Tuesday, October 25, 2011

500 Days of Faithfulness

Aron at Hume Lake with King's Harbor Church
I had an app on my computer counting down the days until I returned from Oxford to see Aron. Now it counts the days since his accident. Today, it’s been 500 days.

Though the past 500 days have been filled with pain and uncertainty, they’ve also been filled with God’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace.

When I visited Aron on Sunday, he smiled as soon as we entered the room. He follows the conversation and laughs at all of our stories and antics (or at least the funny ones). Whether it’s a goofy lizard face or a car joke, Aron laughs. It’s such a blessing that God has given him the ability to express himself in this way. I am so thankful for that. Aron still beats me at thumb war and smiles when I tell him about a good wave that I caught or a story about law school.

Today, I especially want to remember God’s faithfulness and acknowledge His hand throughout the last 500 days. More and more I am coming to recognize how great and how BIG God is… and how small I really am. Instead of asking “why,” I choose to trust. I know that God has a plan and He promises that “in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). I have to keep reminding myself of this truth, as I so easily forget His promises. I keep praying the prayer of the father in Mark, "Lord, I believe; Help my unbelief!" And He is faithful.

Thank you for your support for the last 500 days, for the encouragement, the visits, and the prayers.

-Amy

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Support

Aron after surfing with his prebreakfast purchase of Cary's syrup and his favorite hot sauce, Cholula. 

I want to thank everyone for the ongoing support they have offered to Aron, his family and friends.  Its easy to see how Aron was loved by the people around him.  Thank you all for visits and checking in here to see how he is progressing.


You guys have been here 83 thousand times.  With support like this its obvious Aron means so much to us.







Last time I got to see Aron he was in a good mood, He is laughing alot at jokes and stories.  If you have some time to head down and see him tell him a story or two and watch his face light up.





Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Laughter






This past weekend, my parents went out of town, and I spent Saturday and Sunday afternoon with Aron. It was nice to spend some alone time with him. We hung out on the patio and mostly I told him stories and read him the autobiography of Johnny Cash.

He's been laughing a lot lately when things are funny. The interaction is nice, and really affirms that he hears us. On Sunday, we brought Augie, and Aron really enjoyed seeing him eat, crawl around, and make noise. Augie puts a smile on everyone's face, including Aron's!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Loved and Missed Everyday


As we approach the anniversary of Aron’s accident, I wanted to again thank everybody for their support. This has not been an easy year for any of us, but over and over again I have been overwhelmed both by God’s grace and by the support and prayers of Aron’s friends, family, classmates, co-workers, and students.

Throughout the past year, I’ve experienced God’s faithfulness in so many ways. He has been my comfort and shelter in the midst of this storm. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about and pray for Aron and his loved ones. I miss him everyday. Everything I do reminds me of him … especially the things we enjoyed together: church, Bible study, surfing, cruising his Novas or my Camaro... I know we all miss him in different ways. Aron is so loved and means so much to so many people.

As my heart aches, I am continually reminded of my need for Christ and constantly cry out to Him for comfort, and He is faithful. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this C.S Lewis quote, “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me.” I have definitely experienced this during the past year, and I have been amazed at the way that God has softened my broken and hardened heart to finally be able to pray for His will and not my own. It’s a hard prayer to pray in earnest, one that for me has only been possible by His grace and mercy. I’ve realized that I do not need to be able to understand God’s will to be able to trust Him. I am thankful that He has not abandoned us in our heartache and that He is strong in my weakness.

Thank you for your encouraging notes and especially for continuing to visit Aron. Thank you for continuing to follow Aron’s progress and praying for his continued recovery.

As of this post, this blog has been viewed 74,627 times from every continent, and the Steve’s Nova Site posting about Aron’s progress has been viewed 24,088 times. I’m blessed by this reminder that Aron is not forgotten, not by God and not by those that love him.

-Amy

Friday, May 27, 2011

sense of humor in tact

A few weekends ago, I brought Augie to see Aron. My mom, Augie, and I were outside, talking. It was a nice breezy day, and my mom was holding Augie over Aron. At one point, Augie drooled, and the drool was caught by the wind, and went all over the place. Aron smiled, then chuckled. It was a nice interaction. A bit later, my mom said something that in the past, both my brother and I would have been like, "moooooommmm!", and before I could say "moooommmm" at her mom-ism, Aron laughed!

Since then, my dad has been telling Aron stories, and he will laugh or show emotion at the correct time. My parents are very uplifted by this. He also plays xbox, and will "shoot" when you tell him to.


We continue to pray and hope for Aron to recover.

Monday, May 9, 2011

smile



The photo above was taken May 4. From time to time, Aron will smile - if my parents are doing something amusing, or if he finishes a good therapy session. When these moments happen, it's nice for us because we get a glimpse of the old Aron. This is a nice picture of him but should come with a disclaimer - sometimes his facial expressions are disturbing, and it's clear that he is uncomfortable or unhappy. In case anyone is wondering - the red thing at his neck is the plug for his trach.

Just yesterday my dad was working with him to try and get some intentional sounds to come out. My dad was in Aron's face asking him to say "HA". My dad kept doing it, and about three quarters of the time, Aron did it back. This must have looked pretty funny to Aron, because he laughed at my dad. He's been making noise, and sometimes my parents can get him to say "ah" or something like that.

At therapy last week, he was being asked to do something, and instead reached up and scratched his nose. Maybe not a big deal for the rest of us, but a big deal for Aron. He also is still playing xbox and working with the iPad. His anti siezure meds have been further reduced and my parents report that he is more clear.

On May 7, a group of Nova buddies came to the hospital and visited with Aron. My parents want to express their gratitude for everyone who came out to spend some time with my brother.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

iPad, Xbox, and A

It's been ten months today since Aron's accident. My parents continue to see him each day, often being present for therapy which ranges from working at the bedside to being supported by a walking machine. He continues to receive therapy four days a week and he is in good physical health.

A few recent highlights of the past month:

The Dunn Family bought Aron an iPad, which can be loaded with various apps to help him communicate with us. Right now he seems to be interested in the iPad and will touch the screen. He seems very interested in photos and videos.

My parents brought Aron's Xbox and at first he didn't do much of anything with it, but he's started to hold the control and manipulate the buttons and trigger.

The anti-seizure medication has been reduced and will continue to be reduced further if Aron doesn't show signs of being at risk for a seizure. This is a big step as my parents feel the meds make Aron apathetic and tired.

A recent EEG showed slow brain waves on the left side, but no seizures.

My mom has been working to get Aron to write, and he made a very rough "A".


My dad and mom work tirelessly with Aron and remain hopeful for his eventual recovery. Through all this, we are thankful he is still with us and making steps in the right direction.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

cruise and update



This past Saturday, my dad and I drove Aron's 1967 Nova wagon in a car cruise with over 100 other Novas. Aron would have loved this event: at one point on the freeway, there was a traffic break and four lanes across and as far back as I could see, there were Novas. My dad and I were one of the lead cars, along with Amy and her dad in Amy's Nova wagon. Once we arrived at our destination, there was a banner on Aron's car for people to sign - you can see us holding it in the above photo. My dad and I held up better than I expected - but it was such an Aron event I kept expecting to see him walk by or hear a "Hey Dad" or "Hey Sister" at any moment.

He continues to receive therapy, and a few recent highlights: He can hold himself in a seated position on the edge of the bed, and the other day, he reached across his body and picked up an object (his cell phone) and transferred it to the other side of his body. This was done with help, but was a pretty big step. He hasn't spoken yet of consequence - every now and again a word comes out, but rarely. His vision was examined yesterday, and he could follow an object in front of his face when it went back and forth, however there is some limited movement in his left eye. He can identify things correctly, at times: my mom brought his graphing calculator, and told him to press certain keys, and he pressed the correct keys. I should also say there are times when he does nothing at all, even when prompted, and that is just the nature of the recovery process.

We continue to hope and pray for his eventual return.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

the plan

For some time now, my parents have been working to meet with the doctors and formulate a recovery plan for Aron.

They met with doctors today, and in a nutshell, this is the plan:

For the next two to three weeks, Aron will get range of motion every two hours. He will be in and out of the wheelchair more frequently. He will receive physical therapy daily. The ultimate goal is to get Aron ready for acute rehab, where the doctors estimate he will spend several months before the ultimate goal: to get him home. The doctors do feel that Aron is responsive, and that he is more alert. They said that family support right now is more important than ever.

Some things Aron has been doing lately: holding up his head better, looking at the appropriate person (look at dad, mom, etc.), punching the correct key on a calculator when told, and doing different things with his hands.

I visited him yesterday. It was very emotional because I haven't been in a while. It was nice to see his progress, but still sad to sit with him and have a one sided conversation. He is in good health, and overall looks great. Right when we got there my mom told him to look at me, and he did, right straight at me. It was hard not to cry as I looked in my brother's eyes.

These next weeks and months are Aron's chance to become a person again. We pray and hope for the best - we want him home again.

Friday, January 21, 2011

a long process

I realize it's been a while since the blog has been updated, and I'm sorry about that.

I try to make the posts as realistic as possible and still share how hopeful we are. The reality of this post is that, while no major changes have happened, things are just very difficult.

As we pass the seven month mark, we are thankful that Aron is still alive and that he is awake. It is impossible to know how aware he is of his surroundings and his situation. My parents continue to visit him each day and encourage him, take him outside, and advocate on his behalf.

Advocating for him is exhausting for both my parents - dealing with Aron's healthcare has been difficult - getting answers, calls back, or face time with the appropriate people has been challenging.

This is a daily struggle that hasn't gotten any easier since that terrible day in June. While the shock of everything has worn off to some degree, it is as a friend of mine puts it, the "new normal". Please continue to keep Aron and my family in your prayers.

Friday, January 7, 2011

2011

In the past two weeks, we've seen some improvement! With help, Aron has been able to transfer objects from one hand to the other, interlace his fingers, remove his glasses, identify body parts, point his finger at our mom (he certainly knows who we are!), and remain in an unsupported sitting up position in bed (this was after being put in a sitting up position). Aron also seems more alert and focused. We are encouraged by these small victories. He still has yet to speak, and has trouble holding up his head - but is improving with the head control and continues to make unintelligable noises.

The EEG from December didn't indicate anything unexpected, and the same goes for the MRI. The medical professional who read the EEG did say that it is within the realm of possibility for someone with Aron's injuries to recover, it would just be VERY slow - which is what seems like is happening. We continue to remain hopeful.

On another note: my dad and I will be cruising Aron's Nova Wagon on March 5 at the CPP cruise.