Day 13 - January 20

     Ephesians 1:16 - I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
     A thousand thank you's to all of you have poured out their love, concern and generosity during this time. We daily search for a means by which to express our thanks but continually fall short. It is our hope that we might someday return each and every favor that you have offered. We boarded a plane with no plans trusting that we would find what we needed when the time came. We turned it over to the Lord and He has provided more than we ever would have hoped for. In addition to daily provisions and spiritual support, He has also worked miracles with Stephanie. Every dawn brings new progress and renewed hope and motivation.
     Her evening fevers still persist however the medical team feels certain they have pinpointed the source and have altered her antibiotics accordingly. Likewise, her nights have continued to be sleepless and it is our hope that this will change soon. Dr. Thomas, the ortho doctor, checked her hip incision today and is happy with the healing and when Heather helped the ICU day nurse change Steph's spinal bandages, they were relatively dry and clean, which is good. Dr. Thompson, the neurosurgeon, did his usual 10 questions (where are why, what day is it, why are we here, etc.), and she is retaining more information as the days pass and her brain contusion heals; however, as mentioned in yesterday's message, this will likely take time before she is 100%.
      This afternoon we reached a milestone and Stephanie was transferred out of ICU and into the MultiTrauma Unit. For the first 24-hours she will have a nurse with her at all times to make sure she doesn't try things that might hurt her. The nurse has been teaching her and Bill (Heather is back in Harlingen for a few days) word association games so Stephanie can begin to re-learn the sequence of the days of the week, etc. When asked to point to the current day on a calendar, she is pointing to Thursday, 1/8, which was the day of the accident. But when asked what the last memory she has prior to the hospital, she stops at New Years Eve. So we have time to make up for -- but only at her pace and under the guidance of her therapists (neuropsychological, physical, occupational & speech).
      Bill's assignment for Wednesday is to pick up a board game at Walmart, at Steph's request. We were very pleased and recognize that this will help her rebuild problem solving skills and get her neurons firing again.
      Dr. Balazi, the physiotherapist, and Dr. Shraa, the neuropsychologist, said today that, after some unknown amount of rehabilitation at Swedish, she will be able to move to a rehabilitation center in Texas. They have recommended and we understand that the insurance company has approved the TIRR hospital in Houston. We do not know how long care there will be required, but we will continue to be by her side every step of the way.
      We are encouraged by her recent progress and praise the Lord for the skilled medical team, blessed intercessions, and miraculous works that have surrounded her. Thank you, all, for your prayers...please continue to do as the Lord leads you.
God Bless, Bill & Heather Adair