The True Texan Times

It Ain't Just Lights and Presents!

2007-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

We thank God that Christmas is truly a celebration of birth - new birth! Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but if you know Him and have received Him as your Savior it is a wonderful time to celebrate being born again!!

May your homes be bright with the joys of the season and may your heart be bright with the love of God!

Mike and Patti

New Arrival and Pictures

2007-11-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

Baby Lucas has arrived. See the updated post below to see new pictures
of him and grandbaby #5 due in January!!

Mike

More Blessings On The Way!!!!!

2007-09-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

We truly are blessed!! Here is the current grandkid count and forecast for those of you who follow such things:

#1 Aidan Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - 3 Years Old.

#2 Cadence Bowman - Daughter of Nick and Abbey - 3 Years Old

#3 Cole (Bubby) Bowman - Son of Nick and Abbey - 1 Year Old

#5 Lucas Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - Due October 10th

#5 Baby Girl Powell - Daughter of Todd and Paige - Due January 6th

#6 Baby Bowman - Next blessed event for Nick and Abbey - Due April 29th

True Toxin Times

2007-09-19T21:44:00.001-07:00

Last week Patti had botox injections in her right arm to help with Charlotte's ongoing rehab. For those of you new to the blog, Charlotte is our term of endearment for her right arm. This is the second time we have had this done and it really helps a lot. Patti has started a brief series of re-hab visits to improve her exercise routine to get the most out of the treatment.

We are thankful that the insurance we have had covers this. This treatment is the last one approved before we move to a new plan. God has provided wonderfully for us through the insurance plan she was under at the Sheriff's office! God provided it when we didn't even know we were going to need it and it was the right plan with the right provisions!

Please pray that Patti's new treatment will lead to even more lasting results!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

More Restaurant Fun

2007-09-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool story! My mother June Everett, or Meemo to grand and great grandkids, found out that her deceased brother-in-law had some money to be claimed that was listed by the state. She applied for it and a few years later - voila! A check in the mail! She decided that since it was "found" money, she'd blow a little of it and took me, Patti and brother Lynn to dinner last Thursday. However, she did not take us to just "any" restaurant - we went to the French Room in Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas. The French Room, has earned Gourmet magazine’s top ranking for the Dallas/Fort Worth region for three consecutive years, and is a wonderful five star restaurant. Believe me, the food lived up to its billing - grrrrreat!

Also, the decor is spectacular. Check out the frescos, columns and chandelier. Very nice, quiet dining.

Here are a couple of dishes - tenderloin with a rosemary peppercorn sauce (Mike) and a baked halibut dish (Patti). For dessert I had a chocolate souffle. Notice the Happy Birthday on the plate - chocolate sauce - nice. The sorbet in the lily bowl was served between the salad and the main course.

Bon Apetit!

Mike

Restaurant Week in Dallas

2007-09-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Every year in August Dallas holds "Restaurant Week." Obviously the restaurants in town aren't making enough money, so they have to come up with a way to entice people to eat out a little more. (Yeah, right!)

Anyway, Mike and Patti, Mike's brother Lynn, and June (Meemo) went to The Nana Grill at the top of the Anatole Hotel to enjoy their special menu for the week. While we were there, we were treated to a fantastic lightning show during dinner and a wonderful view of downtown Dallas at night.

Great time!

More Lagniappe - In West Texas

2007-09-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

Patti and I also took a recent weekend to travel out to West Texas to see Betty and R.I. (Neeno and Geeto). We had a lot of fun playing games including bridge and "hand and foot." By the way, if you've never played hand and foot, you should try it. It's a great game for families and friends. You can find the rules in several places on the web, but here is one of them:

http://www.pagat.com/rummy/handfoot.html

Anyway, a great weekend. We just don't see you guys enough!!!

One funny note - when we were driving up we noticed something unusual out in a field between Ralls and Crosbyton. A large silver-back gorilla was standing guard over a field. Still haven't figured this one out! Apparently, just a farmer up to some monkey-business!

Lagniappe in Louisiana

2007-09-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

OK, altogether now!

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...

Summertime is the big birthday time of the year for the grandkids. Aidan is in June, Cole in July, and Cadence in August. Of course, that will soon be changing with new babies coming in October and January. Anyway, after we got back from Thailand, we got to go to Louisiana to enjoy a joint birthday party for Cadence and Cole (Bubby).

Cute cake!

Bubby had his own and, in typical first birthday fashion, enjoyed it immensely!

The kids had fun!

Cadence got a cool rain outfit!

And, Stephen and Bubby got acquainted!!

Nice job Mom! We loved the time together!!!!

Long Awaited Follow-up!!

2007-08-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

I know you'll never believe this, but Patti and I got stuck in customs and have been having our bags examined for six straight weeks!!! (Hmmm. Maybe that's not so unbeleivable after all?)

Actually, I probably need to have my head examined for taking so long to do this. (Or at least my time management!)

Yes, we made it back and, yes, we had a great time! Mike, Morgan and Aidan were gracious and patient hosts and never once threatened to throw us out of the house. Of course, the fact that we brought several bags of Cheetos over for them may have influenced their tolerance somewhat.

OK. Some highlights and pictures.

Right after arriving we got to enjoy Aidan's third birthday party. There was a nice crowd of friends on hand.

Everybody enjoyed the cake, especially Aidan.

We saw a lot of the sights of Chiang Mai including a huge Buddha (or is it Buddhette?):

We learned that even Buddha (Buddhette) takes it easy once in a while.

Chiang Mai from the mountaintop:

Stinky fruit at the market: (We didn't try it and because it was wrapped in plastic we didn't get to smell it. We're told we were very fortunate!

Lots and lots and lots and lots of motor bikes:

In fact, this picture just doesn't do it justice. There are thousands of these things around all the time. It is the preferred form of transportation. We saw bike drivers on cell phones, with babies in their laps, and as many as four (though we heard about five) on a single bike. It is a bike culture in Chiang Mai!

Here's another example. For those of us used to overwhelming government control of the comfort and condition of kids in the car, this was a little different!!

The ancient wall of the city of Chiang Mai. It was mostly destroyed during WWII by Japanese bombers.

There was always something beautiful to see in Chiang Mai and the surrounding countryside. This was a waterfall where we had a picnic.

This was an even bigger waterfall we visited a few days later.

We wondered where all the water for this one was coming from, so we looked around and, sure enough, we found the source of all that water......

Too bad there was a leak in the hose. Who knows how much bigger the falls would have been?

What trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to the elephant camp! This was so much fun! I had no idea elephants were so friendly. Makes you think about getting one for a pet!

We also had a blast at the Chiang Mai Zoo. Below are the animals we got to see and, in the case of the Giraffes, feed!!

There are two videos that I want to pass along. The first was taken when Mike Jr. and I were out playing golf. We had the opportunity to feed some fish in a pond. It was fun! Watch what happens!

The second video was taken in Japan as Patti and I were waiting to ride the bullet train back to Tokyo from a tour of Mount Fuji. I always wonder why we don't have things like this in Texas!?!

During the tour in Japan it was a very rainy and foggy day. The picture on the left is what we were supposed to see on the tour. The picture on the right is what we did see!!

Fortunately the clouds lifted a little later and we got to see the mountain briefly.

But, enough of Japan!

What we really came to see was family. You really don't understand how much you miss and appreciate your kids and your grandkids until you go to visit them. We had an absolutely wonderful time throughout the trip. God blessed us with easy travel and safety and the ability financially and timewise to be able to go. Patti covered more and different kinds of terrain than I think she thought possible, but did it with ease and joyful determination. But in the end, this is what we came for and, what we enjoyed the most.

Mike, Morgan, and Aidan - Thanks for a wonderful time! We will never forget it!

Mimi and Pop

Busy First Week

2007-07-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, one week has already flown by since we got to Chiang Mai. We've had a great time and seen so much. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Mike Sr. got to play in the praise band at The Gathering (local church) while Mike Jr. led worship.
2. We visited a silk factory and got to see how Thai silk is made starting with silkworms and how they grow and finally form a cocoon which is then processed for the silk threads. We got to watch silk fabric being woven on hand-operated looms which was really educational!
3. We visited the winter palace for the king and toured the grounds. Very impressive and (Trish) lots and lots of flowers!
4. Bought some souvenirs at the Sunday Night Market. It's different from other markets as it only is open on Sunday night and there is room to walk around. They actually close off a street so there is plenty of room. It's amazing how much stuff is made and sold here. It's like everybody is in a little business for themselves.
5. Patti and I got foot massages Sunday night at the market. Wow! We are both walking better as a result.
6. Went to a 4th of July Party for Mike's company on Saturday and got to swim in a 1-ACRE POOL!! It was huge! We had a lot of fun and some great American burgers. They even had some Miracle Whip on hand!

We're having a great time and being with Mike and Morgan and Aidan this long is really special. We know the next week will fly by, so we are trying to savor every minute!

More later!

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

Hard Drive Down

2007-06-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

Patti and I arrived safely at Mike and Morgan's and have been enjoying our first week spending time with them and seeing some of the sights. We have been up to Doi Suthep which is a Buddist temple with a huge statue of Budda; visited the waterfalls on the way for a picnic; been to the downtown market and the night bazaar; seen the old city walls and moat and visited a lovely park nearby; had authentic Thai food and some great Western food as well; Mike and I have played golf; had a great birthday party with Aidan; visited the Chiang Mai zoo, which is really cool; and generally having a great time while we have gotten adjusted to the time difference.

Additionally, our new camera has been taking some wonderful pictures. However, after downloading all the pictures to my laptop to post on the blog, and clearing them off of our camera card, I'm sorry to report that the harddrive on my laptop has apparently failed. Dell doesn't think it can be fixed until after we get back to the states and the IT guys at Mike's company are going to try to get the information off so we don't lose anything.

So now we have to figure how to get pictures off the camera and on to Mike and Morgan's computer so we can put some up in the blog. I don't have a cable for the transfer since I didn't need one with my computer, so it is a problem. Just as bad, all of my e-mail addresses are on the computer as well! So I'm really locked up when it comes to communicating with some of our friends who don't read the blog.

Just a couple of observations before I sign off:

Things you can find anywhere on earth:

1. Coca-Cola
2. Roaches
3. Starbuck's
4. Mosquitos
5. Pigeons
6. Motor scooters
7. $3.00/gal gasoline.

So with that information now in the public domain, I will sign off until we can figure out our technical glitches. Oh, one word of advice - buy McIntosh!!!

Mike and Patti

First Leg - I Can't Believe We've Come This Far

2007-06-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

Patti and I are sitting in the United Airlines International Travelers Lounge at Tokyo's Narita airport. We left DFW this morning at 8:07 and flew to San Francisco to change planes and head for Tokyo. We landed in Tokyo at 2AM Dallas time, so including the San Francisco leg and time between flights it was a total of 18 hours. Arrrrgh! We have a three hour layover here before heading on to Bangkok. Notes from the trip:

It was raining in Dallas when we left. It was raining in Tokyo when we arrived. Hmmmm. The flight was incredibly long, but business class really takes the edge off. The seats fully recline and the food was great! I can't remember the last time I got something more than peanuts on a flight. We had a great Japanese meal including smoked salmon, green salad, some tasty things I didn't recognize and some really wonderful sesame chicken with noodles and mixed vegetables. Coffee, soft drinks, water snacks and lots of fruit filled out the rest of the time. By the way, I know that United Airlines is not the snazziest airline around, but the service, food and flight attendants were great. Patti has been handled with kid gloves and wonderful courtesy the whole way.

There was a choice of nine movies on board. The only one I watched was Wild Hogs for the second time. Otherwise listening to music, reading and sleeping.

Here is Patti in Business Class:

Here is a look at the upper deck, all business class, on the 747:

Here is the plane:

Narita Airport is a pretty interesting place. For one thing, the lounge we are in is very delux. If you've ever been in an airline club like the American Admiral's Club, you know they are nice. This is like an Admiral's club on steroids. Lots of room, showers if you need one, free food, drink and even direct telephone lines to the U.S., Canada, China, Singapore, Korea and Thailand. This is just one section.

When you walk outside the lounge you are absolutely assaulted with Duty Free stores selling all kinds of cosmetics, electronics, jewelry, watches, clothing, you name it! Here's a sample:

I mean, what airport could possibly be complete without a Tiffany's!!

Finally, one of the more popular pastimes at Narita is enjoying a relaxing, vibrating recliner while waiting for your flight. These guys all looked like they were having the time of their lives right here!!

Please pray for me (Mike). I managed, wouldn't you know it, to develop a rollicking head cold just before we left. It would really be nice to get over it in the next day and not infect any family members!!!

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

Really Cool Trip!

2007-06-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Way too cool! Patti and I are going to Thailand for the next two weeks to visit Mike, Morgan and Aidan!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who are fluent in Thai, that means we are pai teeo. For those of you who aren't, that means we are going traveling. And travel we will. We fly from DFW to San Francisco to Tokyo to Bangkok. That whole trip is approximately 24 hours in the air! Needless to say we will be travel weary when we get to Bangkok. We will spend the night there and push on to Chiang Mai and a happy reunion the following day. We have a new camera so I hope to be posting pictures during the trip.

Pray for safe travel, health and a great time together!

More later...

Mike and Patti

New Faces - No Names! Kids & Grandkids Update

2007-06-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

In the last few months we have been blessed with two, yes TWO, blessed announcements!

Mike and Morgan, who currently reside in Thailand with Grandson #1, Aidan (Devestatingly cute and just turned 3), are expecting a baby brother, grandchild #4, in October!! Interestingly, the due date is October 10th - the same as Mike Sr.'s birthday! That means there is a good chance there will be at least one grandchild's birthday he won't forget!!

Paige and Todd, who currently reside in Tallahassee, FL, announced their new arrival, grandchild #5, is scheduled for January of 2008! Don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, but Paige is having fun working on eyes, fingers, toes, etc.

Nick and Abbey, in Simsboro, LA, continue to enjoy the blessings and challenges of raising two beautiful children Cadence (Turning 3 in August) and Cole (Turning 1 in July) (Both also devestatingly cute as well).

Stephen, attending LSU in Baton Rouge, will graduate in December and is working now with Mike Sr.'s company, Millennium Protection Group and pursuing other ventures as well.

All are doing well and we give glory to God for His goodness! Check the links to visit their blogs and learn and see more!

M & P

Graduation Day

2007-06-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hi! Remember me? Long time no post!

On Thursday, May 31st, Patti graduated from re-hab! YAY! God blessed us with 18 months of intensive work for Patti to assist in her recovery. That's amazing in itself because most of the people she saw coming through re-hab only stayed a few months. Many had insurance restrictions that forced them out. Others had no family or friend support and gave up. Still others quit on life altogether regardless of the support they had.

Exiting formal re-hab is exciting, but it is also a big adjustment. The truth is that re-hab continues - just at home. So Patti is continuing to work hard each day on various aspects of her on-going recovery. She works out at the YMCA three times a week and the therapists at the re-hab center gave her a small library of tools to help her along and she uses these daily. We are exploring other ways to make the effort more interesting.

Getting back into a rhythm of life is more important now, also. We have settled into a wonderful fellowship group at church that meets on Saturday nights. They have welcomed us and we have numerous new friendships developing.

I continue to be busy with work which means that Patti has a lot of time during the day by herself. Transportation when she needs to go somewhere is a problem if I'm not available. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has a door-to-door service available that Patti is now qualified for which will come in very handy in the future. We are also looking for part-time driver for Patti so that she will have the mobility she needs to go places and do things.

Please pray that we find the right person for driving and that Patti's activities settle into place in a way that is pleasing to her and promotes her on-going recovery.

Sorry for the huge gap in the blog! We will attempt to get current and stay that way!

Forever in Him!

Mike and Patti

Recent Pictures

2007-02-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family,

Patti and I have been asked for some recent pictures. I've really been struggling to get pictures from our last trip on to the blog with no success, but I've been able to get these to come up properly.

The True Texan Times accepts no responsibility for any damage to your computer screen resulting from the viewing of these photographs.

Forever in Him,

Mike

How do you spell relief? M..I..G..R..A..I..N..E!

2007-02-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

More accurately, it's J..E..S..U..S!

After visiting with the neurologist late Thursday afternoon, he determined that Patti suffered a migraine headache. I know that after all the scary events (believe me, it was scary) on Sunday, to come up with a migraine as a diagnosis seemed a bit unusual!

First of all, I want to thank the Lord for sustaining us through this time. Knowing Him, holding on to Him and remaining steadfast in His peace allowed us to not give in to fear which, I believe, was the design of the enemy of our souls.

Secondly, deepest, heartfelt thanks to all of the wonderful prayer warriors who cast their love on God's throne on Patti's behalf!

The way the doctor described it, Patti's brain is in a weakened condition from the stroke. No news there! But he also said that a migraine is hard enough on a healthy brain, but when it hit Patti her brain began throwing off stroke symptoms big time! In fact, if you read the earlier blogs, the first doctor to see her was convinced she had suffered a new stroke event. So we were greatly concerned that, after having Patti's heart repaired and months of diligent re-hab, we might be faced with the loss of all of her progress and not even know why! Plus, the first doctor speculated that there might be some kind of condition in the brain that may, or may not, be treatable. So we were also faced with the possibility of more stroke events and greater and greater damage occuring over time. Not a pretty picture!

After looking at the MRI the neurologist stated conclusively that there was no new damage to Patti's brain nor anything that looked even suspicious to him. He gave her a complete release to participate in all of her activities with no restraint!

So to say we are relieved is a massive understatement! Everything about Patti improved when she got the diagnosis! She was really concerned and fearful, but she stood firm in the storm!

One quick humorous story: When we were leaving to go to the hospital on Sunday, I leaned over to Patti, who was in the wheelchair, and said "You know, honey, if you didn't want to watch the Super Bowl all you had to do was just say so!" Actually, at the time, she didn't much appreciate the humor. My timing was off just a little. Anyway, she had been insistent that she did not want to go to the hospital and wasn't real happy about it. So when we left the neurologist's office and headed for the elevator I looked to my right and Patti wasn't there. I turned around and she was standing in the hallway with her hands spread slightly apart and a smile on her face and said "See!! I told you not to take me to the hospital!!" We both laughed and, of course, to get the last word in, I told her "This just confirms my original thought that you just didn't want to watch the game!"

All's well that ends well!

Pressing on in Him,

Mike

Thursday Update

2007-02-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Not a very creative title, but accurate.

Patti's condition is still good. She does seem to be having some trouble with her speech which is frustrating for her, but overall she is good.

Today we see a neurologist at 2:00PM. Please continue to pray for the outcome of this visit.

Details of the visit later today.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Tuesday's Child...

2007-02-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Is full of grace! God's grace that is!

Patti came home from the hospital today and is feeling fine. We waited until after 8:00PM last night to get an MRI done. The results were supposed to be evaluated by a neurologist this morning. However, it turned out the neurologist couldn't get to it till very late in the day today or tomorrow sometime. I felt we had already spent one night too many in the hospital waiting on the MRI that should have been done yesterday morning.

Enough of that. We will have the results reviewed by our primary physician and then a neurologist of his recommendation this week. In the meantime, Patti has suffered no lasting effects from the event this weekend! Thank you for your prayers! We are believing God that this is just another step in Patti's recovery. We will update the results of the MRI later this week. In the meantime, please continue to pray for Patti's complete healing and for a good report when the test is reviewed.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Not So Super Sunday!

2007-02-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon Patti began to see wavy lines in her right eye and began to experience disorientation. I took her to the hospital where she was admitted at the ER. After a CAT scan was performed, the doctor told us that she had experienced an "expansion" of the original stroke. The effects that were witnessed Sunday night included some continuing disorientation, headaches, the peripheral vision in her right eye was completely occluded, and her speech problems seemed to be more intense.

That's the bad news. I must confess it was a scary experience for Patti, me and our whole family!

However, we again called upon the Lord as our many friends in Louisiana, Dallas and around the world began to pray for Patti. By Monday morning, Patti's vision had been restored and her disorientation was completely gone. Thank you Jesus!!

During the day today Patti was scheduled to have an MRI done to more closely focus on the area and try to understand what caused the event. The MRI was performed around 8:00PM tonight. We should have, and will post, the results tomorrow.

Throughout the day today Patti had some continuing small headaches, but these were easily controlled with a little Tylenol. One additional praise that several people noted today is that Patti's speech has been much smoother and more spontaneous. So her condition today not only is improved over yesterday evening after this event, but it actually appears to be better than before the event.

We are praying that this is just something that God will use to move Patti farther along in her recovery.

Please pray for the following:

1. Healing and complete recovery.
2. Understanding of the cause and a plan for prevention in the future.
3. During this time Patti and I were reminded by some loving friends that our battle is not against "flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12. So we are praying in faith against the enemy who would love to steal Patti's hard won and God-given recovery. I invite you to join in this prayer as well.

We again must express our gratitude to those who so lovingly go before the Father on Patti's behalf. God is so good and has blessed us beyond measure through the wonderful things he has done for Patti!

I will try to update faithfully over the next few days.

Forever in Him,

Mike

New Year > New Blog

2007-01-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to the upgraded version of our blog and...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Botox Update: Patti's botox therapy on her right leg is progressing well and is showing good results. She is working extremely hard to exercise the leg to develop the muscles that were intentionally not affected by the botox. The noticeable improvements are a smoother gait when she walks and better overall muscle tone in the lower right leg. In fact, one of Patti's physical therapists told her she didn't like botox therapy, but after seeing Patti's improvement she has changed her mind!

Charlotte Update: Charlotte is still improving as well. Over the last five weeks or so, Patti is starting to get more movement in her finger tips and her thumb is showing dramatic improvement in movement! The thumb is so important because it makes the other fingertips more useful and provides grip strenth for handling things and doing normal activities.

Overall Update: Patti is doing great! Her attitude is still strong and she is still working at recovery with all her might! We are continually grateful for all that God has provided for her and we look forward to testifying of His magnificent grace throughout 2007.

Life here is busy, busy! Patti is still in re-hab five days a week. We thought she would be reduced to three days in January, but with the ongoing botox treatment, the therapists want to continue to work with her on a daily basis.

My work with Millennium Protection Group continues to go well! I travel about 7 days each month. Usually one week in the Northeast and two more days at other places. Lately they have been Austin, Tx and Baton Rouge, LA where son Stephen is now a sales rep for us.

We had a great holiday visiting with kids, grandkids and friends. We drove from Dallas over to Louisiana to see Abbey, Nick, Cadence and Cole, picked up Stephen in Ruston and then drove to Tallahassee, FL to spend Christmas with Paige and Todd. More time with Abbey and Nick on the way home and then back to Dallas on December 30. More on the trip and Pictures in the next post.

Prayer Requests:

1. Patti will start botox therapy on Charlotte in mid-February. Pray for continued improvement greater strength in her hand. Also for focus for Patti as she shifts from a leg focus to a hand and arm focus while still trying to coordinate both muscle groups in her right leg.
2. Our apartment lease will expire in August and, while it is early, we need to be thinking about where we will live and what kind of home is best-suited for our needs. Pray for wisdom, wise counsel, and God's choice!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Getting a Leg Up

2006-11-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

A little over a week ago, Patti started botox therapy on her right leg. Just to review the procedure, in most stroke-affected limbs, there is a group of muscles that is over-toned, or two tight. In essence the flex signal is steady and the relax signal is absent. This creates two problems: 1. Muscle tightness causing inflexibility and some deformation characteristics, and 2) An inability to exercise the weaker or under-toned muscles thereby increasing the imbalance. Botox is injected into the over-toned muscles to relax and temporarily paralyze them so the weaker muscles are exposed and can be exercised and strengthened.

In Patti's case, she is now experiencing the equivalent of one step back to take two or more steps forward. Her weak muscles are giving her some problems walking now with the stronger ones out of action. So she is working very hard on specific exercises to work the muscles that need it.

We would appreciate your prayers for her for encouragement and diligence as it is very frustrating to make progress and have to go back to an earlier level and work through problems again. And, secondly, that God would use this treatment to dramatically improve her ability to walk, her balance and ability to react with confidenct to a trip or a bump or some other disruption to her walking.

We are also looking at reducing her time in therapy after the first of the year from five days a week down to three. This is to begin a transition period that will put Patti back in a normal life routine at home. We will really need some grace for this as Patti will need to have people she can count on for fellowship and friendship during the day when I am at work. She will need to find some specific activities that will help keep her busy and continue her recovery.

So over the next three to four months, we have a lot of things going on that need divine direction. I'm glad we serve a faithful God who even counts the very hairs on our heads!! (Although in my case it looks like that's getting easier every year!!)

Anyway, thank you for your prayers!

Forever in Him,

Mike

2006-11-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Patti and I want to wish everyone a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Remember, whatever your situation in life, you are blessed in Christ and have much to be thankful for!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"
Ephesians 1:3

Got this via e-mail from a friend. Hope you enjoy it!

T'WAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING!

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep,
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the Dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
and Gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ' n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

P.S. New update on Patti coming this weekend.

Some people will do anything for a buck!

2006-10-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night our apartment complex had a Halloween party. We usually don't bother with that stuff, but they were offering a free month's rent to the best costumed residents! So we decided to give it a shot to meet some neighbors and try to win.

The results are in: We didn't win a thing!!!!

But we did try and this is what we looked like!!

Gee, can you guess who we were?

Mike

Mea Culpa

2006-10-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

Blogging as I fall, ever so carefully, on my sword.

Yes, it's been too long! And, yes, it's all my fault. Thanks to all of our friends for all of your patience and continued prayer support. I'm going to work hard to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

For what it's worth, I have tried. I just get to certain points of the day when ordinarily I might blog and find that my energy level just isn't there to get it done. However, in the midst of my frustration I have been reminded time and time again of God's faithfulness. I am always encouraged and, I have the privilege of being inspired by one of the most dedicated and hard-working people I've ever met...my wife!!! She keeps at it day after day; through the ups and the downs; whether she's tired or not; no matter how she feels.

Also, please check the comments on the previous blog to get a taste of some of the good-natured abuse I've been taking!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

There's No Blog Like the Present

2006-10-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I know it's been an eternity since the last "real" blog and, as you might imagine, a lot has been going on.

I will try to get everything updated over the next few entries.

Patti continues to persevere and is continuing to come along well in her recovery. I don't think I ever updated the completion of the constraint therapy. It only lasted three weeks with Miss Charlotte showing good progress. The occupational therapist decided that Charlotte was far enough along that Patti would benefit more by working her hands together in tandem. Patti is now spending more time working on day to day activities with Charlotte including cooking, turning light switches on and off, opening doors, etc. She is able to open and close her hand much more easily, has complete range of motion with her arm, but is focusing now on strengthening her individual finger movements.

Recent Events:

Over Labor Day, Patti and I enjoyed a visit to Lubbock to see her parents. The trip was even more special as Abbey and her beautiful kids (our grandkids) Cadence and Cole came along with us. We had some rare quality time with daughter, great-grandparents and grandkids!

September 23, was Patti's birthday. She celebrated by going to lunch and shopping with one of her close friends, Jan LaDue, followed by a Saturday night Fellowship Group at Prestonwood Church and then dinner with friends Dale and Cheryl Gates to finish off the evening.

Just two weeks ago, Paige and Todd were able to come over for a visit as Todd had a business meeting at DFW. The highlight of the weekend was a visit to the State Fair. Be sure and check Paige's blog for some pictures. We had fun checking out all of the Fair "specials" on clothing, appliances, cookware, etc. We also checked out the new cars, funnel cakes and corn dogs. Patti brought a wheel chair which was really weird. She hasn't been in one in so long, but it turned out to be a good idea. She walked and rode at various times as did Paige, Todd and myself! It was great always having a place to sit when you got tired!

Last week we had the latest thirty day review at the re-hab center. Progress is continuing in all areas and the staff is still really pleased with her progress. There was a lady who had also had a stroke and is about our age at the re-hab center and had much the same effects as Patti. Her right hand was completely out of commission. Just a few days ago, she decided she didn't want to work at it anymore and checked into an assisted living facility. I'm so glad that Patti has her faith to make her strong, the support of her whole family, and recognizes that she has so much to live for that quitting is a completely distasteful option. God is good!

New Blog On The Way

2006-10-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Patience! I'm working on it and it will be here in the next day or so. Patti and I are both fine and her progress continues!

Mike

Getting a Grip

2006-08-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Here's the update on Patti's constraint therapy for Charlotte. She is showing signs of stronger gripping ability, although that is still very weak. What is apparent, though, is that Patti's control when she extends her arm and holds it straight out, or raises or lowers it, is definitely improving. It is, as we thought it would be, a very difficult and effort-filled process. It is hard on her, but she is trooping through as she always does!

Probably the most frustrating part is trying to eat lunch. I won't say Patti is starving, but she is certainly putting a lot more effort into her meal! Sandwiches have become the preferred food as they are easier to manage and she has a set of utensils with large handles to help Charlotte out. All in all, I'd say she is coming along really well.

Last weekend we went to a movie at a place here in Dallas called Mockingbird Station. When we parked the car we were unfamiliar with where everything was including the theater. We walked right by the elevators and were confronted with about forty steps to get up to the theater level. After commenting that "this is not good!", Patti took them all! Most of them she was able to alternate her legs so that she took the steps in normal fashion. But close to the top, righty was giving out so she took the last several with the left leg doing the work. I was really proud of her and hadn't seen her do that much alternate step work. A really good sign of improvement!

I am so blessed by the answered prayers we have received. Patti has been continually faithful through her new therapy and we are beginning to see the benefits. God continues to provide for us financially, spiritually, emotionally and physically. I pray that if you have any need in your life you will learn to depend on God to meet that need, if you aren't doing so already.

Thank you for your on-going prayers for Patti! I also pray that as you pray for us and others that God will generously bless you in return!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Love That Boy! (pictures)

2006-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Patti and I got to visit Nick, Abbey and Cadence last week and meet our new grandson Cole! He is even cuter in person than he is in pictures and we had a great visit with everybody. Both Cole and Cadence picked up some gifts and you can see a picture of Cadence blowing bubbles with her new battery powered bubble maker. (I've got to get me one of those!!)

Yes, I have facial hair! But not to worry, it got shaved off this week. Looked too much like Colonel Sanders.

Patti had her monthly re-hab review yesterday and all signs are pointing forward. Charlotte's grip strength has increased nearly 50% from 8lbs to 11lbs in the last month along with similar increases in flexibility and range of motion. Her balance has improved so much she has graduated from "moderate" fall risk to "minimal" fall risk!!! Praise the Lord!

Prayer Request

Next week Patti will begin a new therapy regimen called "Constraint Therapy." In this, her left hand will, literally, be tied behind her back all day during her re-hab sessions and Charlotte will be called upon to do everything for Patti. That means everything! If she needs a drink, Charlotte will have to get it. If she wants to eat, Charlotte will have to provide it. You can imagine all of the things she is currently doing with the good left hand that will be extremely challenging once this begins. This will be a very stressful, but rewarding process. This particular technique produces sometimes startling results and we are looking forward to it. However, it will be tiring and stressful for Patti and will test her faith and endurance.

Please pray that she will wait upon the Lord for the strength to rise up and successfully complete this regimen. Also, please pray that the Lord will bring significant results and benefit for Patti as she goes through this time.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Things are Escalating

2006-07-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

Predicted to be hot tomorrow in Dallas - 106 degrees!!!!! It's hot and the heat is escalating!

Israel, Lebanon, all of the terrorist groups sponsored by Iran and Syria are all at it and the war appears to be escalating! (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!)

Gasoline prices are high and appear to be escalating!

And in the middle of all this what is Patti doing? She appears to be escalating things a little herself! This past Saturday, she and Stephen and I went over to the mall to do a little shopping and Patti escalated!!!! That's right! She rode on her first escalator since November!!!!!!!!! In fact, she rode twice!! I'm really proud of her for having the courage and pushing herself to do it. Of course, I was right by her side to make sure she got on and off OK and had my arm around her the whole time, but she was really brave to do it! Oh, we only took the escalator up cause neither of us wanted a downward fall!!!!

Here's a picture of new grandson Cole:

Isn't he adorable! Good job Abbey and Nick and Cadence! We're proud of you!

Be sure and check out the brand new BOWMAN BLOG! Just click on the New Link in the left hand margin.

The Lord is good!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Happy Birthday Cole!!!

2006-07-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Cole Wade Bowman, son of Abbey and Nick and brother to Cadence came into the world tonight at 9:17. Cole weighed in at 7 lbs., 2 oz and is 19 1/4 inches long. Mother and son are doing great and we rejoice in this wonderful addition to our family!!

Mike

I'm Bloggin On A Jet Plane...(Apologies to John Denver)

2006-07-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

Finally getting the time to blog while traveling from Texas to Connecticut. There is so much to update I hardly know where to begin. First of all, thanks for your patience as I have been unable to blog regularly. We have so many friends, loved ones and prayer warriors who want to keep up with Patti and her progress and we deeply appreciate you. Also, thanks to beloved daughter Paige for pinch-hitting recently!

God is so faithful! My schedule of work and supporting Patti in her re-hab fills my days up. But as a result, Patti has lots of time to work on her recovery, and work she does!! She is still in re-hab every weekday. She gets picked up at 8:15 AM or so and gets back around 4:15 in the afternoon. After a nap and dinner, Patti will start in on her evening exercises. She does stretches and various motion and control exercises. She will read books or we may play a game or work on word pronunciations. Her persistence is extraordinary and everybody she is around is amazed and proud of her dedication.

Patti continues to improve every day, so keep reading and let’s take it one area at a time:

A Pinch of This - A Dash of That

2006-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Charlotte keeps getting stronger. As Paige mentioned in her entry, Patti is able to move lightweight objects around and is getting very good at picking up blocks and putting them into containers. Her ability to lift, extend and move her arm is also developing rapidly. Charlotte’s even getting involved in returning hugs which is probably the best therapy we can get!

The occupational therapists who work with Patti have come up with several recommendations for new treatments for Charlotte recently, but a funny thing keeps happening. For example, they recently suggested Botox therapy for her wrist. Yes, you heard me correctly, Botox. No, her wrist isn’t wrinkled, but the inside muscles aren’t strong enough to overcome the pull from the outside muscles which causes her hand to turn outward. The Botox would relax or quiet the dominant muscle group giving the weaker group some time and opportunity to develop further. So after suggesting this we were looking for therapy to get started, but nothing was happening. When we asked we found out that as soon as they suggested it, her hand started balancing out on its own as Patti worked on her exercises. It has become hard to recommend special therapies for the stage that Patti is in as she is moving through the recovery stages faster than they expect! Thank you Lord!

Half Staff!

2006-07-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

As you know, Patti graduated out of her walker full time a couple of months ago and is walking with a staff. Our niece Maggie asked her if she could throw it on the ground and turn it into a snake! We laughed, but the miracle level, as high as it is, hasn’t moved into that territory yet! Although, I’m not sure if Patti has tried that one yet!

But the miracles still come. About two weeks ago she graduated from the staff while at rehab and in the apartment! She still uses it when out in public, but not all the time. Sometimes if we are just going a short distance and the store is not crowded she’ll leave it in the car. I remember just eight months ago Patti couldn’t even sit up. When she could sit up she couldn’t sit up for more than about 20 or 30 minutes to start with and couldn’t support her right side without the help of several pillows. Now she is walking unassisted through most of her day!!

Talk Isn't Cheap

2006-07-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

In fact it’s extremely rewarding! Patti’s speech is still her slowest development area, but when you consider how much more is involved mentally and all of the muscles involved with the tongue, lips, jaw, facial expressions, and all of the recall, it is a very involved process. Patti spends a lot of time working on her speech and it is coming along very well. She still sings from time to time and her voice is beautiful to hear.

The Queen of Re-hab

2006-07-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Patti is still quite a legend in re-hab. She is such a hard worker and willing to do whatever it takes and all that she can, that all of the therapists try to schedule her during the week. At the last progress review, one of them actually complained that they couldn’t get her scheduled enough during the week because the others were writing her into their schedules first!! The staff really pitches in and encourages Patti because of her effort and attitude!

The King of Re-hab

2006-07-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

We have observed that a lot of people who come through re-hab are well-defeated in their attitude and their hope. They go through the motions, but just don’t work at it. And, not surprisingly, it shows in the speed (or lack) of their recovery. It also shows up in their conversation as it is often very negative. Patti and I are continually reminded of the importance of having people in your life who will love you no matter what, and will, for lack of a better analogy, call to you to come back to life. That’s what Jesus did when He called to Lazarus. The Bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue. We see it every day. Praise God that we see the power of life in our tongues and not death. I encourage you to pray for those who are going through these types of trials in their lives. They are all around us and need the uplifting power of the Holy Spirit that only knowing Jesus can give. The Lord of Lords and King of Kings is King of re-hab as well!

Is This Baghdad?

2006-07-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July was a really great day for the Everett’s. We went to Patti’s sister’s to watch their neighborhood parade and enjoy hot dogs with all the trimmings! I don’t think I’ve had a hot dog, literally, in years. I had forgotten how good they can taste!

That night we were able to watch no less than 10 fireworks shows from the balcony of our apartment! It was fun and relaxing and caused Patti to wonder if this is what Baghdad was like? We really appreciate all of our brave men and women who endure the real thing so we can enjoy looking at the pretty fakes! God bless America, our leaders, our warriors and protectors, and may He continue to grant us the freedom to worship Him in peace and safety!!

Bought and Sold - Packed and Moved

2006-07-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s true!! Our house in West Monroe has sold and we have packed our belongings and completely moved to Dallas.

A good friend of mine recently shared a revelation with me of the driving dynamic of the early church. The first church found themselves in a hostile culture, with limited resources and an uncertain future. They could not depend on their things, their surroundings or their lifestyle to comfort them. There were only two things they had to depend on; the Lord and each other. He shared that the reason so many believers have life changing experiences on mission trips is for the same reason. They can only depend on God and those they are with, and mostly God!!

I have always heard it said that God meets you at the point of your greatest need. I have learned over the last few months that the saying is essentially correct, but poorly phrased. At the point of our greatest need we choose to depend on God or we choose to depend on the world. When we choose to depend on God, He is ready, able (is he ever!), and willing (remember, He loves you!) to do far above all you can think and imagine on your behalf. As we have learned through this to depend on God, we have found Him to be even more amazing, loving, wise and generous than we ever suspected. And over the last thirty years of my walk with Him I have seen a lot!! I know that is true for Patti, as well.

When Patti had her stroke we were thrown into that position exactly! We had only the Lord and our family and friends to depend on. The cars, jobs, houses, clothes and other things completely lost their importance and the mask of comfort and significance they wear was completely stripped away! Our beloved friends in West Monroe gathered around Patti and our family and ministered to us in ways we are still realizing and that lift us every day! God has performed miracle after miracle in our hearts, in Patti’s mind and body, in our faith and we know he has worked through this in the lives of many others.

My point is that we are distressed to leave all of our friends and loved ones in Louisiana, but we know God has us back in Texas as part of His plan. We experienced a taste of what the early church must have known and we will never, ever forget how God’s people loved us at our point of greatest need and continue to love us still.

Thaime for a Trip

2006-07-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

As you know, Mike, Jr., wife Morgan and son Aidan are in Thailand. Pray for them in their new career! Patti and I want to go visit! So I have tentatively decided, after some prayer and consultation with Patti and Mike and Morgan, that next March is a likely time for a trip to Thailand. (No firm dates just yet) However, as you might imagine, getting ready to go will involve a lot more than just packing and scheduling. Therefore, we have set March of 2007 as a goal for Patti’s recovery to have progressed to the point that we can make the trip with minimal discomfort and maximum enjoyment for Patti! She really wants to see her kids and grandkid!!

So, if you’re inclined, pray for the following:
- Patti’s continued and accelerated recovery. She will need to be walking easily and with balance and strength. Very conversational speech would make the trip most enjoyable for her and that Charlotte will be able to fully participate at mealtimes, while dressing and bathing, and at playtimes!
- Please pray that God will always get the glory in this!
- Finances and planning for the trip.

May God bless you as you read of His love in our lives!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Darth Tater Rules!

2006-06-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

This message is from Paige~

I am blogging in place of my father who is so busy that he has not had time to blog. We apologize to frequent blog readers as they have been stuck w/ the same blog for about a month.

However, a lot has happened over the last few weeks! The house in Monroe is under contract and we are anticipating the close of the sale to happen mid-July. Mike and Patti were in Monroe the last week and a half deciding what comes to Dallas, what gets sold and what gets pawned off to the kids (Which was A LOT!). We had fun going through everything.

Let's see exciting or funny news...

-Patti broke our shredder...she was shredding all the papers we didn't need and got overly enthusiastic and well...the shredder stopped. It apparently did not have the same excitement as the rest of us. So we got a new HEFTY shredder that could almost shred an entire book in one sitting. NICE.

-Mike deemed Darth Tater (Mr. Potato Head dressed as Darth Vader) as important as it was neither sold nor given away and instead rode shotgun on the way to Dallas.

- Patti has been amazing all her kids and friends with her new found tricks w/ Charlotte. She is starting to pick objects up and move them across the table. We are sooo proud!

- Patti also has been using only a staff when walking, but I didn't see her use anything this weekend which shows me she is getting better at balance and strength.

-Mike was finally called out as a complete nerd by his kids when we found out that his deepest desire is to have a Mystery Party w/ a Star Trek theme. We forgave him since he actually never had the party and we did not have to participate :)

-Abbey is looking BEAUTIFUL in her last month of pregnancy and we are all eagerly anticipating the birth of a new little boy!!

-Stephen has a nickname that we were not aware of...Pokey...we need to know who Gumby is now.

That's about it for now...Hopefully things will calm down at the Everett's place in the next week so that Dad can get back to his regularly scheduled blogging.

Happy Fourth!!!

Wishing for More

2006-05-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Time, that is! I have been accosted (and rightfully so) by several people regarding my failure to keep the blog updated. Not the least of which is my beloved wife and my faithful daughter Paige.

Please accept my apologies! I ask your forgiveness!

Life has been full lately with travel, work, care giving and just the daily routine. We are trying to get used to the new life in Dallas.

But enough of that, let's get to what is really important - Patti!

Patti is doing really well. Not only is she doing really well, but she is looking good doing it!! Her walking continues to improve. She limps a little on her right leg, but this is mostly due to limited feeling. Restoration of feeling to her leg is the next big physical step we are looking for. When you can't feel your foot and leg very well, even though they are working well, it is hard to trust them! She is still using a staff and is off the walker completely now. She has used the wheelchair twice in the last 6 weeks at the mall and at, where else, Wal-mart. But yesterday she said she actually prefers to walk around these places now. She has such a strong will and great attitude and they keep her going.

Patti's speech is making great strides also. We have noticed that in her speech exercises she is rapidly improving in her ability to say words and sounds rapidly and clearly. We have several word lists of mono and multi-syllabic words. There must be literally hundreds of words in the lists and we will go through them on pace where I will speak the word and Patti has to repeat it back on beat. She only misses two or three out of a hundred when we do this. She still has trouble pulling and saying the words when she needs them in conversation, but I truly believe that one of these days God is just going to "connect" the wires and she'll wake up one morning talking up a storm!

We have found a really wonderful lady named Mary to stay with Patti when I travel. She is also a great cook and Patti just loves her. God provides outrevery need!

Tomorrow is Mothers Day and we are looking forward to having Mike, Morgan and Aidan along with my mother June and brother Lynn over for the day. Mike and his family are on their way to Southeast Asia at the end of May to begin their new career. Talk about mixed emotions! We are so proud of them! Yet, we really will miss them. I think God's original intent for the Internet was to allow families and friends to stay in touch. It sure makes it easy! Too bad others have to pervert such a wonderful tool!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day! Be sure and take some time to thank God for your Mom! And thank you to all who continue to keep track of us and pray for us and for Patti's recovery.

Oh, I almost forgot! Two weeks ago Patti was out at the mall with her sister and a strange lady struck up a conversation with them wanting to know Patti's story. During the course of the conversation Patti and Theresa told the lady about the hole in Patti's heart that has been repaired and the fact that Patti was having some headaches prior to the stroke. The lady said she was experiencing the same symptoms and had the same hole in her heart. Patti told her not to waste any time and to get to a doctor as quick as possible. The lady then said, "I know that God sent me to you to receive that information. I'm catching a flight home tonight and will get with a doctor on Monday." So a small ministry through testimony on that day. I'm sure it is just the first of many!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Staffing Changes

2006-04-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

This past Friday represented another milestone day for Patti. She has now graduated from the walker to a staff in public!!!!! What this means is that she is now walking so well she can navigate most of the obstacles she will come across in everyday life with balance assistance from the staff. She's not running up stairs, taking escalators or power walking, yet, but she is walking around demonstrating God's faithfulness every day!!

We are still working through our daily routines in our new environment. I must confess there are many days when we deeply miss our dear friends in Louisiana. Dallas is a big, wonderful place and it's where we need to be, but the pace of life and the overwhelming size make finding and getting together with friends a difficult thing.

Prayer requests:

1. Patti's ongoing recovery and strength. There is much work involved. Not only during the day at the rehab center, but she is doing exercises every night and by the time bedtime rolls around she is pretty much exhausted.

2. Sale of our home in Louisiana. Some limited activity, but the market is very soft there. Getting the house sold would relieve a lot of financial pressure.

3. Praise for God's faithfulness!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Insurance Update

2006-04-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

We have a resolution! It turns out that the issue with Blue Cross was, as they described it, a billing issue!! Isn't God good! No matter how I want to complicate it, He always comes through!

Patti's rehab facility, CNS, and Blue Cross are now communicating properly and coordinating Patti's care so that we are fully covered under our policy.

Thanks for your prayers!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Picture Legend

2006-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine asked for a legend for the picture below, so here it is:

Row 1 left to right:

Mike Jr., Paige Everett-Powell, Todd Powell(Husband), Stephen Everett

On the sofa left to right:

June Everett(My mom), Morgan(Mike Jr.'s wife) and Aidan Everett, Patti, Mike Sr., Abbey Everett-Bowman and Cadence Bowman. Abbey's husband Nick couldn't make the trip due to work - we missed him!

ALSO, you can click on the picture to see a bigger version...

AND, Mike and Morgan now have a blog and you can find them at:

http://everetthome.blogspot.com/

Mike

Easter Weekend

2006-04-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Patti and I hope all of you had a blessed and happy Easter weekend! All four of our kids, all but one of our in-laws and both of the grandkids were with us. This came about as sort of a re-do of our planned time together last Thanksgiving which was so dramatically altered by Patti's stroke.

With travel and work schedules, everyone made it to Dallas in time to go to the Fort Worth Zoo on Saturday. What a great place! It was the first time for me. Even though I grew up in Dallas, my family always went to the Dallas Zoo. I haven't been there in years, but people here say it isn't close in quality and presentation to Fort Worth.

Saturday night we had dinner together at our apartment which, by the way, accomodated the crowd quite well! There were two highlights during the evening. First, we gathered around Mike Jr., Morgan and Aidan and laid hands on and prayed over them as they will be leaving to start a new career in Thailand at the end of May. Secondly, we presented Mike Jr. with a new guitar which comes as a gift from both sides of his family and from his church. Mike leads worship, writes music and performs as part of his outreach gifting.

Sunday, we went to church with Mike Jr. in Fort Worth, grabbed burgers afterwards and headed to their apartment at the Southwestern Baptist Seminary for lunch. We took the grandkids over to the seminary campus, which has beautiful grass by the way, and had a lot of fun as the adults did egg tosses, carries and rolls on the lawn! It was a great time together as a family and we enjoyed it tremendously.

Through the whole weekend Patti did great, as expected! She continues to improve her walking and talking and handiwork!

We are grateful to God for what Easter means to us through the ressurection of Jesus Christ and, this year, we were able to celebrate the restoration of Patti as well.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Patti!

Forever in Him,

The Everetts

Children of a Lesser Blog

2006-04-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I have blogged. The adjustment I've had to make has been very difficult. The daily pressure of work and travel each day transitions into caregiving for Patti and homemaking at night and time has become a limited resource making blogging a less frequent event. I hope to become more frequent over the next few weeks as my travel schedule settles down a little.

Having said that, there are some wonderful things to report.

First of all, Patti's progress is steady. We have made some medication adjustments that seem to be helping her accelerate her speech recovery somewhat. Her legs are growing stronger and she spends a considerable amount of time each day walking without assistance at the apartment. Charlotte is giving up more and more control to Patti each day. She is trying to reach out and flip light switches, help hold onto things like jars so Patti can open lids, and generally beginning to behave herself!

We are very encouraged and God continues to minister His peace and provision in our lives. There is still a long way to go and, no doubt, some difficult times ahead. But for those of you who may harbor any doubts, God is totally true and faithful and loves you beyond measure!

Our insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, is still wanting to reduce Patti's therapy each day by 70%. This is very strange as Patti's progress has been continuous and the therapy regimen is obviously very effective. Please continue to keep this in your prayers. Patti works very hard to take full advantage of every hour she has and this would make our life very difficult at this point. If she can't go to therapy each day then I will be required to reduce my work hours significantly or increase our care costs enormously. Either of those are not a good option. Just as, if not more, important is the recovery environment that therapy creates for Patti. It is challenging and encouraging and she comes home every day tired and spent, but satisfied that she has accomplished a lot.

Also, continue to pray for the sale of our home in West Monroe.

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

Needed Down Time

2006-03-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend has been a time of resting and settling at our new apartment in Dallas. In fact, Patti even made me turn off my cell phone!

First of all, our apartment. When we found out that Patti was going to be forced into outpatient status by our insurance company, we went out three Saturdays ago to look for an apartment. After realizing that the usual apartment complex presented physical obstacles for Patti such as weather exposure, curbs, split levels and such, we decided that a high-rise apartment made a lot more sense. High-rises have better security, covered, underground parking, and other amenities that would make life a lot less complicated for Patti.

We found one in North Dallas and here is where God stepped in. The apartment we tried to rent was a one bedroom and very small as that's what we thought we could afford. The following Monday, after asking them to hold it for us, I put a deposit down on the apartment. Shortly thereafter, the manager came in visibly upset as they had promised the apartment to someone else and had already taken money for it. As I had signed the paperwork and given my money as well, they had a problem. The result? They put us in a two bedroom (three bedroom plan - third bedroom is an open small den area) for just a little more per month. So we are very pleased and grateful as God gave us much more than we expected. Also, the first apartment was about 100 paces from the elevator. This one is about 10 and it has a shower which is much easier for Patti to use. We are on the 11th floor looking East, right at West Monroe. (Although we can't see it from here.)

Secondly, a medical update! Patti is doing great. Around the apartment she has begun walking without the walker. She doesn't do this unless I am around, but she is doing very well with it and being quite careful. This shows marked improvement in her balance!

She is continuing in rehab on a daily basis. A really wonderful lady by the name of Eva drives the van that picks Patti up in the morning and brings her home in the afternoon. It is a full day for Patti and she is usually looking for a nap when she gets home. Charlotte is beginning to get very active and Patti is able to pick up blocks and move them into a box as a test. She is getting better by the week with this and all of the reports from the rehab staff are very encouraging.

Prayer requests:

1. Extended time in five days per week outpatient care. Our insurance company is indicating they want to reduce Patti's therapy hours. The Medical Director and staff at CNS, myself and Patti all think this is utter nonsense. Pray for favor with Blue Cross staff and for God's provision.

2. Sale of our house in West Monroe. Now that we have an apartment, rent and mortgage is a huge burden.

3. Settling down from the dramatic life changes of the last few weeks including the stress of adapting to outpatient and adjusting to accomodate work. Pray for peace and organized thinking.

Thanks for your patience, love and prayers.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Where We Are Now Address Change

2006-03-16T04:05:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Patti and I moved to a new location, an apartment, in Dallas. Our new address is:

13330 Noel Rd.
Apt. 1125
Dallas, TX 75240

ALSO...Please note a NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS:

meverett@millenniumplans.com. You can reach Mike or Patti at that address as our old Roadrunner address is now gone. Also, you can click on the "E-mail Mike" link on the left side of this page to contact us.

With the move, a heavy workload, and adjusting to Patti's new "outpatient" status, I have just been overwhelmed the last few weeks. I am currently on the road to New Jersey and the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area. However, when I return on Friday, I will be taking some down time to catch up on personal stuff and will do a complete blog update this weekend. Thank you for your patience.

God continues his grace over us and his healing work in Patti. Please continue to pray for our strength and peace as we continue to adjust to changes in our lives.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Yes, we're still here!

2006-03-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

I just want to let everyone know that we are fine. I have not blogged due to a brutal and time consuming schedule the last two weeks.

Patti was placed in the outpatient program on Monday of this week. That necessitated a move from her apartment with the rehab center to an extended stay suite which we are in right now. Monday afternoon Patti's sister Theresa and I helped Patti pack up everything and move it.

Prior to that, on Monday, I signed a lease on an apartment in North Dallas. Tomorrow, Thursday, we will have some furniture moved in and Patti will go "home" for the first time Friday afternoon. The Lord has provided many blessings in the midst of the storm of activity. I will detail those in my next blog, so stay tuned.

Thank you for your continued prayers and expressions of love! They are a lifeblood of encouragement for both Patti and I!

Forever in Him,

Mike

March Move - Maybe

2006-03-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm really hoping to get more frequency here over the next few weeks, so don't give up on me.

This week has been a good week for progress for Patti and, there are some changes coming to our living circumstances as well. First of all, a Charlotte update!

In occupational therapy, Patti is now using Charlotte to pick up small, lightweight objects and move them from one side of a table to the other and set them down! Praise the Lord! She also reached out and shook hands with me the other day. Didn't quite get a grip, but the progress is verrrry evident!

Also, at current writing, it looks like Patti will be moved from inpatient care to outpatient care this Monday. This is a lot sooner than we anticipated and is causing some disruption as we try to figure out where to go. But, as always, God has an eternity full of answers if we wait on Him.

Since the beginning of this process, God's clear message to Patti and I has been to take Matthew 6:30-34 to heart which says:

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So we have really worked hard at the "one day at a time" thing and God has been faithful every step of the way. Last week, while travelling on business, I got a call late Wednesday afternoon that Patti would be transferred to outpatient that Friday. I really blew my stack because my flight home wouldn't arrive until 9:30PM on Friday and I had this picture of Patti out in the alley of the apartment complex, sitting in her wheelchair next to her suitcase on a cold and rainy night waiting for me to pick her up after I get off the plane...and then with no place to go!! How's that for a strong faith!

So I called a few friends to start up the prayer chain. I didn't blog the information as Patti does read it from time to time and I didn't want her to lose her focus before we really knew what was going on. I started talking to our insurance company and the rehab center trying to coordinate efforts to get Patti's stay extended. The doctor at the center wants her there for another 4 to 6 weeks. To keep this down to a readable length, let me summarize the blessings that God has provided as I have calmed down, repented over my fears and lack of faith, prayed with friends and with Patti and moved back to a trusting and faithful posture before the Lord:

1. Turns out we don't have inpatient rehab coverage in our insurance policy! So the two months we have spent here have been strictly the grace of God. Insurance approved an exception based on medical necessity.
2. When we find the place to stay, God has provided furniture for us to use so we don't have to pay for a furnished apartment or pack up the furniture at the house in West Monroe.
3. We will have to stay in a temporary location such as an extended stay hotel. Turns out there is a really nice one just a couple of blocks from the rehab center and they have a room!
4. Patti and I are actually looking forward to the change as we have been living apart for four months. God continues to minister peace to us even in times of stress and change.

Dictionarial Development

2006-02-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

Our favorite, youngest son Stephen showed up for a visit this weekend! It is the first time he and Patti have seen each other since ICU in Monroe almost four months ago. Sweet reunion!

We hung out with him at Patti's sister and brother-in-law's house on Saturday, looked at Stephen's pictures of his Christmas trip to Europe, took it easy, and went to dinner together Saturday night.

Today, Sunday, we will head to Summerfields Baptist Church in Fort Worth where our favorite oldest son, Mike, is the worship pastor. After church we will spend the afternoon with Stephen at Mike and Morgan's enjoying each other and favorite grandson Aidan.

By the way, Aidan won't be our favorite grandson much longer as we found out this week that Abbey and Nick are expecting a BOY!!!!! This grandparenting thing is too fun! It's OK for Aidan though, as he will graduate to a new status as favorite, oldest grandson!

MULTI-SYLLABIC: Patti had a reputation at the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office for throwing out "five dollar" words that nobody else ever used or understood and, everybody always got a good laugh over those. Well, they will all be interested to know that her ability in that area appears to be blossoming out in full recovery! Yesterday while we were together with family she talked about how much she had improved since she was incapacitated! Yes, that's right, incapacitated! Six syllables and about five dropped jaws in the room!! For those of us who may be unfamiliar with the word, here it is:

in·ca·pac·i·tate
Pronunciation: "in-k&-'pa-s&-"tAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
1 : to make legally incapable or ineligible
2 : to deprive of capacity or natural power : DISABLE

So when you're ready to come visit, be sure and bring your Websters! Patti may recover past all of our education levels!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Squeezing In An Extra Hour

2006-02-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

An ambitious week for Patti this week! While I was travelling on business this week, (and failing to blog), Patti was inaugurated into what is called a "monitored program" at the rehab center. This gives her an extra hour of therapy every day. It's not a formal, one-on-one session with a therapist, but she is given assignments to work on for an hour and help is available to her from the appropriate therapist at any time. The focus of this hour will likely be speech and reading comprehension. It will also be a challenge to her stamina each day as the regular four hour routine is pretty strenuous by itself. So far, though, she has taken the challenge to heart and is working hard to get the most out of it she can.

Also this week, she made the transition to unassisted living at night. If she needs any assistance or help, she now will pick up the phone and notify the operator and they will immediately send someone to the apartment to help. This is a big step and, as I have mentioned before, a great confidence builder for Patti.

She continues to persevere with a strong, positive and willing attitude! God is truly ministering to her heart through His faithfulnes and encouragement. Many have said to me they are impressed with what a "fighter" Patti has been through this time and it is true. Every day she gives it everything she has to overcome her temporary limitations and recover her life. I assure you that no one is more impressed than I am! We have worked hard together to hold each other up, hang on to God, and stay positive in His presence throughout, and she is a constant inspiration to me!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Quiet Weekend

2006-02-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

A long, cold weekend in Dallas! Patti and I got to spend most of it together as some light icing and very cold weather kept us inside. Even with just a little ice, we decided to not risk a fall by venturing out. That would be about the last thing we would need at this point!

Patti is doing really well on the walker. She is moving around steadily and with very little shakiness on her legs. She also finds that moving around on the walker is more tiring than the wheelchair, but she is developing good strength and endurance in the process.

We had the great blessing of visiting with some neighbors and LIFE group members from West Monroe, David and Carolyn Warner on Sunday. David and I went out and picked up some Mexican food that really hit the spot.

That was the BIG highlight of the weekend! Otherwise, we just spent the time quietly enjoying each other, watching the olympics and a couple of movies. Funny how at some times in your life you really appreciate the quiet weekends!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Walker Rides Again

2006-02-17T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well, the therapy crowd over at CNS has handed Patti more accolades and a promotion! She is now officially on the walker at the therapy center and at her apartment! Yes, we knew it was coming, but it's still nice to see it. She will still use a wheel chair to transfer from one facility to another and when she is out in public, but the day is clearly on the horizon when she will be wheel-less! This actually occured Monday of this week (I'm a little late, again).

Patti is also preparing to step down from 24 hour assistance at the apartment. She will always have someone available, if she needs help, by phone, but in the near future the overnight assistance will be removed. This will probably make for more peaceful nights as the TV in the den will finally get a rest. This is another significant step in the process of building confidence and independence.

Medical update: The medical director for CNS gave Patti a routine checkup on Monday and pronounced her in great shape! Interestingly, Dr. Johnson had made a point to listen to Patti's heart before the procedure to close the hole took place. She said as she listened to Patti's heart it was just a normal, quiet thump, thump. Before she was able to hear a whooshing sound from the hole. No noise is good noise! (pun intended)

So, here we are, three and a half months away from a major stroke, and Patti is walking well with assistance, speaking better every week, has significant restoration of movement in arm, leg and body, and working hard every day to progress and keeping a wonderful, cheerful and grateful attitude. God has truly been gracious to us! His hand of restoration and blessing is all over Patti and He has kept her, healed her, protected her and lifted her. I'm reminded of Psalm 3:3 which says:
But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
I've realized that when your head is down you are looking at your circumstances. You are looking at where you are with no perspective of a positive outcome. But when God lifts your head you are able to see the outcomes of His purpose in your life. You are able to see Him and look into the eyes of love that never leave you or forsake you. You are able to see the truth of His promises and allow Him to move you from where you are to where He wants you to be. In Luke 21:28 Jesus said:
But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
God has lifted our heads and shown us our redemption! And we are grateful to Him!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Blogged Down!

2006-02-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in blogging! I was travelling this week and was unable to update.

The downside of travelling is being away from Patti. The upside, however, is seeing how much she has progressed while I was away! She gets visibly stronger every week. Charlotte is getting more and more movement. She can wiggle her middle, ring and pinky now. The thumb and forefinger aren't that far along yet. With her right foot she can now wiggle the same middle to outside toes with a little less in her big toe and second, but she can move her foot around normally. She still has trouble controlling the leg muscles smoothly, but it is definitely coming along!

Thanks to friends and family who visited with Patti this week while I was gone! Thanks to all those back home in West Monroe who continue to pray and encourage us and whom we miss so much!

Forever in Him,

Mike

All Checked Out!

2006-02-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Patti has been successfully discharged from the hospital and is feeling great! She also feels a little like an ex-con as after a while hospitals can feel a little confining!

The doctor's exam and report this morning were excellent and Patti is back at her apartment and looking forward to getting back into her therapy program.

This procedure was, as I describe it, the last speed bump on the road to recovery. It is very strong protection against stroke recurrence and it will accelerate the process of getting Patti off of the various drugs she has been on throughout. She can go through her therapy and look forward to returning to a normal life down the road without having to wonder if the same thing is going to happen again with no warning.

We are grateful for so much and we are grateful for the application of technology that will provide so much freedom for Patti! Also, we had never met the doctor before yesterday. He came recommended from the physicians over at Zale-Lipshy. He was great! Very nice, informative, caring and, from all we can tell, very proficient at what he does. I thank the Lord for putting us with the right people at the right times!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Digital Update

2006-02-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

OK! As promised, here are some new pictures. Number one is from last Sunday, January 30th, after haircut and on the way to church. Numbers two and three are from a park outing with Mike, Morgan and Aidan recently.

Heartening News

2006-02-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

Patti is out of surgery and everything is fine. The doctor's report is that everything looked and went as expected. The hole closed perfectly with no evident remaining leakage and there are no other issues with her heart they were able to see.

Thanks for all of the prayers. God's continued grace is evident to us through this time!

Patti is scheduled to return to the apartment tomorrow and will rest for a few more days before resuming a full therapy schedule, probably, on Wednesday.

Forever in Him,

Mike

All Checked In

2006-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Patti is all checked in and taking it easy in anticipation of her surgery tomorrow. Unfortunately, they wanted us checked in at 11 this morning, so we are having to deal with a long "hang out" time this afternoon and tonight. We've both decided we don't like being in hospitals anyway, and having too much time, well, just another opportunity to exercise patience!!

The procedure is scheduled for 9AM CST. I'll post later tomorrow after completion. Thanks to all for your prayers and support!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Random Updates

2006-02-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

Patti heads out to dinner tonight with a few girlfriends from the area. She will really enjoy this as the next two nights she gets to enjoy hospital food again!

Yesterday they put her up on a walker at the rehab center and that is now her mode of transportation while she is there each day. She is still in the wheelchair at the apartment and when out in public, but she should graduate at the apartment in the next two weeks. Great progress! Thank you, Lord!

Ooops, forgot one! About three weeks ago, Patti and I went to do her grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. (Yes, we still go to WM at least once a week!) In my creative and supportive wisdom I thought it would be a good idea to let Patti use one of their electric carts so she wouldn't get so tired wheeling through such a big store. After trying to figure out how to position it next to the car so she could easily transfer on to it, we then had a brief driving lesson on how to operate the controls. After that, we had a brief driving lesson on how to operate the controls. After that,...well, you get the idea. If you have never driven one of these things, you should go to WM and try one out just for the experience!! They are not as straightforward to handle and operate as you would think! Anyway, to make a long story short, Patti managed to handle the device throughout our excursion into shopping excellence with only a minimal amount of difficulty. And, we only took down ONE aisle display! A couple of really nice people walking by pitched in to help us put things back together. After all was said and done, Patti allowed as how she would rather staple a skunk to her forehead than do that again!!!! (I'm probably not going to suggest we use it again, either!!)

Yes, I know I owe everyone a picture, but the excuse is the battery is dead on the camera and the charging cord isn't with me right now so I can't upload the pics. I promise to correct the situation in the next day or two!

Forever in Him,

Mike

The Heart of the Matter

2006-01-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! A beautiful weekend in Dallas after the rain was over. Patti and I attended church Sunday at Prestonwood Baptist again and then went to son Mike's in Fort Worth and enjoyed steaks with him, favorite daughter-in-law Morgan and favorite grandson Aidan. I also had the privilege of briefly being in West Monroe to take care of personal business on Friday and Saturday and got to see daughter Abbey, son-in-law Nick (He can't be my favorite cause we have two son-in-laws!) and favorite granddaughter Cadence. Four kids and both grandkids in one weekend...awesome!!!

Most of you remember that Patti was diagnosed with a hole in her heart called a Patent-Foramen-Ovale. Just to refresh, 100% of us are born with it, 60% close up right after birth, 20% close up by age 18 and the other 20% walk around with it for the rest of their lives and don't know they have it until something like this happens. The hole is between the two upper chambers of the heart and the speculation is that a clot or emboli gets into the right chamber, passes through to the left which pumps to the brain and, whammo, you have a stroke.

The closure is fairly simple involving a catheter into the leg and the insertion of a closure device in the heart. The procedure takes about 1 and 1/2 hours including recovery.

Patti will be transferred to a Dallas hospital on Thursday evening and the surgery will be performed early Friday morning. She will stay at the hospital for observation Friday night and check out on Saturday morning. As you know, the Super Bowl is Sunday and we wouldn't want her to miss that!!

This is a preventative measure as we still don't know what caused the stroke. It should be simple and risk free. The doctor performing the operation is very experienced and highly recommended. It is a big step towards getting her off of blood thinners and greatly reducing future stroke risk.

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for Holy Spirit guidance for the doctor and a normal procedure.
2. Pray for rapid and regular recovery for Patti so she can be back in therapy Monday morning.
3. Pray for peace for family members. We're all a little hospital shy at this point.

Praise:

Brother Tom is being discharged from the hospital today. His kidneys are up over 50% so he has been taken off of dialysis! He will have some diminished lung capacity and will be on blood thinners to protect against lung clots, but otherwise will be back to a "close to normal" life. God was gracious to him to pull him through what was a very difficult situation. Thank you for your prayers for him and his continued recovery and strengthening.

Forever in Him,

Mike

A Meeting of the Minds - A Long Report

2006-01-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

Today Patti and I attended our first patient conference at CNS since Patti's arrival. The objective of the conference is to review Patti's assessments and progress. In the process I want to say that there is great glory to be received by God in this report.

The overall consensus of the CNS Team including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Counseling and Residential Evaluation is that Patti is making "vast" progress.

In almost all of her activities at the apartment she requires minimal to no assistance. This evaluation includes all sorts of things such as motivation to do things, initiating activities without being asked, cooking, grocery shopping, sleeping, laundry, toileting, bathing, etc.

Physical therapy presented a lot of data on Patti's torso and leg function indicating great progress in strength, balance, flexibility and range of motion. Her desire to work and improve was noted as significant. They will be working with her over the next couple of weeks to move her from the wheelchair at the residence and rehab center on to a walker or poles. She will still stay in a wheelchair in public for safety. Again, significant progress.

Occupational therapy had much the same report. Many of the things she is able to do in terms of motor skill re-development, motion, accuracy, flexibility and control of her arm and hand all showed huge improvement in the last few weeks. They are currently working with Charlotte to strengthen wrist movement and isolate muscle movements to specific groups. Patti can now grip with Charlote when she is on the walker, but must really concentrate to maintain that grip. They were thrilled with all of her development.

Speech is the area she has the farthest to go, but even here the progress has been substantial. She will have several months of work here as she begins to put back together her reading, comprehension, math skills as well as speaking. You don't realize how complicated and extensive all these things really are until you have to start re-learning things you first learned years ago.

Counseling noted her wonderful attitude, desire to improve and strong sense of self-worth as improvement contributors as well as her strong faith in God and strong family and friend support. There was nothing in her profile that was out of the ordinary for someone in her position other than her great mental state.

Here is what's important: It is obvious to me, and I hope to you, that God continues to have His hand in Patti's amazing recovery! Praise His Name!! Patti was described today as the "star" at CNS because she has covered so much ground in so short a time. They are thrilled with her progress. Here are some factors and circumstances that should be remembered as we think about this:

1. Patti is only a little over 2 and 1/2 months removed from a "major" stroke affecting the entire left hemisphere of her brain and virtually paralyzing her entire right side and robbing her of most of her speech and short-term memory.
2. When she transferred to Dallas after two weeks in the hospital in Monroe, her therapy time there was limited by the Thanksgiving holidays, a few days of illness from a head cold, and her overall lack of strength and stamina.
3. When she transferred to CNS, she lost a lot of time due to the 4-day Christmas and 3-day New Year's holidays.
4. She had a significant interruption when she had to be hospitalized for dehydration and low blood pressure early in January.

It seems sometimes that many things were working against her improvement, but they have all been overcome and Patti's recovery goes against all normal expectations for this type of situation.

That can only be God.

Now it's true that Patti hasn't experienced a miraculous, get-up-and-walk type of miracle. But she has experienced a life changing event that God is using to develop new character qualities in Patti, myself and even our whole family. She has experienced the value of a daily walk of faith and dependence on God for even the smallest of things. Yes not all of His miracles are instant explosions of eternity in the mortal realm! In Patti's case it has been a day-by-day, on-going manifestation of the grace and power of God as He meets her needs, answers the prayers of His children and glorifies Himself through all He does through Patti.

I mention all of these things for two reasons:

1. If you have been a part of this through prayer, friendship and support including cards, letters, phone calls and e-mails, you have played a direct part in Patti's recovery and God is daily answering your prayers and ministering to Patti through you! Thank you!!!!! And be encouraged! He will answer you for all of your needs!

2. If you are visiting this web site just to find out what's going on, at the recommendation of a friend, or just by accident and you have ever wondered if God still answers prayers or even if there is a God, then this story is for you! God is interested in you and showing you how He can change your life and overcome even the most disastrous of events or dire situations by surrounding you with His love, his children and providing you with eternal life through Jesus Christ. This is what he has done and is doing with Patti and I. If you want to know more about how to allow Him to do that, click on the link to E-mail Mike and contact me. I will be glad to get back to you with more information.

Patti still has a long way to go, but the way is shorter with God and has a rich meaning and purpose associated with it for her good and the good of others.

Love in Christ,

Mike

Taking a Stand!

2006-01-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I got to the apartment to spend time with Patti things were a little different. She was in the kitchen cooking dinner (yes she can can still cook!) but was standing up at the counter moving things around and getting things out of the cabinets above the stove! I asked her what was going on and she told me the therapists have encouraged her to position her wheelchair by the cabinets, lock the wheels and stand up to do things. This will begin to make standing more of the normal status rather than sitting. Another small development, but one with a much greater and long lasting purpose.

So I told her if she could do that then she could just as easily roll across the room, lock the wheels and stand up and give me a hug. So she did.

Forever in Him,

Mike

It's Good to be Back!!

2006-01-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

I confess I have not been online the last couple of days other than verrrry briefly, but with good reason. After being gone so long I have enjoyed getting back to "normal."

This week Patti got her hair highlighted, cut and styled on Thursday. It looks great and I'll publish a picture in the next couple of days. Afterwards, we went to dinner and spent some time at the apartment just visiting and catching up.

Friday I came over to the rehab center and had lunch with Patti and then spent about 30 minutes in her physical therapy session before I had to leave to tend to business. Here is what I can tell you about her "floor exercises." She is able to move herself down and on to a large mat from the wheelchair with little or no assistance. The therapist straps Charlotte to a styrofoam board to keep her spread out and the palm flat. Patti then does several exercises on all fours that stretches muscles and forces the right arm and leg to support her. She can also walk around on her knees frontwards, backwards and shuffling side-to-side. All of these are great coordination and response building exercises.

Also, I was told later that about five minutes until two o'clock, when the session was about to end, that everyone started preparing to put up equipment and get ready to go to the 2:00 PM session. Everybody, that is, except Patti. She told the therapist "nothing doing! I've still got five minutes so give me something else to do!!" She certainly intends to get Blue Cross's money's worth!! And you've got to love the attitude.

Saturday was shopping day primarily for new sneakers. It was great getting out on a pretty day and spending time together with no time pressures. Patti's speech continues to come along very well, but she is still frustrated at the pace. She is wanting to talk normally and just can't quite get there yet. But she is thinking about and working to get out very long complete sentences. We spend time in the car reviewing names, places and other information to help work on her speaking and mental associations. She's pretty much working on stuff one way or another about 14 hours a day.

Sunday has been a really great day! FIRST SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE SINCE THE STROKE TODAY!!! I spent the night at the apartment last night and we got up early enough to enjoy breakfast, on a very rainy and cold day, and then drove out to Prestonwood Baptist for church at 11 AM. Today was a wonderful day to be there because their music department just completed a new album and they presented it this morning. So we got to enjoy a service 100% oriented to worship and praise and it was PERFECT for Patti! She sang, hummed and cried with enjoyment through the whole thing! We got to go to lunch afterwards with the family I'm staying with now, John and Carol Ferguson and another family as well. It was a really precious and enjoyable time!

Afterwards we took it easy at the apartment sleeping through football and working on her homework and chores.

As I said, we worked hard at getting back to normal this weekend! I mentioned the special splint for her right hand that she will get to use either at the end of this upcoming week or the first of the following week. If you would like to see what it looks like highlight and copy the link below and paste it into the address line of your browser. It may take you there if you just click on it, but I don't know for sure.

http://www.saebo.com/seaboflex.html

Prayer requests:

1. Continue to pray for Patti's patience, particularly with her speech. This is a time when she needs to keep pressing forward without discouragement.
2. We are trying to get her heart procedure scheduled as soon as possible. The nursing staff at CNS is trying to get the doctor to move her ahead of other patients. We would like the surgery as soon as we can get it and we would like for the arrangements and insurance coverage to be seamless!

Thank you for taking the time to read Patti's blog! Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and support! We are still getting cards and e-mails and Patti dearly loves to hear from all!

We love you in Christ!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Question and Answer

2006-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Q: Mike, where are you now?
A: I just got back to Dallas this afternoon on a 3:45 flight.

Q: How's your brother in Florida doing?
A: He's feeling better, but he's not out of the woods yet. His surgery on Monday was successful in relieving pressure on his lungs and allowing him to breathe easier. He is still on dialysis, will have limited lung capacity and we are waiting on lab results from biopsies performed during surgery. We'll know more from the doctors after the lab results come in.

Q: What's the first thing you did today when you got back to Dallas?
A: I got my car and went to see my beloved Patti whom I was desperately missing!!

Q: Were you guys glad to see each other?
A: Oh yeah! It was great to see her and she was happy to see me! She even raised up Charlotte to give me a hug! That's a first!

Q: Anything else different since you left?
A: Well, really, a lot. One thing I noticed is her legs are stronger when she stands up to transfer from one place to another or when she sits down. It's a lot easier for her than it was when I left. Also, tonight she had her contact lenses on. She was enjoying not having to wear her glasses. Also, her face is much less tired looking, especially around the eyes. She just looked serene and peaceful and happy!!

Q: That's great! Anything else?
A: Well, she did her own grocery shopping this week without me along. She checked herself out of her apartment and got on the "bus" with other residents and did the Wal-Mart thing on Tuesday afternoon. I'm really proud of her for doing it and not getting discouraged because I wasn't there! Also, she's really doing a lot of walking with the walking stick in rehab. They are even to the point of bumping into her as she walks to help her re-develop her reflexes and balance. I'm hoping this means she'll be out of her wheelchair in a few weeks!

Q: That would be wonderful! Is she doing anything else new in therapy?
A: Since I haven't been here for the last several days, I haven't seen everything she's doing, but she did start doing "floor exercises" today which, as best I can tell, consist of stretching, exercising and other activities to assist in general recovery. Oh, and also, sometime in the next week or two she will receive her electronic "splint" for Charlotte! She told me that it is really high-tech and will do a lot to speed her motor skills recovery. I'll have to get and pass along a more detailed description of it.

Q: Yeah, that would be great! So how are you doing?
A: I'm tired but happy to be back with Patti. We went out for dinner tonight and had a great visit. I filed her fingernails for her when we got back to the apartment. I'm actually getting pretty good at it. Then we read some Bible verses together, prayed together and then said goodnight. I'm looking forward to getting some work done the rest of this week and then having a relaxing weekend together with Patti. Let me give the glory to God because He is my strength and my joy! I couldn't even begin to make it through this stuff without Him. He is also ministering peace and faith in Patti's heart and that is beautiful to see!

Q: Sounds like everything is OK, then?
A: Yep! Things are fine. We are still rejoicing in the little things each day and trying not to look too far ahead or too hard at the past. We are just blessing God every day!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Florida Update

2006-01-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! The Everett family is gathered around our stricken brother Tom in Florida. Patti is doing well in Dallas and is blessed to have friends and family around to keep her company while I'm away. This is a very difficult time and we are both lonely for each other.

Please continue to pray for Tom. Monday he will undergo surgery that will be very serious. He has almost complete blockage of one lung and 70% of the other. He has been on dialysis four straight days and, overall, is very weak. The surgery is to try and determine what exactly is going on. They will biopsy the lungs, liver and kidneys. The risks of this surgery will be very high as they will also try to clean out his lungs so he can breathe. There is a very good chance he will be on a ventilator for some period of time after the surgery. Pray also for an opportunity to share the love of Christ and for an open heart.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Thirty Two Years and Counting

2006-01-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today, January 12, 2006, Patti and I celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida with my brother who is ill and my other brother and my Mom and can't be with my beloved. She did receive flowers today, but as we have learned over the last two and 1/2 months, nothing can substitute for being there!

For those of you who have come this far, you know how special it is. For those of you who are still a few years short of the mark, it is worth the wait and worth working through whatever issues you feel stand in the way of getting there. God is able to work out whatever issues and problems that may be contained in a marriage. It only takes two hearts that are willing to trust Him.

In Matthew 15:8, 9 Jesus said,
8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’"

Many times we come to church or we come into our marriage with all the right words on our lips. We can sound good, but God knows our hearts and, usually, we do too. We need to forget the "precepts of men" and examine what God commands us to do. We need to commit our hearts so that our words and our lives line up together.

Patti, I'm looking forward to the next 32!!

For us, the best is yet to come!!

I love you!

Mike

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick !!

2006-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest: Patti, in physical therapy, is now using a pole to walk with instead of a walker. This gives her better centering and balance as she works to strengthen her right leg and improve her walking motion. This is a good step forward and also is easier as she doesn't need Charlotte for support on a walker.

Speaking of Charlotte, Patti is working to generate more movement in her arm to qualify for a special splint that will send electrical impulses through her hand to stimulate even more movement and nerve regeneration. Pray that she gets there quickly as she is anxious to continue moving forward as fast as possible!

Her speech is still frustrating her, but she is working very hard to express complex thoughts and sentences. So she has jumped from just trying to say words to trying to put together normal speech and is working very hard at it.

Tonight we picked up a couple of puzzles for Patti to work and she has started playing Solitare using real cards. This helps her with patterns, numbers and visual acuity.

Prayer requests:
1. I have to travel to Florida with other family members to attend to a seriously ill brother. His name is Tom. Pray for Tom's recovery from pneumonia and kidney failure.
2. Pray for Patti and I as this will be a four day seperation we had not planned for. Strenth and patience.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Contact Options for Patti

2006-01-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

I've had several people tell me it is difficult to get on the blog and leave comments, but they want to send a note to Patti. If you prefer not to blog or if you have difficulty blogging, just click the link down to the left to Email Mike. I check e-mail with Patti every evening and read with her all that come in.

Mike

Reach Out And Touch Someone

2006-01-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Patti and I are enjoying a relaxing Sunday morning watching NFL playoffs, drinking Starbucks coffee (sometimes known as "fourbucks" coffee), "yakking" on the phone, and doing phonics flash cards.

Yesterday Patti did something completely new and significant. We were in Mardel's, a Christian book and office supply store looking for puzzles. In the middle of a cellphone conversation with our daughter Paige, holding the phone in her good left hand, she spied something she wanted to look at and without thinking about it tried to reach out with Charlotte and grab it! She didn't get very far, but just the natural effort to use the hand that has been disabled is a huge mental step and a sign of impending progress!

Then this morning I got an e-mail from one of our Houston friends, Laurel Taylor, with a great story and idea about how to get Charlotte back in the game and, after yesterday, was soooo appropriate. So I just had to share this with all of Patti's friends:

Mike, Here is my idea..............

One of my favorite memories of the Patti Cakes is this: we were in a jr league provisional class and there were many classes, mostly boring(is mostly a word?) These classes were verrrrry boring, trust me on this. Patti Cakes sat in one of the front rows..........Her contribution to the boring meetings was to extend the boredom........... The little speaker of boringness would, at the end of the meeting, ask if anyone had a question...............invariably........... up would go Patti's hand ..........oh maybe 5 or 6 times............the rest of us would silenty groan.........

So here is the plan..........take the girlfriend to a really boring town meeting..........tie Ralph(my name for her left hand) down and leave Charlotte free..............The boring speaker at the boring town meeting will ask if there are any questions..................Charlotte will shoot up to ask a question that no one in the whole room wants an answer to................It is a great plan don't you think? Maybe this plan should go into the medical archives.......................

Call me when you set this thing up...............I will be there to witness the reactivation of Charlotte..........................regards..........Laurel

We laughed ourselves to tears over this one!

Forever in Him,

Mike

* Change In Mailing Address *

2006-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

If you would like to contact Patti by phone or mail, please e-mail Mike at mikeeverett@jam.rr.com. We are no longer publishing contact information on the blog as a security precaution.
Mike

First Pictures

2006-01-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

Last week Trish Phillips, our close friend and neighbor from West Monroe came over and blessed Patti with a visit. In the process she was able to get the first set of pictures (there are others) that Patti has "blessed" for publication. So here we go! All these were taken in the lobby of the CNS Rehab facility.

Back in the Saddle Again

2006-01-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Patti got back to her apartment today at about 2:oo PM after being discharged. The final medical report was great. First of all, no pneumonia with all the doctors signing off on the diagnosis. Thank you Lord! Secondly, no other complications. We just need to get her water consumption back up to snuff. She will be back in her rehab program tomorrow. (Friday)

Hated to go to the hospital for two days to learn that, but sometimes that's what it takes.

Thank YOU for all of your prayers. One thing I have learned through all of this is that as Believers and as members of the body of Christ, prayer over the little things on behalf of others is just as important as prayer over the big things. Even if someone doesn't specifically know you are praying for them God does and by His Spirit they will know the effect.

In Hebrews 7:25 the Bible says "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." The Bible also says in John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father."

Now on an individual level we may not believe we will ever raise the dead or heal the sick, but we sure can pray for one another. We can "make intercession" just as Jesus does for us and literally fulfill His Word when we do because we are doing one of His works and, I believe, one of the "greater" works He intended for us.

So many of you have "made intercession" on Patti's and my behalf and with astounding results. In just the two days at the new hospital this week the staff kept coming around and marveling at her recovery. We had several opportunities to share a little of her story and God's marvelous provision. I know that in several places there God received the glory that He is due for Patti's recovery. Please pray that the ripples from those contacts will touch many.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Hospital Update

2006-01-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

I apologize for my difficulty in staying current on the blog.

Patti is doing fine and feeling much stronger today. It does not look like she has pneumonia according to the doctor late this afternoon. They will do one final x-ray check before discharge.

Her blood pressure drop was due to dehydration and her dehydration was due to not taking in enough fluids. So we will be making sure we pay attention to that in the future.

She is still receiving antibiotics to knock out some throat and sinus congestion and will continue on those for several days.

She will be discharged tomorrow (Thursday) for sure and will be back at CNS to hit her therapy full speed! By the way, yesterday afternoon and today her speech took a nice step forward. She noticed it and was bragging a little this afternoon. Bragg Patti, bragg!!! I love to hear it!

Thanks to all for your prayers. Our Father is faithful and I am convinced this was a feeble attempt by the enemy of Patti's soul to discourage her. It certainly hasn't worked!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Medical Update - Prayer Request

2006-01-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

This morning Patti had to be taken to the hospital with low blood pressure. Her pressure has stabilized but there is concern that she has a mild case of pneumonia. The pressure was most likely a reaction to medication and is not considered a long-term risk issue. Two doctors who have examined her can't agree that she has pneumonia so they will treat her as though she does and re-check her tomorrow. My expectation is that she will be released sometime tomorrow or Thursday at the very latest.

Patti is pretty frustrated being back in the hospital and considers it a real setback for her. So please pray that her stay will be short; her pressure and pneumonia problems will yield quickly; and her attitude will stay strong and avoid discouragement.

Mike

Twas the day after...

2005-12-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas, and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Including the spouse.

Actually, I got up early today and did some sale shopping.

Patti and I spent Christmas at sister and brother-in-law Theresa and Greg Marshall and had a simply wonderful time hanging out with family. We hope God blessed you with a magnificent Christmas and the inspiration of His presence.

Here's the catch up for the week:

Last Wednesday we got Patti moved from the Zale-Lipshy hospital over to the Centre for Neuro Skills rehab center. We got there at 1:00 PM and by 1:20 she was already going through physical therapy and evaluation. I, of course, got to enjoy all of the associated paperwork. After occupational therapy and a meeting with a counselor we got her over to the apartments where she is staying at around 4:30. They are spartan, but very adequate and clean. The bed, frankly, was horrible so on Thursday Greg, Theresa and I picked her up a new mattress, courtesy of her Dad, bedspread, sheets etc. and got her room put together in a much more comfortable way.

Patti was pretty emotional through the transition and for several reasons. First, she would rather go home than to another temporary location. It has now been seven weeks since she has seen home and you can imagine the sense of loss she feels from time to time. Secondly, we really had adjusted to the routine at the hospital and gotten to know the people there. So a new place was very uncertain from lots of angles.

Thursday night, however, I checked Patti out and took her to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. We really enjoyed the time together and this was a confidence builder for her that things are making progress on the road to normal and that she can handle herself outside of the center. Friday we ran some errands around town and Saturday night we went to a Christmas eve service at Calvary Temple which is about two minutes from the apartment. Afterwards we drove around Dallas a little to look at Christmas lights.

Oh, the rehab facility was closed Friday and today (Monday) for the holidays so we had some time to kill.

Physically, Patti is still making good progress. She can stand easily now and can walk a little with assistance although her right leg is very unsteady. She is beginning to generate a lot of movement from the shoulder in the right arm and can lift a little from the elbow. The right hand is beginning to tighten up a little, which is normal, so we are focusing on stretching and relaxing the muscles there.

Patti's speech is getting better and better as well. She still has a lot of work to do here, but she is getting more and more out each day and what she does get out sounds just like Patti!

By the way, Patti's roommate at the apartment is a lady named Amy Scott. She had an aneurysm that burst during surgery and created a stroke-like effect. She is very sweet and friendly and we think she will be a good roomate for Patti.

Finally, the most exciting Christmas gift came from daughter Abbey and son-in-law Nick. They sent Patti a small picture frame with a post-it note on the front that said, "Mom, hope this will be motivation for you to get well soon so you can hold your new grandbaby in July!" Then we lifted up the post-it note to find a sonogram picture of the little one!!!!! Grandparents for the third time!!! Congratulations to Nick and Abbey! And, yes, Patti is highly motivated!!!

Prayer requests:

1. Right leg strength to get Patti walking regularly and out of the wheel chair.
2. Muscle relaxation in the lower right arm and continued recovery in general.

Patti and I hope you have a blessed and Spirit-filled New Year! We are so thankful for our friends and family and all who visit this site and are praying for her. The staff at the new facility is amazed at how far along Patti is in her recovery. We have taken every opportunity to explain how it is only God and tell the story of how He has protected and lifted Patti every step of the way.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Change to New Mailing Address and Phone Number

2005-12-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

If you would like to contact Patti by phone or mail please contact Mike at mikeeverett@jam.rr.com. We are no longer publishing contact information on the blog as a security precaution.

Thanks,

Mike

Walker, TrueTexan Ranger

2005-12-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks Patti has been working with a walker in physical therapy. This morning I needed to stay at the hospital to work on transition issues and, for the first time in two weeks, got to attend a physical therapy session.

The therapist got Patti set up on her walker by using an Ace bandage to hold Charlotte in place and Patti proceeded to walk from her room all the way down a very long hall to the therapy center. Her right leg is starting to provide some support and is moving well, although, she wears a brace on the lower leg to help with toe dragging which would cause tripping. Charlotte gets to help move the walker and Patti is really starting to get around!

I was really surprised as I wasn't aware how well she was doing. I'm hoping this means she will be out of the wheel chair completely in the next two or three weeks. She enjoys the walking and it does tire her out, but she naps with a smile on her face!

Walking in Him,

Mike

Movin' On Up!

2005-12-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Barring any last minute change in plans, Patti will be transferred from the Zale-Lipshy Hospital to the Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS), a brain injury rehabilitation center, in Irving, Texas. There are several reasons for this:
1. The hospital only does "acute" rehabilitation and Patti has progressed past that point. (By the way, this hospital has been all it is advertised to be. The care has been wonderful all around and the staff has been terrific!)
2. They are better equipped in every area to continue Patti's progress, especially in speech and educational therapy.
3. Patti will enjoy a change of scenery and routine at this point.

Once Patti arrives, she will move into a two bedroom apartment where she will live for the next several weeks. She will have a roommate (female, of course) and a Nurse Assistant (NA), also female, will be present at the apartment 24/7. She is currently receiving three hours of therapy a day at the hospital. At the center her "work day" will immediately move up to four hours with a goal to get to six hours as soon as she can handle it. They will continue with the physical recovery and strengthening work, speech and occupational therapy and will work with her on overall body reconditioning, regaining computer and working skills, regaining driving skills, and generally redeveloping all of the life skills she needs to function independently, return to work and return to life. The NA will assist in evaluating and helping Patti with everything that goes on in a home environment including cooking, shopping, cleaning, telephone skills, budgeting, dressing, etc. So her rehab will actually continue after her scheduled sessions when she returns to her apartment. All in all, it is very intensive.

They also schedule activities such as dining out, grocery shopping, mall shopping, entertainment events and others to re-orient her back to the day-to-day world. I will make sure she starts getting back to church soon, too. Church on TV jist ain't all it's cracked up to be, but it sure is nice to have when you need it!

I toured the rehab facility and it is very state of the art. I met a lot of wonderful people and I am sure she will receive the absolute best care possible. I will still get to spend a lot of time with her and, best of all, will be able to check her out frequently for dinner, movies or whatever else we want to do. Visiting is encouraged, but is limited to after 5PM on weekdays. Weekends are pretty flexible, but at this facility it would be a good idea to call ahead and let us know you're coming! You can learn more than you would ever need to know by visiting the website for CNS at www.neuroskills.com. I will publish mail and phone information in the next couple of days when I have it and know it is accurate. So please come back for that important information!

I've been asked why Dallas and not back in Louisiana. For those of you wondering, I am able to work in Dallas without having to travel for the time being. As soon as we return to West Monroe, I will need to start traveling again and we just aren't ready for that yet, as you can imagine.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for an easy transition for Patti and a short adjustment period .
2. Pray for physical strength and renewal as she extends her therapy hours and intensity.

Mike

Steppin' Out

2005-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This past Saturday was a fun and exciting day for Patti and Saturday night marked a new milestone for her.

First of all, Tom and Barbara Robinson from our L.I.F.E. group in our church back home dropped in on Saturday morning. What a great surprise and a wonderful blessing! We miss everyone from West Monroe/Monroe and a personal visit was really special.

Secondly, our Dallas friends, Mike and Janie Goodman, invited us to Mike's birthday party and, at the urging of myself and several others, Patti agreed to go!

So Patti got dressed up in her new, red Christmas outfit (Courtesy of Trish Phillips), put on her makeup (hadn't done that in a while) (not that she needs it, of course!) and at 6:45 PM we rolled out of the hospital, into the car and over to the Goodman's. We stayed and visited for a little over an hour and she had the opportunity to see, and to be loved on by, a number of longtime Dallas friends. She really enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the hospital and be in a crowd again. I really enjoyed seeing her enjoy herself!

We made it back to the hospital by 8:45. Patti was flat worn out, but very happy. I'm sure her mouth was sore from smiling so much!

We had a pretty calm Sunday visiting with family, doing homework for speech therapy (which is coming along very well) and booing the Cowboys. This next week will be a week of change as the plan, for right now, is to move her over to Irving, TX to a rehab center. More on that in the next post.

Saturday represents a really good first step for Patti as she begins to move her life back towards some normal activities. I have seen all along how God has made special provisions for us. One of them is having friends in different places to provide support and encouragement for Patti. To be able to take her first outing among friends really helped remove the uncertainty for Patti and heighten her desire to go and take a new step and receive a blessing. I'm here to tell you that, if you ever wonder if God would do that for you and make special provisions in your life, you are wrong to think that He will...because the truth is He already has! And at the time you need them He will provide them. You only need to trust Him!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Hello Charlotte! We missed you!!

2005-12-15T05:02:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that after Patti's stroke we (I) nicknamed her immobilized right hand Charlotte. Basically, the idea was to keep Patti aware of her hand as many stroke victims literally forget about the side of their body that is affected. It was also to motivate her by reminding her that she needs to get better so she can do "Itsy, bitsy, spider" with the grandkids. (Charlotte's Web) Anyway, you get the picture.

Well, last night at about 8:15 as I'm straightening up the room and preparing to leave for the night, I hear this "Hey, Mike!" I turn around and here is Patti with this big grin on her face and looking at her right hand. She strains a little and the hand flinches and flexes! She does it three more times! So we immediately, after laughing and enjoying the moment, take a minute to thank God for the beginning of restoration of her arm and hand.

This means that not too far down the road she will be able to walk on her own by supporting herself on a walker and then progressing back to her normal ability. All I can say is God is faithful!

Another somewhat smaller occurrence happened yesterday as well. Patti started wearing her glasses to watch TV. She only needs glasses for distance so I'm assuming this means she is more aware of what she is seeing and her eyes are beginning to work better together again.

Finally, after visiting the two recommended rehab centers, we were easily able to make a decision on the right choice for Patti. I'll write more on that later along with transfer date and mailing address.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers on Patti's behalf! We bless the Lord for His goodness, steadfastness and lovingkindness! We thank the Lord for you!

Mike

Catchin' Up

2005-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

This blog is a little late, but through the weekend and into the new week time can get away from you.

Patti is doing well. We had several visitors on Saturday and a big finish to the weekend on Sunday. Patti's parents drove in from Lubbock so Sunday night she and I, Patti's sister Theresa and her husband Greg and daughter Maggie, Mike Jr., Morgan and Aidan and her parents brought in food from the Olive Garden and took over the game room on the hospital rehab floor for dinner. By the time she got through with therapy on Monday and a visit with her parents Monday afternoon, she was pretty worn out.

Her right leg is doing great. She can lift and straighten and move side to side with an amazing amount of strength. She is also able to flex her ankle now in both directions. The pushing part with her leg muscles, which will give her better support for standing and walking, hasn't come around yet, but we expect it any day. Speech wise she is really working hard on names. She can now say all of the vowel sounds, although with some effort still, and she is writing more smoothly and quickly as well. We haven't done much singing lately, although she sang happy birthday to Paige's mother-in-law recently. She is a lot more interested in speaking right now.

The therapists are working with her on a walker as they try to stimulate her right leg further. She can also move from the wheelchair to a chair and from the bed to the wheelchair or a chair without assistance now. So she is still making great progress and staying faithful in her therapy.

On Tuesday the Drs. came in for the weekly review. Patti is still slated for discharge on the 21st. I will meet today with a second long-term rehab site as we try to make a decision on continuing care. Her care will continue in the Dallas area, but there are several choices and they are all a little different. I'm working hard to ask good questions and to be discerning about people and environments for Patti. Please pray for wisdom and an obvious, correct choice.

I have had the opportunity over the last few days to pray with two different people and their loved ones who were also stroke victims. One family ministers with Teen Challenge in East Texas and the others don't have much family around. So praise God for opening doors for ministry and encouragement.

I will post another update as soon as we get a better picture on Patti's continuing care location. Please continue to pray for healing and increasing strength for Patti. She misses home, friends and family, but her spirits are good.

In His Grace,

Mike

Feeling Much Better

2005-12-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your prayers! Patti has felt much better today! She participated fully in therapy and was even able to receive a couple of visitors this afternoon. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this rapid a response based on how she was feeling yesterday. Hmmm! Wonder when I'm gonna learn? Thank you Lord!

We are anticipating a good weekend. Patti's spirits were much higher today so we will continue to work on homework from her therapists and try to stay as busy as we can. Her speech is continuing to come along some each day. Her right leg continues to strengthen and we continue to pray God's healing power over all of her affected areas.

Mike

New Prayer Requests

2005-12-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

Today Patti came down with a cold. It hit her pretty hard and caused her to stay in bed and not take therapy today. Needless to say she is very frustrated as she does not want to slow down the therapy at all. A very tough day for her.

Also, we began talking to the cardiology group here today about the tiny hole in the upper part of her heart. The can't say for certain whether or not it is a contributing factor or if repairing it will provide some prevention against recurrence. So please begin praying for

1. Healing of her cold and regaining strength.
2. Wisdom as we search out whether to perform the heart surgery.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Icy Streets and Warm Hearts

2005-12-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

The streets in Dallas are iced over this morning giving me an opportunity to update the blog. Patti is continuing her progress in therapy. Yesterday they began working with her on a walker. Her right side is not providing all the support she needs, but the idea is to stimulate the muscles to action and the brain to recognize it.

The therapists at Zale-Lipshy have really been wonderful to work with and, not surprisingly, they love Patti. Not only for her willingness to work hard but for her bright greetings when they come by the room to get her and her ready smile and laugh when something funny or unusual happens. I think the greatest blessing of all so far is that Patti is absolutely 100% in the personality department. I've heard a lot of stories of people who suffered strokes and their personalities changed dramatically. God has been most merciful to Patti and our family!

Patti still has up days and down days. She really wishes she were in a different situation and has expressed that on several occasions, but she retains the motivation to work, be faithful and overcome this temporary interruption. She misses her friends and family and every card and e-mail is soaked up on arrival!

We are currently looking at several extended care facilities for Patti after she is discharged from the hospital. Therefore the current prayer requests are:

1. Wisdom in selecting the right facility for Patti to complete her recovery.
2. Continued prayers over Patti for complete healing and mental and spiritual encouragement and stamina to endure.

Thanks to all of you for your continuing prayers and support. It means so much to know that the love of the body of Christ is available and active!

Mike

Look out Radio City!

2005-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

Well, Patti continues to surprise everyone, even herself! Last night while in the hospital bed, she got my attention with "Hey, Mike." Then with a very surprised look on her face she lifted her right leg straight up to a vertical position!! She couldn't quite believe it so she did it again just to make sure. It was an awesome moment!

I don't know if she'll try out for the Rockettes when this is over, but I never realized how exciting a high kick could be! Maybe the Cowboys need a punter?

Mike

One Month

2005-12-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Today marks one month since Patti's stroke. A pretty blurry month as well! It hardly seems possible.

For anyone new to the blog let me encourage you to read all of the entries, even though it will take you some time, to get the complete picture of what's going on in our lives. The reason for this is I want everyone who comes here to read about how Patti is doing, to leave with an understanding that, while this is about Patti, it is more about the Lord and what He is doing in our lives.

Patti today, at one month, experienced a new and necessary milestone in her recovery. She began to feel pain in her right arm and leg. This is a great indicator of the body and brain beginning to reconnect. Also, as I was helping her into bed tonight she began to push with her left leg to adust her position while I was lifting her right leg into place. As she pushed with her left her right leg muscles began to fire and try to mimic what the left leg was doing. After a good night's sleep last night, her speech was much better this afternoon and she is beginning to put together complete sentences more frequently. All of this from a woman who through her circumstances should be totally and permanently incapacitated. But through God's mercy and grace is on the road to complete recovery.

I once told my L.I.F.E group, (God bless you guys!) that I learn far more through adversity than I do through prosperity. (Although I wouldn't mind learning in prosperity on occasion!) And among the many things I have learned through this adversity is: 1) God's heart is never turned away from His children and 2) My heart is too easily turned away from God. This is a tough lesson to learn, but I needed to learn it. I now see the love of God in places I never noticed it before. I look at Patti with eyes I never knew I had before. I appreciate my children and their love and faithfulness in a completely new way. I place far more value in the minutes of each day than I ever did before. And I find even a brief moment with a friend to be worth more than I can describe. And I know this is just a beginning. After all, it's only been one month and Patti hasn't begun to report in on her testimony yet.

So, once again, thank you Lord for touching Patti and protecting her when there was no one with her but You. Thank you friends and family for loving us, supporting us and continuing to pray for us in our time of need.
Keep praying for Patti's complete recovery and her patience each day.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Some days are....

2005-12-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

...better than others.

As Patti and I sit together on a Saturday afternoon watching Texas put a major league whuppin' on Colorado, I am reminded of two things:
1. The LSU game is only a few hours away.
2. The wisdom of the Lord's admonition in Matthew 6:34 :
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

The last two days have been very frustrating for Patti as she has really been pushed in therapy and, while the physical part is coming along, the speech part has been very difficult for two days. Patti really wants to move ahead faster, but she seems to be at a temporary plateau with her speaking. She has progressed enough to say "I want to...." and fill in the blank with "go to bed, eat or go to the bathroom, etc." She can also say "I love you." very well. But all of her comprehension is intact so she wants to express everything in her mind and just can't do it yet.

So continue to pray for her patience and endurance. She is working very hard and all of the cards, phone calls and visits encourage her tremendously. We so much appreciate all of the love and support we have received! God has blessed us tremendously during this time through our friends, family and many others in the body of Christ. And, though this road is hard and long, we are able to recognize the grace we are under and rest in His mercy and love and rejoice in each small victory every day!

Forever in Him,

Mike

More Good News

2005-12-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

This blog is coming from West Monroe. On Tuesday we got the latest overall evaluation of Patti's condition. She has improved in almost every category except the ones pertaining to physical movement. But the doctors are extremely pleased with her progress. They are forecasting a discharge date of December 21st. That is very tentative, but a good goal. After discharge from Zale-Lipshy she will move to a cognitive therapy center in either in or out-patient status depending on her evaluation on discharge. Either way, things are coming along!

On Wednesday morning she was able to raise the fingers on her right hand for the first time and then was able to straighten out her leg and raise it six inches when the doctor examined her!! These are both big steps and indicate her recovery is continuing to progress. God is renewing her daily according to His great mercy.

I am in West Monroe Wednesday and Thursday so the next update will be sometime Friday after I have a chance to catch up with my bride and her progress.

Mike

A is for...

2005-11-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Attitude! I just wanted to share a quick and funny story. Yesterday (Monday), Patti's speech therapist was about 20 minutes late for her scheduled session. Patti had all of her homework ready for her and was really proud of the fact she completed it all accurately and with only a couple of restarts. (More great progress, by the way!) She was in the wheelchair they provide up here so she looked at me and indicated there was a therapy session scheduled and I let her know that speech was due in at 11:30 and it was now 11:50. She still uses just her left hand for motion and her left foot for direction in the wheel chair. She wheeled herself out into the hallway, tracked down the speech therapist, handed in her homework and basically let her know that late appointments were unacceptable!! The therapist definitely got the message, we all had a good laugh, and Patti now has the reputation of the one patient on the floor who is controlling the treatment priorities!

Weekend Update (Apologies to SNL)

2005-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

Patti had a great weekend! Along with enjoying all the family members in for Thanksgiving, Patti had surprise visits from Jan Brooks (with her sister from Arlington) and Tom and Jan Miller - all from our L.I.F.E. group at First Baptist West Monroe! To say that she was thrilled would be a serious understatement! She was overjoyed! Thanks for the love and encouragement!

Sunday night Gail Jones Stanart (from our Champion Forest Baptist Church days in Houston), husband Stan and mom Ann came by. We had a great visit with them and Gail prayed over Patti as we joined hands in agreement.

I took Patti out in the wheelchair for about 45 minutes Sunday morning. The weather was warm, but windy. There are several beautifully landscaped areas on the hospital grounds and she enjoyed spending some time there and also browsing the gift shops. I threatened to sneak her out for a ride in the car, but she decided to wait a while on that.

Then this morning, Monday, we got the surprise of the week!!! Patti is able to lift her right leg from the hip this morning!!!!!!!!!!! She can't straighten out her leg from the knee yet, but she is able to pull her knee up which indicates returning strength and control both in the upper leg and torso! She'll be back on a bike before you know it!

Prayer requests:

1. Patti's patience and encouragement. Progress will be slow, but steady and events like this morning are very encouraging. But, as you can imagine, she wants back in the game today!
2. We have already seen abundant evidence that lives are being changed through this time, and not just ours! Patti's sweet spirit, the love of our family and friends, and our testimony of faith in Jesus is creating all kinds of ripples among those we know and many, here in the hospital and elsewhere, we don't. Pray for the lives of those whom God is calling, encouraging and changing! Pray for a new birth of ministry in Patti's life as she gives glory to God in the midst of her circumstances.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Thanksgiving Update

2005-11-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Psalm 9:1, 2
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Patti enjoyed a wonderful family time yesterday with Mike, Morgan, and Aidan and Todd and Paige in attendance. We really missed Nick Abbey and Cadence and Stephen, but had a good time in spite of it. Patti's days begin with breakfast and then a relatively non-stop therapy schedule the rest of the day. Her speaking is improving very slowly, but her writing and reading skills are progressing very rapidly. There is a lot of focus on restoring feeling and function on the right side now and Patti intensely looks forward to the work. She does not like the early morning or evening hours when it is lonelier and there is less to do, so we've been doing her speech homework and other exercises at night as often as we can.

She really enjoys looking at all of the cards we have up on the wall. We talk about who sent them from time to time and we have gotten all kinds of comments from the hospital staff about how loved Patti must be to have so many decorating her wall. We miss being home!

For those of you have prayed for Pastor Phil who was in our last post as a prayer request, please take a minute and praise God for his homegoing. He stepped into the arms of the Lord Thursday afternoon and, no doubt, had a most incredible Thanksgiving feast. Back in the early eighties I had the privilege of spending a lot of time in prayer with Phil and enjoying God's anointing on him as a worship leader. My every remembrance of him is as a dedicated servant of the Most High and a seeker of God's face. He will be missed down here.

Finally, I got a chance to look at the actual MRI which was taken on Patti on Wednesday. The image shows just how large the stroke was, but, as reported before, the center and deep parts of her brain were untouched. (Thank You Lord!) There is an intense area at the front and one at the back of the left side, but in between it is very sporadic. (Thank You Lord!) The doctor indicated that had it been a persistent clot and blockage, there would have been extreme damage with a far smaller chance of recovery. This is particularly true since she was alone for such a long time when it happened. But apparently the clot rapidly dissolved sparing her the kind of damage that might have occurred. There is only one way to expain all of this...and His name is Jesus!

They that wait upon the Lord shall...

2005-11-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Renew their strength.

Patti is showing increasing strength everyday! While Monday, 11/22, was an introductory day for therapy, her attitude and eagerness increased as the pace picked up on Tuesday. Patti is receiving three primary types of therapy: Physical, occupational and speech.

The Physical therapy is primarily related to the trunk and lower extremities. She has actually begun taking small steps and stepping up on stairs. What is really interesting is how the right leg muscles actually fire and offer support as she begins movement with her left. The memory of how the right and left side work together is in the brain and in the muscles and they naturally react. This means toning and strengthening of the right side muscles even though she is not voluntarily moving them yet.

Occupational is primarily working with her on basic tasks from getting dressed to brushing teeth. It will escalate to household tasks, clothing selection and any other task she performs during a day including work related functions.

Speech is working with her on reading, writing, eating and swallowing, thinking and speaking. She is even getting homework to do!

Every day she continues to speak new words and communicate more clearly. She is frustrated she can't do more, but is focused on doing as much as she can during each session. I believe God is beginning to give her a vision of wholeness for herself which she can pursue. She still is having emotional ups and downs, but the doctors and therapists all say that continues to be a good sign of recovery. Most importantly, she picks herself up and pushes forward.

On Tuesday she actually spoke her first intentional, complete sentence to me since the stroke! She looked at me and said, "Do you know what?" The only problem is I never found out what "what" was!!!

Today Patti was given another MRI by the Dallas staff. We look forward to the results. A neuro-specialist has been assigned to review her case to try to diagnose the cause. Please continue to pray for the doctors. Once they can identify a cause, the more accurately they can work to prevent future occurences!

Patti's sister Theresa came by to sort through her clothes and to go shopping for anything else she may need. Needless to say, I came under a great deal of scrutiny for my packing. We have all had a few laughs over some of the items I put in her suitcase! (Sorry, no specifics!)

Finally, Patti spent almost five hours sitting up in a wheel chair today. Her previous best was about two and a half. She was tired, but her strength is increasing. She is also able to sit up on the side of the bed with minimal assistance now. God continues to lift her up!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year in our household. Chief among them are:

1. Patti's miraculous preservation and recovery.
2. All of the prayers and support of our friends and many around the nation and the world who have interceded on behalf of Patti and our family.
3. The power, presence and peace of God.

We still have a long way to go and, perhaps, there will be some setbacks, but God continues to encourage us on a daily basis. We are learning clearly the importance of today and receiving what God has for us today rather than regretting the past or worrying about the future.

May you experience the presence of God as you gather together to give thanks tomorrow. Remember, He inhabits the praises of His people! Praise Him! Not FOR all things, but IN all things give thanks!

Psalm 92:1 - It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night...

Prayer Requests:

1. For Pastor Phil Webb. Phil and his wife Wanda are old friends of ours from our Dallas days. Phil is in ICU at Baylor Hospital - Garland, Tx with kidney failure and several other problems. He has recently been teaching on warfare and healing. Pray against the spiritual forces that are attacking him and for God's healing power to raise him up.
2. Continued progress and positive attitude for Patti.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving day with your families and friends!

Mike and Patti

The Phantom Blogger Returns

2005-11-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry to be offline so long, but circumstances have been a little out of my control for a few days. (Imagine that) Fortunately, God never takes a day off!!

Let's go back to last Thursday. Late in the evening we received a report from the Neurologist on a CT scan performed on Wednesday. I sat down with the Doc 1-on-1 and here is what he told me on a miracle-by-miracle basis:

1. The MRI done on Monday of the previous week was amazing in that it showed a complete restoration of the blood flow through the central artery into the brain. That was highly unusual being so close to the event of a "massive" stroke. He reiterated that with me to lead up to the next entry.
2. The CT scan from the day before showed such a dramatic decrease in the swelling in Patti's brain that he had to verify with the radiologist that it was the correct scan. He had never seen such a rapid decrease.
3. Also, when the swelling goes down, you have a chance to see the amount of dead brain cells in the area of the swelling which is normally extensive. The vast majority of Patti's cells have not died. He was amazed at the amount of life in the area.
4. They did find a small area of concern which looked like a potential area of bleeding, but it was described as clinically insignificant. They tested again on Friday morning and found no change indicating it was not active, no threat, and possibly just a protein accumulation.

I told Patti we have medical proof of God's healing touch upon her and that it was more than you get from some of the folks on TV!!!! Lord, thanks again for preserving her in such an obvious way that we might give you the glory!

The neurologist said that Patti is a lucky lady. I shared with him about all the prayers lifted and faith exercised on her behalf. He stated that he believed a lot of events down here are controlled upstairs. I asked when he came to believe that we actually control anything down here? He just said to keep praying. He changed the subject when I mentioned Jesus. Pray for this guy that the Holy Spirit will help him to see the obvious and turn to Jesus.

On Friday we were supposed to transport Patti to Dallas, but several minor things got in the way and we postponed to Monday as we didn't think the Dallas hospital would take us on a Saturday. Late Friday they called and said they would take us on Saturday, so we made plans. Thanks to Marsha Linam who rode with us to keep me awake and to take care of any needs Patti had on the trip (including reading jokes to her), Kay Harrison who loaned us her Suburban to carry Patti in, son-in-law Nick Bowman for acquiring an ambulance stretcher from the Ruston Fire Department and worked out the techniques for strapping it securely into the back of the Suburban, and to Christie Dollins who got the whole ball rolling by calling Kay!!

We left the hospital at 9AM Saturday morning and arrived at the Zale-Lipshy hospital about 1:30 PM. Son Mike's father-in-law Jimmy Britton went to the hospital about an hour ahead of us to alert the staff and make sure they knew when to expect us. Two male nurses met us outside and took Patti out of the car, took her to her room where three nurses from the floor immediately began taking care of her needs and getting her settled in. I was directed to admitting to complete the process. Everything went beautifully and we really felt the peace, presence and provision of the Lord.

This morning Patti got introduced to her personal physician, her therapists and regular nurses. She began therapy today with light rounds just to get her started. She will have three intensive hours a day including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. There is also a recreational therapist to help her get back into things like reading, games, television, driving, needlepointing, or anything else that she enjoys. She has access to a psychologist and just about anything else she needs including friends and family from the Dallas area.

We left the Monroe area with a lot of mixed emotions, but we believe God will bring Patti back with everything restored!!

Please remember her with cards or e-mails. The next few weeks will be physically and mentally very hard for her. And whatever you do, don't quit praying!! Many are being ministered to by the work of God in Patti's life. Faith is built up, the Word is being searched, people are re-evaluating their values and God is being glorified. We love all of you!!

Mike

And that spells....

2005-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Dallas! Patti is located now at:

Patti Everett
C/O UTSW
Room 806
5151 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75235

I have so much to blog and no time to blog it. However, all will be caught up tomorrow! Patti's doing great, sleeping a lot and will start intensive rehab tomorrow.

Mike

On the Road Again...

2005-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

(Update from Paige)

My Dad sends his apologies that he has not blogged recently, but as you can imagine he has had his hands full!

I want to save the majority of the details for Dad when he is able to blog, but I just wanted to give everyone the low down of what has happened over the last 2 1/2 days.

Wednesday, Mom passed her swallow test and is now off of IV foods and medicines! Praise God!

She is also now able to motor around her floor in a wheelchair using her left arm to propel the wheel and her left foot to steer! Watch out! She's mobile!!! I'm waiting for her to escape for a shopping spree ;)

Dad got an update from the Doctor last night and again I'll save the details for him, but the Doc basically said that Mom's speed of recovery is nothing short of a miracle. (No offense, but DUH!) Prayers work and since we've got people all over the world praying for Mom...what does he expect! God is faithful to those who follow him!!!

One detail I'll spill is that the swelling in Mom's brain has reduced DRASTICALLY and has done so in a much shorter time frame than normally expected.

And now the exciting news....TODAY IS MOVING DAY!!!!

Mom, got some much needed pampering yesterday in preparation for her trip today. At this time she should be almost or already loaded in her FABULOUS limo (aka Suburban) that will be whisking her away to the Zale-Lipshy University Hospital Rehab Center in record time!
Wait, scratch the record time, cause Stephen holds the record in the family and unless they bring the concord back, I'm not sure any of us can beat it. ;)

Prayer Requests:
1) Safe and smooth trip
2) For the doctors and therapists who will be taking care of Mom
3) Easy transition for Mom in her new environment

Psalm 52:9 - I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Transitions - November 16th

2005-11-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Details began falling into place today for our transfer of Patti to Dallas. We have ground transportation arranged for Friday (thanks to good friend and insurance agent Christie Dollins) and son-in-law Nick Bowman secured an ambulance stretcher for the ride from the Ruston Fire Department where he works. I'll get details out on address for writing to Patti in the next day or so.

In the meantime, Patti's appetite showed up today (welcome back) as she scarfed down her entire breakfast of scrambled eggs, grits, applesauce, a banana and pineapple juice. She hadn't gotten through more than about 35% of a meal until now. She is having a swallow test today to make sure everything is going down right and by this evening she will be off of IV foods and medicines in preparation for the the Friday trip.

Prayer requests:

1. Safe and smooth transport on Friday.
2. Easy and encouraging transition for Patti to the new environment.
3. That Mike keeps all of our personal details together during the adjustment as well.

Thanks for all for all of the encouraging notes and calls! Thanks most of all for all of the intercession.

Nehemiah 8:10 - Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Mike

God's Provision and a New Song!!

2005-11-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

This is for November 14th and 15th.

Patti woke up this morning (14th) with one noticeable change: Her smile was balanced across both sides of her mouth rather than mostly left. Just another amazing miracle from our God!!!!

Today (14th) we learned, at around noon, that the Zale-Lipshy University Hospital Rehab Center in Dallas had completed their medical review and approved Patti for admission. They indicated that her condition is exactly what they like to work on and they are excited about working with her. Later, at 5 PM we learned that our insurance has approved the transfer as well! Looks like we're going to Dallas as soon as we can get the transportation and other logistics arranged! This will mean a lot for Patti's recovery as they are one of the premier rehab facilities for stroke in the world.

Then, still on the 14th, daughter Paige called up and shared a story from one of her closest friends about one of her family members who also suffered a stroke, but was completely unable to speak. One day, at a birthday party, he shocked everyone by joining in when they sang happy birthday! It turns out that many times the "singer" is on the other side of the brain from the "speaker." Well, upon hearing that, I couldn't resist. I immediately went in to Patti and said "OK, let's sing!" After I got her past the "whose side are you on?" look, she sang through happy birthday twice!!!! On the second time she sang it to me. That's the first time she has said Mike since the stroke!!!!! Then, just to prepare for the grandkids, we sang through Itsy, Bitsy Spider! She's having a little difficulty with the hand motions, needless to say, but she literally had a new song in her heart today!!

November 15th

Today the speech pathologist was amazed at Patti's ability to sing and instructed her to keep it up. He also brought her some real eggs and she got to eat her first banana today too. She's continually progressing!!

Thanks again for all your prayers. More later.

Mike

Update for November 12th and 13th

2005-11-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Patti continues to make remarkable progress. Her improvements in speech and movement on her right side are small but discernible. We are trying to focus on rejoicing in the little accomplishments and building toward the desirable outcome rather than looking at what's been lost or how far we have to go. She is adding new words daily, writing better daily and showing more and more strength in rehab. Her ability to balance herself while standing and sitting has increased dramatically. The sense of balance is one of the more difficult recovery items in a stroke.

Prayer requests:
1. Keep praying for the doctors. We still don't have a clue as to why this happened.
2. For you early risers, Patti's most difficult time of the day is the first part of the morning. That seems to be her time to grieve the most. Pray that she will recognize God's new mercies every morning and for strength through the day.
3. We are considering a rehab hospital in Dallas. It will provide world class treatment for Patti and allow me to avoid business travel during her recovery. Pray for acceptance, logistics and finances.

Patti has really enjoyed all of the cards and e-mails she has received, as have I! Thank you!

Resting in Him!

Mike