Good morning, all. I hope you slept well last night because my sister Jenny surely did not. She is in unendurable pain. She said that it is no longer her leg, but the rest of her. It hurts so badly to breathe because of the broken ribs. Apparently, they were changing around her pain medications in preparation for the surgery and that had a real effect on her. My mother said she woke suddenly in the night (Jenny) and cried out "God help me!" Please pray for God to help her today. Pray that He will soothe her, pain and mind.
Her surgery has been moved to 10:00. She will have her jaw wired shut as it is broken in two places. She will have three plates put in her face, one above the eye, one below the eye and one to the left of the chin. It sounds like the whole left side of her face needs to be reconstructed. Please pray for the hand of the surgeon, that he will be able to return her face to exactly what it was before the accident. In the middle of all this, Jenny asked him if he did free mole removal! She wants the mole taken off (the one near her right eyebrow!). In all respects, please pray for today. She is going to have a really hard road ahead. She will need every bit of support she can get. I will let you know later today when I have more of an update on Isabella's move and how the surgery went. Until then, my friends and family, intercede.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tuesday, July 14th
I just talked with my mother. I had to remind her that some hills are very hard to climb. Each day will bring new challenges, differences, and most likely a new experience. I believe that after several days of emotional rawness, reality has begun to set in for all involved. While we are all still reeling from the accident and its outcome, we are just beginning to face what is ahead. Jennifer and Isabella have a long road to physical recovery. Aleacia and Sophia have many weeks ahead without life being "normal." There is much still to come and many moments of grace needed...
Jenny began her physical therapy today. It was very intense and quite painful. She is facing surgery on her face tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:30. She has two breaks in her jaw, so it will be wired shut (with her teeth touching) for 4-6 weeks. She will have plates put in to fix the broken bones around her eye. She will have to be intubated again (through the nose this time), so please pray for her. I know how awful it was to watch that the first time around, so I can't imagine how painful and terrible it must be for her. She was able to see the girls tonight, Aleacia and Sophia. She thought it best before she went in for surgery on her face. Please pray for her peace also as she is now more aware of what exactly is happening with Isabella.
The therapist came today from Columbus to evaluate Isabella. She will most likely be transferred there tomorrow. On a scale that measures through 8, Bella tested between a 3 and a 4. The therapist said she saw good signs and that she thinks she can do it. She told the family that they would have to rethink their priorities and realize that this will be a very slow process. She will be in inpatient rehab for 4-6 weeks and it could be up to a year before she is back to normal. It is more of a long haul than anyone anticipated, but we are still overwhelmingly glad to see those big blue eyes...
Continue to lift up this family in your prayers. Every day will bring something new. I will do my best to help you journey with us...
Jenny began her physical therapy today. It was very intense and quite painful. She is facing surgery on her face tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:30. She has two breaks in her jaw, so it will be wired shut (with her teeth touching) for 4-6 weeks. She will have plates put in to fix the broken bones around her eye. She will have to be intubated again (through the nose this time), so please pray for her. I know how awful it was to watch that the first time around, so I can't imagine how painful and terrible it must be for her. She was able to see the girls tonight, Aleacia and Sophia. She thought it best before she went in for surgery on her face. Please pray for her peace also as she is now more aware of what exactly is happening with Isabella.
The therapist came today from Columbus to evaluate Isabella. She will most likely be transferred there tomorrow. On a scale that measures through 8, Bella tested between a 3 and a 4. The therapist said she saw good signs and that she thinks she can do it. She told the family that they would have to rethink their priorities and realize that this will be a very slow process. She will be in inpatient rehab for 4-6 weeks and it could be up to a year before she is back to normal. It is more of a long haul than anyone anticipated, but we are still overwhelmingly glad to see those big blue eyes...
Continue to lift up this family in your prayers. Every day will bring something new. I will do my best to help you journey with us...
Monday
Monday morning, I went out to the scene of the accident. It happened on Wilberforce-Clifton Road in a straightway. There was not much to see left other than a burn mark and several stains on the road. I thanked God once again for His goodness. We left from there to visit my sister one last time before heading back to Georgia. At this point, I was still very torn leaving. I had partial peace about it. I knew in my mind they would be alright, but I was having a really hard time aligning my heart with that... When thinking about the moment I would go early on in the weekend, I asked God for two things. I asked Him to be able to see my sister without her tube and to hear her voice. I also asked Him to be able to see my niece open her eyes. Little did I know how clearly God would answer my request. I can't get over how awesome He is...
I visited with my sister. She seemed in better spirits. Her voice sounded much more like hers. We had a sweet visit together and cried great tears. I told her I was going home. She told me how much it meant to her that I had come and that she knew when she saw me that it was bad... I told her how much I loved her. I will tell it to her every time I speak with her for the rest of my life. She needs to know it. I hugged the nurse and thanked her. God orchestrated the entire circumstance amazingly, surrounding Jenny and Isabella with care about caliber.
Next, we headed over to see Bella. We stayed for about an hour. Matthew tried extensively to get her to open her eyes for me, but to no avail. She didn't budge and clearly felt sleep was the better option! Finally, just after we had stepped across the threshold of the door, Matthew shouted to come back. She had popped them open when we had said goodbye. I went over to her and spent 3-4 minutes with her. She looked at us, cried a bit, looked at us some more. I told her how much I loved her and how much her cousins loved her. I had her hand in mine. I made the I love you sign with my fingers up to hers and she did it back to me. I could hardly believe how God had brought her to this point and how He had so intimately answered my prayers for peace about leaving.
We left the hospital around 12:30 for Georgia. I realized how hungry I was. After thinking back, I didn't eat one meal on Sunday. We stopped for food and then I slept for a good hour. I know I slept good because my arms were out from me instead of curled up. I believe when I woke up that my left arm was on top of my mother-in-law who was driving me! It was a good deep sleep....
Later in the afternoon, I found out that Jenny had been moved from ICU down to the next level. She would have a few more "freedoms," but less visitor restrictions. I hope that she will be able to rest with the flow of people who are so ready to see her. I am amazed at this development in her story as we were told she would be in ICU for at least a week. On another good note, Isabella had opened her eyes again and again, for longer periods of time. She spoke a few words, including "Ellen," the name of a woman in the room. They will be moving her to either Cincinnati or Columbus tomorrow because they have inpatient therapy she will need to help her. We are remaining positive on her account that she will make a complete recovery.
Also, the care flight team who flighted my sister came to speak to my parents. They told their story. I wish I had been there. I know it was a tearfully joyful reunion. Thank you, God, for all those who gave their time and talents to preserve the lives of this family.
I visited with my sister. She seemed in better spirits. Her voice sounded much more like hers. We had a sweet visit together and cried great tears. I told her I was going home. She told me how much it meant to her that I had come and that she knew when she saw me that it was bad... I told her how much I loved her. I will tell it to her every time I speak with her for the rest of my life. She needs to know it. I hugged the nurse and thanked her. God orchestrated the entire circumstance amazingly, surrounding Jenny and Isabella with care about caliber.
Next, we headed over to see Bella. We stayed for about an hour. Matthew tried extensively to get her to open her eyes for me, but to no avail. She didn't budge and clearly felt sleep was the better option! Finally, just after we had stepped across the threshold of the door, Matthew shouted to come back. She had popped them open when we had said goodbye. I went over to her and spent 3-4 minutes with her. She looked at us, cried a bit, looked at us some more. I told her how much I loved her and how much her cousins loved her. I had her hand in mine. I made the I love you sign with my fingers up to hers and she did it back to me. I could hardly believe how God had brought her to this point and how He had so intimately answered my prayers for peace about leaving.
We left the hospital around 12:30 for Georgia. I realized how hungry I was. After thinking back, I didn't eat one meal on Sunday. We stopped for food and then I slept for a good hour. I know I slept good because my arms were out from me instead of curled up. I believe when I woke up that my left arm was on top of my mother-in-law who was driving me! It was a good deep sleep....
Later in the afternoon, I found out that Jenny had been moved from ICU down to the next level. She would have a few more "freedoms," but less visitor restrictions. I hope that she will be able to rest with the flow of people who are so ready to see her. I am amazed at this development in her story as we were told she would be in ICU for at least a week. On another good note, Isabella had opened her eyes again and again, for longer periods of time. She spoke a few words, including "Ellen," the name of a woman in the room. They will be moving her to either Cincinnati or Columbus tomorrow because they have inpatient therapy she will need to help her. We are remaining positive on her account that she will make a complete recovery.
Also, the care flight team who flighted my sister came to speak to my parents. They told their story. I wish I had been there. I know it was a tearfully joyful reunion. Thank you, God, for all those who gave their time and talents to preserve the lives of this family.
Sunday
Sunday morning, we arrived at the hospital. Jenny had had another very excruciating night. They did, however, give her a bath and wash her hair. We prayed this day would bring the tube out, and it did. She was not able to speak at first, but she did utter a few whispers. As the day went on, she was able to speak more. Now the questions began as you can imagine. She was asking about the prognosis of Bella. We told her that she was expected to fully recover (her MRI on Saturday had showed there was no reason to believe there would be any permanent damage). When you asked her what hurt the most in the middle of all her pain, she would pat her heart. She gave a thumbs up to hear that she was the one who took the brunt of the hit instead of her babies. Bella, also, on this day, brought us a little surprise. Late in the afternoon, she opened her eyes for a brief few seconds. She was able to focus on Matthew and see some of the stuffed animals she had with her. It was so brief, but so encouraging. We were all so thankful to hear that those big blue eyes had shown themselves... We were beginning to breathe easier and realize just how much grace had been poured over these two lives...
Saturday
Like I said, the time in the hospitals only feels like a blur, one raw emotional roller coaster I am not sure I can clearly recall. Friday brought intense pain for Jenny. She began writing a bit, asking simple questions like "What did I do?" and "Babies?" She would tell us she loved us by making the sign for it. (This was something that my nieces did with her and my mother very often). It was very difficult on all of us. She wanted so badly to be extubated (have the ventilator tube removed). My mother told her she was allowed to use whatever words she wanted to after Jenny wrote some very interesting things on the paper about that tube... For Bella, Friday brought more of the same. She was still not responding and sleeping. There was talk that Aleacia and Sophia would be able to go home the next day.
There were so many people who came to support our family. They brought food and shared tears. My parents were so blessed by this I believe. People cleaned my parents' home, took care of the pets, brought clothes and even replaced the sump pump in the basement (clearly this would have been a highly inconvenient time for the basement to flood...).
I remember realizing just how special my sister and her family were to so many people and again pleading to God to heal them.
Saturday dawned after a night of excruciating pain for Jenny. I had begged the nurse on Friday night to mix her a good cocktail. They finally got the right combination and she was able to be "comfortable" for a few hours. It was so awful to watch her be in so much pain. I wanted to take it from her. She went in for surgery on her left femur on Saturday morning. She had a large metal plate attached with 13 screws put in the outerside of her left leg running from the top of her thigh to her knee. She had several other screws put in to attach the pieces of the bone that shattered back together. Given the circumstances, the surgeon said that all went well. He expected a few months in a wheelchair at least. Also, we had hopes for the tube to be removed on Saturday, but Jenny was still holding low blood counts. They were still watching her internal bleeding. She would have to endure another day of that.
Aleacia and Sophia were allowed to go home Saturday afternoon. They left with Matthew's parents to be with them at their house.
Isabella was still unresponsive. They did remove the head bandage, so I was able to see the incision and the drainage tube. The top portion of her hair was shaved and I could see a ridge in her forehead from the fracture. The swelling in her face had receeded, but she was still very black and blue between her eyes. We arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning with high hopes that we would see the tube come out and that Bella would show signs of progress. Saturday left us unfulfilled. I questioned when I would feel peace about coming back to Georgia.
There were so many people who came to support our family. They brought food and shared tears. My parents were so blessed by this I believe. People cleaned my parents' home, took care of the pets, brought clothes and even replaced the sump pump in the basement (clearly this would have been a highly inconvenient time for the basement to flood...).
I remember realizing just how special my sister and her family were to so many people and again pleading to God to heal them.
Saturday dawned after a night of excruciating pain for Jenny. I had begged the nurse on Friday night to mix her a good cocktail. They finally got the right combination and she was able to be "comfortable" for a few hours. It was so awful to watch her be in so much pain. I wanted to take it from her. She went in for surgery on her left femur on Saturday morning. She had a large metal plate attached with 13 screws put in the outerside of her left leg running from the top of her thigh to her knee. She had several other screws put in to attach the pieces of the bone that shattered back together. Given the circumstances, the surgeon said that all went well. He expected a few months in a wheelchair at least. Also, we had hopes for the tube to be removed on Saturday, but Jenny was still holding low blood counts. They were still watching her internal bleeding. She would have to endure another day of that.
Aleacia and Sophia were allowed to go home Saturday afternoon. They left with Matthew's parents to be with them at their house.
Isabella was still unresponsive. They did remove the head bandage, so I was able to see the incision and the drainage tube. The top portion of her hair was shaved and I could see a ridge in her forehead from the fracture. The swelling in her face had receeded, but she was still very black and blue between her eyes. We arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning with high hopes that we would see the tube come out and that Bella would show signs of progress. Saturday left us unfulfilled. I questioned when I would feel peace about coming back to Georgia.
Friday
The next few days, as I look back, are a real haze to me. I will give what I remember. Friday morning, just hours after the accident, I made it to the hospital. I was able to be back in with my sister. Tearfully, I watched her breathe each breath. I praised God for His provision thus far, that He had kept her alive, protecting her brain and spine from injury. With each breath, I gained confidence. I remember thinking about how stubborn she was. I remember thinking God gave her that quality for this specific time. She would need it. I prayed over her and asked God to continue to heal her. She opened one eye to see me, but I am not sure if she knew I was there. There was so much going on. She was in immense pain, heavily sedated, and probably still in shock. With a pleading heart, I left her to go to the other hospital to see my neices. First, I saw Sophia and Aleacia. Sophia had a very bruised face, stitches, and was very swollen over and underneath her left eye. She slept the whole time I was there, but they told me that each time she did awake, she was very aggitated and scared. She would begin to cry every time she heard the door to the room open. Aleacia was awake. She smiled at me and I hugged her. Her face looked so beautiful to me. She seemed very frightened also. Next, I went up to see Isabella in ICU. She had just come out of surgery hours before, so it was a little hard to view her like that. Her fracture was in the front of her skull. She had a deep laceration across the bridge of her nose and left eye. She was swollen around her mouth. Her head was bandaged around her skull. She had a drainage tube from her skull. She was very unresponsive to any sort of anything. It was hard not to wonder what the future would hold for her...
The journey begins
As Friday morning dawned, I was on my way to Ohio, frantic. There was much still to be revealed concerning the condition of my sister, Jenny, and her three girls. I knew that Sophia and Aleacia were thought to be in the clear (or going to make it), but no one knew about Isabella and Jenny. Jenny had internal bleeding in her liver and spleen, broken orbit (eye socket), mandible (jaw), broken left arm, ribs, right hip, and legs. Isabella was taken into surgery almost immediately after arriving at the Children's Hospital to fix the bleeding in her brain. As far as anyone had informed me or anyone knew, their prognosis was not good. The next few hours would be crucial...
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