CRUISING ALONG

Hello All.....

We continue to watch Ron build some strength every day. It is a slow process...but to see a little bit more each day makes it all worthwhile. We are truly made to practice patience in this stage of our journey. We must wait for the Lord's plan to come to fruition in Ron's healing process. We know he will walk again...it is only a matter of time....and of course, we know that these things don't happen on our time...but rather on God's time. He knows when the time will be right and he knows what is best for all of us ...especially for Ron.

Yesterday and today I helped scoot Ron into the wheelchair from his bed..it is just a matter of helping him scoot his bottom directly into the chair a little bit at a time...it wears him out...but it feels great..he says..once he is in the chair. We had lunch in the hospital cafeteria both days and then took a stroll outdoors to various areas around the hospital. We had nice talks and people watched as well. The weather was great to be outdoors. We then came back in and cruised the halls and the gift shop. To exercise his legs and arms I would have him pull himself along with his legs and then use his arms to turn the wheels when his legs would get tired. It is good strength training for him.

They had a vendor in the cafeteria selling nurse scrubs and supplies yesterday...they had some with the U of A logo ...he had to have some....so we bought two tops...a red and a blue one. After two heart transplants and one kidney transplant...he has definitely become a Wildcat fan.....sorry ASU alumni and fans....don't hold it against him.

Rob came by from the Wellness Center to see how he was doing and helped him to stand 4 times this evening. He is at the point where he only has to give Ron a boost to start out and then Ron is able to lock up very well on his own. He is getting a little more balance and able to bear more weight on his own...Rob is just there to give support. He is trying to teach him to rock back and forth to shift his weight from one leg to the other. He still has to work on this quite a bit...he loses his balance very quickly as he starts to do this. In time....
The main objective right now ...or the focus, I should say...is to strengthen the torso area....because if this is strong ...then he is able to control the balance of his body better.
His wound is looking very very good now. It is healing very nicely. The renal transplant doctors were in today to do his dressing change and were very pleased with what they saw. The two that were here today felt that we should continue with the treatment we are doing using the wound gel to help stimulate the tissue to continue healing and granulating so well. I have been taking photos of the wound to see its progression. It is so amazing to see how it started ..the size and the condition of the wound and to see how much smaller it is now and how much healthier it looks....quite impressive. We will wait to see what the head surgeons say...hopefully, they will agree with the doctors today. The drawback of closing the wound right now is the risk of more infection. If you close the wound ....it will stay warm and very moist ...a feeding ground for bacteria to grow. So we are all for continuing to let it heal from the inside out. I never thought I would be agreeing to this ...but now, seeing the healing process take place for myself...I realize this was the best route to go.

So...the plan remains the same ....keep exercising to continue strength building...keep pushing on and keep believing in the power of prayer and in the Grace of our Amazing God. He continues to sustain us ....He continues to help us persevere and to stay positive through this all.

One more special note:

I sincerely want to thank those who have made contributions to our donation fund we set up at Washington Mutual. Unfortunately, I am not able to see specifically where the donations are coming from because they just show as "bank by mail" deposits. But, you all know who you are.....I thank you so much. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Every little bit helps right now. Just because I am here ...the bills do not cease back home. We still have the mortgage to pay and utilities to keep up with as well as the living expenses here. I cannot thank you enough......blessings to you always!


"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given."
Psalm 105:1-5