(Update: On June 5, 2024 Lucy passed away and is in the arms of Jesus)
Click here for Day 1 , Day 3, Day 4, One Month Update
June 2
TDLR Version: If you don’t want to read the emotional ramblings of a guy who is working off 1 hour of sleep, Lucy’s prognosis hasn’t changed much. They removed the drain from her brain because the swelling was just too severe it rendered the drain useless. Our main battle is getting the swelling down to reduce brain tissue death, regulating vitals, and waiting. There was a few infinitesimal glimmers of hope with possible brain activity, but much has been explained away by spinal cord activity. It is hard to hope, but we know we’re not alone. We were visited by both our parents at 2am, both pastors and wives this afternoon, and Bethany’s brother and sister. Later Sunday night we had a scare where her heart rate spiked and we’re still keeping an eye on that. She’s being sedated now to help with tachycardia.
Long version: Last night we never slept. We dozed here and there holding each other in a hospital recliner. We knew what the morning brought. We needed to tell our other three children about the severity of the situation. Walking into the hospital room that the staff generously gave us were three little humans sleeping soundly. It hit us so hard at that moment that there were only three not four, and the incompleteness felt so profound as we watched them sleep. We broke the news as gently as we could, but that is a conversation you never want to have with a 4 year old, 8 year old, and 10 year old. Shiloh broke down immediately. She and Lucy are best friends being the middle girls. She couldn’t imagine sleeping alone in her room. AJ was slow to comprehend and just wanted to be held, then got into his typical 4 year old machine gun questioning style. Silas tried to hold it in as the tough guy, but then burst out crying “I don’t want to be a family of five”.
The pain this morning felt so deeply embodied. We woke up with chest pain. I felt grief grip my solar plexus as I groaned at her bedside. I truly felt like the Spirit was interceding for me changing my groaning to words before the throne of God. But my pitiful prayers were just one utterance among many thousands because today is Resurrection Day. The day the church of God gathers to corporately war against sin and the devil, and to proclaim that Jesus is not dead anymore but dealt death a death blow. We started today in such anguish, asking, “What about this ‘peace’ people talk about in suffering? Are we not spiritual enough? What in the world could peace be besides just the physical collapse that we feel?” But as Lucy’s story traveled among God’s people we noticed a shift in our hearts as well. Although the circumstances barely changed, we felt a bit of hope.
Hope is edgy. You have to open your heart to the possibility of something that’s often unachievable within your own power and control. You have to risk hoping that your will is aligned with God’s and faithfully ask for and hope for a desired result. Bethany often lovingly confronts me for my chronic hopelessness. Although I’m a pastor and counselor, on my best days I’m an honest realist, at worst I’m a hopeless skeptic.
It’s far easier to shut hope down than to be hurt in opening your heart (according to the enemy). However the gospel allows us, enables us, and calls us to hope. Our ultimate hope is the resurrection of Lucy’s body, but currently it is experienced in the grounding and embodied love of the church at large. As we stagger around in grief, we’re in the light being supported as we stagger. This has helped us more open handedly ask God for a miracle. Putting hope in brain and heart monitors is maddening. I see the squiggles on the back of my eyelids when I close my eyes. But at day’s end, after we finally got showers and I washed the beach sand and Lucy’s blood off of me I felt different. We have been bathed in your Christ-like love for us, and we were ready to go to war with all of you by raging against the darkness and not letting it overcome our fragile hearts by tapping into the Spirit’s strength we all share.
Thank you all for helping us hope. Thank you to our beautiful Green Pond church family and my co-laborers in the gospel who drove up here. Standing as one among millions is one of the many things helping us get through this calamity. 90% of the messages I get I have no idea who they are from. My first blog post has 50k hits, and no, that’s not normal for me because I’m not that cool! I will keep trying to update in the evening every day I can. Thank you all. You are amazing people used by God to bring comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.
New Creation Living 
I am one of those you don’t know, but please know our church family is praying for your family.
Janine
First Baptist Church Paso Robles (California)
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We are praying for Lucy’s healing and for you and your children. May you feel God’s presence as you go through this extremely difficult journey. May you also feel his love and cling to his promises.
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Jesse and Bethany,
Our hearts are grieving and broken reading your story. Please know That we are interceding in prayer for you, your family and sweet Lucy. May the Lord comfort you and bring you peace during this time of great trial. Praying that the Lord will bring complete healing to Lucy.
In Christ,
John and Diana Peterson
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In continual prayer for Lucy and the whole family during this time. May God grant healing, peace that surpasses understanding, and steadfast faith and hope in Him. 🤍
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Praying for your precious Lucy.
Jesus, be near.
Misty
West Fork, AR
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my name is Pamela Moon, formerly from Oak Ridge and good friends of Sheila Brown and her lovely family. She sent me your sweet Lucy’s heartbreaking story and updates as they come. She has been in my prayers for the past couple of days, along with your family and friends and will continue to be so. As a mother of three, I can not imaging what you’re going through, but know we are not alone on this journey, for our Lord is with us every minute of the day. My heart is broken, but we can pray for a miracle, for Lucy needs one desperately. God Bless You All.
Pamela Moon
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We are continuing to pray for a miracle for Lucy and for your entire family.
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Two of my friends know of your family and posted on FaceBook. You don’t know me, but I am praying for a miracle for your daughter, Lucy. I am praying God heals her and she has a full recovery. I’m also praying for you, your wife, and your three children. May God comfort you, give you sleep, rest, peace, wisdom, clear direction, supernatural strength and anything else your family needs.
Jen MacDonald
NJ
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Hi Jesse,
I too, am on the many readers of whom you have never met personally. My aunt (from Ohio) came across your blog through social media and shared it with me. I was incredibly moved by your raw words and I pray that peace, strength and courage will envelope Lucy’s little hospital room as He walks with you through some dark days. I also write to offer up any practical support that you may need. I actually work as a nurse in a different department at Maine Medical Center and I know that my local church family would be happy support you however we can. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for anything, big or small. Regardless, I will be praying alongside of you. Jesus is our only true, fulfilling source of joy and I pray that He would renew you and your family daily.
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I am Cathy Ortiz’s aunt from Cambria, CA. She sent the link to me yesterday and asked me to pray for your precious Lucy and for all of you. I will continue to hold you up in prayer. May our wonderful God and Savior hold you close and guard your hearts. I am praying for a miracle!
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Crying out to our Father in prayer for Lucy from New Jersey.
Jerm. 32:27
Jerm. 33:3
Matt. 9:28
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Praying for healing of Lucy to The God who heals..Our Great Physician. If you have a chance check out the work of Dr. Paul Byrne. He has videos on YouTube and his website is lifeguardianfoundation.org he gives a very interesting medical insight/perspective into what we have all been told about brain death. I hope maybe it can give you some hope when there seems like there is none. Don’t give up on Lucy..God created our bodies with abilities to heal and recover that medical science can’t explain. I will be continually praying for Lucy, your family and her medical team.
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Hi Brother. My name is José Martinez. We know about your situation from a brother in our church in North Bergen. My wife, children, and I are praying for you. May the God of all consolation encourage and give hope in these difficult times. God with you.
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I don’t know you but I saw your post on X and wanted you to know I am down in Alabama praying for Lucy and your family today.
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I am so sorry your family is going through this horrible trial. You are loved so much by your family, church family and friends. Most of all you are loved by God. He is standing with you. You are not alone. Praying continuously for Lucy and your family. ❤️🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
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I saw this on our youth pastor’s wife’s feed. Praying for you and your family during this unimaginable time.
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always praying for Lucy and for you and your precious
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We Love you Jesse and Bethany! We all are praying without ceasing for sweet little Lucy and her miracle! Your entire extended family has joined in prayers for Lucy and all of you! Hugging you all tightly!
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Our hearts and prayers are with you and your family. We pray that Jesus will perform a miracle in your precious Lucy. He has the best plans for her already laid out. We just have to have continued hope and faith in His mighty decisions. Praying for you from Western Morris County, New Jersey🙏🏻
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I’m Missy mom as a previous neuro nurse don’t give up when the brain swells everything is off it takes time to resolve sometimes months as long as there is any brain activity at any time that is meaningful don’t give up I know the pain of losing a child and yes I trusted Gid but it doesn’t mean you don’t have concerns I’m praying you are not going to go thru that and will put you on prayer chains God loves you guys and His Grace is sufficient I pray that for you
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Jesse, Bethany, Silas, Shiloh and Atticus, weeping and praying with you! Praying for God’s will & His glory for Lucy and all. Karen Partridge (Maine) for our family who will continue to pray!
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Praying for your precious Lucy and your entire family.
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Jesse and family,
We started praying immediately yesterday when we found out from Melissa. We want you to know that your blog is uplifting all of us, while we uplift your daughter and family to our Heavenly Father.
God hears your grief-filled prayers in only the way He can identify.
Karen and David Ruggles
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Thinking of your family and praying to St. Rita to intercede on your daughter’s behalf…
“There is nothing impossible to God.” ~St. Rita
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May all the Saints and angels who bow before the throne of God and His only begotten Son plead for your daughter. I work for the Archdiocese of Newark and will add your daughter to my daily prayers as well as the list for all masses offered in the Archdiocesan center for the Month of June.
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I am also one of the many people you don’t know, but we have common ground in the God of our salvation. A God that asks us to pray BOLDLY for our needs and pleads with us to cry out to Him to ease our sorrows, healing and complete restoration for your beautiful Lucy, and calm sense of peace from God that will surpass all of our understanding. I pray for your children, family, friends, nurses & doctors. Amen & Amen!!
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You don’t know me , I only know of you through my sister in Christ who shared this story and pleaded with all believers to pray for this precious Child of God . We are pleading for a
miracle for you precious Lucy. We are praying for her and your family .
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we do not know you Pastor but we put a prayer chain out to the rest of the body of Christ here in Michigan. We are praying for hope, for healing and for you to be encouraged and feel His presence and peace! We are praying for your wife and all your children as well! The God of all hope to restore health back to your beautiful Lucy! We and and pray this in Jesus name! 🫶🏻🙏🏻 The Rathbun Family 💕
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My daughter used to occasionally attend the youth at Green Pond. She sent me the news of Lucy last night. my family and church body are praying without ceasing and standing on God’s promises for Lucy and your family.
We may feel powerless at times, but the power of life and death is in our tongues. He has given us authority to overcome the power the enemy, so that nothing will harm us.
declaring the plans that he has for us to prosper us, and not to harm us to give us a future and a hope. To live and not die. our Jesus healed them all and he is no respecter of persons. I am praying that the faith OF Jesus that’s been placed on the inside of you to rise up, and I ask Lord to help any unbelief.
I pray that God would grant you the strength to be single minded, that you may receive from the Lord. For you have the mind of Christ. Peace is a person. It’s Jesus. We may not feel him, but we have him. we can declare peace, even when we don’t have peace in our emotions, because he is in us.
The leper asked if Jesus was willing. Jesus answered, I am. no questions, he simply was. If you were looking for some thing to listen to, to help spring forth, hope and confidence in Gods character and will there is a wonderful teaching by Andrew Wommack called God wants you well.
Believing that the raising from the dead power, that’s already on the inside of Lucy in her spirit, would quicken her mortal body. I pray you would be wise in what is good ( simply put the word) and simple concerning evil(anything contrary), that the god of PEACE would crush Satan under your feet.
Be healed Lucy. We call you well.
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We do not know each other but I wanted to just lift you and your family up. Many prayers are going before the throne of God on your behalf. Lucy is loved by many who do not know her, as are the rest of your children, your wife, and you. When it gets overwhelming, know that God hears your heart and the rest of us pleading your case!
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Lifting your sweet family up in prayers. My cousin, Amy, shared your story and we are all lifting you in prayer. I cannot imagine the fear and anxiety that your family is feeling at this moment. I pray for your other three children who are struggling to understand what is happening. I pray for you as parents as you have to watch your sweet baby and wait for a miracle. God is the miracle worker and I have faith that he is watching over your girl.
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Justin, Fay and I just read your two blog post for June one and June 2. I really don’t know what to say to you except that I know that you need friends to pray and that’s what we will do. God knows, God cares, and God has a plan. It sounds so tight at a time like this, but I know that God is a very personal God and will walk with you through all of this.
love ya’ll, Tom and Fay Phillips
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oh my soul aches for you all, Lucy and all of you are ‘hidden WITH Christ IN God, Who IS your Life’ Colossians 3:3 May moment by moment mercy and grace fill you all and surround you all. May God be glorified in His purpose for this 💔🙏🏽 much love a Mainer
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My prayers are for Your beloved Lucy and family. My faith is in our God ‘s love and best for you all. I will continue to hold on to that truth. Prayerfully yours. Jim Morrison.
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Prayers over Lucy and your family, from Fort Worth, TX. I came across your story on X yesterday, and have not stopped praying. I pray the Lord, through His divine and supernatural hand, performs a miracle for Lucy. I pray His supernatural peace & comfort would envelope you & your family as you wait.
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praying for you brother. Praying for your whole family. Our God will never abandon you.
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Our hearts are joining with yours to lift you up before our Great and Mighty God seeking His mercy and grace for your daughter and your entire family, praying for God’s will, praying for His hand to give you strength to hope, faith to trust His perfect will, rest in His love, the knowledge that God’s people are surrounding you, praying you into His Presence, before His throne.
You are all loved,
Steve and Cindy Blount
Buena Vista, Colorado
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Praying for little Lucy. Asking The Lord for healing and a miracle.
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I’m praying for your precious Lucy, that God will heal her and bring her back, restored, to your family. I also pray for you all, her family. So glad to hear that Lucy has declared her faith in Jesus and that she is one of his lambs. I’m trusting in the promises of Isaiah 41:10 for each one of you.
Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
In Him,
♥️Tish Oliver
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praying in North Carolina for your sweet Lucy and your whole family…I can’t even imagine. We are standing with you in prayer
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We have shared Lucy’s story with our church family her in Lafayette and many people are praying for Lucy, your family, and the whole Greenpond congregation! As parents, Lucy’s situation is unfathomable yet we remind ourselves that God loves Lucy more than we have the capacity to understand.
Continuing to pray that God would manifest his steadfast love and greatness for his children, as you continue to wade through this most difficult trial.
Dan & Margaret Wickert
(Emily’s parents:)
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Pastor Jesse and Bethany,
You do not know me but know my uncle and aunt- Mike and Hannah Falciola, members at Green Pond… when they first shared the news with us, my heart broke as I thought of such a tragedy for such a young girl. I am struck by how God worked in her heart just two weeks ago to bring her to himself. I cannot even begin to imagine the sorrow you and the kids are going through… pleading with God to do a miracle, but it is all in His hands. Praying for all of you!
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Dear Jesse and Bethany –
More strangers but of the same family in Christ. Our daughter-in-law was at Word of Life with Bethany & she & our son would have been your neighbors this week on Edwards Hill. As parents of 4 children and grandparents of 11, our hearts are broken for you. We are pleading with our loving Father for your precious Lucy to be healed and restored to you. We are entreating Him that this may be within His will. May you, your other children & family experience God’s grace, peace, strengthening and comfort as never before.
In the Savior’s love,
The Rayder Family
First Baptist Church, Corinth, NY has also joined Lucy’s Army in prayer.
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I’m so terribly sorry your family is going through this.
Praying for Lucy and for you all. I cannot imagine the horror of this, if this was one of my 8 children. May God lift you with His Mighty Right Hand and comfort you no matter what the outcome.
God bless,
Kris
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As the father of four, my heart breaks reading this. I cannot fathom what you are going through, and though typing words into a comment section feels helpless, when words are directed to our God they take on supernatural strength and significance. So we are praying that God provides a miracle for your beautiful Lucy. But if not, may that same God, the God of all comfort and strength, pull you close to him and hold you as your family walks this painful road. God bless. 1 Peter 5:6-7
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Back in 2010 I stood where you’re now standing now. After a horrible car wreck, we didn’t know if our 17-year-old daughter would survive or not. She being unsaved made the situation that much worse. God chose to bring her through. I didn’t beg I didn’t plead. And I’m not super strong Christian. But he did give me the peace that passes all understanding at that time. And I know I was comforted by the Thousands, that were lifting her up all over the world. I am praying for that peace for you.
No matter the outcome, choose to say the words of Job” Though he slay me, I will always serve him”
he is faithful at all times I guarantee you of that. Sending love and hugs and encouragement to the whole family.❤️
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Dear Pastor Jesse, Bethany, Silas, Shiloh and AJ,
We are crying out to God that he will restore precious Lucy to each of you! We know He has the power to heal her!
We are praying for comfort and strength for each moment of the day and night.
I know the Holy Spirit comforts in a way that no human can. But I want you to know as we read with tears streaming these beautiful God glorifying posts, our hearts ache for you. We have shared your posts with so many people.
With love,
Berry Serafini
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My name is Laura Sommons and I am a CSU alumni and we are praying for your precious girl and your family.
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Last week, my husband and I spent days terrified due to our son’s head injury and subsequent hospital visit. His injury was a tiny blip in comparison with your daughter’s, and I bring it up only to say that I empathize with you to the point I am able, but I think I have but a sliver of a glimmer of your unimaginable pain. We are hoping alongside you, our family in Christ whom we have not yet met.
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We at the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church prayer chain have been praying for Lucy and your family last night. Keep up the faith!
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We are praying, utterances to God with tears and cries. Please know you are not alone. We are bringing your precious family before God. Praying Lucy is enjoying her time with God in these difficult days. Asking for a physical healing… waiting and asking again. Much Love and Heart from us to you!!
Sheila & Dennis
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