A Day at the Gym 11/22/16

Day 56:

Today was a very special day for Josh and the family. Due to the infections, he has moved back and forth between the hospital and polytrauma center several times since arriving 3 weeks ago. He is currently infection free and in the polytrauma center where we hope he stays for the remainder of his time in San Antonio! Kelsey and I arrived on Sunday night and have been very impressed with the facility and the entire support team the VA has built around Josh. Today the polytrauma staff got Josh out of bed, into a special motorized wheelchair, and took him to the gym! At the gym, they were able to sit Josh upright, stretch out his muscles, and do some sensory work. This is the first time he has been out of bed in 8 weeks! As long as Josh keeps the infections away, physical therapy will be part of his daily routine.

It was very special for us to see Josh out of bed. It is such a strange sensation being here with him and being able to participate in his recovery. Back home we go about our lives and see the same people day after day and nothing really changes that much. With Josh, everytime I see him he is different than he was the day before. I don’t have children but I imagine the feeling is similar to watching your children grow up. His progress seems incredibly slow right now but I know looking back on it one day, it will feel like it flew by.

Thank you all for all the cards and letters. We tried to fit them all in the picture above but there are so many! Aunts, uncles and cousins arrived yesterday and today. For several of them it was the first time they’ve been able to see him in person. He is still in his coma but has his eyes open for most of the day. The majority of his movement is on his left side. The impact from the crash was on his right side which has been slower to recover.

I really love my brother and this is difficult, but God is present and God is working. Being here brings me an incredible amount of hope. Hope for a future for Josh that doesn’t include hospital beds or breathing treatments. A future full of jumping in the lake or sharing a big family meal. Please pray for the infection to stay away and for continued progress on his right side specifically.

We will have a special Josh post on Thanksgiving so be on the lookout.

Jeremiah 17:14

“Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

All In For Josh