Angela's Blog

Day 32

Last night (Thursday evening) went fairly well.  Ang got some much needed rest and the restlessness was limited to a few hours.  Each time Ang was restless last night I crawled in bed next to her to calm her down.  We had several conversations through the night.  Although much of it didn’t make much sense, it was a beautiful thing to be next to my wife and share a moment with her that was quasi-normal.  Before she went to bed we talked about the movie Caddyshack, one of our favorites.  She remembered the cast names, including Ted Night, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, and Chevy Chase.  She also recalled her email address when she was asked.  I can’t believe how much we took for granted prior to her accident!  Some folks from church also dropped of soup for Teresa, I, and Ang.  Thank God, because most of you know that Ang is quite the “foodie”.  She is not a big fan of the food at the SNF and most of it typically ends up on the wall or the floor.  The soup that was delivered however went down without a hitch. (THANK YOU, HOLLY!!)

Today was another amazing journey.  God’s love and grace continues to shine through this tragic event.  We will call today, “the day of the cheese burger”.  I had to meet with my manager from Boeing today to discuss the work situation and Teresa called me to let me know that Ang had asked for a hamburger.  It was no match for her!  She also put down a whole banana. 

Ang rocked her PT, OT, and ST sessions today.  The resident ST is out of town and we had a substitute today.  She had previously worked in California and her area of expertise there was TBI.  She told Teresa and me that she had never seen anyone like Ang before.  Her ability to read, write, perform math problems, etc. completely astounded her.  Her enthusiasm provided a tremendous boost for Teresa and me.  We know that God is performing miracles everyday in Ang, but it was so nice to hear from the ST that Ang is the exception to what can typically be expected.  She helped us develop a framework of daily activities for Ang that will focus on her cognitive abilities.  She will be back next week and we are very much looking forward to meeting with her again.

PT was also a huge step forward.  Ang continues to push herself.  She practically throws herself out of her chair to stand up.  She can support almost all of her weight on her right side.  Based on this, PT had her work on transitioning from her wheel chair to a regular chair.  She aced it!  What this means is that Ang is now able to take a shower!!  We are so excited!  I can’t imagine how amazing something so simple as a shower is going to be for Ang. Ang also got her hair washed today and all of the tangles brushed out.  Her first real shampoo and rinse since 8/18.

Ang did great with OT while they worked on her fractured arm. For the most part..  I held her hand through her therapy and let go for a single second.  That was all it took for her to reach out and smack the poor guy right in the face. Imagine the sound you would hear in a movie.  It was just like that.  Her range of motion continues to improve but we have not seen anything other than passive movement in her left arm.  This could be due to the pins that are still in her wrist.  They should be coming out in the next few weeks.  Because Ang has so much metal in her arm now, the OT folks cannot use E-therapy to stimulate her nerves / muscles.  Utilizing this method would result in internal burns. Fortunately, we have a good family friend who practices Eastern medicine and we are going to try acupuncture and massage to facilitate the stimulation of her nerve centers in her arm.  The OT folks agreed that this was a feasible alternative and encouraged us to move forward.

We have a family friend who went through a similar experience with her son several years ago.  She pointed us to Psalm 91, which is where the Holy Spirit placed her during her difficult season.  Thank you for being bold enough and called to share this passage with us.  You know who you are!  

My Refuge and My Fortress

91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Lord God, I thank you for Your faithfulness and the knowledge that You will finish the good work that You started in my beautiful wife Angela.  I lift her up to you and boldly pray that you will continue to heal her mind, spirit, and body.  We see you at work every day and are astonished by Your outpouring of love and grace.  Lord, I pray that you will continue to protect my wife from any doubts that you are not with her and that you would fill her with the hope, love, and zeal of your Holy Spirit. We do not know where You lead us during this season, but we know that when we are at our weakest You will carry us and provide strength.  Lord God, we continue to turn to you in this confusing and challenging time.  You breathed the universe into existence and loved us enough to create us in your image and likeness although we are ill deserved. You have conquered Satan, sin, and death!  We know that You are alive and well Lord!  Lord God, I pray that you would continue drive us to thirst for solace and strength in You! Amen.

Josh