Every memory I have of Jordan , he is laughing. When I see him in my head we are driving down the street, sunglasses on, windows down, sun on our faces, listening to the classic rock station and singing Boston 's “More Than a Feelin' ” at the top of our lungs. One of us is playing air guitar and the other air drums and we are laughing at each other hysterically. I miss my best friend. I miss my brother.

It has been more than nine months since Jordan, my 22-year-old brother, suffered anoxia due to cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma. My family and I have never felt pain like this and there are no words to describe the emptiness we feel not hearing his voice.

Jordan Hill Terry was born on February 9, 1982—I was nine-years-old. I remember mom was well, large during her pregnancy to say the least and when Jordan was born it was clear why—he weighed 10 pounds and four ounces. From that day forward he was on the loose. Jordan has always been a hilarious kid, anything for a laugh. One summer, when I was 14 and he was five, mom and dad took us to Orlando for vacation. Jordan sang every word (including harmonies) to the Beach Boys Greatest Hits Album—all the way there (yes, we drove). I thought I would never hear “California Girls” the same way again. I would give anything to hear Jordan sing it now.

At times, I couldn't appreciate the age difference between Jordan and me. I realize now more than ever how lucky I am to watch this amazing kid grow up. A lot of the reason why Jordan is so loveable is that he has a knack for making people feel good and he does not discriminate. He can find the “cool” in just about anyone. I know coming from his sister you assume that I am biased in my opinions on Jordan , but the truth is, he really is a great person. The kind of kid most parents probably dream of. He went to church and was baptized when he was 10 years old. He never got into any serious trouble. He didn't run with the wrong crowd, cut school or give mom and dad too much trouble. Much the opposite really, he always had a huge circle of friends, most of whom are still in touch today. He played basketball and participated in school activities, he helped mom with dinners for the elderly at church. Jordan is basically your normal average kid, with a couple of big exceptions: he is without a doubt one of the sweetest, most unselfish people I have ever known. Ask anyone who knows him, this is a kid who would stop at nothing if a friend, or even a stranger, needed a hand. These are just a few reasons why we love Jordan so much and continue to wait with great anticipation to hear his laughter again.

My knees and ankles still go numb when I think back to the morning that I got the phone call. It was the morning of November 22, five days before Thanksgiving—our favorite holiday. It was the first time in my life that I had ever heard real fear in my dad's voice. Dad's voice was saying, “ Jordan had a heart attack last night, you guys come on over to the hospital.” I could not wrap my brain around what I was hearing, I had just talked to Jordan 16 hours earlier and he was fine. All I could do was shake my head and scream, “No Dad… No Dad… No Dad, I just spoke to him and he was fine.” But Jordan was not fine now and there our journey began.

Jordan had worked from 5-11 p.m. at Spankies, a local restaurant, the night before. At about 1:15 a.m. he walked home to his apartment about a block away. On his way back, he walked down the train tracks that run alongside the restaurant like he had done a million times before. Only on this night, he collapsed on the tracks right behind the restaurant only to be seen by a couple in the parking lot. These people helped to save Jordan 's life, had they not been out there and actually seen him fall, we fear no one would have seen him until it was too late. They rushed inside and told the people, who of course were Jordan 's friends and coworkers, that they had seen someone collapse outside and they thought he worked there— Jordan still had on his uniform. We consider it a miracle that two of the people at the bar that night worked in the medical field, they ran outside followed by half the bar and began CPR until the ambulance arrived and immediately took him to Cookeville Regional.

Getting off of the elevator at the Intensive Care Unit was overwhelming to say the least; there were people everywhere. People I hadn't seen in years, family, my friends, mom and dad's friends, Jordan 's friends. People were crying and staring at the ground. I rushed to my parents and while sobbing in my dad's chest for what seemed like forever, I realized the magnitude of the situation. At that point we didn't know if Jordan, my 21-year-old baby brother, my best friend, would live. He had suffered a heart attack as well as loss of oxygen to the brain. We later learned that upon arriving at the emergency room, his heart was the size of a football. There was talk of heart transplants and brain damage, words I could not begin to associate with Jordan, someone who I had talked to the day before about our plans for Thanksgiving.

I believe seeing Jordan in his hospital bed for the first time was the most surreal moment of my life. He was hooked up to machines and monitors and he had a trachea tube in his throat. Overwhelmed and breathless, I literally thought to myself, “didn't I just talk to him yesterday? Was that just yesterday?” Utter confusion. We spent seven days in the ICU. Luckily, people we love surrounded us constantly. I never knew how many people loved Jordan or my family until this happened. At that point Jordan was in a deep coma, which is like a very deep sleep. His friends were relentless, they came in and talked to him and laughed with him as if he were awake. They begged him to wake up. They told him how much they missed him and needed him in their lives. They even tape recorded messages to him to be played through headphones while he slept. And, I must say the ICU staff was amazing to say the least. They were so patient and understanding of our need to surround Jordan with familiar voices and sounds. They were a true testament to how all people in the medical profession should behave and we met some real life angels there.

After being in the ICU for three days, the cardiologist informed us that Jordan 's heart was fine. That's right—fine. This was another of the many miracles we had seen and would continue to see. On the fourth day, Jordan opened his eyes. He was responding to deep pain at that point but not much more. He was moved off of the ICU to a step down unit on the sixth floor where he fought pneumonia for two weeks and was monitored closely by doctors. We had to wear special suits, gloves and masks to even be in his room. Jordan 's neurologist talked with us early on about taking Jordan to a local nursing home. The plan was to take him there until he was strong enough to move on to a rehabilitation facility. The doctor said it would be good to keep him close to his friends and give him some time to heal. At that point we had no idea how far Jordan would come on his own or exactly how much rehab he would need, so like most families in our situation we followed the doctor's advice.

During all of this we were overwhelmed by the support we received from the community and afar. There was a steady stream of visitors and cards from friends and family and churches of every denomination imaginable. I think at one time Jordan was on every prayer list in the southeast, and then some. People sent food and notes of encouragement. I truly do not believe we would have made it through that initial shock had we not had the support of those we love, and even a few strangers we met along the way. I remember thinking, “how am I ever going to describe this outpouring of love and support to Jor? He will never believe it.”

During the next five months Jordan had pneumonia off an on constantly. He also endured a staph infection and a urinary tract infection. We went back and forth between the nursing home and hospital three times, sometimes staying at the hospital for three and four weeks at a time. Although Jordan 's neurologist had told us to expect such illness and trips to the hospital, it was nonetheless extremely emotional and tiring on all of us. Many people probably wonder why we didn't move Jordan to a rehabilitation center earlier, and the pneumonia was the reason for that. No rehabilitation facility will admit patients who are sick—especially with pneumonia. We had no choice but to wait for him to get better and when you are confined to a bed pneumonia is almost inevitable.

Jordan was beginning to regain his health in mid-March. He was receiving some therapy at the nursing home. At that point I believe he had a physical, occupational and speech therapist. He put on weight again, the night he was admitted he weighed 165 and he had gone down to about 130 pounds. He was responding to us more and more every day. We could ask him to look at mom and he would, it would take him a minute but he knew who she was. As far as the therapy he received, it was minimal. Keep in mind Jordan is in a facility where the therapists work with elderly patients, truthfully they just are not equipped to do the aggressive type of therapy Jordan needs. He is only 22 and can endure a lot more pushing than someone much older.

In late March we received word that Blue Cross-Blue Shield, which handles claims for Jordan 's health provider Tennessee Farm Bureau, would not continue to pay for any therapy. Blue Cross/Tennessee Farm Bureau felt as though he wasn't progressing quickly enough. In health insurance lingo that means, “this is a waste of money.” This decision was made after two months of inconsistent, minimal therapy that Jordan endured while being sick with pneumonia almost the entire time. They didn't even give him a chance. We as a family continued to work with Jordan ourselves, and that is pretty much how it has been since then. We do what we can, but he could benefit from so much more.

This was when we started researching rehabilitation facilities. We found the Chicago Institute for Rehabilitation, which is #1 in the country for brain injury rehabilitation. My family visited the facility and instantly knew this was the place for Jordan . The people there were upbeat and positive and anxious to meet Jordan and hear more about his case. We knew Jordan would have a fighting chance in a place like this.

While we began planning to take Jordan we ran into the inevitable red tape that exists anytime you are dealing with insurance companies. In a situation like this, all parties must be in total communication. That means the nursing home, the rehab facility, the insurance company and our family. It is almost impossible and I am sure the insurance company revels in that. We had to wait for Jordan to be evaluated and then wait again for that paperwork to reach the appropriate people. Once that was done they would order another evaluation or someone's fax machine wasn't working, or someone was on vacation, it was always something. They count on people to just throw their hands in the air and give up--this was not even a consideration for our family. When all of the paperwork was finally in place, which took what seemed like an eternity—real time about three and a half months, Blue Cross/Tennessee Farm Bureau denied our request to take Jordan to Chicago . Believe it or not, we had assumed that would happen. Nevertheless it hurt, but only made us madder and stronger and more motivated to fight for Jordan . We are now fighting our second appeal with Blue Cross Blue Shield/Tennessee Farm Bureau.

During this entire ordeal everyone has asked, “What can I do?” It has been the most asked question everywhere we all go. As we continued to ask for prayers, people wanted to do something. People just wanted to help. My family is proud and we are hard working. We aren't used to being the ones who need help. We decided to allow some friends of the family to start a fund in Jordan 's name to collect money for his trip to rehab. This was not an easy decision for a proud family who knows that there are people out there in far more painful situations that have far less than we do. But it was all for Jordan and our pride could not be an issue. It is truly humbling when people go out of their way to do something for you. Jordan 's friends got together and decided to put on a fundraiser, so Jordan wouldn't have to wait on the outcome of the Blue Cross suits. “Jordaroo” took place on August 29th , 2004 and was a smashing success. It felt so good to be surrounded by Jordan 's friends and to actually be doing something to help Jordan . Those kids raised a lot of money that day and we will forever be grateful for their efforts and for the amount of selflessness they all showed that day and everyday when it comes to Jordan. They, like us have resolved to never give up on Jordan and we are forever grateful for their loyalty toward him and our family.

As it stands today, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Tennessee Farm Bureau is not going to pay for any rehabilitation. We have decided to go ahead and pursue the Chicago Institute for Rehab and instead set up a private pay plan with the facility. Thanks to all of our supporters we have raised a considerable amount of money that will be used toward Jordan 's stay in Chicago . We don't know how much therapy he will need or how long he will need to be there. We are asking that you write letters or emails on Jordan 's behalf to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and Tennessee Farm Bureau. You may send your letters to:

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee
801 Pine Street , Chattanooga , TN 37402-2555

or email them at https://www.bcbst.com/contact/contactvisit.asp.

You may reach Tennessee Farm Bureau by sending your letter to:

Tennessee Farm Bureau
147 Bear Creek Pike
Columbia , TN 38401

or email them at http://www.tnfarmbureau.org/contactus.html

Please let them know that we will not just go away or throw up our hands—we will be a buzz in their ear until they agree to give Jordan what he deserves, and that is a chance at life. We do not think we are any better than any other family, nor do we believe that Jordan deserves special treatment above anyone else. We simply believe that he deserves a chance to live.

Today, Jordan is doing well. He is in a residual state of coma, which means he is coming out of it but due to the injury to his brain it is taking some time to heal. Jordan does respond to us. He is more alert everyday and still trying to talk. When we ask him to move his foot or leg, he can, it may take him a minute but he fully understands what we are asking. He seems to know the difference between his right and left side and he still loves to watch TV. He still has the trachea tube as well as a feeding tube, but his weight is up to 172 and according to his doctor he is in perfect health. This is why it is a good time to get him to rehabilitation—he is healthier than ever.

We as a family have resolved to never give up on Jordan , we are his voice and we will not stop until he has his life back. Until he is walking and talking and laughing again we will not be satisfied. As his sister, I will not be satisfied until Jordan and I are driving down the street, sunglasses on, windows down, sun on our faces, listening to the classic rock station and singing Boston 's “More Than a Feelin' ” at the top of our lungs. One of us playing air guitar and the other air drums and we are laughing at each other hysterically. I miss my best friend. I miss my brother.