(John returned home on Sunday to go back to work and take care of the family. Becca will continue writing this blog, but be patient.....I'm not the writer John is :))
Sleep has arrived!!! AJ was finally able to fall asleep with the help of the nerve medicine and a non-addictive sleep agent called melatonin. His night was filled with back-to-back dreams and frequent sleep talking. Without being able to reach deep sleep (REM) for the past 4 nights, his brain seemed to be working overtime processing everything! Although it was not the most restful sleep (he woke up thinking we were in a war zone), it was a welcome change from the difficult nights prior. We have hopes that his sleep will only improve!
AJ has been looking forward to his girlfriend coming for a visit this week! Luckily for him, today was shower day! (They do showers every other day.) At 6:00 am the nurse and CNA came in to get him ready for the shower. This time the attendants decided to use a shower chair, which is a plastic chair that is slightly reclined with a hole for drainage. However, they did not realize AJ's need to transition to an upright position slowly (it might take 3-5 minutes) because of his blood pressure. So, soon after they hoisted him from his bed into his chair, the signs of fainting started. AJ alerted them, but it was too late. He passed out in the chair and scared the heck out of the nurse and CNA! They were able to get him out of the chair and back into bed without him sustaining any falls. That's when AJ remembers regaining consciousness. The fainting episode left AJ very tired for the rest of the day.
At 8:00 am AJ got a trim on his beard by his Uncle Dave and then had a successful shower. He had just finished when John had to leave to catch a plane for home. This was a very difficult moment for John and me. It is wonderful to be together taking care of our son, but we know that taking care of a family also requires people to be apart from each other at times. After I received a strengthening blessing from AJ, John headed out.
In the U of U Hospital there is a chapel where an LDS sacrament service is performed every Sunday. We were hoping that AJ could drive his chair to that area, but he was so tired that we stayed in the room and received the sacrament from a senior missionary couple. It was awesome to have the opportunity to receive this ordinance and to think about the Savior and the blessings of his Atonement. As I helped AJ partake of the water, I felt very blessed to be his mother and to serve my child. I wondered if that is how the Lord feels with each one of us as he helps in our trials?
By the early evening, Alexis had arrived. AJ took a drive outside in his power chair and we had many visitors, all of which proved to brighten his Sabbath day.
As the day was coming to an end, AJ decided that it was time to shave his beard! Alexis doesn't really remember him without it, so the moment of truth had arrived! We learned that us girls are not very good at removing beards. But after a half hour session, he was a shadow-shaven man! And Alexis still thought he was as handsome as ever.
It is so great to follow this blog. I'm glad Alexis is visiting (she seems like a great person). I would visit you every day if I could... Mostly for selfish reasons, the spirit is so strong and so bright around you. Keep on keepin on. Love ya
ReplyDeleteOkay, fine, delete my comments - do it - censorship is fun .... but someone tell me what the CAUSE of the car crash was
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ReplyDeleteThe driver of the vehicle took his attention from the road for a second. When he tried to recover the vehicle, he over-corrected, causing the vehicle to roll.
ReplyDeleteWhat was he looking at? We all look in the rear-view mirror or at the radio, and I'm ashamed to admit I even text while driving once or twice until I scared myself and swore it off... but do you know what it was that distracted his attention for long enough to cause such a reaction?
DeleteYa know, when I lived in Bellevue, WA, in 2000 I was in a similar accident. My g/f Julia was driving me to the airport in the rain and she was a terrible, terrible driver. She was driving me in a company car and said I was not authorized to drive it. I had a feeling there was a 50/50 chance of us getting to the airport okay. Well, there was a cardboard box in the road she didn't notice which I noticed in PLENTY of time. Instead of mowing it down, as I'd have done, she swerved in a ridiculous panic and over-corrected and lost control and BAM! She caused a multiple car accident and... yeah, I missed my plane :( I leaved then to NEVER get into a car if you have any misgivings about the driver of the car. And what was I? 37 or 38? A lesson I knew at a very young age but she was my g/f and was LDS so it's not like she drank or anything... I wonder if AJ felt any missgivings about the driver. It's such a hard situation! What are you supposed to say in the event of a long trip to Utah from Cali? "Yeah, I know you wanna drive now and it's a long trip but if you do drive I'm totally not going with you"? I've actually been in that situation before and not wanted to offend someone and been white-knuckled as a passenger the entire way.
DeleteNow I'm old and not afraid to be rude or hurt feelings when it comes to my safety. That said, I'm sure there's lots of times accidents occur when you feel 100% fine with the driver. Last month I was driving my g/f's Lexus and me, my girl and Boyd were sitting at a red light when BAM! A 19 year old kid decided it was time to hit us. He, also, said he was distracted and didn't hit his breaks until too late. I'm glad I was not on my motorcycle. My g/f had JUST purchased her brand, new RX350 too and was pretty upset. But, the kid didn't mean to, was not drunk and nobody was hurt so I was grateful and especially so that I was not on my motorcycle.
Do you or does anyone know if injuries would have been minimized or prevented had AJ had on his seat belt or would it have mattered at all? I didn't see the accident or results but I'm thinking the belt would have kept him in his seat and body weight off his head and neck but I'm not sure. Is this a testament to wearing your seat belt or a testament to NOT wearing it? A long time ago I had a terrible accident where I was not wearing my seat belt and some said it's good that I was not. Often times I've actually thought this to be the case as well, but I'm older now and I've become a firm believer of wearing them now. It's hard for me to remember since I usually ride my motorcycle but all in all I'm a believer in seat belts. Any thoughts?
One last, quick thought: Jenny's been making concerned remarks about AJ since we found out about this a couple of days ago. She just pointed out to me that if the driver was texting while driving and this is what caused the accident and injuries that this is, in fact, a felony here in Nevada and the driver will be charged, sued and jailed for negligence. The insurance company can likewise be sued as well as the kid himself which amount might come to in the millions of dollars... *IF* the accident was caused by willful, negligent distractions.
DeleteI have an awesome attorney here in Vegas who does Nevada law. He's 50, LDS, very successful, and speaks Chinese ... went to Hong Kong on his mission. He's awesome, if you decide you need him... Super friendly, super smart and super good.
I don't know why the driver took his attention from the road. I'm not sure John/Becca/A.J. know, either. Although I'm a firm believer in wearing your seatbelt, in this case, John thinks the fact he wasn't wearing his seatbelt may have saved A.J.'s life. The first impact of the vehicle was on the roof - exactly where A.J.'s head was. The impact dented the roof of the Honda Civic (or Accord, I can't remember which) in about 12 inches. Since A.J. is a pretty big guy (6'5", I'd guess), there wasn't much room for his head to move. His body weight wasn't likely what broke the vertebrae. It was likely the impact with the road. Since he wasn't buckled in, John believes that allowed A.J.'s body to move just enough that, although the vertebrae were inverted, it didn't puncture his spinal cord.
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DeleteYeah, it's hard to know. I'm just glad A.J. is still with us.
DeleteMe too - and I'm not playing "blame the victim" either ... I'd still like to know just what it is that drew the driver's attention away. If it was his cell phone (which it likely was) or something else like that (gross negligence) then there needs to be some real reaction. I know, in the past, the LDS philosophy has always been NOT to litigate (turn the other cheek and all that shit) but sometimes, when the severity is great enough, turning the other cheek is not appropriate. In this case, no way. If it were me I'd call my attorney - who's name and number I'm still ready to give! ... I know it won't make AJ's injury go from a B to an E but... it's something, I guess
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