Day 260 to 295, May 16- June 19
First off, we want to apologize for how long it’s taken for the blog to be updated. It’s been a busy summer for everyone so far and we have a lot to report! Secondly, we want to thank you all for being patient and remaining supportive. While it seems like life has found a new “norm” for our mom and dad, there are still plenty of things they are still trying to figure out in this new life. Each new day seems to bring a new challenge.
Jeff and Annette had discussed getting a handicap accessible van for several months and had even been out to look at some. There were several problems they kept running into. The main problem was their budget. The only vans that fit in their budget were older models. While older vehicles are fine in general, Jeff literally couldn't fit in them. Another thing was that many of them had problems that would be costly to fix on top of the asking price.
What to do? Jeff was searching online when he came across a van that he thought might work. But, as always, there were road blocks. First, it was a salvaged title. That in itself calls the vehicle into question. Second, it was in Florida! Could we trust everything to be in order without seeing it for ourselves? Again, what to do?
We prayed. And then we prayed some more. Jeff made phone calls and sent e-mails and then it was decided. This was the van. Even shipped from Florida they saved at least $25,000 and stayed within their budget. Prayer answered!
It has been everything we had hoped for, and more. As with most new technology there was a learning curve at first. Annette was hesitant and overwhelmed when she was trying to figure everything out. It doesn't even have keys! It only starts remotely and there are buttons everywhere that do so many different things. And it's been such a blessing. It saves so much time loading and unloading Jeff and saves Annette from the physically demanding art of transfers. We are so grateful!
One Sunday when we were spending time as a family the guys got Jeff’s hoist onto the truck so they could make some adjustments. Annette learned how to use it so she can get Jeff onto his bike by herself. The hoist has since been moved to the van and has been so much help!
Sisterly love! We sure love our new baby!
One evening Jeff and Annette met Ryan's family in South Jordan at the community ponds. He and Annette rode the paved trails around the area while Ryan's family fished. Soon they were joined by Brandi's family who was ready to get out of the house for the first time since little Aspen came home.
The upgrades made to the road bike Jeff was given are adaptations to make it "quad friendly." Jeff has gloves that hook to the handles so he doesn’t have to worry about losing his grip while riding. The pictures below show Jeff getting ready to ride using the hoist to get him on the bike and then getting his gloves on and everything else in order.
Cherie's family was in St. George so they weren't able to join them. We are so grateful they were able to get away and spend time together as a family! It was a much needed vacation. This is a picture of Aliyah sleeping on the drive home. Too bad it didn't last the whole way!
Aspen’s first real bath! Look at all of that black hair!
Jeff and Annette have been going on bike rides regularly. This helps him build upper arm strength and self-esteem. On the morning of June 6th they made their way to the Jordan Parkway for their ride. The area where they normally get on the trail is down a very steep hill. Jeff learned a little too late that he doesn't have any leverage to push the breaks when the crank is in high gear and he wasn’t able to stop himself on the hill. He toppled right over and was stuck. This was his sixth time down this particular hill. Four times he made it without any trouble. Once before now he struggled with the breaks, but was able to turn sharp enough, fast enough, that it wasn’t too much of a problem (just a heart-pounding experience). It wasn’t until he crashed that he figured out what was happening. In low gear he has the leverage to push the breaks. Not so much in high.
Thankfully he wasn’t injured (that he knew of) and the biggest problem was getting him back on the bike. As you can imagine, Annette was upset. And worried. And almost in a panic. At that time of day they didn’t expect to see anyone else on the trail.
As they contemplated what to do Annette said a little prayer. It wasn’t much later that a couple came by on the trail! Not only that, but the man was quite fit and able to lift Jeff under the arms while Annette and the woman lifted each leg to get him back on his bike. It’s hard to describe the mix of emotions with this experience, even for those of us who weren’t present. Fear, anger, and anxiety being the first on the list. However, the answered prayer brought peace and comfort, increased faith, and a reminder of how much our Father in heaven loves us and how He is aware of us in our time of need.
We are so grateful that our parents have the faith that they do. That our mom thought to stop and say a prayer and knew that it would be answered, one way or another. We are grateful the answer came quickly and was a simple fix. We are grateful our dad didn’t sustain another injury; on that hill it could have been so much worse than it was. We are so grateful for a Heavenly Father who cares about us and is willing to send help when we seek it in faith.
Jeff went to Neuroworx for his physical therapy the next day and was fortunate enough to be there when President Uchtdorf and his wife were there! President Uchtdorf said that another General Authority was getting a knee replacement and they were checking the place out. Jeff had the opportunity to speak with him and his wife and says they were very nice. The thing he remembers most about their conversation was when President Uchtdorf said, “The only difference between a physical therapist and a terrorist is that you can negotiate with a terrorist!” Ha! Annette was also able to shake their hands and meet them. Even though it wasn’t exactly a spiritual thing, it still left them both feeling uplifted.
The next morning Jeff went riding with Max. It’s getting hotter and hotter each and every day here in Utah. Unfortunately, that means trouble with Jeff’s condition. He is very much like a lizard now. His body will get too cold and the normal mechanisms (like shivering) will not turn on to build up heat. On the other side of things, he gets too warm and his body won’t sweat below the transition zone in order to cool him off. This means we have to be very mindful of the environment he is in and how his body is affected.
When he was reaching the end of the ride he started to feel really strange. He became weaker and weaker as they got closer to home. By the time Max got him into his wheelchair he felt ready to pass out. Thinking quickly, Jeff asked Max to take him into the bathroom. While there, Max dumped four large glasses of ice water over Jeff’s head. Jeff says he was so overheated that the ice water didn’t even feel cold, just refreshing. Jeff then drank 3 glasses of ice water as quickly as he could manage. In the end he was soaked, but he felt normal again.
Needless to say, lesson learned. To avoid heat stroke in the future Jeff goes riding very early in the morning now. We are so grateful for the prompting he received about the ice water, we know it was divine intervention. We are also so very grateful for Max and all he has done. It has meant so much to all of us that he has gone above and beyond the call of friendship for our dad.
Every child has a “first” for everything. Some of those “firsts” hurt more than others and many times it’s the parent who hurts the most when bad things happen to their kids. That happened for our little Aliyah. She hadn’t been out of sight for long… It never takes long in these cases. Curiosity is good. It’s healthy. Unless it involves a very long flight of stairs. In a heart-stopping moment, thunk after thunk, Aliyah found herself at the bottom of those really interesting stairs. You can imagine the panic.
Poor Cherie still hasn’t forgiven herself even though Aliyah had no lasting effects from the experience. A slight rug burn to the forehead was the worst of it. She did everything right, checking for all the signs of concussion or other injury. But it’s Jeff’s response to the incident that really tugged our heartstrings. He could hear everything as it happened and the helplessness of his situation really sunk in. Annette said she had never seen him so upset and worried. He felt the urge to go save Aliyah and wasn’t even able to move. It’s moments like this that make his condition so difficult. It was a very hard reminder of his limitations.
Aliyah likes to eat breakfast with Jeff. This picture, taken the very next day, shows one of these sweet moments between them. They have a very special bond. If only our bodies could bounce back like hers did after such a fall!
Tylee had been struggling for the last several months with ear infections (or one big one that wouldn’t go away). She had so much pressure in her ears that the tympanic membrane was not vibrating at all. The surgeon said it equated to about a 20 decibel hearing loss and would lead to speech problems. The solution? Placing tubes in her ears. It was a simple procedure, done under general anesthesia, that only took about 15 minutes. She tolerated it well even though she was angry for most of the day afterward. Her ear drums were very stretched out and will take some time to heal. We are looking forward to her feeling better and maybe even sleeping at night!
June 11th was Aliyah’s first Birthday!! This sweet munchkin has been such a blessing in our family. She is always smiling, loves her family, and has a big personality. In Cherie’s words, “A year ago today this little cutie, at 37 weeks and 3 days, weighing 6lbs 5oz, made me a mom. Being her mom is one of my greatest blessings. She has taught me and continues to teach me so much. She is a big mommy’s girl, loves to be outside, and will eat pretty much anything you give her (cheerios, bananas, and goldfish are her favorites). She still has no teeth, but has the best smile and laugh that lights up my world and is contagious.” We sure love our little Aliyah and had fun celebrating her special day!
Little Miss Dainty wasn’t interested in getting her hands dirty! It was so cute!
Jeff and Annette spent time in Park City with Ryan’s family. Jeff had to be there for meetings. (He is a member of the board for the condo they own.) It was their first time staying in Park City since the accident. They had to trade to a handicap accessible condo and ended up right over the garage. It wasn’t too terrible and it put them really close to the conference room Jeff had to meet in.
Once again the portable lift system has been such a blessing. It was brought home from St. George so they can use it other places (Park City and Fountain Green). We don’t know how Annette could do all of Jeff’s cares without it. We hope the person who donated it to us knows just how grateful we are to them.
The first night was hard because the beds are only queen sized. Every time Annette touched Jeff his nerves would start to zing all over his body. It was not restful and the next day was pretty miserable trying to stay awake.
They woke to discover the horrible event that had taken place in Orlando, FL. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. You are in our thoughts and prayers! We hope you will be able to find peace through the turmoil that has happened.
Jeff and Annette stayed in the condo at Park City until Thursday, while Ryan’s family left Sunday. Poor Annette was sick with a migraine, head cold, and throwing up the rest of their stay. Taking care of Jeff while being sick was a huge trial. We are so grateful she found the strength to do everything required of her despite her illness. She is such a wonderful example to us of long suffering and faith.
Even being so sick Annette was able to take Jeff to the National Ability Center, an outdoor store that caters to handicapped individuals. Jeff was able to ride an off-road bike for the first time. With one tire in the back and two in the front it turns smoother, is more stable, and is all around easier to ride. It’s more complicated to build, but works a lot better.
The one he rode is much like the one he would like to have one day. With all the quadriplegic adaptations it will cost $14-15,000 to build. It might be far in the future before he is able to have one of his own, but it gives him something to look forward to and we are grateful he is able to try different styles of bikes out so he knows what will work best for him before making such a large purchase.
Look at this sleeping beauty! Aspen Rae. Already getting so big.
We want to wish all of the men in our lives a happy Father’s Day! We are so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate you and all you do for your families. We want our dad to know how much we love him and how proud of him we are for how he has held up against so much adversity. He is such an extraordinary example to us, our children, and future generations.
We were able to spend the afternoon together and chose to have lunch at the Riverton Park. The kids (and adults!) loved it and it’s something we are looking forward to doing more often.
Afterward we went to Clifton and Joyce Green’s house for homemade ice cream and brownies. Spending time together as a family is one of our greatest joys and it’s extra special when the extended family (on either side) gets to share that time with us.
Aliyah loves her baby doll! She's the cutest "mini mommy" around!
Our forever family!
As far as the general information about Jeff goes, he continues to visit the doctor for wound care each week. The wound on his back has improved the tiniest bit, but the sore on his hip remains the same. As long as it isn’t getting worse we are determined to be content.
Jeff still visits Neuroworx every week for physical therapy. He says he isn’t doing anything new, just the “same old stuff.” This includes strengthening and endurance exercises.
The insurance will only cover 20 visits of occupational therapy per year and unfortunately they ran out far too quickly. It’s interesting that the severity of the patient’s condition isn’t considered. As it is, we are grateful to say Jeff has an awesome O.T. who really cares about him and how he is doing. They are discussing possibly trading work. Kasey will get repairs to his truck that he is needing and Jeff will continue getting the therapy he needs. The finer details are still being considered.
We are so happy to report that the Durango was finally sold. Jeff hopes to sell his bike and Bronco next in order to raise the money needed to finish their basement. More on that project will be posted in the future.
Please note the updates made to the Q & A page as more has been added!
Again, we want to thank you all for the kindness, love, and support you have given us. You have made a difference in our journey. We have felt the love of our Father in heaven through your works. We have been touched by your thoughtfulness.
Life is not easy. Times in our lives have seemed easier than others, but we understand that everyone is fighting a battle. Thank you for thinking of us and serving us when we know many of you could use the same support and love in your own lives. We pray for you. We pray that you be blessed ten-fold for all you have done to be there in our time of need.
