Only more god news to report. With each day that passes Jonathan becomes more aware of his surrounding, more cognisant, more calm and more cooperative. He's doing wonderfully!! Today in fact, we (Charlie, me and mom) got Jonathan up in his wheel chair and brought him outside for the first time in over 2 months!! We also brought Dixie, his dog, and I had to hold her as he petted her. He was so excited to see her!! It was a lot for him and he got tired very quickly. We weren't outside for 3-4 minutes before he said he was tired and asked us to take him back. So, we did and he is currently sleeping. It's a lot for him. Everything takes muscles that he hasn't used in 2 months. So, it's a challenge, but he's doing great!!
With clarity and coherence comes the awareness that he's in a tough situation. He's constantly praying for God to help him. A lot of things are scary for him and nearly everything is a huge effort for him. He's doing it, but he keeps saying - he's go a long way to go. We keep reminding him that he's already come so far, and he's doing great!! At this point, he's expressed that he doesn't yet want people to see him "this way". He's even weary of the nurses and Dr.'s coming in, but he's OK once we explain who they are and what they're here for.
All-in-all, he's doing wonderfully. He is right, there is still a very long road ahead for him, but one that we'll all travel with him. So, please continue to pray. He's facing a lot of challenges physically and emotionally, but we know , as He has, God will continue to help and restore him.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 9:10 AM
Jonathan is doing great! Over the past few days he has calmed down and has been extremely cooperative. He is doing wonderfully in all areas of therapy - speech, occupational and physical. He's "brushing" his own teeth which always has to be repeated by a nurse or family member - but he's doing the action and that's what counts, he's putting his sock on his left foot - his right leg was severely injured and it can't yet bend that far, he's pulling his shorts on and helping us help him get dressed. He listens to everything we ask him to do, and he does it without hesitation. He's doing wonderfully in those areas!
On Monday evening as I arrived to the hospital after work mom met me at Jonathan's door and said to begin to pray that there was a spiritual battle going on. So, i immediately did so and walked in. Jonathan was talking to dad and was asking him various questions that lead me to the conclusion that the enemy was trying to confuse his mind and heart. We prayed, spoke truth into Jonathan's life and ears, and answered all his questions accordingly. I won't go into detail, but just ask that you pray concerning this matter. It's an area that is of great concern to us. We know that God has amazing plans for Jonathan, and we also know that the enemy wants nothing more than to shut those plans down, to confuse and discourage him. We also know that this battle is already won in Jesus name. So, it's not out of fear that I ask you to pray, but out of faith. Even with this "incident" Jonathan's love for the Lord is evident. He wakes up praising God, and goes to sleep doing the same. We pray with him constantly - per his request, and he does so often on his own throughout the day. He wants scripture read to him and praise songs always in his ears. God is doing mighty things in my brother's life and I know that this is JUST the beginning.
The needs that we are still asking prayer for are: sight in his right eye to be restored, that his complete digestive system would function properly, that he would progress enough that he could start to swallow and get even just liquid down through his throat, for his right knee - it is very tight and is his main source of complaint, his heart rate - it is going down, but still high in comparison to what it should be, his blood pressure, he's got many blood clots which limits what can/can not be done in therapy - every limb has some clotting, etc. . . I could go on and on in detail of his needs, but those are the most common and necessary at this point. It seems that the medication we have Jonathan on now, which is very minimal, is the best for him right now. So, praise the Lord for that!
As from the beginning, November 26Th - 9 weeks ago today, we are continuing to see God's hand all over this entire situation. No other explanation would suffice for Jonathan's recovery, progress and life! So, we continue to give HIM all the glory, and I look forward to the day when Jonathan will take over this process and you all get to hear first hand all that God is doing. Until then - I'll keep you posted :)
On Monday evening as I arrived to the hospital after work mom met me at Jonathan's door and said to begin to pray that there was a spiritual battle going on. So, i immediately did so and walked in. Jonathan was talking to dad and was asking him various questions that lead me to the conclusion that the enemy was trying to confuse his mind and heart. We prayed, spoke truth into Jonathan's life and ears, and answered all his questions accordingly. I won't go into detail, but just ask that you pray concerning this matter. It's an area that is of great concern to us. We know that God has amazing plans for Jonathan, and we also know that the enemy wants nothing more than to shut those plans down, to confuse and discourage him. We also know that this battle is already won in Jesus name. So, it's not out of fear that I ask you to pray, but out of faith. Even with this "incident" Jonathan's love for the Lord is evident. He wakes up praising God, and goes to sleep doing the same. We pray with him constantly - per his request, and he does so often on his own throughout the day. He wants scripture read to him and praise songs always in his ears. God is doing mighty things in my brother's life and I know that this is JUST the beginning.
The needs that we are still asking prayer for are: sight in his right eye to be restored, that his complete digestive system would function properly, that he would progress enough that he could start to swallow and get even just liquid down through his throat, for his right knee - it is very tight and is his main source of complaint, his heart rate - it is going down, but still high in comparison to what it should be, his blood pressure, he's got many blood clots which limits what can/can not be done in therapy - every limb has some clotting, etc. . . I could go on and on in detail of his needs, but those are the most common and necessary at this point. It seems that the medication we have Jonathan on now, which is very minimal, is the best for him right now. So, praise the Lord for that!
As from the beginning, November 26Th - 9 weeks ago today, we are continuing to see God's hand all over this entire situation. No other explanation would suffice for Jonathan's recovery, progress and life! So, we continue to give HIM all the glory, and I look forward to the day when Jonathan will take over this process and you all get to hear first hand all that God is doing. Until then - I'll keep you posted :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 26, 4:45 PM
This one might be a little short, but an update nonetheless. Jonathan has had a pretty good couple of days, despite the fact that he had trouble keeping his "food" down on Saturday and early Sunday morning, he has been doing really well. He has calmed down considerably and is able to have "conversations". I have gotten 3 phone calls from my mom and dad per Jonathan's request. He wants to know when I'm coming :)So, of course, as every other day, right after work I'll hit the interstate and be there a.s.a.p. I get to stay the night with him tonight and have printed out some cognitive therapy exercises to do with him. Mom said that he did excellent in his therapy today. He has about 3 hours a day. Usually speech therapy is first, a break, then physical therapy, another break and finally occupational therapy. All three he was very cooperative and remained so the entire time. He got a good nights sleep last night which i am again hoping for tonight. He always functions best during the day when that is the case - just like us all!! So, please pray that would be the norm instead of the exception. We're so excited that he is doing well today and has been this weekend as well. Please continue to pray for these specific needs : his right eye, his cognition/understanding, his ability to sleep at night, to keep his "food" down, not to get dehydrated as diarrhea has been an issue the past few days, and for him to continue to progress in each area. Those are the most pertinent needs, although there are more. Thank you for your continuous prayers, and support. Dad called me this morning to inform me that as Jonathan was waking up, still in the process, he began to praise the Lord saying "Thank you Lord, you are good, you're the alpha and the omega, etc." God is doing a work in Him, and we are just so elated to be able to witness it all. Thank you again - your prayers are being answered!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 10:40 PM
It's been a few days since i updated everyone so there's a lot to say, but in light of my limited time to do so - I'll write what i can.
The past few days have been days of learning and trying to figure out through trial and error what Jonathan best responds to. Dad made the choice Thursday night, after observing that Jonathan calms when he is coming off of it, to take Jonathan off of the oxycodine unless absolutely necessary. That night, and each night since, Jonathan has slept much more through the night then before. He's remained off of the oxycodine since then and is now being given another pain medication. As many of you know - oxycodine is a very highly addictive drug and because Jonathan has had it given to him every 4 hours for the past two months dad was very concerned at the repercussions of that. So far Jonathan has responded well to the cancellation of that particular medication. While we did cancel that medication he has continued to have other pain medication. They have a release patch on his back that releases pain medication as needed over a 72 hour period. He's done well with that.
Today I got to spend all day with him. Just he and i until mom got there later this afternoon. She's staying with him all night long. So, she took some time today. Early this morning Jonathan was starting to hum. So, I asked him if he wanted to sing. For over an hour he and I sang worship songs that he and I played together when he played drums for the worship team at bay life. His favorite today was "Here I Am to Worhsip". He sang it over and over again. I called Rachel and then mom to let them hear. It was the most beautiful song I've ever heard!! Once he was done singing, that time around, I started reading to him some scriptures from the Message translation. It's an easy read and one that's very plain to understand. I read to him Jonah, then Ruth, the first 18 chapters of 1 Samuel then familiar stories like David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lions den, etc. The entire time, an hour and a half, he laid there listening, making comments occasionally, "wow" "hmmm", etc. It was amazing. I kept reading. Eventually he dozed off. Soon after he had occupational therapy and did great. He can put his own socks on, count to 100, name all the months, spell all of his family members names, including Dixie's - our dog! :)
There was a slight incident. After getting his "protein shake" poured into his stomach tube he threw all of it up nearly 5 minutes later. It was a little traumatic for him, but we remained calm and got everything cleaned up, situated and comfortable for him again. As I was sitting in bed with him he rolled over hugged my leg, and as I rubbed his back he fell asleep. It was just a sweet moment. He loves his family and constantly wants them close, and we are more than happy to be there. Mom's staying with him tonight. Her and dad have been so great through this whole ordeal - constantly by his side doing whatever is necessary. The whole family has been amazing. Jonathan knows how much he is loved. Tuesday night as I stayed with him he kept telling me how lucky he was because of his family. The nurses and Dr.'s have commented about how amazed they are that someone is always with him - 24 hours a day he's got some family member with him. Mom's usually there all day long, dad often times with her and he and I rotate at night. Charlie and I come after work and Rachel is going to be flying in very soon. He may think he's lucky, but we're so blessed to have such a passionate, tender hearted and strong brother and son.
Thank you to all that prayed and fasted with us today. We know that God has heard our prayers and that the answer is on it's way. We're still praying for clarity of mind, strength of body and spirit. Healing of his right eye and continued healing over the rest of his body. His heart rate is still an issue, though his blood pressure is being controlled pretty well with medication. So, please continue to pray and believe for those specific issues. Thank you so much for your faithful, diligent and continuous prayers!!
The past few days have been days of learning and trying to figure out through trial and error what Jonathan best responds to. Dad made the choice Thursday night, after observing that Jonathan calms when he is coming off of it, to take Jonathan off of the oxycodine unless absolutely necessary. That night, and each night since, Jonathan has slept much more through the night then before. He's remained off of the oxycodine since then and is now being given another pain medication. As many of you know - oxycodine is a very highly addictive drug and because Jonathan has had it given to him every 4 hours for the past two months dad was very concerned at the repercussions of that. So far Jonathan has responded well to the cancellation of that particular medication. While we did cancel that medication he has continued to have other pain medication. They have a release patch on his back that releases pain medication as needed over a 72 hour period. He's done well with that.
Today I got to spend all day with him. Just he and i until mom got there later this afternoon. She's staying with him all night long. So, she took some time today. Early this morning Jonathan was starting to hum. So, I asked him if he wanted to sing. For over an hour he and I sang worship songs that he and I played together when he played drums for the worship team at bay life. His favorite today was "Here I Am to Worhsip". He sang it over and over again. I called Rachel and then mom to let them hear. It was the most beautiful song I've ever heard!! Once he was done singing, that time around, I started reading to him some scriptures from the Message translation. It's an easy read and one that's very plain to understand. I read to him Jonah, then Ruth, the first 18 chapters of 1 Samuel then familiar stories like David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lions den, etc. The entire time, an hour and a half, he laid there listening, making comments occasionally, "wow" "hmmm", etc. It was amazing. I kept reading. Eventually he dozed off. Soon after he had occupational therapy and did great. He can put his own socks on, count to 100, name all the months, spell all of his family members names, including Dixie's - our dog! :)
There was a slight incident. After getting his "protein shake" poured into his stomach tube he threw all of it up nearly 5 minutes later. It was a little traumatic for him, but we remained calm and got everything cleaned up, situated and comfortable for him again. As I was sitting in bed with him he rolled over hugged my leg, and as I rubbed his back he fell asleep. It was just a sweet moment. He loves his family and constantly wants them close, and we are more than happy to be there. Mom's staying with him tonight. Her and dad have been so great through this whole ordeal - constantly by his side doing whatever is necessary. The whole family has been amazing. Jonathan knows how much he is loved. Tuesday night as I stayed with him he kept telling me how lucky he was because of his family. The nurses and Dr.'s have commented about how amazed they are that someone is always with him - 24 hours a day he's got some family member with him. Mom's usually there all day long, dad often times with her and he and I rotate at night. Charlie and I come after work and Rachel is going to be flying in very soon. He may think he's lucky, but we're so blessed to have such a passionate, tender hearted and strong brother and son.
Thank you to all that prayed and fasted with us today. We know that God has heard our prayers and that the answer is on it's way. We're still praying for clarity of mind, strength of body and spirit. Healing of his right eye and continued healing over the rest of his body. His heart rate is still an issue, though his blood pressure is being controlled pretty well with medication. So, please continue to pray and believe for those specific issues. Thank you so much for your faithful, diligent and continuous prayers!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 12:30 PM
Unfortunately, a great day for Jonathan yesterday seemed to turn off like a light switch around the 5:00 hour. He retreated to what we had been witnessing for the past few 3-4 weeks, not really himself, in a haze and increasingly restless. Last night was more of that. I stayed with him last night and was so excited to rush over there after work to see Jonathan in all his glory, only to be a little disappointed to find him in the state I left him the day before. At the particular time I walked in he was agitated beyond what I had seen recently. He was afraid and seemed to be crying. My mom was trying to comfort and calm him, but nothing was working. So, I gave it a whirl and after about 30 minutes he calmed down and was just completely a sweetheart - every 2 seconds telling me and mom that he loved us and asking for hugs. Mom left around 7ish and he and I just sat and chatted. It wasn't full conversations, just mostly telling each other how much we loved each other. I told him things like I was proud of the person he is and that I don't tell him often enough how much I love and appreciate him. He repeated the same sentiments to me and apologized for not being there like he thinks he should. It was 3 hours of very simple "conversation" - really just exchanging of sentiments and trying to jog his memory of certain childhood events. Most of them he did remember. . . he got a sleep aid around 10 and started drifting off around 10:20. He fell asleep with both of his arms wrapped around mine lying on his chest. There was no way for me to get up :) Of course I didn't mind. So, I sat there thanking God he was still here, asking for healing and for God to reveal himself to Jonathan. Around 11 he woke up in agony - his right knee in a lot of pain. Warm compresses helped, but ultimately they gave him his pain meds early and that gave him some sleep around 12:30. He slept from then until around 3 when again he woke up frantically. I stayed by/in his bed until 5 when he finally dozed off again for another 2 hours. This morning was a difficult morning. The staff started getting him ready for physical therapy long before any of his pain meds or feeding was given to him. It threw him completely off and the panic was there once again. I left as he was being wheeled down to physical therapy not excited as he normally is, but very anxious and a little frightened it seemed.
I can't tell you why he's retreated back nor can the nurses. The only explanation is that he will have good days and he will have bad days. We are believing that the good will far out weigh the bad. The only way I can seem to explain this whole situation is that God knew Dad and mom needed a glimpse that Jonathan will be OK. They needed to see that He will be made whole in his mind and come back to the Jonathan that we all know, love and miss. I believe God gave them a glimpse of that yesterday, a necessity for them during this trying time. Possibly, He did that to give them hope, but only allowed a glimpse as it's not time just yet for the full reveal. I don't know. None of us do, but even though it seems today that we've taken a step back. Even though dad's frustrated and we're left with many questions - we know that we will see that Jonathan again and soon I believe. It may just be more of a process. God may not be yet doing what He planned all along to do. So, through our frustration and questions - we trust and we praise God. For even that small glimpse is reason to praise!!
I can't tell you why he's retreated back nor can the nurses. The only explanation is that he will have good days and he will have bad days. We are believing that the good will far out weigh the bad. The only way I can seem to explain this whole situation is that God knew Dad and mom needed a glimpse that Jonathan will be OK. They needed to see that He will be made whole in his mind and come back to the Jonathan that we all know, love and miss. I believe God gave them a glimpse of that yesterday, a necessity for them during this trying time. Possibly, He did that to give them hope, but only allowed a glimpse as it's not time just yet for the full reveal. I don't know. None of us do, but even though it seems today that we've taken a step back. Even though dad's frustrated and we're left with many questions - we know that we will see that Jonathan again and soon I believe. It may just be more of a process. God may not be yet doing what He planned all along to do. So, through our frustration and questions - we trust and we praise God. For even that small glimpse is reason to praise!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 9:45 AM
What an amazing God we serve! I just received another emotional call from my dad, but this time tears of Thanksgiving for the immediate progress he's seen so far today with Jonathan.
For nearly 3 weeks Jonathan has been "awake" and talking. Some times he makes complete sense and other times he's so far out in left field it's amazing. Since he's been in rehab the struggle to make sense of things has magnified. They have been trying different medications to see which ones would work, basically as they told us, to learn what his body responds to by trail and error. Well, they must have gotten it right last night! They did give him a sleep aid, which was much needed and Jonathan's body responded accordingly. Dad said he slept for 9 hours straight!! When he woke up this morning he was Jonathan, in every sense of the word. He was lucid, and cognisant. He was calm and cooperative. The speech therapist came in and was asking him some questions - his birthday, the days of the week, etc. Each question he answered correctly without hesitation. She then asked him some other questions to see where his mind really was. She asked if you can see through milk he said no. She asked him if books can fly and he said sometimes. She began to mark that down as a wrong answer and my dad asked Jonathan to explain. In typical Jonathan sarcasm he said, if you put them on a plane or if you throw them they can fly!! :) Such a simple answer that brought such joy to his family. He is coming back to his own. We could not be more happy for those responses. God is a good God, and we give Him all the praise. Jonathan is getting ready to go to physical therapy right now. We got him some new basketball gear to wear, which he is very excited about, and he got dressed, with the help of the nurses of course, but without struggle like before.
Dad is elated and we are so grateful to all that have been praying. Please, please continue. The progress that has been made over night has been monumental, but there is still much more progress that is necessary. We are still asking that this Saturday at noon everyone would be fasting and praying with us for Jonathan's understanding and full recovery. He is on his way, but still in need of prayer. There are still many needs, but we do not want to lack in giving our praise to God for the great things He has done. I can not wait to continue in this theme, and tell you of the many more praise worthy things to come!!
For nearly 3 weeks Jonathan has been "awake" and talking. Some times he makes complete sense and other times he's so far out in left field it's amazing. Since he's been in rehab the struggle to make sense of things has magnified. They have been trying different medications to see which ones would work, basically as they told us, to learn what his body responds to by trail and error. Well, they must have gotten it right last night! They did give him a sleep aid, which was much needed and Jonathan's body responded accordingly. Dad said he slept for 9 hours straight!! When he woke up this morning he was Jonathan, in every sense of the word. He was lucid, and cognisant. He was calm and cooperative. The speech therapist came in and was asking him some questions - his birthday, the days of the week, etc. Each question he answered correctly without hesitation. She then asked him some other questions to see where his mind really was. She asked if you can see through milk he said no. She asked him if books can fly and he said sometimes. She began to mark that down as a wrong answer and my dad asked Jonathan to explain. In typical Jonathan sarcasm he said, if you put them on a plane or if you throw them they can fly!! :) Such a simple answer that brought such joy to his family. He is coming back to his own. We could not be more happy for those responses. God is a good God, and we give Him all the praise. Jonathan is getting ready to go to physical therapy right now. We got him some new basketball gear to wear, which he is very excited about, and he got dressed, with the help of the nurses of course, but without struggle like before.
Dad is elated and we are so grateful to all that have been praying. Please, please continue. The progress that has been made over night has been monumental, but there is still much more progress that is necessary. We are still asking that this Saturday at noon everyone would be fasting and praying with us for Jonathan's understanding and full recovery. He is on his way, but still in need of prayer. There are still many needs, but we do not want to lack in giving our praise to God for the great things He has done. I can not wait to continue in this theme, and tell you of the many more praise worthy things to come!!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2:40 PM
This weekend has been a rather involved weekend, hence the lack of posts. Jonathan's first few days in rehab have been a big adjustment for him and for us. They immediately took Jonathan off of all of his anti-anxiety medication which did not prove to be a good decision. Jonathan became very irritable, kicking, yelling and just unbelievably restless. His pain medication was 7 hours late immediately after the transition, and you can not imagine how furious we were about this. They eventually gave him 4mg of morphine to get him started on his normal schedule. Still, he was restless and remained so for 2 days. They did start to again give him some anti-anxiety medication as well as a sleep aid during the night as Jonathan wasn't sleeping AT ALL. Yesterday I saw him settle down a little bit. He actually fell asleep with me sitting in his bed and him holding on to me. He slept that way for about 2 hours and I dared not to move as waking him was not an option!! When he did eventually wake, as is the norm recently, he was very emotional and volatile. It's almost as if he's waking up for the first time and very scared by his surroundings.
Today dad called me to ask again for your prayers. Because Jonathan is yet fully understanding his circumstance, what has happened and all that it entails the doctors are very concerned. Jonathan still does not have control of his body often times, and most of this is due to his mental capacity at this point. The doctor that spoke to my dad today informed him that Jonathan's brain capacity may be diminished because of the accident. Simply put - we do not receive that report! We are not naive to the situation, but we are believing for clarity of mind. We are believing for healing of Jonathan's brain and that it would function as it was designed to function. God has not told us that this would not be the case. So, we pray and BELIEVE for full restoration. Please, agree with us fervently for this. We are desperate to see progress in this area - so much so that dad has asked again that this Saturday during the noon meal, all that are able would fast and pray with us for Jonathan's mental clarity and healing. We know the power of prayer. This blog is a testament to the many answers and miracles we have already seen due to the prayers going up around the world in agreement. Please continue. We know it is a long road and that often times life takes over and the need doesn't seem as pressing when you're not involved in the every day situation, but please do not relent in your prayers or in the urgency of them. We love you all so much, and we are so thankful for your outpouring of love and support you have shown to us and to Jonathan. We celebrate and rejoice, in advance, for yet another answer to these specific prayers!
Today dad called me to ask again for your prayers. Because Jonathan is yet fully understanding his circumstance, what has happened and all that it entails the doctors are very concerned. Jonathan still does not have control of his body often times, and most of this is due to his mental capacity at this point. The doctor that spoke to my dad today informed him that Jonathan's brain capacity may be diminished because of the accident. Simply put - we do not receive that report! We are not naive to the situation, but we are believing for clarity of mind. We are believing for healing of Jonathan's brain and that it would function as it was designed to function. God has not told us that this would not be the case. So, we pray and BELIEVE for full restoration. Please, agree with us fervently for this. We are desperate to see progress in this area - so much so that dad has asked again that this Saturday during the noon meal, all that are able would fast and pray with us for Jonathan's mental clarity and healing. We know the power of prayer. This blog is a testament to the many answers and miracles we have already seen due to the prayers going up around the world in agreement. Please continue. We know it is a long road and that often times life takes over and the need doesn't seem as pressing when you're not involved in the every day situation, but please do not relent in your prayers or in the urgency of them. We love you all so much, and we are so thankful for your outpouring of love and support you have shown to us and to Jonathan. We celebrate and rejoice, in advance, for yet another answer to these specific prayers!
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