Not a lot of changes today. The routine is pretty much the same each day. When he's lucky Jeff will get all his morning chores done before breakfast and then have his naptime after. More often he has breakfast and halfway sleeps through his morning chores.
The morning "crash session" is just one of many frustrating problems that he faces each day. And yet he doesn't let it get him down. He continues to find his blessings by recognizing what he still can do and chooses to focus on that instead.
The social worker was in today to see Jeff. They told him that everyone loves working with him and how great he is. She said, "You're the rock star of this floor!" He has really made an impact during his stay. His amazing attitude, quirky personality, hard work, endurance, and most especially his faith have helped to give him quite the reputation!
While Jeff is seen as a favorite among the staff, he's also acting as an inspiration for other patients. He cheers them on and encourages them. He gets to know them and their stories. He has spoken with patients who had attempted suicide with devastating consequences. He's met many others who were in accidents like his, that also had their lives change in a split second.
Whether they are there for injuries related to a car accident, a gunshot wound to the head, or a dive into the shallow end of a swimming pool, Jeff has been a light to them all. He lifts them up with words of encouragement, hope, and faith. He is the ultimate example of perseverance. He is a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Annette reflected on the past month tonight. While she felt she had difficulty finding the exact words to describe her feelings, her message was clear. "We have been so blessed that time has not stood still. The Lord has blessed us with no wasted time, getting things accomplished, and progress."
The "limbo" after an accident like this can last for so long sometimes. Where progress means you don't die that day and therapy is a thing in a far away future. That has not been Jeff's experience. Even when he was in the ICU he was making progress and accomplishing difficult feats each day. In the condition he found himself in even keeping a meal down and fighting off despair were seen as triumphs.
Annette says she has never thought, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I have to sit here for another day!" They have been so busy making strides towards Jeff's recovery that she says she can't believe how quickly the past month has gone by. For that we are all grateful. We have truly been blessed in this trial.
The morning "crash session" is just one of many frustrating problems that he faces each day. And yet he doesn't let it get him down. He continues to find his blessings by recognizing what he still can do and chooses to focus on that instead.
The social worker was in today to see Jeff. They told him that everyone loves working with him and how great he is. She said, "You're the rock star of this floor!" He has really made an impact during his stay. His amazing attitude, quirky personality, hard work, endurance, and most especially his faith have helped to give him quite the reputation!
While Jeff is seen as a favorite among the staff, he's also acting as an inspiration for other patients. He cheers them on and encourages them. He gets to know them and their stories. He has spoken with patients who had attempted suicide with devastating consequences. He's met many others who were in accidents like his, that also had their lives change in a split second.
Whether they are there for injuries related to a car accident, a gunshot wound to the head, or a dive into the shallow end of a swimming pool, Jeff has been a light to them all. He lifts them up with words of encouragement, hope, and faith. He is the ultimate example of perseverance. He is a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Annette reflected on the past month tonight. While she felt she had difficulty finding the exact words to describe her feelings, her message was clear. "We have been so blessed that time has not stood still. The Lord has blessed us with no wasted time, getting things accomplished, and progress."
The "limbo" after an accident like this can last for so long sometimes. Where progress means you don't die that day and therapy is a thing in a far away future. That has not been Jeff's experience. Even when he was in the ICU he was making progress and accomplishing difficult feats each day. In the condition he found himself in even keeping a meal down and fighting off despair were seen as triumphs.
Annette says she has never thought, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I have to sit here for another day!" They have been so busy making strides towards Jeff's recovery that she says she can't believe how quickly the past month has gone by. For that we are all grateful. We have truly been blessed in this trial.
As always physical therapy was rigorous, just how Jeff likes it. Every day he impresses them with how well he's doing and how quickly he masters new skills. He worked on transfers from his wheelchair to the therapy table and back again. Annette says he has been very persistent to learn how to do the transfers by himself and is doing extremely well. Jeff says he was able to complete 80% of the transfer by himself which is really great! This will go a long way in helping him become more independent.
Throughout the day Jeff was able to get more book work done. The joys of owning your own business! In the afternoon Brandi helped him with bookwork, occupational therapy and more bookwork while Annette went to a much needed appointment to pamper herself, compliments of a long time family friend Melissa Henderson. We are so grateful for her kindness and the thoughtful gift, our mom needed and deserved it!
Jeff wants nothing more than to get the use of his hands back, but he's also very aware that it may not be the Lord's will. He is choosing to put his energy into finding ways to accomplish every day tasks with how his hands are right now. His occupational therapist helped him find a gadget that will allow him to reach for things and pick them up. The device reminds Annette of an erector set and is called a Quad Tool. You can see a video of how it works at www.quadtools.com.
Here is a picture of Jeff on the computer ordering one of the devices. Josh the OT had Jeff complete the order from start to finish without any help and he did GREAT!!
During occupational therapy (OT) Jeff was asked to open a pill bottle, pick up small pieces and put them in a bowl, clip clothes pins on the side of the bowl, stack blocks and pick up beads. All of these things seem easy to us, but for him they are extremely difficult. Jeff still has no use of his fingers so doing these things is a challenge. All of the movement that is required to help him do these things comes from his wrists and he is learning how to use the movement in his wrist to get his "floppy fingers" to be in the right position. During OT Jeff made the comment that "being disabled is difficult!!" The occupational therapist agreed with him 100%. Brandi reported that while watching Jeff during OT it was hard to see her dad struggle and though she expected him to get frustrated he just kept on trying, he would not give up! He continued to push through the challenge until he was able to do what the OT asked of him. Through the entire 1 1/2 hour session he only said "SHIT" once and for a few seconds there was some frustration, but then it turned in to determination as Jeff continued trying until he succeeded.
Jeff was able to feed himself lunch and dinner again today. He's now a pro at using the odd silverware.
Terren (Jeff's brother), his wife Stephanie, and their daughters Isabel and Jacee stayed for the evening to keep Jeff company. Terren and Jeff spent a lot of time discussing Jeff's motorcycle and what they can do to help him be able to ride it. They also looked up trucks and discussed ideas on how to remodel the house and bathroom.
Stephanie said, "We just made sure he was comfortable. We gave him water and helped him brush his teeth. Then the nurses came in and helped him get ready for bed. I'm really impressed with his attitude and how well he looks."
The respiratory therapist came in and discussed him wearing the humidification mask again. While it helps a little it doesn't get rid of the cotton mouth. He said he would try it again tonight anyway since the sleep apnea machine (CPAP) to help him sleep better is not there yet.
Funny moment of the day: Stephanie asked Jeff if he wanted a treat and he said no because he is getting fat. She thought that was pretty funny and replied that it was the water weight!
On a more serious note she said, "Terren really needed to make that leap and go see his brother. This has been extremely difficult for him."
We know how hard it is to accept what has happened. Some are struggling more than others and that's OKAY. This trial, while obviously affecting Jeff the worst, has been a trial for all of his loved ones too. Each of us have experienced grief and have had to find ways to cope.
What most of us have concluded is that Jeff's incredible attitude and faith have carried us all through the initial shock and throughout the phases of recovery. The person who is hurting the most has proven to be the strongest of us all. Just seeing him thrive and progress uplifts those of us who are hurting for him at this time.
I know none of us will ever be able to say we are glad this happened, but each and every one of us can say we've been blessed because of it. The Lord's plan is extremely difficult sometimes, but it always leads to innumerable blessings if we can be patient and faithful.
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