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




Thursday, October 20, 2011

if only i had an app for this...

I think if I had an app for this blog, I could update on a more timely manner. Or maybe Lance needs a twitter, would you follow him? Hmm, he might not like that.
Ok, anyway, we haven't updated in over a month, lets see... what all has happened.
Lance spend a whole month at Cardinal Hill. He was able to walk on the lokomat two or three times a week. Lisa, the therapist that helps him with that was able to make great strides this time in the flexion of his left knee. Physical therapy and occupational therapy (Kelly and Deanna) were working with him on a daily basis, stretching his muscles and helping him with daily activities. Gretchen cleared him for eating! Lance can now eat almost anything. We started with soft, moist foods. However, he can chew most anything. In fact, he has been eating so well, that we no longer have to give him the 7 cans of tube feeding every day through the tube in his stomach. He is down to only 2 cans. Lance was discharged from Cardinal Hill last Friday. Since then he has been eating lots of homecooked meals. Vegetable soup, brown beans and cornbread, meatloaf, etc.... I would say that we will be taking the last 2 cans of tube feeding away soon. He is also taking all of his pills by mouth now :)
Lance has stepped up his singing game quite a bit lately. I can youtube any song I can think of and he can sing it to me. Born to be Wild, Bennie and the Jets, Boy Named Sue. It doesn't matter, he knows the words and sings right along.
We went to church this past Sunday and he sang to all of those songs as well.
Since he is back home, we are back to trips almost everyday. Which is tiring but very helpful for Lance.

So, things are going well. Thanks to everyone who sent me gentle reminders that no one had posted anything in weeks. We appreciate ALL of you sooooo much!
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