Day 68 — Friday, August 23, 2024
8:00 AM #
Called Shane. He said he rested well. We read the Day’s Text and talked about Morning Worship and how someday in the New World, we will know how we are related to everyone in the world and finally understand our place among all humankind — something we were always meant to know from the beginning.
They brought Shane’s breakfast, so we ended the call so he could eat.
9:30–11:30 AM #
- OT
- ST
- PT
12:00–1:00 PM — Nap #
Many of the nurses and aides are coming to say goodbye, and several said they hope they will have Shane again as their patient after his surgery. At the very least, they want him to come back to the floor to show them when he is better.
One head nurse, Melinda, wished us well at the Kingdom Hall. 😍
1:00–1:30 PM #
Shane asked me to talk to him about anything I wanted, and he said he would listen.
I told him about the ways Jehovah and others helped us from the accident until the first surgery. He was surprised and deeply impressed by how many things had happened that he didn’t know about.
He said I did well making the important decisions — proof being that he is here and feeling well.
Today he was able to understand more about the accident, the emergency room, the surgery, and everything we went through. It didn’t distress him. Instead, he marveled and said many times:
“I had no idea, Cheekies. I’m so sorry for what you had to do. I didn’t realize all that happened.
For me, I opened my eyes and looked around and thought,
‘Yep… this is where I am.’”
I told Shane I had asked Jehovah to step in and help me feel confident making choices, since we always make decisions as a team. I prayed that when Jehovah was content with a decision, He would help me feel that contentment too — and He did.
2:00 PM — ST #
Karl, the speech therapist, showed us the goals. I sent the information to the sister who is taking over Shane’s speech therapy.
Karl said he will always remember how Shane asked every day for a whole week about Karl’s son while he was away. He said Shane is a conversationalist, and that plays in his favor during therapy.
He asked us to keep him updated even when we leave Helen Hayes, and he especially hopes we can return there after surgery because he believes Shane will continue improving.
2:30–3:30 PM #
- PT
Laurell gave us weekend homework and exercises. She wants Shane to keep building strength over the weekend. - OT
4:00 PM #
I said goodbye to Vibhuti and Priti because she will be discharged tomorrow. I gave them our contact information and a JW.org contact card.
Hayley came with snacks. Shane asked what was new with her family and how Zach was doing. She told us he has been busy at work but they are doing well. She also told us about all the work going into welcoming the delegates.
Shane remembered others mentioning that the Tampa convention was coming up. We talked about Uroš and Kati’s work preparing things this week.
5:30 PM #
We talked with Bill and Betty. Shane smiled a lot and loved hearing their voices. He was very curious about Don Stewart’s recovery and how long he was hospitalized.
He also loved his dad’s joke:
“If you need money… I’ve got a friend at the Credit Union…
Go to Helen Wait.”
6:30 PM #
Shane said he wanted to sleep early. Since Alexis and Ara had driven from Fishkill, he wanted us to leave early so we would all get home before dark.
He also said that tomorrow, Saturday, since he won’t have therapy, we will spend time outside.
❤️ If you want to pray with us, these are our main concerns: #
- Please thank Jehovah for Shane’s excellent recovery and for giving us opportunities to praise Him throughout this experience. 👏
- Please ask for Jehovah’s spirit to help any seeds of truth grow from this week at Helen Hayes. We want to treat this like our final week in unassigned territory.
- Please ask Jehovah to help us understand the original cause of the fall, if it is necessary to prevent another one — and to help us feel peace when the prayer is answered.