UPDATE: Amazingly Kevin has managed to hang on. Tomorrow they are putting a more permanent feeding tube in along with a tracheotomy. While he is only showing signs of slight reactions, the swelling and bleeding of his brain has subsided and they are beginning to resume the radiation treatments.
His story has somehow exploded in the media. Large article tonight in the local paper, several mentions of local and not so local papers and blogs. Over 26k visits to his caring bridge website. I can imagine that ourpouring of caring gives just a bit of comfort for his poor parents and siblings, not to mention the extended family.
Tomorrow night, his high school is having a benefit for him during the basketball game. It's a fairly large school and with all the publicity, I'm sure it will be packed and they will collect quite a bit to cover the health costs and to help the parents who have not been able to leave his bedside to go to work.
A somewhat official slogan has grown out of all this. "You've got this Kev." I hope it's true. I pray it's true.
Miracles do sometimes happen. Let's all continue to pray we get to witness one.
Original Post::
Kevin, it appeared, was a happy healthy 15 year old, playing basketball, football and baseball for his high school team.
Tonight nearly 500 people showed up at the hospital after receiving word that he has 24 to 48 hours left. His story was broadcast in Kentucky after the Wildcats coach showed up at the hospital earlier this week. The caring bridge site now has over 10,000 visits.
One of my friends left this note on my fb page. It was beautiful and I wanted to share it:
prayers going up...praying that God gives family and friends peace and comfort and that His Will be done..praying for all medical staff caring for this child...and mostly praying for this child...Heavenly Father please wrap your loving arms around this child and give him everything he needs at this time...Amen...
That says it all.
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8 comments:
May God bless this family and give them peace and comfort during this time. I'm spending the weekend with a girl who was fighting for her life during her first semester of college in the fall of 1971. She made it, but just barely...and she didn't come away unscathed.
I don't know why bad things happen to good people. All I can do is try to find the good that comes out of even the worst tragedy. It doesn't do any good to try to understand it--that only makes you angry.
The best thing for us all to do is to tell your family and friends that you love them...and say it often.
Me and Joetta had at least managed Valentines Day cards for each other this morning. More pressing issues dictated no other plans. Let me set the record straight for respect for Kevin. He was not 15 as I had told Rita and the rest of my family. I being feeble of mind forgot we were just at BW3’s last month on the 18th for Kevin’s 16th. Kevin is not a huge guy with rippling muscles. What he had was a huge heart with a love for sports. He has been involved with baseball, basketball football, and track as soon as he was old enough. His father Dwain being his coach on many of his teams. I remember Joetta telling me what Kevin told her upon hearing he had made the Junior Varsity basketball team, “ I feel like the luckiest boy in the world!” Joetta is very close to all her niece’s and nephew’s but Kevin was her main fishing buddy. The kid loved to fish and talk trash about who caught the most fish that day. Joetta rarely missed one of Kevin’s many games, Joetta’s son Clint was very close to Kevin also. I talked to Kevin’s Cross Country coach at the hospital yesterday and kind of had a laugh about how our house was the water stop for Kevin’s team on their long runs, all the other kids had to drink out of our garden hose straight out of the well, while Kevin, having permission and garage code could enter the garage and head to the garage refrigerator and get a bottled water instead. Hey, it pays to know people.
There were hundreds of people at the hospital yesterday to say goodbye to Kev.
So much so that security had to get involved and start clearing all but family members out. Kevin is that kind of special kid that if you know him, you can’t find anything not to like about him. Sadly, Kevin has a very short time left on this earth, hour’s maybe. Bleeding in his brain stem, and swelling. Heart rate is slowing. The balance between good people and bad people on this planet about to tip in the wrong direction very soon.
I was trying to somehow comfort his cousin, (my step-son Clint) on the way home from the hospital last night. Not and easy task especially since Clint had lost his father about 2 years ago to cancer. Not sure if I helped him, but it helped me just trying to talk to him. We have a rough week ahead of us and I have no answers to anyone who asks me why Kevin, Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.
Mark
Not fair at all.
Had to be hard... thanks for the update Mark.
Your welcome GB, now here is a more positive update!
Kevin had cat scan this morn. it showed the brain has stopped swelling, the mri showed the bleeding has stopped for now, there is still brain activity. The docs will meet and decided if they will resume rad treatment. we still don't know how much damage has been done, if he makes it thru this phase he will be in for long rehab and still faces the return of this tumor in the following months, but for now we just thank God for getting him this far when it seemed like we were losing him over the weekend
GB check out this video of what Coach Calipari did for Kevin, this was the last good day for Kevin the last time he could move or talk and respond,
http://www.wkyt.com/sports/headlines/84245397.html#
here is the link to caringbridge its being updated by Kevins brother and has some other pics\
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinmassey
Amazing. We just all need to keep praying.
WE saw Kevin tonight, see a little improvement. He reacts to certain things you say. We have learned not to talk about food in front of him. mainly Macdonalds. He really loves Micky dees and he must be craving real food. We saw his team play Pike last night and they sold a bunch of tee shirts and other Kev gear. They called Marissa and Duke to the floor between games, it was Marrissa' 14th birthday, the whole crowd sang happy bday to her, then the coach gave them a bball signed by the Spurs, they were in town to play the pacers and G. Hill from the Spurs came to the hosp to see Kev, he Played at IUPUI and gave Duke and Marrisa tickets to the game. Jo jo is heading back up there for a 3:00 am shift to watch Kev. she is about worn out. Thanks for all the prayers, Hope to see Kevin fishing with us at Boggs in May, that would be a miracle when just last week the docs told us he had only a day or 2 to live.
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