Merry Christmas!
Hello everyone, this is Scott speaking. I realize that it has been awhile since my last update. Since that time, I went home for my day pass. It was so refreshing to get out of the hospital and get some “normalcy”. I was able to spend the day at home watching football and eating pizza with my wife and friend, Bryan. It left me looking forward to the days when this will become routine and not a special occasion.
One of my good friends, Eric, made a special trip in from Paris to visit me. This was also a great couple of days. Even though we were stuck at the hospital, it was still great to spend time and catch up with him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling too well one night, but nonetheless, Eric stayed at the hospital all night and was by my side for anything that I needed. Again, I was very fortunate and grateful to have his support. Both Eric and Bryan have been extremely supportive and generous throughout these past several months. In addition to these two great visits, I’ve also received a couple of visits from my friends Rick and Patty from Tennessee. Besides their company and support, they also gave me several aides that try to alleviate some wheelchair discomfort.
I officially left Metro on December 14th. I am now staying at Rae Ann Suburban in Westlake. The facility is located on Detroit Road, one half mile from Kristy and my apartment.
So far the facility has been a nice change; however, I am still getting adjusted to the schedule. This has left me spending more time in bed and less time in the chair than I would care to. The only good thing about being out of the chair is that my body doesn’t hurt as much. I have had nothing but problems with this chair since I first started using it. The back and head rests are not properly adjusted to fit my body. I have yet to be pressure mapped as well and the representatives of the company have been non-responsive to say the least. All of these issues with the chair leave both my body and my head in extreme pain. These pains greatly interfere with my therapy and desire to get out of bed into the chair.
Therapy is so important and one of the things necessary to help me if there is any hope for recovery. We have been researching facilities across the country that specialize specifically in spinal cord injuries. While the therapy at Rae Ann is good, there are many tools from which I could benefit that are not available here. I still have not gotten any movement back nor increased sensation; however, some of the therapists claim they can feel firing and twitching in my biceps when I am prompted to make a muscle. I hope this is the beginning of recovery and not just spasms.
‘Tis the season for flu and colds and I have been hit pretty hard. I spent Christmas Eve in the ER of the local hospital getting CAT scans for suspected blood clots. Fortunately, I passed all the tests and returned to Rae Ann that evening. I just need to battle through this cough that I have. As my wife pointed out, the days before Holidays aren’t always kind to me.
Speaking of Kristy, she is still my rock. Last evening we celebrated Christmas together and exchanged gifts. Kristy gave me a lot of new clothes because, as she said, “you might be in a wheelchair, but you still need to look good”. Today, for Christmas, a childhood friend of mine, who is now a priest – Father Damien, came into my room and celebrated Christmas Mass. I enjoyed that gift very much. My mother and father brought in great food and my sister, Lindsey, showed off her new engagement ring. She and her boyfriend, Mike, got engaged on Christmas Eve. Mike will be a great addition to the family.
I continue to ask everyone for their prayers. In particular please pray for a positive attitude to stay with me; peace and strength for my wife and family; recovery and movement of my body; and the financial means to continue getting the support and treatments that I need. One of the giant hurdles that remains is where I go after Rae Ann or rehab. Our apartment, unfortunately, will not accommodate me and all the equipment needed for my care. This hurts greatly since it may mean not living with my wife. If anyone is aware of any special needs housing that can accommodate us, please let us know.
Finally, (a little self plug) we are looking for more fundraiser ideas to raise the needed money to continue to get the care I need. If you or anyone you know have any ideas or causes to assist us, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
In closing, again I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a HEALTHY New Year. May God continue to bless all of us.
Scott