Week Eleven at Harmarville
Week Eleven
Day Seventy-one...
August 13, 2003
Hi all...
I'm sorry my last note was so short. I was fighting the msblast worm. It
succumbed yesterday morning.
Here's what's new. Greg has been tooling around in a manual chair the last
couple of days. His arms and shoulders are getting a workout and it's hard
holding his head up that long without a headrest, but he keeps plugging away at
it. He "walked" for Dr. Brenes again yesterday. Just as a reminder, he walks
by being placed in braces that go all the way up his legs. The therapist then
lifts each leg one at a time. Greg's job is to "think about" walking. He does
that very well, by the way. Anyway, Doc Brenes is very pleased with his
progress.
More news..Remember I told you last week that Greg's permanent power chair
was being ordered...remember that I told you that the estimated cost was over
$23,000. Well, sit down, Francie got the order back from the company for
verification...the amount is
$43, 800 +.....Yep, more than my first house...more than the total of the last 4
cars we've owned. More than double the total of all the cars that Greg and
Francie have owned. WOW ! Please pray that the insurance will pay for it.
And finally...Greg's departure date is still on track for August 28th, 2
weeks from today. Please pray for those new challenges. Joshua goes back to
school on August 27th. Luke will be in preschool 3 mornings a week. Greg will
need to go to outpatient therapy at Harmarville probably 3 days a week..probably
for several hours a day. I've accepted a teaching position at Moon, so I'll be
back to school as well. So, here are some specific issues to pray about....
- Greg and Francie need to find 1-2 personal assistants for Greg. United
Cerebral Palsy will pay for 42 hours of care per week at $8.00/hr (I believe).
I believe they will train the person(s) as well. The person(s) will need to
help Greg get toileted, showered, dressed and fed in the morning. He also needs
assistance at all meals and then help getting to bed. Depending on what other
needs may be identified, there may be some downtime where the person just needs
to be there. This may be an opportunity for a college student who is pursuing a
nursing or physical/occupational therapy degree to earn some experience and some
money. The person needs to be very dependable.
- Transportation for Greg to/from Harmarville. This is a pretty big
deal.... and asking a lot for a volunteer. We are looking into Access, but
preliminary information is that he would have to transfer vans somewhere. As
you know, Greg and Francie have the van for Greg's transport, it's just going
to be difficult for her to be his sole means of transportation especially with
having to get the boys to/from school as well.
- The upstairs renovation. The downstairs renovation is moving along.
Praise God for all the people who have given their time, energy and money to
getting the downstairs ready for Greg's homecoming. I don't know how all of
this would have been accomplished without them. The next huge project is an
upstairs addition and renovation, so that Greg will be able to see sunlight, put
the boys to bed, make a sandwich, etc..
We have no idea where all the funding will come from or how it will all come to pass.
There are some fund raising efforts in the works...check out the website (address below)..and some of you
have asked where to send contributions. Once again the website has that information.
We keep updating it so keep checking.
This has certainly been an adventure...our pastor calls it a marathon...it is
that. Your prayers and support have been a true blessing to the whole family,
but especially to Greg. Please continue. Also, please send notes when you can.
He asks me everyday about emails.
Blessings to you all,
Connie
Days Seventy-two & Seventy-three...
August 14 & 15, 2003
Today was a fairly uneventful therapy day. He continues to make incremental
progress, though it is slow. Early next week, Greg is hoping to get the voice
recognition software loaded on the laptop. So hopefully he'll be communicating.
I was driving to Harmarville this morning and suddenly it occurred to me that I
hadn't prayed...since..when. Yikes, have I gotten so busy, so consumed that
I've forgotten to do the one thing that is the most useful? Has that happened
to you? How many times have I said "I'll pray for you" and didn't.
My Touch Point Bible describes prayer this way.
"The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences,
prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest
definition is communication with God. Yet, so often we approach prayer like a
one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us.
And how do we pray-- on our knees or standing, silently or out loud; alone or
with others; by rote or spontaneously? And does prayer really induce God to
manipulate events or otherwise act on our behalf? Although the Bible does not
take up these and other questions directly, prayer appears on nearly every page
as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God. Simple enough
for a child to understand and yet so profound we spend a lifetime plumbing its
depths, prayer assumes that it is possible for us to have an intimate
relationship with a God who hears, cares, and is able to act."
Blessings.
Connie
Days Seventy-four & Seventy-five...
August 16 & 17, 2003
Good morning everyone....
Here is the update from the weekend. Greg came home each day. (He has to
go back to the hospital each night.) Yesterday the whole family went to the
mall to cruise around a bit. Greg has been in a manual chair which involves a
lot of physical exertion. He's trying to get used to keeping his head up
without the benefit of a headrest, and he wants to continue to build up his
arms.
A funny grandchild story....On Saturday, Luke (the 4 yr old), Francie and I
were sitting on our deck. Luke asked what kind of flowers were hanging in the
pots. I said they were impatiens. He said, "Oh, I thought they were out
patients."
Do you think these kids know too much hospital talk?
On a more serious note, Greg's release date is drawing near. As predicted,
a whole new set of anxieties are surfacing. I mentioned some of them last week:
personal care aids, help with transportation to/from outpatient therapy,
finances generally, and how this whole family gets to "normal" life.
There have been several times in the past, especially in the first days,
when there was an urgent need to pray....(when is there not). This is again one
of those times. God knows all the issues: Better even than any of us. Only He
knows what is really needed here. Isn't it funny how we can summon up the faith
and courage to get through the catastrophe, but the day-to-day stuff seems more
than we can bear. Please pray that, having come this far, we do not stumble.
Please pray that we don't give Satan an inroad.
I cling to ..
John 1:27-29
Jesus said
"I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give
isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.
Blessings,
Connie
http://www.faith4recovery.org
Check out the new pictures on the website....from the ballgame.
Day Seventy-six...
August 18, 2003
News:
Greg said that Dr. Brenes came in this morning and went through the normal
routine....move this, flex that and he was able to raise his right knee slightly
and also to flex his toes or foot (Greg wasn't sure which because he couldn't
see it) What a wonderful blessing!
We spent most of the evening online. Greg got to use the voice recognition
software, which was great! But even better, he could now use the mouse pad
which he could not do before.
You know even though we grow weary and faint-hearted, God never does !!!
Blessings,
Connie
Day Seventy-seven...
August 19, 2003
Hi all,
Greg is becoming more and more independent with each day. Yesterday, I was
unable to get to the hospital. Around 4 o'clock, I got a call. It was Greg.
He had used his speaker phone and managed to dial the number on his own. He
said that he also had one of the nurses put his bag with his various utensils
and aids on his lap so he could get at it. He's trying to figure out a way to
have those items more accessible to him.
As I mentioned a day or two ago, Greg had been using a manual wheelchair to
get around. Yesterday, Dr. Brenes wanted him to use his power chair in the late
afternoon/evening, so that he could stretch his legs out.
It's pretty cool. Progress, though slow, is steady and continuing. We have
always believed that God's hand is in this whole situation and no matter the
outcome, His will is good and perfect.
By the way, not too many of you have signed the guestmap on the website.
Heather put instructions on, but perhaps you are still having difficulty. If
you are, and still want to send Greg a greeting, please do this:
Either by responding to this note, or by going to the website and clicking on
the animated "Comments", send us your...