Hello Family & Friends! Tampa is Just a Hop & Skip Away... says Andy

January 24 – 30th
By: Janna & Tom Determan

We apologize for the lengthy delay (& for the lengthy post) in updating Andy’s miracle life journey blog. The pace of restoration taking place in Andy’s body has definitely slowed down quite-a-bit in the natural or visual realm. So, with that said, more than likely the postings will go from being done daily to once or twice a week until further notice.

Andy had a big day last Saturday (Jan.24th), as he was transferred to Tampa General Hospital’s (TGH) Rehab Center and finally got away from the LRMC fiasco. TGH is a little less than 40 miles away from home when traveling one way. The daily trek has a tendency to get old really fast, so we looked into staying at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). Our first attempt or contact with RMH fell on deaf ears, only because Andy is 18 years old; however, when we mentioned this to one of the doctors, Doctor Lawrence Neufeld, he made a phone call for us and wha-la, we’re in. Can you say, “That was easy!?”

So anyway, as of Wednesday this week we started staying there, completely enjoying the benefits of being close by. What a blessing it is, not just due to not having to drive back & forth every day, but the RMH furnishes breakfast & lunch items including a full kitchen with every appliance you can practically imagine at our finger tips.

We can help ourselves to anything we want, AND every night the dinner meals are personally prepared & brought in by one of the many volunteer families or groups. All of this is provided to family members of young children/young adults for just $5 per night! What a blessing this has become to us in a very short time! Now, everyone reading this blog needs to go to McDonalds for lunch today and tell them thanks (plus, put your change in the RMH kitty) for the RMH in Tampa, FL. If you do go, we certainly hope you enjoy yourself... ;-)

Andy is in a semi-private room near the window. His view is overlooking the Hillsborough River and he can see the hotel where the Super Bowl teams are staying. The river is quite busy right now with big yachts docking across the way to eat at some swanky restaurant; the coast guard has quite a few gunner boats patrolling the area due to the proximity of the SB players, I’m sure.

Currently, Andy is receiving 1½ – 4 hours of therapy each day depending on his vital signs; more specifically, whether or not his blood pressure & heart rate are cooperating. He is presently on blood pressure medicine to help keep the BP up where it should be; however, the med’s don’t always work like they should and Andy can’t sit upright. Evidently, after having been lying down for extended periods of time, getting up for therapy is quite challenging… even for Mister Competitiveness himself.

So, when he is able, he is receiving both Occupational & Physical Therapy.
Occupational therapy helps him learn how to do all the Activities of Daily Living, better known as ADLs. This consists of dressing, bathing, grooming, plus the more personal side to life, things like self-cathing & bowel care. Physical therapy teaches him wheelchair mobility, transferring from bed to chair, balance, etc.

Needless to say, he’s working really hard each day trying to increase his endurance & after a tough workout, he spends a lot of time in between sessions napping.

His endurance is getting better, but right now after having been flat on his back for almost a month, it is really taking a lot of strength to do the “simple things”. Even though he stays pretty pooped from all the activity, he’s actually glad to be getting therapy which will enable him to push his physical restoration along.

Today (30th) Andy had to have his 2nd thoracentesis done; not sure if I spelled that right, but he had fluid in his left lung cavity which was restricting his lung from fully inflating. They removed another 600cc just like last time. This is usually a simple procedure, but I (Janna) was a little nervous on this one. The person doing the procedure looked quite young & acted like he wasn’t sure of himself, so I was sitting in the corner praying for the Lord’s direction…whether that meant getting someone else or helping him do it. My prayer was answered and all went well. We believe this will be his last experience on these lines since he spends more time out of bed now which supposedly helps this condition from re-appearing.

As mentioned before, we’re now moving at a seemingly slow pace as far as seeing improvements, (that’s seeing things with a natural eye, but the real power is at work ‘behind the scene’ doing a far greater work than what we can see). Obviously, since Andy has always been so active, the day to day grind he’s experiencing right now seems to be wearing on him a little more than before.

Nevertheless, we are asking for your prayers to continue. Please continue to lift Andy up before the Lord. Andy’s spirits are good for the most part, but since he’s not seeing the rapid improvements as before, we’ve noticed that he’s getting a little down lately. We’re going to keep speaking God’s Word over him, letting him know that His healing power is at work on the inside of his body.

Now, here’s the downside to the better care he’s receiving in Tampa.

Because we’re not in Lakeland any more, the visitors have all but vanished. So, from a mother's perspective, let me be a little BOLD here, bold enough right now to request for anyone who can possibly come visit… to please come visit!

Visiting hours are 4-8 p.m. Monday – Friday and 11am-8pm on weekends. Andy really needs your support right now more than ever, so don’t let a few miles keep you away!!! Come on over for a big ‘Andy smile,’ one that will light up your day and God will bless you for making the extra effort… I promise. (Thanks to Kristen, Megan, Johnny, Joel, Chuck, Lizzy, & Andrew who came to see Andy this week! We (Mom & Dad) appreciate your sacrifice & love.)

Scripture Verse for the Day is Ephesians 3:20: Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask OR think, (here’s the catch) according to the power that worketh in us.

For Christians, that power is the power of the Holy Spirit. He (God the Holy Spirit) is able to perform the impossible… Is He working in you? Does He have a small corner in your heart or have you given Him free access to all the chambers and passage ways of your life?

Jesus IS coming soon; now IS the time to receive Him. It’s easy. Just ask Him (Jesus) to forgive you from all your sins. By doing so, you’ll have a wonderful new-life-experience that you never, ever thought possible. He’ll make all things brand new and one way you’ll know the change has happened is because your desires will be different than they were before. And you’ll want to talk about Jesus more too! Come on in, the water is wonderful!