Move to Tampa

Friday, December 16 Hello Friends I have been quite busy lately, so I am sorry that I have not updated this in awhile. We have been on quite a rollercoaster ride during early Dec. Gary and I moved into housing next door to the Shepherd Center. He has been attending daily rehab sessions and he has learned quite alot. Gary LOVES this because he has continual challenges. Therapists even come over to our apartment and give him tips and pointers on how to do things more efficiently. Gary is getting in and out of his wheelchair by himself, has learned to shower and dress himself and now can get into and out of the car. He is also still learning to play guitar. BUT the only song he knows is "Happy Birthday Dorothy"...which he has been practicing for 3 weeks now. Dorothy's birthday was December 8!  When he graduated from the inpatient program they gave him an award "Most Likely to Direct his own Care". He said "I don't know if that was an award or an insult." Next week he will be moving to Tampa VA hospital as an inpatient...we don't know much more about that yet. I am so grateful to Gary's brother Randy who came to stay with Gary while I went to see Hali graduate from UNF. What a joy that was. I am so proud of her! I don't know how she worked, put herself through school and helped Gary and I like she did!!! What a woman! We were all sad that Gary couldn't be there, but he very generously paid for the party. What a guy! Unfortunately my mom Doris has been in Hospice in Dallas for almost a year. Mom passed away yesterday. Miraculously I made it here in time to say good bye to her and tell her how wonderful she was as a mom. I am so grateful for that. I am also grateful to my brother, sis in law, and niece for taking such great care of my mom for years. We will all miss her and especially right now her Christmas cookies. Those of you who knew her know that she was just about the nicest person in the world. She will make such a great angel! This is probably my Merry Christmakwanzakah note to you all...so Happy Holidays.  Judi and Gary

Making progress :)

Thursday, Dec 1

A lot has happened since I last wrote in this Blog. I'll try to be brief as I know the Holiday season is approaching and folks get busier each day!

Gary is making good progress in his physical therapy. He has earned to transfer in and out of his wheelchair...into and out of bed, into and out of the shower and is working on the car and sofa. The more he does all of these activities the better he will get. Gary is continuing to want to do everything for himself to become more independent. His daily activities are quite exhausting because he tries really hard to do as much as he can.  Of course lots of repetitions will help to build his strength.

Gary's general health seems to be improving as his body copes with all of the changes. The nurses and staff are wonderful at the Shepherd Center and he is so grateful for all of the help he has received.

We finally know what our next step is...and it is exactly what Gary was hoping for. 

Dec 5 Gary will be discharged from the hospital and move next door to the Shepherd Center "Day Program". This means both Gary and I will be living in an apartment - on our own. He will go to rehab during the day at the Shepherd Center and continue to make strides toward independence. Who knows what I will do? I may blog myself silly.

At some point - probably in the category of several weeks later - he will move to a VA hospital in Tampa. Long story, but since he is an Air Force veteran the US govt will help with medical expenses. First he has to get admitted to a VA hospital so we will need to take that step sometime in the future. After that the plan would be to come home, but there are no time estimates yet.

Several of you have asked about Gary's spirits.

I think he is doing very well considering everything he is coping with right now. One of the many blessings at the Shepherd Center is that there are many people in different circumstances. Of course there are people who are in better shape than Gary- younger, lesser injuries, temporary damage. However probably the more significant impact is made by those who are in worse shape than Gary with much greater challenges. Part of the comntinuing therapy is discussions among patients and during this time they share their stories. Gary is always moved by these people such as a young man who cried because he could never have children, another man who wanted desperately to hang Christmas lights for his children but won't be home in time, a pastor who has been in traction for over 3 months and hoped to get the screws out of his head out last week but didn't. Not to mention the folks who are on ventilators, have no use of their arms, or can't speak because of the level of their injury. Gary feels he has alot to be thankful for...and I am thankful he is still around.

We both are thankful for our family and friends.

Here is a list of just a few of our recent angels:

Hali and Nate came to visit Gary in Atlanta during their Thanksgiving holiday. Gwen sent special music and arranged a photo of Stephanie Abrams to be sent from the Weather Channel - Gary thinks she is great!!! Beautiful plants from Hussein and Nargges, and flowers from the Bastardi family.

An inspirational CD and letter from Jim. Gift cards from Maria and Joe, my brother and his wife and Gayle. Yummy pies from Jan. I am sure I am forgetting so many thoughtful people.  Please know that it is just a lack of organization my part. Thank you to everyone who is helping us through this challenge!!

Sorry I guess this wasn't so brief. OOOPS!

Judi

More angels

My angels list is so long!!!

My father Bill, his wife Dorothy, my brother Bill and his wife Carol came to our house for a week. During this time they all acted like they were indentured servants. They did all the normal cooking and cleaning as well as painting furniture, washing windows, screens and cars, organizing paperwork and sheds, pruning, weeding....you name - it they did it!!! Hali and Bax chipped in and the only time anyone stopped working was to give me a bridal shower and celebrate my dad's 89th birthday!!! I am so grateful to them all for such love.

I'll list the "angel friends" later....

-Judi

Hello and a belated Happy Thanksgiving!

It is Sunday afternoon. Gary and I just attended a church service here at the Shepherd Center. Each Sunday is a little bit different with various pastors and even current and former patients participating. We enjoy the variety of services.  

Gary had had some ups and downs in the last week. Mostly ups!!! He has been working hard on transferring from his wheelchair to bed, to a shower seat, and even in and out of a car. When he got in the car we didn't go anywhere but we practiced for the future. I passed my training to get a "push pass" which means I am allowed to take him out of the hospital - to any distance I could push him. Unfortunately, so far we haven't gone anywhere because he has a urinary tract infection, and hasn't been feeling very well. I am sure this will pass as today is better than yesterday which was better than the day before.

Sorry I haven't blogged too much lately, but I have been putting it off until I knew more about what the immediate future holds. This method isn't working any better than it did in college when I would put off writing my papers hoping that magically I would know more tomorrow.

Here is what I know so far:

Gary was given a discharge date of Dec 6.
The original plan was to transfer him to the "Day Stay program" here at SC. In this program we would both stay next door in an apartment (where I am staying when I am here). I would be responsible for all of his care and he would come over to SC during the day to continue his therapy. We hope this will be the case, but it isn't certain as they do not have space for him at the moment.

It was then planned that he would go to the VA hospital in Tampa...but he was turned down for that facility for various reasons....so now they are trying again to make space for him in the SC Day Stay program. We are just waiting TRYING to be patient. 

Anyway, I hope you have all had a good Thanksgiving with loved ones.

Judi and Gary

Gary's address

Hi everybody!  I wanted to make sure that you have Gary's address(in case you want to send a congratulations card for their wedding or other words of encouragement:))  Thank you for all of your support; it means so much to my mom and Gary!!!  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.

-Hali

Gary Gammage

Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree St NW

Atlanta, GA

30309

Wedding Bells!!!!

Monday, Nov 14

So sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I have been so busy.

I have been back and forth to Atlanta several times, my family is visiting from Dallas and North Carolina, and Gary and I got married!

Yes, you read it correctly.

On Friday, 11 11, 11 at 11:11 am we tied the knot. We really didn't plan it to be that time or date but NOTHING we have done lately has been all that planned by us.

My friend Jan planned the whole thing and she did an amazing job! I could go on and on about all the stuff Jan had to do to get it done. She sweet talked an armour-plated bureaucrat into figuring out how to get a marriage license without both parties appearing at the courthouse. ("We'll just do it the same way we treat criminals in custody".) Somehow she got a judge to come to the hospital on his day off and she provided cake, refreshments, a bouquet, helped me get a ring (now there's a story for another day), took photographs...and I am sure MUCH, MUCH more!!! I was in such a fog that I can't remember everything she did, but

Jan was amazing!

For once I was speechless during the whole ceremony. The most noteworthy comment was from one of our favorite nurses (Cynthia of the slingshowerplasticbag fame) said "Now there is a real love story!" And I cried some more.

Gary is doing better each day. He is up in his wheelchair and getting to therapy several times each day. His arms are not as strong as they used to be but he is determined to do everything he can. Right now he is working on being able to transfer in and out of his wheelchair. Sitting up alone still eludes him, made more difficult by a brace on his torso. The brace is to assure his spine receives extra support. Although the brace itself is uncomfortable, Gary is hopeful that it will help protect him until the spinal fusion/reconstruction/fractures heal. He will eventually get the brace off if all heals properly. Gary's spirits seem better as each hurdle is cleared, but he is still worried that something else will go wrong. Of course I am convinced that the worst is behind us.

Gary's schedule seems to be operating on a more regular basis now. Consequently I will be entering comments into the Blog less often. I plan on doing an update roughly every few days up to a week.

As always we are both grateful for your thoughts and prayers,

Judi and Gary

Finally, a good day.

Tuesday, Nov 8

Gary is having a good day today. He went to therapy this morning and he will go to more this afternoon. He is feeling stronger since the surgery and very motivated to do as much as he can. Of course nothing has been easy for him throughout this entire process and post-surgery is following the same course. They are continuing to watch him closely so nothing interferes with his healing. Today's concerns are the possible formation of blood clots in his legs and urinary tract complications. As he begins to feel better his fighting spirit is returning. I told the nursing staff it was great for Gary that he is beginning to act like his normal self, but bad for the staff because now he will be more like the old Gary - he'll be a pain in their butts. Those poor nurses won't be fast enough or get enough done or make quick enough decisions. He was already anxious because he wasn't early for his first therapy appointment.

Sunday he woke up and the first thing he said was "Since my right arm works pretty well but my left arm is weak, I think I am going to learn to play guitar." It is interesting to me how the smallest thing can now seem so significant. I am so grateful to hear Gary talking about the future with some enthusiasm in his voice!

The Shepherd Center offers a variety of classes to educate patients about their injuries. Gary went to one class yesterday and reported it was designed for those folks without a medical background but he said it helps to get him out and about. Reading between the lines that probably means he could have taught the class.

The angels for the last few days are: Hali, Carol and Jan for talking me home from Atlanta (and filling me in on Herman Cain, Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky - I know Joe and Jerry from when I worked at Penn St - EEEK! what a mess). Thanks to my neighbor Steve for showing me that the lawn mower wasn't broken, we just needed to use the choke. Special thanks to Jan for doing all kinds of stuff to help me when I am in Atlanta. And to Peter and Nancy for suggesting that I do this blog. It has helped me so much to keep up the communication.

Thanks to you all for caring about Gary!

Judi

Out of surgery

Saturday, Nov 5

Gary came through yesterday's surgery with no major problems. The surgeon feels he will be much better having had this procedure and she was happy with the the results. Of course they are watching him carefully to make sure there are no complications. Gary was up and about today in his wheelchair and very happy to do his physical therapy this morning (less than 24 hours post surgery). The therapists feel he works hard and are always complimentary of his efforts when he gets to do it. It is too early to tell how quickly he will be making progress toward his goals of independence. I know he will give it everything he has. If anyone can triumph over the continued obstacles, Gary will. It has never been more clear to me how much I love this man. I am glad to be with him in this struggle.

There is a wheelchair basketball tournament going on all weekend at the Shepherd Center Gym, so we watched a game this am and are looking forward to watching another game this afternoon. The athletes are in terrific shape and they play really hard. Most of the athletes are men, but there is one team all women and a few co-ed teams. Gary and I both enjoyed watching the balance of intensity and good sportsmanship.

Another beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived from Gary's business partners today. We are both grateful to Gayle for making sure we had photos of Gary's best friend Trevor....and our 2 other dogs, PeeWee and Lucky. And a big thanks to Tom "I'm retired and retarded" Mullins and Mr. Norton for taking our garbage to the dump. Mr Norton was 99 years old last week and very proud of a letter wishing him a Happy Birthday from President Obama.

FYI - One of the patients here at Shepherd will be on national TV tonight. Gary watched them filming it this week. The young man named Chico was a cheerleading advisor at LSU when his accident occurred. Chico will be featured in a segment prior to the LSU/Alabama football game tonight.

Our best to you all,

Judi and Gary 

Prepping for surgery

Thursday, Nov 3

Gary is sleeping peacefully which is pretty unusual so I sneaked off to the family lounge where the computers are located.

Gary is so worn out and discouraged. One of our favorite nurses Myra says that he never complains and always tells her he is fine, but she knows better. Then she winked at me and said "Gary is one of my most favorite patients ever". He is counting the minutes until the Friday, Nov 4 -  2:00pm - surgery is over. Today begins the getting ready for surgery process. This includes a liquid diet and clearing out the intestinal tract. Part of him is dreading it and the other part can't wait to get it over with. I agree. Of course this is understandable. We are hoping he is able to bounce back better after this surgery than the last one.

Here is my lame joke for today:

Those of you who know Gary and me as a couple know that the old saying "opposites attract" is a pretty good description of our relationship. We have joked many times about the fact that Gary sees life as the "glass half empty" and I see it as the "glass half full".

Gary was so down that he called himself "Mr Half Dead"....I thought a moment and said "I'd prefer to call you Mr Half Alive". Even Gary had to laugh.

Birthday Angels:

So many cards that I can't list them all, but thank you.

A special thanks to Gary's partners - Kathy, Dave, Mark and Andrezs - for a Beautiful Vase of flowers. Also to my brother Bill and his wife Carol for the cutest little IPOD I have ever seen. Maybe I can find a toddler to show me how to use it.

Please keep Gary in your prayers tomorrow for surgery.

Good news and bad news

Wednesday, November 2

Today is Gary's birthday. I have good news and bad news.
Both the good and bad are: Gary is having surgery. It is scheduled for this Friday.

I will spare you all the details as they are not pretty, but he will have surgery to his intestinal tract. He has been experiencing quite a bit of trouble in this area for the last 2 weeks. This has been keeping him from getting up in his wheelchair and working at therapy. He is so frustrated and discouraged. Everyone here has been very positive that this surgery will help, so we are hoping they are correct. He is very anxious to get the surgery moving along.

In the meantime my angels:
A huge THANK YOU to Kathy, Gary's business partner who has been taking care of all the masses of paperwork and substitutes and everything that Gary is not able to do regarding his work right now!!! Gary's comment to this was "as always". She is a whirlwind. Also to everyone at the Orthopedic Surgery Center where Gary has been working for the gigantic Happy Birthday GG sign. After a few scary moments I finally got it hanging up where he can see it. (The PTs were scared not me).
And a big thanks to my friend Jan who took me out for some "retail therapy" and more than a few good laughs!

One more note, Gary is still not interested in reading email, so those of you asking for his address, sorry. Please don't take it personally.

Later today we will have cupcakes and ice cream - if Gary can eat. I am sure SOMEONE will eat them. Of course I can probably do it by myself if I have to!

Hugs,

Judi

Happy Halloween!!!

Monday, Oct 31

Happy Halloween.  There is an amazing amount of Halloween cheer here at the rehab hospital. Patients' faces are painted, the therapy room is now a haunted house, and all the staff is dressed for the occasion. Quite fun. One patient has quite a diabolical sense of humor. He was being pushed around in a stretcher bed, dressed as Michael Jackson, accompanied by a black man in an MD coat ....there was actually a flat line beeping noise going on - OUCH! Everyone here says you really need a sense of humor to get through this period of rehab.

Gary is up and about today in his wheelchair and as of 11am nothing had interfered with his therapy schedule - Hooray!!! He was happy and motivated by this. We also had a meeting with Gary's attending physician. His name is Dr Lin and he has a similar injury to Gary. He has been in a wheelchair for many years and can really relate to his patients. Gary always enjoys speaking with him as they can speak Dr to Dr. Dr Lin did confirm that the trauma to Gary's spinal cord did so much damage that it is not realistic to expect any use of his legs in the future. He showed Gary all kinds of "radiographs" of the injury. Gary has understood all along what it all means and is trying to stay realistic with his expectations.

OOOPS, I left Jackie off the list of generous folks who gave us the laptop, thank you Jackie!

Hugs to you all,

Judi and Gary

Sunday, October 30

So sorry I haven't been posting for the last few days. It has been a busy time. Also to be quite honest, I have had a bit of trouble figuring out what to say.

I am in Atlanta with Gary. He has been quite discouraged which has made it difficult for me to know what to write. I couldn't find a way to put a positive spin on it. So here's the straight scoop:

Gary feels he is not making any forward progress and is so frustrated with the situation. Although it is quite like Gary to be unsatisfied without rapid progress in anything, this is a new low for any time in his life. Medically he is slowly but surely stabilizing. Obviously this is a good thing, but it is eclipsed by his anxiety about the lack of activity. Almost each time he gets up to do therapy something interferes and he gets placed back in bed. This last time he was in bed for almost 48 straight hours - needless to say he feels helpless.

Yesterday it got so bad that Gary was inventing ways to "break out" of this place, get to any "cheap hospital" where he would receive "terrible care" and hopefully be put out of his misery by dying. He told me I should rent a UHaul van with a ramp he could drive his wheelchair into the back. Then I was supposed to get bungie cords out of the back of his truck, strap him into place, and head for the nearest VA hospital. All of this was to be done covertly so the nurses wouldn't realize it was an escape. Do you believe it?

Ok, so the list of angels continues to grow.

Thanks to Phil and Linda who came over and helped Bax learn about the water treatment system at home. Thanks to our neighbors Hussein and Nargges who are trying to feed Bax while I am gone. To Bonnie who sent Gary a funny sign to show "well-intentioned clods" when he didn't want any company. And to Cynthia the wonderful patient care tech who once again braved the sling shower to give Gary a much needed cleaning. Although this time we were better prepared for the water park. We were the laughing stock of the hallway wearing plastic trash bags taped on with adhesive tape.

Thanks to Bax who is keeping the home fires burning and as always to Hali who volunteered to come up and help me make sure the medical staff was doing their job well enough. ("Someone has got to stay on top of them and let's face it, Mom you don't like confrontation").

And lastly thanks to South Dakota Shell who is sending me a word for each day. Today's word is "laughter".

Each of you who have sent cards have really helped, and all the prayers are wonderful. We even received a nice letter from a church in TN letting us know they are praying for us. I guess the best thing that has come from this so far is to be the recipients of so much love. Thank you all from both of us,

Judi and Gary

Dancing Angels

Thursday, Oct 27

This post is not really about Gary. It is about the unbelievable love of friends.

Several weeks ago I posted that a friend (Deb) had ordered a new laptop for Gary because we couldn't figure out what kind to get....and she charged it to her credit card. Well yesterday I took my checkbook to meet with Deb to pick up the laptop. She delivered it with all the trimmings, in a brand new case and told me that it was a gift from our friends at the dance studio. I wasn't allowed to pay for it. All I could do was cry (truly I am quite alot like a faucet lately). When I told Gary about it he had the exact same reaction was I had. We are both so grateful to those folks who are helping him through with their love and support.

Anyway, a huge thank you to the dancing angels:

Bob and Shaq, David, Chris, Mettin, Arlene, Nelson, Harriet and Neilson, Maria, Angie, Eileen and Ray, Bonnie, Ken and Cathy, Gary J., Jim J., Marilyn, Kelli, Debbie, Dan and Margo, Brenna.

I know once we get this cute little job up and running Gary will be thrilled. (Of course we will probably need the help of a 6 or 7 year old to do so.)

Hugs to you all,

Judi

Therapy

Wed, Oct 26

Gary is doing a bit better. His breathing is getting stronger, he is more able to clear his throat and the feverish stuff is subsiding.

He has begun therapy, both Occupational and Physical. These activities have improved his spirits as he now has something to work at and look forward to each day. 

He also got a haircut last night and was very happy about that.

For those of you asking about his psychological condition...well, that's a tough question to answer. Right now is a very difficult time. Neither one of us knows exactly what we are in for. It's always hard to face the unknown, isn't it? Just getting through each day without feeling hopeless is a triumph, so in that regard he is doing a great job. He is so strong. Whenever I ask "How are you doing?" the answer is always "Fine".

Each time I refrain from saying "Liar, liar, pants on fire" is an accomplishment for me.

Here is a story that is so sweet I feel like my fingers will hurt when I type it:

My 89 year old father is recovering from several different cancers and still undergoing chemo. When we told him about Gary's accident he sped immediately to Gary's bedside.

Gary wasn't seeing anyone, but he allowed Dad in. Dad said he just wanted to say ONE THING.

Gary: "I love you, Bill. Who would have thought you would live longer than me?"

Bill (Dad): "I love you like my own son and I came to see if I can trade places with you."

OK, here are some angels; Gayle for care packages, Ann and Stosh for fruit basket, Jan for doing investigative legwork, Santa Tommy and "Little John" for getting the bird's nest out of the garage door opener and fixing that problem. A huge thanks to Gary's brother Randy for filling in for me and doing some "guy" stuff with Gary.

Please - if you helped us and I forgot, I am so sorry. There have been so many angels, thank you all.

One more note. I have found that I am progressing along some kind of journey. My most recent revelation is that I am trying to figure out the part about humor.

At first I couldn't laugh.

Then I thought I shouldn't laugh.

Now I feel I need to laugh.

I pray that no one thinks I am treating any part of this lightly as I share my silliness while I try to cope. Thank you for your understanding.

Judi

Travel, travel, travel...

Monday, October 24.

I am home briefly, then back to Atlanta. Gary's brother Randy came down from Ohio to see Gary and spend time with him while I am gone. It was so good to see Randy, he is a strong and positive person. Gary is very happy to have him there.

In the 2 days before I left Gary was slowly making some progress in the breathing and eating categories. His voice is rather weak so he doesn't talk much. His spirits are OK. Understandably Gary is frustrated by his medical issues and his spirits are certainly improved when he feels better. He is adapting well to the temporary wheelchair. No noteworthy collisions. He will get his own custom made chair later so this is a loaner for now until they figure out exactly what he needs.

Gary just called from Atlanta. He is supposed to be starting his first real therapy today and he is looking forward to it. "Maybe I'll finally get something done. I am tired of laying around." That's the Gary we all know and love!

We owe so many thank you's to folks who have reached out to help us, including the entire staff at the Shepherd Center. Gary and I thank them all. We have made an observation that ALL of the staff at both hospitals (Shands and Shepherd) DO their job well. However there is a distinction between those who DO their job well and those who really CARE about the patient as they do their job well. Interesting.

On the Angels list :Thanks to Susi, Carol, Marilyn, South Dakota ShellWoman and Hali for talking me all the way from Atlanta to home. It was REALLY sad to get home with no Gary. Our little dog Trevor (Gary's favorite-shh, don't tell the other 2 dogs) kept running up to the truck and looking for Gary to come out. Then he just sat by the truck and waited.

There are so many tears in this process.

My father and his wife Dorothy came to stay at the house with Bax for a few days.  Thanks to them for their help.

I am so glad to have my son Bax staying with me!!! He is great company.

Thank you all for caring.

Judi

Showers are good; especially with 3 women;)

Sat, Oct 22

Yesterday was a such big day that I did not have a chance to write anything.

The good news is Gary was up and in a wheelchair for the first time here at the Shepherd Center. The unfortunate component is that apparently he had reinjured his "bad shoulder" in the accident. The orthopedic surgeon feels this will hamper his ability to use both of his arms to push his wheelchair and transfer in and out of it. Surgery is a possibility, but not right now...so this means he is in a motorized wheelchair. Gary was disappointed about this but so happy to get up and about.

I also had a big day yesterday. (I will have more stories for you all later.)

I was in the family training program all day long.

Because this hospital specializes in spinal cord injuries they are very good about training the family and the caregiver. I have to be certified to do Gary's care and have to learn ALOT of information about the predictable, probable and possible problems I will encounter when I bring him home. The highlight of the program was the wheelchair maintenance class. Good thing the last segment of the day was psychological and emotional issues!

Today so far was an amazing day, Gary had his first shower.

Those of you my age or older will remember those little hammocks you put in the sink to bathe your baby. Well, they have this giant one which we rolled into the huge shower room. One tech, one nurse and I all got a shower with Gary. It was actually kind of fun, but no one seemed to think I was so funny when I suggested the best way to get dry might be to run down the halls naked. Party Poopers!

Ok, that's all for now.

Hugs to all of you,

Judi

Out of ICU :)

Thurs, Oct 20

It is early am and I haven't seen Gary yet today. He did call me early and tell me he is feeling better and has eaten breakfast.

Gary was moved from ICU last evening at 10:30pm. We both consider this a good development. He is still uncomfortable but it appears the care he is receiving is moving him in the right direction. He should be receiving a temporary wheelchair today also and he is excited about that.

Yesterday should really be titled "The Never Ending Meeting Day". There is so much to absorb about the program he is enrolled in for both us.  We were having ANOTHER discussion with ANOTHER helpful person when the HELPFUL person had the following discussion with Gary.

HELPFUL PERSON: "You look so worried, why is that?" 

Gary: "I am always worried."

HELPFUL PERSON: "What are you most worried about today?"

Gary: "What this is all going to do to Jude."

(Yesterday's sweetest moment)

Anyway, here is an address for those of you wanting to send a card.

Gary Gammage

c/o Shepherd Center

2020 Peachtree Rd NW

Atlanta, GA

30309

I will try to keep updates coming. Again we both thank you for caring.

Judi

"A LOT better" :):)

Wednesday, October 19

We arrived safely in Alanta. Gary by ambulance and Judi by Gary's truck. The most stressful part of the trip was trying to park the behemoth (Gary's truck) in a parking spot.

Thanks to Wig (my BFF from jr hs) who talked me almost all of the way from Melrose to Alanta and actually got me to laugh. And to Ken and Cathy who talked me through the rest of the trip. With the snacks Danielle packed the trip flew by.

I will try to write more later, but this is a fine place and Gary is glad to be here.

I was speaking with Hali on the phone and said "Gary is feeling a little bit better" and he corrected me that he is " alot better". I consider that a good sign, he is beginning to differ with me again - hehe.

New angels: all the nurses and techs at Shepherds Center, Monica, Annika, Josh, Don, Robert, Cornelia. Thank you.

Hugs to all of you,

Judi

Gary with his buddy Trevor; Christmas 2010:)  He can't wait for Gary to come home!!!

Arrival in ATL!

On Tuesday, Gary arrived at Sheppard's House in Atlanta.  He had a long ride in an ambulance and was feeling very sick when he finally got there:(  The staff was attentively at his side trying to help and by bedtime he was feeling slightly better.

We will try to have an update up before the end of the week.  Judi is very busy with paperwork and getting Gary settled.  When I spoke with her she seemed to feel as though they had made the right decision.

Thanks again for your patience and support!!!

-Hali

Shepard's House

Tuesday, Oct 18

Today we are moving Gary to the Shepherd's Hospital in Atlanta .

We have heard wonderful things about this hospital which specializes in brain trauma and spinal cord injuries. The rehab facilities are varied with swimming pools, gymnasiums and state of the art technology.

We feel very fortunate that we were able to get Gary accepted and are hoping for the best rehab possible.

I will be driving there independently of the ICU ambulance, so I can have transportation.

As far as Gary's progress is concerned, he is still in a very weakened state. He is still having trouble breathing, has a fever which comes and goes, and his blood pressure is a bit irregular. On the bright side the digestion issues are a tiny bit improved. He is still not eating, and it has been almost 2 weeks. He feels pretty crappy and I am amazed by how little he complains. I can see in his eyes how miserable he is.

Todays list of angels include Danielle and Mike staying with Bax and me. They have taken care of the dogs, not only cooked and cleaned, but cooked weeks worth of meals for Bax!!! Gary has wanted to buy a laptop for years now and couldn't decide what to get, so Debbie ordered one for him and charged it to her own credit card! Bax is continuing to be the live-in handyman and emotional support for me. I am amazed at how Hali is able to go to school, do her job and do what she is doing for Gary and me. 

At the hospital so many nurses and Drs have helped us that they are too numerous to name. Valerie and Lourdes have spent the most time making Gary comfortable. Hedy and Angella made sure no stone was left unturned in getting Gary to Shepherds. Thank you to Wendy, Karen, Sharon, Tim, Matt, Kwame, Justin, Scott, Lauren, June, Ryan, Vikie, Barbie, Mareesha, Laura, Melissa, - my apologies to those of you whom I have left out. We are so grateful to all of these folks.

Once we are safely situated in Atlanta, I will hopefully be able to post Gary's address for those of you wanting to send a card.

This will probably be my last entry for a few days while Gary is getting settled.

Thank you all,

Judi