I keep thinking that I will find the time to post something to the blog. But there always seems to be more to do than can be humanly accomplished. Then I think back on how we dropped everything and lived at the hospital for 7 weeks. Why do we forget such important lessons??
Tonight this entry was prompted by an experience Shan and I had. Shannon still struggles to go to sleep at night. Her dad or I usually spend time with her, reading scriptures, telling her stories (especially about her hospital stay), etc. I guess if you lose a whole month or more from your life, you kind of want to know what was happening to you. A few days ago, Shannon started printing out the blog we have written with all the messages and we started reading it. For me, it has brought back a whole array of emotions that we experienced at the time. As I was reading to Shan tonight, what came back so strongly was all the love and support that we got from so many many people. Many of the posts I had a very hard time getting through for the tears that were in the way! My heart just swelled with gratitude and love for all who have been there for us. It is mind boggling to think of so many.
I was also reminded that we are on a journey towards our one big miracle. In the hospital, we looked for and saw every little miracle along the way. One entry talked about the baby steps we take on the road towards the big miracle. That big miracle is Shannon's full recovery. We aren't there yet. And when I stop to reflect on our daily happenings, I realize that there still are many tender mercies and little miracles coming from our Father in Heaven on our way to that big miracle. We are so close to that big miracle and we see it happening every day. Shannon's strong determination is a great asset to her. She truly is in control of this miracle now!
Early on, when Shannon was slowly coming out of the drug induced coma, several people commented on how Shannon would now have control. Through her hard work and determination, we certainly are seeing that now. She is amazing. The time in the hospital is pretty blurry to her but life today is very real and in her mind, (and it is her experience), this time now is much harder than in the hospital. And still she keeps working to improve and do better and to keep the faith. She is amazing.
Just for the record, I will give you a few updates. Shannon's eyes continue to improve albeit very slowly. Her balance is really doing well most of the time. Her awareness of people and things around her continues to increase. Due to the doctor's comments, we are letting Shannon drive occasionally when she is with us. She is doing rather well but her reflexes and awareness are still not quite strong enough to take the needed driving test. As she mentioned, she got a 4.0 last term but she had to really work hard. She had lots of support from her Dad and her teachers but she did it. Her moods are stabelizing and her coping skills are increasing. As I said, she really is amazing and is making ongoing progress.
It puts things into perspective when you see the doctors. 6 weeks ago when we saw the neurosurgeon after a month, he walked in, looked at her and his eyes began to fill with tears, just seeing her there. Last week when we told him about her grades, he looked at her, slowly began to shake his head and said, "Unbelievable!". Yes, when we remember where she was a little over 6 months ago, we all know that it is a miracle. That miracle continues to happen and the end in not here yet. We are grateful to know that the Lord is still very mindful of Shannon and our family. We know that prayers continue to be answered. It is never as fast as she (or any of us for that matter) would like, but the answers do come!
Congratulations Shannon on your 6 month mark! You continue to defy all odds! And we are so glad! We love you!
May decade
May through the years
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
4.0 and faith
Well my friends, I figured we should probably update the blog a lot more often. So here I am, updating the blog. First things first, I think this term I’m getting a 4.0! I am so excited for that! Especially for getting an A in that wretched AP Biology class. I didn’t think that was even possible, but here I am with an A in AP Biology! And even better is that this class is one of the few which have already put in all of their stuff for this term, unlike many of my other classes, which would be why I’m not totally certain I have a 4.0. So anywho, my sister-in-law, Kim, told me I needed to further emphasize my 4.0 on here by saying some of the following things. I’m getting a 4.0 this term. Not only that, but I also have 3 AP classes. So the 4.0 on a weighted scale would be much higher. And I had a brain injury just 5 and ½ months ago. It wasn’t just some lousy brain injury either folks, it was a BAD one. It was one that was a necessity to take out an entire ½ section of my skull. If they would’ve only taken out a ¼, like they usually do, I would have died. It caused me to be 7 weeks in that freaking hospital. In fact, I’m not even supposed to be in school right now, let alone getting straight A’s. If any other person EVER, were to ever do this, they would for sure have gotten maybe only like C’s or something. Like we’ve said all along, I’ve defied all odds ever written in any stinking book! Huzzah!
As for everything else, I cannot quite get enough faith or prayers or whatever in my behalf these days. I’ve tried my very hardest to come closer to the Lord, but for some odd reason, I still feel so distanced. Even with my whole heart believing that He can do ANYTHING, I still don’t seem to have enough faith. So if anyone has any great ideas for me that would be spectacular. I mean hey, I’m reading my scriptures every day, saying my prayers every day, etc, yet for some reason I still can’t feel His love. Or anyone’s love for that matter. In all honesty, I have no clue who the crap actually wants me in their life or not. Which is something super hard and extremely sad to try to deal with. Because even my parents, I feel like I’m just a burden to them. And I know I’m not, at least I must not be, but I can’t feel it. And I know that must be hard to understand but it’s just how I feel.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
We're still here.
I think about the blog almost every day. The last time I wrote, Shannon misunderstood my intent in some of my writings which caused a bit of a challenge. Since then I have tried to figure out whose blog this is! It began as a method of informing family and friends about Shannon's condition, from hour to hour. Those first few weeks were such critical ones. We wrote about her medical condition and the writing slowly turned to how we were coping,dealing, learning, and growing in our faith. At least for me, it was not only theraputic but healing. Writing helped me to put things into perspective as well.
But as Shannon continued to progress, the blog became more and more her blog. It is her blog. It is about her. Yet, her story has many characters in it and her family members are certainly main characters.
I am sure you have noticed in the last few posts that Shannon doesn't always agree with what I write. So not knowing for sure what all I may write about tonight, please know that these are my opinions, my perceptions, and not necessarily those of the main character, ie., Shannon. :)
There is so much in my heart that I would like to share about this whole process but it feels like we need to read the end of the book and come back to the middle. And since the ending is not written yet, it's hard to give you the middle. I think I will need to write in my own journal and someday transfor it to Shannon's story.
It's been over 5 1/2 months since the accident. They have told us repeatedly that the major part of the recovery takes a full year at least and then it continues on even after that. Tuesday evening, Shannon and I had a choice experience with Aaron. You may recall that he is Shannon's oldest brother, a doctor in his general surgery residency. He flew to be with us right after Shannon's accident. It was bedtime and Shannon was having a hard time settling in for sleep. Those quiet moments before sleep comes are particularly difficult for her. Aaron sat on her bed and rehearsed to her how serious her injury was. He told her of his friend who is a pathologist who told him that as a pathologist doing an autopsy, once they see an injury like Shannon's, they look no further for the cause of death. Very few people live with an injury such as hers and if they do, they certainly aren't up walking, talking and definitely not going to school. And yet, that is exactly what Shannon is doing. From the very beginning, we have seen one miracle after another. Shannon prays for a miracle and may not recognized that God has been granting one miracle after another--He has and He is. They just don't all come at once. Aaron talked with her about the miracle that she is and how grateful he was that she was alive and doing as well as she is. Tears were shed, hugs exchanged and expressions of love given. It was a sweet and tender experience for me to be a part of. What strength, support and love there is between siblings.
We had our entire family together this last weekend. It was not planned, but another tender mercy from Father in Heaven knowing that it could help us carry on, it fell into place and we were together! I looked at each member of the family and saw how this experience had affected us all--each very differently--some good and some not so good. There is still much healing that needs to happen for all of us. But we are a family; a forever family, a family that is not complete without every one of us. I don't think that there are many families out there that has the diversity in it that we have and yet we all love each other and are better together than apart. I am so grateful for each one--from my dear devoted husband, each child and the spouses and those beautiful grandchildren. It takes a lot of work with all the diversity but it seems that each is willing to put forth the effort and build upon the foundation. What a blessing...
My update on how Shannon is doing--very well! Shan is working so hard to do well in schoool and she is succeeding. She has always been an excellent student and still is. She has to put forth a lot more effort now but she does it. The only class she is struggling with is AP Biology. She has a great teacher who is working with her but it is still just a very tough class for her. But rest assured, her plan is still in place. She has been accepted at the UofU and we expect that she will be accepted at BYU as well very soon.
Shan recently received one of here greatest wishes...she wanted long hair. We had planned on extensions but after learning more about them, chose to buy a wig instead. It is a beautiful wig and very natural looking. But I think she has learned just like with the rollerblading; what she thought was so majorly important, isn't as important as she once thought. She wears her wig some days and some days not.
Shannon's eyes seem to have gotten a little better. She doesn't complain of double vision any more and she doesn't seem to squint to see as much. Her balance is much better but from time to time, she still loses it some. But she erects herself even carrying her computer bag on one shoulder and her 40# book bag on the other! She is amazing!
Shannon continues to reach out to others. As tough as the friend issue is, she doesn't give up on them. She reaches out. She reaches out to YW leaders who she dearly loves. She reaches out to nieces and siblings. She reaches out to many other children in the neighborhood. She continues in her volunteer job at the hospital. She repeatedly tells her "mommy and daddy" that she loves them. And she thinks she doesn't do anything for anyone! Goodness, this world is a much brighter place because of her.
Last, we are still here...we are still working the recovery process the best we can. We still visit lots of doctors and do quite a bit of therapy. We are still fighting the insurance. (The lastest is that they are now refusing to pay for the therapy they APPROVED! No wonder healthcare is a mess--the insurance companies have quite a racket going! They pay when they want to.) We are still making chocolate milkshakes for breakfast! We are still dealing with the emotional challenges. We continue to express our gratitude to all who continue to support us and be there for us. What a blessing so many others have been in our lives.
But as Shannon continued to progress, the blog became more and more her blog. It is her blog. It is about her. Yet, her story has many characters in it and her family members are certainly main characters.
I am sure you have noticed in the last few posts that Shannon doesn't always agree with what I write. So not knowing for sure what all I may write about tonight, please know that these are my opinions, my perceptions, and not necessarily those of the main character, ie., Shannon. :)
There is so much in my heart that I would like to share about this whole process but it feels like we need to read the end of the book and come back to the middle. And since the ending is not written yet, it's hard to give you the middle. I think I will need to write in my own journal and someday transfor it to Shannon's story.
It's been over 5 1/2 months since the accident. They have told us repeatedly that the major part of the recovery takes a full year at least and then it continues on even after that. Tuesday evening, Shannon and I had a choice experience with Aaron. You may recall that he is Shannon's oldest brother, a doctor in his general surgery residency. He flew to be with us right after Shannon's accident. It was bedtime and Shannon was having a hard time settling in for sleep. Those quiet moments before sleep comes are particularly difficult for her. Aaron sat on her bed and rehearsed to her how serious her injury was. He told her of his friend who is a pathologist who told him that as a pathologist doing an autopsy, once they see an injury like Shannon's, they look no further for the cause of death. Very few people live with an injury such as hers and if they do, they certainly aren't up walking, talking and definitely not going to school. And yet, that is exactly what Shannon is doing. From the very beginning, we have seen one miracle after another. Shannon prays for a miracle and may not recognized that God has been granting one miracle after another--He has and He is. They just don't all come at once. Aaron talked with her about the miracle that she is and how grateful he was that she was alive and doing as well as she is. Tears were shed, hugs exchanged and expressions of love given. It was a sweet and tender experience for me to be a part of. What strength, support and love there is between siblings.
We had our entire family together this last weekend. It was not planned, but another tender mercy from Father in Heaven knowing that it could help us carry on, it fell into place and we were together! I looked at each member of the family and saw how this experience had affected us all--each very differently--some good and some not so good. There is still much healing that needs to happen for all of us. But we are a family; a forever family, a family that is not complete without every one of us. I don't think that there are many families out there that has the diversity in it that we have and yet we all love each other and are better together than apart. I am so grateful for each one--from my dear devoted husband, each child and the spouses and those beautiful grandchildren. It takes a lot of work with all the diversity but it seems that each is willing to put forth the effort and build upon the foundation. What a blessing...
My update on how Shannon is doing--very well! Shan is working so hard to do well in schoool and she is succeeding. She has always been an excellent student and still is. She has to put forth a lot more effort now but she does it. The only class she is struggling with is AP Biology. She has a great teacher who is working with her but it is still just a very tough class for her. But rest assured, her plan is still in place. She has been accepted at the UofU and we expect that she will be accepted at BYU as well very soon.
Shan recently received one of here greatest wishes...she wanted long hair. We had planned on extensions but after learning more about them, chose to buy a wig instead. It is a beautiful wig and very natural looking. But I think she has learned just like with the rollerblading; what she thought was so majorly important, isn't as important as she once thought. She wears her wig some days and some days not.
Shannon's eyes seem to have gotten a little better. She doesn't complain of double vision any more and she doesn't seem to squint to see as much. Her balance is much better but from time to time, she still loses it some. But she erects herself even carrying her computer bag on one shoulder and her 40# book bag on the other! She is amazing!
Shannon continues to reach out to others. As tough as the friend issue is, she doesn't give up on them. She reaches out. She reaches out to YW leaders who she dearly loves. She reaches out to nieces and siblings. She reaches out to many other children in the neighborhood. She continues in her volunteer job at the hospital. She repeatedly tells her "mommy and daddy" that she loves them. And she thinks she doesn't do anything for anyone! Goodness, this world is a much brighter place because of her.
Last, we are still here...we are still working the recovery process the best we can. We still visit lots of doctors and do quite a bit of therapy. We are still fighting the insurance. (The lastest is that they are now refusing to pay for the therapy they APPROVED! No wonder healthcare is a mess--the insurance companies have quite a racket going! They pay when they want to.) We are still making chocolate milkshakes for breakfast! We are still dealing with the emotional challenges. We continue to express our gratitude to all who continue to support us and be there for us. What a blessing so many others have been in our lives.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
5-month mark
So there really is nothing to report, at least not that I can think of, if anyone has any questions, just let me know. But today is my 5 month mark! And I was pretty excited about that so I just had to put that on here.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
From Shannon
Well it’s me once again. I’m just here to say WOW and thank you all so much for everyone who prayed for me and my sweet family. I honestly cannot believe that I was in a medically-induced coma for 2 and ½ weeks and that I was on the very brink of death. I mean hey, without God’s help, it’s the only way I could have possibly survived that. But here I am, doing just fine. I mean hey I have almost straight As (with the exception of one A-) and I seem to be doing fine elsewhere too. The thing I still really struggle with is my memory; it does not seem to want to let me remember much from seconds ago, and vision. In fact, I’ve even been looking down instead of straight ahead when I walk most of the time. So that much kind of sucks. That reminds me of my “that much is good” saying I said in the hospital almost every day. But yeah, so there’s all of that, and one of my friends got in a car accident the other day, for more information you can visit her blog which is sydneys-journey.blogspot.com And I’ve been rollerblading a little bit. Still have not fallen since the time I went to my friend’s and back. But it’s not nearly as great when you have to have someone with you all the time and you can’t just go! But yeah, so anywho, I don’t think there really is anything more to report....
Shannon
Shannon
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sept. 19
Last week we had 3 doctors' appointments which is not out of the ordinary. But this week we only had ONE! Each time a doctor stretches out the time between appointments it helps us realize that Shannon is continuing to heal and is well on her way!
Here's a few updates: Rollerblading: Every chance Shannon gets, she wants to go rollerblading! So much so, that this "old mother" of hers, decided the old blades that she had been using to skate with Shannon were not going to cut it! So I bought me a new pair in hopes that I can get MY BALANCE back and keep up with Shannon for a while. She is doing marvelously well! Last night she rode her blades down to a friends' house (about 2 blocks) and all the way back with out any problems. It is a slight hill which she hadn't really been on since the accident. She really is doing great on them and it has also helped a lot with her balance.
The miracles don't seem to stop. Shannon is doing very well in school, even in her AP classes. We found that her ability to stay focused for a long time is difficult especially when she would take a test. So with the help of the 504 plan, it was decided that she would do every other question on a long test. That has helped immensely. Some things can't be done that way, like the group section of the test. But she did ok there. Her test scores may not be as high as they used to be but so far she is still pulling "A"s in all of her classes. She definitely studies more than she used to--or at least it seems to us that she does. She is still tired at the end of the day but it seems to me that it is not as extreme as before. It is very difficult for her to stand in one place for any amount of time so she says she just has to keep moving some how or another. That issue was one of the main factors that she decided not to go to the "Sadie Hawkins" dance. She didn't know if the boy she was thinking of asking would know enough about a TBI to understand.
Challenges still continue in several areas. I think when you first hit a hard trial as we did, it was easy to be spiritually in tune. When we "lived" at the hospital, our thoughts were focused on the Lord and His amazing grace, power and support. As I type this it reminds me of how it was in the missionfield. Without distractions of normal life, one truly can draw nearer to God. It's when things are somewhat back to normal and the demands of life take time away from that intense concentration that we seem to lose our intense focus on the Lord. And that then becomes our trial...staying spiritual in tune with the Lord with the distractions of life. I think as far as a trial goes, as far as spiritual growth goes, that is the bigger trial.
Another challenge that Shannon faces is that as she continues to improve, I have a tendency to assume and expect things to be back to normal. It is hard in the challenges that are faced with teenagers, to remember that Shannon is a teenager and the emotions and desires are intensified because of the TBI. So when our relationship gets rocky, I want to handle things as I have in the past with teenagers. But I can't do that. It is a very fine line to know where the issue is a typical teenager maturing issue and where the TBI takes over. Typical disagreements that most all parents have with their teenagers seem harder to deal with because of the TBI. Fortunately, Shannon's goodness and desire to do what is right prevails.
The last challenge is a delicate topic for I don't know who all reads the blog. But one day, Shannon will want to remember how it was so she can be more understanding of others. Because Shannon is at school and involved with friends at school, there is often expectations of her friends that she should be the old Shannon. Depression is a major obstacle as those with TBI attest. It is difficult to accept a new life when the old life was going great!! Shannon has been negative about her situation--who wouldn't be? Depression is not something that you get over in a day or two or with a pill or two. There are many components to it and a TBI brings added components as the brain is healing the emotional connections. It seems that many of Shannon's friends are not able to accept, deal with, remember, support, etc as Shannon continues to heal. The visits, calls, texts, invites, etc from friends has almost become non-existent unless Shannon initiates them. She is amazing how she continues to reach out to them. They certainly interact with her at school and support her there which is good. I have heard from some friends that they don't know if Shannon is allowed to go do things. Could that be the excuse?? That surprises me because she had been going and doing lots of things including going to other people's houses, YWs, and now even school, etc. And I have told many of them that she can go. It has been a hard thing to watch especially with some that I thought for sure would always be there. Maybe there are other reasons but the ones I mentioned are the ones that I have been told about.
Now rather than end this on a downer note, let me tell you about Shannon's volunteer position. Shannon has signed up to be a volunteer at the American Fork Hospital in pediatrics. My goodness there is a lot of paperwork and training that has to happen before a person can volunteer!! She had to show that all her immunizations were current. They had asked us in the hospital when Shannon had had her last tetanus shot and she was due for one. We just assumed that they gave it to her. So when we went through the hundreds of pages of hospital records, no mention of a tetanus shot was found. So we had to get that shot taken care of. The hospital supplied the TB tests which took 2 shots a week apart and a follow up check to be sure all was clear! She took all the trainings needed and did all the paperwork. She picked up her uniform shirt and her badge and she starts next week!! She is excited to be able to serve and especially serve where there are children. This by the way was Shannon's idea.
In the past, we wouldn't have known about all the details of things like school or volunteering. But because we get to be Shannon's chauffeurs and help her with such things, we have the opportunity to be more involved in the details of her life. It is a great blessing and a joy to us to spend more time with Shannon than we would have if she had not been in the accident. If we could change whether Shannon had her accident or not, as hard as it has been, as her parents I don't think we would want it changed. We have seen too many miracles, felt the love and the support of family, friends, ward members and people we don't even know, watched the great qualities of our daughter grow even stronger, and have felt God's presence in the details of our lives to want to give that up. That's easier to say now because we know we will have that full recovery!! But we have seen tremendous blessings in our lives and many others due to this trial in our lives. The trial isn't over yet and there are still tough aspects to deal with but knowing that God loves us and is there for us makes it do-able. We know God will bless us and help us to see things a little better. Oh, if we could only always "look through the lens of eternity".
(Oh and by the way, we have passed the 4 month mark since the accident.)
Pheobe
Here's a few updates: Rollerblading: Every chance Shannon gets, she wants to go rollerblading! So much so, that this "old mother" of hers, decided the old blades that she had been using to skate with Shannon were not going to cut it! So I bought me a new pair in hopes that I can get MY BALANCE back and keep up with Shannon for a while. She is doing marvelously well! Last night she rode her blades down to a friends' house (about 2 blocks) and all the way back with out any problems. It is a slight hill which she hadn't really been on since the accident. She really is doing great on them and it has also helped a lot with her balance.
The miracles don't seem to stop. Shannon is doing very well in school, even in her AP classes. We found that her ability to stay focused for a long time is difficult especially when she would take a test. So with the help of the 504 plan, it was decided that she would do every other question on a long test. That has helped immensely. Some things can't be done that way, like the group section of the test. But she did ok there. Her test scores may not be as high as they used to be but so far she is still pulling "A"s in all of her classes. She definitely studies more than she used to--or at least it seems to us that she does. She is still tired at the end of the day but it seems to me that it is not as extreme as before. It is very difficult for her to stand in one place for any amount of time so she says she just has to keep moving some how or another. That issue was one of the main factors that she decided not to go to the "Sadie Hawkins" dance. She didn't know if the boy she was thinking of asking would know enough about a TBI to understand.
Challenges still continue in several areas. I think when you first hit a hard trial as we did, it was easy to be spiritually in tune. When we "lived" at the hospital, our thoughts were focused on the Lord and His amazing grace, power and support. As I type this it reminds me of how it was in the missionfield. Without distractions of normal life, one truly can draw nearer to God. It's when things are somewhat back to normal and the demands of life take time away from that intense concentration that we seem to lose our intense focus on the Lord. And that then becomes our trial...staying spiritual in tune with the Lord with the distractions of life. I think as far as a trial goes, as far as spiritual growth goes, that is the bigger trial.
Another challenge that Shannon faces is that as she continues to improve, I have a tendency to assume and expect things to be back to normal. It is hard in the challenges that are faced with teenagers, to remember that Shannon is a teenager and the emotions and desires are intensified because of the TBI. So when our relationship gets rocky, I want to handle things as I have in the past with teenagers. But I can't do that. It is a very fine line to know where the issue is a typical teenager maturing issue and where the TBI takes over. Typical disagreements that most all parents have with their teenagers seem harder to deal with because of the TBI. Fortunately, Shannon's goodness and desire to do what is right prevails.
The last challenge is a delicate topic for I don't know who all reads the blog. But one day, Shannon will want to remember how it was so she can be more understanding of others. Because Shannon is at school and involved with friends at school, there is often expectations of her friends that she should be the old Shannon. Depression is a major obstacle as those with TBI attest. It is difficult to accept a new life when the old life was going great!! Shannon has been negative about her situation--who wouldn't be? Depression is not something that you get over in a day or two or with a pill or two. There are many components to it and a TBI brings added components as the brain is healing the emotional connections. It seems that many of Shannon's friends are not able to accept, deal with, remember, support, etc as Shannon continues to heal. The visits, calls, texts, invites, etc from friends has almost become non-existent unless Shannon initiates them. She is amazing how she continues to reach out to them. They certainly interact with her at school and support her there which is good. I have heard from some friends that they don't know if Shannon is allowed to go do things. Could that be the excuse?? That surprises me because she had been going and doing lots of things including going to other people's houses, YWs, and now even school, etc. And I have told many of them that she can go. It has been a hard thing to watch especially with some that I thought for sure would always be there. Maybe there are other reasons but the ones I mentioned are the ones that I have been told about.
Now rather than end this on a downer note, let me tell you about Shannon's volunteer position. Shannon has signed up to be a volunteer at the American Fork Hospital in pediatrics. My goodness there is a lot of paperwork and training that has to happen before a person can volunteer!! She had to show that all her immunizations were current. They had asked us in the hospital when Shannon had had her last tetanus shot and she was due for one. We just assumed that they gave it to her. So when we went through the hundreds of pages of hospital records, no mention of a tetanus shot was found. So we had to get that shot taken care of. The hospital supplied the TB tests which took 2 shots a week apart and a follow up check to be sure all was clear! She took all the trainings needed and did all the paperwork. She picked up her uniform shirt and her badge and she starts next week!! She is excited to be able to serve and especially serve where there are children. This by the way was Shannon's idea.
In the past, we wouldn't have known about all the details of things like school or volunteering. But because we get to be Shannon's chauffeurs and help her with such things, we have the opportunity to be more involved in the details of her life. It is a great blessing and a joy to us to spend more time with Shannon than we would have if she had not been in the accident. If we could change whether Shannon had her accident or not, as hard as it has been, as her parents I don't think we would want it changed. We have seen too many miracles, felt the love and the support of family, friends, ward members and people we don't even know, watched the great qualities of our daughter grow even stronger, and have felt God's presence in the details of our lives to want to give that up. That's easier to say now because we know we will have that full recovery!! But we have seen tremendous blessings in our lives and many others due to this trial in our lives. The trial isn't over yet and there are still tough aspects to deal with but knowing that God loves us and is there for us makes it do-able. We know God will bless us and help us to see things a little better. Oh, if we could only always "look through the lens of eternity".
(Oh and by the way, we have passed the 4 month mark since the accident.)
Pheobe
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Roller Blades!!??!!
I don't know if we have mentioned this before but Shannon has really had a hard time about not being "allowed" to rollerblade. It has been a very big issue and in fact, we heard about it several times a day until she had seen all the doctors who could possibly give her permission and they had all said no! But at each doctor, she would ask, with her goal oriented determination, "what exactly do I have to do to be able to rollerblade?" She wouldn't take a simple "wait and we'll see" answer but had to have some specifics. One of the specifics was to work on her balance by walking a straight line heel to toe without losing her balance. Well, she has worked hard on that but we all know there would be more to the approval of rollerblading than just that--or so we thought! Once again, Shannon's sheer determination has proven us wrong. Read to the end...
Today we had an appointment with Dr. SuchNeibar, the Rehab doc. She last saw Shannon a month ago. Just 4 weeks ago, Shannon was mad and upset the whole time at the doctor's office. There was no way Dr. SuchNeibar would think for a second that Shannon liked her at all. It was not a good experience for any of us! However, Shannon has made some drastic improvements in 4 weeks. Today, she didn't show any hostilities, sat rather quiet, responded well to questioning, etc. Dr. SuchNiebar was amazed! Then it was my turn to be amazed as well. When the doctor did an exam on Shannon, it was truly amazing to see how much she had improved!! It was easy to recall how she had performed at the last appointment even with the muscle strength testing. Wow! Shan has made a lot of great progress! Dr. SuchNeibar kept saying “wow” as she would test her strength in different areas. She then, had her do the heel toe walk. Well, since Shannon has practiced that so much, she did very well. She didn’t do as well standing on one leg but kept telling SuchNeibar that she could do it better. It was pretty normal….6-10 seconds with minimal wobbling. After the exam, Dr. SuchNeibar said, “Shannon I think it is time that we get you doing some other activities. What would you like to do?” Shannon looked at her funny, wondering what she was talking about and said, “What do you mean?” Dr said, “Well, like biking…” before she could say another word, Shannon, with great hopeful anticipation, spat out, “rollerblading?” ! I don’t know how the Dr could have said no! So we talked about it for a while and Dr SuchNeibar said that the purpose was to help her work more on balance with a different kind of activity and so she would allow rollerblading with certain limitations. The limitations included using all safety equipment (Shannon said, "well, ya, DUH!"), no hills, tricks, jumps, etc. until approved by parents and it must be done under supervision! Shannon was elated! We finally saw a smile out of her!!
I think the only thing that could compare to her excitement was her call from Brian Regan!! As soon as we got in the car, she started calling people to tell them the great news! It was fun to listen to her but I still had my apprehensions. And it sounded like most of those she called did too as they would make comments showing concern for her safety!
We weren't in the door at home 5 minutes before she had her blades on and was ready to go. She had another appointment at 4:00 o'clock and so really only had 15 minutes. We went out on to the flat area of our driveway. I was right there as well as another friend. I didn't quite know what to expect. Although she was a bit off, she said that it felt like it always did. She had always played basketball on her rollerblades so after a few minutes had to have the ball. Again, I kept myself within arms reach as best I could! She made several baskets and I would retrieve the ball for her. After about 6 minutes or so, she began to tire a little. She went after the ball once, hit the grass, and promptly landed on her bum! I told her she could land on her bum all she wanted just no place else!! A few minutes later she was by the grass again and fell again. Within the next couple of minutes she had lost her balance twice more. But she always landed on her bum. This is really going to be a great exercise for her balance but scary for her mom!! We definitely will take it VERY SLOWLY! She isn't as in control as she needs to be but if we take it slow and work on it frequently, it will come. It was great to have her be able to do something that she has wanted to do so badly since the accident. Oh those sweet tender mercies.... Of all the things that I am learning through this whole ordeal, I think recognizing how much God is in the details of our lives is the most important for we have experienced those tender mercies so often. And so we have hit another milestone...back on rollerblades!
Today we had an appointment with Dr. SuchNeibar, the Rehab doc. She last saw Shannon a month ago. Just 4 weeks ago, Shannon was mad and upset the whole time at the doctor's office. There was no way Dr. SuchNeibar would think for a second that Shannon liked her at all. It was not a good experience for any of us! However, Shannon has made some drastic improvements in 4 weeks. Today, she didn't show any hostilities, sat rather quiet, responded well to questioning, etc. Dr. SuchNiebar was amazed! Then it was my turn to be amazed as well. When the doctor did an exam on Shannon, it was truly amazing to see how much she had improved!! It was easy to recall how she had performed at the last appointment even with the muscle strength testing. Wow! Shan has made a lot of great progress! Dr. SuchNeibar kept saying “wow” as she would test her strength in different areas. She then, had her do the heel toe walk. Well, since Shannon has practiced that so much, she did very well. She didn’t do as well standing on one leg but kept telling SuchNeibar that she could do it better. It was pretty normal….6-10 seconds with minimal wobbling. After the exam, Dr. SuchNeibar said, “Shannon I think it is time that we get you doing some other activities. What would you like to do?” Shannon looked at her funny, wondering what she was talking about and said, “What do you mean?” Dr said, “Well, like biking…” before she could say another word, Shannon, with great hopeful anticipation, spat out, “rollerblading?” ! I don’t know how the Dr could have said no! So we talked about it for a while and Dr SuchNeibar said that the purpose was to help her work more on balance with a different kind of activity and so she would allow rollerblading with certain limitations. The limitations included using all safety equipment (Shannon said, "well, ya, DUH!"), no hills, tricks, jumps, etc. until approved by parents and it must be done under supervision! Shannon was elated! We finally saw a smile out of her!!
I think the only thing that could compare to her excitement was her call from Brian Regan!! As soon as we got in the car, she started calling people to tell them the great news! It was fun to listen to her but I still had my apprehensions. And it sounded like most of those she called did too as they would make comments showing concern for her safety!
We weren't in the door at home 5 minutes before she had her blades on and was ready to go. She had another appointment at 4:00 o'clock and so really only had 15 minutes. We went out on to the flat area of our driveway. I was right there as well as another friend. I didn't quite know what to expect. Although she was a bit off, she said that it felt like it always did. She had always played basketball on her rollerblades so after a few minutes had to have the ball. Again, I kept myself within arms reach as best I could! She made several baskets and I would retrieve the ball for her. After about 6 minutes or so, she began to tire a little. She went after the ball once, hit the grass, and promptly landed on her bum! I told her she could land on her bum all she wanted just no place else!! A few minutes later she was by the grass again and fell again. Within the next couple of minutes she had lost her balance twice more. But she always landed on her bum. This is really going to be a great exercise for her balance but scary for her mom!! We definitely will take it VERY SLOWLY! She isn't as in control as she needs to be but if we take it slow and work on it frequently, it will come. It was great to have her be able to do something that she has wanted to do so badly since the accident. Oh those sweet tender mercies.... Of all the things that I am learning through this whole ordeal, I think recognizing how much God is in the details of our lives is the most important for we have experienced those tender mercies so often. And so we have hit another milestone...back on rollerblades!
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