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.

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.