Atlanta, GA

Trevor left Parkview Hospital on Tuesday morning at 8:30. The staff there said their goodbyes, and sent best wishes with him and Mom. The departure was complete with pictures and perhaps there were also a few tears. It seemed like the staff had gotten a bit attached to Trevor, and I know Mom had made some friends there as well. They had been through a lot together there.

Jamie, Mom, and Trevor flew down to Atlanta in an air ambulance complete with two pilots, an air nurse and a therapist from Shepherd's Center. After mom had arrived yesterday she said, "This is just an awesome, awesome place." It sounds like the staff there is southern friendly, and very welcoming. They were kept busy after arrival yesterday meeting all the staff that Trevor would work with. Several members of the staff lined up one after another asking Mom questions, introducing themselves, and explaining their jobs. This morning Jamie attended an Education Family Class that they have there for the family- this morning was on learning how to use a catheter Ü.

Thanks for your support! I plan to fly down on Saturday and will be there for about 6 days. Trevor's mailing address is:

Trevor Fennig
c/o Shepherds Center
2020 Peachtree Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

Prayer Request
*Insurance! Mom is supposed to talk to the gal that handles Trevor's case today to find out how much insurance is going to cover for this stay. It would be a huge load off my parents if this came through. Please keep this in your urgent prayers. Ü

5th Monday

It's in the works. We're just waiting on a few details to fall in to place and Trevor will be taken in an air ambulance to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This will potentially happen Tuesday morning. I've posted a link below that gives more information about the center.

http://shepherdtv.org/SpinalCordInjury/Overview/

Mom and Jamie will ride down with him to Atlanta, then Jamie and I will trade off later. Trevor was dragging his feet, not really wanting to go because he felt like he was so close to being able to come home, and that this extra trip would extend his "rehab stay" longer than he cared for. Understandable feelings coming from an 18 year old that's been in a hospital for a month. But our family and about everyone else we talked to, urged the importance of the best rehab that would be possible for him, knowing it could make a big difference on how he lived for the rest of his life.

Prayer Requests
*That Trevor and Mom would still feel support from family & friends while they are far away.
*Safe travel for those of us that are making the trip down.
*That Trevor's stomach would continue to feel improved as it has for the last couple days.
*For Trevor to be able to understand the importance of this time away and be able to stay focused on his rehab without being too homesick.
*Aaaannnndd, that the insurance would cover Trevor's stay at the Shepherd's Center! Ü

Visit

Yesterday, Trevor and a team of Physical Therapists made a visit home. They measured cabinets, doorways, steps, and shelves to see what changes need to be made before Trevor comes home. I walked in the door to find Trevor in a wheel chair typing on the computer in the den. A common spot to find him throughout the years. They stayed for about an hour, and they asked Trevor if he had any requests before they left. "Can I see my bedroom?" They carried him upstairs and Trevor got to lounge on his bed for a bit and look around at the nice tidy room Kalyn had worked on for him. Though he had no idea where all his other "stuff" went, it felt good for him to be there.

I looked around and it felt so right to have him and Mom back home again. It was hard seeing them load back up in the van and wave goodbye to us. It was of course bittersweet, knowing we are getting closer, but still have quite a bit more to go.

The evaluation said we have a few changes to make in the downstairs bathroom but the main concern is Trevor being able to get up and down all three floors of the house. Dad is heavily looking at what it would take to get an elevator from the basement up to Trevor's room. Until then Mom and Dad will most likely move their room upstairs so Trevor can be on the main level.

The last couple of days Mom has found out more information on Trevor's rehab care. While we feel like he is getting cared for well in Fort Wayne, there are other places that would be able to offer him more options because they specialize in rehab for people that have suffered from spinal cord injuries. Mom is currently looking into the possibilities of transferring him to Shepherd's Center in Atlanta, GA.

Prayer Requests
*For God to give us wisdom in whether Trevor should be transferred to Shepherd's Center.
*That Trevor's Systems would become regulated.
*That he will not suffer from Autonomic Dysreflexia. For more info see link below (copy and paste this link)

http://www.spinalcord.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=21542&site=1021&return=24467



Thank you for your prayers of strength during this continuing journey,
Carly~

Dizzy

Had a rehab team meeting today. Good progress, but he really needs to get over the hump of sitting vertical without dizziness, headache or nausea. Once he accomplishes that handy little trick--then he should be able to buzz through rehab--learning all the cool stuff! Pray Hard!!!! -Pam

This morning I was greeted at the hospital lobby by the receptionist saying "MA'AM! Please sanitize before you enter the hospital." While rubbing foam on my hands going up the elevator I decided they were taking the flu thing pretty serious, and rightly so I suppose.

Like mom mentioned, we had a meeting today with the Therapists, a Nurse, and Trevor's Dr. this morning to get an update on how far he's come and what he has left to work on before he can go home. The main thing that's slowing him down right now is that about every morning (during his therapy) he starts feeling sick. It usually clears up by the afternoon. However, it really slows down his progress on how long he is able to sit upright, and without that there's not much progress he can make in other areas because it all depends on him being able to sit up.

The good news today is that Trevor's request of being able to go to other areas of the hospital was granted by the Doctor. Now he can again visit with guests that are under the age of 18 outside of his hospital room (in the cafeteria and lobby). This gave him something to smile about today! He'll get to see the rest of the hospital now, and have a sense of some freedom and still be able to see friends from home.


Prayer Request-
*That Trevor would not feel sick while he does his therapy and that he would be able to continue to progress in his movement.


Thanks for being faithful!
Carly~

18 and Over

Mom was just notified by the nursing staff at Parkview that the State has just issued a directive due to the H1N1 - flu virus.

No one under the age of 18 is allowed to visit the hospital. Only 2 people can visit a hospital room at a time.

This will be such sad news to Trevor because he enjoyed being able to see so many of his younger friends, and will miss seeing his two younger siblings. We did have a great birthday party with him last night, and are grateful that this news came after his party. Ü He had about 9 people celebrating with him last night! (Complete with a wheel chair race.) Ü

Prayer Requests-
*Continue to pray that Trevor and our family will be protected from illnesses.

Happy Birthday Trevor!

Today is Trevor's 18th birthday! He had a really good day yesterday and made progress with his rehab. He sat up for an extended period of time getting on Facebook, (via the computer in the waiting room while he sits in his wheelchair reclined.) They had him throwing bean bags into a net yesterday while sitting up and balancing himself with one arm. Quite impressive progress! You corn hole champs would have been proud. It was great to see him doing so well. He told me he was encouraged too with what he was able to do.

Our challenges this week have been the nasty cold and flu bugs going around. Mom and I are the only ones that have been able to be with Trevor at the hospital because everyone else has a bug. Trevor said to me yesterday, "Don't get sick, and come back soon." Ü

Mom called this morning and said her and Trevor are both wiped out today. Tired and just not feeling very well. Trevor was taking snoozes inbetween rehab today, he's pretty worn out. It seems like this last week especially, a hard day seems to follow a good day.

Prayer Requests-
*For strength and energy for Mom and Trevor
*For Trevor's health
*That our family would stay/get healthy so we can care for Trevor
without passing illness to him.
*For Trevor to have a very enjoyable Birthday!

Smile

Trevor slept pretty well last night but woke with back pain which faded by afternoon. Today in Therapy they were working with him to get into an upright "standing" position stretched out on a board to help the blood to circulate through his legs. This also helps increase his hearts strength. He made it to a 35 degree upright angle on the board before he started to feel light headed. He also laid down on a table with his feet hanging over the side, and was able to sit upright. (This is a major step forward.) They also had him sit upright there for 30 minutes to practice his balance.

Mom was asked to speak to the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House this afternoon to share Trevor's story and how the house has helped ease the burden of having a child in the hospital for an extended period of time. After she shared Trevor's story the room of directors were touched, tearing up, and filled with compassion. One man shook her hand and said "Trevor is very lucky to have you for a mom. What is pulling you through this?" She said, "The Lord Jesus Christ. I have also been overwhelmed by the generosity of people, it's very humbling, their love and concern and all that friends and family have done for us. " The room was a bit shook up and touched because it hit so close to home, several that were there have teenage boys.

Trevor has been a real trooper through everything. He is so grateful to every person that comes in his room, whether it's a nurse taking his temperature, the food lady asking what he wants to eat for the next few days or a friend coming to visit, he thanks them. He's been very gracious. I think everyone that's seen him has been impressed. And the most beautiful thing is his smile. I think everyone would agree, just by reading his facebook notes, everyone loves to see his smile. And who could argue that after everything he's gone through, and everything ahead of him, that he smiles. What a testimony to all of your prayers and support and the faithfulness of our God. That even though you face what seems to be the worst possible thing that could happen to you, somehow God will give you a smile. And He will be there through every mountain you have to overcome.

This verse hit me pretty hard on Sunday morning during Sunday School class. The lesson was on Why does God allow suffering? As you can imagine we were all hurting quite a bit, though not angry at God. I heard this, which hit home for me while thinking of Trevor.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor 4:16-18

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, without which this journey would seem much more difficult to bear. May God's grace and peace be with you all.

In Him,
Carly~

Valley

You always hear that after a mountain there comes a valley. Such was the case Wednesday morning for Trevor. We expected the first day of therapy to not just be an adjustment to Trevor's days but a challenging one. He came face to face with what he has to work with and the mountain to climb to get there. He woke up in pain in the night and had an uncomfortable sleep. His morning was emotional, but once he was able to get started with the tasks at hand it seemed much more do-able. He had a "feeling test" to see where his nerves are working, (he has no feeling below the chest) and then was transferred to a wheelchair with a pressure belt on to help him sit without becoming nauseous.

This morning he's been in a good spirits. They are working his arms with exercise bands and he is going to be sitting in a wheelchair again for a few hours today. They used a new way of transferring him into a wheelchair, which will change as he gains more strength, eventually being able to do it himself. Therapy works with him for the 3 hours a day that is required to be on the therapy floor of the hospital. It is broken up from 8:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

They talked about goals with Trevor of things that he will be able to do when he is released, which will be everything he was able to do for himself before, except a few household chores and walking. Therapy said they will prepare him for the worst but hope for the best.

Prayer Requests-
*Trevor has developed a pressure point sore on his tail bone. Pray for it's healing as well as protection from other sores that can tend to develop from sitting and laying in one spot too long.
*Pray that he will adjust well to sitting in upright positions for extended periods of time.
*Leg spams can often develop in cases like Trevor's. Pray that his legs will have the correct amount of tone and not be subject to spasms.
*Mom is in need of continued strength and energy. In her words "I'm just tired... all over." As you can imagine. (I also wish you all could sleep for us. Ü )

Thank you for your encouraging words and support. It makes all the difference of being able to continue this journey with our chins up and our spirits filled. God's peace be with you all.

In Him,
Carly~

2nd Tuesday

Trevor slept very well last night! The best he's slept in the last week since the injury. Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers on that! Having a full nights rest helps him to be able to cope with the day ahead.

With the help of a pressure belt to stabilize his blood pressure, Trevor sat up again today for an hour and made it to a 60 degree upright position without feeling nauseous. Praise! Mom was very encouraged to see the progress.

The neurologist saw Trevor today and reported that he has feeling at the T7 level which is 3 vertebrae lower than the injury! Every inch more of feeling is such a praise! We were also encouraged to hear that he could continue to regain some feeling for several weeks while the swelling around the injury goes down. He won't know the extent of his feeling for awhile.

The Trauma Dr. gave the report that Trevor looks good and that his chest is better to the point of being released from his care. This means that he will no longer need any chest tubes and that his lung will continue to heal on it's own unassisted. Praise!

Trevor is being moved to the rehab floor of the hospital this afternoon, but is still experiencing all over pain. The Dr. said this is not uncommon to feel quite good days after an accident and then start to feel worse. Almost as if the body is just now catching up to what it's gone through.

Prayer Requests-
* For continued feeling to return!
*That his overall pain would subside
*That Trevor's spirits would stay uplifted through the difficulty of rehab.

So many things to be thankful for today! It was a good day. I'm headed to the hospital now and will give him your love. Thank you for partnering with us in this journey. In Trevor's words, "Keep up your prayers!"

In Him,
Carly~

October 5, 2009

I just returned from an overnight stay with Trevor. We had a quiet evening last night and watched We Were Soldiers as he dosed in and out. (Obviously I let him choose the movie.) Ü I stayed in the hospital bed next to him in his room through the night, Kalyn stayed with him the night before, and Laura before that. My first overnight stay in a hospital, only a small taste of his discomfort.

Mom made it back from VA late last night and stayed over a the Ronald McDonald House. She, Dad, and Ethan took a flight with a pilot friend of ours to return Laura to Patrick Henry Collage yesterday. They were encouraged to get out for a day to have a break from the hospital walls.

At 7:30 this morning the Doctor wanted to take Trevor to get an x-ray on his lung. The transfer from bed to cart did not go smoothly and caused quite a bit of pain to him. The mention of the possibility of needing the chest tube reinserted was very disheartening to him because he remembered the pain from the first time. He and mother were in tears on the way to the x-ray room. We made several calls and texts to friends to pray for recovery of the lung. As Trevor was saying that it was getting hard to breath and he could feel fluid still on his lung. They sat him up to have the x-ray done which caused him to feel nausious as well.

The Rehab started shortly after he returned to his room which for now consists of having him sit in a reclined chair. Today he made it to 45 degrees upright. Each time they will try to have him sit up more to get his legs used to the gravity. While he was in his chair the "Rehab lady" was talking with him about how rehab will go at HIS speed and that they will always work at his high level of tolerance to get it higher each day. She also shared some other info with us that put Trevor and Mom's mind more at ease. They have a private room open for him on the Rehab floor at Parkview and are just now waiting for clearance from the insurance company to cover the cost.

Prayer Requests for today are-

* That the insurance will cover the huge expense of Rehab that will teach Trevor how to be able to live his own life.
*That Trevor's nausea will subside when he's sitting up.
*He's also suffered from headaches whenever they move him around very much.
*Continued healing of his lung.

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with us and acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. May God be glorified through it!

In Him,
Carly~

Trevor

I was told yesterday and today that a blog would be helpful for all of you that want to know how to pray and support Trevor on his Journey. I've been keeping posts and updates on Facebook but know that it's not always the all encompassing. So here we go.