July 6th = Day 18

From Ron:

We now understand a little bit more about what Elena is facing in her recovery. She is now diagnosed with ARDS standing for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. In essence her lungs, while clearing are severely damaged. One Doctor described them as two lumps of coal that need to be a fine membrane and it will be an extremely long recovery. You can learn a little more by visiting http://www.ardsusa.org. You'll find that just as we've stated, Elena's youth and good conditioning are her best allies in this fight.

She remains in critical condition but her organ functions such as kidneys and liver remain strong. It is a given that at some point she will receive a tracheotomy to maintain her airway, very likely within the next few days.

We are very pleased with Elena's progress but must caution ourselves and everyone else to keep in mind how critical her condition remains. Please continue to pray and ask everyone else to do the same.