Thursday, April 23, 2009

Early Thursday Morning

Yeah were up late again, but I think ( hope) that might start changing. We have been telling Jerry he has to start getting to bed earlier, with me having to get back to work and such, but it has not really worked out very well. It seems the evenings are when he feels the best, laughing, joking around and all and it has been hard to get him to settle down. Kinda like when he was a little boy, he never would go to bed on time! I thought it was exhausting then, but now, we just can't recover as easy. Are we getting old or what? Anyway today he did get up a little earlier than he has been, and he even said that he felt better getting his breakfast and morning routine over with and that it helped him feel better all day, so we might be on to something. I sure hope so.

As I said before, Jerry felt pretty good all day. The nausea was at a minimum, he made the trek over to SCI-FIT with no problems, and had a good work out. He did the gait training machine for about 40 minutes, worked on a standing frame with a arm bicycle attachment for about 25 minutes, worked on some stretching exercises on the floor for a little while, and finished up on the FES bike for 30 minutes or so. Doing exercises while standing up for an hour plus is a good thing, as he has had to start slowly back again since getting his neck brace off. I have a feeling things are going to start getting easier from here on out. Tomorrow he will get his chin drive for his chair, and with that he will have a little more control of his life and surroundings I think, and quite possibly, it could be a little fun. I know it will be fun to watch him try to drive himself for awhile. Heh Heh Heh.

Well it's taken me an hour and a half to type this so far, and I do have a lot to do tomorrow, so I should be making my way to the couch. I will leave you with this though. Many have said that they appreciate the time that we spend writing this blog, and how they check in each day, to follow our ups and downs, and the progress that is going on. Well we would just like to say that even though it is hard to get to this sometimes, and sometimes it gets frustrating writing down the same old stuff, (Jerry has nausea again), we do feel honored that so many are following, and that we do have so much support. It really is therapeutic for us to do this, writing down our highs and lows, goofy things like cats and cat names, it eases a little bit of the stress that we all feel each and everyday. I never would have though that doing this would have such an impact on so many, and if people are willing to read it, than it is the least our family can do for others. At the risk of sounding corny, I've always said that through coaching sports, if I could help just a few kids stay focused in school, and not go down a destructive path, that it would make it all worth while in the end. And if by sharing our life on this blog, we can help others by thinking of their own highs and lows, or help someone going through a similar situation, then praise God. It has been a blessing on our family with the prayers and comments, it has been a blessing financially with all the support, and we truly feel honored and fortunate to have this place to go to. I hope you all understand what I am trying to say, and with that....
Good Night, God Bless.
Dennis

9 comments:

Trish said...

God Bless, indeed!

Trish

Anonymous said...

I hear you Dennis. I read the blog everyday and keep your family in my prayers. As you showed me through coaching, there is no substitute for hard work. Stay strong brother.


Paul Owens

Anonymous said...

Thanks for keeping on keeping on.
Keep Trucking!

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear Jerry was feeling better. Quite an impressive workout! Must feel so much better without the neckbrace on.
It's nice to hear that Jerry feels talkative, chipper, in the evenings...no wonder so many posts are after midnite!
Little sleep, - your strength from God, determination, love for Jerry, keeping ya going.
Thanks for the updates and sharing so much of yourselves with this blog.
Very nice post!
The counter on the blog shows that there are tons of people following Jerry, and praying!
Dennis & Katie you have a following too lol!
God at work!
One can't help but take something positive away from reading your posts and following Jerry's progress.
if reading this makes somebody feel better about their own situation by comparison, then you have helped someone!
...and who of any of us that read the blog, hasn't thought of Jerry, Dennis, Katie, and that thought stopped a moment of personal self pity that we might otherwise unwisely indulged in feeling sorry for our selves?
Perspective. Puts life in perspective.

Praying for another nausea free day. Hooray for some mobility with the joystick!
SFerry

Anonymous said...

Dear Katie and Dennis,
I am one of the many that looks at the blog daily, to see how Jerry is doing, and to see how the two of you and your other children are doing.

I am a mother of two sons, and we suffered a tragic loss in our family in 2006, so I know how hard it is for a parent to see their child suffer and to be concerned for their future.

I laugh with you, I cry with you, I rejoice with on the good days.

Please know that your community continues to care and hold you in our thoughts.

You continue to inspire me to look towards the future and to not worry about the past.

Katie Mac said...

Hi Lynette and Jesse,

I would love to connect with you, I followed the instruction below however I was not able to pull up the site. Do you have a complete URL that points to your page?

"We also have a website call caringbridge.com if you want to go and say hi. You have to look up by putting in Jessecraigpullin. We would love to hear from you."

Hope to hear from you,
Katie MacCallister

Anonymous said...

If you can't be a teacher in the classroom, then why not on the field, the track or in the pool?
Dennis,
Thank you for all the years of caring and guidence you have so selflessly put into directing the boys and girls of our valley. As parents, we have had the pleasure to watch you motivate our kids through your awesome ninja coaching skills. Your the best!
Jer,
Keep up the hard work and remember you are loved everyday by those of us who know you and by those of us who don't. Now how many people can say that?
Katie,
You are my hero!
Josh, Jenae and Jess,
Your strong spirits help Mom, Dad and Jerry stay the course. We keep you in our prayers too!Gretchen
God Bless Allie and her family.

Aunt Stephanie said...

God Bless you Jerry. We're praying for you every night and we love you.

Peggy said...

Very well said Dennis. You and your family have helped so many kids in this valley, including my own. Your family is so strong and capable. I love reading the blog and seeing the tremendous progress your family is making. See you at breakfast Saturday :)

Peggy and Shannon Fox