerate of the Lord to pick the time of March Madness and the Master's Golf tournament for John to have a front row seat with the T.V. John has joked that he might have a new career as a "bracketologist". Today there were also plenty of jokes about John's new Elvis Presley hairdo. (It's been two months since John had his last haircut.)
John has done very well since the trach was removed. Yesterday, he fatigued alittle easier after alot of conversation, but today he enjoyed visiting with old friends and family and Fr. Bryce. He seemed to really enjoy these visits. He sat up in a chair twice for an hour each time. His energy seems to be improving with each day. The highlight of today was John bending his left arm and working his biceps as he and Matt call it. This is the first time John has been able to pull his arm up toward his chest. Everyone in the room cheered ! John told me tonight, he is determined to work as hard as he can to get back as much as he can since his stroke.
Tomorrow is a big day! John is moving to the acute rehab center at Virginia Hospital Center! He will be doing 3 hours of therapy per day. Please continue to pray that John's will to fight through the challenges that lie ahead will remain strong. We are so grateful for his sense of humor and his acceptance of God's will. John told me this weekend, he believes that God looked in His book of John's life and said Your work is not finished and sent him back to us. Thank You God for second chances.

According to john

I just wanted everyone to know I heard from Uncle John's mouth that the tracheotomy is out, and he ' is doing better'. Thank God he was able to find the strength to overcome this obstacle! It was so surreal to hear Uncle John's voice on the phone after 5 weeks. It was by far the highlight of my day! I just feel so blessed to be a part of this great man's life, and I am sure we can all agree that it is such an honor to stand witness to the miracles God has shown us through John.

The plan is to move him to an acute rehab center tomorrow. We need to all say a prayer that the plans for rehab can continue without any complications. According to Uncle John, he has a new found appreciation for his own life and all of the small things it has to offer. What he doesn't know is that he has given all of us a new found appreciation and perspective on our lives. And for that we will be forever indebted to him, and we need to continue to walk along side of him as he moves forward on the path to complete recovery!

I wanted to remind everyone who is interested to click on the picture to the right and enter to win $7000 and help out our local hero along the way! Thanks again!!

Better late than never....

The title of this blog refers to both me and Uncle John. I am sorry I am so late in updating the blog, but better late than never. And I know Uncle John wants to be back to his healthy and strong self a lot sooner than it is happening, but all I can say is BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! For those that don't know me, I currently work on a cardiac floor as a nurse, and this past week we had a gentleman lose his life from a similar complication that Uncle John experienced. He too was in his 60's. My purpose is sharing this news is simply to remind everyone that Uncle John's journey TRULY is a miracle by all accounts. According to medical knowledge and standards, he should not be here. However, thank heaven that God is above all human knowledge, because obviously He has a lot more work to be done with and through Uncle John.

Now for the update...well, Uncle John continues to make great strides each day. He is working VERY hard with occupational and physical therapy to regain strength. He continues to get more and more stronger everyday in his left side. As Aunt Maureen described, 'He is now lifting his leg and bending his knee and getting those muscles ready for his next tee time'. He is very lucky to have a future PT (his son Matt) in the family, which has been very beneficial in helping John with his daily exercises. The doctors have also started to downsize his tracheotomy since Tuesday, and the plan is to completely remove the trach today or tomorrow. What an amazing accomplishment on Uncle John's part. This is once again another example of what a tremendous fighter John is because this was no easy task. The next step is to move Uncle John in the next few days to an acute rehab facility. We need to pray that their are no further complications, and that he can continue on with this new phase in his recovery.

His spirits have been up this past week, and he has enjoyed spending every waking moment with his family. He is on less pain medication, so he is much more engaged these days. His boys are on spring break so they have been keeping him company and helping him with his March Madness bracket. I can't say it enough, how good it is to hear that Uncle JOhn really is back.

I will leave you with a kind message from Aunt Maureen to all of you:

We have learned to treasure John and one another. We have also learned to appreciate all of those who have helped us along
the way. There is no way we can ever repay you for all you have done to carry us through this, except to tell each of you we
love you and are forever grateful. There is no doubt in my mind that John is drawing much strength from knowing that so
many are praying for him and loving him through this journey.
Maureen

We love you Uncle John, and we too are forever grateful for the lessons you have taught us these past few weeks. You have touched our lives more than you will ever know. Keep fighting because there are a lot of people that need to see you outside the walls of a hospital with that famous smile on your face!

A new phase in recovery

Aunt Maureen has sent the following update regarding John's physical status. I want to ask everyone to continue to pray for his physical healing, but also that John can continue to gain mental strength to keep up the fight. With each step he takes, Uncle John is faced with the reality and magnitude of all that his body has been through. I pray that Uncle John will know that just as we all supported his family while his body and mind were 'resting', we will all walk beside him now that he is awake and help him in anyway we can. Please continue to leave words of encouragement. Uncle John could use some


From Aunt Maureen:

I can't believe all of the progress Uncle John has made throughout the last 48 to 72 hours. As you may recall when he left the ICU on Wednesday to be transferred to Virginia Hospital Center, he had been able to be off the ventilator for 12 hours. Well since Friday at 7:00 a.m., Uncle John is completely off the ventilator. He is still on what they call a trach mask which provides moisture and some oxygen support, but John is basically breathing on his own. Friday, Uncle John was able to drink Ice cold water for the first time since February 4th. As John described it, he felt like, " he had just left the Sahara desert". How easily we take for granted little things like drinking cold water. Yesterday morning, John was given his first soft diet. It was amazing to see that eating for the first time since this began was no small task. After a few bites of oatmeal, John started coughing and felt like something was stuck in his throat, but by yesterday evening( Saturday), the whole process went a lot smoother. This was helped along because the doctor decided it was time to downsize his tracheostomy. He returned today and took out the trach and replaced it with the next size down. This represents a huge step toward removing the trach all together. The doctor hopes that this task will be accomplished by the end of this week.

We were also told that John may have a small infection from a sample that was taken from John's lungs when he arrived on Wednesday. Though his White Blood Count looked good and there was no fever, it was decided to start an antibiotic to be on the safe side. If all goes well, John could be off the trach by the end of the week and off to acute rehab by the end of next week. Today, the trach was downsized and John suddenly became much more comfortable while eating.
Each of these small steps represent a new step toward regaining John's independence.

One of the highlights of today for both John and I were being able to receive the Eucharist together. We watched a Mass from the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and were able to receive communion together. It is amazing the things we take for granted. John has been visited many times over the past 5 weeks by Fr. Bryce, Fr. Valentine Keveny, Fr. Lee Fangmeyer, and Fr. Martin,. We are so appreciative of all of their prayers and support, but each time John was unable to receive communion because he couldn't swallow while on the Ventilator. Since John has been able to recover from the sedation of some of the medication, John has commented on how he missed going to Mass. We turned on the T.V. this morning and one of the first things we found was the Mass for the homebound and ill. Fifteen minutes later, a representative from St. Ann's church in Arlington came to John's room and offered him the Eucharist. For John and I, sharing the Eucharist has been a source of strength and grace in our marriage, so it seemed so fitting that we would have the opportunity to receive it together, so soon after John was able to begin swallowing and eating. Thank you, Lord. I couldn't help but think of how easily we take for granted being able to receive the Lord in the Eucharist until all of a sudden you can't. Then all of a sudden you realize what a gift it is truly is to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. One of the hardest parts of this whole experience for me has been not being able to attend Mass with John. Though my kids have been wonderful about attending Mass with me to pray for their dad's healing, I have dearly missed him. My prayer is that we never again take for granted what a gift the Eucharist is or the ability to receive it together.
One of the other realities that the last few days has brought is the new awareness on John's part of what has really happened to him. John was so ill through the first several weeks following his initial events that John really had no concept of what he had really been through and what a miracle it is that God provided the people and the skills to save his life that night. As John has continued to improve and advanced past the ICU, reality is starting to sink in. One of the things that has amazed him the most is that his body temperature was cooled to 18 Degrees during his initial surgery. He has affectionately been given the nickname, the "Iceman". In any event, John has a renewed appreciation for the fragility of his life and of all of our lives. He also has a renewed commitment to appreciate the moments and the people in his life. He also plans on enjoying life and avoiding stress. He would wish the same for each of you. As we enter this new phase of John's recovery, please pray that John will have the grace to see that each small step of accomplishment takes him one step closer to healing. I would also pray that each of us will continue to have the faith to continue to surrender this process to God's plan and continue to trust in His providence.

Amen.

Let God's Work Shine

First and foremost, thank you to all who have already contributed to the Hannan's in their time of need. Your generosity is overwhelming to say the least. As we have all seen, Uncle John has undeniably been the miracle many of us have been searching for. He is living proof of the amazing power God can have in our life when we just believe. I know now is a time for trial for a lot of people, especially financially these days. I am asking each of you to reach deep into your heart and be able to give back something big or small to this wonderful man. It is now our time to be the miracle that this family needs right now. We have the power to continue to let God shine, and through your help we can let God work through us to meet the needs of the Hannan family.

The family and friends of John Hannan have set up a raffle and the proceeds will help with mounting medical costs for Uncle John. If you want to buy a chance to win three cash prizes (1st prize - $7000, 2nd prize - $2500, 3rd prize - $500) and help the Hannans, you can go to the link www.hannanfund.org. This link will bring you to a secure site so you can purchase raffle tickets by credit card. If anyone wants a raffle ticket but prefers to pay by check, contact one of the following people.

Margaret Guilday - margaret.guilday@adams-burch.com
Mike Guilday - mike.guilday@adams-burch.com
Mike Harper - michael.harper@summitmarketing
Andy Hamilton - andrew.hamilton@us.pwc.com
Joene Gessner - jgessner@gingery.net
Dorrie Gleason - djgleason04@msn.com
Shannon Elie - shannone6@verizon.net
Bob & Kelly Corbey - starsigns@comcast.net

The winning ticket will be drawn on April 18th. We will sell only 750 tickets, so hurry an buy one today!

Another Milestone has been Passed!

Uncle John has turned another page in this chapter of his journey. He passed his swallowing test today so he was able to drink some water for the first time in over 5 weeks. Once again, its amazing the things we take for granted. He is now able to slowly progress his diet, starting with soft foods and liquid. Not quite ready for a PB & J, but he is working his way up to that!

Some other big steps were that he sat in the chair for about an hour, and stood on the side of the bed for 2 minutes (which is quite a lot for someone who has been in bed for so long). The next hurdle to get over is to completely breathe on his own. He is making incredible strides in this area, so we need to pray that he can continue to build strength in his breathing muscles. The doctors are very hopeful that this will happen in the near future. Thank the Lord!

On behalf of the Hannan family, thank-you so much for lifting our guy up in your prayers. Please Keep them coming...

How about some PB&J

According to Uncle John's family, he really seems to be more comfortable and more relaxed at this rehab facility. The wing he is on includes himself and only a few other patients, so he gets plenty of attention. As Shawn stated "He is getting the VIP that he deserves". I couldn't agree more! Since I can't be there to witness all the small, but HUGE steps my uncle is taking during this time, I thought it would be most appropriate to share a story from someone who is there with him; so here is a pretty cute story from his oldest daughter:

I wanted to share with you my favorite part of the morning. So the speech therapist came in today to assess my dad's mental capabilities and really see how much the stroke has affected him. She had a series of questions and then tasks for him to do. He was able to answer them all (with just a little help) from me cheating in the corner...oops. The she asked him how to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. So my dad says...."First you get 2 pieces of bread, then you get the peanut butter and spread it on the bread. BUT you must make sure NOT to use the kind of peanut butter with salmonella in it...Did you know a few people died from that!! Terrible, terrible thing. And then you put the jelly on the bread, put the two piece together, cut the it in half and put the sandwich in a plastic bag". So he passed with flying colors and then the speech therapist said....Do you have to cut the sandwich in half & put it in a bag? And my dad says, " Well that is how I do it. See I've been making lunches for my kids and wife for 25 years...I'm the Lunch Maker. I think a good, healthy lunch is very important to help you get through the day!" I couldn't love my dad any more than that moment. One, I could not stop laughing and either could the speech therapist..he has always had such a good sense of humor! Two, it was just one more example of how great of a man my dad is. He would get up every morning to make all of our lunches...even when I was in high school...and he still continues to do it now for my mom. He has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know!!


Gotta love this guy!!

The road to recovery

Uncle John has moved out of the ICU!!! God is so good, and He has answered each and everyone of our prayers. Over a month ago, we weren't sure whether Uncle John would even make it through the night, and now he is stable enough to focus on things we thought he may never do, like walk, talk, and all the other activities of daily living. As Aunt Maureen said to me today, a huge burden has been lifted from all of their shoulders. While we have been praying for recovery since day one, his family has been worried sick and praying that he would just be 'ok', whatever that meant! Now that he is in rehab, not fighting infection after infection, they are able to truly focus on the road to recovery.

It was so nice to hear a sense of peace that has been missing for so long. I empathize with many of you who can't physically be with John and his family through this time. So to hear that they can finally breathe easier and are now able to look forward to many days to come with their dad, is so relieving! Aunt Maureen said the facility to awesome. They love the staff, and Uncle John seems to be settling in quite well. The best part is that his room has a window to look outside. This may not seem like much to you and I, but to Uncle John, this is HUGE; he has not seen outside for over a month. Wow! It truly puts into perspective all the things that we take for granted on a daily basis.

As I said before, we need to continue to walk along side my Uncle and his family. There is still a long road ahead, but that road finally has a bright end in sight (and no, it is not a light at the end of a tunnel.....;),I hope some of you can smile at this inside joke now). I am so proud of all that Uncle John has accomplished, and like many of you I can't wait to see him outside the walls of a hospital to give him a huge hug and to thank him for all that he has taught me through this journey. Thank-you, God for holding our guy so close, and for allowing all of us to witness Your wonderous ways!

A new chapter

Uncle John is, in the words of one of his friends..."One tough dude'. I am so happy to let everyone know Uncle John is onto his next step in recovery. The plan is to transfer him to a rehab center in Virginia today. We need to pray that there are no complications, and he can safely continue on with his recovery. He is still on his ventliator, but the doctors are confident that he will be able to wean off of this over in rehab. There is a higher risk for infection if he stays in the hospital, so this is a positive step.

I am sure we can all agree that Uncle John has touched our lives since we first met him. However, he touched our lives yet again in a different light on February 4th, when he and his family's lives were changed forever. And he continues to amaze us as he fights to get well and surpasses all medical expectations every day. As family and friends, we need to continue to hold on to hope that he will fully recover. As Christians, we need to continually pray that God will help guide John in his recovery. We need to walk along side the Hannan family during this hard and long road ahead. He is getting better and stronger each day, but he is not completely healed. He has many battles ahead, but as I have said all along he is in good hands. Uncle John still very much needs are prayers, and the Hannan's need our support. Thank-you to everyone who has kept the family in your prayers, and I hope these updates will continue to bring good news as Uncle John enters a new chapter.

John's words

I have the most INCREDIBLE news to share! As Aunt Maureen said in the previous post, up until now Uncle john has only been able to communicate by mouthing his words. Because John was doing so well on the CPAP machine, the doctors decided to cap off his trachea for a little while today. The end result was that for the first time since February 4, UNcle John was able to speak so his family could actually hear his voice. WOW! Can you imagine hearing your loved ones voice for the first time in 5 weeks. What an incredible time for the Hannan family, and what an amazing accomplishment for Uncle John. The best news of all, is finally after all of the ups and down the doctors are starting to talk about the next step in his recovery. The possibility of moving to a rehab facility is finally within reach for John. Amongst the many words he said today was 'I love my wife'.....now we know the essence of John is still very much with us!


Keep praying...

Remain Steadfast

I am sorry for the lack of updates this past weekend. Aunt Maureen wrote an email which better depicts the past few days and where Uncle John is today:

Yesterday Uncle John was able to breathe mostly on his own for 6 1/2 hours on the CPAP setting. That means that the ventilator is only providing some pressure to help expand the alveoli of his lungs, but no oxygen and John is doing all of the effort of breathing on his own. He had a good day yesterday and is day by day regaining more of his sense of humor and his ability to communicate with his family and friends. That of course is dependent on our ability to read his lips. He has learned to be a very patient man. He enjoyed his visit with our old friend Joy Solow from Pennsylvania. Joy was relieved to see that John hasn't lost his sense of humor or his personality. Today, John continued to get stronger. He was able to breathe on CPAP for 7 1/2 hours and sat in a chair for 2 hours. Matt came to visit from Towson and John was giving him knuckles and learning some new handshakes. Matt was able to witness John moving his left leg and hand even more. The doctors told us on Saturday that the fluid that had been tapped off of John's left pleural effusion had returned, and on Sunday they put in a chest tube and were able to remove 1300 cc's of fluid. The doctor's have explained that the fluid that keeps recollecting is not an uncommon side effect from the type of open heart surgery John underwent a month ago. They may also treat him with a short course of steroids or other medication to resolve the inflammation that they feel is causing the fluid collection. John understands that the fluid needs to be drained and is hopeful that this course of action will finally resolve this issue. The doctors believe this may be preventing him from getting off the ventilator completely. John's progress over the last month is no less than miraculous and we are acutely aware that God has in his mercy given us all a second chance to enjoy the gift of John's life. For this we are truly grateful. This past week, John has regained a bit more of his independence by standing on the side of his bed, drinking a few sips of water for the first time in a month and enjoyed a few brief visits from friends. He is daily showing us his determination to keep fighting and working hard to recover. We are eternally grateful for his will to fight through all of this and his patience with the slow and sometimes frustrating process of healing. Our continued prayer is for his lungs to be completely healed and for him to continue to progress and regain his strength and function through the daily sessions of physical therapy. We need to pray that he can remain free from infection and continue to strengthen his breathing muscles so that he can breathe on his on and move on with his recovery.


I think Aunt Maureen said it all perfectly. I wanted to share quickly that throughout everything John has been through, he remained a whole hearted follow of God. Even when things didn't go his way ( before and after the initial event), he remained steadfast in his belief and love for God. This is such a powerful lesson that we must really hold onto especilly as Uncle JOhn continues to face these hurdles to get off the ventilator. We cannot believe and honor God half heartedly only when things go our way. We have to continue to trust and pray that God will walk with John as he fights this latest battle. It seems like Uncle John keeps having to face problem after problem, but if he can remain faithful so must we! Let's continue to pray through the good times and bad!

And so it continues...

And the good news keeps coming....today he was able to tolerate FIVE hours on the CPAP machine. And the best news yet, he was able to stand up on the side of the bed today. He had a lot of help, but he was able to use his hips to help. The physical therapist was very pleased and hopeful that this is the beginning of a health-filled recovery! Keep it up Uncle John. We are all so proud of your accomplishments so far, and we too are hopeful for a full recovery!



* I want to remind everyone who reads this to continue leaving encouraging comments. Aunt Maureen and the girls often read them to John and it gives him a sense of peace and strength to keep fighting.

The All Amazing

Aunt Maureen called last night, and I have to admit I was expecting bad news. Shows how much trust I have, but it turns out 'all is good'. An x-ray showed that he did not have pneumothorax after all, but there was still some pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs). However, the doctors did not feel it was necessary to put in a chest tube because the amount of fluid was not that severe. Hooray!!! Uncle John's fever also broke the other night, which is so amazing. Well, he (John) has managed to scare us all again, but HE (God) has managed to amaze us once again!

Uncle John also was able to tolerate 3 hours on a CPAP, which is the lowest 'gauge', so to speak, on his ventilator. THANK THE LORD! God promises good things to those who believe, and he never fails to deliver. We should all be so pleased with the results that took place on Uncle John's one month anniversary! Let's continue to lift his spirit up in prayers and support his family through each step along this long road to recovery!!!!!

Lives Changed

Well, the doctors were right and they were able to remove about the same amount of fluid from Uncle John's right lung. This is GREAT news! The bad part is that his fever is back, and so is the fluid. One of the complications that I was talking about in the previous post include something called a pneumothorax because of the chance of puncturing the lung during the procedure. Well, it looks like this is what happened, which has caused the fluid to come back and continue to surround the lungs. This may also be the cause of a possible infection, but that is unknown right now. Unfortunately because of this extra fluid, UNcle John may have to get a chest tube put in today. We need to pray that this is not the case, but if it is let's pray that it will work in helping to permanently remove this fluid from his lungs. We need to pray that God can continue to amaze us through UNcle John.

I was just talking to one of his daughters the other day, and we were talking about how crazy this past month has truly been. You always hear stories about how other people's lives have been changed in an instant, but you never think it will happen to you. Well exactly one month ago today, it did! In literally a matter of seconds the Hannan Family's world was turned upside down as their hero has had to fight for his life every day since the incident. Through this journey, hundreds of people across the country have also experienced a change in their life. We were discussing how much our faith has deepened through this journey with her dad. I know so many of you can relate to this new perspective on your faith in God and on your own life.

The bottom line is that life happens, and we will all experience times of trial. All we can do is lean on those around us and put our complete trust in God. I hope that through this journey, we have all learned that with God in our life, NOTHING is impossible. We need to remember to cherish every day with our loved ones, and to remember that we are not guaranteed anything. Our life truly is a gift from God, so we need to spend our lives, like Uncle John so humbly does, praising and following Him. Our only hope for a full recovery for John is that God will continue to let His hand show through and guide Uncle John to complete healing. I for one, am confident enough in this hope, and just pray that Uncle John can continue to fight through this latest hurdle.

Positive Changes

I am so proud to report that Uncle John is continuing on his road to recovery. The doctors are very proud of his progress. Today the doctors 'tapped' his left lung and removed 1100 cc's of fluid. WOW! This has allowed him to relax more and breathe easier....at least on that side. The doctors plan to tap the right lung tomorrow, and are pretty sure that they will remove a similar amount. Let's pray that this procedure occurs free of complications. Hopefully, after the right lung is 'tapped', he will be on his way to breathing on his own.....it's not that simple, but it will be a good start!

He was more awake, and noticeably more comfortable today since his thoracentesis. Now that he is more alert, the doctors aren't wasting any time and they are putting Uncle John to work. They are going to start taking him off the ventilator for 30 minutes a few times a day to start retraining his breathing muscles. They are also starting to decreasing his tube feeding to intermittent feedings, instead of continuous. This is a sign of improvement on Uncle John's part. We need to pray that his body can tolerate these new changes, and he can start moving towards getting rid of the remaining tubes.

He was much more interactive today. He even gave Aunt Maureen three 'real' hugs today. Aunt Maureen has been waiting almost a month for a real hug, so for that simple gift I am so happy for her. Our prayers are being heard, so keep them coming!

Sunday's Challenge

Sorry for the lack of updates this weekend, but as I have said before in John's case no news is certainly good news. Uncle John has continued to make baby steps through the weekend. His white count has come down (meaning no more infection), and his blood pressure has stabilized. A huge step for Uncle John was that he was able to tolerate a two and a half hour breathing trial. Although his emotional self did get a little agitated and tired, his body stayed strong. He is also back to interacting with his family. His favorite thing to do these days is to kiss his lovely wife on the hands....awe!

I think some of us are hesitant to trust that John's baby steps will last because a week ago today it seemed like his tiny progress was crushed in a matter of seconds as he was headed back to the operating room for his third surgery. If we have learned anything from this journey it should be that our trust should not lie his John alone or his positive steps towards recovery. If our trust lies in any one of these factors than we will surely be disappointed at some point during this journey. Our trust must lie in God. If we can truly lay our fears and hopes regarding John's recovery at His feet than we will all be lifted of a huge burden. We, John's family and friends, will no longer go through our day with constant anxiety that Uncle John's progress might be pushed back. If we keep our trust in God's plan for John than both small steps forward or backward will be seen simply as 'part of the bigger plan'. This is a hard concept to follow. I know I struggle with trusting God completely especially when something goes 'wrong' or goes differently than I had wanted. However, I also know the feeling of complete freedom of worry and fear when I am able to trust in Him. 

So today, I challenge all of you to place all of your fears regarding the long road that lies ahead for this wonderful man and family at God's feet. I also challenge all of you to lift your worries about your own future up to God. I strongly believe everything will work out in the end; whatever that may entail for this family, I know they are in good hands. Our prayers and our support are still very much needed, but our faith that God will walk beside Uncle John is more important. Our prayers will be heard even more when they are not covered in anxiety and lack of trust in the unknown. Let's continue to lift this family up in prayers and hope for a full recovery.  

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday with their loved ones!

A letter of Thanks

I wanted to just let everyone know that I posted some incorrect information in the previous blog. Uncle John had only been receiving 100% oxygen for 1-2 days post surgery, not the whole time. I thought I should give Uncle John credit for being stronger than I had noted. Instead of an update from me, I have posted an update and a personal letter to all of you from Maureen.

A Time for Thanks!

To all of our friends and family,

In the past week, as John has rested more, I have had much time to reflect on the past 22 days. Though some of it still seems quite surreal to my children and I, we have all been reminded of the many blessings we have been given. On Ash Wednesday, I was sitting by John’s bed watching him sleep. I decided it was a good time to reflect on the Way of the Cross. I happened to have a prayer book with me that gave a reflection on each station. When I came to the one about Simeon helping Jesus carry His cross, I thought of each of you . . . Since this journey began, each of you have helped us carry this cross in such an incredible way. Through your love and support which have been manifested through the many cards, calls, visits, meals, donations, and friendship, we have been lifted up and carried. Through your love, in the midst of our sadness, we have found peace, hope, strength, courage and above all God’s love. Through your willingness to reach out of yourselves to love and care for us, our spirits have been refreshed and renewed to keep on hoping and trusting in God’s providence.
When John’s initial event happened on the eve of February 4th, our family was plucked out of one life and dropped into another. As Bridget has noted many times in the blog, it has been quite an emotional roller-coaster for each of us. Our emotions have ranged from shock to sadness to hope and even elation with each small step toward healing. We have struggled with fearful moments, which have turned to joy with the knowledge of how God has surrounded us with His love and care. I know Bridget has already shared the many ways in which the Lord has provided for us on the evening of February 4th and beyond. I am so appreciative of her willingness to share her time and talent in giving those who care about John and his family, the chance to be connected to our journey. I am also so appreciative of the many prayers that have been the fruit of her “blogging”. There is no doubt in my mind that it is those prayers that are sustaining and bringing God’s healing love to John and to us. I just wanted to take a moment from the deepest part of my heart to thank each of you for being there and loving us when we needed it most. Each of your acts of kindness have touched our hearts and given us courage for the days ahead.
On my way home from the hospital tonight, I was listening to Celine Dion’s song,
“Because you loved me”. I immediately thought of two things.:
First, this song so beautiful describes the life I have been priviledged to live with John. I found myself reflecting on all of the little ways in which John showed us he loved and cared for us. In the deepest part of my being, I know that Shawn, Kerry, Matt and Gavin and I will now have the opportunity to give back to John all that he has given to us over the past 26 years. He has spent his life doing little things for us. Now it’s our turn. . . . . .
Second, this song so perfectly describes what each of you have given to us since John became ill. I know it is alittle lengthy, but I’d like to share it with you in gratitude for all of your love. Maureen

Because You Loved Me……

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through, through it all

Your were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I’m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don’t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You were always there for me’
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You’ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you.

Big Heart

Uncle John is still improving slowly each day. He still has many challenges that lay ahead, but he and his family continue to take it one at a time. The most immediate challenge is trying allow him to wake up, but also helping him to stay relaxed so he does not tear his sternum open again. The doctors are also trying to wean him off the ventilator. This is also a big challenge as he was recieving 100% of his oxygen from this machine since his surgery. On a positive note, his fever is down, which means if he did have an infection in the lungs, it is definitely improving.

We need to continue to pray for his lungs that they can grow a strong as his heart has become! Isn't it amazing that after everything that John has been through, his heart is still beating strong!! As time goes on, it is easy to forget what brought us here in the first place. The original issue surrounded John's heart, and now this is the strongest organ in his body, and is helping to keep his other issues in check. It is so amazing how God takes one problem and uses it to show how truly wonderous He can be. Although, it seems like John keeps facing problem after problem, we need to remember that God really does provide what we need; without Uncle John's healthy heart, these 'bumps' in the road would be more like mountains!

Aunt Maureen told me today that despite all John has been through, it amazes her how sweet he still is, and how big his heart really is. According to her, Uncle John tries to give everyone who visits him a little something, whether it is a hug, a kiss, a smile, or simply opening his eyes to say hello. What a powerful gift to receive from such a miraculous man!
Let's all continue to lift both Uncle John and his family up in our prayers. The power of prayer truly is undeniable, and for many of us who live far away our prayers are the best gift we can give to UNcle John!

Pulling through

I am very pleased to let everyone know that Uncle John is doing much better. Yesterday, the doctors were very worried about his medical status, but today his fever is down and his blood pressure has somewhat normalized. The doctors have ruled out the worst possible case scenario, and so for this we all need to be very thankful! We still need to pray very hard that Uncle John's lungs can grow stronger and healthier every day so that he can continue on with his recovery. This surgery was a pretty big setback considering all the improvements he has made thus far. He has a lot of lost time to make up, and we need to pray that this setback is only temporary.

On a positive note Uncle John did start to wake up a little today. He was not where he was two days ago, but he was awake enough to tell his daughter that he is doing better. Wow! If he believes he will get well, than so should we! The bottom line is that this is his journey, and we should all feel so fortunate to be a part of it. I for one feel very blessed to be able to witness the faith Uncle John has and the strength he holds to keep up this fight! We love you Uncle John! You gave us all another big scare, but thank God you are not going through this alone, and thank God you are pulling through!

Hold on to Hope!

Uncle John spiked another fever last night, and his oxygen and blood pressure began to drop through the night. The doctors have ruled out a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs), and are currently running a lot of cultures to try to determine the cause for his fever. His response to this most recent surgery is very similar to when he underwent heart surgery. The difference is that after the first surgery, and even the second one (to place the trach), he was able to use what the doctors have called his reserve. This helped him tolerate these surgeries. The bad news is that his reserve is pretty much all used up right now, so he is basically in a state of shock. This is a very serious condition especially for someone as vulnerable as John. The doctors believe the anesthesia they are keeping John on may be causing some of these negative reactions. So they are trying to balance between lowering the dose of anesthesia, but also trying to keep him relaxed and still so he doesn't cause his body more harm. We really need to pray that the medical team can have the wisdom to discover what is causing John to spike a fever. We need to pray now more than ever that Uncle John can remain strong enough to continue this fight. He gave his girls his word that he would keep fighting, and he is not one to go against his word!

As I said in a previous post, this is very emotionally draining for his family because they were just getting accustomed to having their dad back, and now he seems to be right back to where he was two weeks ago. We need to pray for his family that they can continue to trust that God knows what He is doing, and know that He will not abandon them and He will never abandon their dad.

At the very beginning of this journey we all asked ourselves, "Why?". ..."Why would such a horrible thing happen to such a wonderful man and a genuinely good family. Throughout this journey, we each answered this question specific to our own life because of how Uncle John's story has touched us. As Uncle John began to improve, I think we stopped trying to answer this question of "Why is God using Uncle John, and what is He using him for?". Instead we focused on John's small steps towards recovery. Now that he is facing yet another setback, we are back to asking "Why", and trying to figure out what is the purpose of all of this. Instead of trying to figure out what God will do next, we need to embrace what he has already done. We need to put our utmost trust in Him and His plan for our quiet giant. Most importantly, we need to hold on to the hope that God is not yet quite done with John!

REMINDERS:

After each post, you can click on the word comments, and then post a comment. You need to click on the drag down button and click on anonymous, unless you already have a google account. I hope this helps all of you who were wandering how to leave posts of encouragement and support.

For those of you who have also asked about making a donation - thank you!
An account has been set up for The Hannan's. The goal is to help with the mounting financial costs while John is recovering and unable to work.

Checks can be made payable to Maureen Hannan, and sent to

The Hannan Fund
c/o The Corbeys
108 North Adams Street
Rockville, MD 20850

Let's ride the rollercoaster

Just a quick update....our prayers worked! The surgery was a success, and the doctor did not find any signs of an infection. Uncle John did not, however, tear just one wire, but four or five. As a result, he will remain heavily sedated for a few days. The purpose of the heavy sedation is to allow him to relax and prevent any further tears. We need to pray that he does not experience any complications from the surgery or sedation. There are always risks when anesthesia is used, and the next 48 hours are very critical. It is difficult for the family because just this morning, he was awake, alert, and happy. However, for the next few days he will be in a similar state as he was after his heart surgery, except for all of the tubes. So lets all pray for his family that they can hold on to the hope that he will bounce back from this surgery, and he will wake up with the same funny and sweet personality that we all miss and love so much. I said from the beginning this journey was turning out to be a roller coaster ride for Uncle John and his family. I guess when all is said and done I am just glad we still have a ride to look forward to. Uncle John is undeniably a fighter, and our prayers are needed to help give him strength to keep up this fight!

Looking at the bigger picture

Let me begin by saying that Aunt Maureen called today with another minor setback, but on a positive note Uncle John was squeezing her hand with his left hand (the weak side) the whole phone call.

Uncle John has to have surgery tomorrow afternoon because it appears that one of the wires keeping his sternum together has come a part, and he also has a little infection at the base of his wound. To an outsider or a new member to this blog, this may seem horrible considering all that Uncle John has already been through. Although, this surgery does pose more risks for Uncle John, you frequent 'blog followers' should know by now that there is always a bigger picture to see when something goes wrong for Uncle John during this journey. That bigger picture is that God's hand is still very much at work.

As I said, it is not a positive step that John has to have this surgery or that he has another infection. However, it is positive that this problem was discovered now before it got worse. This torn wire may be part of the reason why Uncle John is having such difficulty getting off of the respirator. It is obvious now that God's hand was at work long before this incident occurred.

It turns out one of Shawn's (Uncle John's oldest daughter) bosses, Dr. Otero, is the head of plastic surgery at Washington Hospital, and specifically specializes in wounds. Because Dr. Otero knows Shawn so well, she has been following Uncle John's case from the beginning. She was able to brief the family on how Uncle John's heart surgery went before the surgeon even came out. She became concerned based on Shawn's recent updates, and decided she would pay him a visit. While assessing John, she felt his sternum and ordered an X Ray because she thought there might be a tear. It turned out she was correct. She decided the surgery was very necessary, and she is planning on performing the surgery personally. She is very confident that Uncle John is stable enough to go through this surgery. Dr. Otero is not Uncle John's doctor, but she was obviously brought into his life for a very specific reason. On behalf of the Hannan family and all of us who love Uncle John...words cannot express how thankful we are that you have taken such a special interest in our guy.

I know there are hundreds of people praying for Uncle John tonight, and my hope is that the prayers can multiply by the time he has his surgery. We need to pray once again that his body can tolerate the surgery tomorrow and can heal from his infection. We also for the first time need to pray for his mental well being. When we first learned Uncle John had a stroke, we were unsure how 'with it' he would be, but I am proud to report that he is very much with it and very much aware of what is going on. Although this is AMAZING news, it does mean that we need to keep his mental well being in mind as we pray. He is obviously nervous for the surgery and frustrated that it is difficult to communicate. We need to pray that God can help him relax and find comfort in knowing that he is on the road to recovery and that the Lord is by his side every step of the way.

His kids have asked me to share one more fact about John. Their Dad has always been one to shy away from attention, and this is no exception. Although he is lying in a hospital bed, unable to breathe on his own or communicate fully, he is still making sure those around him are OK. He doesn't want the focus to be only on him. He constantly tells his kids to watch over their mother and take their vitamins so they dont get sick. He always makes sure Aunt Maureen has gas in her car before she leaves. And he even told his daughter to get one of his visitors a glass of water because he began coughing. WOW! What an amazing man! We all loved Uncle John before this journey, but this experience just reiterates what a wonderful, kindhearted man he truly is. We love you Uncle John, and are so grateful to all the lessons you have taught us....Oh and sorry if you don't like the spotlight, but get used to it because you are now a hero to so many of us. You may not have physically saved any lives through this journey, but your life has saved so many spiritually and given us all a new perspective on our own journey!

Take the good with bad

The doctor has found the culprit of Uncle John's recent fever, and unfortunately he has pneumonia....again! Uncle John has been somewhat prone to lung infections throughout his life, but this time will be the hardest on his body because of his vulnerable state. Our hope is that John will be able to fight this infection with the same strength that he displayed throughout this journey.

I feel compelled to say one more thing on behalf of Uncle John. Up until now Uncle John has made nothing but positive improvements since the incident. However, it is small setbacks like this that remind us who really is in control during tough times. We owe it to John to keep praying and honoring the One that Uncle John so faithfully follows. We need to be thankful to God when good things happen, but trust in Him when bad things occur. The only thing we can do as family and friends of Uncle John is to lift him up in our prayers, especially has he fights hard to get off the respirator.

This being said, the miracles are not over! I have not mentioned much about this out of respect for John's privacy, but since his surgery, he has not been able to move his left side. Yesterday, he told is family he could feel them touching him on his left arm. And today, Uncle John was able to move his left foot and grasp his family's hand with his left hand. What an amazing accomplishment for someone who has had the type of stroke that he suffered. Thank God Uncle John is still able to surpass all medical expectations.

Please know that your prayers and your kind words have helped to carry the Hannan family through this very difficult ordeal. They tells us this every day.

We are so blessed to still have John with us. And we continue to pray that he will make a full recovery. The doctors have said that given all that he has been through, the road to recovery may be long.

For those of you who have asked about making a donation - thank you!
An account has been set up for The Hannan's. The goal is to help with the mounting financial costs while John is recovering and unable to work.

Checks can be made payable to Maureen Hannan, and sent to

The Hannan Fund
c/o The Corbeys
108 North Adams Street
Rockville, MD 20850

In His Hands

There are a lot of people following this blog, and it is amazing that his story is touching so many lives. I hope these daily updates help all of you who love John to know how much of a fighter he truly he. I also hope one day, Uncle John can sit down at his computer and read over his journey so that he too can truly know how far he has come. The following is a list of some things he did today.
- Told Aunt Maureen that they still need to celebrate her birthday (the incident occurred on her birthday)!
- Arm wrestled his sister in law
- Smiled and laughed
- Communicated through mouthing words, as well as through sign....I can't believe it has taken him this long to learn sign language!
- Hugged his daughter
* He did a lot more than this today, but these definitely seemed like highlights.

Uncle John had a fever tonight, so the doctors took cultures to try to find out more about what is going on. We need to pray that John is able to fight a possible infection in his lungs or elsewhere in his body. His lungs seem to be the biggest issue right now. Uncle John's immune system is very vulnerable right now, so an infection would be harder for Uncle John to fight than a healthy person. Pray that the medical team is able to identify the source of his fever, and are able to treat it before it worsens. Uncle John is in good hands at Washington Hospital, but as Aunt Maureen reminded me today, doctors can only do so much...the rest is in His hands! So we need to keep praying!

Pucker up

Today was yet another GREAT day with John. Uncle John laughed for the first time today, and his family was there to witness it. He was much more alert and oriented today. The hardest part about learning that Uncle John had a stroke was the fear that he would loose his amazing, kind hearted, and funny personality. However, Aunt Maureen said today that 'He was back'. He seemed to enjoy his day almost as much as his family did. He smiled, mouthed words (it is hard to talk with the trach), and even puckered his lips to kiss his daughter and his wife. It is so amazing how far he has come. Uncle John has beat all odds so far, and we need to continue to pray that he can keep up this fight.

Uncle John has been able to tolerate the removal of many of his tubes. He does, however, still have his tracheotomy for the time being. The next big hurdle for Uncle John to get over is to be able to breathe on his own. It was found that he has quite a bit of fluid in his lungs, which is making it difficult for them to fully expand. The medical team was able to get rid of some of the fluid, but not all of it. We need to pray that Uncle John's body will respond to treatments, and his lungs will grow stronger every day.

God is using John to inspire so many people to reexamine their faith and love for God. We should all feel so blessed to be able to stand witness to God's miracles and works through our quiet hero. John still has a very long road ahead of him, but that road is getting brighter and brighter each day!

Comments

I do not have an update yet about Uncle John, but I wanted to let everyone know how to leave comments for the Hannan Family. After each post, you click on the word comments, and then post your comment. The key is to click on the drag down button and click on anonymous, unless you already have a google account. I hope this helps all of you who were wandering how to leave posts of encouragement and support.

Happy I love you Day

* I began reading a new book about marriage today, and one of the first lines I read was that "Love always does what is best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of problems". I felt like this statement really describes what we have witnessed through Uncle John's Story. The love Aunt Maureen has for Uncle John, as well as for God is truly what is allowing her to be so strong and get through this tough time. I hope we can all be inspired by this love story. It is only fitting that on this day, I share a letter written to all of you from Uncle John's one true love:


Happy Valentine’s Day!

It seems appropriate today for me to take the time to thank each of you for all of the love and support you have shown John, myself and our children over the past 11 days. We have truly been humbled and in awe of the outpouring of love and care we have experienced since John’s initial event on February 4th. To our family and friends …you have been nothing short of incredible. Anything my children and I have needed has been provided. God has clearly worked miracles through you as well as the doctors and nurses. I hope each of you know how much we appreciate all that you have done to make this journey easier for us. My heart is filled with gratitude to each of you for the love, support and especially your prayers. Thank you so very much.

My other purpose in writing today is to give John the only Valentine’s gift I can. I would like to take time to honor my best friend and the love of my life, John. We have been married for 26 years last September. In those 26 years we have faced many challenges. But in those 26 years, I have come to know and love this wonderful man even more than the day I married him. If you are reading this blog, you probably already know John is a great guy. What you may not know is why…John is a very private and humble man, so I will try to give you a glimpse of his simple, but profound goodness without embarrassing him. When I think of John …the verse “only goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of our life; I shall dwell in the house of the Lord” comes to mind. These words resonate to me who John is. He values God, his family, his friends, a good laugh, his beloved Maryland Terps, the Redskins, and a cold Miller Lite. On the deepest level he gets the fact that life itself is a gift from God, and what we do with it is our gift back to Him. That’s how he spent the last 60 years of his life. He has tried his personal best to love and care for each of those people God has placed in his life. He is a dedicated husband and father, brother, brother- in-law, cousin, uncle and friend. To him it is living his faith, honesty, hard work, integrity, laughter, enjoying moments, serving others, and loving with all your heart that mattered the most. The amazing thing about John is that he does these things daily by simply being who he was. He never looked for praise or complained about whatever challenges he might be facing, he just kept trying to make it better.

John would be the first to tell you, he is not perfect and neither am I…But what made our marriage work and our friendship grow was that we both understood our imperfection and knew that we have a third partner in our marriage. When one of us failed to give our best, God filled in the rest. John always told me that God has given us all crosses and He will help us carry them. We both believe that. Though we are facing one of the biggest crosses of our marriage, I know that in the deepest part of my heart that the Lord has spent 26 years teaching me how to love and care for John by the way he has love and cared for our children and me. I have been blessed by being married to this wonderful man. This will carry me through this difficult road ahead of us. Now it is my children’s and my turn to treat John with the love and kindness, and humor that he has shown us. John is undeniably my hero. I am forever grateful to the Lord that he is still with us and I will do my best to cherish this wonderful man daily for all the kindness and love he has given me for the past 26 ½ years. Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you John. Thank you again to all of our friends and family.

Maureen

Successful Strides

The surgery was successful, and Uncle John now has a tracheotomy in place to help him breathe. Aunt Maureen relayed this morning how nice it is to actually see his face! Uncle John is however getting frustrated when he is awake, as his blood pressure keeps fluctuating signifying agitation. As his kids always say, he is a creature of habit, and being stuck in a hospital bed is far from his usual routine. We need to pray that he can remain at peace as the medical team helps him exercise his lungs so that he can breathe on his own.  He is making remarkable strides every day, and we need to pray that he can continue to have strength to keep up the fight.  Uncle John is headed in the right direction, but we need to remember that it is only by God's Grace that he is even on the path to recovery in the first place.  I know Uncle John, and I know he would want us to continually thank God for all He has done throughout this experience.  So let's all say a prayer of thanks tonight for all God has done, and pray that He can continue to amaze us through his healing power with our beloved John!

Many Thanks

Today the doctors took Uncle John off of the respirator to better evaluate his ability to breathe on his own. While off of the respirator, the nurse asked him if he knew his name, and he was able to respond 'John Hannan'. This is yet another miracle to add to our list. The family was told originally that he would have trouble with speech.  Although he still might have some trouble with speech, his progress is truly miraculous! Uncle John did, however, indicate that he was having difficulty breathing during this time so they put him back on the respiratory and decided to go forward with putting the tracheotomy in. The doctor is very hopeful that this will be short term. He is currently in surgery getting this new tube. Although Uncle John's health is improving every day, any surgery requiring anesthesia involves risks. We need to pray that his body is able to tolerate the anesthesia, and the procedure is successful! I will update the results of the surgery tomorrow morning.

Below is a letter of thanks that John's kids have asked me to post..

We would like to sincerely thank our friends and family who have given us the love and support to get through this difficult time.  Most importanly, we are truly appreciative for all of the prayers for our Dad's recovery. Our Dad has taught us many important life lessons, but the one we cherish the most is the importance of faith that he taught us at a very young age. Now more than ever, we have relied on our faith in God to get through each ay. We know God has a plan for our amazing dad and our family. We feel so very blessed to still have him here with us.   It has been truly unbelievable to witness the numerous miracles that have taken place this past week.  We continue to take each day at a time...hoping and praying that our Hero continues to improve.  Yesterday, he gave us a sign that he was still fighting to be with us; he nodded his head when we asked if he was going to fight for us, and so we are holding him to that.  He was always a man of his word. He is the kindest, most humble, sincere, and generous person....and everyone who knows him loves him dearly.

Right now we just miss his hugs, his stories, his laugh, and his smile.  While our Dad is recovering, we are trying to make him proud by doing all the things he would want us to do like taking care of our Mom, taking our multi vitamins, working hard in school and work, treating others with kindness, and keeping our faith strong.  Please continue to pray for our family, but most importantly our beloved Dad!

With love,

Shawn, Kerry, Matt, & Gavin.

Treasure the small stuff!

I am sorry for the delayed update, but the family was waiting for the results from an MRI that took place yesterday. There has been a lot of positive changes in the last two days. The doctors have decided to put a feeding tube in his stomach, as well as put in a tracheotomy to help him breathe. This will allow the nasogastric and the respirator tube to be removed. The positive to both of these new tubes is that it will be far more comfortable for John as he starts to wake up. For those that know Uncle John, he is all about comfort! The hope is that both of these tubes are temporary!  The doctors were worried that the stroke may have affected his breathing, but the MRI has shown that this is not the case. God is definitely looking out for our guy!

Uncle John was moved to another room in Washington Hospital's Center's ICU. This is actually a positive step because he has not been stable enough to move until now. As I said in the previous post, he opened his eyes for his family. He must of liked the attention he got when he did this because he has been opening them even more today. He is responding to commands, and he even reached his arm out to hug Aunt Maureen today. His girls asked him if he could still keep fighting, and he nodded his head. WOW! What an amazing day he has had, and we need to pray that Uncle John has many good days to come. 

Uncle John has taught us yet another lesson. We need to be grateful for the small things the Lord gives us. A simple response from John has made the world to those who love him most. He is living proof of the wonders that God can do for those who believe.....and Uncle John is definitely an avid believer. 

Pray that Uncle John can continue to have the courage, strength, and patience to keep on fighting. 

Keep praying....There is no doubt that He is listening!

A birthday wish

Uncle John has always had a way of making his kids smile when they really needed it, and today was no exception. He was able to respond to commands when asked to move his leg, wiggle his toes, and more importantly open his eyes. The best part is that Kerry was able to witness this before her birthday was over. I know a lot of people were praying for John to make some sort of improvement for his daughter on her birthday.  If it has not been evident already, the power of prayer truly is undeniable! Our prayers have been answered, and he has made his daughter's birthday wish come true. 

Although in the large picture this is only a small step in the right direction, it brought immense hope and joy to his family today. To see his whole family beaming with delight for the first time in a few days was a blessing in and of itself. Uncle John still has a long way to go, but is improving each day. He has obviously not given up the fight, and as his family and friends we will take his lead and continue to pray for his healing.

Trust

Happy Birthday Kerry! We know your dad is so proud of you! 

It has been 5 days since this whole experience began.  Uncle John's story has spread literally all across the country in less than a week.  This is a story of hope, but more importantly a story of faith. His family learned today that John suffered a stroke in the right side of his brain at some point on Wednesday night.  The doctors did not, however, deliver this news with despair.  The truth is they have no way of predicting how well John will recover.  They have every reason to believe John will amaze us all, as he has come this far.  He is still very critical, but much more stable than the day before.  His kidney function has shown improvement and his heart remains strong. We need to pray that his lungs remain free from infection, and that the doctors are able to wean him off the respirator so that he can move from the surgical MedStar unit to the ICU. 

This experience has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for his family. One minute they think they passed over a huge hurdle, only to find that an even bigger one awaits them. It is a true honor to witness the strength and faith of the Hannan family.  One of John's kids, in the midst of the devastating news, was able to share with the family that the Lord spoke to her and asked her to trust Him.  He said trusting Him means recognizing that He has complete control over this situation.  As family and friends of John, we all want him to be completely healed and back to the 'old' John we know and love.  The reality of the situation is that this may or may not happen. 

We need to pray for John that his body can continue to amaze us and his spirit can rejoice in knowing that his family and friends are praying for his recovery. 

We need to continue to pray for his family that they can find strength in their faith in God and their love for their Dad.

Pray Hard

Let me start by saying on behalf of the Hannan family, they are all so grateful for all of the prayers and the support family and friends have provided. As I have said before Uncle John very much believes in the power of prayer, and now more than ever we need to come together as Christians and as family and friends of this amazing man and continue to pray hard.

The doctor has just informed the family that after reviewing the tests performed at Shady Grove (the first hospital he was brought to), it is apparent that John survived a cardiac arrest at home, and may have experienced another one at the hospital before he was air lifted. This tells us two things. First, it tells the doctors that Uncle John has gone through much more trauma than we initially anticipated. It also tells us that his survival is undeniably a miracle in every sense of the word. As for his prognosis, it does not change much. The fact that he has survived is the important part. The doctors still remain hopeful, and are still very pleased with the results concerning his surgery. They have made it clear that John is still very critical and has a long road ahead of him. Uncle John's heart continues to remain strong, but he is still getting a lot of support from the machines that are available. There is no plan to wean him off of these right now, as his body simply needs more time to rest. Prayers and his will to fight are sustaining him.

Please pray for Uncle John that he can remain strong and continue to fight. There are a lot of people that are waiting for him to come back.

Pray for his family, as this has been a very trying time for all of them. His family is hanging in there, but request that everyone everywhere continue to pray for their precious Dad. 

Another day with John

Today is another day, and our gentle giant is still very much with us. John has made some small, but huge steps in the right direction. His heart is still beating strong, and the doctor's are pleased with the results specific to the surgery. He has also stopped bleeding. The doctor's have decreased some medical dosages, and he is responding well. We need to pray that his lungs can stay strong and free from infection. Currently, he has some fluid in his lungs, which increases his risk for infection, but is also a normal response to the trauma he has been through. The doctors are also watching his kidneys closely because they too have experienced shock from the surgery. They are hopeful that with time the kidneys and the lungs will improve.

Right now the plan is to let John have some good old r and r. His body needs to rest after the trauma he suffered. He is almost at the 48 hour mark, which is a huge milestone for John. Keep praying, and pray hard. He will probably be moved to the ICU in the next few days. This is a positive move, and will be good for his family because he will have his own room. The next milestone is the 70 hour mark, which is also his daughter Kerry's birthday. Pray that her birthday wish can come true!!!!

Continue to pray for the doctors and nurses caring for him that they willl have the grace and wisdom to provide the best care possible. We are thankful for the care thus far, and even more grateful for another day with him!

Miracles Galore!

Aunt Maureen called today, and Uncle John was stable throughout the night, so there is not much news to report.....no news is good news in this situation! This morning, Maureen said he was responsive to commands from the doctors, which is excellent news.

I'd like to take a moment to share with all of you about how miraculous that day really was. Maureen said John has been praying for a miracle for over a year, and in a strange way this has truly been the miracle he has been looking for. 

As we get further and further ahead of that awful day, we all keep replaying that night in our heads. We can't help but constantly wander about all the ' What if's'.....What if the Hannan's had not had family over that night...What if John walked upstairs when he was feeling pain, and was a lone when he had his attack.....What if he was in the presence of people who did not know CPR....What if the Hannan's house was not very close to a hospital....What if the best surgeon for this procedure was not on call that night....What if Uncle John had not been the only patient in the operating room that night....What if John was not a healthy man before this attack, would he had survived the surgery?

It is very easy to say we are so lucky all of the small pieces fell in place like they did, but the truth is it is not luck at all....God truly has control in this situation, and if nothing else we have all learned through this experience to put our complete trust in Him and His plan. It has not been easy for the Hannan family, but their dad would truly be so proud of all of them for turning their fears over to God during this tough time.  Uncle John, in his own humble way, has brought his family together and has brought many people closer to God. For that, I know we are all forever thankful. Keep praying...Uncle John obviously has the Lord on his side.