Big News!!!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.  A lot has gone on since then... which leads me to this post!

Shane and I have big news to share ( sorry for some of you this is old news):

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!

Yes, you read that correctly.  Our Miracle is due April 21, 2014.

I know that a lot of you have opinions and concerns.  That means you love us and care about us.  We do ask that you do not voice those to us... believe me every possible bad scenario has been played out in my brain.  We know that God let this happen for a reason and we know that He is not going to put more on us than we can handle.   We found that out April 24, 2012!

We are excited for this little Miracle and this new journey in our lives!

If you see my mama (Lisa) congratulate her on being a GimGim and if you see Shane's mama congratulate her on being a Mamaw again!

Brave Then ... Braves Now

Ok so this post is out of order of sequence of events... but this is a fun post and a new tradition. 

As many of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that Shane and I went to Atlanta and Chattanooga this weekend.   Friday was exactly one year since I was released from The Shepherd Center Inpatient Rehab.  I celebrated this anniversary by a visit to the Shepherd Center.   This was awesome I got to see a lot of the people who took extra special care of me: Darvin, Paul, Jo, Megan, Katie, Dyan, Sheila, and even the happiest custodian I've ever met who's name is also Jo. 

Everyone recognized me right away and were blown away by how much I have improved.  They also couldn't believe that it had been a year.

Two days before I got out of inpatient, so August 14, I had the privilege to go on an outing to a Braves game.  For those of you that do not know I am a DIE-HARD Atlanta Braves Fan!  This was right up my alley!  So I thought It was only right that I also commemorate this as well with a Braves game.  Who am I kidding I NEVER need an excuse to go to a Braves game, especially if I'm in Atlanta.

We had a great time but got a little wet at the beginning but who cares I was I was at Turner Field!  Even better the Braves beat their new rival the Washington Nationals!

Shepherd Center Part 2

While at the Shepherd Center I was on a ventilator.  The lung specialist told Shane, Mama, and Diddy that I would never come off the vent.  Of course they didn't tell me this.   Mama said she looked at the doctor and said "You must not know my God. He's the Great Healer."  With a vent comes a lot of extras.  Your body secretes a thick mucus in your lungs which was called secretions.  Several times a day they had to go in and suction out the secretions with a mini vacuum type pump so they wouldnt settle in my lungs and cause me to quit breathing.   This was a lot on me with the vent and trach.  It caused me to have severe panic attacks.   This scared everyone because I had never had panic attacks before.   Well the longer I was on the vent the stronger my lungs became.  After about a month I started being weaned off the vent I started with 30 minutes a day and worked myself up to 20 hours.  I'll have to thank my Diddy & Mama for pushing me and not letting me give up!  After 3 1/2 months I found myself in an overnight stay in the ICU for my first full night without the vent. (ICU was for precautionary measures and observation).  I remember the day I posted on my Facebook page that I was vent free.  I think I had over 100 likes and comments.  My parents then told me what the lung specialist said.  My response was "My God is bigger than medicine."

Not only did I have a trach and vent, I had a halo, feeding tube, a catheter,  and a knee immobilizer.   With God, prayer, hard work, and prodding and encouragement from my family.  I was able to shed each of these assistance devices.

The diagram below shows the possible levels of spinal cord injuries.   My level was C1 which is not on the chart because 99% of the time that is a fatal injury.   I'm happy to say I'm the 1%!  If you look I also overcame the C2-C5 effects of spinal cord injury.

Shepherd Center Part 1

On May 16, 2012 after 3 weeks in STICU at NHRMC I was airlifted to The Shepherd Center,  the TOP SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) Rehab hospital in the nation, located in Atlanta.  I am so thankful to my doctors at New Hanover for referring me here.  This was a life changing experience.

When I arrived it was later that night.   I was evaluated and it was decided that I still needed to be in ICU.  I stayed in ICU another week where a blood clot was discovered in my right arm.   Immediately I was placed on a high dosage of blood thinners which accompanied my other concoction of medicine.  ICU was scarry for me.  I was used to having at least one if not both of my parents with me around the clock,  and they were not allowed to spend the night.  I had an amazing ICU nurse named Beverly!

I was transferred to a regular room the day before my 26th birthday.   This was one of the hardest birthdays.   I was having to deal with a new life while letting go of most of my old life.   I did get good news though... the next weekend I was going to get visitors!   My Gimma, my Aunt Wanda,  Amanda, & Andy were making the 6 hour trip to Atlanta to see me and we were going to have me a small birthday party. But...yes, there is always a but... the day before they arrived my parents had the worst job... they had to tell me that my PaPa had passed away on A May 9th.  I was crushed.  I was PaPa's girl.  I was angry at my parents and my husband for not telling me immediately.   Later, I realized it was for the best.   I had a great weekend with my family was the first normalcy I had had since the accident.  

When I was moved to to a regular room I was on the fifth floor in room 527 now known as the "Coffman room."  I was introduced to my medical and rehab team which was Team Bilsky which consisted of
Dr. Gerald Bilsky, his PA Darvin Foo, my PT Megan, and my OT Ginger.   I saw these 4 people 5-6 days a week from 8am-4pm.  They pushed me hard!  Many of you that know me know that I am very strong willed, very out spoken,  and if I don't want to do it then I don't.   They did not put up with that.   I hated them for that at the time, but now I am so grateful for them pushing me.

STICU at NHRMC

First of all let me start off by saying a big Thank you to to Mrs. Pam Roberts and her husband.  They were the first ones on the scene of the accident.   And who could forget Ms. Jeanene Green, Mr. Richard Johnson, Mr. Amos Bedsole, and Tar Heel Rescue Squad.  If it were not for these people, their knowledge and training,  and their quick decisions I may very well have not made it to the hospital!

Now to continue from yesterday!  I was in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit better known as the STICU with some of the World's best doctor's - my diddy has often said that he would put them up against any doctors that Duke or Chapel Hill had to offer.  They assessed my situation and right away every doctor I had started praying over me.  I had several surgeries I dont remember how many total but the outcome was that I had a halo placed on me, had metal plates in my head (and unfortunately I can not pick up any radio stations lol) and was fused from C1-C6 (the first 6 vertebrae under your skull), a metal plate and screws in my jaw, a rod fom my hip to my knee in my right leg, plates and screws in my right knee, another rod from my knee to my ankle in my right leg, a tracheostomy,  and a feeding tube put in.  I don't think I forgot anything.  All the while I was spiking fevers and fighting infections left and right.  I wasn't awake for most of this and I'm going on stories that my friends and family have told me.  They told me when I was awake that I would not let them turn the tv away from BRAVO and the Real Housewives of New Jersey (one of my guilty pleasures.)  I was in ICU for three weeks. For the better part of that 3 weeks I could not talk.  Made up a way of communication with me.  I would spell out things my blinking at letters as they recited the alphabet.   Im so glad they paid attention in Kindergarten because that game was a life saver.  Luckily I did not have any type of brain injury.  One of the first things I was eager to tell my family is that they had called me the day of the accident to tell me the dress for my sister's wedding was in and that somebody needed to pick it up.  I didn't let my high maintenance lifestyle go down hill while in the hospital friends and family washed my hair... did microdermabrasion on my face and Ginger and Emily even painted my toenails!

I don't remember at what point I realized I was paralyzed but I realized it on my own and luckily for my family they didnt have to go through telling me.  I realized it pretty early on but the reality did not set in until later which will come in another blog post.

All the while the out pour of support for my myself and my family was AMAZING!!! My work family from Verizon Wireless was constantly there.  My Church Family from Tar Heel Baptist were faithfully there and praying and providing my parents with whatever they needed.  The community in Bladen, Brunswick,  & New Hanover counties in general were tremendous.  I nor my family can not say "Thank You!" enough.  

The picture below is of myself, my parents, my husband and my 2 main doctors in the hospital Dr. Huffmon (neurosurgeon) and Dr. MacIntyre (orthopedic surgeon) and the head of the trauma unit that was assigned to my case Mrs. Karine Eason.

How it all started

CANCER!   A word no one wants to hear, but on Monday, April 23, 2012 I heard these words for the first time about a family member.   My mama called to tell me that my PaPa's test results had come back and he had cancer and it was bad.  The doctors had told us he wouldn't live much longer.  The whole family decided to get together the next night and go to Church with PaPa and just spend family time together.   So I woke up early Tuesday,  April 24, 2012 just like any other morning went to work at the Verizon Wireless Call Center.  I signed off at 4pm that day and never realized that would be the last time I would do that.   I went and spent the night with my family and my PaPa.  It was an emotional night and everyone tried to get me to spend the night but I had a doctor's appointment the next morning so back to Leland I went.  Sadly I didn't make it.  4 miles down the road from my parent's house a deer ran out in front of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and I swirved to miss it and ended up rolling my jeep and hitting a tree.  I was conscience through out the entire ordeal.  I kicked my drivers door open and crawled out of the jeep.   I was having problems breathing so I laid down on the ground next to the road.  The next few hours flew by for me but seemed like forever to my family and friends.   I was airlifted from the scene of the accident to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington NC.  I was rushed to the trauma center where from there I do not remember much.  The doctors came out and told my husband and parents that I ha broken my neck at the C-1 level (my skull actually became detached from my spine),  a broken jaw,  my left leg was broken in 4 places including a shattered knee, and broken ribs.  They also told them they had never seen an adult with that neck injury ever live.  It usually killed them instantly and things didn't look great but the next few days were crucial.