Blessings

Jordan has really made more progress in the last few months than he has since the first visit to Dr. Tennant almost two years ago, immediately following his accident. After only two weeks of exposure to a power chair, Jordan was able to surprise everyone by learning to stop, start, backup, turn in both directions, move forward in a straight line, and travel in circles. He can drive on bumpy terrain like grass or on the smooth surface of concrete pavement. He is able to follow verbal directions and carry them out consistently, often with only one prompt. He was learning to avoid or turn away from obstacles, which is tricky with his limited vision. By all accounts, Jordan has met the criteria that we were given as goals for Jordan to achieve in order to be approved for his very own power chair. The power chair has given him a new freedom and encouraged him to move to the next level of healing. He has even "run" from Mama when it was time to go inside.
Jordan's vision also seems to be improving. He has greatly improved eye contact and tracking. His head and trunk control is amazing. He has been able to drive over very bumpy areas with his chair and not lose control of his head and trunk. He has held up his head for long periods of time in the chair and not bobbled. He also has been working on pointing his finger and making choices. He has been amazingly successful. He is also working on grasping objects and moving them into his lap. He has more overall purposeful body movement than at any time since the accident. According to his summer teacher, he is like a different child. There is no doubt about his improvements. It is not anecdotal, it is measurable healing. Praise God for His blessings.
We have been praying and looking for answers for Jordan's swallowing for over a year. Recently, we were able to find some answers for that. One of the therapy centers that offer Pediatric Vital
Stim Therapy have agreed to consider taking Jordan. They usually do not take patients under six years old. Although Jordan is only four, they seem to be willing to make an exception.
Jordan's ENT wrote the prescription several months ago and we are just now finding someone who can do it for him. Jordan has the first part of the swallow, but the second part is the tricky part for him. He is going longer and longer periods of time without needing suction and he has never had aspiration pneumonia. Several professionals in this field seem very optimistic that this therapy will help Jordan. We are very hopeful. Another answered prayer!

Walking through the Fire

We have had a mixed bag of challenges and blessings at our house lately. We have had two fires at our house...one due to lightning actually striking our house and one due to damaged connectors that were most likely damaged during the first episode and were not detected until the second episode. This has had a huge effect on our household, but through it all God has been good to us. We are all still alive and unhurt. It could have been so much worse. We lost a few appliances, our main breaker box and wiring, and some food, but we still have our house and each other. Usually with such a huge surge of high voltage, houses burn down. The electrician who had worked on our house to begin with had suggested a surge protector on the main following our recent lightning strike. If we had not gotten that surge protector installed on our main electrical box, most likely our house would have burned completely down and who knows what else could have happened. I hate to think what could have happened with a handicapped child in the house and oxygen for his use that we have to keep on hand. Before it was all said and done, there were about four fire trucks on the scene, several policemen and the electrical company sent their truck as well. My son is a fireman and he verified the very real danger of electrical fires. It was such a huge surge of power that it melted a piece of wire in our wall going to the main breaker box. The copper wire coming into our house was about one inch in diameter and it melted like a thin piece of solder. Again we are so blessed that it was not much much worse, even though the repair costs are still not all resolved. I am so thankful that no one was injured. That was a blessing. Material things can be replaced.
The disruption and difficulty that the fires caused at my home remind me of another kind of fire that many families deal with. It involves the kind of devastation left in the wake of marital discord, family problems, and divorce. It is an epidemic in our country today, but it is a staggering statistic among the families who have disabled or chronically ill members. Just when we have the greatest need for support, often it isn't there. I have recently had the privilege of writing an article for EP magazine regarding my own "saved marriage" testimony and the devastating effect that Jordan's accident has had on our family. My marriage has weathered many storms, one of which was losing our daughter, Laura Lynn in a car accident in 2001. Then in 2006, Jordan's accident occurred. Many marriages do not last through the death of a child. By the grace of God, ours has survived and we have been able to provide support for our own daughter during this time following Jordan's accident. Especially since she is divorced, she and her children needed the security that family could provide during this difficult time.
My very close friends, Mae and Erika Chambers have also written a book entitled "Can My Marriage Be Saved?" The Chambers' book is a great tool for anyone who is struggling with marital or family conflict. I am going to include three new references on Jordan's blog regarding these issues. Sometimes the pain that we all deal with isn't just the physical. Often it is also the emotional. The three new links are www.savedmarriagenetwork.com ( a marriage ministry that offers information and resources for families in need of help with marital difficulties and family crisis) and www.epmagazine.com( an online magazine of special interest for caregivers and families with special needs) and lauralynneducationalfoundation.blogspot .com (a ministry committed to teaching the critical and foundational importance of developing and maintaining a Biblical worldview. ) I believe each one of these sites offer an excellent source of helpful information and resources for families.

Look at that Head Control!!!

Jordan has learned how to drive the power chair forward in a straight line, to stop and to turn the chair in circles. That is his favorite pastime. He will go in big circles and then little circles and then in a straight line and then he will "run from Mama" when it is time to go inside. He loves going bump-bump-bump in the grass and is pretty good at missing obstacles even with what we think is somewhat limited vision. His vision seems to be getting better. We hope that someday soon he will have learned well enough to have his own power chair.

Even though Jordan is continuing to learn more about driving a wheelchair, he is also working on his ability to be independent in other ways. He is working very hard to hold his head up while on his tummy for longer and longer periods of time. He is up to at least ten minutes at a time without wavering. He is also working on sitting, sit-to-stand at the parallel bars, and continuing to work on walking at the parallel bars with a great deal of help of course but he is definitely getting stronger.

He is developing more control over his whole body. He is relearning to point his fingers and to maneuver his hands. A friend loaned him a communicator and he is also learning how to communicate other than to "yes and no" questions. The progress is slow and painstaking but it is most definitely progress in every area. He has even been able to stay outside and play with his friends and siblings enough to get a little bit of a tan. Praise God for every little step forward!

Jordan...in a Power Chair!!!

Recently Jordan has attained a new level of head and trunk control that has lead to Jordan being able to "try out" a power chair for size. Jordan was able to drive the chair at his home the last of May. At first, he was unsure of what to do. He maintained head and trunk control for most of almost two hours in the chair. It took a lot of coaxing at first because Jordan had never seen a power chair before, much less been in one. Before the trial was over Jordan had been able to move the chair forward and backward, adjust the speed, and stop the chair. In the beginning, this was all done at a very slow speed. Jordan required a lot of instruction and many tries before he was able to accomplish any of these feats even once. A lot of the time he was only sitting and listening to the several therapists and trainers around him trying to explain to him how to work the chair.
Even though he did not master the skills immediately, we are very encouraged by the fact that he was able to operate the chair at all the very first time that he was given the opportunity to try. Jordan is diligently working on the skills required to allow him to drive his own personal power chair all the time. He is "training" with his therapists and nurses, as well as family everyday. This will give Jordan a new independence and freedom that he has not had in a very long time. We are very encouraged by this new development. He is learning more control every day. Please pray with us that Jordan continues to develop these new skills and that he grows stronger every day. This opportunity is an answer to our prayers,

Happy Birthday!!!

On April 14, 2008, Jordan and his twin brother Brandon, celebrated their fourth birthday. What a blessing that were able to celebrate yet another year together. We often don't realize how special each moment is until there is a possibility that we might not get to share the next one with the people that we love. Jordan's accident made us keenly aware of what a gift that each new day is. None of us are promised tomorrow, so we need to live each day as if it were our last. Live fully, love unconditionally, and laugh as often as possible. Most of all, we need to remember to thank God for our many blessings.

More pictures!!!

Jordan can sit up and play for the first time since the accident without the aid of a wheelchair or someone holding his head and trunk upright. It still requires a lot of effort on Jordan's part to maintain this position, but he gains strength every day. He is sitting up with the aid of only a soft foam booster chair-like seat called a "Bumbo" and a standard child's tray for holding toys. Jordan's therapists have said the chair supports Jordan just enough to help develop further head and trunk control while supporting his lower spine in the correct position. This is such an amazing breakthrough for us and Jordan. If he can do this, he can do so many more things...like continuing to make progress with his "walking" therapy. We are very hopeful.

Jordan's speech therapist has also been very encouraged by Jordan's improvements lately. He has greatly improved his adeptness at wearing his passey-muir for vocalization. He has been able to go longer periods of time without suctioning even while awake. His eye contact has improved as well as his ability to find and follow objects with his eyes.

Wow!!!

Another time when pictures convey the message so much more than mere words. Look at that head and trunk control as well as his bent knees! Way to go, JO-JO!
We are so happy to report that Jordan has recently (since his trip to see Dr. Tennant 2-04-08 through 2-08-08) gained head and trunk control that he has not had since his accident in June 2006.
I will be doing a full update on Jordan's healing progress very soon. Jordan's mom and nurse just walked through the door to report that he had an awesome day at therapy and they have pictures to prove it. I will post them soon.

and now...Back to Dallas!!!

Four generations of Jordan's family made the trip to Dr. Tennant's Dallas clinic recently. Jordan, his mom, his granny and his great grandfather all were blessed to be together for Jordan's recent Dallas visit. Going to the Tennant Institute for Integrative Medicine is always a great blessing. Jordan continues to make great strides toward recovery each time. However this time was just ---spectacular. Jordan's mother and grandmother had accompanied him several times, but Jordan's great-gandfather, Rip Benefield or "Daddy Rip" as he is affectionately called, had never met the doctor who had played such an important role in the life of his young relative. This was a special trip in many ways.
Dr. Tennant was pleased to be able to see Jordan's progress in person, as always. Jordan was even feeling so chipper that he actually kicked his physician, playfully of course. For a TBI near-drown child like Jordan to be able to move at all is a huge feat, but to be able to maneuver a sideways kick in response to playful stimuli like that was a huge milestone.
When Jordan first came to Dr. Tennant, he was totally incapable of ANY movement. He was totally unresponsive, locked in his own little world, unable to communicate or even be put into a carseat without a struggle. We were literally afraid of breaking bones if we tried too hard to reposition his "gingerbread boy stance". His eyes were almost continually "rolled back into his head". It was heart-breaking. We believe that Jordan could very well have remained in that condition, if it had not been for Dr. Tennant's integrative medical approach to Jordan's care. He began to make changes in Jordan's care immediately and within a week Jordan had quite literally ''awakened from his comatose state". Jordan has been making steady improvements ever since that time.
As always, the week was not over, before we had seen new therapies and treatments added to Jordan's regimen along with remarkable changes in Jordan. How blessed we are to have been able to experience this great week together as a family and with our wonderful friend and doctor, Jerry Tennant. He and his staff helped to make it a very special week for all of us.

This Bittersweet Holiday Season

It seems surreal that the holiday season has come and gone so quickly this year. It has been filled with both immense blessings and immense sadness. I feel badly about not having posted to Jordan's blog in so many months. It's not that I haven't had things to report about Jordan's healing, I guess I just checked out emotionally. I let the busyness of life just carry me through while being essentially disconnected from my first holiday season without my mom who passed away last January very suddenly and unexpectedly. My mom's favorite time of year has always been the holiday season. The firsts of everything are always the hardest. We learned this lesson well following our precious daughter Laura's fatal car accident in 2001. This has also been our first holiday season without our beloved friend and minister, Brother Glenn Weekley. Just knowing that he was available when the need arose was a great comfort to us as a family. He has always been such an encourager. Knowing that we can no longer just pick up the phone and speak to these very special people has been difficult not only for me but for our whole family. That probably sounds very selfish, but we all do miss them very much. The holidays seem to make us all acutely aware of the absence of those we love no matter what the circumstances. However, we do take great comfort in knowing that for believers, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord".
I want to make sure that while I continue to sort through my own feelings of grief that I do not let it color my entries on Jordan's blog and it has seemed that each time I tried to post an entry that was just what did actually happen. It was either much ''too up" or much "too down" and none of the "just right in the middle". As a family, our lives have been so touched by other caring people that have reached out to us so very many times, that I have finally decided to start posting entries again despite my personal struggles. It had been easier to cover my lingering feelings of sorrow in brief encounters, but when you attempt to get real and "bare your soul", it is much more difficult to not let the true emotions show. I keep thinking that I should be able to just "get on with my life". Intellectually I know what I need to do, but "my heart just ain't listening". I hope that those who read this will just bare with me.
Despite everything, God has been patient and kind to me personally and to our family as a whole. He has generously showered us with gifts...dedicated prayer warriors who DO NOT QUIT, financial gifts to help ease the burden of caring for a chronically ill child, numerous gifts of the much needed "home repairs" that continually get put on the "back burner" in order to provide for other needs, and the most wonderful Christmas blessings that left every one of our family feeling completely speechless and overwhelmed with His love. Last but not least, God has walked with us every step of our journey and reached out to encourage us daily through His word and His people. Never underestimate the power of a hug, an e-mail, a phone call, a card, or even a simple smile to brighten the day of someone else. And I thank God for everyone of YOU who diligently care about Jordan and our family.