5/29 - Sam's Journey - Day 169

The end of the school year is always a beating, and this year has been no exception. Classes are officially finished, leaving only final exams and grading. And crowd control. I think we will all be happy at the arrival of summer so we have some time to refresh and regroup. It is shaping up to be a little busy, but certainly not as insanely so as the school year. 

For our family, the last few weeks have been filled with some very high highs and some discouraging lows. But we continue to move on through whatever is placed before us and try to hang on to the good stuff and let go of the not so good. We have had a couple of adventures out, both involving the choir. Last weekend, we all (except for Aaron who is working pretty much nonstop) went to the choir banquet. We got there a little after it had started, and when we walked in, Sam got a standing ovation. I think he had a really good time with his friends, and we all had fun. 

This was followed up this past Thursday with the final choir concert of the year. The song dedicated to Sam was so beautiful, and it was an amazing way to end all of these years of being a part of Clark choir. Here is the video:

As for Sam progress, he continues moving forward. It's getting harder to see the progress since we're with him every day, but there are definite improvements. He finally got pool time at PATE. It's pretty incredible. There's a treadmill with video in the pool. Sam said he really enjoyed it. Here's a picture from their website:

Other than that, there's nothing super-new or exciting. There's just more hard work and continued baby steps forward in recovery. He's still eating pureed foods which can be an adventure. Sarah cannot stand being in the kitchen while I'm prepping stuff (overactive gag reflex,) and at times, I can't really fault her. Very few things I've put in the Nutribullet were ever intended to be pureed. My apologies for desecration of food to the following: JS Chen, Einstein Bagels, Angelo and Vito's, Big Tony's, and Salsa Tex Mex, among others I'm forgetting. I offer no apologies to McDonald's since it's disgusting in original or pureed form.

One more note...today is the final day for the last round of #TeamSam attire. If you want a shirt, time's a tickin'! Here's the link:

#TeamSam Shirts

Please continue to pray for Sam's recovery and our patience. We know he will continue to improve, but at the same time, it's a constant battle to not want all of those improvements RIGHT NOW. We know he is doing astonishingly well, especially considering that we almost lost him entirely. It's easy to lose focus in the middle of the marathon, though.

There's a lot of people in our lives who are in need of some prayers right now. Without too many specifics out of respect for their privacy, they are:

• for peace for the family of the friend who had setbacks after surgery. They proved to be too much, and she was taken from us way too early. She was a constant source of happiness, support and love, and her absence is being felt very strongly by many people.
• for strength for the family of a boy who was hit by a car while riding his bike, and for those affected by this. (Before this Sam adventure started, I never truly understood what "My heart sank" really meant. Now, I've experienced it personally several times. Hearing this latest news was one of those times.) From what I have heard lately, he is making improvement, and is in the best hands possible. 
• for a friend who pretty recently received a brutal diagnosis, and for his family who is dealing with everything that comes with it. We love you guys!

And finally, 

• for all the teachers and students out there as they finish up the school year. It has been a very difficult year for so many of them/us, and this adds additional layers of stress. 

As always, thank you for your unwavering love, support and prayers! Peace to you as well!

Here are a couple of pictures to finish out this entry. The first one has nothing to do with Sam, but I wanted to give a shout out to these ladies from choir booster club. It's been an honor working with you, and I love you guys!

Finally, this #TeamSam shirt moment is brought to you via an amazing former student who is kicking butt and taking names on the diving team at the University of Iowa. With the picture, she posted this:

To one of the strongest and most talented guys that I know! Sam, I'm thinking of you and your family all the way from Iowa!🙏🏻💪🏻🎼 We are #TEAMSAM#SAMSTRONG — with Ann Bougher Loeffler at CRWC.

5/14 - Sam's Journey - Day 154

Good morning, fine people!  I wanted to let you know that the #TeamSam shirt store is back open for a limited time. If you or someone you know is interested, please share this link with them:

#TeamSam Shirts

Here's what they look like:

Front of T-shirt

Back of T-shirt

Long sleeved

The shirts are available in short and long sleeves, and youth and adult sizes. They start at $18.50 which includes the shirt (no kidding) shipping and a $9 donation to Sam's medical fund which we're using with increasing frequency. The deadline to order is May 29th, and we will not be doing another run.

Oh my gosh! In my hurry to get this out to you guys I neglected to mention that my phenomenal friend will be heading this up. Thanks so much, Sue, for doing this!

Like last time, please do not feel compelled to order one. Lots of people were asking where we got them, so SPREAD THE WORD! As always, thank you for keeping Sam and all of us in your prayers!

5/11 - Sam's Journey - Day 151

It's been 11 days since our last post, and I really don't have anything super-exciting to report. We're into a pretty decent routine now, and our lives are almost (I'm a little afraid to type it so I don't jinx it) uninteresting. That's ok with us, though. We've had enough "interesting" to hold us for a good long while. Most weekdays, the van picks him up and drops him off, and we all go about our business. Secret confession: boring is kind of nice after the last several months.

I went to Sam's care conference on Monday, and everyone there is very happy with his progress. In PT he's working on walking with a four pronged cane. He needs two people for assistance, but they are hoping that soon he will only need one. He's also working on transfers, and he only needs minimal assistance with that. The goal is to need zero assistance. In OT, he's still working on getting dressed and undressed, and his left hand is still giving him some trouble. They're working on different ways to keep pain to a minimum, and to keep it flexible. It is not moving very much yet. The left leg, however, has been showing signs of waking up. His "walking" has been getting easier, and the left side is starting to engage a little bit. When he's sleeping, that thing moves all over the place. It's coming back bit by bit, and we're really encouraged by what we're seeing. In Speech, he is doing better all the time. His speech is noticeably clearer, (his tongue is starting to move!) and he is eating more and more. He might be able to cut out his feeding tube feed while he's at rehab since he's eating more there. He does eat at home, but he has a real talking issue. While he is home, he talks all.the.time. It's kind of funny because he was usually the quiet kid out of the three. The problem is that eating for him is a pretty slow and messy venture. Either he's so busy talking that he doesn't eat, or he takes a bite and then decides to talk. Or laugh. Or sneeze. At that point, one or more of the rest of the people at the table will be wearing whatever was in his mouth. Since everything has to be pureed, it can be pretty disgusting. Also, I've pureed some pretty odd things. Strangest on the list include beef lo mein, a little smoky link, and part of a Big Mac. He has also requested Skittles and ribs. I just don't even know where to begin with that, so they will have to wait. I'll let you now how the cheese pizza goes. 

We continue to be impressed with the rehab facility, and that was reinforced throughout the care conference. They repeatedly addressed Sam directly, and made him a part of his own recovery. One of my biggest takeaways from the conference was a time they directly spoke to him. They wanted to remind him of previous conversations they've had with him that his recovery is primarily up to him and how hard he works at it. They also wanted him to remember that he should be incredibly proud of the progress he has made, and that he should compare where he is now with where he was the day of the accident, not where he was prior to the accident. That was a really good reminder for me as well. We all want our boy back, exactly as he was before that Saturday in December. But it is important to be mindful of the impressive ground he has made up since then. When I think about how many times we could have lost him, how he was in a coma for more than two months, how he's only been speaking for a little over one month, it is difficult to be unhappy that he's not 100% better. He's had 2 brain surgeries and even had a portion of that incredible brain removed. REMOVED. I cannot even begin to understand the complexities of the brain, but I can say for certain that Sam is a living, breathing miracle. After the conference, I had a mix of emotions during the drive home. I was a little down because we talked about them making a custom wheelchair for him. (We were kind of hoping he'd be out of that sooner rather than later.) But mostly, I was encouraged. I am anxious--in a good way--to see who this new Sam is. What is his purpose? What amazing things will he do? With this kid, the possibilities are limitless, and that is downright exciting.

One more thing of note. 151 days ago or so when this whole thing started, I wrote about Sam's next door neighbor when he was still hospitalized in Plano. You may remember me asking for prayers for Kyle, and talking about his mom, Donna. She and I are still in touch occasionally, and she wrote to me the other day. Kyle's wife had the baby in March, and they are working on their new normal while he's in inpatient rehab. As it turns out, he's in a fantastic rehab--the same one Sam is in. I'll let that sink in a second.

Crazy, right? We haven't been able to meet face to face yet, but we hope to soon. It is just amazing how our lives keep intersecting. I still cannot get my head around how such deep tragedy can bring complete strangers together, even as they move out of that darkness and on into a much more positive direction.

Thank you so much for continuing on with us. This continues to be a marathon rather than a sprint, and we are constantly uplifted by all of you. We will be doing a second run on #TeamSam shirts for those of you who were asking, so spread the word so no one misses out this time, as it will likely be the last round. I do not have any specific information yet, but I will get that to you as soon as I have it.

Some prayer requests for you:

• That Sam continues to work hard in rehab and improve
• That pain in his left arm is alleviated
• For Kyle and his family, and that he continues to improve as well
• For a friend who is facing some significant setbacks after a surgery
• For all teachers and students as they cross (limp over?) the finish line

Thank you, friends! We are grateful for your love and support!  Here are some more #TeamSam shirt pics for you. (Grandma and fam get top publicity!)

Sorry, Stas. You just keep floating off to the side, you rebel, you.