September 08, 2004
Update 12
Hello Everyone,

We hope today finds you all happy and healthy. This website has been so much fun for my parents. We really appreciate all the notes everyone sends to them. It's been a great way for Dad to rechannel his thoughts, if only for a few minutes. I must say, I think it has been good for so many other people as well, giving them a chance to say some things they have wanted to say for years or allowing them to reconnect in some small way. They have received prayers, bible verses, jokes (dirty ones), daily journaling, updates on where people are and what their kids are doing, blasts from the past, sports news and the list goes on...THANK YOU...Sometimes we are so focused on "where we are going" , we forget "where we have been!!"

If you havent clicked on the "photo album" lately, please do so as I have posted several "current" pictures for you to see. Here's the run down:

#1-This is how Dad sleeps. The CPAP over his head is to generate fresh air and assist in minimizing his sleep apnea (breath holding) as well as his snoring. He slept with this prior to his accident, however, he has had difficulty getting used to it again as he does not have the ability to adjust it etc...It makes him feel trapped. He is having more success with it each day, he's almost there! The other item in the picture is the nurse call button, he has to turn his head a 1/4" and hit it, it then turns the light on.

#2,3,4 These are shots of Dad with his Occupational Therapist, Dan.
Most of the time in OT he spends his time working on the Deltoid Machine you see pictured. He CANNOT hold his arm up as shown. There are weights on the back of the machine that hold his arm up to give him the ability to "work out" his shoulders and keep things moving forward and strong. OT is twice a day. (On #2, you can see Mom in the background and her contraption on her hand)

#5,6 This is Neil, Dads Physical Therapist. He typically lays Dad out on a mat and stretches his legs, back and shoulders. PT is twice a day as well.

#7, This is MATT!! He is one of the head nurses in the rehab unit and he and Dad get along great. He is one of 15 children and has 5 of his own. He is a HS Cross Country Coach, so he and Dad have alot to chat about. We love Matt! (along with loving many of the other nurses)!

#8 A shot of Mom feeding Dad. Unfortunately, he can't feed himself right now, but FORTUNATELY...he can eat on his own! He looks all smiles, but he's not really that happy about it!

#9 This is Dads "Hammock". It is actually a ceiling lift and this is how we get him in and out of his chair, bed, etc... It is placed behind his back, under, then between, his legs and wraps back up to the blue bar. It is automated and is a life & back saver to the nursing staff and us.

#10...This is where we sleep!! Everyone thinks Dad is a Vikings fan, as I stated before, we have Panther paraphernalia to counter the claim. It almost kills me to sleep underppurple and gold, so I wear my Hawkeye Pin to bed! (It's the buffer to my heart) :)

#11, 12 A shot of some of the signs we've posted for Dad, just friendly reminders. (Task Master written by Gregg)

#13 This is Dr. Ronald Reeves, the Medical Director of the Rehab unit. He is getting to know our family quite well:) The other two gentlemen are his Residents, who are busy waking Dad up at "7am" to see how he's doing? After all, MAYO is a teaching facility! More on Dr. Reeves later. (PS What do you think of your picture Dr. Reeves? It hasn't blown up the computer yet.)

#14 This is Jeff Lamb. He is a hometown boy from Waterloo. He is one of the Physical Therapists in the Rehab unit and he will be assisting Dad when he starts working his legs on the bike... should be SOON!!

#15 Me, Mom and Dad after a hard, full day(for Dad)!

Latest update...THE FEEDING TUBE IS OUT!! It was a relatively quick procedure that they were able to perform in his room, yesterday. Obviously painless for dad, since he doesnt have the ability to feel in his stomach area! ANOTHER MILESTONE IS ACHIEVED!! He seems to be regaining some small function in his C6/upper arms. This is a start of whats to come...we hope! Keep praying for arm usage!! Sleeping is getting much better and with that comes the possibilty to start having visitors. We will discuss with Dad, but the staff tells us its best on the weekends, when he doesnt have as much rehab or quick visits during the day. We will get a schedule together.

Dad had a great Labor Day Weekend. Mary(moms sister), Lee and Landon were in from Virginia. Glen Jr., Sandy and the boys were up from Cedar Falls, and Lisa and mom were there as well. He spent alot of time outside...so refreshing!

He seems to be in good spirits, alot of it due to all of your wonderful messages/journaling. He does have his moments though (especially if we dont floss his teeth correctly...ugh)!

Mom is doing well, she will get her pins out soon.

Lisa is headed home tomorrow and Bob( my husband)will be in for 5 days. Dad, get your jaws ready, the talking machine is about to arrive! Lance will be in to replace Bob for a week and then I return. That will cover us throught the end of September!

A special thanks to Bob and his programmers for setting up this website, we are very grateful for it and so are our parents!

Take care, until next time...be safe!

The Dream Team

(sorry for mispellings and grammer errors, no ability to check on this website...hint hint programmers)