Fundraiser update
I'm sure many of you are anxious to hear about how successful the fundraising event was. I want to reiterate how thankful we are for every bodies support. It is AMAZING. I am thrilled to announce that about $18,000 was raised! We were absolutely blown away. This money will go toward many things, including home modifications, car modifications, certain equipment such as a standing frame (approx. $2,000) and possibly an FES bike (approx. $15,000), and many bills/co-payments not covered by insurance. This event was absolutely a team and community effort. It's truly amazing to see what can be done when people come together to work towards something bigger than themselves. Once again, we cannot thank you all enough.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday June 29th, 2009: Back at it...
Well folks, not much has changed in Will's world. Today he rode an ATV with one of the therapeutic rec specialists and they were doing "doughnuts" and Will fell off. I was not there to witness the event, but when I met up with Will this afternoon, I immediately noticed his right arm & elbow was all scraped up and bloody. He was also covered in dirt & sand. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see that. He had a big grin on his face though and said he had a lot of fun. At least he was wearing a helmet. I'm not so sure he should have been riding, considering he just had a good knock to the head 2 months ago. But hey, I'm just the over concerned sister- right? Aside from this piece of news, yesterday, we went to the Braves vs. Red Sox game. Unfortunately the Sox lost, but we had a good time. We are both reasonably stressed about the upcoming discharge on Wednesday. It seems like a lot of last minute scrambling around to gather and order supplies and find out about insurance coverage. I had a 45 min. phone battle today with the insurance company. We are still trying to navigate the appeal process for the flight down to Atlanta. What I want to know is who the heck holds these people accountable!? They claim they have never received any of the documentation that we faxed to them and that we cannot file an appeal over the phone. Every person I talk to gives me a different story, and I have also gotten no where with the case manager. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to speak with a supervisor or manager. It's all a load of BS if you ask me. Look for new pictures tomorrow or Wednesday!
Well folks, not much has changed in Will's world. Today he rode an ATV with one of the therapeutic rec specialists and they were doing "doughnuts" and Will fell off. I was not there to witness the event, but when I met up with Will this afternoon, I immediately noticed his right arm & elbow was all scraped up and bloody. He was also covered in dirt & sand. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see that. He had a big grin on his face though and said he had a lot of fun. At least he was wearing a helmet. I'm not so sure he should have been riding, considering he just had a good knock to the head 2 months ago. But hey, I'm just the over concerned sister- right? Aside from this piece of news, yesterday, we went to the Braves vs. Red Sox game. Unfortunately the Sox lost, but we had a good time. We are both reasonably stressed about the upcoming discharge on Wednesday. It seems like a lot of last minute scrambling around to gather and order supplies and find out about insurance coverage. I had a 45 min. phone battle today with the insurance company. We are still trying to navigate the appeal process for the flight down to Atlanta. What I want to know is who the heck holds these people accountable!? They claim they have never received any of the documentation that we faxed to them and that we cannot file an appeal over the phone. Every person I talk to gives me a different story, and I have also gotten no where with the case manager. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to speak with a supervisor or manager. It's all a load of BS if you ask me. Look for new pictures tomorrow or Wednesday!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 26th, 2009, 9:45 pm: Emotional
I am sitting here in my dining room in NC feeling extremely overwhelmed by a tide of emotion. This afternoon and into this night, Ty and I have been killing ourselves putting the finishing touches on readying our home to go on the market. We cleaned out the garage, Ty is painting the ceilings, I cleaned the bathrooms, and literally have been on my hands & knees scrubbing the hardwoods. All this with the stress of trying to navigate through a very complicated process of securing a loan for the home we found last night. It's been a hard day. There were tears, and I was abrasive toward Ty. I was angry and exhausted. Then I received a phone call from Mom & Dad reporting in about the fundraiser. I was so comforted to hear what a big hit it is and how many people came out to support Will & our family. I know I speak for more than myself when I say how grateful and amazed by what everyone has done for us. Once again, we could have never made it this far without so many wonderful people supporting us. This has been and continues to be one hell of a journey.
I am sitting here in my dining room in NC feeling extremely overwhelmed by a tide of emotion. This afternoon and into this night, Ty and I have been killing ourselves putting the finishing touches on readying our home to go on the market. We cleaned out the garage, Ty is painting the ceilings, I cleaned the bathrooms, and literally have been on my hands & knees scrubbing the hardwoods. All this with the stress of trying to navigate through a very complicated process of securing a loan for the home we found last night. It's been a hard day. There were tears, and I was abrasive toward Ty. I was angry and exhausted. Then I received a phone call from Mom & Dad reporting in about the fundraiser. I was so comforted to hear what a big hit it is and how many people came out to support Will & our family. I know I speak for more than myself when I say how grateful and amazed by what everyone has done for us. Once again, we could have never made it this far without so many wonderful people supporting us. This has been and continues to be one hell of a journey.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday June 24th, 2009: T-minus 1 week
One week from today Will & I will be settled into the apartments at Shepherd! That means we are "on our own." It will be a good transition to home. In day program, Will will work on very specific goals that he will tailor along with his therapists. After the first week of day program, we will know exactly how long we will be there. The average length of stay for someone with his injury is 2 weeks. I left Atlanta yesterday and drove to NC so I could be home for a few days. Before I left, Will and his PT, Blair, were starting to discuss possible day program goals. One goal will be to become more independent with car transfers and breakdown/assembly of his chair and loading his chair into the car. That is one requirement he must meet so that he can drive again. This morning Will got the official report from his neuropsychologist in regards to the intensive testing he had to undergo. It was all very good news! He is cleared from the neuropsych standpoint for driving! Yay! His brain injury was moderate, but has not effected him that much at all. He is also really starting to show his physical strength. His transfers are improving, and he is out of his cervical collar (neck brace). His other brace will remain in place for probably 2 more weeks. He has demonstrated some awesome skills in PT. I posted a video of himself learning how to fall out of the chair and get back in it. I also have an awesome video of him practicing how to "upright" himself." As you can also see from one of the pictures, his primary nurse, Marcia, is sporting one of the "Will" shirts! Awesome. This weekend, I will drive back to GA with Ty on Saturday, and then the 3 of us are headed to a Sox-Braves game on Sunday! Looking forward to that. I am also working on posting a link to the fundraising website that I am in the process of setting up. More to come!
One week from today Will & I will be settled into the apartments at Shepherd! That means we are "on our own." It will be a good transition to home. In day program, Will will work on very specific goals that he will tailor along with his therapists. After the first week of day program, we will know exactly how long we will be there. The average length of stay for someone with his injury is 2 weeks. I left Atlanta yesterday and drove to NC so I could be home for a few days. Before I left, Will and his PT, Blair, were starting to discuss possible day program goals. One goal will be to become more independent with car transfers and breakdown/assembly of his chair and loading his chair into the car. That is one requirement he must meet so that he can drive again. This morning Will got the official report from his neuropsychologist in regards to the intensive testing he had to undergo. It was all very good news! He is cleared from the neuropsych standpoint for driving! Yay! His brain injury was moderate, but has not effected him that much at all. He is also really starting to show his physical strength. His transfers are improving, and he is out of his cervical collar (neck brace). His other brace will remain in place for probably 2 more weeks. He has demonstrated some awesome skills in PT. I posted a video of himself learning how to fall out of the chair and get back in it. I also have an awesome video of him practicing how to "upright" himself." As you can also see from one of the pictures, his primary nurse, Marcia, is sporting one of the "Will" shirts! Awesome. This weekend, I will drive back to GA with Ty on Saturday, and then the 3 of us are headed to a Sox-Braves game on Sunday! Looking forward to that. I am also working on posting a link to the fundraising website that I am in the process of setting up. More to come!
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