Busy Monday at Shepherd Center

     Lance has had a busy day.  The hospital was buzzing early this morning because it was moving day.  The second floor renovations are complete(all with donated dollars) and all patients on third floor were given new occupancy in the bright and modern rooms.  Lance room number is now 252.
     Therapy sessions were fun today as Lance accomplished new tasks.  During occupational therapy, he looked at a toothbrush, it was placed in his hand, and then ............opened his mouth as he brought toothbrush close to his mouth.  Gena and I looked at each other with our mouths hanging wide open, right before we started crying tears of joy. 
     The speech therapist raised a glass of water to his mouth and he pulled water through a straw and swallowed.  While these may seem like small things to most of us, these are huge developments for a man who has been injured like Lance and spent the last 50 days in comatose/minimally conscious state.
     It has been a good day and we rejoice in it because it is a day that  the Lord has made.  We also give praise to God for the healing that we see day-to-day.  Our continual prayer is that Lance's healing will bring glory to God.  One take-home I have had from the past seven weeks is that I, as God's creation, should reflect his glory each and every day......whether I am alive and well and at my best or when I'm tired or sick or old (that's all relative) or just not on my A game or ...dying.
     Yes, it seems that death can in fact bring ultimate glory to God.  Think of how we feel at a funeral of one who died in Christ; names of some of my heroes - Lyda Brayfield,  Lottie Johnson,  Thelma Irwin, Tom Bowman, Eva Bivens, and more recently MissVirginia Cooper - come to my mind as examples of individuals who just lived each day in faith.  They were not heroes in the eyes of the world but God knew their hearts, their kindness, and that they lived in His grace and just wanted His glory to be reflected.  The comfort felt in those circumstances....that is the type of solace that each of us want others to feel when the date is set for our funeral.  There are many others I could have named that have left me a legacy of fond memories - people that helped me, loved me, and pointed me in the right direction....toward the cross of Christ.
     Paul, in 1Timothy 1:14 begins, "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  NOW TO THE KING ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, TO GOD WHO ALONE IS WISE, BE HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN."  I've told you my prayer for Lance; I have a prayer for you tonight.  "God I thank you for your grace.  I pray that in my life or through my death, people would give You  glory and honor.  I am thankful for each person who follows Lance's life; I pray that each reader would consider Your grace and realize it is Your gift to them.  In Jesus Name, Amen."

I will close tonight with a Martin Luther King quote; now there's a man who left us a legacy.  Marilyn Scaggs shared this in an email to Lance today:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - MLK

-John

3 days in a row?

You may be thinking, wow! Chelcee is updating three days in a row. 

Well, this isn't much of an update, just a couple things I wanted to share. 

First, many of Lance's friends have commented that they didn't have a picture of themselves and Lance. When Lance traveled to Rome, he took a picture of himself in front of the Coliseum and added this picture to facebook. Lance's caption is under the picture.

If ever you have wanted to go to the coliseum with me, just cut yourself in~ I dont mind

[He had this very situation in mind--that of friends being neglected either of sharing a photo-frame with him or never visiting ancient Roman architecture.  This takes care of both problems, sort of. -brock's edit] Our friend, Alison photoshopped herself in, with the help of Matt. She included it in an email she sent. I thought it was an excellent idea. 

If you would like to do the same, CLICK HERE!

If you perhaps, don't like to travel, don't worry... There will be plenty of photo opportunities in the future. :)

      We had another visitor today, our long-time friend, Chuck Perry. He was the minister at Tollesboro Christian Church when my Dad was in high school and college. He is currently ministering at Peyton Lick and working with Mission Journeys. Some of you may recognize him as the guy on the floor with all the cameras at the UK basketball games. He's an excellent photographer for the University of Kentucky sporting events. This picture came out dark because Chuck insisted on posing by the window in hopes of getting a glimpse of the snow. In Georgia. 

Lance was sleepy today. He slept through his shower and most of the morning. But this afternoon, he had his eyes open. When Dad called to talk to Lance, he anticipated it by reaching for the phone! 

Also, the wound vac is off. Lance had a severe wound on his left leg. A wound vac was placed the first week at UK. Yesterday, they decided it could come off. This is very exciting. It's our impression that once the wound vac comes off, a decision about a skin graft can be made. After they decide whether or not to go ahead with a skin graft, Lance will be able to move to a smaller trach or even a complete trach takedown.

My Dad and Gena are visiting with Ted and Holly Gilbert this evening. 

Ted will probably update the facebook page later, but this is what I know now.

Shannon laughed at her mom today. She is becoming more mobile in the bed, by holding on to the rails and attempting to lift herself up. 

The doctors are referring her to Cardinal Hill for rehab. 

I'm so excited for her recovery!

That's all for now.

God Bless!

January in the Arclantic

Lance is a Louisville Cardinal fan…He enrolled at UofL in the fall of 2004 and graduated in the spring of 2008 with a degree in Classic Languages and History. He was in the marching band, playing saxophone his entire four years. He loved it. There are not that many Louisville fans around Eastern Kentucky. Most of them bleed blue. So, I was not at all surprised when I heard the news of some friends from Lewis County making the trip to see UK play at UGA.

However, I know the real reason for traveling to Georgia was to see Lance.

McGlones: This group of people would travel anywhere to see UK play. They would also travel anywhere to see my brother. 

Buffalo Trails sponsors a race every year in Maysville. You can participate in the triathlon, duathlon, or 5k. This past year, Lance and Chris decided to do the duathlon together. Chris would ride the bike and Lance would do the running.  They called themselves Team O'Glone. I couldn't find their times for the race, but I'm sure it was amazing... just look at those two :)

Jean: I had some rules when I knew that we were going to have lots of visitors, so that we wouldn't over stimulate Lance. One of the rules was that Jean couldn't make me cry. She has a very tender heart and watching her sit by Lance's bed and hold his hand makes me tear up. She has made us some wonderful goodies since we have been hanging out at hospitals. She's a lovely cook. Unfortunately, Lance and Jean didn't pose for many pictures together. There is time for that in the future. 

Lance and Megan go way back. 

They are the same age, so they have grown up together. The summer before the 4^th grade, they wanted to go to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. On the way, they stopped at the National Corvette Museum. This is one of my favorite pictures. It even features little Alex. 

Lance and Megan were both in the Lewis County Band of Pride Marching and Pep Band. They attended the same church, KUNA events, and graduated high school together in 2004. 

Ben is another person that holds many roles for the O'Cull family. Ben was in band with Lance when they were in high school. Ben was Lance 's chauffeur to and from band practice for years. Since high school, they have remained very close. Ben has become one of my very best friends. I don't know what I would do without him. He keeps me in check. He has recently moved into the house in front of my mom's, which makes him part of the family.  Ben also attends church with my dad and had recently talked about playing a little music with him. Since Lance's accident, he has taken care of my mom's house and dogs. He has driven both our cars to Lexington. He has picked out clothes, Yes, he has… and taken extra stuff home.  Ben's been a life saver to us. 

We have received a lot of emails from friends and family, but Becky's was absolutely the funniest I have read so far. Becky was our next door neighbor when we lived in Meadowbrook. When I was younger,  I would flee over to Becky's when things didn't go my way. Lance did the same thing. I actually got a picture of Becky at the hospital, but Ben caught her napping on the way back to KY and send it to me. I found it much more humorous.

Before we moved to Clarksburg, my family lived in Meadowbrook. My good friend, Ashley Lance Cooper lived right around the block. He is currently enrolled at the Sherman School of Chiropractic in South Carolina. Which is only a 2 1/2 hour drive from Atlanta. He was able to come and visit us this past Saturday. A couple weeks ago, when I learned what weekend Ashley would be coming, I told him he could go with us to the UK game. He agreed. One day this past week, Ashley called me and said, CHELCEE! this game is in Alabama! I don't think I can drive to the Alabama.
He was a little confused. He thought we were going to the UK's bowl game. Instead of the basketball game against UGA the same day. So, as a joke, Ashley brought his UK football snuggie that he would have worn to the football game.
:) He's the best. I am very fortunate to have such amazing friends. 

Brock stayed with Lance, while the eight of us traveled to Athens to watch Coach Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats play the University of Georgia Bulldogs. It wasn't the best game. In fact, it was a horrible game. But there was good food and good friends, and all of us were wearing blue. 




The title is January in the Arclantic. Credit to Brock, for coming up with that one. I'm sure some of you have seen on the news that Atlanta is in quite the situation with the snow. Or as the locals call it, THE BLIZZARD. I assure you, we are not in a blizzard, not even an ice storm. Not by Kentucky standards anyway. There has been snow and yes, there has been some ice. Here is the problem: No snow plows, no salt trucks, and no one knows how to drive in these conditions. But I digress. 










This has turned out to be an extremely long update... I apologize. 



Sometimes I feel like I type a lot about what is going on with Lance physically, and while I want to keep everyone updated, I know that there are many of you who are reading this and don't really know Lance. So, thats when I try to incorporate who Lance is and who we are as a family. I've done that a lot the last couple days... So here is the nitty gritty on my baby brother. (He hates when I call him that)


All casts are off! So thankful for that. The therapists have made the casts that were on Lance's arms and legs into splints and he has to wear those at night. But at least, his limbs are free during the day. 
He was on his stomach for 45 minutes today. This is a big deal around here. He tolerated it very well. He held his head up almost the entire time. 
The physical therapist also tried some electrical stimulation today on Lance's right leg. She was thrilled with how he responded to it. 
With his pelvic fracture and the nature of the surgery, he won't be weight bearing for another couple of weeks. They are trying to get his legs into the best shape for when he is able to stand on them. 
Because of the snow, Lance's regular speech therapist hasn't been able to make it in. Today, we had a fill in. She gave Lance some ice and told him to look at his sister. I had to speak to get him to look up at my face. But I think he could follow my voice and knew it was me. She also found him a small set of bongo drums. Brock played them this evening. Lance studies them, but hasn't made an attempt to play them... yet. 


I think that's all for now. As always, keep the prayers coming. And remember, Shannon in your prayers as well. Two days ago, she was able to move out of ICU and into a regular room. Hopefully, tomorrow I will have more of an update on her progress!

so... is Lance awake?

That is a question that I get asked everyday... and a question that I ask myself every single day. 
The truth is... we are unsure on how awake he really is. The brain is a very unique organ. 
He is not in a deep coma. 
He keeps his eyes open for hours at a time. He can see. He can thumb-wrestle. He can blink his eyes if he wants more ice and shake his head no, if he doesn't want to go back to bed. 
However, he is still being scored in the minimally conscious state. Sometimes when his eyes are open, he is just staring blankly. Sometimes, he wants to look to the right more than he looks to the left. Sometimes, he won't open his eyes when we ask him to. Sometimes, when you are telling him something that you think is really important, he just shuts his eyes. (That may also be because I talk too much. Come to think of it, he did that to me before the accident) 
The kind of injury he has is called a DAI, a diffuse axonal injury. The first day they told us that, I googled it... it said it was the most common type of traumatic brain injury. I remember reading something that said, 'persistent vegetative state' and then I read that 'over 90% never regain consciousness' 
That would be when I stopped reading. 
I'm not positive that I'm quoting wikipedia correctly because I read it one time. on November 30th. And I haven't read it since. 
The brain is still trying to heal. Lance's accident happened on Cranston. We all know how dangerous this road is. However, we still drive 55-60 mph on it all the time. Lance was probably driving that fast, and the other car was also. Most of the impact was on the drivers side door, that is a lot of impact for a brain to withstand. Lance may lose some of what he had once known. I have said from the beginning, that even if Lance only has half of the knowledge he had before the accident, he still would be smarter than most of us. 


Its confusing to me that he can still be in somewhat of a comatose state and be able to see. its strange. But its happening. 
Lance was always good with extreme facial expressions.       This is one of them  >
My dad can get close to Lance and make this same face and Lance will mimic it. The other day, when we had some visitors, I just showed him this picture on my phone and he did it. 





I have had excellent luck with writing him things on a dry erase board. He studies it for a long time. But I know he is reading it, and taking it all in. I have written that he was in a car accident, that it wasn't his fault, that he was alone. I told him that he is breathing on his own. And that we came to Atlanta to get the most awesome therapy in the world to make him better. All of these things I know Lance is concerned about, even though he can't voice them. 
I also am convinced he can read... this is something I wrote for him a couple weeks ago:

and this, was what I got:

                                  

When we were in Lexington, we started taking pictures of people who came to see Lance. We thought it would be a good way to show him how many people cared about him. We have continued that in Georgia. I couldn't possibly upload all of the pictures from the people who came to UK. It would take forever. But I'm going to upload some from here in Atlanta. 

You have seen the picture of Lex Luger and Brock. Another visitor was Scotty Hunt. He has some Tollesboro connections. He was in a horrible car accident in 1985. Scotty was a patient at the Shepherd Center. He has a magnificent story. He and his mother came to offer encouragement and bring a book that they wrote about his accident and recovery. I haven't been in the room either time they have been here, so we don't have a picture of them... yet. 

Brock was given the awesome opportunity to attend the PASSION conference this year. They had a specific part of it that is devoted to Prayer. During that time, Brock wrote a prayer request on a small piece of paper for our brother. and it fell into the hands of these two girls. Sarah and Jennifer. They came to visit us last week. And WOW, such passion they have. Gena and I were able to sit down and talk with them, tell them about Lance and how wonderful he is. They told us how they are going to be in this for the long haul with us. To pray for us, and with us. To visit, to rejoice, to do whatever we needed. I'm convinced they should be motivational speakers. They have a special place in their hearts for The Shepherd Center. Who knew we would come to Atlanta? Who knew Brock would go to Passion? Who knew that he would write what he did and one of these girls would receive it? GOD knew. 

Brock was accompanied to PASSION by Robin Watson. I've only known Robin for a short time, but I love her already. She's a big fan of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. She's funny, sweet and most importantly, a great friend to Brock and Lance. Robin is the Missions Coordinator for the BCM, which is the Baptist Campus Ministries on Morehead State University's campus. Brock and Lance volunteered their time and talent at Tuesday Night Live, the BCM's version of Saturday Night Live.  After the conference, Brock and Robin came to The Shepherd Center. Robin was able to get in a little thumb-wrestling action with Lance. 

My grandma Marlene is one of the best cooks I know. She's awesome. She can make anything on demand. And usually she can have it done in the time it takes me to get from my house to hers. Her best friend in high school was Sue. They must have learned to cook together. Sue is married to Wendell Hull. Wendell is Janis Barbour's brother. They live in Georgia. They brought us the most amazing meal, ever. Chicken with artichoke and mushrooms, squash casserole, green beans and potatoes, rolls, and a cherry dessert.                               So yummy! We thank you guys so much for coming, bringing back-home cooking, and visiting with us. And of course, meeting Lance. 

I have been here since Christmas Day. Dad & Gena have been switching each weekend with Mom and Brock. Last week, Dad and Gena were here. My Mom's plan was to drive down on Thursday evening, so Kim Lykins came with her. Kim somehow, managed to get out of Georgia without getting her picture taken. So, I had to steal this picture from Whitney and crop it.                                                       Kim is our neighbor. She moved into the house across the field from us 16 years ago. Her daughter, Whitney is the same age as Lance. She also has worked as a dental hygienist at my Dad's dental office for as long as I can remember. We go to church with her. She walks with my mom in the evenings. She is a best friend to all of us. She holds many roles to the O'Cull's. She also makes the most amazing zucchini bread. 

The list of loving friends doesn't end there.  However, for the sake of time and space, this blog post will. Tomorrow, I'll have more to share from the loving support we've received here at the Shepherd Center.

-Chelcee

Prayers - Near and Far

I was able to attend the prayer service tonight for Shannon at Fly Branch Church of Christ.  Josh Book made comments and led prayer service after Tim and Billie Thornsberry, and Melissa Reis led the time of praise.  Billie, speaking from  her heart, related empathetically what it was like to be a parent through a time like this.  An offering was collected and then all in attendance held hands in a large prayer circle, which formed a perimeter along the walls of the sanctuary.  Prayers were offered silently and verbally by those in the circle.  Our prayers go up to God for Shannon and all her family, our special friends Ted and Holly, and to those who provide her care.  Chelcee and Lance had prayer at the same time, in the Shepherd Center, for Shannon.

Lance has had a quiet weekend; much activity will occur starting Monday morning with all the therapy teams back to work.  Thanks to all who have followed with interest and for each prayer that has been offered for these two young people.  Ted and I have discussed the news, as we receive it, of prayers offered around the globe on their behalf.  Thank you God for your wonderful Kingdom and for all those who dwell therein.

-John

Boat Rides............Too Short or Too Long

   A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, on a beautiful Friday afternoon, I met Lance at Farmers which is just outside of Morehead, Kentucky.  He had attended Friday morning classes while I had worked on some office obligations; we had planned to connect and spend afternoon together.  Our goal was to move our small pontoon boat from Cave Run Lake, get it winterized (with the help of our friend Wayne Johnson), and into storage for the cold months ahead.  The huge surprise for us was the weather treat - incredible for a November afternoon.  Lance jumped into car with me and we headed out to the marina where Karen shuttled us out to buoy #70.  We uncovered the pontoon, then started the motor; it was sluggish as it had been used sparingly this season and especially during the fall.  Then we sat back and slowly trolled across the glistening lake. 
   We talked of life, it's ups and downs, and the inevitable decisions that come our way.  I was so proud of Lance on that day; he had worked diligently on the challenging science classes during the semester, but he had also sorted through much of life in recent months.  I frankly was surprised at how he had handled the "pre-med experiment" - earning decent grades despite being away from Biology, Chemistry, and Calculus for several years.  Anatomy under David Saxon had been very challenging but Dr. Saxon's zeal in teaching had inspired Lance; he provides great testimony of how one can remain enthusiastic through a long career of teaching and working with young people.  Also Lance had been in a spiritual awakening, realizing that serving God and being in relationship with Him is our life's primary purpose.  Secondary to that is our relationships with one another - befriending others, developing relationships.  Lance's screen saver, at the time of his accident, was a picture with the inscription "Be kind - everyone you meet is facing a hard battle."
  To me, that is like a paraphrase of the Golden Rule......and that combined with all I was oberving in his life and character......made a father proud.  Lance had made decision to return to Lexington and accept a part-time position at the Nunn Center (UK Library).  It was not necessarily what his training had prepared him to do, nor was it glamorous like living in a remote part of the world may have been.  But it was who Lance was right now - and the cool thing was - he was comfortable in that skin.  His faith was strong and his future was in God's hands; he just thought he would step through the next door and see where it led.  We laughed(easy to do now) as we talked about a close call I had earlier in the summer on another boat outing with several family members, including all four grandchildren. (To learn more about this adventure, request "Johnny's Big Swim" from Chelcee or me.)
   The boat ride was way too short, for both of us.  Wayne was waiting for us on the ramp;  we closed out the 2010 lake season as the boat went on the trailer.   Lance and I walked to the car and I told him how much I had enjoyed the aftenoon.  His reply; one many of you may have heard accompanied by his big smile....... "Good times!".   I headed back home and he went back to his house for a weekend of study after one of our usual, long man-hugs.
   Today is day 43 of Lance's journey: I decided to liken it to Noah's journey (not that I have often been likened to any of the heroes of the Bible).  I do like that the story of God is told and the mysteries are unraveled through rather ordinary people, like you and me, who He uses in extraordinary ways.  Noah worked on the ark for over 100 years; God has been getting each of us prepared for what lies ahead.  I have said over the past four years that He is getting me ready for something; maybe this is it - Lance's journey or his accident and resulting injuries.
     Noah boarded the ark with his wife, three sons, and three daughter-in-laws (and a boatload of animals) one week before the rain started.  Then it rained for 40 days and 40 nights; also water was gushing from the earth in this cataclysmic event in which the pre-flood water canopy, which had created a greenhouse effect, provided even more water - adequate to cover all existing land.  What I was considering on day 40 (of our journey), was how those eight individuals on the ark, had experienced 40 straight days/nights of pounding rain; with no motors, they were probably tossing to and fro as they heard many storm sounds while the earth went through the radical changes which the Bible simply calls The Flood.  It is during these dark hours of the storms of life that each heartbeat is heard and each hour drags by slowly.
   Finally the rain stopped; the boat ride however, was far from over.  (An excellent accounting of the days on the ark can be found in a book entitled the Genesis Record by Henry M. Morris.)  If the math is right, Noah and his family (and all those animals) were on the boat 371 days.  That my friends is a long boat ride....too, too long.  If Lance, all of us, and all of you journey that long - it means there are 328 days left.  If the doctors are accurate in their predictions, we may be on a journey which is that long, or longer.  Some have mentioned 18 months as the time length for nerve recovery. 
   When Noah deboarded the ark, they walked into a world that had not been annihilated, but was new and different.  Our world, at the end of our journey,  will be that way as well.  I think most of you will agree that the world will look different AND each of us have already changed.  That is ok because change is needed for growth; I believe we have all grown in faith, love, and hope.  Our prayer lives have changed. We see acquaintances through different eyes - with more acceptance, with greater compassion.  We are hugging our kids, our parents, our spouses, our friends - longer and tighter than before.  In this we will show our love and it will bring glory to God when we do.  Tonight or tomorrow, before you pray, read 1 John chapters 3-5.  chapter 3, verse 10 says "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother."   Remember, everyone you meet is facing a hard battle.

-John    

prayer service for Shannon. Sunday, at 6pm at Fly Branch Church of Christ

Lance has been in room 316 since he has arrived at Shepherd. Today we moved to room 315.

When I hear 316, I immediately think of John 3:16. So, now I'll start one verse ahead of that. 

John 3:15 reads, "that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him"

315 is a private room. We can have better control over noise and temperature. And its closer to our new friend, Hudson Myers, who is also a patient here. 

Lance has tried some orange juice and did very well. He also tried some chocolate ice cream, however he was very sleepy and it didn't go over as well as we would have hoped. He is still getting up in the wheelchair everyday for about 5-6 hours. They took the cast off of his left arm and they are letting it rest for a couple days. It has already straightened out so much. His right arm is now in a cast, and he has a new one of his right foot. its purple. He won't like that at all. 

We have quite a bit of Eastern Kentucky in the Shepherd Center this weekend! I'll update more on that in the next blog. 

One of my favorite times of the day is when the mail man comes. Since I posted the link on how to email Lance.. WOW, we have gotten tons of emails. Thanks so much. Words of encouragement are always what we need. Hearing from people that we don't even know is blowing my mind everyday. And I love to read from Lance's friends. The friends I didn't know, reading about how they knew him and what they had done together... remarkable. 

so, Thank you!

This evening my dad's phone rang and it was Ted Gilbert. I was soooo glad that I was able to talk to him for a few minutes. He asked about Lance and then gave me some awesome news about Shannon:

We are absolutely thrilled with Shannon's progress today.  First, we were expecting it to take two or three days to wean her off the ventilator, but she did so well that they just shut it off this morning.  She is breathing entirely on her own.  She is also very responsive today, and will reach up and take someone's hand on command.  They moved her to a chair for about 90 minutes this afternoon.  She seemed to like the chair a lot, and was extremely active.  One of the highlights came when we showed her a necklace Holly bought for her, and she was stomping both feet.  We figure she really liked the necklace!

We are so thankful for all the prayers, and give God all the praise and glory for Shannon's continued improvement.  Please remember the community prayer service this Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at Fly Branch Church of Christ in Vanceburg.  If you can't attend, please say a special prayer for Shannon during that time.

I talked to John O'Cull this afternoon, and Lance is also getting a little stronger every day.  I told John that I know their family wants to be with us the same as we want to be with them, but circumstances are just not allowing it.  But I know John is sitting right beside me and I am right beside him as we go through this together.  You can get updates on Lance at livethelion.blogspot.com.  Thanks so much for your prayers and words of comfort and support.

-Ted

If you are able to go to prayer service for Shannon on Sunday, please do. If you can't say a prayer during that time. We will be praying in Atlanta for her. 

Vanceburg had a special prayer service for Lance on the Sunday before Christmas. My Dad, my Mom, Gena, Brock and I were able to stand around Lance's bed and be in prayer the same time that many of our friends and family were gathering in Vanceburg in prayer. That evening we saw some amazing things happen. He seems to be connecting with us more than he ever had. There is power in prayer. 

God Bless!

-chelcee

sometimes, I have a lot to say

I am a firm believer in list-making. It helps me feel as though I am accomplishing something. I can cross out a task, or throw the whole list away when I'm done. My dad used to leave us notes when he left for work... loving letters, in the form of a list. He says that he makes a list because he is afraid he will forget something. What happens most often is that he forgets the list altogether. :)
So, the past couple days as I have thought about things to put on the next blog, I keep adding notes to a post-it. I have no idea where that post-it is. I'm more like my father every day.

I'm going to do my best to remember all of my points.

1.  If you want to get a hold of Lance, you can click on the link below to get the address here at Shepherd or can you actually send Lance an email. His friend, Trish has been emailing him nearly every day. We read these to Lance. And I think we enjoy them just as much.
http://www.shepherd.org/about/how-to-reach-a-patient

2.Vanceburg Christian Church was very fortunate to have a youth minister named Todd Hyatt and his wife, Megan working with the teens in our church from September 2006 to May 2007. They have since relocated to Georgia, which has allowed them and their new son, Parker to visit with Lance and us here at Shepherd. He is now an Associate Student Pastor at First Baptist Church in Snellville, GA.

He has a very special friend, Lex Luger. I'm sure some of you recognize the name. He was a pro-wrestler.
Lex had a spinal stroke in 2007 and came to The Shepherd Center for therapy. Coincidentally, he occupied the exact bed as Lance is in today. 316-B. He was paralyzed from the neck down, however, yesterday he was able to walk into Lance's room.

Lex comes here often to talk to patients and encourage them.
Brock and his friend, Robin had just arrived from the PASSION conference and were able to meet Lex, as well.

Very Awesome!


3. Lance is being scored on multiple scales. One of them is the Rancho coma scale. In order for Lance to be accepted into PREP (the program that stimulates and coaxes him out of the coma) he had to score a 2 on the Rancho. For him to move out of PREP and into the therapy program, he has to score a 4. He is now scoring a 3. The next phase for him is agitation. Lance didn't let much of anything bother him. So, I've wondered how agitated is he going to get? Is he going to push someones hand away? Is he going to get mad? Well, for the first time... I hope he does. Because that means he is improving.

4. Another scale that he is being scored on is the JFK Coma Recovery Scale. The highest you can score on this is a 23. When Lance got here, he scored a 3. Last week, a 7. Yesterday, a 13! This is telling us that he is no longer in the coma stage, but in the minimally conscious stage. The speech therapist is the one that measures these improvements. She is amazing. She also measures his swallowing abilities. He was able to tolerate a few ice chips starting on Monday. Yesterday, she gave him a couple bites of applesauce, and today, chocolate pudding. She feels that the cold sensation of the ice triggers the swallowing reflex. Lance's friend, Mary sent me a message saying how she thinking that he would love some ice cream. So, I'm going to mention that to his speech therapist tomorrow.

5. the speaking valve...
Lance had a pretty bad wound on his left calf. He has had a wound vac on it since the first week at UK. Its healing wonderfully, but we are still waiting on the plastic surgeon to decide whether or not he will need a skin graft. Once the skin graft is finished or they determine that he doesn't need it, he will be able to move to a smaller trach. They want to make sure all surgeries are completed before they change his airway. The smaller trach will allow for a speaking valve to work easier for him. The respiratory Therapist actually tried a couple trials with the speaking valve on the trach he has now. His oxygen levels stayed up, but they said he wasn't quite ready for it yet.

6. Lance got a shower today! He was up in the wheelchair for 6 hours. He went to the gym for therapy. This has been his biggest day as far as therapy goes. So, he is totally wiped out tonight. Just listening to Robert Johnson on his iPod. Occupational therapy has been working with his arms, trying to get the muscles to relax. He has a cast on his left arm. They are taking it off every couple of days, and recasting it in a more extended position. Physical therapy have fixed him a splint for his left leg that he wears at night. And he has a cast on his right leg that is preparing his foot and ankle in the right position and angle that he will need when he can bear weight.

7. Update on Shannon... You can search for Shannon Gilbert on Facebook.
January 4th, 2011

Shannon had a good day today.  After 6 days of just being quiet and watching her rest and heal, we have been talking to her and touching her to stimulate her to wake up.   There was a lot of activity in her room today, including having the TV on pretty loud all day.  Shannon doesn't watch much TV, so for her the medical terminology for this would probably be "irritation stimulation".   She is responding to various stimulations from us and from the nursing staff.  She has been trying to open her eyes at times throughout the day, and her Aunt Angie got Shannon to squeeze her hand on a verbal command.  But it seemed that she responded the most when her Uncle Marvin was talking to her late this evening.  He was rubbing her forehead and talking to her and she was moving her arms and legs repeatedly.  Just about all of us witnessed something from our time with her today that caused us to praise and thank God.   The medical staff wants her to get back into a normal night and day routine, so the stimulation sort of ended around 9 or so and will probably resume tomorrow.  

The next medical goal is to get her off the ventilator as soon as we can, and they will be doing a tracheostomy Wednesday to move the vent tube from her mouth.  This is the first step in the process to get her back to breathing entirely on her own.  This will also be much more comfortable for Shannon.  We are praying for more progress tomorrow and the days ahead.  It is still impossible to predict anything, but we are hopeful and prayerful.  

A special community prayer service for Shannon is planned for Sunday, January 9 at 6PM at Fly Branch Church of Christ in Vanceburg.  Pastor Josh Book is coordinating the service with other local churches. 

I talked to John O'Cull this afternoon and am so happy to report that Lance continues to show gains.  You can keep up to date on Lance at the special blog livethelion.com.  It is really hard on all of us who love Lance to not be able to be there with him, and I know that Lance's family feels the same about Shannon.  John and I are talking everyday and sharing news and support, and it really helps us both.  We are also so deeply grateful to our good friends Tim and Billie Jo Thornsberry.  They have walked in the same shoes we are wearing now, and they have been such a blessing to us.     

Please keep praying for Shannon and for traveling safety for all the family and friends that are coming to visit her and to support us.  And, please keep Lance in your prayers. 

-Ted

8. Miracle Happen.

9. We have so much to be thankful for. Its been over 5 weeks, since Lance's accident and our friends, family and people we don't even know are still praying for his recovery. Please keep Shannon and her family in your prayers. I went through some of the cards we have received, two of the verses that keep reappearing in those cards are Isaiah 40:28-31 and Jeremiah 29:11. If you know them, share them with someone. If you don't, look them up.

Monday, January 3rd 2011

The Shepherd Center is an amazing place. We are continuously encouraged by the therapists, doctors and nurses. As well, as the other patients and their success stories.
The speech therapist was in earlier this morning, she said Lance's swallowing reflex was excellent. He is up in the wheelchair right now, and went out for a spin with physical therapy.

Brock was given the opportunity to attend the PASSION conference here in Atlanta. You can watch the live feeds here...
www.268generation.com

My dad is on the phone with Ted right now, getting an update on Shannon. They have removed all chemical sedation and she has been fluttering her eyes a little bit.
If you are on facebook, you can search for Shannon Gilbert. The updates on a page created about Shannon. Not her actual facebook page.
If you aren't on Facebook, I will try to post updates on this blog. Here is Sunday's update:

Shannon's condition is the same as yesterday, meaning her vital signs have continued to be stable.  We had some small encouragements yesterday and today.  She is completely off any blood pressure regulating medicine, and she also had a CT Scan this morning that indicated there was no regression in her condition.  They also removed the IV that was taking continuous blood pressure measurements.  These are small things, but we see them all as positive steps forward.  Unless there is a change, the medical staff has said they will begin the process of waking her up on Monday.  We don't know exactly when they will begin removing the sedation medications, but we do know that no one can predict how long it will take for her to wake up.  As incredibly difficult as everything has been up to now, this next step will be even more so.  We ask for your continued prayers for our precious Shannon.  We appreciate all the prayers and support, which have come from so many people we can't even begin to count the number.  We have heard about churches and prayer groups from hundreds and even thousands of miles away who have been praying for her recovery.  It is a humbling experience for us to know that so many people are going to God in prayer, many of them people who have never even met Shannon. 

We placed several photographs of Shannon in her room today, just so the medical staff can maybe get a glimpse into the personality of the beautiful, loving girl that we know.  Many, many times these people never get to see the patient they are caring for in the same way that their families see them.   We also wrote them a note of appreciation for all they have done and continue to do to help bring Shannon back to us. 

Please continue to pray for Shannon, and please continue praying for Lance O'Cull.   Lance is showing improvement every day, and we give the praise and glory to God for all these miracles.

-Ted

the new year can reset life and stuff

Last year on New Years Day, I witnessed something a little crazy. Lance and my good friend, Aaron Kegley (better known as Keg) decided to do something adventurous to start the year off right. They wanted to jump in Kinniconick Creek. Some of you may have heard of the Polar Bear Plunge. This was similar, except... Lewis County style :)
Some of our friends and family didn't think they would do it... However, I knew they would. Lance and Keg are very similar. When either of them set their mind to something, they do it. Especially, if its out of the norm. 
So, on January 1st 2010 around 9am, we headed to one of my friend's farm that sits right on Kinney. 

Outside temp was 22. The water was 35 degrees

 My mom came along with a shower curtain rod. I think she thought she could pull them in out of the water, should they freeze. Ben Harrison, Megin Maugans and I got situated with our cameras and I was thinking to myself, they are just going to climb up on the tree stump, jump in and get out. 

 

But Lance obviously had other plans... he started reading poetry by Walt Whitman. This seems to last forever. 






Flood-Tide of the River, flow on! i watch you, face to face. Clouds of the west! sun half an hour high! I see you also face to face

-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass.








We watched, bundled in our coats, hats, gloves and snowboots as they stripped down to shorts and water shoes and finally, they climbed up on the tree stumps, planned where they would jump 

And, then they took the plunge!

The looks on their faces when they came above water was absolutely priceless.

They named it The Kinneydip.

This is a text message I received from Keg earlier today, "I know the Kinneydip was in Lance's plans this year and that he is looking forward to how "the new year can reset life and stuff." It seemed only appropriate to keep the tradition going in only its sophomore year... So, the 2nd annual Kinneydip was a much warmer 45 degrees compared to the previous years 22. But, the thawing snow and ice made up for it with frigid waters from the melting runoff. Instead of the plunge, the slow march seemed like a good idea this year. In hindsight, I'm not sure what i was thinking. While the attendance this year was down to only me and my ol' man, he assisted with a few photos."

Even though Kinneydip 2011 was just Keg, I feel very confident that Lance was there in spirit and that he will be there in the future. Jumping in freezing water takes a lot of courage. That, or just being completely nonsensical. But what my brother is doing today, and what he has been doing for the past 35 days is far more courageous than anything he has ever done, or hopefully will ever have to do. 

I shared the text and the pictures with Lance this evening. We even looked at the pictures from last years Kinneydip. He gave me a thumbs up when I asked him what he thought about it.

In a voicemail that Ben left him this evening, he told Lance to give me a thumbs up. It took him a minute, but he did it. He smiled at my dad today. Keep praying and things will keep happening for Lance. We can't wait to share more good news with everyone everyday! 

"The new year can reset life and stuff" 

*Prayers for Shannon Gilbert's recovery and strength for the family are greatly appreciated. They are keeping her in a drug-induced coma for a couple more days. I'm going to try to update on her status on here as soon as we know*