Day 37 - Part 2 - September 29, 2015

Jeff's day continued on to be a good one. He was less sleepy than usual and the good parts of his hands and arms didn't hurt. He still has weakness from the nerves being over stimulated and wasn't able to do as much as he wanted during therapy, but still managed to stay busy. The bottom half of him still burned with pins and needles all day.

In the afternoon Julee came and helped him write a letter to the hospital to tell them his thoughts. Basically, he is very pleased with the staff, but not pleased with how overworked and under paid they are. Patient care suffers when the unit is understaffed, and that's been his experience for most of his stay. 

They have a program called "Dear David" where patients can leave comments on a little 5x7 card for the hospital administration. His turned into 3 pages, typed. Jeff really cares about the hard working employees who work so hard every day to make a difference for their patients. He wants to bring attention to the injustices the employees and patients face when the unit is understaffed. 

Peggy got Jeff a wireless printer to hook up to his laptop and Ryan set it up this evening. The letter was printed and Jeff was able to maneuver his hands to hold it so he could read it through on his own with help flipping through the pages. 

His pointer fingers and thumbs still have the most sensation. His middle fingers have slight sensation and no movement, and his ring and pinky fingers have none of either. Tonight, when the paper touched any of his fingers besides the thumb or pointer it was painful. More of that hypersensitive/tingly sensation. We are crossing our fingers that this is a good sign! 

Before Annette left she helped get Jeff ready for bed with his boots and leg massagers. Everything she does is done so carefully and with so much tenderness. You can feel the love she has for our dad in every action she does from feeding him to hygiene cares. 

She left the hospital at 6:30pm, the earliest she's ever left, in order to have dinner with her parents Clifton and Joyce Green. She has only seen them once since the accident and needed that time with them. You could hear the emotion in her voice just talking about how much she missed them. 

Ryan stayed at the hospital tonight to keep Jeff company until bedtime. Julee left at the same time as Annette to care for their kids. 

Jeff had Johnathan as his nurse tonight, who he really likes. Unfortunately his wife got into a car accident and he had to leave. The charge nurse, who he also likes, took over as Jeff's nurse for now. We pray everything goes well for Johnathan and his family at this time! 

Several visitors came tonight. Jeff really enjoyed seeing them all and being able to talk to them. He wishes he had more time to devote to each person who visits. It's more realistic to just ask everyone who comes to set a time to come again when you can manage it. 

Perry Jones, an old biking buddy of Jeff's, came today. While he was there he told us he will do the tile for Jeff's new bathroom. We are so grateful for his kindness and support! 

Jody Hall also came to visit. He served with Jeff in the Elder's Quorum for several years in the past and is a good friend. 

Dan Aubrey, an old neighbor and friend, also took the time to come see Jeff. His son is Jeff's current bishop.

And Max Nielson, also an old friend and biking companion, dropped in. His visit was cut short due to time restraints, but Jeff enjoyed seeing him also.

We are so grateful to everyone who takes time out of their busy schedules to come spend time with our dad. He is so uplifted and energized after talking with old friends and family members. It's almost a form of therapy as he tells his story and bears his testimony over and over. 

If we ever miss putting your name on this blog please know it's not intentional and we are grateful for you too! You can contact Brandi or Julee to have your name added to the day you came. We want this record to remind us of everyone who stopped in. 

Sometimes important details get left out while transcribing, writing, or editing. It's important to us to try and recognize everyone who has shown us support and even share their contribution when appropriate. It's a small way for us to show how grateful we are for all of you and to remember what you've done to help our dad and our family during this trial.