Anne

“…that saved a ranch like meeeee”

Before the accident, I sang in one of our church’s worship ensembles once a month. I always looked forward to Wednesday evening practice much more than singing on Sunday mornings. There’s just something sweet and simple about a handful of people gathered around a piano singing three-part harmony. Not being one of the stronger singers, sometimes I would just stop and listen…

I went back to practice this past Wednesday. There was one moment when everyone was singing that I realized that I didn’t feel any grief – that I was just having fun singing and listening. Of course, when I realized it, the grief flooded back :-) But in that moment – there was sweet freedom and joy. That moment was a gift.

We sang Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace that night, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. I guess I’ve been singing it alot around the house, because Anne’s picked up on it…

I need to work on my pronunciation though… As we were entering the church lobby this morning, Anne started singing (loudly), “Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound, that saved a ranch like me…”

She does have a knack for making us all laugh!

-kathryn

Anne’s at home today…

It’s nice to have her at home!

Right now, she’s sleeping while Canon and Kate are playing. Yes, I said playing and not fighting :-) Anne is not the only one improving in this house… Canon and Kate are adjusting to our new normal. See the train track that they built together?

Canon & Kate's train track!

Anne has come a long way – but still has a long way to go. It’s hard to quantify exactly what has improved… I guess her memory seems better. She seems more aware. She’s just generally ‘better.’

8-6-2010

Anne is having more frequent episodes of sadness – which is a good thing, a sign that she is healing and becoming more self aware. She has also starting missing me (mom) while she is away at rehab- another sign that self-awareness is emerging. We continue to covet your prayers for perseverance and God’s sustaining hand for our family. This is a long road of recovery…

A word of praise… Eric’s company has generously extended the amount of insurance coverage for Anne. We are so grateful as this gives Anne another 5 weeks of rehab! God continues to supply our every need – whether physical, emotional or spiritual – He has been our great provider and everpresent help in this time of trouble.

We remain grateful… -kathryn

Anne makes us laugh …again!

Excerpt of tonight’s dinner conversation…

Kate: I’m full. Can I have dessert?
Eric: Kate, if you’re full, then you don’t have room for dessert.
Canon: Well, I have a part of my tummy for regular food and another part for dessert.
Eric: You know, cows have multiple stomachs, and the last time I looked (and I’ve looked quite closely…) you are not a cow.
Kathryn (to Kate): Do you think Canon looks like a cow?
Kate: No!
Anne (to Canon): You look like a cow, Canon.

Lots of laughter

As i type this, our little Anne is sitting on the sofa right next to Kate and Canon talking and singing about all sorts of topics. The things she says continue to slowly inprove in their context. She just seems a little more “with it” regarding her ability to understand what is happening around her. She occassionally says very funny things that make us all laugh and laugh, and Anne just loves this. . . . . then she will re-state the funny to ensure she milks all of the laughter she can from us. She gets a huge smile across her whole face during these episodes, and i think seeing her smile just brings such joy to our hearts it gives us the freedom to laugh even more.

We went to the pool today and Anne seemed actually excited about the trip. It appeared she was thinking about the future just a little bit – actually anticipating something beyond the immediate present.

Little Anne still really only has use of one limb – her right arm. Her left arm will occasionally move, and while she can move her legs, the high tone is preventing much progress in the way of any standing or walking.

Please pray for her mind to sharpen, and for her memory to improve. Little Kate prays every night that Anne would “soon be able to walk, and run and dance”. We so look forward to that day!

-eric

Positive signs of improvement…

Her injury is primarily on the right side of her brain. According to her MRI, the damage to her right hemisphere is extensive. Anne has shown typical deficits associated with Right Hemisphere Damage (RHD). Here are a few:

  • Flat effect – no expression and monotone speech.
  • Verbose since the left side of the brain controls verbal skills, RHD patients tend to talk alot :-)
  • Limited Focus and Attention
  • Limited Self Awareness – RHD patients fail to recognize the sympoms of their brain injury. For example, an adult with RHD doesn’t understand why he can’t go to work or drive a car.

Anne has shown improvement in alot of these areas. She has some expression when she talks, and even though she can’t carry a tune (yet), she’s constantly singing! On the flip side, Anne talks quite a bit, which is a blessing at home. She still struggles with an extremely short attention span and she is easily distracted.

Most encouraging is that she has shown glimmers of self-awareness – which is a HUGE positive sign that she is continuing to heal. She’s made brief comments that she is mad about the car crash and sad that God doesn’t love her. When I try to ask her questions about what she’s feeling, she typically gets distracted and starts talking about something else…

I feel like Anne is only able to express a fraction of what’s going on inside her. She’s impaired by her impulsivity and attention deficit.

Please pray:

  1. That Anne’s attention would increase so that she could participate in age appropriate tasks and activities
  2. As Anne’s attention increases that she would be more self aware and that we would have the wisdom to walk that difficult road with Anne,
  3. And finally, that Anne would come to a place that she can say with full awareness that God is Good – and can sing (in tune) His praises :-)

That’s my hope for Anne – that she would know God more deeply as a result of her journey.

Thank you! -kathryn

Anne’s funny phrases

Little Anne is such a joy to be around. She is engaging and talkative. She seems to draw a crowd wherever she goes. At the moment, she is sitting with us at the dinner table and entertaining us all.

Little Anne has lots of funny phrases. She always says these with a smile and typically to get a laugh out of us. Most of these are from things she has heard:

“Daddy, kiss me with your beard”
“Everybody is kung-fu fighting” from the movie Kung Fu Panda
“Daddy, teach me to whistle”
“Hey camsters” when calling her brother Canon
“You are amazing God” from her favorite song
“Hey mopsters” when calling mommy
“Mommy put me at the table” when she is hungry
“I want some strawberries”
“MeMa boo” when she wants to scare her grandmother
“boo boo chicken” we have no idea??
“I’m not sweet, I’m sour” – when we tell her how sweet she is
“I like your earrings, can i bite them off?”
“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”
and most of the childrens catechism!

One funny aside… After answering every children’s catechism question correctly in children’s church, one little boy said, “She might have gotten bonked on the head, but she sure does know her catechism.” LOL!

Because she repeats and remembers things we say so easily, we work hard to give her good words to think about – like Bible verses, or Christian songs, or just good kind words. Those around her in therepy, or friends, or family also seem to naturally do this.

– eric

Surrender

God has me in a very good place – one of surrender. Every morning, I ask God to keep me here, and I ask for the grace to surrender Anne to Him (again) and leave her with Him for the day.

This place of surrender is one that I could have NEVER come to on my own. It is a glorious place to be. Surrender brings peace -true peace. A peace that rises above circumstances and rests on the promises of a good God. I don’t know how long God will let me stay here, but I’m trying to drink as much as I can while I can :-)

Meanwhile, Anne seems to be flourishing. Her attention is improving. Her abilities to ask appropriate questions and make conversation are improving. Her hand to mouth impulses are still strong, but have decreased slightly. She’s warm, engaging and fun to be around. Her stream of consciousness chattering is distracting in group situations, but is delightful at home.

Overall, we’re just so thankful for the person God is shaping her to be. We’re still praying for her to be able to participate in group activities with appropriate behavior, for her to be able to walk and use her left hand – but mostly for her to experience the joy of God’s presence on earth and for her life and spoken testimony to glorify Him.

Thank you for joining us in prayer, and for loving Anne and our family through this journey. – kathryn

Another busy weekend

Spending the day with daddy, going to the pool, going to church, spending time with friends, sharing a meal with family, and more. . . . . and little Anne right in the middle of it. . . . it still amazes me that Anne just takes it all in stride; she seems to know that it is all good and seems to enjoy the journey. How i should learn from little Anne!

Little Anne continues to make bits of progress: She has begun to inhibit herself from throwing food on the floor and does this less than 25% of the time now. She is also now able to place her sippy cup on the table after taking a sip, instead of throwing it on the floor. The inflection in her voice has improved slightly. She has also improved her ability to carry a tune. She is beginning to read three letter words with assistance. She seems to be a little more expressive with her eyes and face. And she is now sitting quite well in a kid’s chair with very little assistance. GO ANNE!

All of you do such a wonderful job of connecting with Anne whenever you see her. You all have shown such compassion for her and it continues to minister thoroughly to me. Little Anne has never wanted to draw attention to herself and was always so shy. . . . but most of the shyness has gone away. She seems to really love all of you being a part of her life. We see all of the interaction she has with God’s family as fantastic therapy – all of the communication with little Anne through these encounters is just great for her. Thank you for not being afraid of Anne or her condition. Thank you for just talking with Anne and sharing yourselves with her.

-eric

Slow progress

Anne just completed her 4th week of day rehab. It’s a drop-off program, so I don’t get to see her in therapy. Each day the therapists write brief journal entries about Anne’s progress, but it’s just not the same as being there…

At home, Anne seems more controlled. She communicates more clearly what she wants and needs. She sits with more stability and inhibits her impulse to grab and pinch everyone :-) She still has a long way to go, but we are hopeful that Anne will be able to participate well in group activities like school and church.

Anne is also showing more emotion, which is an excellent sign that she is healing. She’s been expressing both joy and sadness. I’ve seen her smile so big that both sides of her mouth turn up and her whole face brightens. That’s a glorious sight! But she’s also been saying “I’m sad” alot lately…

We’re praying for:

  1. Anne to be able to inhibit her impulse to mouth everything so that she can develop the fine motor skills necessary to write
  2. for Anne’s muscle tone to decrease in her ankles and calves so that she might be able to walk, and
  3. for Anne to have joy from experiencing God’s love and care for her.

Thank you for walking this journey with us… -kathryn

THANK YOU!

Ok. Someone that I’ve never met just dropped by my house -with lunch – and she APOLOGIZED for being late. Amazing… Eric and I are continually blown away by the generosity of others.

I’ve given up trying to write thank you notes. I was keeping a list, but it’s become overwhelming. In addition to the myriads of cards and flowers we’ve received, people have given:

bandaids, medicines, shampoo, kids’ snacks, toilet paper, groceries, meals, lawn care, bibs, blankets, potty seats, suction bowls, car seats, car-seat protectors, car organziers, bath mat, spill proof bowls, travel trays, swim suit, spill mat, cash, checks, fundraisers, books, crafts for kids, t-shirts, home decor items, cds, books on cd, workbooks, child-care, vitamin waters, visits, phone calls and lots of prayer!

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something :-)

We’re so grateful – deeply grateful actually. It’s still hard to believe the sheer quantity of people who have pitched in to help us. It’s humbling and an honor all rolled up together. Most importantly, it’s freed us up to concentrate on Anne.

THANK YOU ALL! -kathryn, (for all of us Jacksons)