April 3, 2007

April, 2007

How is Jordan?

Jordan is doing great. February marked one year that he has been home at mom and dads. While Jordan continues to improve a little bit every day it is still small steps. He has wonderful nurses who take great care of him. Nurses Sean and Mark have been getting Jordan down on the floor and doing physical therapy with him. They do a lot of stretching, they ask Jordan to hold his head on his own—which he gets better at each time. They also sit him up and work with him on eye contact. It is hard to understand if you don’t see Jordan regularly just how he is doing and what we are up against. Just imagine if you had to have someone help you sit up, or someone had to help you hold your head. Jordan has to relearn things that we do daily and take for granted. Simple things like holding a cup, standing and talking. He is doing great though and continues to work as hard as he can. Nurse Linda, who treats Jordan like her own, does cool things with Jordan too. She dances around the room and sings along to his favorite songs. She (and all of the nurses) treats Jordan as if he were fine. They talk to him constantly, read to him and even bring in movies they think he will like. We are so blessed to have our regular nurses (Sean, Mark and Linda) as well as our fill-ins who work hard also.

My favorite thing that Jordan does and also continues to do better and better every day is smiling. I mean smiling! That is a true reaction and such a positive sign. Dad knows how to make Jordan smile the most and it is the coolest thing! It’s a glimpse of our Jordan and so comforting. Health-wise Jordan is good. He is at a healthy weight and other than the occasional sinus/allergy issues seems to be doing just fine. Like dad says, ballgames aren’t won in yards but in inches. We’ll happily take the inches.

How is the family?

We are doing well. Rob and I just bought our first house and have spent the last few months updating and remodeling (and updating….and remodeling). It is overwhelming but very exciting. Mom and dad are doing well too. Mom went on a cruise with her friend Sherri DePriest during spring break and had, well, a hilarious time—ask her about it. Dad is good too, he has been helping Rob and I out at the new house a lot. Dad loves a project and he definitely found one in our house. J

Jordaroo III

I am also in the throws of planning Jordaroo III with our friends at Spankies. This year is going to be awesome—Jordan hates that word—but it will be! Becky Lamb, Tige Casey, Steve Jones, Jill Ericson, JJ (Jon Josephson) and I have been meeting and talking and getting it all sorted out. It’s a big event and we all want it to be wonderful. We are planning music, a silent art/memorabilia auction, fun for the kids from 11-2, and good food and spirits. 100% of the sales go directly to Jordan’s fund. This means that not only is the art, food, etc. donated but also people’s time and talents—it all goes to Jordan. We are so blessed to have so many people offering their time, energy and wares to Jordan’s cause. More and more people continue to step up and offer a hand and without this kind of support we could never pull off an event of this magnitude.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

The word humbled does not begin to describe how my family and I feel in regards to all of the love and support our community continues to give Jordan. It seems there is never a forum to thank all of the people who have stuck it out with us and continuously sent cards and well wishes to Jordan and the family. We want to take this opportunity to thank the following people who have big hearts and positive smiles: Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ, Collegeside Church of Christ, the City of Cookeville and dad’s fellow employees at the Cookeville Police Department, mom’s fellow teachers at Avery Trace who selflessly gave up hours and sick time and graciously donated that time to mom so she could be with Jordan in Texas. Thank you too to Tennessee Tech and my coworkers at the Appalachian Center for Craft who have been there to hug me and pat me on the back and have also donated tons of artwork for Jordan’s silent auctions at Jordaroo. The support everyone has shown us is just breathtaking, not to mention the countless number of people who have donated to Jordan’s fund or donated their time or wares and refuse to let us thank them publicly.

We would like to send a very special thank you out to the owner of Spankies, Jon Josephson (JJ), Steve Jones, Becky Lamb and all of the employees at Spankies. We are so grateful to JJ and the people at Spankies for hanging in there and believing in Jordan and his full recovery. While many of the employees at Spankies never even worked with Jordan as his “class” has moved on, the current employees still continue to give their time so selflessly. It leaves us at a loss for words. People will just never know how it all makes us feel.

I know I sound like a broken record, but one day soon we know that Jordan will be able to thank you himself and return the many hugs and prayers that so many people have given on his behalf.

Thank you, Cookeville.

--The Terry’s

A Poem for Jordan

By: Florence Sherrill Ferrell

Brothers and Sisters

From where love came, we cannot see:
Perhaps, within us, born and bred,
Or taught to us at parent's knee,
Or instilled by God in heart and head.

Perhaps it sprang from some kind deed,
Which, long forgotten, yet has grown
To dazzling heights from one small seed
In the fertile soil of distress sown.

Respect rises up so far above
The pettiness of separate view
Differences bow before a love
And friendship that is blood-bound too.

May the bond between us stronger grow,
May I prove the fondness I confess,
Which my hand's service cannot show'
Nor my simple words ever express.

I love you Jordan and I will NEVER EVER give up on you.

Thank you for being my brother and for helping us all to remember what real love and compassion can do. You are the BEST and the coolest kid I’ve ever known. I am a better person because you are in my life.

—Shan