10/2/22

In the past few weeks, we’ve felt the highest highs and the lowest lows. We’ve celebrated. We’ve cried. We’ve laughed. We’ve prayed. Life is so busy and crazy right now that if I were to try and explain it, no one would understand. For weeks I’ve had words swirling around in my head, wanting to share our experience, but unable to put it into words.

 

We are having to rely on friends, family, neighbors, our church family, and John’s work family more than ever right now, as John is in a very intense therapy program that requires us to focus solely on his recovery. (I will definitely update more on this later.) We are thankful he is able to participate in the outpatient program he’s in, and are hoping for major improvements on the other side. We know that our God works miracles, and we are witnessing them on a daily basis as we see other brain injury patients thriving and improving. John’s therapy team is awesome, and of course he’s won them all over with his charm and quick wit. (And he’s cute - let’s not forget that! 🥰)

 

His daily therapies include Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Recreational Therapy, Exercise Physiology, Cognition and more. He is totally exhausted at the end of the day, which is understandable! He’s working so hard, and I’m so proud of him. Weekends are spent resting and recharging and preparing for the next week to come. 

 

We know that John is not the first person to ever suffer a stroke. We know that we are not the only family to ever experience trauma, but sometimes we feel as though the path we’re on is one that’s never been traveled before. It’s a very lonely existence some days, but we are thankful to have each other to work through it together.

 

The old proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” refers to the fact that it’s not just the parents or immediate family, but the whole community that helps them grow and flourish. The saying can also be applied to surviving a trauma. One of the most difficult parts in all of this is having to relinquish control of many parts of our lives and allow others to step in and help. As an admitted control freak and a planner, letting go of the steering wheel is very hard for me. Asking for and accepting help, when we have always been “we can handle it” kind of people, is not an easy thing to do. 

 

During this insanely busy time, our “village” has stepped in to help support us in so many ways. When I separated them into friends, neighbors, church and work family, that’s not actually true. They are ALL our family. Without the support of our village, we could not function right now. 

 

A sweet friend of mine made a post about “accepting your blessings” a while back. While I didn’t understand how it could be difficult to accept a blessing at the time - I mean, who doesn’t want to accept good things? - I now fully know what she was talking about. While we certainly are thankful for blessings, sometimes it’s hard to accept them - we don’t feel worthy. Even the smallest things, like someone rolling our trash cans out to the street, or a neighbor mowing our grass, can bring me to tears of thankfulness. We are overwhelmed and humbled by some of the blessings we have received, and so thankful for the love we have been shown. We know that we are being taught daily how to bless others who might someday need our support to navigate this path.

 

As we enter the month of October, and the one year anniversary of the event that changed our family, it’s hard to look at the photos in my Timehop app. Every one that pops up makes me think “we had no idea what was around the corner”. Would we have done anything different? The truth is, none of us are promised tomorrow. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye. Through the past year we’ve encountered many families that had their lives changed in an instant, due to a stroke, a sudden illness, or an accident. Only God knows what our story will be, and we can’t flip ahead to the last chapter for spoilers. What we do know is that God has a design and a plan for each of our lives. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”  (Proverbs 16:9) 

 

We pray, asking for God to guide us and help us through this unexpected turn in our lives. I specifically pray for Him to show us the purpose for this suffering. We know that John is a miracle - every doctor that reads his chart has told us so - and we know that he has a story to tell about what God is teaching him through this. Please continue to pray with us!

 

Please pray:

Thank God for continuing to provide avenues for healing for John.

 

Thank God for our village - we are so very blessed to be surrounded with people who love and support us so that John can get the care he needs.

 

Thank God for our church family - many who are facing health struggles of their own. Pray for those who need His healing presence right now. 

 

Pray for John to continue to make strides in all aspects of his therapies. Specifically pray for his blood pressure to cooperate during his most intense physical therapy sessions.

 

Pray for John’s left side to continue to show improvement and strength. Pray for his brain to create new pathways to move the muscles on his left side as they were created to do. Pray for him to meet the goals his therapists have set for him.

 

Pray for us to have continued strength, optimism and faith in this journey. 

 

Pray for our daughters as they work hard at school this year.

 

We love you very much - and thank you for your prayers. 

#KeepHimAsYouMadeHim

🧡John and Diane🧡