Therapy, Therapy, & More Therapy!

January 31st – February 17, 2009
By Janna Determan

Well, since my last blog, not much exciting stuff has happened. Andy’s days are filled with Physical & Occupational Therapy and attending some educational classes for spinal cord injury people. Andy is doing really well in therapy and looks forward to each session except when they’re scheduled for early morning.
Emily is his physical therapist. She’s petite and pretty and has a good personality. She likes to push Andy to the limit with whatever the goal is for the session. Andy doesn’t miss a beat, though, as he thrives on competition.
Gary is his occupational therapist. He’s a really nice guy and loves to give Andy a hard time in a joking way. He’s usually the one that wants to schedule Andy’s sessions early.

When therapy isn’t happening, Andy spends a lot of time in the recreation room where he challenges Tom & me to wii. It took him a little while, but Andy finally got the hang of the movements needed to offset the wheelchair hindrance. Needless to say, he usually whoops our butts!

Andy gets periodic visits from Dr. Crabb, a clinical psychologist, due to the extent of his injury. She usually asks us to leave the room for her sessions, because she wants Andy to feel free to answer her probing questions honestly about how he feels about what’s happened to him. After her latest session with him, she emerged from the room & made the comment to Tom that she’s really concerned that he hasn’t exhibited signs of anger or depression yet. When I heard that later, I just smiled. Andy isn’t experiencing those things, because he’s resolved that God is going to fully restore him!

He/We don’t know when God’s healing will manifest in his body, but we’re confident that just as Jesus has already paid the price by the agony He suffered on the cross, Andy’s body has to line up with the Word (Isaiah 53:5 – But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.)!

Well, it’s been a long haul over the last 49 days, but Andy is going home today, Tuesday, 2/17th. It will be so nice to have us all under one roof again and to sleep in our own bed!

The Lord has been so faithful to us in supplying all the items we’re going to need at home. Various people at Highlands Lake Center, my employer, have contributed to supplying us with different items. Maya, the Assistant Administrator, arranged to get us an electric hospital bed and trapeze bar at no charge. The Maintenance guys, James & Fred, have built us a ramp and installed grab bars & a hand-held shower head in Andy’s bathroom. John, the Customer Ambassador, worked to get us a $500 donation from an organization he’s affiliated with that enabled us to purchase a special shower chair & transfer bench combo.

Here’s the clincher, though…Mary Kay, the Staff Development person, donated her handicap van to us with the instruction to gift it to someone else once Andy is walking again & it’s not needed. Let me expand on that a little. Mary Kay’s husband died last year after a long battle with ALS. She originally gifted the van to another lady whose husband also had ALS, but when he died the lady gave it back to Mary Kay. Mary Kay told us that the van had been sitting in her garage for the past few months while she prayed and asked the Lord what to do with it. Wow, what a God we serve!

Not only did Mary Kay bless us with the van, but she has continually given us ideas on how to rearrange things in the house to make it more accessible for Andy, given us little incidental items to use in caring for him, cleaned the house in preparation for his home-coming, and oh so many other things.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who have continually blessed us with food, encouraging words, etc. Most of all, though, we’re so thankful for your continued prayers in our behalf for Andy’s full recovery and for strength for Tom & I as we begin our next phase of taking care of him at home.

We love all of you and ask for God’s richest blessings to flood you!