Harder Family

Harder Family

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Progress...

Habakkuk 3:19 "God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places."

Wayne is making a lot of progress. When I showed up this morning, he was back to where he was yesterday afternoon and was actually doing even better. He worked again with the speech therapists and he said that he did better then yesterday. As soon as our insurance approves it, Wayne will be moving to rehabilitation. He is excelling like crazy and is my hero! Monday was surgery and he went to ICU, Tuesday afternoon he was transferred out of the ICU, and if things go perfect tomorrow with the insurance, he'll go to rehab on Thursday. The only delay at this point in him moving on is the insurance. They want to get him into rehabilitation ASAP to help him move along since he is making such phenomenal progress. I'm just so amazed at how well he is doing. His drain was removed this morning (I thankfully left the room) and he got out of bed a few times today and sat in chair. He's just exceeding everything we were told and what I expected.

Before Wayne's surgery, he was asked by an anesthesiologist if Wayne would participate in a survey after his surgery. Wayne was surveyed by that anesthesiologist today. The anesthesiologist, Miguel, is from Spain and is doing a fellowship in Chicago. He is one of the nicest doctors I have met. He told Wayne today that he's had a few patients that have made an impression on him, but he said Wayne is his favorite patient ever. He said Wayne was amazing in surgery and worked so hard and never complained. Miguel told Wayne he isn't sure he could have done as well as Wayne. He also told Wayne even though the survey is done, he wants to come back tomorrow just to see Wayne. During the awake surgery survey, I found out that Wayne was fully aware of the entire end of the surgery. They didn't knock him out and he experienced all the pain as they closed him up. I also learned that when he said, "They lied", he wasn't completely crazy. Since he was awake, he heard the doctors say that they got 95%+ of the tumor. He was letting me know that the 99% I was told wasn't the truth. One doctor has told me 95%, and the other has said 99%. Either way, both are great outcomes for tumor removal. It just breaks my heart to think that Wayne had to endure all that extra pain at the end. 

In the midst of all the doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room, we were able to have some quality time together. We found something we could do together that didn't put too much pressure on him to speak. I spent quite a bit of time reading to Wayne today (about 50 pages) from George Mueller's autobiography. I'm still trying to learn the balance of trying to help Wayne when he needs it, but giving him space to do things on his own. He wants to do most things on his own and it is hard to just sit back and watch him struggle. 

One of the highlights of today was a funny interaction between a technician and Wayne. The technician came in and asked Wayne if he was done eating his lunch. Wayne was trying to speak and then said, "In so far as much". I couldn't help myself and just started laughing, trying to hide my face in my book. He then found the word and said, "Yes." All of us had a good chuckle over that conversation. I told Wayne that maybe he'd be an eloquent writer after this is all said and done with large, fancy sentences like that.

Wayne's friend Pete Oakley came again during lunch to visit. He came bearing gifts of Belgium chocolate and encouraging verses. Later in the evening, Wayne's co-workers (Zack, Mark, David, Mike, and Zeljko) came and visited him. It was great to see Wayne laughing and smiling at all the banter. At one point he even broke out in a full sentence to remind David about a client! I guess he is feeling pretty good if he is thinking about work.

Overall, today was a great day. As Wayne told Pete when Pete asked how he was doing he said, "Day by day." It reminds me of Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." One day at a time, and one step at a time while leaning on Jesus to get us through the day.

2 comments:

  1. I love all the funny things you add. Makes me smile and it shows how well he is really doing. Wayne is a strong man and I am just amazed at how well he is doing. What a praise to our awesome God. Make sure you get some rest too and take time for you. You are adjusting to having everything on your shoulders all at once, and that is a difficult thing (as well as the worry over Wayne). Spend a bit of time every day to just breath and rest. Praying for you all every hour and often times more. Thinking of you both!

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  2. Amazing! Thanks for all of the details. We're praying for you all!

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