Our Miracle Man

We have started referring to Jeremy as the Miracle Man lately and it is so true. His progress continues to thrill and amaze us. He is currently walking without any support. When he's on his feet for longer periods of time or is walking longer distances, he uses a cane. There for a while he was swinging his leg out which put strain on his hip. His physical therapist had him focus on lifting his knee and since then he has been walking much smoother. He is signed up to walk the Friendship Mile on April 30th at the Get Busy Livin 5k event which honors his classmate, Dylan Meier, who died in a hiking accident. So far Jeremy's longest walk has been from his house to our house which is three-quarters of a mile. I'm not sure if he will walk the entire mile or not, but he will be there! Right now the most exciting thing for me is that he's here. That he was at Elise's birthday party. That he was at my uncle's wedding. That he's at dinners at our house and is reading bedtime books to Carter. It is amazing and inspiring. Jeremy has even babysat the kids for me by himself and is able to chase the kids around just fine. It really is a miracle.

Jeremy taking care of Elise while we were at the Run Tulsa Pink 5k.

Jeremy reading Carter a bedtime story.

His road to recovery is still long and there have been hiccups along the way. Last week he was having very serious pains in his abdomen which led to an ER visit and a CT scan. Everything looked okay. It could be the beginning of appendicitis and just wasn't showing up yet or it could be phantom pains due to his brain and nerves still working things out after his accident. Whatever the case it has been scary for us and painful for Jeremy. He has also been having some issues with blood flow in his legs. He saw a specialist who said his brain stem isn't quite regulating his valves like it should be so circulation isn't what it should be. When he's been on his feet a lot or has been walking around his legs start to turn purple and get splotchy. He'll lay down with his legs elevated above his heart and his legs return to a normal color amazingly fast! My mom ordered him some compression socks to wear which have also helped quite a bit with this. The doctor said we should know within the next 6 months to a year whether this problem remedies itself or is permanent.

This weekend we traveled to St. Louis for my uncle's wedding. Thomas rode with us and Jeremy and my parents rode separately because they broke the drive up a bit differently. My dad had night class on Thursday so they all went with him and then left from there on Saturday. That cut their drive on Saturday down a bit which helped Jeremy because he wasn't feeling well and it is hard for him to sit in the car for long periods of time. We arrived about an hour before the wedding. There was a playground right next door so the kids played while we waited. Mom, dad, and Jeremy arrived a smidge late which worked out great because the bride was late. Seeing Jeremy talk to my grandma for the first time brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotions I felt seeing Jeremy speak to people we weren't sure he'd ever see again. The whole experience reminded me how lucky we are to have him here. During our stay and then on the way home my parents took Jeremy by to see as many family members as they could. They referred to it as the Miracle Man Tour. It made me so happy!

Jeremy with my grandparents at the wedding.

Jeremy and my grandma at the wedding.

Jeremy visiting family during the Miracle Man Tour.

My mom has kept in contact with the mom of Jeremy's "pentobarbital twin" as the nurses dubbed them in the Neurotrauma Surgical ICU (NTSICU). They normally see only one neurotrauma case per year, on average, which requires the use of pentobarbital. Jeremy and his "pentobarbital twin" arrived at the NTSICU within days of each other. His "twin" came in 2 days after Jeremy. Pentobarbital was the drug which went beyond simply paralyzing Jeremy's body and slowed the activity of his brain to the point where it wasn't really functioning. That was the medicine that was eventually tried when his intercranial pressures were spiking and not coming down through the interventions that had previously been successful. Jeremy's "twin" is still in a rehabilitation facility and is relearning how to walk. He was recognizing his mom but hasn't been lately. He will look right at his mom and ask for his mom, not knowing it is her. To hear her stories as a mother myself is heartbreaking. To hear her stories as a family member of someone with a TBI who has gone through the terrifying experience of worrying day to day if your loved one will be alive when you wake up, my heart breaks even more. Their family has been in our hearts and thoughts as we continue on the path toward recovery. Although our paths now look so different, we hope they will look similar in the future. I know the family would appreciate any prayers you could send their way. It has been a long and exhausting road for them and there appears to be no end in sight. I'm hoping for the NTSICU they were at to have two stories of Miracle Men to share.