This is Craig O’Dell. I just spoke with Renee Waters about an hour ago. Her husband Kevin sang bass for N’Harmony the years that I was there. He and Rene’ are dear friends.
Renee states: “We came to KC Friday evening to attend a concert. Kevin hadn’t been feeling great, but woke up feeling like he was well enough to go. We got to the concert around 7:30 and by 9 he was in the bathroom sick at his stomach. He spent the entire night at the hotel throwing up and a high temp. By morning he was willing to make a visit to the ER. They immediately started him on IV fluids, did a chest x-ray and lots of blood work. The only thing remarkable was an elevated bilirubin level (somewhat like when Cal & Cassie had a high level and were on the blue lights.) That prompted them to admit him for further testing on his liver.
They’re still focused on the liver, and did a CT scan and an ultrasound on him this am. Not sure if we’ll get results today or not, since it’s Sunday. They’re not completely ruling anything out yet though, so it could be any number of things. Kevin’s GI doctor (1 of 3 doctors assigned to him) says to prepare to be here tonight and tomorrow night at least. He’s continuing to spike an extremely high temp, throwing up, and massive headaches. At least he can drink and eat (when it’s tolerable) since those tests are done. Please continue to pray for him. If you can only imagine, it was major that he even agreed to me taking him to the ER. He’s completely wiped out at this point and I’m sure unsettled about not having any answers yet. Pray for his doctors (Evangelidis, Barber, & Adiga) to know exactly what to do for him and for his nurses to be able to keep him comfortable ‘til this all subsides. He is at North Kansas City Hospital.”
UPDATE:
Kevin is currently on a respirator and is needing a liver transplant as his liver is deteriating very quickly. Please pray for the Waters family. Kevin and Renee have twin babies Cal & Cassie that were born prematurely and have only come home recently.
[ Edited: 06 August 2008 09:54 AM by tbcmusicman ]
Craig,
All of Ransomed will be praying for Kevin’s recovery and the family as they walk this road. We enjoyed you all so much when you were singing together and think of you often.
Lord,
We pray for this very special man and his family. Heal him and let him watch those very special little ones grow. We know you are the Healer and can bring Kevin and his family all they need. We pray for the doctors and the person who will be the donor he needs and pray for it to come soon.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Here is an update on Kevin that I received from his wife, Renee this morning. Thanks to all those who are praying. Craig O’Dell
“Kevin was put in Intensive Care yesterday. He was unresponsive when we tried to wake him at 5am Tuesday. They tried drugs, oxygen, went down for some CTs and finally got him on a ventilator…all by 6:30am. He is being fully sedated due to the miserable circumstances of the vent. At this point has a wide-spread infection and his lungs and the majority of his abdominal organs are being fully effected. Especially liver. We were allowed to transfer over here to KU Med Ctr, as they have a liver specialist that was willing to take him, after a few strings were pulled. It helps to know people…thank you Robin. He is receiving amazing care here so far and has a wonderful team of nurses and doctors.
Right now there isn’t anything we need other than your continual prayers and those of everyone you know. This is an extremely serious situation. He has a lot going for him (age, non-drinker/smoker, good overall health, strong and stubborn) but also has a lot going against him right now. Feel free to share whatever information you’d like with your family and friends as we will take all the prayers we can get for Kevin at this time.”
[ Edited: 06 August 2008 09:54 AM by tbcmusicman ]
I just spoke with Shane Dunlap… As of now there is no new update on Kevin. “As soon as we know something we will pass it on”, said Shane. Please just keep praying for Kevin & his family!!!
This is an email I received from Renee (Kevin’s wife) tonight.
“It’s Saturday evening, and I thought I would update you all on Kevin’s state. Things have remained “stable” this week, after getting settled in here at KU Med Center late Tuesday evening. Some things have improved slightly, some have remained the same, and some are starting to deteriorate. The good news we received today is that he hasn’t had a fever for about 48 hours. His liver functions are also starting to improve slightly which is definitely an answer to prayer. His lungs look about the same as the past couple of days (by CT). His kidney functions are starting to deteriorate slightly, which his doctor warned us about earlier in the week. She also said they will probably get worse before getting better, so these next few days will be very important. He was awake some of the time today, which was good to see, but also very frustrating for him. He was trying to communicate (unsuccessfully) with me and the nurses. One of his questions was how much longer does he have to have the ventilator in?...to which there’s no answer at this point. He was getting very frustrated and so was I.
We were able to see Cal & Cassie for a couple of days this week (which was definitely good for me!). My sisters are taking care of them, and they are doing just great. We are so very thankful for all the prayers and support we have received from all of you (our family and friends) and even complete strangers.
We know that Kevin’s “Southern Gospel” friends are praying non-stop and have checked in constantly. Thank you Craig O’Dell (N’Harmony) and Leslie Davis (Heritage Boys) for taking care of communicating all of that for me. Kevin loves his SG friends, and his times he spent singing, and will be so thankful for your outpouring of support and care.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol & the Troopers Association…from “road dogs” to “brass”...have been to the hospital to shower their love on Kevin, myself and his family. The cliche of ‘one big family’ is definitely coming true. It is unbelievable what the MSHP is doing for us.
Our church family from Antioch Bible Baptist Church in Gladstone has been unbelievable! They found us a place to stay and have fed us all every day! Kevin and I were the ‘old people’ in our small group and the ‘young kids’ have taken such amazing care of us. You have gone above and beyond for us this week. Thank you!
Kevin still has such a long way to go. Please pray continually for his healing and peace and patience until that comes. Continue to pray for the doctors to find exactly what is wrong and know exactly how to fix it. Also, feel free to pass this along to those who would also be praying for him and to those I may have left off this email list.
We love you all and are so very thankful for you.”
Several people have emailed and asked for an address for Kevin while he is in the hospital. Here it is:
Kevin Waters
c/o The University of Kansas Hospital
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
Cards and letters can be sent here. Please no flowers or balloons as he is in ICU. Renee and the rest of the family thank you for your continued prayers.
