In his 65th year and 65 days after his accident, it was dad’s homecoming day! After his final burn and wound care shower at the hospital, dad said a tearful goodbye to all of his therapists, nurses, doctors, and staff that have impacted his journey at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. His progress since his arrival has been remarkable.

In the beginning it took all he had to push himself out of a chair, stand to walk, and he was unable to raise his arms more than a few inches. Dad has gained so much mobility and will continue to gain with his outpatient rehab. He knows there’s still more work to do and continues to have a positive attitude through it all.

While us daughters are always there to help, we know that his care mostly falls on our mom.  There’s been a lot of training with his nurses and doctors for his burn wound care and showers. She’s always been skilled at sewing and crafting. Her gorgeous ribbon and bow techniques have helped her become a whiz at the complicated wrapping of dad’s hands and fingers. She’s also becoming an expert in finding the correct fit for his compression clothing, which is no easy task.

After we left the hospital, dad was more than ready to dine in a restaurant for the first time since early July.  We walked to a diner and ordered our first meal out together. He did great navigating all of the steps, inclines, and obstacles that are common on the streets in Chicago.  Even more incredibly, he did it on his own with no assistance.

On the ride home, he commented about how far along the crops were since he had last been out. Dean (my husband) had to mow out at the farm this week and took dad out for a visit.  Grandma Abels was elated to see him and she couldn’t stop smiling. He finally got to see the new shed after it was fixed from an early spring storm and mosey around a bit to see his field before heading back home.

We are so excited to have him home but we know his days are so busy.  He will still need to travel to Burr Ridge several times a week for his outpatient therapy. On the days they’re home, there’s still regular doctor visits and catching up on things from the last few months.  

Modern medicine is a truly miraculous thing.  We decided not to post everything that dad went through. In the beginning, it seemed like medically that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  We quickly learned that it was just how burns go. They surprise you and require constant attention and adjustment. One step forward and two steps back. Now though, that hard part is over. Dad is all forward progress which makes all of the heartache in the beginning worth it. 

We would like to thank everyone for following us on this journey. We are grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and kind messages along the way. We are so appreciative of the meals, cards, gift cards, and money sent.  Because of this and our own family's support, we were able to be with dad every day for the last 65 days. It was important to us that he wouldn’t have to be alone and we know he’s so thankful for that as well.  

Hopefully, you will soon see dad out in a restaurant, football or volleyball game, or maybe at a dirt race.  We are sure that he will have a story to tell you!