Welcome Home Jake!

He's home!! They discharged Jake on Friday night. He is glad to be home and is doing well. Before he left the hospital, he had a successful nerve graft, however, it will be awhile before we know how much mobility he will have with his arm. Our office was converted into a little makeshift hospital room and it actually has worked pretty well so far. The bandages have to be changed once a day. His arm looks pretty beat up to put it lightly, but it looks so much better than it did the last time I saw it. We love you Jake and are happy to have you home safe and sound!

Update: November 16, 2008

Jake is still struggling with his right arm. The doctors are telling him he probably won't be able to use it very much. He is sad about this, but as a family we know that it will ultimately bring him where he needs to be. My dad brought up a couple of the puppies to see him today which lifted his spirits. We weren't sure how the nurses would react, but they all wanted one and had to come in and see them.

Jake and Reed

Reed and his wife came to see Jake in the hospital. Jake was so happy to see him and thank him for helping. Their picture is so cute, so we thought we'd share it.

Jake's Puppies

Well, for those of you that don't know, before all of this happened, Jake's dog Beans had 11 puppies. We still have a few that need good homes, so if you know anyone who is interested, please let us know. They are adorable! They are actually a mix of English Bulldog, Blue Heeler, and Border Collie. We have enjoyed having them so much! The girls have love playing with them, so they are very acclimated to children.

Hallelujah!

Jake had another surgery today, of course the doctor had to prepare him and my parents for the worst. So, we were so excited when the doctor came out and gave us the news that both muscles looked amazingly well and that he took skin grafts from Jake's leg and sewed up his arm. In the next surgery, they will go in to hopefully fix the radial nerve. YEAH!

The greatest thing of all is that Jake has kept his hilarious sense of humor through all of this! He is still one of the funniest guys I know. The fire fighters on the scene of the accident were even saying that at first Jake was joking around with them and that is how they first knew that he was going to be okay. They moved in an elderly man next to Jake that sounds like he may have the black lung, heaven forbid that that is what he has, but Jake has kept everyone laughing about it instead of getting annoyed, well maybe he gets a little annoyed who are we kidding here?

We are once again so grateful to our Heavenly Father and everyone who has kept Jake in their prayers. We love you all! Thank you!

"My son, peace be unto thy soul"

I wrote a post tonight and decided to change it at the last second. Jake had a hard day today. He has been in a lot of pain. We saw the doctor redress his arm. It was almost unbearable to see Jake in such pain and then to actually see his arm undressed was so sad. Jake is being so strong right now, but for a moment as I watched him and the extreme amount of pain he had as they moved his arm around, a bit of despair and sadness crept in I think for all of us. For a moment, I had to think, “Why?” The Physician’s Assistant told him he may loose some of the muscle in arm and the sick feeling I felt coming on all night settled to the bottom of my stomach where it stayed for awhile.

When we returned home I read something that calmed my heart and will hopefully bring peace to my brother’s as well. There is a passage in Doctrine and Covenants 121, it is when the Prophet Joseph petitioned Heavenly Father after he had been falsely accused and imprisoned in Liberty Jail for months:
“O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?”
Reassuringly The Lord answers:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.”

I can tell you, if anyone is enduring it well, it is Jake. I know he is not perfect, none of us are, but he has more faith than anyone I know. And this faith will help him to overcome his fear, and his hope will overcome his despair.

He is so thankful for the many prayers in his behalf. We ask again that everyone will continue to pray for him. He has been through so much physically and emotionally. We love him so much and pray with everyone else that he will be comforted at this time and that the pain in his body will decrease and he will find comfort and relief.

Update: November 6, 2008

It was another good day for Jake. He had another treatment in the hyperbaric chamber and is starting to move at least a little bit now. We got some pictures of his broken femur today, sorry they are not the best copies, but you can definitely see a broken bone. Ouch!! He is still in pain, but everything looks like it is heading in the right direction and for that we are all very grateful!