Progress and Blessings

The holidays were so fun, but so busy! I was terrible at keeping up the blog and I really hope to do better! Sam is doing so well. She has progressed so much in the last several weeks. Sam is now able to feel all the way down into her hips. She also has some feeling on the tops of her toes. Her core strength has increased greatly. I hadn't seen her for a few weeks and when I did at Christmas I couldn't believe how much straighter she could sit in her chair. She is also able to bend over and sit back up independently. She can even roll her self over in bed! She is gaining a lot of strength and is able to do more and more each day. A friend at work asked me how Sam was. I was giving her an update and she said, "I remember not that long ago and you were excited because she had scratched her own face. And now she is doing so much more!" She really has come so far in only a few months.
Sam finally got her own wheelchair the end of December. The wheelchair is made specifically for her body so it took a long time to get it delivered. It is really nice and I think will really allow her more independence. She continues to attend therapy at the U and in Payson. My parents are looking into a place called Neuroworx to continue her therapy. They have a lot of really specialized equipment and it seems like it could be a really good thing for Sam.
Sam's attitude continues to be great. She occasionally has a rough moment, but she really tries to get over it quickly. Her friends help with her attitude so much! They include her in everything and visit her almost every day. I am so thankful for the wonderful friends she has. I just appreciate them so much! Sam started going back to school this week. She will be going three times a week in the morning before therapy. My mom said that her first day went well. I think it  will be great for her to be independent for those few hours. We are thankful to all of the school staff who are working to make things go smoothly for Sam.
We are so thankful for everyone's continued love and support. It seems that whenever there is a need then someone steps in to help. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.
Sam and Kaitlin got to see Justin Bieber in concert! It was so fun dropping them off and seeing how excited they were. The staff at Energy Solutions Arena were so helpful in exchanging their seats. We bought the tickets before the accident and so they were obviously not wheelchair accessible. They were actually clear up in the nose bleeds! But, they were greatly upgraded and ended up in the lower bowl on row 26!
I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that continues to be with Sam continually. Every day there is some tender mercy in her behalf. Two examples come to mind that happened when I was with Sam. The day of the concert I prayed that things would go smoothly. I knew it would embarrass Sam if it was a big hassle and I just wanted her to have fun without any bumps in the road. And although kind of silly I also prayed they would get good seats. Well, everything went so easily and they got great seats. I was so happy! I know in the eternal sense the concert doesn't matter at all, but Heavenly Father blessed Sam so that she could have a fun day and have something to be excited about. Another example is from Christmas Eve. Sam had some really cute new boots to wear to our party. I was doing her hair and my mom was trying to get her boots on. She could NOT get them on. So, she had my dad try and he couldn't either. Sam was getting frustrated and I felt terrible. I said a quick prayer that they would go on. A few minutes later they went on! Again, such a simple thing, but it was important to Sam and Heavenly Father blessed her. These are two such simple examples, but she really is blessed so much continually.

Happy New Years!

My how time flies at this time of year. Christmas is such a great time. All the family was home for Christmas morning. Sam scored some pretty nice stuff from Santa, Mom and Dad. Sam continues to be very active despite my attempts to circumvent her fun. She went out with her friends to dinner and to see the lights in Spanish Fork. I was called when transfers were needed. It will be wonderful when she can get in and out of a car by herself. She will have much more freedom to go with her friends without a tag-a-long. I was so happy to be working on New Years Eve. Sam had a party downstairs at our home and Kaitlin had one upstairs. Sam was happy to be down in the dungeon again. She had to check where all her stuff was just to make sure Kaitlin didn't steal anything. Sam's friends continue to be a great support. We love them very much for not forgetting Sam in their daily lives. Many late hours have been used up watching movies.  Sam has recently acquired an electric recliner. It makes me happy to see her out of her bed. Just sitting in bed makes you tired. The chair supports her nicely and is better for her skin's health. A couple of days ago Sam and Kaitlin attended the Justin Beiber concert. They said it was awesome, but couldn't hear very well for a little while. The folks at Energy Solutions took good care of them.  Therapy continues to go well. Other than listening to Sam sing every song on the radio for a couple hours, I don't really mind the drive. I am going to check out a new therapy place called Neuroworx. The are a group of therapist that have all the latest equipment to help Sam's rehab.  They are in South Jordan so our drive would be an hour less per day.  The UofU has been great but I like to keep her options open. We hope the New Year brings much joy to everyone's family. We continue to ask for your prayers in behalf of Sam and all those others struggling as she does. We love you all and pray the Lord's blessings be upon you and your families. Love ya!

Painless

Sorry its been a while since last post. Life can be so busy. Sam is Sam. We have been taking her all over with her friends so she can have her life as normal as possible. She is taking full advantage of our hospitality. We would have it no other way.  Sam continues to have little miracles happening almost every week. Her left hand is moving more and she told me the feeling in her little finger on the left hand is returning. She also told us she can feel down to her hips. She thought she pulled a muscle. The UofU checked her out and gave her a clean bill of health.  Still no leg movement but during a shower she told me she can feel the pressure of the water on her feet. Sam has been amazing. I can tell when she is fighting not to be in a bad mood. We talk to her a lot about attitude being a big factor in recovery. She is such a strong girl. Oh! the pain in her neck is almost completely gone. She can articulate her head pretty well. She moves around in bed during the night too. Being able to move around helps her skin stay healthy.  She doesn't let us watch in therapy much but when I do sneak a look they have her doing all sorts of things. I told her to hurry up and transfer herself so my back will last a few more years. Sam has transferred herself to bed-chair, chair-bed a few times but needs to be stronger so we don't have to be there with her. Is she doing great or what!  A couple weeks ago our area 70, Elder Leavitt visited Sam after speaking in our ward.  Our former stake president came with him.  The feeling in the house felt so warm.  I believe we usually have a good feeling in our home but this was extra special.  He spoke with Sam, he cried with Sam.  He genuinely wanted to get to know Sam.  Of course its Sam and he had to extract every ounce of information from her. Sam is very private but was very gracious with him. He is attempting to have her correspond with her weekly.  Having the priesthood bless our home and daughter is tremendous. My best birthday gift was Sam's kiss on my cheek today.  Those don't come very often, but I got one. Our community keeps amazing us all the time. We are so lucky to live where we do.  We may be having some company for a while. Sam asked us to offer our home to a young man who is going through therapy with her. He was ejected from a vehicle and broke his 5-6 cervical.  She told us he had to be at the U.  He is starting to move his hands and knows his best shot at rehab is the U. Of course we could not hold the offer back. We gave his dad the offer and he is going to talk with his wife.  They live in St George and it would help them out a lot.  Thanks for the prayers, keep them coming. Love you all.  

Thanksgiving

I'm sitting here looking at Sam's picture on the front of the Deseret News.  Amy Donaldson, a sports writer did an article on our Sam.  I appreciate her sharing Sam's story in newspaper format.  I know more prayers  will be said in her behalf and that is still what she needs the most. Its been quite crazy at home.  Sam decided she would continue her lifestyle before the accident and my back can attest to that. I did tell Sam I would take her wherever she wanted so she can have a "normal" life. She is going to kill me.  Movies every weekend or the mall every other day.  Other than that life is good.  Sam continues to make progress and we are happy for that. Her strength is continuing to get better and she transferred herself again from bed to chair at therapy. My sister and neice from Louisiana have been visiting for the past few days. My sister could not believe how good she is doing. She hasn't seen her since the week of the accident.  She was amazed how far she has come. Its awesome to have so many family and friends accross the country thinging of my Sam. Today I am so grateful for four girls in our community that can have Thanksgiving with their families today. I am so thankful for Sam's great friends who keep her spirits up.  I can't believe how much time these girls spend with Sam.  They can't imagine how just sitting with her and keeping her updated on school and community keeps her going. I am thankful for the UofU and the great therapist that light up when Sam gets there. I am thankful for a wife who...keeps me on the right track and tells me how much I am needed. I am thankful for a great community of Nephi that keeps giving to us everyday.  I am thankful for my knowledge of the purpose of life. I could not get through this time without it. Sam's doing great.  Please remember her and all the others who need our prayers today.  Be thankful for what you have.  Be thankful for those you look at accross the table today.  

Deseret News

I wanted to let everyone know that Sam will be featured in the Deseret News tomorrow! The article is titled, "Catching Hope" and I assume it will be in the sports section. If you don't receive the print version it will be online as well! I will try to post a link tomorrow.

LONG Overdue Post!

Sorry I have not posted in such a long time. Life is just busy! Sam is doing well. She has been home for a little over two weeks. It has definitely been an adjustment, but overall things have been good. She likes being in her own space and being close to her friends. Her friends have been absolutely wonderful! They visit frequently and make sure to include her in their fun. Last weekend her friend Nicole asked her on a Sadie's date :) They had a lot of fun!
There have been some hard times. I think being in her normal environment, but with everything different has been a challenge. But, she continues to have a great attitude the majority of the time. She had a difficult day this week. She had a break down and my gave her a little pep talk. She quickly got into a better mood. I know it is so hard, but she is really trying to be upbeat about everything.
Yesterday she had a great day! She was at therapy at the U and she transferred herself from the bed to the wheelchair independently! Sam said that my mom and her therapist cried. I asked if she cried and she said (sarcastically as usual), "No, I was tough and held it in." Then she also was able to throw a ball about 15 feet. She hasn't been able to throw because she couldn't get her fingers to open to release the ball. She was really excited about this! She told me it really was a great day!
I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father continues to be with her. She had a difficult day and then the next day was one of her best! He is always there if we will just ask for his help. Sam is such an example to me of faith. She is able to have a great attitude because of her great outlook on things. I am so proud of the amazing girl that she is proving to be.
I will try to be better at updating! Please keep the prayers coming-she still has a long way to go!

Nicole and Sam on their "date" :)

They ran into their other friends who were actually on dates

Back home again

We've been home a little more than a week.  Sure was nice to sleep in my own bed and eat a home cooked meal. Sam has been doing great.  I think not having someone come into your room at all hours of the night helps you to sleep better. We had a few days without therapy but now we're taking Sam on Mondays and Fridays to Mountain View Hospital where I work.  The therapist is awesome and is really excited to work with Sam.  The other three days during the week are spent at the Uof U in outpatient therapy. They haven't cut her any slack.  I love it when they work her hard and are excited about the progress they see. They were so amazed Sam was doing her own makeup.  Sam's friends have continued to be great but, I'm not liking traveling around with them so I can transfer Sam in and out of the truck. I guess I will call it additional therapy if its doing her good.  Sam's ramp in the front of the house has a new rail around it courtesy of Horizon Metals in Nephi.  A couple fine young gentlemen did the work and Horizon paid for the parts.  Everyone has been so gracious helping our Sam.  We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts.