May 16, 2009

In February, Jordan had his 27^th birthday—twenty-seven, unbelievable. A lot has been going on since I wrote the last update in August and Jordan continues to move forward on his road to healing. I still miss his voice terribly. And that infectious laugh and good attitude he has always had. It’s hard because although Jordan is progressing, he hasn’t begun to talk yet. When he begins to talk again, he’ll be able to tell us what he needs, how he feels and what he wants. This is the day I wait for with more anticipation and anxiety than I can hold in my head and heart at the same time. It’s coming on summer again and its Jordan’s favorite time of year. I just miss him and can’t wait to talk with him again. Faith, patience, hope and love….lots and lots of love.

We searched and searched for a good speech therapist. As we have always believed, Jordan needs therapists who are not intimidated and afraid to be aggressive and make Jordan work.  We are thrilled that Jaque Brown came to us and volunteered to give Jordan speech therapy at no charge once a week. Jaque’s brother Scotty and Jordan have been friends since high school, so she has known Jordan for a long time. It means so much to us, not only for Jordan to have a good speech therapist, but to have someone he knows do it is ten-times better. Don’t think for one minute that just because Jaque and Jordan are friends that she doesn’t make him work and that’s exactly what he needs.

In addition to doing the routine things that we have always done like his cards where he is given a sentence like “climb the…” and the card will have a tree and a car on it and Jordan has to choose the correct answer by looking at the object or word that completes the sentence (he gets it right about 85-90% of the time), Jaque also does some neat things with Jordan to stimulate the facial muscles. She uses this tool called the Mini Textured Massager on his cheeks and all over his face to stimulate the muscles and get Jordan to move his mouth. There is a similar tool called a Z-Vibe that she uses inside his mouth and it serves the same purpose; to stimulate the muscles in and around the mouth. The tools can freak Jordan out a bit, and we do what we always do when he seems not to like things being done to him: encourage him to say the word “no”. We always tell him, “if you don’t want Jaque (or Nurse Tina, etc.) to do that you’ve got to tell her “no” and she will stop.” Jaque really encourages Jordan to communicate by using his eyes and blinking twice for “yes” and using his voice and try to make a sound for “no”. She is very dedicated and loving with Jordan. She’s another angel whom we have been fortunate enough to add to our ever growing extended family and we appreciate her so much.

While Jordan isn’t speaking clearly while awake, the nurses have noticed Jordan talking in his sleep. They say his voice changes like he is saying specific words and talking to someone, though they can’t really make out clearly what he is saying. We are planning to set up a video camera to try and record him doing this because mom, dad and I haven’t seen him do it yet. I think it startled the nurses at first, but when they realized it was Jordan talking in his sleep they were overjoyed both to hear him and report back to us. Our nurses continue to be positive and upbeat and do an amazing job taking care of Jordan. They all treat him as if he is their own and it means so much to my family.

We currently have a physical therapist from Highland Rim who comes and works with Jordan twice a week. He does range of motion exercises with Jordan, stretching and bending all of his limbs. He also has weights that he places on top and directly under Jordan’s knees to keep them straight and easier to work with. The physical therapy is definitely work for Jordan, but he is young and he can handle it. I am so proud of him and all of his hard work. In addition to the physical therapy, mom and dad bought Jordan an automated exercise machine. You lay on your back and the machine works you out by moving your legs up and down, exercising the hips as well as the shoulders. You may think, “What kind of workout is that?” well, dad made me try it and it’s pretty tough stuff. That thing wears you out and all you are doing is laying there—perfect for Jordan.  He is also still doing hyperbaric treatments twice a day (Google HBOT).

Jordan is still wearing the arm/hand/elbow and leg braces too. Recently mom and dad’s friend Phil Saylors from Collegeside Church stopped by to see Jordan and noticed his older arm braces and after seeing how they worked he suggested a different kind of brace that would provide better support for the arms, hands & elbows. The physical therapist has new leg/ankle braces ordered too that have more support and will allow Jordan to get back on the standing table. Remember, Jordan is over 6 feet tall; he needs a lot of support when standing. These braces are used to help correct Jordan’s hands, wrists and elbows as well as his knees and ankles that have gotten a little creaky due to non-use. Doing all of this now will make his recovery a little easier when he is able to move and do things on his own.

We wanted to send a special thank you to Dr. Kenny Lynn and his staff. They are incredible people to work with and extremely responsive and attentive to the little (and big) odds and ends that arise from day to day—everybody knows how important it is to have a good doctor and we are very fortunate to have Dr. Lynn and his staff on our side. Several people still come by and pray with Jordan and show their support and their belief in his full recovery. Both Collegeside and Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ, as well as the group God’s Healing Hands, which is a non-denominational group, come by to see Jordan and pray often. We would like to specifically mention Noel Cherry, Billy & Paula Harris, and the Collegeside Youth Group for their support and kind words. The youth group even brought Jordan an Easter basket. It’s these small gestures that remind us we are not in our fight alone and it truly warms our hearts and lifts us up.

Our good family friends, The Mayberry’s got us a wonderful gift for Christmas. They had Amy Callahan come over to mom and dad’s house and take a bunch of family pictures of us and they turned out so good. Debbie went through and picked out her favorite and had it blown up and framed for mom and dad. What a neat gift and thank you to Debbie, Joe, Liz & Daniel Witt & Mark and Amy Mayberry.  Thank you to Amy Callahan too for being so patient with us and taking such great shots. We will cherish this special gift forever.

This is the photo framed and hanging in mom and dad’s house. Photo by Amy Callahan. Jan.2009

We wanted to extend an invitation to come by and visit with Jordan. Just recently his friends Erin Graham and Brian Franklin came by and were telling Jordan a funny story about Jordan and Patrick Bowen driving to Abilene to see Russ Fowler a few years back and Jordan just laughed and laughed. This is the BEST kind of therapy for him. Being reminded of his friends and his life can only encourage him to work hard to get better. You may not know what to say or do if you visit and we understand it may feel awkward at first. Tell him who you are if you feel he may not remember—ask him if he remembers you. All you have to do is just talk to him, tell him you miss him and can’t wait until he can talk with you again and remind him that he is missed and loved by so many. Remind him of things you did together in the past—bring pictures if you have them and share those with him. Tell him about your day and what you have been doing. Just be yourself. Jordan can’t talk back (yet) but he will know you’re there—remember, Jordan is in there, he can hear you and we believe he understand everything going on around him. We have instructed the nurses to give Jordan and his visitor’s privacy too so it will be easier to talk and friends won’t feel intimidated. The best time to visit is early afternoon between 2:00 and 5:00 and please be sure not to come if you are sick or have been around anyone who is. Our greatest concern is to keep Jordan healthy (as you’ll notice from the 50 gallon bottle of hand-sanitizer outside of his door). If you are interested in going by just call his room and speak to his nurse and let her know you are coming. The number in Jordan’s room is 931-526-8833. If you can’t get by to visit, send Jordan a card just to say hi. The link showing his mailing address is posted on the homepage.

As a family we continue to move along. Celebrating every small milestone Jordan comes through. Dad and I were talking about how people still ask about Jordan all the time. Even people who have never met Jordan follow his story and want to know how he is doing and how he is progressing. It would delight Jordan to know that so many people still carry him with them in their thoughts and prayers. I carry him in my heart everywhere I go. It sounds crazy, but there are still moments when I grab my cell phone to call him wanting to tell him something funny or just to see if he wants to come over and hang out with me. There are times when I am working in the garden I think about how much he would enjoy helping me out. I miss him most while sitting around the table on holidays though. To me, that’s one of the hardest parts. We still laugh and sit around telling old stories we’ve told a million times about how funny Jordan is and how he has always cracked us up. We miss his full-presence terribly. The fact that people continue to be concerned and show support for both Jordan and my family carries us through and means more than people will ever know. We know that Jordan will be well we just have to keep the faith. Faith, patience, hope and love….lots and lots of love.