Prayers For Jordan

2012-01-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Still doing well after almost six years from his ND Accident!

2012-01-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

Five and one half years from his near-drowning accident, Jordan still continues to surprise us with what he is capable of doing. He is still doing well both physically and mentally. Jordan continues to get great reports from all his doctors and therapists. Recently we saw the pulmonologists and he said Jordan's lung function was excellent. Still no return of the Pseudomonas! No pneumonia for the last 2 years! Praise GOD! They said he was colonized and that we would never be able to beat it. I believe it was the treatments that Dr. Tennant told us about, as well as the diligence of Jordan's caregivers in following through. Jordan has been blessed with a team of excellent doctors, nurses and therapists. It takes a dedicated team to achieve results in any endeavor. Jordan's care still remains exhaustive, which is one of the reasons that we don't blog often, but we did want to share this brief update in hopes that it might encourage others. We have added some videos and some still shots to his website so you can see for yourself how well he is doing. I

Jordan is attending Tennessee Virtual Academy and receiving excellent grades. The brief video segments help to demonstrate how we communicate with Jordan and how we assess what he understands. We taped a lot more but this is an example of "yes" and "no". Just a reminder that tongue flicks signal "yes" and a back forth eye movement signals "no". We use this method in every subject to communicate his choices for schoolwork. We also use it to communicate how he feels and choices that he makes in everyday life. He is not always correct in all his answers, but he does respond appropriately about 99% of the time. Hopefully this is enough footage for you to get an idea of what we are doing. I hope that you can see some progress in this short video and that it provides some encouragement to you. We all feel that none of this would be possible without the prayers of Jordan's friends and family. We thank God everyday for the people who allow God to use them as His instruments of healing. Thank you!

Blessings,

Pam

Better late than never!

2010-04-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

I know that I have not updated Jordan's website in a very long time. I am sorry. I truly did not mean to let anyone down. I know that a lot of people have been praying for Jordan and our family and I should have kept them informed. I just reached a point where I was totally overwhelmed and could not keep up with it all. This has been a very difficult journey for our family. There are often no words to express the emotions that we feel, no way to convey the the ways it has changed not only our lives, but the very core of us as human beings. As a family, we have wanted Jordan's website to be a place that conveys faith, hope and love. As the months and even years pass, it has become more difficult to watch our precious loved ones struggle with this tragedy. In the beginning, it seems that you can take on the whole world if necessary...but as time passes it becomes more difficult to remain strong. This did not happen to just Jordan, but to every one of us. No matter the final outcome, we were all forever changed that day. We can never go back to being who we were prior to June 17, 2006. We can choose to see the positive when we look at Jordan's story, but it is not easy to live with the realities of too little time and too little resources to do all that we desire to do to help Jordan and to meet the needs of our whole family. Sometimes it seems that even if we ignored the needs of every other family member except Jordan, it would still not be enough to accomplish all that is needed. We obviously could not or would not do that and yet we know that if we could devote more time to him, he could improve that much faster. It is obvious to see his improvements when we have a burst of energy and motivation to concentrate on some new goal with Jordan. We almost always experience some success. And then we realize that all of us continue to have needs that must be addressed also. My husband and I both work about 60 hours a week or more to provide for the financial needs of our family. Jordan's mother, Jeannie concentrates on Jordan, medication refills, doctor appointments, therapy sessions, nurse schedules, nutritional needs, and still makes time for her other three children. In my "spare time", I home school Jordan's siblings. (Helping them "see" God's fingerprints on history, as well as their own lives is my passion!) I also love spending time with my youngest daughter who is in college and works two jobs most of the time. My husband is also finishing his degree, so it is a challenge for us to make time for each other as well. Jeannie and I try to manage the household duties between us and her two oldest children. Still it leaves us all with a perpetual feeling of never having done enough and it is very frustrating. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if one of us were not able to keep going like this. It was really a scare when Jeannie developed diabetes and experienced several bouts with a heart condition. I really don't know how single parents can cope without help. Even devoted friends and family become impatient with you when your life never returns to "normal". Sometimes it is too painful for them to remain so close to you, so they fall by the wayside. One of my closest friends said once that she felt she would have to move in with us and work 24/7 in order to do all that needed to be done. It overwhelmed her and she wasn't even here all the time. Eventually she was just not able to deal with it, no matter how much she tried. She is a beautiful Christian lady and I will always cherish our friendship. Trust me I often feel we could all work 24/7 and not get it all done. Still there are a select few who truly run the race with great endurance, even to the point of loving you, even when you feel incapable of loving yourself. . When you feel that you are falling so short of your own expectations, as well as the expectations of others, it is hard to keep things in perspective. It is often our own inability to cope with our personal shortcomings more than anything else that provides the most frustration. Who am I to offer encouragement to others when I can't cope successfully myself? Still I thank God for those wonderful people who unconditionally love me and my family in spite of all of our difficulties and shortcomings. I do see them as the great blessing that they are to all of us. Their prayers and encouragement help us to go on even when we feel that it is impossible to continue on and yet we can't give up on our family or on Jordan. It is downright exhausting. And it breaks my heart every day when I see the toll it has taken on every single member of our family. They have not only willingly sacrificed time and time again to do for Jordan without a second thought; it is deeply painful to see our sweet Jordan struggle so immensely for each tiny inch of success. Unless you have experienced this, it is hard to understand. How do you explain to someone what it is like to work until you are completely exhausted to the point of tears and know that it still does not meet the need? There are no quick fixes, no overnight successes, and few answers to many questions. Instead there are many sleepless nights, much work to be done, not enough money to stretch to do all that you feel you must, and yet you have to keep trying. You cannot give up ...ever...especially when you look into the eyes of your family and know how much they are counting on you.

And yet there are many families like ours who are struggling in a way that I did not even know was possible prior to Jordan's accident. There are single moms and single dads who try to bear this burden alone. There are grandparents who take up the torch and try to care for their grandbabies. So many lives have been devastated by an illness or an accident or a birth defect that transforms their existence into something so foreign from what they have previously known that they don't even recognize their own lives. You want to reach out to them and help them, because you understand and share their pain, but you are often so overwhelmed with your own situation, that you can only pray for them and continue to pray for your own family as you carry on with the struggle. It seems like a vicious cycle of fervently desiring to make a difference and then like a fly caught in a spider web, feeling helpless to help yourself much less anyone else.

Jordan's blog was our way of reaching out to offer hope to others. Reading someone else's story was what got our family through the long nights at the hospital, the utter sense of hopelessness, and the many unanswered questions. The sad thing was that we were not offered any plan of action, any resources, and very few answers from the professionals during Jordan's initial hospitalization. I did not understand at all, nor did our family. The blog of another near-drown offered some answers, some idea of what to expect, and the hope that if one family had survived this event, then maybe ours could survive as well. I wanted to reach out to others as they had reached out to us. So I began writing a sort of diary/blog of Jordan's journey....successes and failures. I felt it was a way of providing a lifeline to others like we were given by someone else. I thought there would be strength in numbers…a literal army of prayer warriors.

Without verbalizing it, I guess I expected a miracle. I think we all did. We wanted a real "Lazarus walking and talking type of miracle" and I wasn't ready to accept anything less. The day to day struggle, the tiny milestones that we continue to reach, the time together is the type of miracle that we were given. Even though it is not the kind of "miracle" that we envisioned... it is no less a miracle. After more than three years, I still do want my Jordan back...the one I lost on June 17, 2006. I will always miss the Jordan that got up at 6:00 AM every morning begging to go outside to play in the sandbox, still in his night clothes. I remember his insistence on eating some "gummy bears" before supper. He loved to find Barney the purple dinosaur on my computer. I miss the sound of his voice, his mischievous smile, the musical tone of his laughter. So many things I miss. I feel cheated for all of us. The most difficult thing is the feeling that my sweet Jordan is being held captive in a body that he cannot control, combined with the terrible frustration of not even being able to communicate all that he is feeling. And we often feel powerless to help him. We are all trapped in a nightmare that we cannot wake up from. No one can escape that quiet desperation. I think our whole family feels it. We just don't talk about it...so how could I continue to write a "cheerful blog full of sweetness and light and hope". Every time I sat down to write ...and I did try to write many times...I just could not do it.

That is not to say that we have not had many blessings and many successes, as well as a few setbacks during that time. And I am still praying for my full blown miracle. I am not giving up on it. I am still dealing with this issue, but I will try to give updates on Jordan anyway because I am immensely grateful for the gift of each moment and each tiny measure of improvement no matter how small. I am also extremely grateful for the loyal prayer warriors who still pray for Jordan and our family after all this time. Once I start counting Jordan's new achievements, there is really quite a list of them.

Jordan has a great deal more movement and control than he once did. He can move both arms and legs, as well as hold his head up. He can sit for short periods of time with very little assistance. Also he can balance himself while using his arms and hands for short periods of time. He can roll over on the floor on cue with a little help, but can roll over on an exercise ball with very little assistance. He can control a switch toy with both hands. He can use a pulley to exercise both arms and legs at the same time. He can turn his head in both directions and look to see a person or look out a window. He can reposition himself for comfort. Even though he no longer takes any tone medicine, he can control the tone himself most of the time. In other words, he can relax on command or use the tone to help him accomplish the things that he wants to do. His tone is being replaced with muscle control. We see more and more improvements, although it is a very slow process. He is much stronger on the left side at this point, but still able to use both sides. His facial expression is much more defined. He can wrinkle his eyebrows and can almost smile, as well as frown. He is definitely expressing emotions, likes and dislikes, as well as desires through body language and eye gaze, as well as through answering yes and no questions with pre-set signals. He is still improving on driving his power chair. We do have many things to be immensely thankful for.

As for the setbacks, we have begun to see Jordan have a few bouts with pneumonia and it appears that his trach is possibly colonized with Pseudomonas. We are fighting contractures like never before, but it seems to be because he is finally growing due to growth hormones that he has recently started. So far the physical therapy has helped us to fight the contractures successfully and we are still not seeing any scoliosis. With proper diet and a lot of therapy, I do see the potential for a lot of continued improvement. It has been a great deal of work for all involved...but well worth it.

Jordan was swallowing and we were preparing to remove the trach due to vital stim therapy when insurance decided that they were not going to pay for that therapy any more. We were fighting that decision when Jordan came down with his first bout of pneumonia. We lost the appeal due to taking care of Jordan in the hospital and have had several bouts with pneumonia since then. We intend to try again and hopefully we will succeed this time.

I guess that is going to be our new motto. “We will just keep trying until we succeed." Giving up is just not an option for any of us. And I will keep on praying for miracles not just for Jordan, but for all of us.

Blessings

2008-07-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-03-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

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!!!

2008-03-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-02-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Trials and Triumph

2007-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-07-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

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.