Trials and Triumph

I know this has nothing to do with Jordan's healing, but it does have lot to do with Jordan's family and friends. I haven't posted to Jordan's blog in over month and I apologize. This last month has been like a tailwind of turbulance in my life, as well as that of our friends and family. It began with an undiagnosed illness that was plaguing our dear friend and pastor, Brother Glenn Weekley. To the best of our knowledge, he began battling this illness only nine weeks ago. He has been a dear friend, as well as the servant-leader of our church. He has seen my husband and I through the loss of our Laura in a car accident in 2001 and been a huge support to us during Jordan's accident and recovery. I have never known anyone who exemplified more Christ-like behavior than Brother Glenn. His life's goal was to "go to Heaven and take as many people with him as possible". His life has been an inspiration to our family and countless others. On Tuesday, September 11, he lost the battle to that illness, which turned out to be a form of cancer. He did triumph in that he accomplished his life's goal. And I have no doubt that he heard the words that every Christian longs to hear from Jesus Himself, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!!!"

Exciting, but Scary

Jordan is finally moving toward having the trach removed. Today, August 13, the ENT Specialist placed a scope down the back of Jordan's throat to get a better idea about Jordan's healing progress. The ENT was encouraged enough to replace his trach with a much smaller one. If all goes well, the trach will soon be capped and he will begin the process of moving toward trach removal. This is both exciting and scary at the same time. This is something that we have prayed for diligently. At the same time, if we have it removed too soon, he could require having another tracheostomy. We do not want that. We pray for huge success for Jordan in this area. He greatly needs an increased amount of succesful swallowing and a greater ability to handle his own secretions. He has a strong gag reflex and a good cough. He can sneeze and sigh. He can swallow somewhat, but not enough for complete removal yet. We will be doing a lot more aggressive swallowing therapy in the days to come. We will be doing the VitalStim therapy if all goes well, among other things. We are hoping for Jordan to be able to have the trach removed as early as Spring 2008. Please pray for Jordan's success

Back to School!!!

Jordan met all his goals for summer break, according to his summer school teacher. She was very proud of Jordan's accomplishments. He worked on making eye contact with people who are speaking to him and acknowledging his understanding of their words. For a child who perpetually looked upwards to the point of rolling his eyes almost completely back into his head, these are huge accomplishments. Answering "yes" and "no" questions with switches is a recent addition to his previous method of clucking his tongue and/or using body language to communicate. Relearning communication skills has been an ongoing process during the last several months. Jordan has done amazingly well to learn to communicate as well as he had done. Remember he only turned three years old in April 2007. Following directions is also an area in which he is continuing to make progress. Jordan can understand a series of commands and often make his body follow the commands. He also worked on his fine motor skills by playing with small toys. He continues to perfect these skills by grasping and releasing objects upon command. Jordan's hands were continually locked into a a tight fist only a few months ago. Being able to play with a toy without a switch is a huge feat for him. Little movements that we took for granted prior to Jordan's acident take on a miraculous air after seeing how hard he has to work to regain that control. Over and over again, we see Jordan start to develop a new skill in painstakingly small increments. He steadily works on his new skills at what seems like a snail's pace until he is able to really put it to use. We are so proud of him.

Trip to the Creation Museum and Cracker Barrel

Jordan had such a wonderful time at the Science Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, near our home in Hendersonville that we decided to venture out and see if we could go on another "field trip". We all love Ken Hamm's creation vs. evolution series and books about dinosaurs and Noah's ark. I had even read the one about Noah's ark to Jordan before his accident. It was one of his favorite stories. Brandon, Jordan's twin is absolutely crazy about dinosaurs. All the children in our home absolutely love Bible stories, even the so-called adults. My husband, Bobby, got on the internet and discovered that the Creation Museum had just opened near us in Kentucky. We were all thrilled but unsure of taking Jordan that far for a "day trip". Bobby was excited about it and began to make plans anyway. He even worked overtime to save the money so that it didn't come out of our already strained budget. With that kind of determination, we could not say"no". So we set out for the Creation Museum.
Pictures could say so much more than I could ever say about it. Everyone had a fantastic time. It was absolutely wonderful. If you get a chance, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. There is something for everyone there.
On the way home, we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel. We don't often get to eat out anymore. Bobby had also planned for the family to get a treat on the way home... a lovely dinner for the whole family. I was hesitant about taking Jordan into a restaurant. With the wheelchair and loud suction machine, I worry about the reception that Jordan might get in some places. Sometimes people just aren't very thoughtful of handicapped people. He is a very sensitive little boy and we try to protect him from any unkindness. Boy, was I in for a shock! Not only were they kind and thoughtful of Jordan, but they rolled out the red carpet for our family. They made us all feel special and even loved. I will never forget that day or their compassion for Jordan. No one could have treated us any better. It warmed our hearts. If you all are reading this update, I want to thank you so much very for making that day so special for all of our family, especially Jordan. May God bless you greatly. Hopefully we get to stop by and see you all again sometime.

Blisters on My Toes

I am continually amazed at Jordan's tenacity. Most adults do not display the bravery that I have seen little Jordan display. As we mentioned in an earlier update, Jordan has a Bronco Walker which he is using to take his first steps toward walking. He is also been able to tolerate being outside with his friends and twin brother for up to an hour at a time, so we moved his Bronco outside last weekend. He and Brandon, his twin, were going to play outside with Mommie(Jeannie) and Ashton and Kayleigh(Jordan's other brother and sister). It was a beautiful, warm day so Jeannie took Jordan's socks and shoes off to enjoy the cool concrete against his little feet as he stood in his Bronco. She thought he would be able to feel the movements of his feet better against the smooth surface. Jordan was able to take about six or seven steps across the patio, the most that he has ever done. He did seem to feel the movement of his feet much easier without the shoes and socks. He actually was able to use the walker to get from one end of the porch to the other. He seemed very pleased with himself. Jeannie was also very excited about his steps until she picked him up and noticed that he had rubbed three little blisters on his feet. He never revealed that anything was amiss during the walking session - no tears, no facial expression of pain, no noises, nothing. There was no indication of pain at all. Jeannie felt so bad that she had not known. Jordan wanted to walk so very much that it didn't seem to matter to him whether it was painful or not. He was determined to just do it anyway. What an amazing child! I believe that he will be able to walk again. With God's blessing and that much determination, the sky is the limit!!!

Lots of New Things

Just see how strong I am! Aunt Erin and I can lift a whole car!!!

Jordan seems to do new things almost daily, but I was so thrilled when he decided to really "show off" at therapy during my Dad's visit during the second week of July. My Dad lives in Texas so he doesn't often get to see Jordan at therapy. It was a thrill to see Jordan work so hard to impress his "Daddy Rip" as the grandchildren and great-grandchildren call my Dad. Jordan was determined to double his record from the previous week. He had just recently developed enough head control to hold his head in an upright position for up to five minutes at a time while in the "ring sitting" position. He managed to hold his head upright in this position for about 10 1/2 minutes for Daddy Rip. Jordan has developed enough head and upper body control to accomplish this with only someone's hand against his spine for support. Just two weeks ago he needed the support of someone's hands on his shoulders to accomplish any head control in this sitting position. Prior to that he needed his arms to be in a position to provide balance, such as on the tray of his wheel chair or stander. Now he is able to exhibit enough trunk and head control to accomplish this with only a little back support. Now that is progress! The therapist says that Jordan is now ready for a new level of accomplishment. He needs to work on muscle strength, now that he is finally gaining more muscle control and more ability to act on verbal commands. We are all so pleased that Jordan is continually making new strides toward a more normal life.

Blessings!!!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
This one certainly is: Jordan playing doctor at the Science Museum -- one year AFTER his near-drowning experience.

As we review all that has happened, we have to count our many blessings. And there are so many, despite all that we have been through during the past year. The first and most important is that Jordan is HERE with us today to share a great big hug. Jordan has not had to be hospitalized since the accident. He has no contractures , no scoliosis, and no obvious progressive health issues. His ankles are the only really stuborn area that has even required botox. Now they are also doing much better. Yes, he does still have a trach and a feeding tube, as well as many physical limitations. But he also takes new steps toward his goals every day. We thank God continually for that. This year has been filled with recovery and victory. He continually makes progress toward restoration and healing. Even his pediatrician remarks on his being amazingly healthy. He has not even had so much as a cold or virus. Praise God!!!
We attribute Jordan's health first to God, the Great Physician. Secondly, we have been blessed to have wonderful doctors, nurses and therapists who have been blessed by Him with the knowledge of how to help Jordan and us. As Jordan's grandmother, I would like to say how blessed Jordan is to have a mother who is so loving and diligent in his care. She exemplifies Christ-like behavior in her unselfish care not only for Jordan, but for all her children. I am so proud of her. Only someone who has witnessed how much self-sacrifice is involved in the care of a "special child" can imagine all that is required of their cargivers. How blessed Jordan is to be surrounded by so much love and how blessed we are to still have our precious Jordan!!!

One Year Today

June 17, 2007, was the one year anniversary of Jordan's near-drowning accident. This year has been an extremely emotional year for our family. We have had many unanswered questions to which we have endlessly searched for answers. Why? is the question that consumed us in the beginning. I guess every family that has a traumatic event like this is plagued by that question. It is so difficult to find an answer. We second-guessed ourselves first and ask "What could we have done differently?" Maybe if we had had stronger locks or higher gates and fences, this would not have happened. Maybe if we had had no pool, that would have prevented it. After you have exhausted the "What if's?" and realize that sometimes accidents just happen no matter how many precautions have been taken. (That is not to say that we should not take every single safety measure possible, just realize that we cannot live in a bubble and things just happen sometimes no matter what.) Next we turned to God with our pain and questions, and sometimes even our anger. We were shaken to the very core and it was difficult to find peace anywhere. We wanted to ask God "How could You have let this happen to my precious little one?"
Even when we humans fail, we assume that God will be there as our infinite safety net. We felt betrayed, as wrong as that may seem. After much prayer and soul-searching, we have come to the conclusion that we just don't live in a perfect world. We live in a fallen world where "bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people", as well as the other way around. God is still God even when things happen that we don't understand and yes ultimately God still is in control even when we don't see the big picture. Sometimes it boils down to a matter of simple trust.
The next questions and the next can all be answered in the same way..."Trust God". That is the only answer that we have found.

THANK YOU

Thank you to all of the wonderful friends and family members who continue to pray for our family and Jordan daily. We are still reading all the comments, cards, and prayers to Jordan. I am sure it gives him comfort to know so many people reach out to him with their love. Even people that we have never met personally write the most beautiful words of encouragement to us. Often if one of us is discouraged we will go to Jordan's petition and read the comments. I can not read them without shedding a few tears. I have seen firshand the incredible power of prayer. Foolishly I once told someone that all I could do to help them was...to pray. Silly girl!!! What a huge blessing it is to have others pray for you. We can quite literally see the results of prayer in Jordan's healing almost daily. When there are lots of prayer warriors doing battle for Jordan, the increase in Jordan's healing becomes hugely apparent. I used to scoff when someone would tell me that, but now I have seen it for myself. As a family, we are continually blessed by your prayers. Please don't ever stop praying for Jordan and us. God hears your prayers and answers them. We also pray that you all are greatly blessed for your part in Jordan's miraculous story.
Love and Blessings,
Pam, Bobby, Erin, Jeannie, Ashton, Kayleigh, Brandon, and Jordan

More Steps toward Recovery

Lots of things have been happening in our lives lately. Jordan got his first report card from pre-school. He qualifies for summer school and in his case that is good. That means that he has made enough progress in the short time that he attended school, that his teachers feel that summer school would be beneficial to Jordan's recovery, not only physically but also educationally. He will be using an adapted computer to help him better communicate until he can talk more understandably. That is such a wonderful thing.
Also Jordan got a walker!!! And he can make it move as much as six inches with a single push. He only has the strength to do a few pushes at one time, but he will build up his strength. He is also able to hold his head up most of the time that he is in the walker. He also has begun to make larger movements with his head, arms and legs. I was holding him in my lap a few days a go. I looked down and noticed that Jordan was swinging his legs. He loved to do that before the accident. I was thrilled. His recovery is not always consistent. He has days that he does not seem to be able to do much at all. Then sometimes the very next day, he does a whole bunch of new things all at once. However unpredictable, I am thankful that he is continuing to make progress. It is easy to forget just how far we have already come. I praise God for the gift of every day that we have together as a family. None of us are promised tomorrow.

Jordan's Mom at ER

Recently Jordan's mom, Jeannie had been feeling overtired and noticing that her heart seemed to be beating erratically. On Friday, May 25, she was taken to ER at the same hospital where Jordan was resusitated following his near-drowning accident last June. There was concern that Jeannie might be having a heart attack triggered by PVC's. They kept her for observation for several hours and then released her. While she was there, she talked with one of the men who helped with Jordan's care. He remembered the prayers said over Jordan and the miracle of Jordan's heartbeat returning. What a comfort that was to her to be able to speak with him.
We are all thankful to the ER team for their efforts in helping Jordan.
Jeannie unfortunately had a repeat heart incident on Saturday and was subsequently hospitalized for her heart condition. She is now on medication for her heart and has been given strict instructions to try to rest more and follow a more cardiac-friendly lifestyle. We have asked for more nursing hours to allow Jeannie recovery time, but so far have not gotten the additional hours. Due to a lack of weekend nursing hours for Jordan, I could only leave Jordan one time to visit Jeannie in the hospital or to take her other three children to visit her. I was unable to even go to ER with her either time. This has been a very difficult time for our family, but the help and prayers of our family and friends have sustained us. Without them, I do not know what we would have done. God's hugs do have human arms. Thankfully Jeannie was released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and is recovering at home. Please pray for not only Jordan's recovery, but also his mother, Jeannie's recovery as well.

The Twins: Field Trips and Potty Training

Jordan and Brandon got to go on their first field trip together with Jordan's preschool class. They went to the park by the lake. There were swings, slides, and monkey bars. Together they enjoyed seeing the ducks and the beautiful lake scenery at the park. After only a couple of hours, both boys were worn out and ready to return home for a nap.
Another first this week...potty training began. Earlier this week, Jeannie was talking to Jordan as she was changing his diaper. She asked him if he would like to try sitting on the potty instead of using the diaper. He seemed to dislike the feel of the soiled diaper. He indicated by clucking his tongue for "Yes" that he would like to try using the potty. It was a sucess the very first time. We waited several days to make sure that it wasn't just a fluke. Since that time, Jordan has successfully urinated and had bowel movements in the potty numerous times. He urinates almost every time that he sits on the potty and he doesn't waste much time either. He gets right down to business. The bowel movements are more difficult for him to master with the same level of skill. What can I say? Brandon, Jordan's twin brother, still hasn't mastered that one either.

Learning New things at School

Jordan has accomplished feats at school that I thought were impossible at this stage of the game. He actually cut out three shapes with switch-operated scissors and held the glue stick while his teacher helped him apply the glue and stick it to the paper. He used paint dots to paint his art project. What an amazing accomplishment for Jordan!!! We are so very proud of him. He worked very hard. His twin Brandon still has difficulties with scissors and glue. Jordan's artwork now adorns my refrigerator door, along with his twin brother Brandon's artwork.

Kelly

Our family has been blessed beyond measure with loving friends. One of my dearesst and most precious friends, Kelly Hall, suffered a tragic accident on Thursday night. She was mixing pool chemicals to get her above ground pool ready for the season. A freak accident occurred and a chemical explosion resulted. She was home alone with her two sweet children who ran to a neighbor's house to get help. Kelly was rushed to ER at a local hospital and then life-flighted to Vanderbilt Burn and Trauma unit. She has severe burns and her vision has been greatly compromised in her right eye and her left eye has a poor prognosis at this point. Please pray incessantly for her and her wonderful family!!! Prayers work!!!

You can find updates on Kelly's healing at the CaringBridge.org website under the name kellyhall.

Jordan's First Day of School

Jordan did actually go to school even before his twin. He attends Beech Elementary School. His classmates are both handicapped and non-handicapped children. His nurse, Patti, went with him since Jordan still has very real medical concerns. Some of which are a pre-disposition for seizures, sleep apnea, cardiac and respiratory irregularities, a tracheostomy, and a "mickey button" style feeding tube. I firmly believe that all these medical concerns are temporary and that he will continue to heal as he shows us daily. At this time, however Jordan still requires additional medical equipment and emergency supplies to be with him at all times. He cannot even maneuver his own wheel chair yet, so going to school was a huge endeavor and a breakthough for Jordan's recovery.
Jordan was very comfortable at school. He was able to use the computer to play learning games himself. He was able to discern colors at group time and to know which color that he had. He participated in story-time by making eye contact with the teacher and then using his eyes to indicate answers by looking at the card with the correct answer. He even spontaneously raised his own hand slightly to show that he wanted to answer the question, as in a regular classroom setting. The teacher knew that Jordan loves Barney, the purple dinosaur, so she found dinosaurs for him to use during playtime. He was able to hold the dinosaurs and to let go of them on command. I know all this may sound like small accomplishments, but for Jordan these are huge feats. Please remember that a very short time ago, Jordan was predicted to be "in a permanent vegetative state" that would most likely proceed to "brain death".
As Jordan's Granny, I was apprehensive about Jordan going to school. Jordan far exceeded my expectations for the first day. I believe tht he actually enjoyed it. I was also concerned about him being too tired for his therapy session afterward. He was a little tired, but he still had an awesome day at therapy as well. He not only was able to accomplish his usual goals but to add new accomplishments as well. I am sure that he will build up his strength and rise to meet all the new challenges before him. Jordan has always had a fighting spirit. He continues to exhibit that quality every day.

Happy Birthday to Jordan & Brandon

April 14, 2004, two beautiful twin boys were born to my daughter, Jeannie. We were all very excited. They have been a source of joy to our whole family since that day. Brandon and Jordan are a gift from God, just as every child most certainly is!
Although, Jordan had a tragic near-drowning accident on June 17,2006, both boys continue to be a blessing to our family daily. I am reminded that not just birthdays and holidays are special, but everyday that you are given together is to be savored and celebrated. We are not promised tomorrow.
Today is indeed a celebration!!! Our twins are three years old. Birthday cake and ice cream will be served and presents will be opened. Already two special friends have brought presents to the birthday boys. Jordan has emphatically expressed by clucking his tongue ( his version of "yes" at this point) that he expects a taste of cake and ice cream even though he has a "mickey button" style feeding tube and a tracheostomy. We are experimenting with taste and texture in tiny, tiny taste amounts in speech therapy. Jordan will get only a tiny amount because he still cannot swallow as well as he needs to do for larger amounts. Still we are praying and believing that someday soon Jordan will be able to actually eat and drink normally again. He improves by small increments almost daily.
I will post pictures of the birthday boys soon!

Jordan's Story

On June 17, 2006, our lives changed forever. Our precious twin boys, Brandon and Jordan, awoke early from their Saturday afternoon nap. They decided to be sneaky and quietly go outside to play with their friend Joseph who was visiting that afternoon. All three boys had been napping in the room with Kayleigh, the twins' sister and Jeannie, the twins' mother. Kayleigh had been watching a movie and Jeannie had been reading a book. Both had unintentionally dozed off with the boys due to a late night, the previous night. ( Bobby, the twins' Papaw had been at emergency all night with a possible heart attack that turned out to be a reaction to high blood pressure medicine.) Everyone but the twins had been up very late making sure that Papaw was okay.
Noiselessly the boys opened the door and left the room where they had been sleeping. The trio continued their journey through the kitchen where they encountered a deadbolt lock on the door which they managed to turn and open. The same door also had a latch about 5 feet off the floor, put there for this very reason. The resourceful boys apparently moved a stool over to the door and opened the latch. The stool was found near the door. After making their escape to the backyard without being detected, they most likely climbed the steps to the locked deck attached to the pool. Jordan has always loved to play in the water: the bathtub, the wading pool, a mud puddle, ...just about anything with water in it. That was why we had two locks on the gate to the pool. I guess it was just too much temptation for Jordan and he has always been very determined when he set his mind to something. The twins must have helped each other over the gate because it was still locked when the boys were discovered minutes later. Joseph was left behind on the steps because he was unable to scale the locked gate alone. Brandon was on the pool deck looking toward the middle of the pool where Jordan lay floating facedown.
At that very moment, Patti, Joseph's mom, returned with the twins' brother, Ashton, and her son, Jacob, along with her mom, Becky. Both Becky and Patti are trained nurses, knowledgeable about life-saving techniques and CPR. Upon hearing the commotion, Ashton climbed the 6 foot high privacy fence and opened the gate for the others. Patti jumped into the pool and rescued Jordan and began CPR. Initially being paralyzed by intense shock, Jordan's mother, Jeannie was finally able to take action and called 911. Jeannie prayed continually as the two women struggled to revive Jordan with no success. No pulse or respiration was detected.
Within minutes, more help arrived on the scene and Jordan was on his way to ER. The rescue team also could find no heartbeat or breath, but continued CPR and rescue procedures. After arriving at Hendersonville Hospital Emergency Room, the staff worked for an additional period of time attempting to restore Jordan's pulse and respiration. By that time, we (Jordan's grandparents) had arrived at the hospital and we began to pray as a family in the family room. They called Jeannie into the ER, telling her that Jordan was not going to make it and that she needed to see that everything that could be done had been done to revive him. Jeannie fell apart and had to be taken from the room. I then asked if I could see him. I am Jordan's Granny. Not knowing, that Jordan was considered to be beyond resusitation at that point, I began holding his hand and praying. I don't remember exactly when I realized that something had changed, but I do remember the ER team working around me as I continued to pray for Jordan. Suddenly someone said "We got a Hearbeat!" Time seemed to stand still as I continued to pray and they continued to work to stabilize Jordan. A helicopter stood by ready to take Jordan to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. When the teams, added up the documented time Jordan was without a pulse, it was at least an hour. What a miracle!!!
Jordan spent the next 31 days fighting for life--his family grasping for the seemingly impossible dream that he just might recover, despite the odds. Jordan hovered at death's door as a continual parade of prayer warriors ceaselessly prayed for Jordan's restoration. The Great Physician, Jesus, was on the case, and He personally guided the hands of Jordan' s caregivers, doctors and nurses. Prayers were answered on a daily basis. FINALLY, on July 18, 2006, Jordan was released from the hospital and into the arms of a family dedicated to helping Jordan recover. Hope, restoration and healing are the focus of Jordan's story.