Dad walked into and out of church yesterday for the first time in over four months. Mom informed me that they went to Wal-Mart on Saturday and he rode around in the motorized scooters, riding around while Mom shopped. He has been going to physical therapy three times a week for an hour each time and it has really helped him. He's able to walk further and further every day with his walker and his strength is definitely improving.
If you're in the area, please don't forget about the benefit being held at Deep River Baptist Church on Saturday. There have been some silent auction items donated, so please don't miss out. There will be hand-made Christmas tree ornaments, a Thomas Kincade picture, and a pie-safe made by Grier Stout. I'm not going to lie, I'm secretly trying to find a place in Condo C to put the pie safe! ;) Just for good measure, here's the info again.
SATURDAY, October 13, 2007
From noon until they run out of food
4095 Deep River Road
Ramseur, NC 27316
(in Coleridge off Hwy. 42)
BBQ, pinto beans, cole slaw, hushpuppies, and homemade desserts
Sit down or pick up a plate, they'll even have a "drive through" set up in the front of the church
We'll be there all day so make sure to say hello! And we'll hopefully get to see Dad walking around some which will be awesome!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Daddy update and BENEFIT INFO!
Dad has improved dramatically in the past few weeks. He's using a walker and knee braces to walk around the house. He's even walked down and then back up the ramp outside the house. He's had a few doctor's appointments lately but little to update on. His back doctor wants him to continue using the back brace for at least one more month. His knee doctor does not want to do knee surgery on his left leg until he is out of the back brace. So he's hoping for one more month til surgery. Once he has the surgery, he'll have to stay off of his legs for at least six weeks so that will be a change for him. However, once the surgery is over, it's all recovery from that point on! The good news is he's getting out of the house more. He had lunch last Friday at a cafeteria and then went to church on Sunday.
Here's some pictures of Dad recently:
With Bub, James Aaron and Darren
Walking up the ramp after a trip out.
Dad and Uncle Butch walking around the house.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Deep River Baptist Church's Adult Sunday School Class wanted to do something to show Dad they are supporting him through it all. So they are holding a BBQ Benefit meal for Dad and here's the details:
SATURDAY, October 13, 2007
From noon until they run out of food
4095 Deep River Road
Ramseur, NC 27316
(in Coleridge off Hwy. 42)
BBQ, pinto beans, cole slaw, hushpuppies, and homemade desserts
Sit down or pick up a plate, they'll even have a "drive through" set up in the FRONT (not the back of the church as earlier mentioned)!
If you have any questions or would like to know how you can help, please email me.
We are all so grateful for such a wonderful church family. They are going to be VERY blessed for all of their hard work they are putting into this!
Here's some pictures of Dad recently:
With Bub, James Aaron and Darren
Walking up the ramp after a trip out.
Dad and Uncle Butch walking around the house.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Deep River Baptist Church's Adult Sunday School Class wanted to do something to show Dad they are supporting him through it all. So they are holding a BBQ Benefit meal for Dad and here's the details:
SATURDAY, October 13, 2007
From noon until they run out of food
4095 Deep River Road
Ramseur, NC 27316
(in Coleridge off Hwy. 42)
BBQ, pinto beans, cole slaw, hushpuppies, and homemade desserts
Sit down or pick up a plate, they'll even have a "drive through" set up in the FRONT (not the back of the church as earlier mentioned)!
If you have any questions or would like to know how you can help, please email me.
We are all so grateful for such a wonderful church family. They are going to be VERY blessed for all of their hard work they are putting into this!
Monday, September 3, 2007
App State with the biggest upset EVER!!!
We were there. We were at the game that changed history. The first time a 1-AA team has stomped an AP Ranked 1-A team. Final score- Appalachian State 34- Michigan 32. And the underdog won it all.
Here's the view from section 24, row 82, conveniently located under the press box for maximum shade:
Jason took this with his iPhone. Our friend Dan has some amazing pictures he took with his camera so as soon as he sends them our way, we will post them as well.
We heard on Sunday that there were something like 3,000 ASU fans in the audience... keep in mind there were over 109,000 people there!!! We were the only three App fans in our section so we were definitely getting some mean looks when we were jumping up and down celebrating the win. Fortunately, the MI fans were nice but I think it was just out of shock. No one expected this mountain team to come out and score, much less win against Michigan!!! It was nuts.
I don't think we realized how big the win was until we were exiting the stadium. From behind, we hear a man's voice say, "We are the laughing stock of the nation right now!" That pretty much said it all. We won. We beat the number five team. AT THE BIG HOUSE! Incredible.
Before the game, the ASU Alumni Association hosted an alumni brunch/tailgate. They set up a huge tent, had food and drinks and it was a great place for us to get worked up for the game. Here's a shot of some of the tailgaters:
You can see the App flags and decals. We were all sorts of excited just to be there! A big shout out to our friends Amanda and Chris Griggs from the ASU Alumni Association who were wonderful hosts.
After the game, we were still in shock and couldn't believe what had happened. We are still, on Monday, addicted to ESPN and all the sports highlights because we cannot believe we are seeing our school on tv. We hear from Jason's mom that she's sending us the now famous "Michigan Who?" t-shirts. We can't wait. All I have to say is GO APP STATE!!!
Here's the view from section 24, row 82, conveniently located under the press box for maximum shade:
Jason took this with his iPhone. Our friend Dan has some amazing pictures he took with his camera so as soon as he sends them our way, we will post them as well.
We heard on Sunday that there were something like 3,000 ASU fans in the audience... keep in mind there were over 109,000 people there!!! We were the only three App fans in our section so we were definitely getting some mean looks when we were jumping up and down celebrating the win. Fortunately, the MI fans were nice but I think it was just out of shock. No one expected this mountain team to come out and score, much less win against Michigan!!! It was nuts.
I don't think we realized how big the win was until we were exiting the stadium. From behind, we hear a man's voice say, "We are the laughing stock of the nation right now!" That pretty much said it all. We won. We beat the number five team. AT THE BIG HOUSE! Incredible.
Before the game, the ASU Alumni Association hosted an alumni brunch/tailgate. They set up a huge tent, had food and drinks and it was a great place for us to get worked up for the game. Here's a shot of some of the tailgaters:
You can see the App flags and decals. We were all sorts of excited just to be there! A big shout out to our friends Amanda and Chris Griggs from the ASU Alumni Association who were wonderful hosts.
After the game, we were still in shock and couldn't believe what had happened. We are still, on Monday, addicted to ESPN and all the sports highlights because we cannot believe we are seeing our school on tv. We hear from Jason's mom that she's sending us the now famous "Michigan Who?" t-shirts. We can't wait. All I have to say is GO APP STATE!!!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Little Steps...
Dad has come so far in the last few days. As I wrote the other day, he's been standing up and has even taken a few steps using his walker for balance. He says it's really hard because his left knee is extremely tight and his right foot is just unable to contribute because it's just sort of hanging there. He has to pick his right foot up to move it, but we are all hoping and praying that the movement and feeling in his right foot will return gradually. He stood up the other day for over five minutes which is a long time for him.
He has a doctor's appointment this week and with the help of the physical therapist, he's hoping to be able to get into a regular vehicle and not have to use an ambulance to get there. He says he can move his left knee about 45 degrees on his own, but anything much further than that is extremely painful. So if he is able to get into a vehicle, he will be far more mobile than he is now and may be able to get out of the house more. What a relief!
Darren starts back to school this week and Melissa starts full time at her job soon so it's going to be hard for everyone to get settled into a new routine. However, I'm sure they will have lots of folks stopping by to keep Dad company so he'll have plenty to do. And remember, keep emailing him!
He has a doctor's appointment this week and with the help of the physical therapist, he's hoping to be able to get into a regular vehicle and not have to use an ambulance to get there. He says he can move his left knee about 45 degrees on his own, but anything much further than that is extremely painful. So if he is able to get into a vehicle, he will be far more mobile than he is now and may be able to get out of the house more. What a relief!
Darren starts back to school this week and Melissa starts full time at her job soon so it's going to be hard for everyone to get settled into a new routine. However, I'm sure they will have lots of folks stopping by to keep Dad company so he'll have plenty to do. And remember, keep emailing him!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Standing up
I had a wonderful conversation yesterday with dad when about halfway through, he mentioned that he stood up for the first time!! With the physical therapist and his sitter at his side, helping him up, he was able to stand up on his legs for the first time since the accident. It's one GIANT step in the recovery process and we are all excited.
I asked him if he was light headed while standing and he said no, but that it felt weird. He had a walker he was using to take some of the weight off his legs, but for the most part, he was holding himself up. He stood up twice, not for very long, but it's the first time since the accident that he's been able to get up on his feet at all.
He's also got a laptop from work and is able to check his email now. Jason had the insight to install wireless internet at their house, so he is connected. Please email him if you get a chance, he'd love to hear from you! He's checking it daily and it has been really good for his morale.
I forgot to post this the other day, but this is Dad with our cousin Emily so here's a picture:
I asked him if he was light headed while standing and he said no, but that it felt weird. He had a walker he was using to take some of the weight off his legs, but for the most part, he was holding himself up. He stood up twice, not for very long, but it's the first time since the accident that he's been able to get up on his feet at all.
He's also got a laptop from work and is able to check his email now. Jason had the insight to install wireless internet at their house, so he is connected. Please email him if you get a chance, he'd love to hear from you! He's checking it daily and it has been really good for his morale.
I forgot to post this the other day, but this is Dad with our cousin Emily so here's a picture:
Monday, August 20, 2007
Pictures
This was in the ambulance on the way home from the hospital two weeks ago. See those boots? They are gone!
Dad with his three beautiful children!
Finally, no more rods and pins in his legs!! The saying like father, like son is SO TRUE in this picture!
New braces! We are all waiting for the day when he just gets out of bed and walks around the room. ;)
Finally... a new posting!
I'm so sorry this has taken so long. I started a new job last week and things have just been really hectic lately... so here's the latest.
Last week, Dad went to the doctor for the surgery he's waited for for weeks. He had his external fixators removed, finally! While he was asleep, they moved his knees to see how much flexibility he had in his legs. The left knee moved 100 degrees while the right knee moved 120 degrees. Keep in mind, this is the first movement he's had in his knees in over 7 weeks so this alone is an accomplishment.
They also did MRI's on his knees so that they could see internally how much nerve, muscle, tendon damage he had. They have concluded that they will definitely have to do reconstructive surgery on the left knee. It's still up in the air regarding the right knee. They have opted for four to six weeks of physical therapy and then they will take a second look at the right knee.
At this point, the main concern is how much strength and stability each leg has. The legs could have strength, but not stability, and vice versa. This is what they are going to try to figure out through physical therapy.
They have a lovely "dad sitter" that comes and stays with him during the day while Mom goes to work. This has been good for them both because it allows Mom to get back to work without worrying about him.
I just talked to Mom and she said that he was just up, sitting on the edge of his bed with his feet almost on the floor just a few minutes ago. He sat there for about 15 minutes, just getting readjusted to having his feet near the ground.
He's started moving the fourth toe on his right foot so all that's left is the big toe. This is an answer to all of our prayers as he is regaining movement and feeling in his foot. Mom is sending me more pictures of his legs here in a few minutes so there will be more to see.
Last week, Dad went to the doctor for the surgery he's waited for for weeks. He had his external fixators removed, finally! While he was asleep, they moved his knees to see how much flexibility he had in his legs. The left knee moved 100 degrees while the right knee moved 120 degrees. Keep in mind, this is the first movement he's had in his knees in over 7 weeks so this alone is an accomplishment.
They also did MRI's on his knees so that they could see internally how much nerve, muscle, tendon damage he had. They have concluded that they will definitely have to do reconstructive surgery on the left knee. It's still up in the air regarding the right knee. They have opted for four to six weeks of physical therapy and then they will take a second look at the right knee.
At this point, the main concern is how much strength and stability each leg has. The legs could have strength, but not stability, and vice versa. This is what they are going to try to figure out through physical therapy.
They have a lovely "dad sitter" that comes and stays with him during the day while Mom goes to work. This has been good for them both because it allows Mom to get back to work without worrying about him.
I just talked to Mom and she said that he was just up, sitting on the edge of his bed with his feet almost on the floor just a few minutes ago. He sat there for about 15 minutes, just getting readjusted to having his feet near the ground.
He's started moving the fourth toe on his right foot so all that's left is the big toe. This is an answer to all of our prayers as he is regaining movement and feeling in his foot. Mom is sending me more pictures of his legs here in a few minutes so there will be more to see.
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