Joye's Update 7/20/08

It was a pretty okay day today with exception to the fact that I had to take Dawn to the airport today to return home; I will really miss her company and help. It was great having her here. We did hear that Andrew's discharge date will most likely be in the first week in September, provided he continues on the same path he's now on. He could have to stay longer if he has something medically come up to set his progress back or, on a more positive scenario . . . if he gets a new muscle group back (feeling and movement) that could benefit from more rehab, he could stay longer for that. At this point, his discharge plan is for him to go home being able to breath and talk and eat during the day, and then he will be placed on the ventilator at night only. The night vent serves more than one purpose; it helps to open up his lungs and to keep them healthy as well as rests his breathing muscles during the night to keep him breathing strong during the day. Although this is not what we hoped for, it's by far better than having no time at all off the vent and we are thankful to God for that. We continue to pray together nightly for Andrew's healing and we feel privileged that Dawn joined in on those prayers with us while she was here. We will never take our eyes off the Lord and we continue to give thanks for all that we do have. Although we now have a "new normal," we are so thankful to have one another and we cherish our time together . . . and I know there are probably a lot of you worried that "Andrew" or "Drew" or "Langley" or "Big Dog" (whatever your favorite name for him is) has changed; I don't want you to be too worried. He's still a "jokester" and he's still full of life. You will get one look into his eyes and you will see your same ol' friend. He amazes me daily at how well he is dealing with all of this. I'm very proud of him and again, although our "new normal" is now quite different . . . I'm looking forward to every moment I have with this great man. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye