Jessica in the Hospital in the Philippines

Tonight I received the phone call I didn't want to receive.  I received a call from the Philippines LDS doctor and in field representative saying that Jessica was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in a hospital in Olongapo.  Oh my gosh - so I asked what had happened.

They told me she woke up with a rash on her arm, hand, foot and leg and didn't feel well.  That she passed out in her apartment and was driven to the hospital where the treated her in the emergency room for an hour and moved her to the ICU for a very low heart rate.  She has been in the ICU 3 days.  Her heart rate has improved and they have treated the rash with steroid and anti-histamines.

I let him know that she was an athlete and that she, her dad, mom and siblings all have low heart rates. He responded, "Well, I think 20 is a bit too low."  20 - I about fell out of my skin.  No one's heart rate is 20.  That is incredibly low.  Oh my gosh!!!  Then he followed up by saying, "she had been given Epinephrin - it would go up to 40 but then back down to 20.  It is now somewhere between 40 and 50 and we are hopeful she is improving every day."

Wow!  20 - what happened to my daughter?

I asked him if I could talk to her or her doctor and he said it was fine to talk to both.  We called later that night and talked to Jessica for about an hour (yes, I will have a huge phone bill next month - well worth it).  She sounded very good and told us a little more about what happened.

The next day we received an email from her Mission President.  This is what it said,
"Brother and Sister Lowe:

Your daughter is one of the best missionaries we have in Olongapo. She has only been here for two months but can speak Tagalog already. She is amazing! Her dedication to the work is very commendable. Her devotion to the Lord is such a great example to everyone. We had the chance to visit her today and happy to let you know that she is getting better and hopefully she can be transfered to the private room tomorrow from the ICU.

We pray for her recovery soon.

Best regards,

President Roberto Querido

PHILIPPINES OLONGAPO MISSION

Km 140 Mangan Vaca, Subic, Zambales

2209 Philippines

(+63)918-911-6857

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We also received an email from the Mission Office AP's - this is their email.

From: Philippines Olongapo Mission
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2013 9:40 AM
To: betsy4kids@aol.com; Mark.Lowe@flextronics.com
Cc: Roberto (Bayobo) Querido
Subject: Sister Jessica Lowe

Brother and Sister Lowe,

We had a chance to visit your daughter earlier today in the hospital in Olongapo. 

We took  a picture of her (above) and wanted to let you know that she is doing quite well. While talking with her, her spirits are still high and she’s loving missionary work. She has even been talking to the nurses that are attending to her and inviting them to learn about the restored gospel. We gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon in Tagalog so that she could give that out if she gets the chance. She has been an inspiration to us here in the Philippines Olongapo Mission that even though she’s confined to a hospital bed, her spirit is still striving to teach those around her. She’s improving every day and we expect to see a quick recovery. We asked her if she needed anything, and she told us that she was doing fine and that she would just like to go out and get back to work. 

Your daughter is doing amazing things in her area with Sister Calaunan and the members love and support her. She is anxious to get back to them and work. Some of the members from Hermosa have visited her in the hospital as well. They have all expressed their love for your daughter and they want the best for her. She has been in our constant prayers. We thank you for raising such a fine young daughter, and we are thankful for this chance to work with her here in the Philippines Olongapo Mission.

Sincerely,

Elder Howes

Elder Maraon

Assistants to the Mission President