Well, we have good news and bad news. The good news. Today Ryan’s standing frame came in. It is a very nice one and our son-in-law, Steve, was the guinea-pig in getting it set up. Steve is pretty much the same size and shape as Ryan – tall and skinny!! It was eye opening to get it set up; Steve would tell us where it hurt or when there was pressure on the knees, tail bone, hip bones, etc. etc. We really don’t realize how sensitive our body is, until we can’t feel it!! It will be really good for Ryan to “stretch” out -- right now, he gets to lie down or sit in his wheelchair. Standing will allow his organs to move into the correct position too!!
The bad news. Monday, Dean was informed by his partners that after 19 years of working together he would need to find another job the first of the year. Ryan took it pretty hard, he feels guilty and responsible for all that has happened in our lives over the last several months. He wouldn’t talk for a day or two; it will take time to digest and process this, but he is resilient and hopefully the Lord will open new doors for us. It seems when Ryan has low days, somebody, somewhere, somehow finds a way to touch our lives and help us to see the bright side. Ryan had a “heart attack” – thanks to some great people – that we don’t even know! He got an envelope full of construction paper hearts, – all sizes, from one inch to eight inches – with all sorts of kind words of love and encouragement. We thank you!!
We are grateful for this Thanksgiving weekend, as we do have many many blessing to be thankful for. We are grateful that Uncle Keith and Aunt Geralyn and their family made it here. Especially since Geralyn is going to cook Thanksgiving dinner!!
We are so thankful for all of the love and support that we have received during this trying time. As we begin this Holiday Season, we hope and pray that all have a Happy Thanksgiving and very Merry Christmas.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Murphy's Law
Two weeks ago, today, we went out to get in the van to go to church and the doors wouldn’t open with the keyless remote. I was able to unlock the doors with the keys, but still couldn’t unlock the side door with the automatic door locks. I finally figured out that the battery was dead. Dean was already at the church so I called him and told him the problem; he came home and jump started the van so that Ryan and I could go to church. We had problems over the next several days with the battery staying charged. We didn’t know if the “lift” was draining the battery or what the problem was. Thursday, we made an appointment with the Ford dealership and took it in and found that the battery was bad. After it was fixed, Dean went and picked it up and stopped on the way home to get gas. After filling the tank, he tried to start the van – with no luck. The battery seemed to be fine, but the engine wasn’t getting any gas. Dean had to have it towed to the dealership; the next morning he called to let them know that the van was there and there were still some problems. The dealership called a few hours later and said that the fuel pump was bad and needed to be replaced; they would have to order the parts so it wouldn’t be ready until Monday. Dean told them that Ryan had a dentist appointment and that was the only way we had to transport him. After getting to the service departments managers’- manager (you always have to go to the top!) we were told that they would pull a fuel pump off of a vehicle in the yard and try and have the van ready by 2:00p.m., in time for his Dentist appointment. After pulling the gas tank and fuel pump, they realized with the modifications that had been made to the van (lowering the floor by 6”s, which necessitated a smaller gas tank) that the parts that they were going to order wouldn’t have worked anyway. They had the right parts on hand, did the best they could; but we didn’t get the van until about 3:30p.m. – to late for the dentist appointment, but in time for a concert later that evening. Murphy’s Law -- we can be home for several days but when transportation is not available, we have all sorts of commitments or activities planned!!
We had purchased tickets earlier in the month to a “country/western” concert which was going to take place at the Farmington Civic Center. We got to the civic center and found a “rowdy” crowd. Much to our astonishment, we learned that alcohol is allowed in the civic center. I guess we are very sheltered or pretty naive!! After we took our seats we begin to feel really uncomfortable and decided that that is not where we wanted to be, so we went to the office and asked for our money back. The management wasn’t too excited to give us our money back, until the producer of the event came hurriedly in and asked for “female backup” as there was a domestic problem and he needed help. While the lady was trying to decide whether to give us our money back or not, the producer came back thru the office and said that they needed to call for police backup, “there was a guy bleeding in the bathroom and things were getting out of control!” The management clerk looked at us and gladly refunded our money. As we were leaving the Farmington Police were on their way in and commented as to how they wished that the Civic Center would not allow alcohol in the area. All of the plays or concerts we have been to at the Civic Center have been very good, with decent crowds; but from now on, we will investigate a little more as to what type of event is taking place.
Saturday night we had a little better experience. The Piedra Vista (PV) High School Drama Department was putting on “The Miracle Worker – the Helen Keller Story.” The crowd was a little more to our liking!! And the play was excellent. The PV Drama Department does a great job. Ryan was able to see some of his old teachers too.
He is doing well, still struggling with “passing out.” We still can’t figure out what is causing the blackouts. In fact this morning, he passed out and had a hard time coming out of it, even when we got him in bed. We are to go back to Craig Hospital in March or April, but I don’t know if we can wait that long to see a specialist. I feel that we need to get a second opinion as to his diagnosis. I have contacted a couple of resources, trying to figure out what to do. It is difficult to know – when I’m not even sure what I’m talking about!!
We continue to look for guidance. We are grateful for the blessings that we have received thus far. I received an e-mail from one of the new friends that we made at Craig. She gave us an update on her son, who had just had is fifth surgery and re-fractured his collar bone while transferring him to his shower chair. He has been in the hospital for nine months. We are so grateful that Ryan didn’t have any broken bones or any other complications to overcome. Sorry to say, lots of hearts ache in this world; as hard as this is, we can always find others that have more difficult trials than we have. We pray for our friends at Craig and other friends and family who are struggling with their own set of troubles.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
We had purchased tickets earlier in the month to a “country/western” concert which was going to take place at the Farmington Civic Center. We got to the civic center and found a “rowdy” crowd. Much to our astonishment, we learned that alcohol is allowed in the civic center. I guess we are very sheltered or pretty naive!! After we took our seats we begin to feel really uncomfortable and decided that that is not where we wanted to be, so we went to the office and asked for our money back. The management wasn’t too excited to give us our money back, until the producer of the event came hurriedly in and asked for “female backup” as there was a domestic problem and he needed help. While the lady was trying to decide whether to give us our money back or not, the producer came back thru the office and said that they needed to call for police backup, “there was a guy bleeding in the bathroom and things were getting out of control!” The management clerk looked at us and gladly refunded our money. As we were leaving the Farmington Police were on their way in and commented as to how they wished that the Civic Center would not allow alcohol in the area. All of the plays or concerts we have been to at the Civic Center have been very good, with decent crowds; but from now on, we will investigate a little more as to what type of event is taking place.
Saturday night we had a little better experience. The Piedra Vista (PV) High School Drama Department was putting on “The Miracle Worker – the Helen Keller Story.” The crowd was a little more to our liking!! And the play was excellent. The PV Drama Department does a great job. Ryan was able to see some of his old teachers too.
He is doing well, still struggling with “passing out.” We still can’t figure out what is causing the blackouts. In fact this morning, he passed out and had a hard time coming out of it, even when we got him in bed. We are to go back to Craig Hospital in March or April, but I don’t know if we can wait that long to see a specialist. I feel that we need to get a second opinion as to his diagnosis. I have contacted a couple of resources, trying to figure out what to do. It is difficult to know – when I’m not even sure what I’m talking about!!
We continue to look for guidance. We are grateful for the blessings that we have received thus far. I received an e-mail from one of the new friends that we made at Craig. She gave us an update on her son, who had just had is fifth surgery and re-fractured his collar bone while transferring him to his shower chair. He has been in the hospital for nine months. We are so grateful that Ryan didn’t have any broken bones or any other complications to overcome. Sorry to say, lots of hearts ache in this world; as hard as this is, we can always find others that have more difficult trials than we have. We pray for our friends at Craig and other friends and family who are struggling with their own set of troubles.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Doctors
It was fun to see Lisa in Rexburg, but it was tough being there and seeing all of Ryan’s friends and Ryan not able to be involved; he has associated with some really fine young men and women and made some lasting relationships over the years. Lisa played in a volleyball tournament while I was there. She played in the same gym that Ryan was hurt in – pretty tough!! Ryan was “daydreaming” this morning and I asked him what he was thinking. He said, “Memories.” I asked, “When you were young, high school days or what?” He said, “College!” I told him that I hoped come May, he would be able to create more college memories. It will be fun for him to get back into school and have the association with his friends, albeit very different and lots of obstacles to overcome.
He is feeling pretty well. We haven’t had to suction his lungs for a couple of weeks – which means that his lungs are staying clear (knock on wood!) though his spasms have increased. This injury is so bizarre!! The spasms occur mostly in the afternoons and evenings; which makes us wonder what is different about the afternoons and evenings!! We try to track any changes he has, eating habits, sleeping habits, med changes, etc., to see if that has any impact on his system – we can’t figure it out – so we just deal with it.
We are still dealing with home health care services. The primary care nurse that has been here since Ryan came home gave notice that she is leaving the company. I asked who was going to take her place, since only one other nurse is trained, she said it would be a nurse who will work out of the office, she doesn’t do “hands on” care!! I wonder how that is going to work!! I don’t see how she will be able to care for Ryan from her desk!! I spoke with our case manager; she isn’t sure how that will work either – just another hurdle.
We received a letter from Medicaid notifying us of our “state selected” Primary Care Physician (PCP). I didn’t know who this doctor was, so I called Medicaid to change the PCP to Ryan’s new Rehab doctor. I was told that she couldn’t be a PCP as she is registered with the State of New Mexico as a physiatrist so I needed to choose another primary doctor. I opted for our family doctor, Dr. C, which has been our doctor for 20 years. When I was home in July, I spoke with our doctor to get the ball rolling on Ryan’s care when we came home in September. He is the one that said we would be the pioneers for home vents in Farmington. Because a PCP has to initiate any medical care for a patient, all other physicians have to have a referral, we made an appointment with Dr. C fearing that we would run into a problem with Ryan’s care by having more than one doctor involved as a “primary” doctor. I had told our insurance case manager earlier in the day that I would like to hear a knock on our door and when the door opens those on the other side would say, “we are here to help” and mean it!! Dr. C did just that!! He said that he would work with Ryan’s Rehab doctor and make this as simple as possible. What a relief!! No wonder there is no money for Medicaid and Medicare, it seems that there are eight people between the patient and his/her doctor!!
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing some of our family, although we are having a hard time getting into the “holiday” spirit. Geralyn and Keith and their kids are going to come and “do” Thanksgiving for us and all of our kids will be here!!
We are so grateful for all our blessings. The rental townhouse that we are living is near the apartment we lived in when we first moved to Farmington. When I run errands, I usually drive by that apartment. The other day as I was driving by the old apartment, I was reminiscing about the last 20 years of my life and what I had accomplished, if anything. I felt like I hadn’t accomplished much, back in the same neighborhood – starting all over, spent a lot of my life working – and then I realized, that we have four beautiful children who are, loving, kind, hard working, happy and have strong testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What more could a person want??
We are so grateful for our blessings. We continue to pray for improvement in Ryan’s health and to be able to recognize and pursue the doors that open up for us. We are truly grateful for all our friends and family – we couldn’t do this with out your encouragement and love.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
He is feeling pretty well. We haven’t had to suction his lungs for a couple of weeks – which means that his lungs are staying clear (knock on wood!) though his spasms have increased. This injury is so bizarre!! The spasms occur mostly in the afternoons and evenings; which makes us wonder what is different about the afternoons and evenings!! We try to track any changes he has, eating habits, sleeping habits, med changes, etc., to see if that has any impact on his system – we can’t figure it out – so we just deal with it.
We are still dealing with home health care services. The primary care nurse that has been here since Ryan came home gave notice that she is leaving the company. I asked who was going to take her place, since only one other nurse is trained, she said it would be a nurse who will work out of the office, she doesn’t do “hands on” care!! I wonder how that is going to work!! I don’t see how she will be able to care for Ryan from her desk!! I spoke with our case manager; she isn’t sure how that will work either – just another hurdle.
We received a letter from Medicaid notifying us of our “state selected” Primary Care Physician (PCP). I didn’t know who this doctor was, so I called Medicaid to change the PCP to Ryan’s new Rehab doctor. I was told that she couldn’t be a PCP as she is registered with the State of New Mexico as a physiatrist so I needed to choose another primary doctor. I opted for our family doctor, Dr. C, which has been our doctor for 20 years. When I was home in July, I spoke with our doctor to get the ball rolling on Ryan’s care when we came home in September. He is the one that said we would be the pioneers for home vents in Farmington. Because a PCP has to initiate any medical care for a patient, all other physicians have to have a referral, we made an appointment with Dr. C fearing that we would run into a problem with Ryan’s care by having more than one doctor involved as a “primary” doctor. I had told our insurance case manager earlier in the day that I would like to hear a knock on our door and when the door opens those on the other side would say, “we are here to help” and mean it!! Dr. C did just that!! He said that he would work with Ryan’s Rehab doctor and make this as simple as possible. What a relief!! No wonder there is no money for Medicaid and Medicare, it seems that there are eight people between the patient and his/her doctor!!
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing some of our family, although we are having a hard time getting into the “holiday” spirit. Geralyn and Keith and their kids are going to come and “do” Thanksgiving for us and all of our kids will be here!!
We are so grateful for all our blessings. The rental townhouse that we are living is near the apartment we lived in when we first moved to Farmington. When I run errands, I usually drive by that apartment. The other day as I was driving by the old apartment, I was reminiscing about the last 20 years of my life and what I had accomplished, if anything. I felt like I hadn’t accomplished much, back in the same neighborhood – starting all over, spent a lot of my life working – and then I realized, that we have four beautiful children who are, loving, kind, hard working, happy and have strong testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What more could a person want??
We are so grateful for our blessings. We continue to pray for improvement in Ryan’s health and to be able to recognize and pursue the doors that open up for us. We are truly grateful for all our friends and family – we couldn’t do this with out your encouragement and love.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Because They Are Many
We are making a little headway with the caregivers. We have had the same people come four days in a row – yeah!! They have also been successful in getting Ryan ready in less than two hours. When we met with our doctor, she told the caregivers (who were taking between two and one-half and three hours to get him ready) that it shouldn’t take anymore than one and a-half to two hours – we are hoping that things continue to improve.
We were getting Ryan ready for bed the other night and Ryan said, “Mom, I have something to tell you, but you can’t get upset.” I took a deep breath and said, “Ok, what.” He then went on to tell us that Monday morning when the head nurse brought in a new aide, the new aide almost rolled him off of the bed. When she turned him to put the sling under him his head and shoulder fell off the side of the bed. It scared her and then she apologized to Ryan!! Ok, so we hope things continue to improve!!!
We continue to be amazed that these people have gone thru school and training, yet we uneducated amateurs know more than they do. I went to a “transfer” training class that was sponsored by the company who is providing the homecare and was surprised how little the physical therapist who was teaching the class knew. They scheduled the class primarily to train caregivers of Ryan. I was invited to attend and went solely as an observer. But, when the teacher was showing incorrect positioning and application I could not bite my tongue any longer – knowing that they were going to be using the training for Ryan. We are going to get there, it is just taking a little longer than I would like!!
Lisa has been trying to talk me into going to Rexburg for her birthday, which is Friday. I told Lisa I didn’t think it would be possible for me to get up there. I took Lisa up to school in June and then saw her for one day in August, before she came to Farmington and helped Michelle move us. Ryan has insisted that I go and so he had Dean “kick” me out!! If the truth were known, I am looking forward to seeing Lisa, but I feel so guilty that Ryan isn’t able to go. I feel like we have “accepted” this new life, but it is so hard to see him unable to be involved in the day to day life of a college kid, like he used to be.
Although it is hard to see him in this situation, he gives us strength to keep going. He thanks his Heavenly Father everyday for the blessings he has “because they are many.” He is amazing; he is going to surprise us all.
The new Branch Presidency, of the Singles Branch here in Farmington, came by tonight to visit Ryan and invite him to their meetings and activities. We have known the Branch President for years – he is a wonderful person. All of them have kids Ryan’s age and knew him while he was still in high school. It was also nice to catch up on all the happenings with the young kids in the area.
We are so grateful to all who continue to help us. We are so blessed to have so many friends and family, your love and support is immeasurable. We love you all.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
P.S. I know that Dean will take good care of him. I will try and call only once per day!!
We were getting Ryan ready for bed the other night and Ryan said, “Mom, I have something to tell you, but you can’t get upset.” I took a deep breath and said, “Ok, what.” He then went on to tell us that Monday morning when the head nurse brought in a new aide, the new aide almost rolled him off of the bed. When she turned him to put the sling under him his head and shoulder fell off the side of the bed. It scared her and then she apologized to Ryan!! Ok, so we hope things continue to improve!!!
We continue to be amazed that these people have gone thru school and training, yet we uneducated amateurs know more than they do. I went to a “transfer” training class that was sponsored by the company who is providing the homecare and was surprised how little the physical therapist who was teaching the class knew. They scheduled the class primarily to train caregivers of Ryan. I was invited to attend and went solely as an observer. But, when the teacher was showing incorrect positioning and application I could not bite my tongue any longer – knowing that they were going to be using the training for Ryan. We are going to get there, it is just taking a little longer than I would like!!
Lisa has been trying to talk me into going to Rexburg for her birthday, which is Friday. I told Lisa I didn’t think it would be possible for me to get up there. I took Lisa up to school in June and then saw her for one day in August, before she came to Farmington and helped Michelle move us. Ryan has insisted that I go and so he had Dean “kick” me out!! If the truth were known, I am looking forward to seeing Lisa, but I feel so guilty that Ryan isn’t able to go. I feel like we have “accepted” this new life, but it is so hard to see him unable to be involved in the day to day life of a college kid, like he used to be.
Although it is hard to see him in this situation, he gives us strength to keep going. He thanks his Heavenly Father everyday for the blessings he has “because they are many.” He is amazing; he is going to surprise us all.
The new Branch Presidency, of the Singles Branch here in Farmington, came by tonight to visit Ryan and invite him to their meetings and activities. We have known the Branch President for years – he is a wonderful person. All of them have kids Ryan’s age and knew him while he was still in high school. It was also nice to catch up on all the happenings with the young kids in the area.
We are so grateful to all who continue to help us. We are so blessed to have so many friends and family, your love and support is immeasurable. We love you all.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
P.S. I know that Dean will take good care of him. I will try and call only once per day!!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Patience
We hope Ryan makes it in spite of his parents!! I was giving Ryan a breathing treatment the other day. The machine we use is portable so we move it to wherever he is. He was watching TV, sitting right next to Dean’s chair. I plugged the machine in, attached the nebulizer chamber to the flex tube which is directly connected to his trach. I reached over to get a quad pad to support the nebulizer and my foot got caught in the hose which delivers the air from the machine to his trach. I fell back on Dean’s chair and looked up, hoping I hadn’t pulled the trach completely out of his neck. Luckily, the nebulizer chamber just pulled away from the flex tubing – he wasn’t getting any air, but the trach was still in his throat. He is so patient, I said, “Ryan, I am so sorry, did that hurt.” He replied, “It’s OK!”
We are still trying to find things to do in Farmington. He is tired of going to the movie theatre, he hasn’t learned to like to shop – so the mall is out, Wal-mart is a fiasco most of the time, the weather has turned cold enough – going for a walk isn’t an option. We are going to start reading a couple of books this week, he is working on the computer, he looked up options on the internet for internet college classes – I hope we can finalize some of that this week. Needless to say, these four walls are starting to close in on us.
We are trying to learn to communicate better. He said, “Mom, you taught us to be independent, I have been for 23 years, I am having a hard time becoming totally dependent.” It is so hard for us as well; we can’t “fix” any of it – like parents do.
We continue to pray for direction in our lives. We also continue to pray that Ryan will see some progress in his abilities to breathe and walk again. We are so grateful for the continued love and support, especially the fasting and prayers on Ryan’s behalf.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
We are still trying to find things to do in Farmington. He is tired of going to the movie theatre, he hasn’t learned to like to shop – so the mall is out, Wal-mart is a fiasco most of the time, the weather has turned cold enough – going for a walk isn’t an option. We are going to start reading a couple of books this week, he is working on the computer, he looked up options on the internet for internet college classes – I hope we can finalize some of that this week. Needless to say, these four walls are starting to close in on us.
We are trying to learn to communicate better. He said, “Mom, you taught us to be independent, I have been for 23 years, I am having a hard time becoming totally dependent.” It is so hard for us as well; we can’t “fix” any of it – like parents do.
We continue to pray for direction in our lives. We also continue to pray that Ryan will see some progress in his abilities to breathe and walk again. We are so grateful for the continued love and support, especially the fasting and prayers on Ryan’s behalf.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Rehab
Ryan had an appointment with New Mexico Vocational Rehab (NMVR) on Monday. He was hoping that NMVR would assist him in getting a job, but after discussing Ryan’s goals, it was determined that getting back into school should be the main focus. Mr. VocRehab asked Ryan what he would need in order to get back into school. Ryan replied with, “24/7 care, lap top, lap top tray for wheelchair, tuition, and books.” Mr. VocRehab responded with, “Well, we can’t provide 24/7 care, there are other programs that could help with that. The school should provide a computer for you to work with and you need to fill out paper work for a Pell Grant for tuition and books.” At that point I thought, so what WILL this program assist with. Mr. VocRehab then turned to Dean and I and asked who was providing for his care right now and if we couldn’t get any help what options did we have. Dean replied, “The family or a nursing home.” I could see the light bulb go on in Mr. VocRehab’s head. He than said, “That is our answer; Ryan can live in a nursing home while he is in school.” At that point in the discussion Ryan was doing a weight shift, as he looked at the ceiling he asked Mr. VocRehab, “Would you want to live in a nursing home.” Without hesitation Mr. VocRehab replied, “No, not even when I am old.” Ryan then said, “Then why would you think I would want to live in one at age 23?” I was having a hard time sitting there at that point in the discussion. Dean interjected, “A nursing home is not an option, so lets move on to the next option.”
Needless to say, we weren’t getting very far. I finally told him that I wanted to be candid with him and told him that in the 40 minutes we had been sitting there he had said, “I or We can’t” three times more than he had said “I or We can.” I then point to his awards and certifications on the wall behind him and noted that he was a Certified Rehab Council and that we had paid taxes for many many years in the State of New Mexico, we had enough as parents to worry about just trying to adjust to this injury and keep Ryan healthy and that we would rely on his professional education and expertise to “look outside the box” and assist us in finding the best resources available to Ryan.
We finally made some headway and hopefully we will be back in his office in a couple of weeks to discuss legitimate options. In the meantime, we will delve into available resource thru the NMVR department, so we can get Ryan back in school.
Ryan is limited somewhat in what he can do for employment so that his Medicaid benefits are not affected. So, our research continues. If we had the time or the energy we could write a book on how to get thru the bureaucracy; although, after thinking about it, what a boring read!!!
Ryan was hurting last night. He had the burning, heaving, buried-in-sand feeling that he has described before. Thankfully, he hasn’t had that in awhile. We don’t know what causes those feelings, but they are sure painful for him.
The Broncos won Sunday. So life is good!! Ryan finally got to watch the game today. Dean records them for him so he can keep up with “his” team. With all of the memorabilia and souvenirs he received while in Denver it would be awesome if they could get to the super bowl. I know, those that are not Bronco fans can’t see that happening!!
Ryan’s home teachers came by to see him tonight, which gave him a “boost.” His home teacher is also his dentist and he is real upbeat and positive about Ryan and his progress. He and his partner told Ryan that “his positive attitude” can be healing, the mind is a powerful tool and staying positive will aid in his progress. Although he has challenging days most of the time he is very positive and up beat. He is truly a remarkable young man. As he once told us, while speaking of his accident, “You couldn’t handle it, but I can.”
We want to again express our sincere appreciate of the love, support, food, kind words, hugs, e-mails, cards, and so much more. We couldn’t do this with out your help.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
Needless to say, we weren’t getting very far. I finally told him that I wanted to be candid with him and told him that in the 40 minutes we had been sitting there he had said, “I or We can’t” three times more than he had said “I or We can.” I then point to his awards and certifications on the wall behind him and noted that he was a Certified Rehab Council and that we had paid taxes for many many years in the State of New Mexico, we had enough as parents to worry about just trying to adjust to this injury and keep Ryan healthy and that we would rely on his professional education and expertise to “look outside the box” and assist us in finding the best resources available to Ryan.
We finally made some headway and hopefully we will be back in his office in a couple of weeks to discuss legitimate options. In the meantime, we will delve into available resource thru the NMVR department, so we can get Ryan back in school.
Ryan is limited somewhat in what he can do for employment so that his Medicaid benefits are not affected. So, our research continues. If we had the time or the energy we could write a book on how to get thru the bureaucracy; although, after thinking about it, what a boring read!!!
Ryan was hurting last night. He had the burning, heaving, buried-in-sand feeling that he has described before. Thankfully, he hasn’t had that in awhile. We don’t know what causes those feelings, but they are sure painful for him.
The Broncos won Sunday. So life is good!! Ryan finally got to watch the game today. Dean records them for him so he can keep up with “his” team. With all of the memorabilia and souvenirs he received while in Denver it would be awesome if they could get to the super bowl. I know, those that are not Bronco fans can’t see that happening!!
Ryan’s home teachers came by to see him tonight, which gave him a “boost.” His home teacher is also his dentist and he is real upbeat and positive about Ryan and his progress. He and his partner told Ryan that “his positive attitude” can be healing, the mind is a powerful tool and staying positive will aid in his progress. Although he has challenging days most of the time he is very positive and up beat. He is truly a remarkable young man. As he once told us, while speaking of his accident, “You couldn’t handle it, but I can.”
We want to again express our sincere appreciate of the love, support, food, kind words, hugs, e-mails, cards, and so much more. We couldn’t do this with out your help.
Love,
Dean, Terry and Ryan
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