Anne

Good Scans & Good Plans

CAT Scan today – the doc said Anne is fine – doesn’t want to see her again in 6 months!! Praise God. The fluid on her brain seems stable, no extra pressure.

i continue to be humbled and amazed at the wonderful outpouring of love for little Anne and our family. So many of you reach out to us even though you have your own difficulties to endure. This continues to impact me and change me.

The current rehab program is not seeing Anne make enough progress to want to extend her – they suugest she just needs time, and a different type of therapy where she can have more dedicated one-on-one sessions. We feel a real peace about this; that little Anne needs a change.

In so many ways Little Anne’s progress has slowed. She continues her oral fixation, and regressed in her eating, and doesn’t seem to be improving in her focus/attention. This is new ground for us. We have given some lip service to the possibility that Anne’s journey may plateau, but had not faced it until now. We cling to God’s promises and seek to stay in present rejoicing in His goodness.

. . . . . then He let’s us see glimers of great hope and reminds us that we are on His timetable, not ours . . . . Anne’s emotions have really begun to change – higher highs and lower lows, gone are the distant, flat expressions – given way to squeals of delight or sobs of sadness or passionate yells at her sister. Sweet Anne also stood (with braces) at the bedside with only her right hand helping to balance her for almost 10 seconds!!

So maybe the changes are still occuring, on the inside, maybe a foundation of neurons are being laid for upcoming new growth. Regardless of whether there is advancement or retreat in little Anne, i was reminded this week of Ecc 12:13 – i may not know or understand His ways, but He is good and He asks me to revere Him in all i do.

keep praying!

-eric

Grief & Joy

Anne continues to make very slow progress. And I continue to experience a very paradoxical life…

I experience both grief and joy daily. Not just a little grief and a little joy – no, the kind of grief that feels suffocating – and the kind of joy that fills you with awe.

The only way I manage to stay sane is to stay in the present. I feel like God is teaching me to wait and trust. Every morning, I ask God for strength to do both. He is faithful to sustain our family. He gives strength for the day with the joy of His presence sprinkled on top.

We have so much to be grateful for as Anne slowly emerges and shows more emotion…

On Sunday night, she was crying – the hardest I’ve seen her cry. She explained that she was thinking of a little boy in her Sunday School class that had been crying because he missed his mommy …so sweet.

Her joy is infectious, especially when she’s playing with Canon and Kate. They love her so much – showering her with kisses, tickles and hugs. She’s witty and has the cutest laugh. She loves to tell Knock-Knock jokes.

She’s refreshingly straightforward. The other evening, I was challenging her to walk a certain distance. In the middle of me ‘encouraging’ her to take a step, she said, “You’re commanding me. Why are you commanding me?”

She gets frustrated with Kate when Kate gets a little rambunctious. Yesterday Anne hollered, “Feet to yourself, Kate!”

We do love Anne so, but work each day to remain open handed before God. She is His – to do with as He pleases.

So we wait, and we trust. -kathryn

FYI: Her CAT scan is scheduled for 9/28…

CT Scan & fluid

Anne had a CT Scan and an appointment with her neurosurgeon yesterday. (By the way… Her neurosurgeon is AWESOME!) Anne’s got a little fluid on the left side of her brain. This is common with TBI patients, and her doctors have been monitoring it closely.

Her scan from yesterday showed that the fluid had increased slightly. If it continues to increase, she will need surgery to remove the fluid. Her neurosurgeon wants to monitor her brain closely, so she’ll have another scan in a few weeks.

Can you guess what our prayer request is? Yes, please pray that the fluid will decrease, so Anne does not have to endure another surgery.

Thank you :-) -kathryn

5 month update…

It’s been five months since the accident. Anne has made rapid improvement in so many areas – and we are now beginning to see what areas of her brain are the most affected by her injury.

Anne struggles most with attention. This affects everything she does, thinks and says. It’s difficult for her to hold a thought for very long and for her to focus on a task without getting distracted. Her lack of attention has a negative impact on all areas of her rehab – she can’t focus to walk, or put a puzzle together, or wait her turn. She actually has so many strengths. Her memory is in tact; she has excellent reasoning skills; she remembers how to read simple words, but her lack of attention prevents her from doing what she knows how to do – or from learning how to do new tasks.

Another area in which Anne struggles is impulsivity. Lack of attention and impulsivity go hand in hand. Whatever Anne thinks, she does. She doesn’t have the focus to inhibit her impulses.

Actually, her impulsivity has improved dramatically over the last few months, but it’s still an issue for Anne. Thankfully, Anne doesn’t think too much about inappropriate things. She cares about people, and that is demonstrated in her impulsivity. Let me give you an example:

Last night we were at the ballfield waiting for Canon to finish practice. She asked everyone who walked by, “What’s your name?” If someone stopped to answer, she would engage them in conversation and then as the person started to walk away, Anne would say, “Will you give me a hug?” Anne got lots of hugs last night :-)

These are impulsive behaviours from a very sweet six year old. We are so thankful for Anne’s innocent spirit and her ability to endear herself to others!

Please pray that:

  1. Anne’s attention would increase so that she could work hard to get better,
  2. Anne’s impulsivity would decrease so that she could communicate more effectively to her peers and others, and
  3. For Anne to KNOW God’s love and care for her.

Happy Birthday Anne!

Little Anne’s birthday was yesterday – she just turned 6!! Her favorite gifts are the magnadoodle and the purse with bracelets. She keeps asking me: “Daddy, help me write my name!” i help hold her hand, and she makes it through the letter “A” . . . then gets distracted. Pray that she will soon be able to make it through her whole name on her own.

We have been reminded at how much Anne loves music. Every other thing she says seems to be the words of a song that Kathryn sings to her or that she has heard on 104.7 (local Christian station). For some reason she remembers these words and is able to concentrate or focus on music longer than on other everyday or academic activities.

-eric

Feet, tricycles and blessings

To continue from our last update. . . . if we work and stretch Anne’s ankles and feet, little Anne is able to place her bare feet on the floor (without her braces!) perfectly flat and stand while we hold and balance her! She yelps the whole time in mild protest, but that just fits with who little Anne is.

At rehab, Anne’s therapists ace bandage her hands to the handlebars of a little tricycle, then strap her feet to the pedals. She has been able to only go around 350 degrees – she always stops in the same place. . . until recently . . . . now she is able to keep pedaling! This shows she can contract and relax her leg muscles in an alternating fashion, like what is required with walking.

We visited Grandad and Grandmom (Papa and Nana). Little Anne so loves her Nana and Papa. It was good to see them dote on her and for her to soak it up. During church, while Nana was speaking from the pulpit, little Anne yelled out multiple times – NANA! NANA! Afterward, Nana, said that she loved Anne cheering her on :-) . We cringed during this worrying that she was disturbing the quiet; others saw it as a blessing.

Kathryn and i work hard at staying in the present. It is so easy for us to worry about a future where Anne may not make it back mentally. She has come so far – it hasn’t even been 5 months. i must admit that it seems like years. We see God’s good hand at EVERY turn. This morning Anne was surrounded by the Bratcher and McKinney girls – they all loved on her and cuddled with her and talked to her. God had a good plan before the foundations of the earth and in that plan included a morning such as this – all for little Anne – just to bless her and show me that HE cares about even the little things, and especially Anne.

Please keep praying:

  1. That her walking will continue to improve
  2. That her focus and attention will improve so that she can particpate in group activities
  3. That God will give her a clear and crisp mind, and
  4. That she would be aware of God’s presence and care for her.

-eric

These boots are made for walking

Anne is FINALLY starting to make a little progress with her walking.

On her first day of rehab (May 7th) – she had no head support, and the only part of her body she could move on command was her right index finger. She made great strides in the next few weeks (especially cognitively), so that when she left the hospital, she could sit, track with her eyes, eat and talk – but her walking never really improved…

Just in the last few days I’ve seen the first improvement in her walking. Her feet are more relaxed. She’s stepping great with her right, and even moving her left leg a little. I don’t have to assist her as much with weight-shifting… and her balance seems to be improving. I’ve been helping her climb the stairs. She’s got great strength in her right quadricep. We’re even working on descending the stairs. This is harder for Anne because when she initiates the step down with her right leg, she must bend her left knee, but she can do a few steps :-) All of this is very encouraging!!

We’re still praying constantly for sweet Anne. She’s made so much progress, but we’re humbly hoping for more. We’re trying to remain open handed with Anne. Every day, I go through the same emotional pattern… Grief, followed by surrender, followed by hope.

Please pray for Anne:

  1. That her walking will continue to improve
  2. That her focus and attention will improve so that she can particpate in group activities\
  3. That God will give her a clear and crisp mind, and
  4. That she would be aware of God’s presence and care for her.

Thank you! -kathryn

Heroes

This morning, Canon and I were visited by two of Smyrna’s finest. The two police officers that were first to the scene of our accident dropped by to see how our family was doing. Just the fact that they would take the time to check on us is – well… beyond their call of duty. They were sincerely concerned for us, and especially for Anne.

The officers took time to describe the scene of the accident. Their quick decisions and actions in the face of a night-marish tragedy were one piece in a large puzzle that God used to preserve Anne’s life.

I’ve thought several times how thankful I am that I was unconscious through most of the rescue. When I regained consciousness, the van was surrounded by emergency personnel – loads of them. My kids were obviously in dire need, and helpless myself, I took great comfort in the frenzy around me.

We have been visited by police officers and firemen. EMT workers – both from the ambulance and helicopter have written on this site. Anne’s neurosurgeon has personally written to us about how proud he is of Anne. Nurses and Techs have followed Anne’s progress. God used each of these people to help save Anne’s life. Most of these people thought Anne’s chance of survival was low …very low. Thankfully, God knew different!!

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Psalm 139:6

-kathryn

Erin and Stacy

Today was the first Sunday of the fall schedule at our church. All the kids moved up to new Sunday School classes; we started a new sermon series, etc. Anne moved up to the Explorers class (Kindergarteners) this morning. This is actually the first time Anne has attended Sunday School since the accident…

Our church has not shrunk back from Anne, but continues to embrace her and our family wholeheartedly. Our church is fortunate to have TWO liscened Occupational Therapists within our congregation. They have both volunteered to help Anne during Sunday School. Anne needs help to transfer from wheelchair to a regular chair. She needs help coloring and help to sit on the floor for story time. They will help her wait her turn and give her cues to listen and not talk. Even the other Sunday school teachers don’t seem bothered by the distraction Anne brings, but are genuinely excited about having Anne in the class.

God delights in Anne, and He delights in providing for her through the gifts of our church family. Erin and Stacy’s willingness to care for Anne at church is a tangible reminder to me of God’s care for us, and it encourages me to persevere and not lose hope…

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.

Our God is good. And we wait on Him to reveal His plans for Anne. In the interim, He continues to provide for our every need. We are so grateful. -kathryn

Anne’s family

Anne woke up from her nap yesterday and saw Canon, Kate, and Grandmom, but not mommy – her little lip quivered, she made a sad face, and asked “where’s mommy?” The emotions of a 5 year old are returning! How wonderful!

This morning Kate (just turned 4) loudly announced that she was performing “bending therapy” on Anne. The procedure was apparently to take Anne’s arms and bend them back and forth quickly at her elbow! Anne had a look of both concern and joy while Kate was ensuring that Anne’s therapy continues ’round the clock :-)

After swimming, Kate told me that she would only allow Anne to use her Dora kickboard up until Anne was all better. As I was considering directing Kate on being unselfish, Kate seemed to read my thoughts and explained, “Daddy, Anne doesn’t really like Dora” . . . . so our little Kate was looking out for her sister!

We are seeing this more and more – Canon and Kate really watching out for Anne, being protective of her, wanting to help her get better and always wanting to spend time with her. At night, when we pray, we pray for lots and lots of things, but Kate and Canon’s words are primarily prayers for Anne.

Please pray with us:

  1. Anne’ mind would be clear and focused
  2. Anne’s memory would return
  3. Anne’s left arm would begin to function
  4. Anne’s legs would work so she could “walk and run and dance”

-eric