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

Wow! The days just seem to fly on by nowadays. My days are so filled now that I don't even have the time or energy to blog as much as I want to. The girls have taken to the new school schedule without a hitch. My daily schedule consists of: putting the girls on the bus at 7am, visit with Troy from 8:30am (or later...depending on Atlanta traffic...lol) to about 1pm, pick up girls from bus stop, workout at gym for an hour, go home, do homework, errands (if needed), dinner, mommy time and "housely" duties; next thing I know it's 2am and I have to be in bed to do it all over again the following day. Troy needs to hurry up and get home and help me! LOL.

I do have to say that Troy is starting to talk much louder now and is a bit better at getting his point across. He is getting better at articulating his words a bit more. He can read his bible now so I get that for him and help him with that as much as I can. He gets very emotional reading it so I try to read it to him as much as he lets me. He is now starting to say he wants to come home, a lot! That's pretty much all he talked about today was wanting to come home. He told me today that he doesn't like that place anymore and wants to come home. I asked him if he didn't like the treatment there and he replied "They treat me fine, but it's not HOME!" and yes, he yelled that last part at me. I'm very happy to see how much he is aware of his surroundings now.

I also need to mention that because Troy has been participating in therapy now (versus therapy being done to him) that he is officially out of his coma now. It's been about 2 weeks, but I spoke with the doctor on Thursday to confirm that.

Troy's memory is the toughest part right now. He doesn't remember when I've been there from one day to the next. He has trouble remembering anything from now until 5 or 6 years ago, so anything that has happened since then, he has trouble recalling it. I remind him of where he worked, what church we attended, where we lived and anything that has happened in the past 6 years every day. That's been helping him a bit.

Little by little his memory should regain. The doctor does advise me that he might still have trouble with some memories, but I am happy to have Troy here with us, so I can deal with the rest. I have started to write things on the board for him to help him stay reminded of when I've been there and what day it is and so forth.

Troy does remember that he was going to school to be a pastor and Troy knows that he could have been dead right now and God has given him another chance at life. Troy told me a few nights ago that the world should watch out, because here comes Troy. Troy told me that he will work on his approach and tell people how good God has been to him. I was overjoyed by hearing him talking like this. Troy is already planning out his testimony to share with the world. I can't wait to hear it from Troy's mouth!

Music to my ears!

This has been a HUGE week in Troy's recovery. First off, the family training went very well. The last of my training was on Friday night when I had to stay with Troy, and the girls, in a suite on the hospital floor. In this suite, I was to care for Troy, in a home-like environment, as if I was home with him. I was in charge of caring for him through the night, giving him his medicines when they were due, and getting him ready in the morning for breakfast in the therapy gym.

Well, Troy was obviously very excited to have us all there with him and we were just as excited! He didn't go to sleep until about 4am, or at least that's the last I remember, because I finally zonked out. He called for me all night. He would call me over to his bed "Joan!". I would get up, go to his bedside, only to hear him tell me he wanted me to cut the cast off his arm! I calmly explained to him that the cast was to stay on his arm because it would help keep his range of motion and I could not cut it off; to which he replied "Yes, you can!" This went on all night long! LOL. It was aggravating and refreshing at the same time, to have him bugging me again!

Finally I told him, "Troy, you have to go to sleep!" and he replied "I can't sleep!" That's when I finally told him, "OK, YOU can't sleep...but I CAN and I WILL! So go to sleep!" I didn't hear from him again...lol. This was at about 4am! His speech is very garbled and he doesn't enunciate his words well, but he is definitely speaking his mind and communicating what he wants to say.

The rest of the morning went fairly well. He resisted me a bit in the morning when I was trying to get him out of bed to bathe him and brush his teeth, but I finally got him out of bed, bathed, dressed, and cleaned up.

Saturday morning, apparently Tyra had picked up a stomach bug because she was getting sick on me at the hospital all morning long. Finally at around noon I told Troy we had to leave and get Tyra some medicines and fluids in her but that I would come back. He then tells me "Make sure you come back!" Brianna and I both looked at each other and wondered if we heard him correctly! We said our goodbyes and I told him I would be back.

Well, we didn't make back to the hospital until Sunday mid-morning. Tyra was feeling better by now and we were all very happy to see him. When we first got there the nurse told me that he was being very ornery and wasn't eating his breakfast. She said he was playing "possum" when she was trying to feed him. He would act like he was really sleepy and wouldn't open his mouth or cooperate in feeding himself as he has been doing for weeks now. She then would step away to help another patient eat and look back at Troy and caught Troy looking around the room! She said this went on 3 different times until she finally gave up, made sure he drank his Ensure, and left him be. I, of course, thought this was hilarious, because I thought it was so cute how Troy's stubborn personality was starting to shine through...she, obviously, didn't think it was so amusing.

The rest of the day went fairly well. His cousin, Mitchell stopped by, with his wife and son to visit, and I asked Troy if he knew who that was; Troy answered "My cousin Mitchell." We were all happy to hear that. Troy has really started vocalizing and becoming more verbal so I was happy to see his memory was also there with him and he remembered others. Today was also my birthday so I asked him if he knew what today was and he didn't answer. When I finally told him it was my birthday, he opened his eyes big, gasped and said "Happy Birthday!"; I almost cried! He even gave me a birthday hug. That made my day.

But the topper of today was when I started talking about his mom and his family. He clearly said "I miss my mom", and he started to cry. I asked him if he wanted me to call her and he said "Yes". I called his mom and he started to talk to her telling her he loved her and missed her; he cried the entire time. I then called his dad, brother, sister, daughter and he even got to talk to his niece Brittany! It was awesome! I was so overwhelmed by how much he was talking with them. Even to the point when he greeted his brother Chris by saying "What's up, man?", my jaw dropped! This is how Chris and him would greet each other on the phone before the accident.

Needless to say, today was a very emotional day. God, through Troy's speaking, blessed me with the best birthday present ever! Troy's voice is like music to my ears!

Please continue to pray for Troy's healing and that his memory continues to come back. His memory was a bit vague on some topics, including my birthday and other things I was asking him about, but he did remember who everyone was and he even read a line from a card his mom sent him that was hanging on his wall. So he even remembers how to read.

God is showing His glory throughout all of this and, as always, God's timing is perfect in every way! I appreciate all the continued prayers and look forward to talking with Troy some more tomorrow!

Praise God!

P.S. Please excuse the horrible grammar on this posting tonight. I am trying to cram 5 days of posting into one summarized blog -- oh and I should mention it's late and I'm beat! LOL.

Today was "Family Training Day" at Shepherd Center for me. This is where the therapists all spend 30 minutes to an hour with me going over Troy's care for when I bring him home and answer any questions I may have about his recovery and future goals. It was good to be able to be more hands-on with Troy's care, as well. They taught me how to transfer him from his wheelchair to the bed or chair. I was happy to see how much Troy was helping by pushing up with his legs as I guided him up and down in and out of the chair.

Troy also was very verbal today. During one of our breaks I took him back to the room and I was showing him the pictures of the girls and asking him who I was and every time he would whisper the correct answer. His speech is very low and mumbled, but the therapist says that as he learns how to take a deep breath and push up his voice through his voice box he'll get louder and clearer. So far he's labeling items like: sock, cup, and names of the girls and also says "my daughter" when asked who the girls are to him. Praise God for that! He's doing so much better! Today he even said "my mouth" and pointed to his mouth when he was sticking his finger in his mouth and showing me the inside of his mouth.

Also, today during the "Team Meeting", where the doctor, neuropsychologist, therapist and nurses meet to go over Troy's recovery, it was determined that Troy has done well enough to earn himself another 2 weeks at the Shepherd rehab program. Due to his vocalizing words and being able to identify some items they feel that they can work with him a bit more to help him learn how to speak again and also work on his walking and trunk support. His new discharge date is now August 24th.

One news that I did receive today, which was great news and sad news at the same time, was that once he is discharged from the hospital he will not be coming home. He will be transferred directly to Pathways. Pathways is Sheperd's outpatient rehab program where they focus on integrating him back into the community and work on his independence on being able to care for himself the best he can. This, obviously, is GREAT news, but I say it's sad because the Pathways facility is further North from the house and the visiting hours are very strict there. I will be only be able to visit at night, during the week, and on the weekends.

I'm saddened by this because I will not be able to spend my days there like I have been. Now, while the girls are at school, I have been there from 9am to 4pm every day. It's been great being part of his rehab regimen again, so I will miss him when he moves because I won't be with him as often. With the girls in school and the facility being a bit further away, I will not be able to be there as much as I also have to tend to my motherly duties and I have to also care for the girls and do homework with them.

I am trying to see this as a blessing in disguise, though. With me being home all day, while the girls are in school, I will have more time to dedicate to my classes, since my Fall term starts August 31. I will be graduating this Fall so I'll need the time to focus and do well so I can continue to pursue my dream of becoming an RN. I can also try to get back to working from home again so I can help offset some of the financial difficulties I have been coming up against.

Troy is scheduled to be at Pathways for 3 to 4 months, so he should be coming home around the holidays. Of course, that can all change depending on how well he's doing with the program. I can't wait to see how well he does there and see what God has willed for Troy's complete recovery!

My faith in God continues, if anything much stronger by the day. I do get sad, I can't help but feel sad sometimes, but it's only because I miss him, not because I doubt God's healing power. Troy and I have always talked about growing old together, but never did I imagine I would be alone this long of a period in our marriage. I am grateful to God, though, that Troy IS coming back to me and I didn't lose him on May 1st. I thank God for having mercy on us and not taking Troy away from us that day. It's awesome to be able to hug and kiss him and be able to talk with him and reassure him that everything will be OK and I will be right here when he comes home. I tell him that every day, today I got a smile from him when I told him that; that melted my heart!

Please continue to pray for Troy's recovery and that God continues to do His holy will in his life and recovery. I was thanking God today for giving me the strength to stay focused and remain grounded. Not one day in the past 3 months have I asked "Why me? Why Troy?" I have remained steadfast and am actually honored that the Lord picked our family so that He can show His glory and allow all of us to get closer to Him during this tragic event.

God has been very merciful to us. This entire event could have been a lot worst than it has been! I will forever be grateful for God's mercy and surrounding us with such loving and supporting family and friends.

Hugs~

This weekend was an awesome weekend for Troy. His dad, brother, sister, niece and twin nephews were here visiting with him. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of her control, his mother wasn't able to visit, but she was with us constantly on the phone or in text.

This visit with his family was very good for Troy. He laughed more this weekend than I have ever heard him laugh. He was laughing so hard he was tearing up and at one point he was even laughing and crying at the same time; just overwhelmed with emotions. He really enjoyed the twins, he seemed to favor Nathan the most. It was so cute to watch him watch Nate do his thing and interact with him. It was sad to see them all leave today, but it's awesome to know that Troy has such a loving and supportive family.

Now, this begins a very busy week for me. The girls first day of school is tomorrow. I have been really sad this weekend thinking of Troy missing out on being there for Tyra's first day of school, but I will video tape it all and show it to him when I get to the hospital.

Tomorrow is also a huge day because it's Troy's "outing" day. This is where the therapist, Troy and myself will go out into the community and do a trial run of how I am going to transport him with us and how to handle different situations that may arise when Troy is out with me and the girls. I am very nervous about this, but I know God will be with us and will continue to keep me grounded while I soak all of this in. I was taught how to do the IC on him today to empty his bladder. He was very gracious and didn't fight me, as he has been with all the nurses. The nurse warned me that he might pull at the catheter while I tried to insert it, or slap at me or push me in resistance, but by the grace of God, Troy just sat there calmly and let me do it with no fuss. Maybe he could feel that my hands were shaking and didn't want me to hurt him. LOL.

Also, this Tuesday and Wednesday are Family Training days. This is where for 8 hours I will be taught how to care for him on my own, without the help of medical staff on hand 24/7. I have seen most of these things done, but I will now have to do it all hands on, on my own and will have someone coach me through things for 2 days. On Tuesday, I have to spend the night at the hospital with Troy and I will be doing all of the care for him overnight by myself with no help to see how it will be when I bring him home. Nursing staff will not interfere unless I press the call button and request help. I will be staying in what's called ADL suite on the Brain Injury floor. It's a full apartment, complete with wheel-in shower. If everything goes as planned, I will have to come home to get the girls from school on Tuesday afternoon after my day of training, then head back to the hospital and then bring them early the next morning for school. Thank the Lord there was a spot in Extended Day for Tyra so I could pay this week and have her stay there until 6pm while I get all this training I need and Brianna's bus stop is less than a block away from the house so she'll be able to walk home from the bus and wait for us here at the house. I'm excited and nervous about that too. It will be interesting to see how Troy does spending the night with me and the girls again! This will be the first time in over 3 months we all sleep under one roof, as a family! Yay!

Needless to say, tomorrow, and the rest of this week, will be a very strenuous and emotional day for me, but no matter how much I feel that I will be emotional, in the back of my mind I have this sense that I will take this just like I have everything else, with a serene demeanor and complete control of things. I don't know what I would do without God's grace and so many people praying for us! Big changes are going to be happening real soon and I'm ready for them! To God be all the glory!!

Troy has been doing remarkably well these past few days. He has also been more vocal; whether it's making sounds, moving his mouth as if talking, repeating words or just saying automatic phrases.

I was at the hospital with the girls until 8pm last night and an hour after I got home his mom called me to let me know that she had called the hospital to check on him and the nurse told her that when she walked into the room she said "What's up Troy?!" to which he replied "Nothing much." I, of course, was floored! The girls and I were with him all day and all he would do for us was repeat words and make sounds. LOL. I was so happy to hear that though!

Troy is continuing to progress and the doctors are now talking about extending his stay at Shepherd another 2 weeks. I will never get tired of thanking God and praising Him for blessing me with the opportunity to be able to move up here. I couldn't imagine having to be away from Troy or the girls this long! This Sunday it will be 3 months since the accident and it's amazing how much our lives have changed in 3 months and how much God has blessed us with. Things are great here in GA, everything is so accessible and we love the house. The finances have gotten very tight now that I have the girls to care for, plus gas and maintenance on the car due to driving back and forth to Atlanta and everything else that goes on with living in this world, but I have my complete trust in the Lord that he will provide and supply for my family and I. I have not doubted God's abilities this far, and I don't plan on starting now. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Troy has a very long road ahead of him and I am as prepared as I'm going to be, God will get us through the rest.

I start training classes next week on how to care for him and what I will be doing with him once we get home. That should be very interesting. I'm nervous of how it will be once he's home. The lady with workers comp came by the house the other day to do the measurements and accessing where all the handicap bars and ramps will be installed and making sure that I'll be able to turn the wheelchair in and around the house. The doctor's say Troy has definite potential to walk some day, but they don't know how long it will be before he can fully and independently walk on his own. So, in the meantime I have to be trained and prepared to transport him in and out of a wheelchair by car and in the house. This morning while talking to the therapist, she was showing me how to disassemble the wheelchair to get it into the trunk of the car and she made a comment that hit me straight in the gut and left me without air for a few seconds. She said "From here on out, your routine trips to grocery stores and shopping malls will no longer be routine. You will have to consider yourself as if you are a single mother with 3 children." That really hit home for me. I have already been thinking how I am now responsible for 3 people and I will be running the household on my own, which I have no problems with, but it was the fact of the way she said it that was so realistic to me and shook me up. But, nonetheless, God has put me here because I can handle this and I will not back down from this with my hands down. I will keep my hands raised to the heavens and get my strength from where I have been getting it from up until now -- God!

OK, it's been a few days since I have blogged. I have been, both, slacking and just not really much to report. Troy continues to progress, but the progress is happening a bit slower now with events happening more on a weekly basis, than a daily basis.

Today was a good day for us with Troy, we were able to go to church this morning and then stay with him until late tonight and enjoyed our time with him, as always. Troy has been laughing and giggling at the girls or me or pretty much anything that amuses him, a lot lately. He even laughs at himself; like during lunch when he was trying to feed himself and he dropped the fork - he thought that was hilarious. LOL. He seems so much more aware of his surroundings and of what is going on around him. When there are people in the room or when we are just in there talking, he'll look from person to person as they talk as if paying attention to the conversation.

When I sit by him he reaches out for me more and even grabbed me by the back of the neck today and pulled me towards him as if he wanted to give me a kiss. At first, it caught me off guard, until I realized what he was trying to do.

It's so sweet to watch the girls interact with him, as well. He really enjoys their company and laughs non-stop at pretty much everything Tyra does or say.

Also, they have now started restraining his left hand to the bed and placing a mitten over his hand. Last night he was trying to pull the GI tube out of his stomach and kept pulling the catheter off! So, tonight was the first night I was there to watch them tie him down. I must say that, although I know it is for his own good and that this is progress, it was very hard to watch that.

I'm excited to see what God has in His plans this week. It seems like every Monday he's doing more and more with the therapists; almost as if since he's nice and rested up on the weekends, he's ready to show off on Monday mornings. LOL.

Troy had a great day yesterday! He did really well in his therapy sessions. The girls and I sat through 2 of his sessions with him yesterday and the girls were an intricate part of one of them. During the first session we sat through they had him sitting up on the edge of the mat and holding himself up, he did great with that! Then the therapist had each of the girls stand in front of him and she would ask him to hug them, kiss them, speak to them. He did all except the speaking, but when his daughter Makia was with him the therapist did get him to say Makia when prompted to say her name. We were all so excited! Her visit to him have been so very helpful for his therapy.

Also, during his second part of that session the therapist took him into his bathroom to shave his face. She would put shaving cream on his finger and he would draw it towards his face. During one of the times he was trying to put the cream on or in his mouth and the therapist was pulling his hand away and saying "No, Troy! That's not food!" and during one of the times she said that he repeated "NOT FOOD!" so loud and clear we all gasped! It was amazing to hear him talking! His voice is not the same and a bit raspy, but the therapist says that with time that will eventually heal, as well, and he'll be able to regain most, if not all, of his normal speech patterns.

Overall yesterday was a great day! I also was able to speak with the doctor in the hallway that confirmed to me that the lower temperature in his right leg is not due to bad circulation, but to that part of his brain not able to control body temperature on that side of his body. Just as the brain is having a hard time controlling movements on his right arm and right leg, it's the same with the brain not being able to control body temperature and regulate blood temperature on that side of his body. The blood is flowing good through his legs so his heart is doing what it needs to do, the cold feeling of his leg and toes is just due to the blood vessels not able to regulate temperature because the brain is not sending the proper messages.

As of today, he has also began urinating more on his own now. They no longer have to IC him as much now through out the day. The nurse today said that they only had to IC him once today, versus 3 or 4 times a day as they have been doing for over a month now. They have him on strong medicines to help him go on his own, so those seem to be working fine now!

I praise God for continued healing and give all glory unto God for being such a merciful and comforting Father to me and the girls. The girls have taken all of this with stride and have not seemed to skip a beat! They beg to go see daddy every day and when it's time to go they all gather around and give him 2 or 3 hugs and kisses and say goodnight to him. It's all so warming to the heart and gives me peace knowing that God continues to watch over my little family and guide me to do the things that are best for all of us, right now.

Troy will be home on August 10th, God willing, and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us!

Troy has been doing really well these past two days. He has been very alert and spent most of the day today trying to yank his lap belt off and get up from the wheelchair. He isnt strong enough to walk yet, but its obvious he is becoming more aware of his surroundings as he is becoming more and more combative with things around him.

He did very well in therapy today, as well. Cindy, the speech therapist, told me that during lunch today he was giggling and laughing a lot! Troy started giggling and laughing on Sunday with the girls, mostly Tyra. We were in the room talking and just hanging out with him and he would burst out laughing from time to time to something Tyra or Brianna and Kiki would say! It was awesome to watch him laughing! That was the best sound I have hear in a very, very long time!

Troys daughter, Kiki, sang him a song today and he cried! It was very touching. She sang Troy a song that they had shared a few years back when Kiki visited and it was only Troy and her in the car when she was singing. Troy obviously remembered the song because the tears were very real and it was obvious he was emoionally shaken up.

I am loving having my family together in the same room and us sharing laughs, stories, and just loving each other as we did before May 1st. God has really blessed our family and I am humbled by it! God is in total control and I don't know how I would have made it this far without God by my side!

Troy's brother Chris and 3 of Troy's close friends came by today to visit. It was really sweet watching Troy and his brother interact with each other.

I stepped out to pick the girls up something to eat, but while I was gone Chris told me that while joking with Troy, talking with him in his bed, he got Troy to smile real big! I missed it, but I was so excited to hear that Chris got him smiling! There's nothing like a brotherly bond and it showed today!

We also tried to get Troy to give hugs today, but he wasn't up to it today. Yesterday evening Troy was reaching out to the girls and giving hugs and making kissing noises! It was so sweet! I was hoping that he would do it today for Chris, but that's the nature of brain injury, they'll do things one day and then not for a while. Hopefully he'll be up to hugs and kisses tomorrow. It was awesome being able to get hugs from him again! It's been WAY too long!

Today was a good day...tomorrow will be even better! I remain prayerful and faithful in God's healing mercy!

First word!

Troy has officially spoken his first word today! While doing his physical therapy, the therapist was stretching out his legs, as they do every day, and he was groaning and moaning in pain, then the therapist told him "If you want me to stop, tell me to stop" to which Troy replied, in a very clear voice "Stop!"

Unfortunately, I wasn't here to witness him saying the word, but I drove here as soon as I got the call from the therapist. We are now sitting here with him waiting for him to say something else. LOL!

The therapist did tell me not to be too upset if he didn't say it again today, as he only seems to say it when pain is inflicted, but she did tell me that he has also been making kissing noises today. We haven't gotten him to do that either, but I'm elated at the news of all he's done today and giving God all the glory for all of it!

God is awesome and showing His love for us through Troy's progress! I'm so grateful to everyone for all the prayers and thoughts. Please continue the prayers because they are definitely being answered! I also thank God for giving me the strength and perseverance to continue on and keep my faith in that everything will be OK and the patience God has given me to keep on this journey.

Troy still has a very long road ahead of him, but there is nothing God and Troy can't get through. And I'll be sitting by Troy side helping him every step of the way!

Troy has been doing remarkeably well in therapy this past few days. He is fully participating in drinking out of a cup during meals and will even wipe his own mouth from time to time when food gets on his mouth. He has also been upgraded to a level 2 diet which consists of ground up meat and soft cooked vegetables and soft consistency foods like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

He has also started to follow commands periodically. With the language defect he has, that is a huge feat because they dont know how much he really understands but when they tell him to lift his leg and he does it, that is a good sign that he's beginning to understand commands. Yesterday the speech therapist said that he lifted one and two fingers on command and also mumbled what sounded like the word "more" when she was feeding him. He hasn't done that today, but thy are watching for consistency.

He did really well on the robotic treadmill again today. He was doing most of the stepping. It was awesome to watch him doing that. He had a very focused look on his face for most of it and you could see he was working really hard at it!

Please continue to keep Troy in your prayers. Things are really starting to move along quickly! The nurses keep telling me how he is on the verge of emerging from the coma. The anticipation is building up and we are seeing God working through all of this! Praise God!!

Two months ago, doctors in Orlando were ready to write Troy off and consider him a lost case. Well, here we are 9 weeks later and Troy is doing well enough that his time at Shepherd has been extended for the SECOND time! Today was supposed to be his discharge date, and as of yesterday, Troy is now considered well enough to be part of the rehab program and has been extended at Shepherd until August 10! All the glory goes to God, of course!

Troy is now a Rancho level 4, almost a 5. We had a bit of confusion yesterday at the hospital with a nurse stating he has been out of his coma for 3 weeks, but I have since then confirmed that, although he is doing miraculously well, he is on the verge of emerging from his coma.  

He is participating very well in his therapy sessions. They are teaching him how to feed himself, how to bathe himself, how to brush his own teeth, and many other things that will help him be more independant when he comes home.  They even put him on a robotic treadmill today. This is a machine that he grlets strapped into an upright position with a treadmill underneath it and as Troy plants his foot down the machine does the walking movement for him. That was awesome to watch and Troy did very well!

The doctor did mention to me that, due to the lack of movement Troy is displaying on the right side of his body, there seems to be extensive damage to the left side of the brain. The left side of the brain is where the language centers are stored, therefore this is causing Troy not to be able to understand language, therefore not being able to conversate, understand language, process requets, and follow commands. He is only following commands when prompted. The doctor tells me that he will more than likely have this damage for the rest of his life. He says that, although he will never be able to work again, drive again, or be left for long periods of time alone, they will work with Troy to get him to the highest level of independence possible.

I, of course, remain prayerful and trusting that the Lord remains the pilot of this voyage and nothing will happen, except for His holy will!  I am taking everything day by day though in preparation for what God has in store for me and my family!  

I must say that Troy seems to be responding very well to having the girls visit with him everyday! They both look forward to going to visit with him and have adapted to this new way of life very well. I thank God for that and for giving my children peace at heart and allowing them to see the strength God has given me as a model for how they should behave and trust in the Lord.

Troy is doing great things and advancing in his recovery very well. We don't see everything we want to see him doing, but this isn't up to us, it's up to how God has determined for Troy to recover. I'm just happy that I have God to lean on when I start to feel the ground shake beneath me.

Thanks again for all the prayers. Please continue to lift Troy up in prayer, God is definitely answering prayers!

Today was Troy's first time going outside! I got the OK to take him out to the garden on hospital grounds. The girls and I took him outside, walked around with him for a bit and I sat at a bench next to his chair after we went around looking at plants and flowers. It was awesome to be outside with him. To see him looking around, hearing the cars, people walking by, even a few motorcycles rode on by was good! I didn't really notice any big changes in his reaction except for a big frown when an emergency vehicle passed by, very slowly and very loudly! I was even bothered by the noise a bit and after the vehicle finally passed on through, I did notice him frowning and looking a bit agitated. I took him back inside shortly after that, I didn't want to overwhelm him on his first day out.

But overall today was a good day!

Also, they showed me how he no longer needs the hoyer lift to get in and out of bed. He now gets assisted into bed by a nurse or tech pulling him up by his waste; he stands up and turns (with assistance) and he helps put himself in the bed! I was very happy with that because that shows that he's aware enough to know when to pull himself up and when to put his arms out before he sits on the bed.

I was so happy I almost teared up! Today was a good day and I continue to give all the glory to God! This experience has brought me and many others closer to God! I have had moments when I haven't fully understood why God works the way he does, but it's days like today that make it all clear to me! God has a master plan and although I don't always understand it, he loves us and is teaching us a lesson through it all. To God alone be the glory!

Thank you all for the prayers! They are definitely being heard so please continue to pray that God continues to do his holy will in Troys healing and brings him back to us healthy and whole soon!

PS. Please excuse my grammar or typos. I have been posting for the past 3 or 4 days using my phone. I won't have Internet until Thursday of this week, Lord willing, so I'm working on a very tiny screen that makes it very hard for mento proofread. LOL! Please bear with me! Thanks :)

The girls and I spent the day with Troy today. We were there with him during lunch and dinner today and he ate very well today.

He was extremely active today. He has begun moving his left leg so much now that if we left him too close to something (for instance the bed railing) he would put his foot up against it and push his wheelchair back, even with the brake on! The girls were having a blast watching him push his wheelchair backwards at any chance he got.

He was also very alert while we were there today. It was wonderful spending the day with him like that again. I have really missed him and the time I used to spend with him. But its also wonderful to be able to stay busy with my girls and reassuring them that everything is goof to be OK! They have already adjusted really well to how daddy is now and have already started making plans on how they will help when he comes home.

I am so happy to have my family back together! Tonight the girls and I went driving around town pulling over and enjoying fireworks wherever we could get a glimpse at them. That was fun, and the girls really seemed to enjoy it! This time spent with them in truly a blessing and I am so grateful to God for allowing me to be able to keep our little family together!

Tomorrow it's more unpacking and organizing and then back to spend time with daddy. I got the clear today to be able to take him outside to the garden so we can't wait to get there tomorrow afternoon and take him outside and see how he reacts to the environment. I'm hoping that him being outside and hearing cars, motorcycles and people go by will spark something and jar him awake! He's so close to waking up, every little thing we try might push him over the edge! I'll be praying for that tonight!

I didnt get a chance to blog last night due to exhaustion! Matt and some other members of the church delivered the first truck load of things to us yesterday. It was such a blessing for them to take time out of their lives to make that drive for me and the girls! We also had some helpers stop by and help with the unloading. I met them for the first time yesterday and they are awesome people! God has surrounded me with wonderful people and I am loving the acquaintances I am making along the way! Thank you all for the tremendous help! I am just overwhelmed by all the love and care that has been shown to my family during this difficult time.

Today, the girls and I decided to put the unpacking aside, for a little while anyway, to go visit with Troy this afternoon. When we got there he was in his wheelchair, in his room, and we found him wearing a piece of construction paper held to the left side of his face with a pair of glasses (sort of like a blinder on one side) The tech couldn't tell me what that was, so I'll have to ask the therapist the next time I see her, but I'm guessing it's to replace the patch they put on his left eye a few days ago. He has been leaning his head a lot to the left so they are blocking his view on that side in hopes that he will start using his right side more. But, other than that he was moving a round a whole lot in his chair! It's amazing how more alert he looks each day! We stayed long enough to have dinner with him. His appetite was great today! His progress is really starting to show!

After dinner the girls and I got him cleaned up, spent a little more time with him, then headed out. While I was at the grocery store, Charlene sent me a text telling me that the nurse had told her that he drank out of a cup today! I was amazed! I couldn't believe it, because just the hour before, while I was feeding him, he wouldn't even hold the spoon for me so he can practice feeding himself.

After talking with her, I called the nurses station and sure enough, during therapy today they placed a therapy cup (it has a handle and sort of looks like a big sippy cup) in his left hand and when asked to drink out of the cup he raised it to his mouth and drank from it! I was overjoyed and thanked God for continuing to show His glory through Troy's recovery!

I am so grateful for how far God has brought us and am excited at how much further God will continue to bring us through the rest of his recovery.

On another note, Troy's next discharge date is July 8th, so I definitely have a lot of work cut out for me, cleaning up and unpacking this house to make it ready for Troy's arrival. The girls and I are so excited to finally have him home!

New Beginnings

It has been 6 days since my last blog and it might as well have been 60 days! So much has happened in this last week!

First off I want to send a special thank you to our Pastor Andy, his wife Hope and the entire congregation at Grace Community Church and Troy's boss Brian and the guys at the shop for all their generosity, prayers, time donated, and for cooking meals to help me and my family through this entire transition of me being displaced from my girls for 2 months and the process of moving. I couldn't have gotten packed up and loaded into the truck without everyone's help that chipped in! And even if you weren't there yesterday, I know you had us in your prayers and that is great too! God has been so good to us and He has really blessed me by surrounding me with wonderful people that love our family. Troy will be so happy and I know he is more than grateful that his family is being taken care of and watched over while he himself can't do so, right now.

With that said, I also want to recognize our neighbors at Harmony, especially Ron and Monica, my family, my mom and siblings and friends that have been by my side, either in person or in prayer keeping me encouraged and focused on the positive. I am definitely blessed having each and every one of you in our lives!

This last week was just filled with blessings after blessings coming at me from every direction! I was even surprised last night with a check from someone that was enough to cover 1 months of rent! I am just overwhelmed by everyone that has been there for my family helping us get through this!

I ended up leaving last night (against the advice of many to stay and wait until this morning to leave...LOL) and arrived to the hotel in McDonough, which is not too far from the house, at 5:30 this morning. The girls did great and slept pretty much the whole way. We checked in, showered, went back downstairs for breakfast, slept for a about four hours and went to see Troy at the hospital. We arrived there to find him in the gym doing his physical therapy. We got there at the back end of it so they were finishing up with him. The therapist sat him on the edge of the mat and he opened his eyes huge when he saw Tyra! He then glanced up at me and looked over at Brianna! It was really obvious he knew we were there. The excitement showed in his face! It was awesome! She also advised us that they had him walking with complete assistance, but he was the one pushing with his legs as if trying to walk by himself. I was sad that I missed it, but this will now become a regular practice for him during his therapy sessions so I hope to get a glimpse of watching him do that real soon!

Once he was done with the therapy the therapist showed us how he is not needing the use of the Hoyer lift to be put in and out of his wheelchair. She grabbed him by his waste, pulled him up and he pushed up with his legs and stood up! She then turned him and he grabbed on to the arm on the chair and sat down with the help of the therapist easing him into the chair. It is just so incredible how he is doing all these things and still considered to be in a coma! The brain is a marvelous organ! Praise God for all that he's done with Troy so far.

He also went from a 13 on the JFK coma scale to a 15 out of 23 possible points. He started reaching out for objects this week while I was gone, too so that increased his score 2 points.

He is still not urinating on his own so he needs to have an IC done every 6 hours, but the nurse mentioned today that if this continues they will have to give him meds to help him empty his bladder.

Anyhow, today was a wonderful day filled with all sorts of new things and tricks Troy has started to do! I asked the therapist about him being discharged on July 8th and it now looks like they will extend his time once again! This time they are considering putting into the rehab program where he is the one participating in rehab, not the rehab being done to him. If that is the case, his time at the hospital will be extended to a minimum of 6 weeks and will be reassessed every two weeks again from that point depending on his recovery. The next step after this will be the bridge program, where he'll go home with us at night and he'll have to be at the hospital during the day. That is where us living here in GA is really going to come in handy. It will be awesome having him in his own environment at night and still have the support of the hospital to help with the duties of caring for him during the day!

Things are happening really fast now and I'm beyond excited! God is so good and His timing continues to be perfect! Prayers are being answered! Praise God!

Uncle Al and Aunt Denise went back home today, but not before spending half of the day with Troy. They called me on their way home to let me know of today's events. Troy did remarkeably well again today! The Occupational therapist told them that while taking him a shower today (which they do by wheeling him into the shower in a special shower wheelchair) she gave Troy a wash cloth and told him to wash his own face and he did just that. Also, when she was helping him dress she asked him to pull up his pants and he was able to put his arm behind him and pull up his pants. I am so excited hearing all this wonderful news! God has been showing his glory through Troys recovery and I am just praising God and thanking him for the continued healing of Troys brain!

Also, his mother called the hospital today and they told her he's between a 2 and a 3 on the Rancho coma scale. That one is graded out of a 10! He's just taking leaps and bounds now! Praise God!

This is all very amazing recovery! It's hard sometimes to wrap my mind around the fact that he's still in a coma, considering all the impressive things he's doing, but I then find solace in the fact that this all still continues to be under God's watchful eye and under his control; and that alone, is all the comfort I need to give me the energy and the strength for me to keep on keeping on!!

Tomorrow, well this morning, will be packing day for me/us. Some of the church members are meeting me at the house to help me sort through and pack up our things. Reality of the move is now beginning to sink in, but God is an awesome God and has answered every prayer and even ones I haven't prayed for yet!

I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for us! All glory and honor to Him alone!

Well, I am happy to report that I made it to Florida with car all in one piece yesterday! Yay! I will be here all this week and going back to GA mid week next week with all of our personal belongings in tow. Our pastor and some members from the church have blessed my family with their time to help me and the girls get packed up and moved up to our new home! I'm excited and sad at the same time. I do know that this is the best for our family right now. The girls are beside themselves with happiness! Tyra asked me 3 times last night "Mom, are you going to keep us forever now?" I felt so bad! My girls need me, as much as I need them!

A huge news to report is that Troy went from a JFK scale of 7 to 13!!! I wasn't there when the actual assessment was done, but I was told by the therapists that he began tracking himself with a mirror that was passed in front of him and that he reached out for a ball when it was put in his hand! Praise God! That is huge! He needs to be at a 23, so he is more than half way there!

I left Atlanta around 1pm yesterday but Troy's Uncle Al and Aunt Denise came to visit with him, so I left him in good hands. I did get a report from Denise last night that Troy was made to sit up on the mat yesterday and he held himself up for a little bit. And she also said it looked like he was mouthing words, trying to talk. Awesome stuff! She also said that he was holding his head up really well and turning his head. He has been favoring one side more than the other and at times will have his head/face tilted to one side, but apparently while they were there he was showing good head control.

It was so nice to see them there interacting with Troy! It was hard for me to leave him and I wanted to turn around and go back so many times, but God is awesome and made it so that they would be there so when it came time for me to leave, I would feel more comfortable and rest assured Troy would be OK.

The blogging will be very limited this week and I will come on and update as I find out things from the nurses. I have them all on stand by and have given the direction for anyone to call me the instant Troy decides to talk or ask where I am! LOL.

This is going to be a busy week and full of emotions for me. I pray God continues to give me strength to continue to endure.

Today was a fairly quiet day for Troy. He continues to move that left leg and left arm. He has even figured out a way to kick his shoe off and since he's constantly rubbing his foot back and forth on the foot peg of the wheel chair, he has already shredded 3 socks! I have had to throw them away and will now have to go shopping for more socks for him! LOL.

He ate about 50% of his lunch and about 75% of his dinner and as far as the nurses/doctors are concerned that's a good intake.

He seems so much more alert though. It's nice to see that his blank stare has become more of a look when he's focused on something or someone. He isn't really tracking around the room yet, but he does keep his eyes open more often now than he used too. I wonder what he is seeing or looking at and if he is recognizing what he's looking at. I keep him encouraged by showing him pictures that are posted on the board in his room in hopes that it will remind him of things he's familiar with. I pray one day soon he'll come out of the coma and start talking to me and talking about the pictures! That day can't come soon enough!

Thanks again for the continued prayers. I will not be posting, taking calls, answering emails, answering texts, or much of anything else tomorrow. I have decided to take a day to myself where I do nothing but sleep, watch TV, read, whatever, anything that does not pertain to me going to the hospital. I don't know if I'll be able to make it all day without stopping by to check on him, but I have told myself that I would do this for my own well being. I have been running straight for 8 weeks now and it's really beginning to take its toll on me, both physically and emotionally. I need this break so that I can take care of Troy and the girls and the moving this coming week.

So, with that said, there will more than likely not be an update until Tuesday night or Wednesday. Thanks to all that are faithfully following this blog and keeping us in your daily prayers! God is good and I'm keep on looking up!

Update :)

OK, it has been an interesting few days. Troy has been doing really well. He woke up the day after surgery doing more than he was before the surgery. I wonder if it was the anesthesia...hmmm? LOL.

Troy has begun following commands more frequently. It's not consistent enough yet to move him up on the coma scale, but it's enough that it's pretty noticeable. He finally kept his hand still enough (after I asked him to hold still) that I was able to give him a manicure in his hospital bed last night, now that the cast and bandaging are off and his hand was more accessible. The commands he's following so far are: kick your leg, give me your hand (only doing that with left hand right now) and close your eyes. Awesome stuff! All about baby steps at this stage!

I continue to pray that his recovery continues to move in the right direction. I'm praying that he continues to do so well that he won't be discharged until he comes home the same way he was before May 1st!

We had a medical conference with his doctor on the 15th and the doctor feels that, although he might never be able to drive a car or be left alone for long periods of time, Troy should be able to return to the community and be able to live a happy and healthy life. Of course, we worship a powerful God, so Troy's future is still up to God's will, so I don't let any doctor steer me from my faith in what God can do.

Other than that, the big news right now is that I have found us a house in GA. It is an hour south of Atlanta. But, I'm sure I'll eventually, once I learn my way around here, find a shorter way to get to Shepherd :)

I went out looking for a home on Thursday and got a phone call on Friday letting me know I was approved and can move in on July 1st! Praise God! I will be driving home on Tuesday to go spend a week with the girls and take the time to pack and clean up the condo. I'm still trying to figure out the details of the move along with the help of our pastor and his wife. But, just as God has had everything else fall into place for us during this difficult time, I trust in the Lord for this one too! My biggest concern right now is having help when I get here to unload the truck. So far there are a few people that have offered to help but I need to coordinate timing and dates to help make concrete decisions. I am also praying that I can get the key and the lease to the house before I leave here on Tuesday so that I can go ahead and go to the power company and at least have the key and power on ready to go when I pull up with the truck on July 1st. Please pray with me for God to make a way to make this a smooth and effortless transition. I am also having mechanical issues with both my car and Troy so I'm trying to work something out between both cars, I am hoping I can make one good dependable car for me and the girls to drive around here in GA with parts from both cars.

Hope has helped me find a church by the hospital and I will visiting with them tomorrow morning, then I'll be spending the day with Troy at the hospital tomorrow for Father's day.

Thanks for the continued prayers and I'm really looking forward to being able to live here, with my girls and Troy just a short drive away!

Well, the five pins came out today and Troy did really well. So his hand should be fully functional. We'll know more once he can start therapy on it, which should be right away. He has no screws in his hand, the pins were just holding his hand in place while it healed.

He was very groggy and spent the entire day in bed resting. He didn't eat lunch or dinner, so they fed him an ensure through his feeding tube.

The nurses reassure me tomorrow he will be in better spirits :)

It's been a long day! But God is so good and I'm keeping my focus on Him!

We had awesome news yesterday. Troy's stay at Shepherd has been extended until July 8th! They feel that he's made enough progress that keeping him 2 extra weeks would be beneficial to his recovery.

Troy hasn't been feeling too well these past two days. When I went to take him out of bed for dinner yesterday I felt he was really warm. I put him in his wheelchair and took him to the nurses station where I found his nurse, after taking his temperature it was determined that he was running a fever of 102. They immediately took a urine culture and gave him some Tylenol to bring the fever down. Needless to say he didn't eat much dinner last night. They went ahead and started a broad spectrum antibiotic that would cover a possible UTI infection anyway this morning, just in case. Well, the cultures came back today, he definitely has a UTI so I'm glad they caught that right away and started him on meds right away. He was a bit better today but still not as active and still running a bit warm.

They also took him down for x-rays on his hip last night. That right leg has really been bothering him and it is in definite pain when moved at certain angles. I didn't hear anything back about that today, but my guess is either it's broken and it was missed at ORMC, or he has H.O. (heterotropic ossification) forming on his hip bones. H.O. is basically bone tissue building around the outside of the skeleton. This has been reported in cases of brain injury. I spoke with the therapist today and confirmed that it could be one of those things. Hopefully the doctor's had a chance to review the x-rays today and will have an answer for me tomorrow.

Another big thing is tomorrow morning the pins in his hands will come out! Yay! I saw the x-rays of his hand and he has 5 straight pins criss-crossed in his hand to stabilize it. I also discovered that he has no screws in that hand. The plastic surgeon just put all the bones back where they went and put straight pins to hold it all in place. Amazing stuff!

Other than that today was a fairly quiet day for Troy. I did have a meeting with the physical therapy team to get his wheelchair ordered today, in the event he needs one when he goes home.

I will remain prayerful and trusting in the Lord to continue to do His will in Troy's recovery.

Today was huge, in so many ways! Troy kicked on command 3 times in a row with the physical therapist and the occupational therapist put a toothbrush in his splint (in the position where he could get it in his mout) and after the therapist showed him how to do it twice with no response from him, on the third try she said "OK Troy, now you do it. Brush your teeth, Troy!" and he raised his left arm and put the brush in his mouth! Neither one of us expected it because we have been working with him to do so many other much simpler things and he wouldn't. To watch God work like that was amazing! Also, while working with the speech therapist he focused on his face when put in front of the mirror. That is a step up on the JFK coma scale. Before today Troy was a 6 out of 23 possible points. He went up one point today so he's now a 7! Again, all the praise and glory goes to God! This recovery is all about celebrating the tiny victories because collectively they will make Troy whole again and bring him back home to us!

So, we have a medical conference with the doctor tomorrow and hopefully the doctor will give me a definite answer if they are extending Troy's stay at Shepherd. They will access him 2 weeks at a time, but any extension means he is headed in the right direction and the doctor feels he can work with him!

Thank you all for the prayers and sorry for not posting yesterday. I am staying at a friend's brother and his wife's home and I have not quite settled in completely yet. I'm actually posting this blog with my phone so please excuse me if there are any typos :)

God has placed Troy in this wonderful place, blessed us with wonderful children, family, church family and friends, and I am thankful to Him everyday for blessing us with all of this!

Troy had a good day today. His mom, daughter, aunt and niece came by to visit today. Today was the first time his daughter saw him since the accident; she was pleased with how he looked. She has not wanted to see him because she was scared of how he looked and how bad he would be. It was nice to see that she wasn't too upset or scared with how he looked. This is all so new and she handled it very well! Also, Charlene was able to feed Troy his dinner and he did really well eating and took a few sips from his cup today with her. That was very sweet to watch. We had a great time talking, reminiscing and talking about the Lord. Troy also managed to stay very alert while they were here and that was nice too because they got to spend a few hours with him talking to him and interacting with him.

Troy has been doing really well. He seems to be on the verge of emerging from the coma; he is just so active with his left arm and left leg and is so aware of his surroundings. Just by watching him I can always tell something is wrong with him either by the movements he makes, the look on his face or him groaning, grunting or moaning.

He is still having trouble with his right leg at the hip. Also, today, while I was stretching his right arm and doing range of motion exercises I noticed he grimaced and groaned when I lifted his arm above his head. I will mention that to the therapist on Monday because it seems that he needs to have more stretching exercises on his right arm and right leg to help with the stiffness and soreness from not moving it.

Thank you all for the emails, thoughts and prayers.

Wow! What a day! Troy had lunch and dinner by mouth today! He ate 80% of his lunch and 90% of his dinner. It was a wonderful experience to watch him take in food with a spoon. It took me about an hour to get him to eat it, but the fact is that he ATE and that in itself is a huge improvement! Praise God! He isn't taking in liquids by mouth though, so they still have to give him water through his feeding tube. Yesterday he took a little sip through a straw and was able to take a sip out of a cup, so we'll continue to work with him to encourage him on drinking, as well. To have the feeding tube taken out he has to be able to eat and drink by mouth.

Another thing that I have noticed with Troy is that he is able to show when he's in pain or uncomfortable, in other words, he's apparently very aware of his surroundings. Tonight, when the nurse and the tech turned him on his side, he immediately started grimacing and moaning...loud! It was shocking to see and hear him like that! He was even trying to sit up in the bed. It took the nurse and I a few minutes to figure out what was wrong with him. Well, it looks like his right hip hurts and when turned on his left side it puts his right leg at an awkward angle and that causes him pain. The nurse and I put him back on his back and he immediately stopped moaning and laid his head back down and closed his eyes. So, I will be bringing that up to the physical therapists attention because he doesn't move his right leg, I'm guessing his hip must just be tight and sore from lack of range of motion.

I know I shouldn't be happy about him being in pain, but the fact that he FELT pain was very comforting to me! His nervous system and senses seems to be healing really well! Little by little, day by day, week by week - Troy is just moving in the right direction and I have not stopped praising God and thanking Him for keeping His hand on Troy in continued healing! As I type this, tears of joy sprout to my eyes as I look back on how far we've come since May 1st! This is all just so overwhelming and humbling at the same time. To see that God created us and realize how fragile we really are is a rude awakening to me.

And finally, I wanted to thank everyone that has been mailing me things here at the housing. But, just to let everyone know that as of tomorrow I will no longer be here so please do not mail anything else to the address you have for me. The agreement I have with the hospital is to get housing for 30 days; well the 30 days are up this weekend and I have to make arrangements to find another place to stay while Troy is here at Shepherd.

Thank you again for all the wonderful messages, emails, cards, etc that you have taken the time to write. I might not have time to respond to everyone, but just reading them encourages me and get me through the day. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such loving people!

God bless you all and I am looking forward to seeing what God has for us tomorrow! In Christ, Joan

Troy did great during the swallow study this morning. He has a nice strong swallow, so he will start eating puréed foods today for lunch. This is a huge development in Troy's recovery. All the praise and glory to God!    

I'll write a complete blog tonight. I just wanted to update this now for those that check this throughtout the day.

Praise God!

Today was another great day for Troy! The speech therapist wanted to see how Troy did with taking some grape juice with ice chips from a spoon, so she fed him some of that and Troy continued, time after time, to open his mouth when the spoon would touch his lip and he would suck on the spoon and swallow. She then decided to try pudding and see how he would take that, he ate pudding too! It was amazing to watch! Of course, she again reiterated to me that he would have to be consistent and continue doing this, but she felt that he really was doing it consistent enough from yesterday to today and how much he really took in! She fed him about half a pudding cup and he drank about 6 spoonfuls of grape juice. THEN, to top it all off, she puts a straw in a cup of icy water and he sucked up a bit of water and swallowed that! She was amazed at how easily he was doing all these things. So Troy was definitely showing off today! Praise God!

So, God's glory was witnessed today in that therapy gym at Shepherd Center! What a great testimony! Just 4 weeks ago the doctors were talking about harvesting his organs, here we are today with Troy doing amazing things and proving doctors wrong! God is an awesome God and I am so grateful for what He has done so far with Troy!

Also, to add to all of this improvement today, he has started moving his right hand. He has not moved that hand or arm much since the accident. Today, he has been balling up his hand in a fist! I would open his hand (for fear that maybe the tendons are pulling tight and his hands are beginning to go into hypertonicity) and he would ball his fist up again. I spend most of the afternoon and evening massaging and flexing his hand to make sure he keeps it nice and flexible and loose. I will talk to the physical therapist about that tomorrow. Hopefully they won't have to cast his hands up now, which they'll do if they feel he will begin to get tight like his feet are.

Furthermore, Troy has now upgraded to wearing the cast only at night now on his left leg. What they did was cut his cast, very neatly, and then velcro the two pieces together with duct tape and makeshift hinges so he can use it, sort of like a boot, to sleep in, only at night. So, during the day they will leave his left foot with no cast and only put the brace on at night to make sure he keeps that flexibility in that tendon in his leg.

So, as you can read, there was a lot going on today. Thank you for your continued prayers and please continue to pray that God keeps on doing his will in healing Troy in his time.

Lots of things going on today. Troy had the trache removed today. They have now replaced it with a "button" which is basically just a clear plastic tubing that sticks about 1 inch out of his neck and is held in by a toggle bolt type of mechanism that keeps it in place. The respiratory therapist says that it will, more than likely, stay in for about 1 to 2 weeks. It's definitely a step in the right direction.

Another huge milestone today was when the speech therapist gave him an ice chip and rubbed it on his lips; Troy opened his mouth, took in the ice chip, sucked on it, and swallowed! For a patient with the type of brain injury Troy has, that is big improvement! Of course, Troy will have to do it consistently, from now on, for it to count as an increase in his Rancho score, but it definitely is cause for praise to God! So, to help him keep practicing, for the rest of the day, I would offer him ice chips from time to time and most of the time he took it and sucked/chewed on it and swallowed. It was amazing to watch!

God is definitely answering prayers and continuing to work his will in his perfect timing! It's exciting for me because today there was talk that Troy's time here at Shepherd will more than likely be extended, if he continues to make progress as he has has these past two days. The downside of that would be that I will have to consider moving up here - AGAIN (not looking forward to that stressful event again, but I know God will give me clarity so I have quit trying to figure things out and give it all to God), the upside is that Troy will not have to have any gap in his therapy and if Troy continues to make progress this way, he'll be back to us real soon!

Prayers are powerful and God is definitely showing his glory!

I continue to trust in the LORD and trust in him to continue to guide me through these major life changing decisions that are about to come forth for Troy, the girls and myself.

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." John 16:13

To God be all the glory.

Today was a busy day for Troy and I. It started this morning with me walking in to his room while they were replacing his casts on his legs. Then he was able to rest for about an hour before being taken out of bed and wheeled over to the gym for an hour and half of physical therapy and occupational therapy. He did really well today. They had him on the bike and also had him sitting on the mat. While on the mat they leaned him over to his left and propped him up on his elbow. The therapist told him to sit himself straight up and, after much coaxing, he started pushing up on his left arm. It was really neat to watch! God is doing great things in Troy's recovery and I am blessed to be here and witness God's work!

The rest of the day was me just being with him. I talked to him, had the TV on in his room and talked to him about what was going on on the TV, reading my book to him, showing him pictures of the girls. We had a really good time together. He was alert for most of it, for the rest of it he wasn't -- but then again Troy was never very alert at home when I was talking to him, so I expect that. LOL. (just kidding)

Also, it looks like now we aren't moving after all. Ugh! This is so crazy with the ups and downs and being all over the place. Today, after speaking with the case manager at the hospital, I find out that because Troy isn't a Georgia resident they can not release him to a nursing facility in GA, they will have to send him to a facility near my home. Once he wakes up, he will then come back to GA and at that time things will pretty much start all over for me. So, for now I am holding off on the moving until he wakes up. Once he wakes up, I'll worry about all these extra details at that time. I am happy about that though because, in a way, that takes off the stress of me worrying about finding the right place to live near a good church and good schools, right now. I will keep everyone posted though in the event I do end up needing to move in the future. Thank you for everyone that put the time into emailing me or emailing others and getting me offers of homes for me to stay here in GA. The outpouring of support is overwhelming and it brought me to tears when I woke up this morning and I saw how much love and support is out there for me and my family!!

Now, the other option is that if he does in fact wake up or make a marked improvement before the 23rd, they will extend his time at the hospital here and I can then consider the move at that time, and go from there. For now, I just need to put that on the back burner and refocus my energy in the right direction which is getting back home to my girls and making sure Troy is taken care of.

This was a huge day for me, many decisions and considerations to be taken and made, and I am thankful that the Lord answered my prayers and gave me clarity to see things for what they really are and what the Lord wants me to do.

I continue to thank God for being by my side through this entire ordeal. In my darkest moments, when I feel that I am all alone, I know I am not. I know God is with me and I see it every day with the messages I read from friends and family letting me know they are here for me as well. Love you guys!

Troy was a bit more alert today than he has been in the past few days. The nurse told me this morning that when she walked into the room first thing this morning and he had his eyes wide open. His dad, his cousin Mitchell, the girls, Brian, Linda and myself were in the room with him today and spent time talking with him and keeping him company. We did get him to open his eyes more than he did yesterday, so that was a good thing to see. He also seemed to be looking at Tyra a lot and looking around the room at everyone else. He almost had this look on his face of wanting to say something. He continues to move his left arm and left leg a lot.

After everyone left I stayed with him and spent a few hours sitting by his side and talking to him, cleaning him up, and reading bible verses to him; he seemed really attentive to what I was saying. I saw him studying my face and at times bringing his left arm towards me and when I put my hand in his cast he would squeeze my fingers. I kept talking with him and he continued to study me, almost as if he wanted to talk to me. He didn't, but the look on his face was enough to keep me talking to him and keep me going.

Also, he had his "picc" line and bladder catheter removed today. When he first arrived at Shepherd Center the picc line was put in so they can feed him intravenously and give him medicines through the line. They have been giving him his meds and food by the feeding tube in his tummy so they were able to pull that out today since he's been tolerating the feeding tube very well. And the catheter was taken out because he really can do without it now and not having it in decreases his chance of infection. He will have a diaper on until he wakes up and is alert enough to get up and use the bathroom by himself.

Other than that today I had to say goodbye to everyone and it was really hard for me. It gets harder and harder to say goodbye to them every time. Being reunited and separated again, time and time again, just keep tearing a whole in me that just opens up old wounds I had when we were separated the first time. I was able to stay composed while saying goodbye to the girls but I must admit I have been broken up all day since then. I miss my girls and I miss my husband. I have been seeking God's face all day and praying to Him to give me the strength that I need and the strength I'm going to need in the coming weeks, so that I can figure out where to live, find a place with good schools for the girls and myself, and make sure that I can keep the family together in the process. I am so grateful to have such a supportive chain of friends, family and church family! I don't know how I could do any of this without everyone's help, support and prayers.

I know God will get me through all of this. I don't believe, for one minute, I would have gotten this far without the Lord and I know I'll need Him to help me through the rest. I am casting all my worries upon the Lord, because he cares for me as the bible tells me in 1 Peter 5:7.

The next few weeks are going to be filled with calls,questions, answers and future planning. Please continue to pray that God gives me the wisdom to do what is pleasing to the Lord and that I remain faithful to Him to guide me every step of the way.

Spent an awesome day with the girls. We spent a little while with Troy this morning then we ended up going to Zoo Atlanta. The girls had a blast. We were done with enough time to come back to Troy's room and stay with him the rest of the night.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't have much of a reaction to the girls being there as he did the last time they were here. His dad got here early this afternoon and said that he was able to get Troy to open his eyes a few times. We stayed with Troy the rest of the evening and saw him open his eyes a few other times.

The girls go back tomorrow, so I pray that Troy is more alert than he was today when we get there and can have him interacting with the girls a bit more.

I continue to remain prayerful for my husband's full recovery!

Also, if anyone knows of homes or apartments that are handicap ready or can be converted to be handicap accessible (or anything of that nature), please email me at the email address on this site. I am going to have to make some really fast moves and start looking for a place to bring him home to, in the event the Lord doesn't will Troy to wake up before June 23rd.

At this point I am trying to stay either in Atlanta (or near here) or move to Wauchula, FL where FINR is. I just found out today that if Troy is accepted into the Day program, when he wakes up, the hospital will readmit him and do rehab with him at this hospital. That would be the ideal since this remains to be one of the top 10 hospitals for rehab in the nation. FINR is good as well, but after looking last night for schools in that area, I was not impressed by the location and the schools in that area either. So, I might end up just having to move here, near this hospital, so that when he wakes up I can live with the girls close by and I won't have to be away from our girls again as I have been doing this past month and half.

Thank you for any help you can offer. God bless!

Let me start off with apologizing for not posting in the blog last night. I received a few calls, texts and emails today asking if everything was OK because I didn't post. Everything is fine. I just didn't have anything new to post yesterday and was so tired last night, I thought I would take a night to myself. To not think about anything, to just relax. I wasn't very successful at it anyway, but adding the blogging to my evening the way it was going last night would have proved to be too much, so I skipped the blogging.

With that being said, today was pretty much like it has been the past few days. Troy got 3 hours of physical therapy. His occupational therapist worked him really tough this morning. He was frowning and breathing really heavily so it was obvious he was being worked to the maximum. He also did 5 miles on the mechanical bike. The machine was doing the pedaling for him, but they put patches on his hamstrings and quadriceps that stimulated the muscle. The purpose of that was to see if they could get him to do some of the work and pedal some for the machine by sending electric shocks to the muscle to get them to contract. There is a gauge on the machine that shows how much work he is doing. The machine starts off at 100%, which means the machine is doing all of the pedaling for him. As he begins to pedal it will count down from there until it gets to 0%, which means he's doing all of the work. It stayed at 100% the entire 5 miles, but the goal is to get him to start pedaling himself.

There was a lot on my mind today too. Troy's discharge date is on June 23rd from here, so if he doesn't wake up or show some marked improvement by then, they will discharge him home or to a nursing home. Once he wakes up, he will either come back to Shepherd (and stay here for 6 weeks again, then go back to FL) or be transferred to FINR (Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation) in Wauchula, FL all together. So, I have decided to move close to FINR and that way when he wakes up, I'll be living nearby the facility with the girls and we won't have to go through what we are going through now with having such a big distant between me and the girls for such a long time. I went ahead and stepped out in faith and gave notice at my place today and will have to be out by July 1st. With God's help I will shoot to be out of there by the 23rd and already in a new place so that when Troy comes home he won't have to spend any time in a nursing home facility...he can just come straight home.

There are a lot of changes happening really fast and I am putting my trust and faith in the Lord to guide me and give me the wisdom to make the right choices for all of us. There was a verse in the bible today that was helping me deal with all of this, this afternoon:

"For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course." Proverbs 2:6-9

I continue to pray for guidance and discernment so that I don't lean on my own understanding but that I may in all my ways acknowledge the Lord so that he can guide me and straighten my ways. (Proverbs 3:5).

Our friends are driving my car up from FL and bringing me the girls this weekend and then taking them back on Sunday when they go home. So, I'm definitely excited about seeing them later on tonight. Also, Troy's dad will be here with us, as well, so I am anxious to see how Troy receives the different company and if we can get him more alert while the girls and his dad are here.

Trusting and patiently waiting on the Lord to continue to do His holy will! :)

Today was a fairly calm day for Troy. He was very sleepy all day, which is to be expected with brain injuries. He's been fairly alert these past few days, today, I could barely get him to keep his eyes open. But that's OK. He needs his rest -- with rest comes recovery. So, needless to say, I did a lot of reading today. *smiles*

Also, he had both his legs put in casts today. This is to keep his feet from hypertonicity which is an increased tension of the muscles in the legs. This is caused from the lack of movement and stretching of the legs, as happens when we walk in our normal day to day activities, and laying with his feet pointed forward. What will happen, with time, is that the tendons in his legs and calves will begin to tighten, from lack of use, causing his toes to point and curl downward. This is very painful and also inhibits walking when he wakes up from the coma. So, they typically will cast the feet and ankles in fiberglass casting in comatose patients up to below the knee to help keep his feet at a 90 degree angle.

Other than that, he is doing really well with the "button" on his trache and breathing and swallowing pretty well. He doesn't always remember to swallow and will sometimes go into a coughing fit and gagging on his saliva, but he then realizes what's going on and starts to swallow again. It's all a learning process from here on out. He's getting the hang of things fairly well :)

All this week I have been thinking about our wedding vows and how, many times, we take those words, which we swore to in front of God, for granted. "In sickness and in health" - wow, those words take on a whole new meaning for me from here on out.

Thank you, Lord for blessing me with this man and with the strength to do what You called me to do for him, in the good AND in the bad!

Today was a good day. Troy had his eyes open pretty much all day again. Seeing him with his eyes open really feeds my hope that he'll continue to emerge from the coma soon!

The therapy sessions also went well. They showed me a few things to do with him during the day, but they also advised me not to give him too many commands or ask too much of him right now. So, I kept the commands simple. "Troy, can you squeeze my hand?" "Troy, can you kick your leg?" "Troy, can you follow this picture?" So far he's not following any of those commands like he should be, but that gives you an idea of the things they ask of him. On some of them, like the following a picture one, he does sometimes or might have a delayed reaction too, but that is to be expected and they reassure me that with time he will be doing everything they ask, on command.

I am learning so much. Tonight I pretty much got him ready for bed on my own. The tech was there to help me, of course, but I am getting more comfortable with handling him and more comfortable with his weight. They say he weighs 161 lbs...it feels more like 361! Phew! LOL.

God will bring Troy back to us on His time, so in the meantime I'm enjoying caring for him and watching him get better week by week. Troy has already come a long way since May 1st. He still has a very long road ahead, but there isn't anything God can't do and my faith remains unshaken. I continue to pray that God continues working His holy will and continues to give me endurance and strength to make it through the days, weeks, months we have ahead of us.

Troy continues to recover well. Yesterday and today were pretty quiet days. I spent most of the day just massaging his legs and arms, as much as I could get around the tubes and bandages. I stretched his arms and legs and did range of motion exercises with him since he didn't get therapy yesterday or today, because of the holiday and no therapy on weekends. He seemed to enjoy the massages and stretches. I was looking for wincing or frowning to see if it hurt him, but most of the time he had the look of calm in his face so I assume he liked it. *smile*

It feels really good catering to him and caring for him personally. It keeps that love and bond I have with Troy alive; it allows for me to remind him how much I care for him and how much I love him. I even gave him a mini bath with wet soapy wash rags (mostly just arms, legs, underarms, and face; it's hard caring for someone who's not helping - LOL!). He got the entire spa treatment today and we both enjoyed it. :)

He was up in his wheelchair for a record breaking 7 hour stretch today! I have to tilt him back for 1 to 2 minutes every 30 minutes to avoid skin sores on his hind from sitting and not moving all day. He also stayed awake pretty much the entire day today! That was nice because I don't feel like I'm talking to myself so much when he has his eyes open :)

Other than that, nothing much else to report. His progress is slow, much slower than I would like to see, but God is in control so I'm enjoying him, and my time with him, and in the meantime I'm not worrying about the slow pace and I'm trusting God do His thing, in His own time.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Troy had a pretty alert day today. He kept his eyes open pretty much all day today. It was good talking with him and interacting with him while he had his eyes open. I don't know how much of me he's really noticing or seeing, but at one point I was sitting close to him at eye level, talking to him and I noticed his pupils dilate while he was staring at me. I took that as a sign that he was trying to focus on me so that was reassuring.

Other than that it was pretty quiet morning and early afternoon. When they put him in bed I had the basketball game going on the TV for him and he seemed to keep his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

Another nice thing was to see him moving his right leg around this evening! He moved it around quite a bit and folded it under him and once he got comfortable he stopped moving it. That was good to see since he hasn't really moved that leg much since the accident.

I'm encouraged by the new things he seems to be doing every day or so. Thank you for all the prayers and please keep the prayers going. Troy will be back with us soon :)

I fell asleep on the couch when I got back to the room around 8:30 this evening and now that something woke me up, I'm having trouble going back to bed without writing out what happened tonight and keeping everyone updated. LOL.

Troy had a full day today. He was seen twice by each therapist today which is 30 minutes at a time by 3 therapists which totals 3 hours for the day! That is a lot of therapy for a comatose patient. They had originally told me that comatose patients are in the "coma stimulation" program which focuses on 1.5 hours of therapy a day, well today they worked him extra hard! He's a soldier though and he's a soldier first, man second (that's what I hear anyway) so he was a trooper and did really well with all of it. In one of his sessions with the physical therapist he was told to kick her hand twice and he did it, she also had him point his toe. At first he didn't do it, but then she told him "Look at my foot, Troy! Do what I'm doing!" And his eyes slowly rolled down and focused in on her foot and then he DID IT! I wasn't there to witness that or record it, they snuck out while I was having lunch so when I got back they were gone, but the therapist told me all about it when they got back and she was super excited, as was I!

I have never doubted from day one that Troy is definitely in there somewhere, he just needs to continue to heal and rest and let God heal his brain.

The mother of the boy in the room next to mine came in today to offer some encouragement as well. Her son fell from the side of a mountain 80 feet to the floor during a hiking trip in March. After 3 months, he's still in a coma but has started to follow commands pretty consistently and is more active by the week. She told me that at first her son too was like Troy, doing things one day, sleeping all day the next and so on. She told me to hold on to the hope and the faith I have. She says she hears me talking to Troy and praying with him and to keep doing that because he can hear me and he will get better. At first I was embarrassed anyone could hear me, but then I realized that I am also keeping others encouraged and God is sending all sorts of encouragement our way!

We have to stay focused and continue praying for continued healing. There is no miracle pill or miracle drug or miracle happening PERIOD without God's consent, it's all in God's timing and when He wills it to be so, it will happen. God's will is more comforting to me than any medicine they can ever give Troy because it's not coming from any earthly things, but from my Father above! And since it's coming from our Sovereign God, it's going to be perfect and that's exactly what Troy needs right now! I'm excited to see what God has planned! I patiently wait in prayer :)

Trache coming out soon

The pulmonary doctor came in today to let me know that they will be keeping the "cap" on Troy's trache for the next 24 to 48 hours to see how he tolerates it. They have been "capping" off Troy's trache by placing a "plug" type device on it so then Troy is forced to breath through his nose and mouth. For the past 2 days they have been doing that but have taken it off at night for him to sleep. They have been doing this as a process to wean him off the trache all together. Well, now they will leave it on 24/7 for the next day or two and if his oxygen level stays the way it has been (between 97% to 100%) then they will take out the trache.

Another exciting thing happened today. The Atlanta Falcons came by the hospital today to visit with patients. Troy was in the gym (just finished up with therapy) when they all walked in. Troy, of course, kept his eyes closed the entire time! Argh! He's going to be so mad when he wakes up and sees the picture I took of him with the guys and he missed it...LOL. I got an autographed card for him and 2 pictures. It was understandable that Troy was knocked out though, therapy is a lot of hard work for him and it really wears him out. Good thing I had my camera phone :)

On that same note, therapy went fairly well today, too. He wasn't as alert as he was yesterday, but the therapists put a basketball on a table and put his arm on top of it and while she held his arm she told him to move it and he rolled it away from his body twice. That was exciting to watch! They are so aggressive and they really challenge him which is good. This hospital is definitely all they claim to be. They expect him to recover completely, therefore they expect a lot of work out of him - which is great!

Also, there was a peer group support session today where people that have had traumatic brain injuries come in to talk with families and friends and let them know their story so that they can be encouraged. Well, this gentleman that was there today had the same type of injury Troy has. He had an upper brain stem contusion with hemorrhaging 30 years ago. He is 49 years old now and, although he has no feeling in his left hand and arm, he is alive and well and functioning almost to 100%. That was very encouraging to me. After we talked for a few and he told me his story he asked if he could see Troy and I accepted. He came over and talked to Troy for a bit and as he was talking, Troy opened his eyes. It was so sweet! He tried to get Troy to do a few things like blink on command or move his fingers and Troy didn't, but he also told me not to give up on Troy because Troy can hear us. He told me how he remembered all sorts of things being talked about around him while he was in his coma. Again, that was very encouraging, as well, because I constantly play the bible on DVD and his Christian rap music he so loves in his ears with his iPod. So, if he's really hearing than that can help keep him encouraged, as well and keep fighting to wake up!

I don't get tired of praising God for what He's doing in Troy's life and in my life, as well. I praise God for doing His perfect will when He is good and ready to do so. This traumatic experience has made me stronger, this faith that I have has just drawn me closer to God and made my walk with Him even stronger than before - and for that I praise God all the way! All glory be to God!