Joye's Update 5/8/08

Well we made it. I can see why they call this Gods country . . . it's beautiful here. The ride in the jet was okay. Everything was fine until the moment we got over Colorado and the clouds caused a lot of turbulence. Then as we got into Denver we had to fly through a thunderstorm and that was really rocky. I just closed my eyes and prayed. Andrew did fine, it was me who was air sick. The crew kept teasing him, telling him that I was flying the plane. It was a tiny little jet that barely fit Andrew, me, the pilot, and two nurses. I'm so glad that part is over. They were ready for Andrew at the hospital and immediately began doing there assessments once we arrived. EVERYTHING is different here. I don't mean that in a bad way because they were great to Andrew at Select (Good Samaritan). They have lifts for moving him and all kinds of devices specifically designed for making someone with a spinal cord injury more comfortable here. His breathing is a little different here as the altitude comes into play. They say it takes 24 to 48 hours to acclimate. The have already confirmed one suspicion that arose in the last couple of days in Phoenix . . . he has pneumonia in his left lung. They had already started antibiotics in Phoenix and they are now giving him big breaths from the ventilator, plus they will do a different kind of vent tomorrow that is called a coughing ventilator to take care of the pneumonia as Andrew is unable to cough enough to loosen up what needs to be. They aren't too worried, just wanting to get it taken care of asap so that they can get on with weaning him off the vent. Andrews skin is in perfect condition; they did a great job at Select making sure he was turned often and given good skin care treatment during his stay there. Everyone was very impressed (almost shocked) with how good his skin looked for the amount of time he's been in bed now. While doing their assessments, the nurse asked Andrew a lot of questions . . . one of which was "what is the goal you'd like to reach during your stay at Craig?" He said, "To walk out of here." Then he was asked, "if that cannot happen, what is your next highest goal you'd like to reach at Craig?" He said "To walk out of here." She said, "Okay then," and went on with her assessment. He's still quite focused and determined. He's not actually talking when he answers, just moving his lips, but they are all very good at reading lips around here. It will be more assessments tomorrow and then rest to take care of the pneumonia over the weekend. He's happy to finally be here and is just looking forward to working hard to get on his feet. Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouraging posts . . . it means so much to both of us. I feel that God's purpose is being revealed with so many of you praying and worshiping in the Lord. We know that God did not make this happen, but He is definitely seeing Andrew through this. Good night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/7/08

Andrew had a good day today. He was able to sit in the Cadillac chair for nearly 1.5 hours and then he was able to rest nicely for the rest of the day. The trip to Colorado has been confirmed to take place tomorrow morning; we will leave at 6:30am. Denny Harkins came by one last time before we leave to pray with Andrew. We have appreciated Denny and his wife Christine so much in these past few weeks; they have really been there for us in so many ways. For those of you who do not know Denny, he is a (recently) retired Warden with Az Department of Corrections and is also a Pastor. He has been there for us in the capacity of a friend and a Pastor during this time, and I cannot tell you how much his unfailing faith and support have helped us. A while back, Denny e-mailed me a prayer that I've gone back to many times; it has given me much hope and comfort. I'd like to post it tonight in the blog . . . please pray his prayer with me now as we go off to Denver for the next phase of Andrews recovery.

Dear Lord ... I want to first thank you for who you are and the fact that you continually work in our lives. I know that nothing happens to us ... and around us ... that you do not use for our good. I know sometimes all of these things are very hard to understand. I do not understand all mysteries and ... do not know why we feel led to do certain things. Right now I feel led to pray for Drew in a certain way. I am praying that no sickness, injury, power or presence will be able to prevail against him. I pray that you would take all of these things and send them completely away from him and never allow them to return. I thank you that You are more powerful than all forces, powers, dominions, thrones, sicknesses or injuries. I know that you have authority over all of these things and that if You just say the WORD it will be done. I am asking you Lord to say the word and bring complete healing to Drew ... Spiritually ... Emotionally ... Mentally and ... Physically. I pray for the deliverance and the setting free of Drew in the name of Jesus Christ ... who at His very name every knee shall bow and tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Lord again ... just say the WORD and it will be so! Amen

Joye's Update 5/6/08

The Lord likes Thursday better. We heard today that Wednesday will not work for Andrew to be admitted to Craig Hospital. They tried very hard early this morning to get a jet here to get him, but it was not successful, so it will have to be Thursday. Andrew was okay with that . . . he knows he's going and he's thankful for that. He rested a lot today, so that was good. I spent a lot of time today on the computer doing research (as I've been doing constantly) while he was resting; there is a lot of encouraging information out there. I'm pasting a link here (I hope it works for your to view, you should just be able to click on the link below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0NQHro8jBY
This man's level of injury (C-7) is just a little lower than Andrews is (C-5/C-6 area of his spine). There is a lot of information online regarding the doctor (Dr. Carlos Lima) who is doing this adult stem cell procedure at the Lisbon's Egaz Moniz Hospital in Portugal. Please understand this procedure is done by using regenerating cells that we all have in our nasal area from our own bodies . . . this is not the same as embryonic stem cells derived from an unborn fetus. You know I will continue doing extensive research regarding this and other remarkable spinal cord injury medical breakthroughs that are taking place every day. We are praying for another restful day tomorrow and a safe trip for Thursday. I feel that God has lead us there and he will see us there safely. Thank you again for all of your prayers and encouraging words . . . those loving words are so helpful to us both. Andrew loves hearing them and it always warms my heart to hear that so many people are praying. Good Night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 5/5/08

Well, we have some news today . . . our trip has been postponed until Wednesday. We were lacking a signature to get Andrew transferred to another state, and it didn't come until late today, so plans had to be changed. But, it's okay; I just took it as a sign from God that Wednesday was a better day to travel than Tuesday. Everything is signed and sealed now, so we're happy about that. Andrew was disappointed, but is happy to know he only had to wait one extra day. He rested well today and he had no fevers. We've read and heard from many of you that you are wanting to visit him in Colorado, which is great . . . I think he needs people around him. Andrew did express to me today that although he does want people to visit, he really wants to get further into his recovery before people make the trip. His desire is to get off the vent, get talking, and be in a better position to be able to visit with people the way he'd like to. Not to mention his regimen for weaning off the vent is going to be drastically different at Craig. It will require loads and loads of rest and small periods of time with very hard work to strengthen the diaphragm followed by loads of rest, and so on. This weaning regimen is a completely different protocol that has been developed for patients who have a spinal cord injury and will be relying solely on the diaphragm to breath. It's much different than the regimen he's been going through at Select. The key is GOOD rest; just like a person who is a body builder . . . they lift heavy weights and then rest the muscles a lot, and then repeat. So I ask you to please understand, he does want to see people, he just wants to have a little control himself as to when that is. Since the beginning of this ordeal, I've made it a point to try very hard to make sure he doesn't feel that he has no choices or no control as to what is happening in his life right now. Andrew is my very best friend and I know that I am his . . . I respect him so much and the most important thing to me is that right now he always feels as though he is my husband and that I am his wife and although I am giving him all the care I can right now . . . I never want him to feel as though my role has changed to just that (caregiver). I will preserve our marriage and our friendship and our love; I just also happen to be the one providing him care as well. Andrew has a lot of pride and he is a very strong man . . . I will make sure that he always knows that will never change. He is my big, strong, kind, loving man and he will always be. We have our faith in God and, of course, that faith has only grown stronger since this has happened. We know that Andrew is in the fight of his life right now and with your prayers and encouragement, and with the love he and I have for each other . . . he's going to get through this just fine, I just know it. God is good and He hears our prayers . . . He is working on this for Andrew. Good Night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/4/08

Another pretty quiet day. Andrew is still pretty wiped out from fevers yesterday and last night. He did not sleep well last night either. I think he just got over tired yesterday and it really set him back a lot, just as the doctors said it would. I kept things quiet for him today and he did a lot of resting. . . we definitely want him strong enough for his journey Tuesday. His mother will be leaving tomorrow . . . he'll miss her praying with him and reading to him. After a while she will be able to visit him in Colorado . . . we just aren't sure how close the hospital is to lodging, etc. and I will not have a vehicle for a while; so I will check things out once I get there. I know it will be hard for her to be away from him in the mean time. If he's up to it, my sister is going to shave his head and trim his beard down as far as she can for him tomorrow so he'll be spiffy for his trip; besides the hair is itchy for him. I am trying to get packed for colder weather and don't worry . . . I've packed Andrew's tennis shoes for him to walk out of there in. Our faith is in God and His promise to us. We know that God has a purpose for this and we are seeing daily how many people are turning to the Lord . . . prayer is an amazing gift from God and it can bring much comfort and tremendous results. Keep praying and worship the Lord, I believe it's what He wants most from us. Good night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 5/3/08

Today was an okay day. Andrew felt better in the morning than he did in the afternoon. He was quite tired and spiked a fever, but is doing better now. A lot of times the fevers come from getting over tired and they really wipe him out. He's still very excited to be going to Colorado, as we all are. Andrew's faith is still his strength and he continues to pray all the time. Sometimes I see his eyes closed and then he opens them . . . I ask if he's sleeping and he says no and smiles; I know that he's praying. I'm so proud of him and in awe of how strong he is. He's so faithful and absolutely positive that he will walk again. His will and his perseverance amaze me daily. I was laying down last night trying to imagine what he is going through. As I lay there, I tried to feel what he could be feeling while only being able to feel from the chest up, and not have the ability to move arms or legs. The first thing I realized was that my face became itchy and I had no way to scratch it. When I got to the hospital today I asked him if he'd like me to scratch his head and his face, which by the way is a full beard now. He shook his head yes in a way that showed me he needed this in a bad way. I scratched his head and his face, and rubbed his ears for a very long time and he looked as though he was in heaven for just a little while. I did this several times throughout the day as it's just one thing I could think of to make him more comfortable. So many things we take for granted like just being able to scratch an itch when we need to. Well, just 2 more days until we leave . . . thank you for all your prayers in getting him there . . . I believe it will mean the difference in his recovery. God lead us there, He will give Andrew the strength to do the work, and we will soon witness the miracle . . . this I believe. Good Night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/2/08

We're in!!!! We leave early Tuesday morning for Colorado. They want Andrew there by 12:00 noon. Andrew was really happy today; he's really wanting to get there and get to work. We will be there for at least 4 months, and of course the prayer is that he walks out of there at that time or before. I have faith that God will heal him and give him the strength to just that. Our God is an awesome God who gave us His promise and I believe Andrew will be a testimony to it. Andrew has not wavered in his faith that God will heal him. I will continue this blog throughout Andrew's journey, so please keep posting . . . it has done wonders for Andrew's spirit. A lot of people say it's their lifeline to him, when really your posts are our lifeline to you . . . it keeps us going. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement, we cannot thank you enough. Good Night and God bless. Joye