Our Wedding

12/31/10
Ronnie and I got married on New Years Eve at the chapel in Brooke Army Medical Center in the presence of our families and a few hospital staff. It was a small and intimate occasion but was ever so special. Please enjoy a few of the pictures. For more, please visit my facebook. :)

Click here for Pictures on Facebook

Discharged from BAMC!

Ronnie was discharged from the Hospital on the rainy Wednesday of December 28. It was a long day of running around but he was ever so grateful to be out.

a little behind...

Those who know me know that I LOVE writing to people. I love being able to encourage someone and brighten their day with a little note or card. The past seven weeks I have felt the same encouragement from so many who have written me letters, comments, e-mails, texts, and even through phone calls. I am beyond thankful for that. There is no possible way that I can respond to the at least 400 combined notes that Ronnie and I have received. It is overwhelming in a good way. I want so badly to let each individual know that THEY were a part of this recovery through the blessing of Christ. But alas I cannot. So here I am, 7 weeks later, beginning to type away at the few notes that I can accomplish tonight.

Update: 12/12/10 Near Death Experience... Again.

After a week of progress including walking, eating, feeding tube removal, and dismissal from ICU, Ronnie had a really scary day today.

Ronnie had a big scare today after an adverse reaction to a drug given to him through his IV. while we are still unsure exactly what happened or what caused it, but we do know it was a near death experience. The doctors were able to undo his reaction and stabilize him after finding out what his body was reacting to. Ronnie says he would rather be on fire than feel the pain that came with today's trauma. He repeatedly praised God for his "second" (or maybe third) chance at life. Please pray for peace as he is now experiencing some anxiety and fear of the medications.

On another note, Ronnie's next surgery is scheduled for Friday and they will be fusing his pinky. He is a little uneasy about the thought of not being able to use his pinky in the same way again, but what keeps him positive is the RELEASE DATE he was given today! They are hoping to have him out of the hospital by DECEMBER 20th, if all goes well, though he will still need lots of therapy.

Update: 12/6/10

The last few days have been filled with good news and bad news all rolled into one. On Friday it was discovered that Ronnie had two blood clots in his lungs. While pulmonary embolisms are potentially life threatening, Ronnie is in stable condition and being treated with a therapeutic level of cumadin and heprin drips. So far, his symptoms have been decreasing though the clots could take a while to dissociate.

On Saturday, fluid was found in Ronnie's lungs though no one was sure if it was blood or not. They expected to need to take him into surgery early Monday and put in a chest tube and perhaps a filter for the blood clots. However, on Sunday the x-rays showed that the fluid was being absorbed on its own and that perhaps an invasive surgery was not necessary. Thanks God!

Through it all, Ronnie seems to be in high spirits and making continual progress. he has started walking again this past week and has been going to the Burn Unit gym to "work out" each day. He has also slowly been starting to eat more which is HUGE. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Thank YOU.

So I just wanted to take another minute and say how AMAZING our god is. In steps of provision he has sent complete strangers and casual acquaintances into my life to grant me vehicles, gifts, housing, hugs, monetary donations, and most importantly prayers all purely out of love. In addition my school (IUPUI), teachers and advisers have helped me rearrange my schedule not only for this semester's homework, tests, and even finals, but also for next semester's classes and my acceptance into the Clinical Lab Science program in the fall. I'm amazed.

I do not for one second want to overlook the friends and family who have supported both Ronnie and I through this new challenge of life either. Without them, I would be lost.

So as I prepare for the next step in mine and Ronnie's life, I am more than encouraged that God is in EVERY detail.

Update: 11/30/10 Good news and bad news.

Today's update from his parents...

Today started out a little shaky for Ronnie. After his wound care the physical therapist put him on the moveo table. He did great, but was exhausted. Then Ron and I brought him some bbq brisket to eat for lunch. He really liked that and ate one piece. About an hour later they came to stretch his right side. He tends to lean to the right side so the new skin there is not stretched out... so they have to roll him on his left side and stretch his right arm above his head to stretch the skin on his side out. VERY PAINFUL!! Of course that was not much fun for him. When they sat him back up, he wanted a drink of boost and choked and subsequently threw up. This was pretty traumatic for him so they let him rest for awhile. About 4:30 they were able to get him up to walk and pivot into his chair! He did great with that.

The not so good news is that his skin grafts on his right palm and forearm did not take at all and will have to be regrafted soon.
How to pray for Ronnie:
*pray that he will be able to eat more food so that he can have his feeding tube removed.
*Pray that he will be able to understand the need to push himself through the pain of therapy.

Update: 11/29/10

An update posted by Ronnie's parents...

Yesterday (Monday) Ronnie made a few big strides in his progress! He has not been able to eat like they want him to eat. He has struggled with nausea and swallowing. They had me run to McDonalds to get him a cheeseburger tonight!! He ate al...l of the m...eat and cheese. As a reward they allowed him to drink a very small amount of water. (he told me he would just about kill for a drink of water!) He really needs to do better with his eating. Pray that he will be able to eat more calories than he has so far. For PT they had him get up in a Moveo tilt bed. It has platforms for his feet and allows him to do "squats" with his legs to build up his leg muscles. Then they sat him up in a real chair (for the first time) for about 5 hours. The best news was that he stood up and took a few shuffle steps from the chair to his bed today! Ronnie's first steps!! Needless to say he was exhausted by the end of the day and was ready to sleep for the night. Thanks for all your prayers! We couldn't make it without them!

11/25/10 Thanksgiving

Ronnie had a nice little thanksgiving meal for lunch. He didn't have a huge appetite, but tried a little bit of everything. He is recovering well from his surgery, too. They opened up his bandages around his donor sites to allow them to air out a bit. He was nervous about the whole thing as he was already in incredible pain. They knocked him out with some heavy drugs to do the procedure and allow him to rest pain free while the sites dry out. Pray Ronnie will be well rested and pain free when they bring him off the drugs tomorrow.

On a thanksgiving note: I am so thankful for my family and friends who have been more than amazing, for my fiance who is willing to push himself beyond what I can imagine, and a God who has shown his protection and provision in mighty and miraculous ways. Happy Thanksgiving to all; don't take for granted what you have. Each day is a blessing and each life is a miracle.

11/24/10 The Surgery.

The Dr. said everything went well in the 5.5 hr surgery. Most of his spots are filled in now and his hand has been completely covered with his own skin. Also, some of his donor sites have taken and did not need recovered. The skin will later slough off with his own new skin formed under, but for now, no new patching. Still no decision on his pinky at this point. Dr. hopes ronnie will be out of ICU in 5-7 days and may only need to be in the hospital for a few more weeks! Pray he is out by xmas!