Steve Ruetschle

Update from Mike:

Steve has been stable and resting in his bed in the trauma unit. He had been very very sleepy over the last 24 hours, and has probably slept more in the last day than he has the previous 12 days combined. Steve’s anxiety has decreased greatly and we know that rest brings healing, which we are so thankful for. An acupuncturist doctor came in for a treatment today, along with a holistic nurse who spent a great deal of time massage Steve’s hands. Michelle spent the night again at Steve’s side and he slept very well, awaking only to the continual visitation from nurses checking vital signs.

There was a flurry of coordination details yesterday pertaining to Steve’s transfer to rehab. I am thankful to say that the plan has been finalized. Tomorrow morning, June 30th, at 8:00 a.m. Steve will be transported via ambulance to the airport in Asheville, NC. He will be transferred to a jet designed for medical transport, and attended by a qualified critical care nurse. The plane will need to make one re-fueling stop in either Colorado, or Nebraska – then continue straight to Seattle. Once landed, Steve will be transported via ambulance to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA where he will be taken directly to the room in rehab that will be waiting for him. Steve should arrive in Seattle around 1:00 p.m. PST. The glorious part of the medical transport is that Michelle will be part of the journey and will be able to be with Steve as he travels bedside to bedside. So tomorrow he goes … CEO style.

The plan seems easy enough on its surface, but i assure you there were many close calls and pitfalls in the details that seemed insurmountable to resolve – so again we thank you for your prayers that have opened doors for Steve that at many times were seeming to shut in our face. Harborview is one of the best spinal cord injury rehab centers in the world, and given Steve’s roots in Seattle, and his wishes to be treated there – it was an easy decision for the family to make.

So today for me will be spent attending to final discharge details, hanging out with my brother, feeding him, and massaging his hands and feet while we watch the World Cup. This will be the last day (for a while) that I am honored to be at his side.

28 June, 2010 5 p.m.

Dear friends and family,

A quick prayer request: we are praying that Harborview will accept Steve quickly as for various reasons we need to be in Washington State by July 1. This involves a coordination of transport, which we pray will be as affordable as possible, and Harborview itself. Steve is ready to go and is now tentatively scheduled to depart Wednesday morning, however tomorrow would be better!

Please continue to pray for his pain, which severely limits his ability to engage in rehabilitative exercises. A doctor today mentioned that the severe pain from this type of surgery can last 2-6 weeks! We are hoping for marked improvement in the swelling around his posterior surgery and a quick relief for the pain!

Ever grateful!

Michelle

28 June 2010 10:35 a.m.

Dear friends and family,

There is a lot to praise God for this morning. First of all, insurance preauthorized Steve for transfer to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center. We are overjoyed to be able to now move forward with a transfer and the critical therapy required for his progress. As we arrange transport and finances in this process, please pray that God would continue to be in the details.

Steve had his best night of sleep yet last night. He slept at least six hours, if not more, and took a short nap already this morning. I am hoping that this is a sign of good things to come, sleep-wise!

This morning I awoke early, as usual, and had time to grab Steve’s ipod and spend some time in worship. I wept tears of love and joy and I sang in my heart of God’s holiness, faithfulness, goodness and power. It is perhaps a strange but perfect oxymoron that in the midst of this suffering God’s perfect love would be all the more apparent, but it is. I have an ever deeper sense of his mysterious glory hovering over us, as our circumstances bring all things into focus. When the glory grows dim, you, precious community, reflect it back to us and strengthen it again.

Steve awoke, and we listened together to a few songs. It was in that moment that his dam broke, and he finally shed tears. It was a beautiful moment of love, pain and hope. Of course, we were soon interrupted by a steady stream of medical personnel, however the moment was a precious breakthrough.

As we move on today, we continue to pray for Steve’s pain, and for the details of his care.

We are ever grateful for your love and prayers which carry us.

Love,
Michelle

Dear friends and family,

I have been a bit at a loss today. I want to report great strides, however Steve’s condition remains much the same. In his own words, it has not been a good day.

Steve continues to struggle with pain, sleep and of course, the growing frustration that he cannot move his fingers or legs. He remains positive, ready to heal, but we are now in a marathon phase, and each step will be small, and taken with great effort. Of course, there are small strides to be noted. Steve is eating better, with help and still with great effort, mostly due to how painful it is to sit up.

The drainage tube from his surgery wound was removed today, as was another tube in his vena cava. He has resumed wearing a neck brace simply because his neck is strained from the stress and fear of moving it. This has allowed him to relax that area as it now feels secure.

Today I climbed into bed with him for awhile. We both dozed off for fifteen or twenty minutes, a real reprieve! And tonight I will spend the night with him – joy! Last night he did not sleep until 4 a.m. While this was an improvement, we are hoping for a better night tonight. Please pray for sleep!

The days are a blur of breathing therapies, physical therapies, blood pressure cuffs and medicine administrations. We are eager to transition to Seattle where there will be a greater focus on rehabilitation. We are awaiting approval from our insurance before we can move. Please pray that the Lord would continue to be in the details.

On to a more cheerful topic: the boys!

I spent the night with all three of my boys last night, a happy circus in my hotel room. I was able to explain Steve’s injury to Aidan and Jude, who seemed to take it all in stride. They both spontaneously drew pictures for their papa, both indicating the seriousness of the event and their positive attitude toward it. Their love and hope, despite the possibility that papa would be in a wheelchair, were a lesson in childlike faith.

While they were awkward visiting Steve, who was unfortunately in a lot of pain, we managed to keep the visit upbeat. Steve bravely joked and teased them, however he was in too much pain to sit upright or move his arms very much. The boys seemed to take all of this in stride, however, and we are so grateful. Zephyr, who is oblivious to it all, remains ever joyful, chortling and snuggling and screaming happily down the hospital corridors!

My verse for yesterday and today comes from James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” While the news is only moderately good, we remain steadfast.
With love,
Michelle

From Aidan

From Jude

My name is Mark, I am Steve’s older brother who just returned from spending a week at the beach with 3 most precious gifts, Aiden, Jude and Zephry.

I deeply appreciate my wife Laura and her family for ettending their embracing support through this most unexpected event. We tried our best to occupy most of the boys time with a sense of humor, swimming in the pool, jumping waves, hunting crabs and playing Wii games like Super Mario… as everyone made an extra effort to shield the boys from the severity of their Pappa’s motorcycle accident.

While the boys seemed to enjoy their time at the beach we could not help but notice their need to know if Pappa was going to be ok. The insightful question from Aiden on how bad was Pappa hurt on the scale of 1 to 10 spoke volumes.

Today my prayer request is for the boys, too. This morning both Aiden and Jude may get to see their Pappa in the hospital for the first time. I pray for inner strength as both Steve and Michelle share the condition this horrifying accident has placed him in and hope the boys will embrace and accept their Pappa’s present condition, too.

Please know our family is so deeply grateful of everyones love and support. As I do strongly believe God has some bigger plan in store for my brother Steve.

Best Regards,
Brother Mark

From Mike:

Steve has been moved from ICU to a regular room in the trauma unit. I am here now listening to him snore in a peaceful quiet room… a heavenly sound. No beeps and bells from ICU adding to the delirium.

Steve is stable. He ripped his feeding tube out this morning and has been eating and drinking normally, with… assistance. The only remaining tube hooked to his body is his neck drain from surgery.

Michelle is as we speak reuniting with the boys …. all very good.

25 June 2010 12 a.m.

Dearest friends and family,

I have the joy tonight of writing from Steve’s room! While Steve is being prepared for bed I have a few moments to get out of the nurse’s way and think of all of the wonderful people reading and praying with us.

I cannot tell you how much your wonderful words support and uplift me. I cannot lie. This has been a deeply challenging experience for me, and I truly rely on your prayers. But the full portion of suffering is Steve’s. I do not know how to even begin to describe the effort it takes to sustain each moment. Not only has he fought for each breath, but he suffers countless pokes, prods and indignities each day, all with a smile, a thanks, and a kindness toward others. While he will suffer many ups and downs in the months to come, he is choosing right now to remain positive in the darkest of circumstance, to pray and bless the lord, and to bless others. As I watch him endure, I am inspired to meet him on the high road he has chosen.

Our future is uncertain. We see dimly the road ahead. While we hope, we also prepare to persist through hardship beyond our imagining. For now, thanksgiving has been the key. In the ICU there is always a worse case, a terrible circumstance to remind us of how lucky we are. And truly, God is leading us through each step. To look too far ahead is to get dizzy with the heights we will climb. I am focused on each step, and Steve is also, with far more impressive courage and strength than my own.

It is almost midnight and Steve still has not slept. In all of my many hours and days with Steve, I have never seen more than a twenty minute stretch of sleep and today I have not seen a minute. The sleep deprivation contributes greatly to his disorientation. Please pray for a restful night, a sweet reprieve for both his body and spirit. I hope to sleep also, in his sweet presence.

As Paul said, I do not cease to give thanks for you.

Michelle

Prayer request: Steve is 5th in line to get out of the ICU to another floor where we could visit him freely, etc. 5th is far in hospital terms. In other words, he is physically ready now but a room may not be available until tomorrow. Please pray that a room becomes available asap. Also, Steve is switching nurses. Each nurse has discretion over whether or not to let me stay. It is an extremely rare privilege. Please pray that his nurse would allow me to stay.

With love!

Sweet friends and family,

I feel as if I can now breathe again, as it feels like we have left the absolutely critical stage of keeping Steve alive and can now look more to his rehabilitation! Praise God that my man is determined and ready to have a goal and beat it! He told his brother yesterday that this was his path and God was going to use it for his glory. I cannot tell you how I admire his courage, even as he is still in intensive care, hooked up to multiple tubes and with a fresh surgery wound in the back of his neck! My next prayer for Steve is that he is able to move out of the ICU and into a normal room in the hospital. There we can freely come and go, and I am hoping to find a small cot or mattress and spend the night!

I have not mentioned the children often. That is because God has taken such supernaturally good care of them. When I talk to them on the phone they are full of stories of beach life – jumping waves, finding crabs and playing video games with friends and cousins. While I have not spoken to Zephyr, I have heard his voice in the background, chattering away cheerfully. As I had predicted, he has picked one person to bond with in particular, in this case his Uncle Mark who shares his sense of humor (yes, Zephyr already has one!) and is wonderful with children. I am delighting in the knowledge that they are having a wonderful time surrounded by loved ones and with little sense of the severity of what has happened to their papa. On Saturday they will be passing through town and spending the night. This will be my precious time with them and I will begin to explain in the simplest of terms what is happening with Steve. I plan to engage them in his care in fun ways – wheelchair rides, massaging papa’s feet and trying to see how strong they are by lifting his legs, etc! Please pray for their little spirits. God has been taking such good care of them thus far and I pray that it merely continues.

We continue with plans for Seattle. Please pray that God will be in the details, from transfer to insurance coverage. Not all of the pieces are in place, but we are getting confirmation with each step. Much still needs to be arranged, however, and we covet your prayers, especially on the financial side.

I wish you could see Steve when he is relatively lucid and with us. He is cracking jokes about how he will make platinum look good (that is apparently what his hardware is made of!), and taking care of us even through the excruciating pain. I have not seen him yet this morning, but I am hoping to report answered prayers as far as his sleep and his new pain medication.

God keeps giving me such beautiful verses. My verse for this morning comes from psalm 30:1-5: “I will extol you oh Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. Oh Lord my God, I cried to you for help and you have healed me. Oh Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheoul; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, oh you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Love to you all,
Michelle

Sweet friends and family,

I feel as if I can now breathe again, as it feels like we have left the absolutely critical stage of keeping Steve alive and can now look more to his rehabilitation! Praise God that my man is determined and ready to have a goal and beat it! He told his brother yesterday that this was his path and God was going to use it for his glory. I cannot tell you how I admire his courage, even as he is still in intensive care, hooked up to multiple tubes and with a fresh surgery wound in the back of his neck! My next prayer for Steve is that he is able to move out of the ICU and into a normal room in the hospital. There we can freely come and go, and I am hoping to find a small cot or mattress and spend the night!

I have not mentioned the children often. That is because God has taken such supernaturally good care of them. When I talk to them on the phone they are full of stories of beach life – jumping waves, finding crabs and playing video games with friends and cousins. While I have not spoken to Zephyr, I have heard his voice in the background, chattering away cheerfully. As I had predicted, he has picked one person to bond with in particular, in this case his Uncle Mark who shares his sense of humor (yes, Zephyr already has one!) and is wonderful with children. I am delighting in the knowledge that they are having a wonderful time surrounded by loved ones and with little sense of the severity of what has happened to their papa. On Saturday they will be passing through town and spending the night. This will be my precious time with them and I will begin to explain in the simplest of terms what is happening with Steve. I plan to engage them in his care in fun ways – wheelchair rides, massaging papa’s feet and trying to see how strong they are by lifting his legs, etc! Please pray for their little spirits. God has been taking such good care of them thus far and I pray that it merely continues.

We continue with plans for Seattle. Please pray that God will be in the details, from transfer to insurance coverage. Not all of the pieces are in place, but we are getting confirmation with each step. Much still needs to be arranged, however, and we covet your prayers, especially on the financial side.

I wish you could see Steve when he is relatively lucid and with us. He is cracking jokes about how he will make platinum look good (that is apparently what his hardware is made of!), and taking care of us even through the excruciating pain. I have not seen him yet this morning, but I am hoping to report answered prayers as far as his sleep and his new pain medication.

God keeps giving me such beautiful verses. My verse for this morning comes from psalm 30:1-5: “I will extol you oh Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. Oh Lord my God, I cried to you for help and you have healed me. Oh Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheoul; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, oh you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Love to you all,
Michelle