October 23rd 11:33 pm

It's been since July since I've updated the blog and I've been trying to play Dr. Phil on why it's taken me so long to do an update? All I could come up with is that blogging brings me back to reality, even though I don't always blog all the details that's going on with my family, blogging makes me stop and reflect on how much my family has changed in these past 9 months. Sometimes it's easier to think that everything is just peachy and it's not always easy to face reality. A lot has changed since my last blog Acey is home and we are finally back to some sort of normalcy. Acey did at home rehab then back to out patient rehab and at this time he is only doing rehab on his own. He's had two emergency room visits and and two different feeding tubes put in. The last feeding tube was done at the University of Utah and Acey has just thrived since, gaining 6lbs!! Acey is still trying to walk with help with a few people and a walker, and he is now able to stand holding on to the counter by himself, which is pretty amazing to see. All in all Acey is still the same, he refuses to miss a ball game, and this week will be traveling to Lewiston to watch our daughter in the State Volleyball tournament. October 31st Acey will be going back to coaching his basketball team, yes he is still going to coach. It would take a lot more then just a brain and spinal cord injury to prevent him from coaching his team. Acey loves to coach and loves the game but these particular girls he loves to be around and would love to see them repeat. Of course he will have help from my Dad again this year, and also his Uncle Gene who is an amazing coach is coming out of retirement to help out. So, if you think Acey is just sitting home feeling sorry for himself, with not much to do, think again.

July 8th 10:00 am

JUST JOKING ACEY IS NOT HOME! This is the story of our life. We get our hopes up thinking that we are going to have him home and then something always happens. Which isn't always a bad thing, we are very grateful for all the rehab he can get. The night before we were to come home for good they informed us that Acey still had some money left for rehab, so he stayed to get all the help he can. Acey is improving so much each day. He is walking with a walker and with one person holding him up which is so amazing. He walked about 170 feet yesterday! Plus he is eating so well! He is actually eating real food, or at least food that looks like food. So now they are thinking that we will be home this coming Wednesday, but who really knows. It will just be a surprise to us all when we finally are home to stay. But here is a funny story that I hope you all enjoy: We had to best day ever on the first of July when we thought Acey was going to be home to stay. After the party at the park we were on our way home when Acey asked me to stop and get two candy bars a Hershey's chocolate bar and Reese's peanut butter cups, so I stopped on got them for him. Later we were home just lying around and he said, "Hon where are the candy bars?" I go get them and break off a tiny little piece any put it in his mouth and he is just loving it. Now he is not suppose to have anything but soft foods. So we are already pushing it. So then he says, "Can you go get me some ice?" so, like a wonderful spouse that I am I put the candy bars above his head on the couch and I go into the kitchen to get the ice. All of sudden everyone is screaming JALYN JALYN!! I go running in there and Acey grabs the candy bar pretends like he is going to give his nephew a piece and then shoves the whole thing in his mouth. So, by the time I got in there Acey's has this huge smile on his face plus he laughing (which his laugh is pretty funny now since he's been sick it's completely different) because he knows I would never let him have that much. So I said, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!!!!!" And he just laughed and laughed. Later I said here's your ice. He says, I didn't want the ice I was just trying to get you away so I could eat the candy bar!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! You could of choked, aspirated. He didn't care all that was on his mind was the stinking candy bar and how good it was going to taste. Pretty funny now but at the time I wanted to choke him!!

Acey is Coming HOme!!

Acey is coming home on Friday yep tomorrow!!! We are going to have a huge party for him. It's going to be a potluck at the Dietrich Park at noon. We will have some water activities for the kids and for some of the adults if they would like to join in, so bring your swim suit and towel. It's going to be so much fun to see him home. I know that he can't wait to see all of you, so I hope that you all can make it.

June 24th 7:00am

MORE GREAT NEWS!!!! The trach is no more!!!! Acey passed his swallow test just enough to get that stinkin trach out!! He still needs to be careful of course but things are looking good. Better yet Acey can now have WATER!!! Ace and I were trying to remember the last time he had water and it's been months. We are one more step closer to have him home with us. It's amazing, the hole where his trach was will close on it's own within two days, and yes I took pictures it's pretty cool. Once that is sealed up he'll be able to talk even better. The plan now is to have him home next Friday, which seems so unreal to us. Stay posted to know when we have to homecoming party. I hate to plan to early afraid I'll jinx it. Life just keeps on getting better!!

June 22nd 7:20 am

Father's day was for sure a day to remember. The kids and I went to get Acey and to take him out of the Hospital for a few hours. We ended up going home to Dietrich to surprise his Dad for Father's day. We got into his parents home right before they got home from church and put a sign on Acey that said, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY". It was priceless to see their faces when they opened the door and saw Acey in their living room. Then it was time for dinner and he wanted to eat with the family at the table, the only problem with that was there is one step up to the kitchen, so he wouldn't be able to use his power chair. So his Dad and brother in-laws grabbed his arms and Acey was able to walk up the step and into the Kitchen. It was so fun the whole day just watching him with the biggest smile on his face. That was the first time in 4 months that he was out of the hospital and able to do something that he wanted to do. We then went around and saw the farm and all the crops. It was absolutely the best day ever! Today Acey will be having another swallow test to see if his throat is strong enough to take out his trach. Keep your fingers crossed, we are so hoping to get that stinkin trach out. If he does pass he will get to out tomorrow. We have a projected coming home date which is July 1st. We will be having a huge party so more details to come and everyone is invited!!!! Everyday he gets stronger and we can not wait to have him home!!

June 14th 10:00 pm

Hey there everyone! Acey is doing so good. He had a few rough days to where he was just so tired and couldn't move very well and just completely exhausted. Well, yesterday we found out what was causing it, they were giving him sleeping pills when he didn't need them!! So he is now back on track. He did aspirate twice in the last two days but his lungs are sounding good. He still has his trach in and I think it will stay in for awhile longer to protect his airway especially now that he's been throwing up. But we have some really great news, Acey can pretty much sit up with very little assistants and lie down with very little assistants. Plus he sat on the Commode for the first time in probably two months with no assistants for twenty minutes! That right there is really big. We are so excited to see progress. We still don't know when he will be home, but as long as he is gaining ground we are thrilled to be able to keep in Rehab.

June 7th 6:30 am

LiFE iS GReat!!! Acey is doing amazing, each day he gets a little stronger. We are so excited to say that after 88 days at the University Hospital in Utah Acey was well enough to be transferred to Twin Falls Idaho hospital. He is in the Rehab facility and we hope to have him home for good in a few weeks. Yesterday they down sized his trach, and it could possibly be out in a few days. He is eating a little on his own, our goal is 5-10 bites each meal, and a bite is 1/4 of a teaspoon. We are so excited to be closer to our family and friends, but do miss our new found family at the U. They are all amazing people with the biggest hearts, we love you guys and miss you, and thank you for taking such great care of us!

May 27th 7:30 pm

We are still in rehab! And things are just getting better everyday. So, something pretty funny happened today. Acey was in his power chair (wheel chair) and he had it tilted back just a little and when it's tilted back it goes into turtle mode which is so slow. So I thought I'd turn up the speed so I cranked it all the way up and of course nothing happened because the chair was still tilted. Then I remembered that it couldn't be tilted so I put the chair down. I then told Acey he was good to go. Now at this time I had forgotten that I had cranked up the speed to max. So Acey pushed on the throttle and took off so stinking fast I mean these chairs can really move. He has a hard time moving his hand and he couldn't stop right away so me and the OT was running down the hall to try to help him stop. Oh, it was the funniest thing ever! I'm sure you had to be there to truly get the whole picture. Acey thought that was the best ever he just laughed and laughed.

May 23rd 9:30 pm

What a day!!!! Acey is doing so good, its so fun to see him improve day to day. Since Acey is done with his testing and treatments he is now ready for rehab. Tomorrow we will be checking into Rehab where we will stay there for about one week and then we will be home! We are so excited to have Acey home again but very nervous at the same time. We are going to use this time at home to just rest from the hospital life and when he gains a little more strength we will come back to Utah University Hospital to finish his rehab. Today was a great day!

May 22nd 7:00pm

I know that I haven't been blogging lately, and that's because I've taken a few days to go home and be with the kids, for their last week of school activities. Acey is doing so good, he is now back on the Floor and out of ICU. Things are continuing to look promising. He is now able to lift up his left leg and left arm which he was unable to do before. He will have his trach in for awhile and is getting pretty good with sign language, that is how he's been communicating for the past week. There is a voice box that they can attach to his trach so he can talk but that will take some practice. I just want to give a shout out to a couple of people that helped me out in a big way a few days ago. Thank you so much and my car is running great!!!

May 16th 9:00 pm

The surgery went really well today, everything went as planned.

May 14th 5:41 pm

Just a quick update, Acey's tracheotomy was postpone until Monday. Everything else is the same as before no major changes to report.

May 13th 1:22 pm

Here is the latest news on our situation. . . . Acey still has pneumonia and is still in ICU, the pneumonia is improving a little everyday, he is still on the ventilator but on the very lowest setting. He also lifted his left leg and left hand a little yesterday and today which is amazing!! Tomorrow Acey is going in to have a Tracheotomy. There are several reasons why this is going to take place, the number one reason is to protect his airway. Since his mussels in his throat are so weak we need to make sure that his air way is always open and has easy access if needed. Acey and I are very anxious to have this done, once it's done he will be able to talk again (in a few days), and he will be able to have the tube out of his mouth, plus we are hoping that it will help clear up his pneumonia faster. We are moving in the right direction, so things here are looking up.

May 9th 7:55 pm

Good news we just got some of the results back from his spinal tap and Acey's white blood cells are down again! We are so excited!! The count is now 34, so we have a little bit further to go. Tomorrow Acey is going to try this new machine out that will help him communicate with us a little better. With his eyes he will be able to spell out words, not sure how it works, I'm just hoping it does.

May 9th 12:39 pm

We are still in the ICU and Acey is still on the ventilator. He now has pneumonia, and the lungs aren't looking too great at this time. He is breathing better but is still needing assistants from the respirator. Acey had a MRI the other day and there were no signs of new complications and everything look pretty much the same as before. Today he is going to have a spinal tap done to see what his white blood cell count is, we are hoping that his numbers are lower then 55.

May 6th 10:42 am

Here we go again. Acey had another down day, this time it's a little more serious. Yesterday he threw up and aspirated. Because of the aspiration he started having a difficult time breathing, and they couldn't get his vitals under control. They had x-ray come in to see how much went into his lungs, and then they took him to get an CAT scan to see if he had any blood clots that could have caused him to do this. Acey was moved back to the Neuro ICU. They then decided to put him on a ventilator. Not the best news, but at least Acey will be able to rest and not have to fight so hard to breath. Today they are running a lot more tests to see if his illness is progressing. I know that there are so many people concerned for Acey at this time, and time passes so slow for you at home that are waiting to hear the latest on how Acey is doing. I will try to update you all as often as I can. Thank you all and keep the prayers coming!

May 4th 7:50 pm

Lots of things happening today. I think we will be coming home soon!!! I can hardly stand it. We are going to have one more MRI and spinal tap just to make sure that the white blood cells are going down, and then we will be home. How soon? I'm not sure we are shooting for next Friday but of course no promises. Acey did get glasses today, they don't correct his eye sight 100% but they definitely help.

May 2nd 7:15 pm

On Friday Acey was moved again to rehab which is still in the University Hospital, this is our 10th room we've been in and hopefully our last. Our plan is to stay here in rehab for at least two weeks. After the two weeks are up Acey will be getting another spinal tap and MRI to make sure his white blood cells are continuing to go down. Right now we really have no idea where we will be after the two weeks are up, options are either here or back home. So time will soon tell us which will happen. Ace and I are both anxious to get home, so as soon as it's even possible I think that's the route we'll take. Not much has changed with Acey's condition his eyes are getting worse today but he does have a 4 1/2 hour eye appointment tomorrow at the Moran Center where we are hoping they will be able to make some glasses for him or at least help him in someway with his sight.

Update April 30th 6:52pm

All I can say is ThANk YoU, ThANk YoU, THaNk yOu. Ace and I are so appreciative of everything that has been done for us. We are amazed at how many wonderful people there are in our community who have all given so much, from a hug, to emails, a kind card, to someone washing Acey's pick-up, dinners brought into our home, the visitors that come to see Acey, to all the funds that has been raised, and most important, the prayers. I remember hearing people say, in church, or in general conference the famous cliche, " I can feel the prayers that have been offered on our behalf ." I always thought how is that? How can you feel people praying for you? Well, now I know. I have felt every single prayer that has been made for our family. I know this because I just made it through one more day. I know because I see my kids coping so well. I know because Acey continues to have a positive outlook. I know because our needs are being met in every way possible. I know because we have had so many miracles that have happened to us in the past 10 weeks. So, thank you everyone for teaching me again how powerful prayer really is. Thank you and we love you all!

AMAZING DAY!!!

Today was absolutely an amazing day. I just want to say that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. When I say that Acey's faith is strong I hope you all understand how strong it truly is. A few days ago we were having a really bad day (that is a major under statement), Doctors had given us news that I wouldn't wish for anyone to hear. When we got back to our room we were talking and he had told me that he had been praying for days that President Monson would come to see him, and whenever I said guess who's coming to see you today. he would always respond, President Monson? Well today Acey's prayers were answered. This afternoon we got Acey in a wheelchair to go for a walk and we were just going back to our room when we spotted President Monson. He stopped to talked to us and shook our hands, and it was absolutely amazing. We then met up with him again, this time we got our pictures with him, he signed Acey's quilt, and then we told him that Elder Kikuchi gave him a blessing a few weeks ago and then he asked if we would like him (President Monson) to give him a blessing. I said that we would love him to give Acey a blessing!! We then went into a corridor where they have an elevator that takes all the laundry downstairs and there he gave Acey a blessing. I'm sharing this special story with you all because we want everyone to know that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, and that Acey never had any doubts about him showing up, he was just waiting for the moment to happen. Acey's body maybe tired, run down and not working but he spirit is as strong as ever and has grown so much through this experience.