Thank you to all who have been and are praying for Matthew and his recovery!

His surgery yesterday was a success and, all things considered, he's doing amazing!  

Dr's were able to successfully place the implant under the left eye soft tissue and anchor it to the recently rebuilt lower orbital bone (that part was the big question...had this previous reconstruction work healed the way they needed it to in order to attach the implant...and, indeed, it had! Praise God!)  As you may remember, from previous surgeries, there really wasn't much there for the surgeons to put back together so they did as much as they could and gave the body time to create some scaring that helped stabilize the areas they just didn't have bone fragments to anchor plates to.  (I continue to be amazed at how God has guided these surgeons and orchestrated the healing of Matt's injuries, seemingly creating something from nothing)  For those wondering, the implant under the eye replaces the support structure that was shattered in the accident and will lift and support his eye to create better balance and symmetry between both eyes.  Though the swelling is sort of over-exaggerating the lift right now I can already see alignment and balance improvements.  Once the swelling goes down we can start to look at where his vision is and what's next.

The scar on the middle of his left cheek had some significant scar tissue that was keeping him from being able to move the left side of his face naturally and creating a puckering affect.  They were able to work on release the scar tissue and giving him back movement on that side of his face.  He had just started getting some nerve sensation back recently and this will start over a bit on the left side but now he should have a much more natural movement on the left side when he smiles and talks, etc.  

I probably should have already mentioned that the CT scan from a couple weeks ago did show that the closed fractures throughout the right side of his face had healed as expected and no surgical intervention was needed there !! 

Also during the surgery yesterday the much awaited removal of all the wiring and braces on/in/around his teeth and mouth were removed.  This was huge!  After the accident on Nov 27 his jaw was floating in three different pieces, requiring multiple plates and screws plus the wiring inside his mouth to stabilize his jaw and lower face...providing a scaffolding of sorts for the upper face to heal as well.  So far he can only open his jaw a very small margin, and that will take time to see progress there...however, let it be know that has not deterred him one bit from finding a way to eat food.  Even though he can't get a spoon in his mouth he has found a way to eat spaghetti O's one "o" at a time, pudding and mashed potatoes, soups and teas, and even somehow managed grits and finely chopped scrambled eggs earlier today.  It takes some time to eat but he is DETERMINED! (and hungry!!)

With the progress he's made and the healing that has taken place thus far, they were able to remove both the G-tube and the trach yesterday!  I cannot explain how much Matthew wanted those things gone!  He was decidedly "over" having these two medical interventions in his body...and all the medical supplies and routines that came with them.  Over the last couple of weeks, the discomfort from both the G-tube and the Trach had really increased...it was time to bid those things farewell and we are so thankful he no longer has to deal with them!  It will take some time for the trach to heal but he's managing well and able to speak with a little pressure applied to his bandages.

His foot/ankle continues to heal.  The fractures in his ankle affect the side-to-side rotation and stabilization of the foot.  After 8 weeks in a cast, he's in a boot now, keeping up with his physical therapy and hoping to get released end of Feb for regular activities (he's itching to get back to working out)  

So.  What's next.  

Well, for now we wait, and pray, as God continues to heal.  

He will do a check-in with the ENT surgeon next week just to make sure all is looking as it should.  Dr. Fergusson said it would take 6 weeks or more for the healing of this procedure and wouldn't be able to get a sense of what next steps would even look like until after that.  Some possibilities are additional surgeries/procedures...or...after 6-8 weeks he may determine that there's really only a few fine tuning things that need to happen over the next few months...or, possibly...nothing at all.  We just have to wait and see (while we pray).

Between now and then he will start to get some dental visits going to see the condition and health of his teeth and when/if he can continue with the Invisalign. His bone structure and teeth alignment will be completely different now so its uncertain when he will be ready for new molds and Invisalign treatment. 

He will continue his physical therapy and hopefully be cleared to start working out and walking (dare I say running) without the boot end of Feb.

There will certainly be visits to the eye Dr. and vision therapy, but it is too soon to tell the when and what on that front just yet.

Specific prayer requests:
That his current military orders would be extended (rather than being put on medical orders) and give him time to finish healing in preparation for the flight physical.
For better than expected, miraculous, outcomes from this and previous surgeries...and no permanent damage to his vision or eye mobility.  
God knows the desires of Matt's heart with his profession and He also has a plan and purpose for him.  Though we pray that Matt will, indeed, be able to go back to flying we also pray for the wisdom to know and see God's plan for him and to accept it even if its not the outcome we hoped for.

For now, we press ahead in faith, assured of God's hand, protection, provision and healing!