Released at Last!

August 25, 2010. This is the letter we received from Elder Abreu when he finally got out of the hospital:

so hey like whats up. well i just got out of the hospital today so president walton told me i can write my family and stuff so i got on emails. im just so ridiculously happy to be out of there! i didnt eat from tuesday when i had the surgery until monday afternoon. i got jacked up and got all skinny and weak. apparently for this surgery you're supposed to get in and then you leave in three days but because my doctor went on vacation and forgot about me i got caught in the loophole. so in total i was in the hospital about 10 days. it was pretty horrible. i will tell you the story real quick. so like first i was having these hard core pains in my side and stuff like all the time and then one night i broke into a fever. so i called irma walton to tell her i was sick and she said you need to go to the hospital. of course i didnt want to go but i went on sunday cuz the pain was gettting worse. so i got there and they do blood tests and urine tests twice and just have me wait in a chair in the hallway. each analysis takes 2 hours so they did it twice. so by the time its over i had been there about 5 hours in the emergency place in pretty good pain. so then they say "well you have an infection so we are gonna send you up to get some medication" but they didnt specify where was up. so we get in this van and go up the madeira mountains to this hospital. this place was freaky tell you what. it was like the hospitals on a scary movie or something. its where they send everyone with infections and im the youngest one there. i get this bed and they start giving me drugs and stuff and it helps but portuguese drugs are pretty weak so they wear off in like 5 minutes so im still in pain all the time. and the pain is like someone stabbed me in the right lower stomach area. so im there until tuesday hating that and they decide to send me back down the mountain to the hospital i started at to do more tests. so after like 5 more hours they conclude it could be my appendix and i probably have to get it removed. so then they give me the paper to sign and i go right into surgery. ~they tell me everything went well and it was a great success all that stuff. so then i get my room where i should only stay for three days. first day i dont eat second day i eat and they take out this tube i had in my side draining fluid and the third day i leave. but no thats not what happened i get forgotten and my doctor goes on vacation and i dont eat till monday and on tuesday they take the tube out and wednesday i go home. so i was starved and stuck in this bed for over a week. it was pretty terrible and i was bored out of my mind. but ya that is how my past week was.

it was cool though the missionaries came to visit everyday and we had fun. some members came to visit as well. but ya i didnt watch any tv there was tv but nothing was on i wanted to watch so ya i dont know if i was allowed or not anyways but now im out and i am so happy to start back up. i feel so weak and its gonna take a little bit to get back into it but im happy. i just got a letter from you guys so that's exciting. well im super tired and im going home and hopefully we can get a nice little appointment for tonight nothing too crazy. my legs feel like jello. as for food i dont know you always choose great. thanks so much for everything i love you guys a lot. thank you for the prayers and loving concern.

love elder abreu


Email from President Walton:

Dear Sister and Brother Abreu-

I know your son has already sent you an email, but I will just give you a quick update in case he missed anything. Elder Abreu was released a few hours ago, and is very glad to be back in his apartment. Elder Johnson will take good care of him. They went out and bought fresh food for the apartment because Elder Johnson has been living with the zone leaders, and their food was all at least 10 days old. Your son sounds good, and he has no pain, but he is tired from lack of food, lying on a bed for 10 days, and from the surgery. He can bathe because he has a waterproof bandage which will be changed at a clinic a couple of times before the stitches are removed at the hospital on Tuesday. We are grateful he is well, and we are grateful to have such a good missionary.

Love,

President and Sister Walton