Week 2...

We had a great weekend celebrating Lynsey and Luke's birthdays! A really great thing is we are able to bring Luke home after his therapy on Saturday and when he wakes up on Sunday. We just have to make sure to have him back by 9pm each night for insurance purposes-it is considered a "therapeutic visit??" So now he is eight and as we keep telling him, eight is great! He had a special visitor come to his room the night of his birthday. Tara, one of the awesome people that helped him on the night he was hurt. Tara and her husband actually both helped Luke that night. She was helping Luke on the helicopter flight to the Copa. Thank you Tara for stopping by our room and for everything you did that night.

Tonight he has discovered the controls on the bed and thinks it is funny to move the bed up and down...not sure how I am going to stop that one. We'll see...

Tomorrow Luke is going to get casts on both of this legs, it is called serial casting. The purpose is to get his feet and legs in the right position for walking and standing. The guy that came in and spoke to me about it said he really thinks Luke will benefit from the casting. Basically, what has happened is they are not in the right position due to his brain sending mixed signals to the muscles in his legs and feet and he has developed some bad patterns. So, they cast his feet and legs in the position they need to be in for a week, take the casts off, then redo for another week, then take off again, fit his feet for new AFO braces (a kind that is more geared towards walking and standing,) then recast for another week. Hopefully at the end of those 3 weeks, his feet will be where they need to be and he will be better able to walk or at least a little more able to try without having to work around the changes that have taken place. He is able and encouraged to still do his therapies every day and put as much weight as possible on his feet while they are in the casts. Other than that...not much else to report. Thanks for everything...believe!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Eight years ago we were blessed with a precious baby boy we named Luke. How fast time flies! Little did we now the journey our little Lukey would be on. He has always had the sweetest soul, our little cuddler and blankie boy. However, it is his stubborn side that I am certainly most thankful for. I honestly do not think had he not been blessed with that stubborn, fighting side he would be where his is today. I know we could focus on everything he missed out on these last 15 months and everything that might have been, but what good would that do really? Instead, let's focus on where he is! He is now able to eat birthday cake, where as last year he was not, he is able to open presents, last year he was not, he is able to stand with help, hold his head up, pull my hair, take steps with assistance, sit up, feed himself when you give him the fork with food on it, wash his face with a wash cloth, squeeze your hand to say, "I Love You," tell you that no he is not a girl with a grin on his face (from his test yesterday,) answer yes/no questions with great accuracy, identify objects with accuracy, even read words with accuracy, sit in a car in a regular seat belt, push his own wheelchair. He is able to give you a kiss or a hug! Yesterday, they had him up to try walking with a walker. It is a cane like walker. I think he thought it was a baseball bat, because at first he just wanted to swing it. Today, Mike gets to take him on a field trip to the Science Museum. Wow! What a difference a year has made! All this for a boy they said may lay in a bed for the rest of his life. For anyone who says, Miracles do not exist, I say God is good....look at my son because he truly is a living, breathing, (trying to walk) miracle! I also know that He knew when those doctors told us those horrible things just how wrong they were. He knew and still knows the plans he has for Luke and they are GOOD! Thanks for everything! Please continue prayers for healing and restoration in Luke's brain...they are working...remember that light at the end of this tunnel...it is coming! I look forward to writing the update on the day Luke turns 9 and all the things he may not be able to do now, but that he will be able to do then! Believe!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NLT

First Few Days...

So far so good…we have had a great few days at Barrow’s. I must say, they waste no time here and get to work. Luke had a barium swallow study today, and that went well. As we expected, he can tolerate up to nectar consistency, which is just under thin liquids. It seems the problem is mainly that is soft palette is not closing off his nose, although no liquids actually come out of his nose. We are told time and him holding up his head can help strengthen this. If any Speech Therapists that follow Luke have any suggestions, we would love them! In PT and OT, they are working on his left side, and are making a splint for his left hand. They are encouraged because he does still have a full range of motion which is good, and they have gotten him to do a few things with his hand. The PT today was great! She found Luke a wheelchair just his size, that he can move by pushing the wheel or moving his foot. He thought it was funny when they told him to run me over. I told him he needed to steer it because Daddy always says I am a bad driver:)He laughed at that. So, the wheelchair we came home with after PCH which cost almost $6,000 (insurance paid for) is basically of no use for Luke. As the PT told me today that is a good thing, because it means progress is being made. They are also going to order new AFO’s which are the foot braces he wears, which will fit better and allow him to move his feet more when trying to walk. It has been a great day and a half so far. The room we are in is big, and we are at the end of the hallway which is nice. We are also able to take him for walks around the place. Tonight I took him on a walk down the bridge they have here. It is a good workout for him to maneuver the chair around. I also can not say enough good things about everyone here. They are all great! One of the nurses has given Luke the name, “King Luke;” he thinks it is funny when she calls him that. Tomorrow the speech therapist is going to do some cognitive/communication testing with him. Thanks for all of the birthday wishes for all of us, and all of the thoughts and prayers. Please continue lots of prayers for healing and restoration…believe…good things are happening!

Barrows Here Luke Comes!

We just got the phone call that Luke is to report to Barrow's at 10am tomorrow to start his stay for in-patient rehab. We are very excited for this opportunity to really get some in-depth therapy for Luke. This means Luke will be spending his 8th birthday at Barrow's. We have promised him that if he works really hard then he will get a big party when he gets out. Please say lots of prayers that we will see awesome results from this. I have heard from many people that the rehab at Barrow's is great. Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support...God has been so good to us in so many ways, but I truly believe the BEST is yet to come. Ironically, it was one year ago this week that Luke woke up from his coma by making his first sounds in four months...maybe this is our lucky week...as it happens to be my birthday tomorrow, Luke's the 27th, and Lynsey's the 30th. Believe!


Patient endurance is what you need now... Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:36 NLT

Thank YOU!!

Just wanted to say a HUGE THANKS to everyone that came out to the D-Backs game last night to support Luke. Even though we may not have been able to talk to everyone, it was great to see everyone, despite the fact that the D-backs lost...by a lot! Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone once again for everything you do to help our son. We are forever grateful..please continue prayers for restoration in his brain. God bless you all for everything you have done and continue to do for us. Special thanks to Kelly for the great pics and to Shawna for organizing everything last night. Believe!

Pictures!

Those of you that know me well, know I love to get my kids pics taken...used to be like every 3 months. Well it took me a year and 3 months, but I finally did it. I am not sure why it took me so long; I think I really wanted Luke's eyes to be open. So here they are...the other kids in the one picture are my sister's kids. I know I am biased, but I think they turned out really cute. Luke looks great in them...an amazing picture of how far he has really come this last year. Still no word on when he will be going to Barrow's; we are still waiting to hear from them. Have a great Father's Day weekend...and we will see some of you at the D-Backs game on Tuesday:) Believe!

MRI Results

Finally some good news on an MRI...praise God! The doctor said the results look "great," and he does not want to do another MRI until June of 2009. Kind of makes me nervous, but this is one of the doctors we have met on this journey that I truly trust. He said we can take Luke off of the blood thinner medicine, and just leave him on one baby aspirin a day. That is good news too! No more bruises on his arms. Once again thanks for your prayers last week...they made for a great week overall, and it is always good when Monday starts out good. Believe!

Busy Week!

Well I must say, I am glad our busy week is over! We still have not heard anything back on the MRI, so at this point, I guess no news is good news. The visit with Dr. Manwaring was very uneventful, he was running an hour behind so it was very rushed. He said all is well with the shunt, so that is good. We still do not know when he will go to Barrow's for more rehab. They have to get approval from our insurance, and who knows how long that may take.

Today I took Lynsey and Luke swimming at my parent's house. Luke loved it! He was kicking with BOTH of his legs so good! He really wanted to just go off by himself, and was getting frustrated that I was holding onto him. I think that is where he is at lately...frustrated at not being able to do things for himself. So, we try to let him do as many things for himself and help us when he can.

Other than that, not much else to report. The thing we were working on in my earlier post, hasn't been going so well this week, but it has been hard because we have been gone a lot. I'll go ahead and tell you what it is though...getting undie boy back and out of diapers. He was really on a roll before this week, so next week we really have nowhere to go, so we should be able to work hard again.

Please continue prayers for restoration, for speech, for eyes to open, for Luke to continue to work and try hard...etc...etc...thank you so much!! Those of you that have D-Backs tickets coming, I should get them early next week, and will get them to you ASAP after that. Thanks so much for helping!! He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Isaiah 40:29 NLT

Great Day!

First of all...I promise next time I post, there will be pictures. It's been a crazy few weeks, but I do have some good ones waiting to be uploaded. Now onto the good news. Today we had a great visit with Luke's new physiatrist. Basically, she handles everything from a neuro-rehab standpoint. She thinks Luke is ready for an intense in-patient rehab stay. So, we will be going back to St.Joe's/Barrow's for an intense rehab session for probably 2-3 weeks depending on how he does. She really feels after evaluating Luke, that he will be able to walk, whether on his own or with a walker ( no we don't think this will happen during the time he is there, but over time.) She also wants to really work on the Speech. While we are certainly not excited to be going back into the hospital , we are very excited for the hope this brings Luke. Finally, a doctor who BELIEVES in him like we do! We don't know for sure when they will take him, but it sounded like it could be in the next few weeks. So far, our week of visits is off to a great start, please pray this continues. He has the MRI tomorrow, then Dr. Manwaring on Wed. Thanks for your continued prayers and support...as you can tell they are working in a mighty way!

Also, D-Backs tickets...we need the money by Thursday if you are planning to attend. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for everyone that will be joining us at the game. May you be blessed ten times over for your generosity.

God can only do GREAT things... “On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.” 2 Corinthians 1:10...Believe!