Sunday, February 8, 2009

Thank You!

Last night was truly AMAZING, we are so blessed! As we arrived at the Fire House I felt a little nervous, I was worried Jerry might get overwhelmed or tired or nauseous. I was fearful someone would ask Dennis or I to say something in the microphone. Neither Dennis or I do well with public speaking especially in front of such a large audience so I was glad nobody yelled out "SPEECH", I might have passed out. :-) We didn't know what to expect and we certainly didn't plan such a grand entrance. We were outside trying to figure out how we were going to get the wheel chair in and someone suggested going in through the bay doors and off they went to get the door open. I can't begin to express the shock we felt with the standing applause. The feeling of love and support and kindness was so overwhelming, as I looked around the room and saw so many friends and family and familiar faces. We have been so blessed by this community, I don't have the words to express how grateful we are, all I can say is thank you. Thank you Sherri, Jennifer, Kris, Leanne, Gary, Sharon, Marci, Mary and all the other volunteers who made the evening such a huge success, we are forever indebted to you. Thank you community, friends, family, and loving strangers for supporting our family.

Jerry truly was awe struck at the amount of people willing to come together on his behalf, he felt wonderful. I was concerned it would be to much for him, all he had to do was say the word when he had enough and we would get him back to the hospital, Jerry never reached that point. He enjoyed seeing friends and talking with people, he said he felt really good. There was no nausea, no pain, and he has been off the pain medicine for several days now. Jerry said he felt like he could sit in his chair for many more hours and be comfortable which is a big deal he's usually counting the minutes until he gets out of his chair. It was wonderful to see his big smile as he talked with friends.

Today was a much needed day of rest. After getting back to the hospital around 10:00 and getting through the nightly routine it was about 1:00 am before we finally were able to get to sleep last night. Sundays are Jerry's day off from therapies and he wanted to sleep in and spend the whole day in bed watching movies. I let him indulge to some extent, we did do his range of motion for an hour and he got a shower. Last nights event and today's lazy day was very therapeutic for Jerry and he felt great today. Until now Jerry has had very little feeling past his bicep however today he was having feeling half way down his forearm. He could feel pressure when you touched his arm and could identify with his eyes closed where he was being touched. Jerry also moved his wrist, just a little twist of the wrist. He was so excited over this because there was no mistaking this was controlled movement. Jerry also in the last couple days has been saying he feels his abs, when he tries to flex his abs you can feel the muscle contract ever so slightly. I praise God for these moments, glory to God for answered prayer, He has sustained us through this tragedy and continues to take care of all our needs. God is using all of you wonderful people to meet our every need in supporting Jerry through this crises. How blessed we are!

Thank you,
Katie

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a special evening it was last night. I was touched by the outpouring of support and love by the community members. It was impressive to see the SLV turnout, en masse, to touch you. What a response from so many. Keep up the good work, Jerry! These feelings are gonna keep coming back to you until you can move it all! Buel

It never ceases to amaze me, what we can do for one another. Jerry, do you realize your impact on all of us?!! You are brave and you're courageous and you touch us as much, if not more, as we touch you. The phrase 'smiling through our tears' is what last night brings to mind. You go boy! Inch by inch, it's coming back!

Heavenly Father, we bless your name and your works through the generosity and goodness of the people who worked so tirelessly to bring last night's event together. Praise and glory to you, Lord, for the wondrous improvements Jerry is experiencing daily. We continue to lift him and his family up in our prayers as they prepare for the next phase of Jerry's recovery - coming home. We thank you for the joy of Jerry's smile, for his young friends who love him so much, for his parents and siblings and for the community who came together to share in his recovery. Thank you, dear Lord. Amen

Jess- the next round of stew has your name on it ;). Love ya, Trish

Anonymous said...

I am ecstatic to hear that Jerry is regaining feeling in his arms and abs! My prayers are with him. Keep going Jerry!

Anonymous said...

Ah! ..The feeling spreads!!!
God is wonderful, ..and so is Jerry!
But the Holy Spirit is also supporting Jerry's two fantastic coaches! ..Katie, and Dennis!!
***
Katie, I'll bet you feel those forearm touches everybit as much as Jerry!
***
And those Support Therapist Nurses also bring a smile to Jerry's face, ..and it is just great to see such a talented, and wonderful team helping Jerry move through each new success, and each new day!
***
Go Katie!
Go Dennis!
Go Jerry! Josh! Janea! and Jessie!
Go Team!!
And thank you God!!
***

Anonymous said...

Oh I sooooo wish I could have been at the spaghetti dinner! I know my family was there and enjoyed every minute :-) I get goosebumps every time I read about the continual improvements in feeling and movement! The power of God is truly blessing every cell, every nerve, every part of you Jerry! Keep up the amazing effort as your body heals completely and perfectly. Cheering for you in Marietta, GA!!!
Brooksie

Anonymous said...

What a special time it was to come and see you guys. It was GREAT to see Jerry and know that he was getting to see many of his friends and people who has been praying for him.

Katie, that verse I was stumbling over is in Psalm 27:13. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." I know God has shown you His goodness in so many ways this last 5 weeks through MANY people.

We are continuing to pray for more feeling for Jerry and more stength to walk again.

Terry and Rob Johnson

Unknown said...

MacCallisters, I was so encouraged to hear Jerry is having feeling half way down his forearm, and movement in his wrist. These "tiny steps" towards mobility reminded me of something Shari described in telling me about Butch's process. BE ENCOURAGED! I firmly believe it will come! From our untrained eyes, it looks like the spinal cord is WAKING UP!

Anonymous said...

Wow!! things are waking up,this is what happens with all the love, and support, and positive attitude Jerry. Your progress is moving a long very fast only 5 weeks,keep it up!! God loves you and so do we.
Love Aunt Teresa

Anonymous said...

Rejoice!
Jerry isn't taking the pain meds, his nausea is down, and he has more movement and feeling today!
The miracles are happening all around us. They are getting Jerry one more step towards home, towards walking again.
Let's all continue to keep the prayers coming and lifting Jerry right out of that bed, out of that chair and up on the dance floor.
Jerry, I pray for continued movement and complete healing of your spine. Lord, hear our prayer.
Keep smiling kiddo, we all love you.
Gretchen