More thank yous

It's been a big week-end for Jon. So many people at my church have been asking me for updates on his progress that in addition to thanking all the various health institutions he's been in I decided to sign up for a coffee hour and bring Jon. The girls made cookies and came along to help serve (and clean-up!). The congregation seemed delighted to put a face to the name they've had on their prayers and concern list for over a year. Jon made a good impression on many of them and later in the day when I was at a Requiem performance they came up to me and commented on his great attitude. After we had the church kitchen back in order we all went over to Bob Evans for dinner.

On Saturday some friends of both Jon and Greg invited them over for a cook-out. The weather was cool but nice and they had a good time. The van he's been looking at was on the way there and back at home after being thoroughly checked by the lady's mechanic. Jon was allowed to get into the van but the door opening isn't tall enough for him to squeeze through. The lady still has her husband's chair which is much lower and Jon's got it all planned out that he can just have someone put him into the smaller chair to get into the van and then put the bigger chair on a lift in the back and then when he gets where he's going he can ride the small chair out and get put back into his regular chair. Sounds simple enough to him....

While his big chair has been a life-saver for him it's also beginning to be a pain in the neck. While it's designed to do many things it's not capable of riding up to a table and fitting under it so we have to take his tray with him or as in the case of spur of the moment plans to eat out Sunday one of us has to go back to Brookview and get it. It would be nice if the tray could stay on the chair and still be driven but somehow it interferes with the control panel. We're working on a flag for the chair. All I could find was a silly triangular bike flag that doesn't seem big enough to catch your eye and needs some special kind of rigging to fit onto the chair and still be taken on and off. For the moment we're just stuffing it down between him and the side of the chair that fits keeps him seated securely.

Thursday, Jon made the long trek to Antwerp for more dental work. A temporary bridge was put in place and he's beginning to be more comfortable with smiling! They've done a good job of matching his other teeth in color and look good. We found out on Sunday that the driver was Jon's nephew Joe's girlfriend's grandfather (whew!) was the driver. He hadn't recognized the Castanien name and I thought he was vaguely familiar but had only met him once at Thanksgiving a year and a half ago along wiith most of the rest of Jenny's family. Jon goes back to the dentist in early May for the permanent bridge.

Hope all is going well with you and yours.

Easter

We had an enjoyable Easter. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. We were again able to secure a large room at my church which is also close enough for Jon to wheel himself there. We prefer to have someone walk with him on his journeys and Josh accompanied him. Everyone was able to make it except Bill (Jon's dad.) The food was good, the company great, the day fantastic!

Monday, Jon, Barb and I went to see a van that is for sale locally and again within walking distance. Jon had seen it on Sunday on his way to the church with Josh and the owner decided to send it to her mechanic to get it in shape for a test drive so we weren't able to see it right then. She let Jon get inside on Sunday and he is excited. It has nice big windows so he would be able to see out. Most times the windows are too low and he can not see much past the berm. It has a lift. The original needed replaced and the new one was installed one week before the gentleman died and hasn't been used in the last two years. I've not been happy watching him go up on the lift in the medivans--something about the balance unnerves me--and the chair's owner's manual does not recommend a lift. Of course, they also don't recommend that he be in the chair when it is in the process of being lifted which presents a problem since transferring him to a seat in a van could be quite cumbersome. Jon, however, prefers the idea of a lift. I'm not so sure he's thought through the process of getting hoisted into a van in bad weather and how much longer that takes than just scooting up a ramp, both for the him and the operator of the lift. Aside from having a lift, the gentleman's electric wheelchair was much closer to the ground and therefore he did not use any tie downs. He just sat in his chair and off they went. Jon asked "What about when you went around curves or turned corners?" She said he didn't move. Jon's sways unless he is tied down well. So tie downs would need to be installed.

From there we walked back home and Jon had a chance to sit on our patio and visit a while. I ran after some fixings for a cook-out and Greg fixed hamburgers on the grill. Closest thing he's had to "being home" in a year and a half.

Tuesday, Carol, Barb and I went to see the staff at Parkview Hospital's Intensive Care Unit, where Jon was life flighted, to give them an update on Jon's progress and thank them for all they did to make it possible. Barb has a new camera and wanted to try out the movie selection. So along with taking a card telling about Jon's progress, Barb took a movie of Jon thanking them and showing some of the things he can do. The nursing staff really enjoyed reading the card and seeing Jon in the movie. They said that when Jon has transportation, they would love to see him in person. Rarely do they get to hear about or see prior patients so they love it when they hear/see follow up. Since they are in critical care, not many of the patients remember them which is also hard.

Hope you are enjoing this weather. Everythings greening nicely, both the daffodils and the tulips, and the redbud trees are so confused they are blooming at the same time!