Kevin's Recovery Helping Kevin Mather on his road to recovery

2010!!!

Happy New Year!  I can’t even believe that it’s January of 2010 and that we’re almost at the 6 month mark – I’m still amazed how time can seem to fly by and yet stand still all at the same time.  We’re still waiting for the day when we wake up & life doesn’t seem so surreal…the past 6 months have been quite a whirlwind which we still feel pretty dazed from.  To say that 2009 was a rough year would be quite an understatement, but we are definitely praying that 2010 is a year of rest & restoration.

As far as an update goes, after 5 1/2 months, Kev’s puncture wound on his knee FINALLY closed!  While some people may think it’s gross, we were quite excited when the scab finally fell off…at this point we’re grasping for any piece of good news or anything to be even remotely excited about.  Unfortunately we’re STILL stuck with the brace – we’re hoping it will come off sometime this month, but we’re trying not to get our hopes up since every time it seems like it will likely come off, it doesn’t.  Kev DID pass his hand control driving test (apparently you can miss 20 points & he only missed 3!).  Once the brace comes off & we get a car for him with hand controls installed, he’ll be cruisin’ around.  For those of you that don’t know, I did end up needing to quit my job to help Kev.  So the answer to “are you back at work yet?” question is a definite “no”.  We don’t have any idea what I will end up doing long term, but knew that at this point, it just wasn’t feasible for me to go back to being gone for 11 hrs a day.  I will really miss my co-workers but am confident that this was the best decision for us at this point.

We’ll be taking our first airplane/traveling adventure this week to Kansas City for my sister’s wedding.  Please be praying that everything goes smoothly & that we’re actually able to enjoy ourselves.  Traveling can be pretty stressful now since there are so many factors to consider, supplies to remember, and countless unknowns that we’ll just have to strategize about the logistics once we get there.

Once again we just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for being so loving, supportive, generous, hospitable & helpful.  Since day one we have been absolutely overwhelmed by the way everyone has responded & we just want all of you to know how much we truly appreciate all you have done!  There are far too many people to list by name & several who we don’t even know, but you know who you are & you’ve seriously had a huge impact on our lives.  We know that words could never even come close to expressing our gratitude but we do want you to know that all of your hard work, dedication & compassion have not gone unnoticed!

Current Prayer Requests:

- That the swelling in Kevin’s legs would dramatically decrease.  Swelling is somewhat common in paraplegics initially, however at this point, his swelling should be gone.  Due to the severity of swelling, he has to wear very tight compression stockings daily to help keep it down.

- That the back brace will actually come off this month & that we’ll be able to get a CT Scan & an appointment with Kev’s neurosurgeon quickly to try to expedite the process.

-  For continued healing of course & perseverance for us both – life gets pretty draining & we’re getting kinda exhausted.

- That this year will be a year of physical & emotional rest, restoration & continued recovery.

- That we will deal with everything in a way that would honor the Lord.  I think the emotional aspects of everything are starting to hit a bit harder.  All of the new realizations of how drastically our lives have changed & grieving what has been lost can be super overwhelming.  Whether it be desiring the daily tasks didn’t require so much effort, or longing to participate in all of the active hobbies we used to always do together, or just missing being able to snuggle up & watch a movie, or hold hands & go for a walk.  At this point everything feels so completely different & it doesn’t even feel like it’s our lives that we’re living.

Thanks again,

Tiffany and Kevin

December 2009 Update

Merry (almost) Christmas everyone! Life continues to be a bit challenging & exhausting. Next week Kev has a follow up appointment with his neurosurgeon. Please be praying that Tuesday will be the day we’ll receive the amazing news that the brace can finally come off! The brace is extremely uncomfortable & severely inhibits Kev’s upper body movement & breathing, so the thought of not having to wear it is very exciting! Initially having the brace off will be very challenging for Kev as he will need to re-learn his balance. Learning to balance from the beginning was extremely hard since his feeling ends at his waist. Trying to balance without being able to feel what you’re trying to balance on is incredibly difficult. Additionally, since he’s had to wear the brace for so long, the immobilization has caused much of his core/abs/back muscles to atrophy.

Kev’s driving test with hand controls is on Wednesday, so please be praying that that goes well. Once the brace comes off & the driving test is successfully completed we’ll likely start looking for a car for Kev.

Please continue to pray for Kev’s healing – he still has a lot of pain in his back, neck, shoulders, elbows & wrists. Since these joints were never intended to be weight bearing, the constant daily strain of transferring to & from various surfaces, pushing his chair & doing pressure reliefs is pretty rough.

Throughout this entire process it has been very difficult learning what life will look like as a person living with a spinal cord injury. However, we have had a great amount of support along the way. While Kev was in the hospital, it was clear that not everyone who suffers a spinal cord injury has such a great support system. One organization we felt truly helps make a difference is Triumph Foundation. If you would like to minister to others in our situation, you can visit:    www.triumph-foundation.org.

Thanks for continuing to pray!

Thanksgiving Update

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!  We clearly have a ton to be thankful for this year, but at times it can be challenging when you’re experiencing so many different emotions all at once. Part of us yearns for some type of normalcy, but even holiday traditions just don’t feel the same – not being able to decorate or bake in our own home, have people over for dinner or snuggle up & watch Christmas movies, etc.  We’re not at all meaning to pull the “woe is me” card because we have been absolutely overwhelmed by all of the love & support you all have shown us!  The way God spared Kev’s life & has orchestrated everything throughout the past 5 months has been unreal.  We truly hope you all realize how thankful we are that the Lord placed each & every one of you in our lives for a very important purpose.

Our week down in Carlsbad was a very beneficial learning experience. It was definitely exhausting since the workouts were 5 hrs each day but I was able to get trained in several different exercises to help Kev try to maintain range of motion, bone density & muscle mass.  All of the exercises are passive, meaning I am the one creating the movement while he focuses on & watches what I am doing with his body.

We were able to get a Total Gym to use for Kev’s home therapy program which was very highly recommended by the therapists in Carlsbad. It’s a long story, but through craigslist we met the most amazing people who badically decided to give us their practically brand new piece of equipment!!  It was absolutely incredible to watch God’s provision in yet another area.

Our days now are pretty busy since we are supposed to complete Kev’s home therapy program 3x a week (which takes at least 2 hrs at a time), then we’re down at Northridge 2x a week for outpatient therapy & then we try to get to the gym 3x a week so that both of us can maintain & gain upper body strength to make sure neither one of us get injured while attempting to complete the day to day tasks.  Then when you add in the various Dr appointments, lab visits, etc our days can feel pretty packed.

The day before Thanksgiving we were at outpatient therapy when one of Kev’s doctors became fairly concerned with how swollen Kev’s legs still are. He was worried about a potential blood clot & told us that we needed to get ultra sounds of his legs to rule out any blood clots. So, needless to say we spent the rest of the day running around to get ultra sounds of his legs. Thankfully the preliminary report came back clear – if not, we likely would have been spending Thanksgiving in he hospital.

We truly hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!   Thanks again for everything!!

10/23/09 Update

As I’m guessing several of you know by now, Kev’s brace didn’t come off & we were told that it would likely be another 3 months. This diagnosis wasn’t based on how Kev’s spine is healing, but rather this doctor’s general practice when it comes to any patient in a brace. We are hoping that we’ll be able to get a referral to Kev’s actual neurosurgeon for the next follow up/ second opinion.

The first week of November we will be in San Diego for an intense therapy program which focuses on attempting to re-train different muscles and nerves to take over for the ones that aren’t currently functioning. The program we’re starting with will train me to learn the various range of motion, stretching & strengthening exersises to do with him at home. Then we will have consistent follow up appointments to track his progress & adjust the home workout program accordingly.

Kev came down with a cold at the beginning of the week, which I’m now starting to get. Somehow our sickness cycle in general tends to be Kev getting sick first, then me getting it when he’s almost better & then he usually ends up getting it again. So please pray that his immune system will be strengthened so I won’t pass it back to him. It would be a real bummer for us to be sick during the San Diego therapy program.

Thanks again for the continued prayer!

Home Update

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it’s taken us a while to get an update posted.  Life outside of the hospital has been a bit busy, even though many days go by without us feeling like we have accomplished much. Everything takes a much longer time now – just getting ready in the morning & going to a 2 hour therapy session takes up the majority of the day. All of the “normal” daily tasks that you usually wouldn’t think twice about, now takes a planning and strategy session just to figure out how to complete the necessary tasks without one or both of us getting hurt.

Emotionally things are a lot harder too as usual interactions are different. While we realize that people likely mean well, the constant, “can I help you?”, “are you feeling better?”, and “how are you?” questions can be a bit discouraging and exhausting as the answers rarely change.

So far things are going ok, but everyday is definitely an adjustment and learning process.

Kev is currently going to outpatient therapy once a week however the therapists would like to see him at least twice a week for 3-4 months. We are working with our insurance company to try to get it approved as the initial referral was only for 6 sessions. The rest of our time includes various follow up Dr. visits, sorting through the endless bills and paperwork, and going to the gym to try to supplement his therapy (and to make sure we both are building our upper body strength for all of the lifting and maneuvering we need to do).

Our current prayer requests are:

 - that additional therapy sessions would be approved quickly (with spinal cord injuries it is crucial that therapy is very intensive soon after the injury for the best results)

 - that God would bring encouragement and strength to make it through each day

 - that Kev’s spine would fuse quickly so his brace can come off (we have a follow up appointment this Thursday the 15th)

 - that we would be able to figure out what type of car would be best for Kev and that we would be able to afford it so Kev can take his hand control test at DMV and be able to drive

Thanks again for the continued prayer and support!  It truly means a ton to us both!

Kevin’s Home!!!

Kevin was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon!  His wound on his knee has closed up and the chance of further infection is very slim.  This is a very exciting time for Kevin and Tiffany as they can now concentrate on home life without the constant interruption of hospital life.

Please continue to pray for Kevin as he will still be doing physical therapy throughout the week to strengthen his body.  A special thanks to ALL who brought the many meals to the Mathers while they were in the hospital.  It was a huge encouragement to them and it was great to see the body of Christ responding to their needs.

Update From Kevin!!!

We’re two months out now and I’m still making a lot of progress with all of my therapy and adjusting to this new life of mine.  I’m done with my driver’s training and should be ready for the DMV test whenever I am allowed to take it.  Physical therapy continues to move forward at a rapid pace, focusing on a lot of trunk strength which will be key when sitting in my chair and getting around doing daily things.  I had an outing to Claim Jumper on Tuesday.  It was fun to get out of the hospital for a while and venture out into the “real” world.  This coming Friday I have a special outing where I will learn how to ride the escalators at the mall – it should be exciting! 
 
Today I had a “wound vac” placed on my left knee which will hopefully speed up the healing process and allow the wound to close so we no longer need to worry about infection or a gaping wound.  This weekend, if I’m feeling up to it, we have gotten the “okay” to have an overnight pass so I will get to be out of the hospital on Saturday and Sunday to have a trial run to see how life will be once I’m discharged. 
 
I’m excited that I will be getting out of here soon, however I realize with my departure from the hospital, I will face a vast array of new challenges.  Simple everyday tasks that I didn’t even think about when my legs worked will become extremely time consuming and difficult.  I am also reminded of the fact that finding bladder infections and pressure sores is going to be something that is just a part of everyday life for me now. 
 
Once again we continue to be blown away by the generosity and support that has surrounded us during this time and will never be able to thank everyone enough for all that they have done to help us out.

Kevin

This past week

Kevin and Tiffany have had an eventful week with some highs and lows.  Kevin celebrated his birthday last Tuesday and had a great time with friends and family.  He is very thankful for the birthday wishes he received from everyone.

 Later in the week he received some hard news that his grandpa had died.  Please be in prayer for not only Kevin but also his immediate family as they deal with this and plan for the upcoming funeral.  

In the actual recovery process Kevin’s stomach has still been a major issue.  The antibiotics he was on have greatly effected him and it has not seemed to have gotten much better now that he is off of them.  Please continue to pray for him in this area as it has impacted him in his daily activities.  Also last Thursday he had a last minute procedure done on the puncture in his knee.  They did a minor surgery to clean out the wound.  They did this in hopes that it would speed up the healing of the puncture.  They are now running tests because they believe he has some sort of fungal infection and are trying to see what would be the best way to treat this.  Again please pray for continued healing for his knee also.

On a lighter note Kevin completed his driver’s training.  He didn’t have to take as many sessions because he did so well.  We will be seeing him out on the road here before we know it.  

Kevin and Tiffany know that the Lord is working amidst trial and really appreciate all your prayers!

Thank you, volunteers and donors!

The repairs and renovations on the Mather Condo were completed through the help and generosity of some great individuals and companies. We received $4,000 in donated funds and materials. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to…

• Swayner Hardwoods out of Burbank for donation the baseboard.
• American Craftsman Restoration for donating flooring materials.

We also had about 20 personal volunteers (you know who you are) who helped with demolition and renovation.

New Discharge date

Kevin and Tiffany had a meeting with their doctors today and they have decided to move Kevin’s discharge date back 2 weeks to September 16th.  This will give his knee puncture some more time to heal and allow them to get more things in order before leaving the hospital.  This also means that they will need meals through this date.  If you desire to serve them in this way sign up by going to the Get Involved tab and go to meals and follow the instructions.  They want to thank all those that have already blessed them with the wonderful meals they have received.  It has been so nice for them to have one less thing to worry about.  Katie Kollenkark is the new contact person for meals please contact her or the site administrator if you have any questions regarding meals.