Tour de Lance

Hello to all and I continue to be so grateful to each of you for your interest in and prayers for Lance.  My last blog described Lance's move to Cardinal Hill Rehab Hospital in Lexington, Ky.  Sorry it has been so long but hours of driving the 100.5 miles from our driveway to the C.H. parking lot, 3-4 days per week for treating patients, a little sleep, and every possible hour with Lance has busied me the past 2 months.  He has been blessed with 2 months of time at C. H. in which he received wonderful nursing care, outstanding therapy, and excellent medical supervision by Dr. Nickerson.  These truly are a dedicated group of individuals who have rallied around Lance and family and have played a huge role in his recovery.  There have been bleak days during the stay - times when progress seemed very slow.  But there have been exciting days as well.  The past 10 have been like traveling when you were young - you are very anxious to get to the destination, you feel that something special is going to happen, but it seems like you will never arrive.

In the past few days he has eaten his first food since Thanksgiving weekend.  It seems to be going well and Gena cannot wait for him to be home so she can cook some of his favorites.  The current plan has him returning home by this weekend; we will start outpatient therapy as soon as consults can be done.

Lance has been trying to get some words out for the past 3 weeks - thanks in a large way to Gretchen, his speech therapist for the past 8 weeks.  Jill had seen him move his lips to "mom" and other times we could make out names and phrases "I love you" and "God is good".  A week ago Thursday about 6AM he said the first syllable of Chontale, a member of the nursing staff; this was with enough volume that it surprised me.  Later that same day he whispered "dad" and I had never heard a more beautiful sound than that faint whisper.  Since that time he has said (or attempted to say each of our names).  Chelcee asked him "Who is our dad?" and "Who is our mom?" - he quickly whispered "John" and "Jill".  That was middle of last week.  On Friday he said "Gena" to her.  Saturday morning, during a visit from Tom and Karen Cox, he faintly whispered "Tom".

Tonight was really cool.  The speech therapist called Lance after she had gone home for the day; Jill was there in the room and answered phone, then handed it to Lance.  He whispered "hi" and "bye" to Gretchen.  Soon afterward, I called and Lance said those word to me as well.  I asked him about Brock(who was also in the room) and he said "Brock" audibly.  When you have not heard from someone you cherish for 7 1/2 months, these are big events.  We celebrate and give God all  the glory for the good that is coming from this experience.  We know and trust that God is taking care of Lance, consoling him during fearful times, and providing the Holy Spirit abiding presence so he knows that the Creator of the universe is still watching over his every  breath - knowing the number of hairs on his head.

After the phonecall this evening and after watching Stage 9 of the Tour de France earlier today, I felt the compelling need to take a bicycle ride.  It was dusk and it was very hot/humid but I jumped on Lance's  Felt bicycle which he had purchased with graduation cash he received after earning his Master's Degree at the Patterson School of Diplomacy.  I rode 3 miles to one of my favorite spots - the peak of the Ronald Reagan Road.  This is a connector road from the AA Hwy to the Black Oak community; it is one mile road and is a decent challenge on a bicycle because of the grade.  Just as one begins the descent, you get a beautiful panoramic view of the Ohio River valley.  Tonight the sun looked like a bright red molten ball as it dropped over the mountain.  I enjoy the beauty of this place for many reasons.  Often I would stop as I gazed across the valley and call Lance - he would always give me time to describe what it looked like at that moment.  He would say I wish I was there with you, dad......and I felt like he meant it.  Tonight seated on his bicycle, listening to his voice, realizing the long and grueling tour he has traveled (and knowing there are many miles left before we arrive in Paris) made me feel him very close.  Thank-you, his fans and friends, who line the narrow mountain path and cheer him on each day with your prayers, with your love, with your tears.

An FFH song goes something like this: "This would not be the road I would choose for me; but it still feels right somehow.  I have never felt Him as close to me - as I do right now, as I do right now."  Him is capitalized because Him is God.  Thank you God for victorious days like today.  Thanks for being close though, even on days that seem gray.

-John