Looks like surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, hopefully first thing in the morning. It will take between 2 and 3 hours if everything goes as expected. Dr. Will Thompson is an amazingly talented neurosurgeon and we feel blessed to have him taking care of Jackson. He has what is known as a "depressed skull fracture" which means that it is slightly concave in the area of the fracture. Dr. Thompson will fix that (probably with metal plates) and check for any tears to the "dura" which is the membrane around the brain that holds in the cerebral fluid. The general term for Jackson's injury is "Traumatic Brain Injury". This is all terminology I never wanted to know, but I have nevertheless learned a whole new vocabulary.
Every day I see Jackson doing more that he wasn't doing yesterday. Today I see more eye movement, increased neck control, more periods of being awake. Yesterday when the therapist held him under his arms and moved forward, he was moving his legs in walking motions and even more today, along with bearing a little weight. We rolled him outside for the first time today and sat by the fountain and his eyes got so big. He seemed to really enjoy being out there and hopefully we will be able to do that more often.
Still waiting on final approval from Atlanta. I think we will know something by tomorrow. We'll see how everything goes with the surgery/ recovery and that will determine when we leave for rehab.
I am especially grateful today for the friends and family that Heavenly Father has blessed me with. The words of support and comfort have uplifted me in more ways than any of you can ever know. So many prayers and acts of service have been offered in our behalf and we feel abundantly blessed. We love you all.
-Heather
Ingrams,
ReplyDeleteKnow that you have so many across the country that are actively praying for Jackson, and all of you.
Bishop Thompson told us about your son. Our son was the missionary who was hit by a van in Savannah, Jan 2011. We too saw so many miracles and God's hand and love were so obvious. Know that he is in charge! When things like this (bigger than we can ever control) happen, we simply have to turn it over to God!
Our son is back out on his mission after over 6 months of rehabbing!
Know that we (everyone out here) love you and your son and are praying for him!
All of our love and prayers,
The Fife's from Heber, UT
P.S. you can read about our son at: www.coryfife.org
Amazing that many of the talks that you have quoted on this blog, we looked to for strength as well!
P.S.S Tell Kennette that we said hello.
Sister Fife,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sweet comment. We followed Cory's progress on the blog after the accident and revisited it again right after Jackson's accident. It brought a lot of comfort to us to see how well he is doing today and how far he has come. Bishop Thompson has been great about checking on us and mentioned that he would pass on Jackson's info to you. Thank you for your great example that has definitely inspired us and for your prayers on his behalf. We have learned many lessons already from this experience, particularly what you suggest--that we need to trust in the Lord and put ourselves in his hands. Our love to you and your family!
~Heather
P.S. Kennette is out of town until next week, but we will be sure to pass on your greeting!