Day 296 to 330, June 20- July 24

Day 296 to 330, June 20- July 24

Life is hard on the best of days. On the bad days it can be downright painful. This is the reality our parents are living. A lot of good things happened over the past month, but there was also struggle. 

We, as a family, started cleaning out the basement of our parent's house. Years of memories were brought to the surface, a craft room with several unfinished projects was disturbed, and a whole lot of winter gear that was hardly used was sorted. And it hurt. 

We had planned on eventually going through everything in the basement to get it better organized before the accident happened. Circumstance forced us to finally act. The plan is to finish the basement. If rented, it will give our parents some much needed income. 

We spent hours sorting through things. Toys from childhood, beautiful handmade holiday decorations, items of sentimental value, workout equipment, tools, winter gear... We laughed and we cried. The hardest thing was watching our parents give up their old way of life. Jeff's skis and exercise equipment and Annette's projects that she knows she will never be able to finish... Why does it have to be this way?

We had a garbage pile, a D.I. pile, and a storage pile. As they each grew we were surprised to see how much had accumulated over the last 30+ years of our parent's lives. A whole way of life now gone. This new chapter brings so many changes. We hope in time there will be more positives than negatives.

We knew we wouldn't be able to accomplish as much with the grandkids around. We want to give a huge thanks to Joyce and Courtney for helping with the babies. They kept them entertained, fed, and happy as we worked. 

We are also so thankful to Joe and Kristen Green for taking the 4 older grandkids for the entire day. They had a blast and weren't ready to leave even after 9 hours!

While we didn't finish going through everything, we put a large dent in the project and we are grateful for all we were able to accomplish. It was nice afterward to sit down to a meal together.

The next weekend Ryan's family went camping and invited everyone to come to their campsite for dinner one night. Jeff and Annette might not be able to camp anymore, but at least they could enjoy the experience for an evening. Zach volunteered to cook his famous cheesy potatoes that turned out amazing. 

Jeff spent most of the time holding our sweet baby Aspen and swatting away bugs. (Unfortunately, the campsite was right next to a bog that housed far too many mosquitos.) Before the accident Jeff didn't really hold babies when they were so small. He preferred to wait until they could interact with him. 

Brandi said, "Even with the few positive things, it's still not worth it." We all agree, but we also know how important it is to find those little things to be grateful for and make them the focus. 

You never know what the Lord has in store for you, and this was certainly unexpected. Jaxon was sitting at the picnic table with his feet underneath him. When he tried to get out of the bench his feet became tangled and he fell backwards. His head slammed into the cement ring around the fire pit. That is a sound none of us will soon forget. 

A small mercy was that the entire family was there to help with Talon and Tylee while Ryan and Julee took Jaxon down the canyon to get his head stapled back together.

Jaxon was a trooper and didn't even cry as they fixed him up. Nine staples for our 9 year old. 

They made it back to camp just in time for S'mores. We are so grateful he wasn't hurt more seriously and we were pleasantly surprised that he did not sustain a concussion. 

Every 4th of July we go to Uncle Leroy's for a BBQ. It's great seeing his side of the family and spending time together. We are so grateful to them for hosting it each year and want them to know how much we appreciate all they do!

It's a gathering that the kids especially look forward to weeks in advance. 

We hope you all had a fun and safe Independence Day! We are so blessed to be in a country where we can be free and live our lives how we wish to live them. Our wonderful country is a gift from God and we pray our leaders will be guided and directed as they were back when our Founding Fathers first wrote the Declaration of Independence. 

Little Miss Aliyah has had it rough. She has never been the best sleeper and has been on antibiotics for ear infections way too many times in her short life. She was finally seen by a specialist (Dr. Meads, the same doctor who did Tylee's tubes) and it was determined that she also needed tubes in her ears. We weren't surprised. 

Our sweet girl did well during the surgery, but struggled after the anesthesia. She was not a happy camper. 

After two good naps she was finally back to her usual smiling self. Her tympanic membranes were also stretched from the amount of pressure behind them and it will take time for them to get back to normal. We hope she will show improvement in her hearing and will start to sleep better at night!

Little Aspen had a very special day and we were so grateful to spend it together. She was blessed by her dad, Zach. 

Here is what Brandi had to say about it:

"It was a wonderful day and I'm so thankful to have a husband who holds the priesthood and is worthy to give little Aspen such a special blessing. I was also grateful that my dad got to participate in the blessing. I know it's hard for him and he doesn't like to make things harder on everyone. He told me a few days before the blessing that it wouldn't work. I told him, yes it would! He also doesn't like "making a scene" and having others "stare at him." To make matters worse, our ward's handicapped accessible bench is on the very front row of the chapel! So probably for the first time ever a good majority of us sat in the two front rows and there was no hiding from anyone up there! I was just grateful that he came and went outside his comfort zone to participate. I know he did it because he loves his family. What made the day extra special though was all of the family that came to support us. We are so very blessed to have such close, loving, and supportive families. All of Aspen's Grandparents were there and 4 of her great grandparents. It's not very often that children get to meet their great grandparents and if they do those great grandparents are usually in nursing homes and ill. But, not Aspen's great grandparents. She is blessed to have them all in pretty darn good health! I just love having close family and am so thankful for everyone who traveled from near and far to support us and Aspen on her very special day!"

Jaxon was a trooper when Julee took the staples out of his head. His hair was embedded in the scabs and bits were pulled out with the staples, but he handled it really well. It looks great!

Lamb Days is another July family tradition. It celebrates the founding of Fountain Green, a little town just southeast of Nephi. Jay and Peggy restored a house there and we all take advantage of their hospitality for three days each year. Jeff wasn't sure if he wanted to go this year, but with enough coaxing he finally agreed. A huge thanks to Blake and Cherie for all their hard work helping to make it possible. 

Grandpa Jay cooking our favorite curly French fries!

The kids loved the parade. It's always so much fun!

There were 15 of the 16 Page great grandchildren there this year!

We sure love our babies!

We were able to talk Jeff into riding on the side by side! He struggled to enjoy it because of how loud it was, but it ran smooth enough it didn't make his nerves freak out. 

Going to Lamb Days was actually pretty rough on Jeff and Annette overall. As you all know, Jeff is a "goer." He always has been. It was difficult for him to sit still with nothing to occupy his mind. He ended up inside the main house a couple of times just so he could watch tv. 

Another difficulty for Jeff and Annette was their 35th wedding anniversary. They used to miss part of Lamb Days every year so they could go celebrate together. This year it wasn't really even mentioned. Maybe in time it won't be so painful. 

We love our mom and dad so very much and want them to know how grateful we are to have them as our parents. They have given us the greatest example of long suffering, service, and faith. We have learned so much about life through their continued perseverance. If their marriage can withstand the storms they've been through, we know we can make it through anything also if we rely on our Heavenly Father like they do.

We would also like to wish Peggy a very happy birthday and we loved being able to spend that time with her. We love you Grandma Geggy!

The kids sure enjoyed going on rides and having so much time to play. 

After a particularly dusty ride everyone who went came back covered in dirt. Ryan used the air compressor to blow a lot of it off of everyone. Here is the funniest "after" picture:

We also had a family get-together on the 24th of July, Pioneer Day here in Utah. Our reasons were completely unrelated though. We were able to spend time with Tia and Dan who we haven't seen in a very long time. It was great to be able to see them and be together as a family!

We want to give a huge thanks to Max and Stan for taking Jeff mountain biking and spending so much time with him. It has really made a difference in his quality of life. It provides him with both physical and mental therapies and we can not thank them enough for their kindness and service. 

The every day things in Jeff's life are changing again. Some for good, others not so much. 

There has been a new development with Jeff's sores. We are excited for this change because we hope it will lead to better results than past treatments. A wound vac was placed over his hip sore. He will be going to the wound clinic twice this coming week and we are anxious for some good news. The picture below is the device. It's small enough to fit in his pocket. 

Saying that this next change is bad news is really an understatement. We are so frustrated over it, but at this point in time there is nothing we can do about it. Jeff is no longer able to go to Neuroworx because the maximum number of visits allowed for the year have been used. 

No more physical therapy! 

If he had a joint replacement it would be understandable. But to become paralyzed and have such a limited number of therapy sessions? Who made these rules anyway? Because of this change we will either have to raise more money to pay cash for his physical therapy, or pray for a grant of some sort. Either way, it may be a while before he is able to return. 

Please pray with us that we might be directed in what to do next. If you are able to donate to Jeff's gofundme account we would really appreciate anything you could give. Pass the word around for us, please. 

It's not easy to ask for help, especially the financial kind. Unfortunately, Jeff has been placed in a position of complete dependence and there is only so much we can do on our own. We have been so blessed with friends and family who have gone above and beyond for us and we will be forever grateful. 

To everyone who has touched our lives, eased our burdens, and prayed on our behalf, thank you. While those two little words never seem to be quite enough, we mean then from the bottom of our hearts!

Day 260 to 295, May 16- June 19

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.