As we reported on Wednesday, May 26, Pastor Kip Slawter of Hope Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Ballston Spa, NY was seriously injured in a biking accident. Below are brief updates from the church secretary and a nearby pastor friend

May 31 1:00 PM

You now check on the website for updates throughout the day at www.hopeforkip.com

Kip spiked a very high fever and they found that he now has E.coli in his lungs. The doctor has put him on a stronger antibiotic and his fever has dropped from 106 to 104. They are currently also checking his stomach for the infection. Urgent prayers are needed for this serious situation.

Also, Sarah and Ben are on the way to Saratoga Hospital ER with Isabel who fell this morning and has facial injuries. This family is definitely under attack and desperately need our prayers for
God’s protection and mercy.

2:07 PM
Kip has taken a turn for the worse. He now has a bacterial E-coli infection in his lungs and a temperature of 106. They have ice packed him and are giving him a stronger antibiotic. Jeff and Judy are in route to Albany Med.

May 29 update:

Judy stated that Kip had a very difficult night. He was struggling to breathe and a chest x-ray showed that there was fluid in his lung and that in fact his lung had collapsed. They went in with a bronch scope twice during the night and flushed the lung clean and the lung is now totally inflated and he is doing much better this morning. Pneumonia is being treated with antibiotics and they are keeping him more sedated to minimize irritation and frustration from the tubes.

The neurologist says that the respiratory issues must be resolved and stabilized and they are thankful that the tubes were left in. They will be in until at least Monday and after that they may have to put in a temporary trach. He is resting but aware of things and delighted to see all of his family.

The Lord has provided a place for Judy to stay down by the hospital. It is Fisher House which is available for veterans and families and she can stay there as long as he is in the hospital. Jennie and Chris and kids actually stayed there last night and they are able to go there and rest, fix meals, shower, do laundry or whatever. It is a wonderful provision for them from the Lord. Judy has a hard time leaving Kip for very long but is so thankful that her family is all here and that Kip is being upheld in prayer by many all over the US and for that matter the world. We are working on a website which should be up and running soon where you can check in on progress.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers. Things are in good order for worship at Hope tomorrow so keep the leaders and the congregation in your prayers as well.

From Pastor Larry Roff of First Presbyterian (PCA), Schenectady, NY (from Thursday evening)

I just got off the phone with Judy (Kips wife. There have been several positive signs today. They have removed the neck collar. They have made good progress on weaning him off the ventilator (though it remains). The swelling in his face has been much reduced. I’ll be going over tomorrow afternoon to visit them. She will talk with her kids when they the rest of them arrive in the next day or two about setting up a Caring Bridge account on Kip.

Larry

From Sally Jenkins, church secretary at Hope Church (from Friday afternoon)

Dear Friends,

As you might expect, things are very busy here at Hope and we are trying to keep everyone abreast of the events as best we can. We certainly appreciate your prayers for Kip, Judy, family and our entire church family. This is a very difficult time and we all need a great deal of patience and grace as we deal with the realities of the situation. In just speaking with Mike Alford the thing that impressed me most was that “We are all going to have to focus on the Lord and absolutely nothing else.”

They did not remove the ventilator from Kip on Thursday. He was hesitant for that to happen and they decided to wait until today. However, since then one of the nurses realized that his oxygen level was not quite as high as it had been. They did a scan and there is apparently some fluid in his lung. They want to be very sure of what that is exactly so sometime later today they will insert
a scope to see exactly what the situation is and what the best course of treatment is. Therefore, for the time being he will continue to use the ventilator.

Thank you so much for your concern and prayers.