March 2014

3/8/14 (Annette Hanson) Such a blessing to hear David pray publicly Wednesday night, for the first time since his accident. We had to listen very carefully, but he was definitely understandable! His prayer included thanking the Lord for "another day of life" and for "every gift He gives." He also prayed that we would always be in the center of the Lord's will. As he was ready to pray, he reached out to hold his brother's hand. (I'm thinking he is used to holding Rachel's hand when they pray together, but she was away that evening) David's physical progress is slow, but he is maintaining a desire to keep exercising. We do keep seeing progress in his brain recovery, with more memories coming back from the time he spent in California before the accident. He was recalling friends and family involved in buying a ring for Rachel and more friends who came to visit him while in rehab. He told me about a group of children who came to visit and sang with a guitar. He was a little confused about where they were from, but it is still encouraging to see him remember "new" things that are from his more recent past. As a mother, it touches my heart each time David says, "Hello Ma'am," takes my hand, kisses it, and tells me he loves me. A year ago, he was unable to do any of these things, and we are so grateful to the Lord, the Master Physician!

3/16/14 (Rachel Hanson) Thanks to Nathan and Ashley and our caregivers, I was able to have a vacation for a week and see some of my family and friends. This was a much needed break. I came back very refreshed despite a cold Jocelyn and I picked up and was ready to go at it again. These breaks give me the emotional energy to go back at it again with a renewed spirit and to be a better wife. David has been free of traditional therapy for a few weeks now. He is riding a horse named "Sterling" once a week and is loving it! He has two "side walkers" that walk on either side of the horse to help support David, as his trunk control still needs help. We try to go to the YMCA 3 times a week, although it's been spotty lately due to various reasons. We've gotten David in the pool twice which he also really enjoys. It is a great experience because his body is deweighted because of the buoyant property of the water so he can relax and practice movements he might not otherwise be able to do in normal situations. He is using a regular wheelchair most of the time at home now and can propel himself around the house using his right leg. David is holding more and more normal conversations with people although his speech still is a little unclear at times. We are getting ready to sell David's "bachelor pad" and I have been updating David on the details as we progress in the process. He has been surprising me by reminding me to do certain things. This is helpful because I have a lot of things I try to keep track of in my brain! David has been asked to do a presentation to a group of Electrical Power Distribution and Diesel Mechanic students at the technical college David attended in about a month. We would appreciate prayer in this matter as it is an opportunity to share David's testimony and faith in Christ as well as educate them in safety in the field. Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with an expert rehabilitation engineer that brought some cool "toys" for David to try. From her assessment, it looks like she will be very helpful in providing us with some assistive technology for communication, computer/ipad and cell phone use. We also attended a doctor's appointment last week with David's physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor. He made a referral to get a second opinion on David's eyes/vision. I need to do some research on neurological ophthalmologists in the area and would appreciate prayer for wisdom and direction in this. I would love to see if David's vision could be improved somehow. Although no one has definitely come out and said it, it has been alluded to that cranial nerve damage is the cause for his vision deficits. The doctor is also going to do some botox injections in his hamstrings in a couple weeks. I'm hoping this will help relax those muscles so standing and practicing walking in his "Tram" is possible and easier. Thank you again for your consistent prayers for us.
I share this to show how David's piano playing has progressed. He is now able to use all his fingers on his right hand instead of just one finger and is starting to try some simple chords. This is amazing because he really doesn't practice all that often!

3/19/14 (Rachel Hanson)A friend of ours was in a bad car accident a few days ago and is a similar condition to David after his accident. My heart is heavy but I am so glad we have a compassionate God who hears our petitions. The Lord showed me these verses recently and they are an encouragement to me especially in this time. It gives hope in the midst of suffering, a reason to carry on: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Romans 8:18-21