From Michelle. 12 July, 2010 8:30 a.m.
Dear friends and family,
I am enjoying a quiet morning back at my favorite place, beside Steve at the hospital. Yesterday was my first full day balancing my sweet children and my wonderful husband. I must say, it was a joy to know that they were settling in for the night and return to Harborview to enjoy a few precious moments with Steve before we both went to bed. I am so grateful to Steve’s parents for watching the children and providing that bit of balance.
Yesterday Steve’s hospital room was ringing with life. Aidan and Jude were hiding in the closet and playing board games with Sky’s two children while Zephyr was running cars along the floor, and at one point, preciously, running them along Papa’s unresponsive legs – a perfect road! Both Sky’s wife and our friend Tiffany, an occupational therapist at Harborview, were massaging Steve’s neck and arms, and Steve’s parents were catching up with Steve. It was a good thing we had a bigger room for the day!
A quick prayer request related to Steve’s room: we heard this morning that we will be transferred to another room again, as this room is for private insurance patients only. The next room is a double room that is currently unoccupied, and we will be wait listed for a private room, as the double room could get doubly occupied at any time. In other words, even this third room will likely be temporary. My prayer is that we would get a room today that is private and permanent for the rest of our stay. In the big scheme of things it is not an important detail, however it helps make Steve’s seven week stay here more comfortable if he can just settle into a room and a routine. Even the kids will adjust better, I think.
We are, incidentally, so grateful for all of the staff at Harborview. Our doctors are excellent, our nurses are kind and thoughtful, and our therapists are equipped to handle both the physical and the emotional challenges of this new life, a rare and lovely combination. We continue to delight in the fact that 70 percent or so of our nurses are Filipino!
Steve’s prayer requests continue to be for healing. I realize that it is sensitive to ask folks to pray for complete healing, and you must know that we are also completely willing and planning to make the best of Steve’s injuries as they stand. It is early days, however, and there is much range of recovery. And God is great. So we are praying boldly but with humble hearts for whatever our future brings. In the short term, we are still praying for fingers (no movement yet there, but there are anecdotes where these come back later) and for the major functions that improve independence, like bowel and bladder control. Last night I discovered some resistance in Steve’s right leg. In other words, some small nerve response is happening there. We pray for more!
I have a wonderful praise report! We have indeed found a house to rent, a beautiful place in Edmonds that is already wheelchair accessible. It is a wonderful God story; a friend of a friend whose son had a similar injury three years ago. Her trial has now become our blessing, a beautiful place to recover for a time. We are so, so grateful!
I am reminded again of a piece of 2Samuel 22:17-20, “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”
We feel God continually rescuing us in our calamity. Thank you always for the ways you participate in that rescue, in thought, word and deed! We both weep with awe at it.
Love,
Michelle