Update on Dad  -- from his daughter, Adrian 

If you missed it, Dad was moved to Douglasville Nursing and Rehab on 4/12. There have been a lot of adjustments with this move. Dad was lucky to have a private room during his hospital stays and Windy Hill LTAC care , but that is not that case anymore. Having a roommate definitely adds a more complicated layer to all the adjustments. 

Dad has gotten more PT/OT & Speech sessions at this location. His physical strength continues to grow and we are so encouraged by that. The therapists have been impressed with him!  He is still needing vent support (through his trach), so we are trusting the process and believing that God will do his thing. Everything works together, so we pray that while he works on building up his physical strength, his lungs and breathing will also strengthen. 

Last week, Dad had a swallow test done and passed with flying colors!! He is cleared to drink and eat! Mom immediately ran down the hall to get him a Diet Coke! He will still be getting his tube feeding, but this was a GREAT step. The sweetest part of this -- the SLT (speech language therapist)  who came to conduct the swallow test is Kim’s (Chad's wife) long time friend, Laura!  She has been a great contact of guidance in this move, because of her connections here! Mom said that Laura brought a colleague with her for the actual swallow test, because Laura didn’t want to be the one to tell us if there was bad news. We are so thankful for the GOOD news on the swallow test! 

Mom continues to visit Dad every day. Her commute is about an hour, but at least now she travels all the country roads and doesn’t have to battle interstates and traffic! She remains the absolute best advocate for Dad. She has had A WHOLE LOT on her plate and is doing an amazing job at keeping afloat! 

My grandmother, Barbara, also continues to be a wonderful support in caring for Dad. Glenn is her only child and they are very close. This has rocked her world, for sure!

This facility is unfortunately an hour (plus traffic) from Chad, which is a bummer for logistics. I feel almost guilty saying this, but Dad is now only 20 minutes from my house. We are all just thankful that dad was accepted to this facility, because the only other options for taking a patient on a ventilator were VERY very far away from all of us. 

And now for the best part…

We can ALL visit Dad at this place!! All the grandkids have now gotten to see G-daddy! The weekend after he moved in we had all 5 grandkids in the room with him! There is an awesome grassy area right outside dad's room, which the grandkids love running around in! Mom has a stash of chalk, bubbles and toys at the ready for our visits. It is so special for them to visit, and I know Dad loves it too! With him being close by to us, Leo and I have been able to go visit with him after school a couple times a week. Leo brings cards and he and dad play War and Go-Fish! The other day, Dad initiated a thumb war challenge with Leo! My mind immediately went back to those fragile days in January, after Dad coded, when we prayed to feel dad squeeze our hands. Even writing this has my eyes filling up with tears. While he still has a LONG road ahead, we are SO thankful for these big milestones! 

It can be overwhelming sometimes when people ask how he is doing, because there's a whole lot of things that come to mind of how to answer that. You should see our Lindsey family text thread 😵‍💫 ...we've all become very familiar with a variety of medical terms and knowledge.  Mom does an outstanding job of updating us every single day.  The motto "one day at a time" still remains. Thank you to all our wonderful family and friends for continuing to pray for Dad! 

**Sharing some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Out of respect for Dad, the photos are cropped.  Just know, G-daddy's got a big smile on his face when his favorite little people are around! :)