It's been too long since last update

Well, I can't believe that it's been almost three years since my last update on here - wow, how time flies! It was nice to go back and read some of my posts and the comments of encouragement and prayer that were being left for us. I also really enjoyed seeing how God's mercy and grace has covered our family during this difficult time. Well, since our last update I am happy to report that Troy continues to thrive well and getting stronger and stronger. He can now use a walker (and two people helping) and that's a huge improvement from the times where he could barely stand up on his own. We have been living in Kennesaw, GA now for almost two years and we love it up here. It's much closer to everything like the Shepherd Center, the gym for Troy's continued therapy, pharmacies, etcetera. We are also halfway between Raleigh (where Troy's family lives) and Orlando (where my family lives) so this is a happy medium. Best of all, the house is fully equipped for wheelchair accessibility so it has ramps at every entrance, bars by the commode and in the shower and a roll-in shower. It definitely makes our lives much easier and helps Troy feel a bit more independent. We still have caregivers come help us, but not on a 24 hour basis anymore. It's nice not having a stranger in the house 24/7, but it's also nice because the team now is much smaller and we have all become very close. Thank you for all the prayers and words of encouragement during a time in my life where I felt so alone and scared. Troy is truly a testament to what faith and prayer can really do and the fact that miracles DO in fact happen! We continue to praise God for all He's done for us and how better Troy is and will continue to be. I will try to periodically come in here and post updates to keep everyone informed on how he's doing. Love you all, Troy, Joan, Brianna and Tyra.

Troy and Tyra "monkeying" around

A cute video of Troy playing with Tyra at home. :)

Update

Well, having Troy home is truly a blessing! We are a family again and things are finally settling in to a bit of a routine. Having him home for the holidays was great. We all sat around the tree opening presents on Christmas eve and I was overjoyed to see that God granted us another chance at US and I am not ever going to take that for granted!

Troy now goes to therapy 2 times a week, sometimes 3. His therapy week now consists of 2 weekly sessions with the occupational therapist, 2 sessions with the physical therapist and one session a week in the pool. I had the opportunity to attend a training session with him for a pool session and it's basically him doing exercises with his legs under the water and walking with the help of a walker and a person holding him. It also helps him work on his balance without the feeling that he's going to fall over because the water serves as a cushion to help him gain his balance without feeling like he's not being supported. It was very informative. Eventually, I'll have to take him to a local community pool and do the therapy sessions with him myself. That's why the therapist wanted me to come along and learn how to do it.

Also, I wanted to update on the Poker Run done for Troy by Motorcycle Clinic. It was awesome to see Troy interacting with all his friends, customers and even strangers that came by to support him! The love and support we saw that day was immeasurable and such a blessing! Troy was so happy he kept tearing up of happiness. The run raised a little over $3,000! It was awesome!

I really don't know how we would have made it this far without all the support, both financial and emotional, we have received in these past 7 months. The prayers, the checks that are still coming in, the cards, letters and emails that I receive on a weekly basis are what keep me going. Really, God has put us in a position to be surrounded by so much love and support that there is no way that we could ever not be ok!

Things in the Walker home have definitely changed, some for the worst, some for the better, but having all you loving people by our side and God illuminating our footsteps along the way makes this journey that much easier. We are truly blessed.

It's been a while :)

Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since I blogged for Troy. Well, aside from my life being so full with my classes, working from home again and the girls school activities, everything has been going well with Troy's recovery. The healing is still very slow and I can't say there has been a huge improvement that is noticeable all at one time, but I do notice him getting around a lot easier and he's been working hard at using his right arm more and more. Right now all he can do is open and close his hand, he's still trying to get his brain to communicate with his arm so that he can lift it and reach out for things. Little by little, this is all about baby steps, I tell him.

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful. The hospital gave him what is called a "day pass" where he could come to the house, with a nurse, and spend all day with us. He was transported to the house and back to the hospital on Thursday through Sunday from 10am to 9pm. It was really nice having him home and also getting a feel on how it will be when he finally comes home.

He is scheduled to be home today. The modifications to the tub and the entryways were finally finished yesterday afternoon so the workers' comp rep will be here to inspect it all today and give the OK for Troy to come home. I can't believe it's been 7 months since the accident already and 7 months to the day when Troy gets to come home on a permanent basis.

God has been so good to us through all of this adversity. I have been able to keep everything together and keep my sanity at the same time! It hasn't been easy and at times I feel myself dwindling away, but then I realize how much worst off we could have been without Troy here and it gives me the energy to keep fighting for him.

Troy has come a long way and he still has a long road ahead of him to continue on. I have said this before and I will say it again, this is the true test of patience and faith.

So, with this said, and now that Troy will be home, I will try to keep up the blog as much as I can. I don't know exactly how everything will be with him being home and all, but I'm sure we'll adjust, just as we have with everything else. God is the pilot of this ship, I'm just going to sit back and put all my trust and faith in Him, just as I have been doing and pray for the best. Thanks again to all for your prayers and thoughts through this journey!

Update for Weeks of Nov 1st and Nov 8th

These past two weeks have been filled with outings with Troy and the girls and I and him preparing for coming home. There have even been a few times where we bring him home to hang out at the house with the girls and I. Unfortunately, the contractors still hasn't come out to the house to handicap ready the house so he can't spend the nights here yet, but I'm praying they get that done really soon!

On the medical aspect of it, Troy has been battling with the fact that he is going to have to deal with his ataxia and learn how to cope with it and make it work for him, as he continues to heal. Ataxia is defined as wobbliness. An in-coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body's posture and regulate the strength and direction of limb movements. Ataxia was a consequence of the bruising on the brain, specifically in the cerebellum which lies beneath the back part of the cerebrum, right underneath the brain stem. There is no cure for this, but with help of therapy he can slowly regain his balance and learn to coordinate his steps and walk with minimal to no assistance. The only problem is that this is a slow process, so while he's wanting to get up and walk now, it might be years down the road before he can do that on his own. NOW...with all of that said, I am only recording this as the medical aspect of it, not as a declaration of what is to happen. We all know that the final verdict in Troy's health will be God's will...not the doctor's!

On another note, Troy has also been coughing a lot when he eats. This is because, due to the brain injury, the epiglottis (a small flap you have in your throat that opens to let you breath and covers the bronchi when your eating so food doesn't go down your windpipes) has slowed it's reaction, so when he's eating too fast, the epiglottis doesn't have the reaction time to close and food goes down the wrong way causing him to cough. The therapist have made a sign for him to put in front of his plate when he's eating to remind him to slow down and chew his food and swallow slowly, and so far (I was there having dinner with him yesterday) he has been doing well with that. They will do a swallow study on him again to determine if the speed of swallowing is the cause and if so, reminding him to slow down will help him not choke and cough. If not, then they will have to put him on a special diet where he will have foods to eat that don't have to be fully chewed to be swallowed.

So, the prayers this week need to be focused on Troy's ataxia and the quick recovery from that so that he can get out of the wheelchair and get his coordination back and the swallowing issues.

Thanks for everyone that supports us in prayer and keeps up with Troy's blog. Troy logs in and reads it from time to time and really enjoys reading everyone's supportive comments!

Glasses for Troy

Well, Troy had his eye doctor's appointment this week; the eye doctor did a very thorough evaluation of Troy's eyes. She said that he benefited from prescription lenses in her report. She mentioned that his eye alignment is off since his appointment. She stated that he did have jerky movements and double vision of equal size in all areas of gaze. During peripheral field testing, she noted an inferior field loss of the right eye and a slight nasal field loss in the left eye. His ability to use his eyes together has been impacted. Basically what all this means is that his eyes don't work together.

Typically, the eye doctor trialed prism lenses to help fuse images into one image. She trialed these during his appointment and they did not benefit Troy at this time. She wrote a prescription for glasses to correct acuity issues and recommended using tape on them at this time. She gave him several eye exercises that we have added to what he has already been doing for his vision. She also has recommended that he follow up in 6 months.

So, although all of this sounds like Chinese talk to me right now, at least it gave me an idea of Troy's visual condition and by Troy wearing these glasses it will eventually strengthen his eyes enough so that then the doctor can work on the other defects he's having with his vision.

The blessing in all of this is that Troy has vision, period! With the cranial nerve damage he has, he came very close to being blind and God covered Troy against that! Praise God for being a merciful God and so full of grace!

Assessment of the house with Troy today

The physical therapist brought Troy and his CNA to the house today so they could assess how he would do when he comes home for good on November 24th. We tried out both bathrooms with him and decided that the girls bathroom would work best, we also had him maneuver his way around the house and he was able to make his way around the house with no problem. The therapist and nurse were both very impressed with how well he did getting around the house and the way the house is laid out really helps him as well, so I was happy to see that God led me in the right direction with this house.

I also found out that it looks like Troy will need quite a while longer of therapy that anticipated. They feel that he is doing well with therapy, but due to his rate of recovery, it looks like it will be closer to 2 years before he will be weaned off of the therapy regime at Shepherd so he can be sent to another place of our choice. In a way, I was happy to hear that Shepherd is willing to work with him, but on the other hand, that means we'll have to stay here longer. Both issues are OK though, the girls have already made friends at school and church and the church we go to here has already reached out to help me and the girls in many ways, so either way will work out for us. God continues to bless our family! Praise God for that.

So, the next step will be to figure out how long the CNA will be authorized to be here to help me with Troy once he's home on a more steady basis. He will still have to be transported to therapy and back so we still have to go through, but on his non-therapy days they are working out to see for how long a nurse will be here to help me. I pray that God provides me with the best care for him and that I get the necessary help for him so I can continue to take care of the girls, the house, work and school.

Everything continues to fall into place so I continue to remain faithful to what God is doing in our family and with Troy's recovery.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support!

Troy's text today

Troy just sent an awesome text and I wanted to post it on here to share with those he doesn't have their number or who didn't receive it.

This is the beginnings of Troy's testimony:

"I remember driving my honda, one day,. And having these crazy doubts about the existance of God, silly i know guys, the .next thing you know i wake up at shepard center not knowing how to speak. The.place i am at now, i remember them from shepard center guys. GOD is real. Christ paid tbe price, willingly. If not, i would not be here to tell you. Ifyou.are confused, rent the movie Gospel of J ohn . Or call me and i will.explain...this just might save.some your lives. I should be dead and gone. But i have more work to do..............."

Excuse the grammatical errors, but I wanted to copy and paste it just the way he sent it so I wouldn't alter any words he wrote.

Praise God for Troy!

Troy has access to the blog now

I also wanted to let everyone know that, as of yesterday, Troy has access to the blog now, as well. I have been reading the blog to him, but when I'm not at pathways he wanted to be able to come in here and see everyone's comments and look at how far he's come.

Please take a moment from time to time to leave comments and will be going through them all. I'm trying to see if I can just set up the guestbook in here and that way you can leave messages there.

As soon as you see the guestbook, feel free to leave comments for Troy on there :)

Thanks to everyone for all the support and prayers. Hugs~

Busy, busy!

Wow! Time is just NOT on my side these days, but I continue to trudge along and keep on going forward! There's no reverse in this journey we are in. :)

A lot has happened in the past 9 days that I haven't posted. I'll try to summarize it without leaving out any details.

Last weekend, October 9th, Troy's mom, brother, sister, twin nephews, and niece were here to visit with him. It was a wonderful weekend! He joked around and we all laughed so much at his jokes by the end of the weekend my cheeks were sore. His mom brought with her different foods and cakes his mom and family had made for him and, of course, his grandmother's famous iced tea! He was so happy with all of them being here. What a blessing it was for all of them to make it here this weekend.

And yes, that's the best picture of Troy we could get. He was being SUCH a clown and wouldn't smile nice for the camera. LOL.

Our 7 year wedding anniversary was on that Sunday, October 10th. It was pretty emotional for him, especially after everyone left, because he dwelled on the fact that he couldn't drive out to go get me something. I consoled him and told him that the simple fact that he was still alive and talking with me on that day was the best gift he could have ever given me! I told him, with what you have been through and as hard as you have worked in your therapy, you don't owe me any gifts for at least the next 5 years! After that, though, you'll have to come up with some pretty neat stuff if you want me to still stick around. We both busted out laughing, both of us laughing with tears in our eyes. It was awesome to see him so happy!

On Tuesday, October 12th, it was his birthday, so I drove up to see him with the girls and we all surprised him (every patient in the house with the nurses) and came into his room singing him happy birthday with a cake! He was so surprised and again, a bit emotional, but much better this time. He was happy to see the girls and I again and I continuously reminded him how blessed he was to see this birthday! He agreed!

On Thursday of this week Troy was taken to Shepherd Center and he did some swimming therapy. I heard it went very well; Troy wasn't too happy though, he says it wore him out. But the therapist said he will now go once a week for swimming therapy to help build his strength with some low pressure exercises in the water. Also, on Friday he had an appointment at Shepherd Center to check his bladder and kidneys to see why he has been getting so many urinary tract infections. I have not gotten the results of those tests yet, so please keep that in your prayers, as well.

This Saturday, October 16th, Troy, the girls and I went to Georgia Aquarium. We were blessed with tickets to the Aquarium and the Deepo's 3D show at the Georgia Aquarium. It was amazing! We had such a wonderful time! I even got a picture of Troy standing next to the shrimp tank looking at shrimp with Tyra. His chair is behind him and his nurse (which came along with us) was standing behind him, but he held himself up there for a good 5 minutes and didn't want to sit back down...LOL)
In the picture, Tyra is the one hanging off the top of the tank in the picture and if you're wondering what that is on his head, it's his eye patch; he has to wear it so he doesn't see double.
This is a family picture of us at Georgia Aquarium.


He has that look on his face in this picture because he was crying most of time we were there. He just kept saying he was crying happy tears and he was so happy to be there with his family and enjoying us again. He kept saying how he has taken us for granted and will never do that again. Typing this now brings tears to my eyes because I know how much he wanted to be able to get up and walk around and run after Tyra and goof around like he always used to, but I also reminded Troy how this experience is humbling him and all of us in the process. We need to know that we aren't invincible and that we are nothing without God in our lives and by our side. I was so grateful for the person who blessed us with those tickets! It was definitely memorable and the look on Troy's face looking around at all the fish and sea creatures and taking it all in, was priceless!

And to finish this weekend off I took Troy and the girls to I-HOP. That was lots of fun too (except for Troy and Tyra were singing at the top of their lungs songs that came up on the intercom as we ate -- Brianna and I just had this mortified look on our faces...LOL)

Another interesting thing that happened this weekend was that Troy has decided he wants to move out West. I have asked him if he's sure over and over and in different ways and every time he says YES. He wants to move out there to get away from it all. He wants to start his new life and start fresh. I don't know when exactly that will be happening, or if it will even pan out, but I have already told Troy that I will follow him wherever he wants to go. He is thinking California, but I already told him that's not happening. So, we have compromised and are considering Washington or Oregon. Of course, nothing will happen unless God wills it so, so we'll see what happens with that. I know wherever we end up at, we'll be just fine as a family.

I do find that we now laugh more, share more, hug and kiss more than we ever did before; both as husband and wife and as a family. Troy is truly my soul mate and I'm so blessed to have him as my husband!

2 Week Update 9/25 - 10/8

It has been a hectic two weeks in my world, but I'm happy to report that Troy has been trucking long and doing really well in his therapies. The therapists continue to love working with him because he's such a huge participator in his own recovery.

Last weekend we finally got out outing with Troy. The girls and I got there about 11am and got Troy ready to go out with us. For this particular outing, I was given the option of taking the nurse with me, or not, I wanted it to be Troy, the girls and I, so I opted for no nurse. I got Troy loaded up into the car and broke the wheelchair down to fit in the trunk. I realized at this moment how a bigger car is definitely going to be needed, but nonetheless, I was elated to have him out with us so I didn't care. I crammed us all in and away we went. I asked him where he wanted to go, he said he didn't care (like always - lol - nice to know things haven't changed) So, we ended up at Chili's. I don't have a handicapped sticker for the car yet so the parking arrangement was very interesting, but we made it work.

Troy ate like a horse! It was awesome to see him so happy being out with the girls and I. I did notice, though, that after about 20 minutes of us being at the restaurant he was getting very edgy, almost irate at times. Regardless, we had a great time out. Also, to make things even better, Troy's dad surprised us from NC! He called that he was in town and he met us at the Chili's. Troy was happy to see him.

The rest of the weekend went great! We took Troy to the mall so I could buy him some winter clothes to wear for these colder months and then we went by the hospital to pick up his nurse so I could bring Troy home to see the house. He couldn't spend the night with us, but I wanted him to at least see the house, his dad was excited about that too. I was nervous at first though, it wasn't in the plans, but I knew God would help me and guide us to do the right thing. When he got to the house the first thing he said was "The house is huge and where's my toolbox?"

We showed him his toolbox then brought him inside. He was in awe at the house and remembered the TV and couches. The funny thing was that he didn't remember his computer. He asked to see his laptop and when we got it for him, he was adamant that wasn't the one he had. Anywho, all in all, it was great having him here. I can't wait til I can bring him home on the weekends to spend nights with us!

Other than that he's doing really well. He's still a bit confused at times and gets agitated and very mean when he's tired, but it's all a matter of me recognizing the signs and knowing when he's had enough.

Thank you so much for the continued prayers. God is working miracles in Troy's life and I am grateful every day for giving Troy another chance at life, another chance to be with his family!

This Sunday will be our 7 year wedding anniversary and I've been praising God all this week for giving us another chance at another year together. This anniversary almost didn't happen...I will cherish this one the most!

Update for Week of 9/20 - 9/24

Spoke with the Counselor on Friday about Troy's recovery and goals for the next few weeks.

We had some concerns with Troy because he has been really depressed lately and really doubting himself and his reason for being here. His family, his friends and I have been talking with him trying to keep him encouraged, but his brain, as it heals, is also backfiring and sending signals to his emotions that are very confusing. So, to help him get through this healing phase the doctor's have prescribed an anti-depressant for him. They had originally started him on 10mg, but since it doesn't seem to be helping and he has gained some weight they are having to look at the dose again and possibly up the dose a bit more. The medicine will balance the neurotransmitters which will help with the transmitting of information from his brain to the rest of his body.

In the meantime, the counselor asks that we validate what he says. Not just try to blow it off. Validate it by acknowledging what he's going through and how he must feel, but not dwell on the fact and not encourage the feelings. He's also been getting stuck on thoughts, emotions, feelings. To help him through this the counselor also suggested that when he keeps repeating over and over a certain topic to change the conversation and distract him in anyway possible. So far, this has been working just fine.

She assured me that this phase can be brief and, after a while, he will stop being stuck on certain topics and emotions. In the meantime, we are to empower him by telling him he's still a father that needs to raise his children and that he's still a husband that needs to be there for his wife. By empowering him, it gives him something to focus on and to channel the frustrations he goes through in the right direction by giving him something to work towards.

Also spoke with the physical therapist and she advised me that Troy is making good progress and gaining increased strength in his legs. He is walking 230 feet with a front wheeled walker with 5lb weights on both sides of the walker and rear wheel brakes to provide some resistance (drag) on the back of the walker which slows the walker down. He is able to walk with therapist providing 25% of the assistance and he can do the rest. He still has difficulty with his right leg crossing over the leg but with verbal reminders he is able to correct the step. The crossing over of the leg has to do with his brain not sending the correct message to the ride side of his body and he forgets how to step with that leg. It will take time as the neurons repair themselves and get themselves back to where he can walk straight without a problem or without forgetting his leg is there and taking steps the way he's supposed to.

Troy also has been complaining about his vision. He is convinced that he has astigmatism and that's why he sees double and blurry. The occupational therapist advised me that they have given Troy some exercises to do with his eyes to help correct some of this and if in 6 months after the accident (November 1st) he still has this problem, they will, at that time, call in an optometrist to look him over and prescribe glasses, if needed.

In other OT news, he is really working diligently towards his goals. He is compliant with the splint wearing schedule of the new splint OT has fabricated to help maintain range of motion in his right wrist/hand. He is performing self range of motion exercises, strengthening tasks, and working with his emerging range of motion in his right upper extremity. Last Thursday, he initiated using the computer to make a list of tips and reminders to recall ways to increase independence when he is bathing.

All the therapists' tell me he is such a hard worker and a joy to work with in therapy.

Please continue the prayers for his recovery and that he continues to heal and become closer to the Troy we all know and love! I remain faithful and prayerful that God will continue to do His holy will. The timing is all perfect, so far, and everything is falling into place as it should.

To God be all the glory! Thanks to everyone for your continued support :)

Discharge Date Set for Pathways

Troy has been doing really well at Pathways. He's taken on to the new staff and has been doing really well getting along with the other patients there. He did have a personality conflict with his "home care" nurse, so I had to call and have someone else come out to be with him today, but so far, he's been happy with the new nurse.

I received an email letting me know that Troy's discharge date at Pathways is set for 11/26/2010. So, as of right now, that will be his day to come home and he will then fall into another step-down therapy session, but he will be living at home and just doing therapy on an outpatient basis, where I will have to drive him to his therapy sessions. At that point, I don't know if he'll still be with Shepherd or if they will find a facility closer to the house.

At that point, we'll see what happens. The workers' comp case manager is advocating to keep him with the Shepherd therapy system so I'm happy about that. Shepherd has done so well with Troy and he has definitely come a long way!

God continues to heal him and bless our family. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and supports!

Our first weekend visit with Troy at Pathways

Well, Troy's first few days seemed to have gone well. He is a bit confused and agitated at times, but with a bit of persistence, patience, and love on my part and he responds and bounces back, fairly well. He is mostly disappointed at the fact that he can't come home with us. As much as we made it clear to him that at Pathways he would have to stay there during the week and only be able to come home on the weekends, after I went through some more training, he still doesn't understand it and doesn't like having to stay there AT ALL!

The staff is very nice and friendly and his home health care nurse are very good to him and he likes the constant company, even if he prefers me. He remains polite to everyone and now that I have given him his phone back, he calls me countless times through out the day. This is working out great though, because he can feel like he has me right by his side, even though, physically, I'm not able to there like I used to be.

So far, I haven't heard from the doctors and therapists this week on how his 2 days of therapy went, but I'm sure these days were just "getting to know" Troy days, so they won't have much to report anyway. I'm sure next Friday will be filled with all sorts of good news and new breakthroughs in his recovery.

Thanks to everyone for your patience this week as I went from a public page to a private page. This way, I can slowly start to integrate pictures of Troy and not feel like I'm putting his face out on the internet with no privacy filters, whatsoever!

The Walker family continues to remain grateful to everyone's support and I continue to remain faithful to God and can't wait to hear Troy's testimony!!

Private Access

I have decided to make this blog private, and because of this I will ask that any information on this blog not be shared with the public. If you are reading this it's because Troy and I want to share his recovery journey with you.

I want to be able to come on here and write on the blog without feeling like I need to keep information out because I don't know who all is reading it.

I am here to advocate for Troy and his recovery and I would like to continue to share that and have something for Troy to read up on as he recovers.

My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

New Beginnings at Pathways

Well, this has been a very busy week for both Troy and myself. Troy has been doing his regular therapy and also preparing for his transition to Pathways, and I have been training on how to care for him when he gets his passes to come home on days or weekends at a time and going through transition phase myself.

Today was his move to Pathways. He did really well and while at Pathways, and meeting his therapists and counselor, Troy was full of questions and comments about his level of care and how much he wants to get better and what he wants them to do for him while he's there. I was very proud of him! There were only a handful of times I had to interject and give them the correct information because he either didn't remember or was giving them the wrong information because his memory had failed him.

Also, this facility is very strict with their privacy laws and protecting Troy's privacy, and because of this I will no longer get daily updates on his recovery, nor will they speak to anyone about Troy's condition over the phone or in person, except for Troy and myself since I'm his court appointed guardian. The therapists and doctors meet every Friday and at that time I will get a call with the update on Troy and how he's been doing for that week. I only mention this because we have all gotten used to the daily updates (except for recently because I've been slacking...LOL) so now I will update the blog every Friday, Lord willing, and let everyone know how he's doing. I look forward to getting those calls on Fridays, ALREADY! Weekly updates will be exciting and the changes will be way more significant since I'm not there every day now.

Finally, at around 5pm he was pooped and ready to get to bed. It was hard to say goodbye to him tonight, but I know he is in very good hands and will get the best care available to him. I was also at ease to see that his home care nurse was there for part of the day and got acclimated with him, as well, before I left. That definitely made me leaving him there a bit easier.

I know this is a step in the right direction for him and although I will not be able to visit with him 7 days a week, like I have been doing since the accident, I know that this is a blessing in disguise for both of us. For Troy because he's recovering well enough Shepherds feels he will benefit from the outpatient therapy, and good for me because I will now be forced to dedicate more time to my school work, tending to the house and being a full time mommy again to my girls. So, in retrospect, this is sort of a healing time for both Troy and I.

I want to thank everyone for all the support and prayers we have gotten in these past four months. I can type for DAYS on how grateful I am to each and everyone of you reading this blog and keeping up with us as we embark in this journey of healing, blessings and miracles.

I also need to add that I have told Troy about the blog and have read some of the posts to him. He has broken down in tears every time I have told him how many people are praying for him and how many people have been there to help me and the girls get through this difficult time. He specifically asked me to extend his most sincere gratitude and to let everyone know that logs on here to read about him, how he is extremely moved by all the prayers and support!

I will, though, take this opportunity to request that you please pray that God provides me with a reliable and wheelchair-friendly mode of transportation. To give a little background on our current situation, Troy's car currently has 213,000 miles on it and, although my father in law is going to do some patching up repairs to it for me next week, the Honda is on it's last legs. I pray that God provides the means for me to purchase an SUV or a van that can hold a fold up wheelchair and have enough room for Troy and the girls for when he gets his passes to come home in 3 or 4 weeks.

In the past four months, I have seen God's work firsthand and I know that prayer works, so if you would please pray for that, and/or email me at mayimba874@gmail.com if you know of any deals or any information that would help me, I would greatly appreciate it!

God is awesome and I know He will not let me down now that we've made it this far!

Thanks to all from Troy, Joan, Brianna, Tyra

Overdue Update

Well, I have finally come to the conclusion that I need a secretary! LOL. OK, not really, but I definitely need more hours in the day to accomplish all I have put myself out to do.

Troy continues to do great and his memory is really starting to sharpen as the days go on. He is really working on honing his memorization skills and cooperating with therapy so that he can accomplish the best he can and continue to get better! Also, to help with his memory issues/gaps, I rubber-banded a small spiral notebook to his wheelchair, in which I have requested that the therapists' and nurses write anything in the book that Troy did throughout the day that would be nice for him to remember and when I'm there, I write my visits with him or who he spoke to on the phone or who came by to visit with him. That has really helped build his confidence so he doesn't feel like he's "losing" his mind and forgetting everything. He told me the other day "I feel like I'm losing my mind.", to which I replied "Aren't we all? I have the same notebook in my purse! See?" I showed him the "memory book" I have been carrying with me 24/7, since the accident, and he giggled. At least he knows he's not alone in being forgetful. LOL

He does continue to go through his moments of agitation and frustrations, at times, but I don't blame him one bit. I know if it were me in his shoes, I would probably be really frustrated too. He still gets a bit confused on why he has to take the medicines he does and why he can't just come home with me when I come to visit him. We continue to reassure him that Shepherd is there to help him and not keep him prisoner or punish him in any way. He has his good days and his bad days, but we all do; most of his days are good though so that's a blessing.

Troy is moving to Pathways on Wednesday, September 8th; this time it looks like the move is definite. The nurse case manager with Shepherd Center called me today to finalize all the steps needed to get him transported over and to schedule a time with me so that I can be there for the move. I am OVERLY excited because at Pathways, since it's an outpatient rehab center, he'll have passes to come home on weekends and evenings when not in therapy. During the week, he will reside there in the dorm because it would be more beneficial for him to remain there and get all the therapies he can and make better use of his time, instead of traveling an hour there and back every day.

The girls and I can not wait to have daddy with us - OUTSIDE hospital walls for the first time in a long time!

Sheesh, it's been over a week since I have updated the blog. I apologize for not staying on top of it more often, like I used to. The good thing is that Troy is continuing to progress and recovery and prayers are being answered!

Praise God!

Feeding Tube Has Been Removed! Yay!

Troy has been having a good few days. He struggled with some agitation last week, when he first started coming out of the coma, but has now settled down quite a bit. It was a bit hard for him, at first, with everything happening so fast, for him. He went from being in a coma for 14 weeks, to suddenly waking up and not knowing where he was, or why. I can completely understand him being agitated and frustrated by that.

But, I am happy to report that Troy's memory is not as bad as it could be. He does have significant damage to his short term memory, but his long term memory seems to be in pretty good shape. He still does forget some details, but once I remind him of them, he is able to retain that memory of his past. Now, anything recent, like in the past 5 years, I am having to constantly remind him of on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This isn't bad though, because at least he has his older memories that would be impossible for me to replicate for him; therapy can help him work on retaining new information as the healing continues.

Today was a big day for Troy, he had the feeding tube taken out of his stomach. I had already left this morning when they pulled it out, but I called the nurse to check on him this afternoon and she said he first thanked the doctor for pulling it out, then a few seconds later let out an "OUCH, that hurt!" when he realized it hurt when they pulled it out. LOL. The nurse told me he was elated to have that taken out...and frankly, so am I! Another milestone in Troy's recovery!

Also, Troy's catheter has been completely removed now and he is no longer needing to wear briefs. His brain is functioning how it should by sending signals when he needs to void. That's a huge step in progress, as well, as it clearly shows that the brain is continuing to repair itself.

This is all about baby steps for us, but huge steps in the right direction for Troy! I continue to praise God for putting us in the situation He has. This could have all ended or been a whole lot worst and God has kept us covered with His grace and has shown my family that miracles can and DO happen! I owe all the glory to God alone for all of this; for placing us where He placed us -- in His perfect timing covered by His perfect will! Praise God!!

Troy was upgraded to a regular diet today! Yay! He can now eat any type of foods, in any form. So, to celebrate this milestone, I got cleared by the therapist and the nurse to bring in outside food so the girls, Troy and I can have dinner together at the hospital. When I asked Troy what he wanted he said "A double cheeseburger from Burger King." It was hilarious! So, I left to go get the girls from school and came back to the hospital donning his double cheeseburger and fries and food for us.

We all sat in his room and ate dinner together. It was awesome! We were all having dinner under the same roof, in the same room for the first time in three and half months!

Other than that, Troy has been progressing along. He is now able to wheel himself using his left leg and a bit of his right leg to propel himself down the hallways. He doesn't get very far and he tires very quickly, but he is now able to get about halfway to his room. Also, he is starting to move his right hand a bit. He is now able to open and close his right hand. He says he can't feel his finger tips and his right hand hurt really bad when he tries to move it, but he is definitely working really hard at getting it going.

Troy has also been getting very agitated and can get extremely confused at times. That, in itself, is very tiring (for both him and I) and very emotional for me because he gets very insistent that things are what he believes them to be and when I don't comply or have an answer for what he's asking for, he gets angry at me and says that I'm not listening to him, which is usually followed by him demanding I give him his phone so he can call someone else that will listen. I have been able to appease him or distract him enough so that he isn't so agitated, but usually when he gets like that it's because he's tired and has had a long day. Things are only going to get better from here so I remain strong and trusting in the Lord that this will also pass.

Please continue praying that God gives Troy peace at heart and that the healing continues so that he can get through this frustrating phase in his recovery.

Thank you again to everyone for all the support we have gotten, whether in prayer, by sending me emails and enlightening me spiritually and emotionally or financially. God has put my family in the perfect place and surrounded by the perfect people that have done nothing but care for me and my family. I praise God everyday for each and every one of you!

Quick Update - Yet Another Extension :)

As usual, my days are filled with surprises. I just received a call from the nurse case manager at Shepherd Center, she advised me that Troy's stay at Shepherd has been extended, once again. His new discharge date is now September 7th!

In the world of rehabilitation, this is a good thing. It means that Troy will continue to receive one-on-one therapy for another 2 weeks past his discharge date. The hospital has some goals they would like Troy to attain before he leaves, one of them being that he can walk with a wheeled walker with only one person helping him. This is a big goal since Troy still hasn't gotten full strength in his right leg or right arm, but definitely not an unattainable goal and they have full confidence that he can do it!

God has been doing great things in Troy's recovery and I can't wait to have him walking up and down that hospital floor and walking through our front door at the house!

Keep praying, people of God, these prayers are being answered on God's perfect timing and always as He wills...every time! Praise God!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4