Live the Lion was created in an attempt to keep everyone up to date on Lance O'Cull and his road to recovery.

Lance was involved in a car accident near Morehead, Kentucky about 30 miles from where we grew up Thanksgiving weekend of 2010. He was airlifted from the scene of the accident to UK Medical Center in Lexington. The doctors told us that they could fix everything below the neck, but his brain was in God's hands. On December 22, after multiple surgeries, Lance was transferred to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia for an intense rehabilitation program.

It was there that Lance began to gradually emerge from a coma. Lance was discharged to home, in Vanceburg on February 17th, to continue his therapy with family.

On March 10th, Lance's 25th birthday, he stood on his feet for the first time in 103 days, with lots of help. On May 11th, Lance was accepted into Cardinal Hill's brain injury unit. There he impressed and amazed our family and friends, as well as his therapists through the progress he made everyday.

Between September 2011 and April of 2012, Lance was back and forth between Cardinal Hill's inpatient program and Shepherd Center's inpatient and outpatient program. He has had a couple minor surgeries to enhance his healing and a baclofen pump inserted to help with the tone in his body.

For the past year, Lance is back in Lewis County splitting his time with both parents. He continues to travel to Ashland 3 times a week and Lexington once a week. He is learning to walk again and we couldn't be more thrilled.

It hasn't been easy, Lance has had some setbacks and tears still fall. But he is up and running this marathon. And we are all running right along beside him.

Most of the blog entries have been made by myself, Chelcee, the big sister, Brock, our baby brother, and Dr. Johnny, our dad. Our goal is for Lance to finish this blog as soon as he is able.

God has been with Lance and our entire family, giving us strength. We give Him the Glory. He is the God of Miracles.



~Chelcee




Friday, December 24, 2010

From Lance's room, down the hall, elevator down three floors, past the main entrance, across the connector bridge, through the parking garage, and up the elevator four floors is where Christmas is tonight, 450 miles from little Vanceburg.  In "I'm Taking You With Me"--a song by Relient K--the lyrics go, "If home is where the heart is, then my home is where you are. But it's getting oh so hard to spend these days without my heart." 
We're split up, but we're still together.  The good thing about love is that it isn't bound spatially, or temporally or in any way really.
Lance got to hear a lot of familiar voices today through voicemail recordings.  Continue to leave brief messages for him if you would like, on Chelcee's phone as well as mine (I know not everybody has my number). 

This is one of my favorite paintings in the Shepherd Center.

In other news Todd and Megan Hyatt are big fat parents as of yesterday.  Parker Daylon Hyatt was born at 2:34 pm, December 23, 2010.
Merry Christmas
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1 comment:

  1. karenDecember 25, 2010 at 2:23 AM

    This Christmas Day you all are in our thoughts and prayers. Wishing for Lance and your family a Christmas miracle........

    ReplyDelete

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