Going home for a night, improving short-term memory, and encouraging words

We received wonderful news yesterday from the medical team that Josh is able to go home for a one night pass this weekend. We are all very excited about this transition and can't wait to get him home!

Josh had a good week so far and is doing well with his therapies. He is able to walk more as his balance is improving. His days are full and he still needs to rest in between therapy sessions but we can tell he is getting stronger. He also keeps busy with homework sheets that we help him with. He enjoys his time with family and friends who come to visit and is often up for a game of cards.

We are very thankful that Josh's short-term memory is improving slowly and at times he remembers some things from a few hours ago or  from the day before.

We have met some very inspiring volunteers and therapists who were once patients at Toronto Rehab and have suffered a severe brain injury. It was very encouraging to hear about their journeys of healing. Through their conversations with us they have shared how much courage, perseverance and determination they needed to endure and succeed.

Once again we thank the Lord for your love, your encouraging words, and your many prayers.
We especially thank our Heavenly Father, who is the great physician, for all the healing that has taken place in Josh's body.

Romans 5:3-5: "...we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

Love to you all,
Phil, Terri and family

One month: Much to be thankful for

One month ago, Josh had his accident at work. During that first week we weren't sure if the Lord would spare Josh's life or if he would come out of his coma. They were days of great uncertainty. But the one thing we knew for certain was the Lord was with us and Josh was in His hands. What great comfort that was for our family. We are so blessed to have known and felt the love of our Heavenly Father in those dark days. We are thankful that the Lord's promises are true when He promises to never leave us or forsake us. We praise the Lord for His mercy for all the prayers that were answered.

Today as Josh is continuing his journey of recovery, we are thankful for the progress made. The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) is an amazing facility where Josh is receiving wonderful care and rehab. It seems one of Josh's greatest challenges is his short term memory. This can be very frustrating for him. We need to constantly reorient him to the present.

What we find incredible is his ability to play card games such as euchre and more recently gin rummy. He's proven to be almost unbeatable in these games. Josh is also struggling with his balance when he walks. After being in the hospital for four weeks, Josh's hair had become quite wild and in need of a cut. He had his first outing as we wheeled him down University Ave. into a hair salon... he is now a new man!

Josh's rehab therapy will be quite intense and therefore it makes him more tired. He is expected to receive treatment at TRI for about ten weeks. We are looking forward to Josh being able to come home for some weekend passes...what a great day that will be!!

Please continue to pray for complete healing for Josh's memory and restored balance. Thank the Lord for the wonderful medical facilities we have available to us in this country.

Thank you again for walking this journey with us. You cannot know what this means to us.

Love to you all,

Phil and Terri and family

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice" Philippians 4:4

Next stop: Rehab!

We received great news today! Josh is being moved to Toronto Rehab tomorrow! He will continue his journey of healing there. We stand amazed and humbled as to how our Father in heaven has answered our prayers.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Love Phil and Terri and family

Long weekend break, and Euchre

We hope you all enjoyed this long weekend and the warm, sunny weather that went with it. The flowering trees and shrubs are especially beautiful this spring. It's good to take time and marvel at the beautiful creation and give thanks to our Creator.

We had a good weekend with Josh. It was good to go outside and sit under the stunning apple trees in front of the Metropolitan a Church and enjoy a smoothie. Since it was a long weekend, Josh had a break from his physio therapy, speech etc.. He was very tired and slept a lot in the past three days. Sleep is very necessary as it allows for healing to take place in the brain. On Friday Phil and I were able to sit in on Josh 's occupational therapy session where he did some sequencing exercises and puzzling. The therapist suggested we do some games with Josh over the weekend as there wouldn't be any organized therapy. Since our family plays a lot of card games, she suggested we start out with Go Fish. Instead we thought we would try a game of War. Josh enjoyed the game but by early evening he was playing Euchre, our family favourite.

Josh is still very confused with regards to his memory in other ways but we are so thankful for the way the Lord has created Josh with a pleasant, friendly and kind disposition. He doesn't get angry or overly frustrated when we constantly reorient him to where he is and to what is reality. Even in his very confused mind he tries to make people feel welcomed when they visit. Josh seems to have a renewed sense of humour and it's wonderful to be able to laugh with him.

We hope that as Josh makes progress this week, he may leave St. Michael's Hospital and go to Toronto Rehab. Please pray for Josh to be more settled in his mind, that he has good nights rest and may move to rehab soon. Pray also for the medical team as they work with Josh.

The Lord has blessed us all through you. Thank you again for your prayers, encouraging words through emails, texts, face book messages and blog responses.

Love Phil and Terri and family

Progress report: three weeks of blessings

It's Thursday afternoon, 2:15 p.m., and Karina and I are having a quiet time in Josh's room reflecting on the past weeks. Today marks the third week since Josh's accident. When we recall recent events we feel overwhelmed by all that has happened. To think that Josh may not have survived or awoken from the deep coma... we stand amazed at how Josh has progressed. Even the medical staff is shocked at how quickly Josh has moved from a deep coma to the state he is in now. (Yes, for those who have been asking, Josh is no longer in a coma. We apologize for not clarifying this earlier)

As of today, he can walk down the hall with the assistance of one physiotherapist, he can read some words and can eat by himself. In addition, Josh has started a cognitive class where he participates in a 45 minute session of brain stimulating activities. This has been a daily routine for the past three days.

Josh also continues to have daily physio sessions. Today he walked to the gym where he practiced some leg exercises and walked between the parallel bars. Although his walking is still staggered, it was such a great sight to see. The occupational therapist and speech language pathologist have also been working with Josh daily to work on simple tasks and brain stimulation. Josh has been talking a lot, he greets and recognizes faces and can carry on simple conversations. Although he often shows signs of confusion or does not always understand or remember certain things, he is always compliant and has a gentle spirit.

Josh has also enjoyed being able to feed himself. He has been upgraded from eating pureed food to minced food such as rice and ground beef. Josh eats all his food and enjoys it thoroughly. We have to keep reminding him to take little bites and to eat slowly, although he often chooses to quickly gobble it all down.

Josh has also appreciated his visits with family, close friends and co-workers. He is able to recognize them and greets them by name and a handshake. He also is ready to give a hug when asked.

Karina and I took Josh outside this afternoon as it was such a beautiful day. Josh seemed to enjoy the busy surroundings. We sat outside the church and enjoyed the church bells ringing, the pigeons, people and traffic. We even stopped to pat a dog.

Phil returned to work on Monday night and is able to visit with Josh in the early evenings before going to work.

We thank you all for the continued prayers and support. We feel so comforted at this time and give praise to the Lord for helping us along this journey.

Phil, Terri and the family

From feeding tube to real food

Monday update:

The Lord answered our prayers again today as Josh's feeding tube has been removed! Actually, Josh removed it himself early this morning before the caregiver, who sits in the room, could reach him. The medical staff were hoping it wouldn't have to be reinserted and thankfully Josh passed the swallowing assessment done by the Speech Pathologist. She was very proactive and decided to put Josh on pureed food and thickened liquid for now. He ate his first meal of applesauce, mashed potatoes and sauce. He said it was good, although he kept wanting our water bottle. Apparently Josh can't have water yet as it can get too easily into the lungs and could therefore cause pneumonia again.

At around 10:00 am the physiotherapists came in to see if Josh could stand and do a two-person transfer from the bed to chair instead of using the hoist. Josh exceeded their expectations and walked with a walker down the hall. Again we are amazed at Josh's progress!

Since Josh had a busy morning, he slept a lot. The medical team warned us that as Josh gets more physio and speech therapy and cognitive exercises etc. it is very important that he gets his rest as he will tire more easily. His brain  needs so much more healing.

Thank you again for sharing in our joy and for all your continued prayers.

Phil and Terri and family

Many improvements, and enjoying the outdoors (Updated)

Josh continues to improve with his speech and his familiarity with people in his life. He remembers the names of family members and friends who have come to visit him. We are amazed how he is able to recall each person by name and have a basic conversation with them. The improvements made from Friday to Saturday were remarkable. We can't even explain it all as so much occurred. It truly has been miraculous and an answer to prayer.

Terri had the best Mother's Day gift on Saturday when Josh said, "Hi mom".

Josh's grandparent's, who just returned from a Liberation concert tour in Holland, were amazed at the progress Josh had made in the short time they were gone.

Sunday was a wonderful day as our entire family could spend time with Josh. Josh was at times confused as to what was happening but appreciated time spent with his siblings. He was able to spend some time outside this morning with some of his family.

As family, we enjoyed spending Mother's Day at a condo near the hospital which Josh's employer McNally International has rented for us. This allows us to spend more time with Josh as well as have some down time.

We are truly encouraged by how God has answered our prayers and all the prayers offered up to our Heavenly Father on our behalf. Please continue to pray that Josh becomes less confused and that complete healing occurs with in his brain. Please also pray that Josh may have a good assessment tomorrow with regards to his swallowing. It would be a wonderful gift if he could have his feeding tube removed so that he can eventually be introduced to "normal food ".

Thank you again for all your prayers and love.

Phil and Terri and family

The photo above was taken Sunday morning outside St. Michael's Hospital with his older brother, Joel.

This is the day that the Lord has made. More firsts!

Where do we begin? It's been a busy few days with lots of firsts.

We started our day in Burlington to watch our youngest son, Stephen, play his first game of the OCSSAA Christian high school soccer tournament. It was a beautiful day and we felt so blessed to enjoy this morning outdoors.

We arrived at the hospital where our daughter, Karina, had been sitting with Josh for the morning. It was a good morning as Josh was awake for his physio therapy session again, two days in a row. Yesterday he stood for the first time with the help of the therapists and he was able to weight-bear a little. He gave his first wave yesterday and gave his first handshake to our son-in-law. Today, he spoke his first words: he said, "Hi Wayne" to his personal support worker.

Josh also had his first outing today. We wheeled him into the elevator and outside onto the grounds of the Metropolitan Church where we were all able to enjoy the beautiful sunshine. We bought some "street meat" just so we could feed the pigeons some bread.

What a glorious day it has been.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!

Please continue to pray for Josh. Pray that his feeding tube will be removed soon.

Pray that we as a family will continually trust in our Heavenly Father for all of our strength, comfort and peace.

Love to you all,
Phil, Terri and family

Wednesday Update - Hugs

After Josh was move out of ICU yesterday we were excited to see what this day might bring. We have been blessed with much progress over the two weeks since his accident occurred. The day proved to be uneventful, however, as Josh slept through most of it showing little response when spoken to by us or his nurse. We took comfort in realizing that God allows healing to occur while his children rest.

Things took a turn for the positive when Josh was visited by his brothers Joel and Steven, together with Irma and Alex. During this visit, Josh was responding by looking towards them as they spoke and appeared to make efforts to follow the conversation.

When Joel was ready to leave he approached Josh and asked his bro to give him a hug. Josh reached out and lovingly wrapped his arms around Joel's neck. It was now Irma's turn. She reached over to say goodnight to Josh at which time Josh reached out and proceeded to give Irma a big hug on his own initiative. What a beautiful moment!

So what was previously a discouraging day was now a very special time for all of us.

Love
Phil, Terri and family

Another step along the way

Today Josh continued to make progress. He had a great physio session where he responded to some commands which is an indication of his ability to use his limbs as directed. They were basic movements but we are very thankful.

Early this afternoon we received news that Josh was being transferred out of ICU and into a high observation room. It's a room with three other patients to one nurse. We will miss the close monitoring and expertise of the staff with the ICU, but are thankful Josh has moved as this is another sign of progress.We will always be so grateful to all the staff in the ICU. The nurses were highly competent and calm. We will miss them.

Josh spent his day listening to music, sleeping and listening to his loved ones trying to capture his attention by talking and reading to him.

Phil, Terri and family

I know I'm in His hands

This is our second post today (Monday) but we had such good news this evening that we felt the need to update the blog and share our joy with you all.

After Josh's ventilator was removed this morning he rested for most of the day. However, this evening he opened his eyes for his nurse and then later for us as well. His eyes remained open for at least 20-30 seconds. To top it off, when we asked him to smile he did. We were so thrilled. You can't believe the emotion we felt to see our son begin to regain some level of consciousness.

We really believe that God has answered the many prayers raised up on his behalf.

Earlier in day we had a chance to discuss Josh's health with the Chief of Neurology at St. Michael's hospital. Although he was encouraged by Josh's progress so far, he reminded us to pace ourselves as this is going to be a long journey. We don't know what the future looks like, but we echo the lyrics to the song, "All is Well With My Soul, He is God in control, I know not all His plans, But I know I'm in His hands."

Thank you again for all your love,
Phil and Terri and family

His mercies endure forever

We arrived at the hospital after receiving a phone call from Josh's nurse that his breathing tube was removed. He is breathing well and doing well. We praise the Lord for answering our prayers!

We are also thankful to the Lord for the wonderful staff at St. Michael's hospital. They bring joy to each day and have been a great blessing to Phil and I and our family.

Love to you all,

Phil and Terri
Joel and Irma, Meagan and Josh, Karina, Stephen and Alex

The Lord is good

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." (Nahum 1:7)

Thank you to everyone for those wonderful nuggets of Scripture we receive daily.

Today we were blessed and supported as we worshiped with our New City - Newmarket church family. We then left for St. Michael's hospital where we found Josh reclining in a chair. He was resting nicely and was not experiencing any discomfort. His breathing continues to improve and we're hoping his ventilator will be removed soon.

Though there was not much visibly going on with Josh today, we are hopeful there is much healing taking place inside his body. The medical staff at the hospital have been wonderful and we appreciate the way Josh is being cared for.

Phil and Terri

Your mercies are new every morning

This morning we arrived at the hospital to find Josh sitting in a chair again. When we greeted him he opened his eyes for a couple of seconds as he appeared to be responding to our voices. His eyes were wandering and he didn't appear to be focusing but we were thankful, as this was the first time we saw them open. We had tears of thankfulness.

Josh's breathing is getting much better and he relies on the ventilator less and less to breathe. These are important steps before the ventilator is removed. His body temperature is now normal and his pneumonia appears to have lessened.

We have so much to be thankful for. The Lord is answering our prayers. You can't know how much we have appreciated your emails, texts and blog messages... and especially your prayers. Each day we, along with our children, are strengthened by all your love and support.

Love Phil and Terri and family