One Month Ago Tonight... (Friday Update)

(Cari)Hello to all. Congrats on making it through another week! I hope that you all have a wonderful fourth of July weekend.

Josh had a pretty good day. He really wasn't all that agitated today. He followed commands as usual - wiggle toes, squeeze hands, and thumbs up. I think everyday that Josh is more aware of what is going on around him, but he is getting very frustrated because he cannot communicate like he wants to. I can tell this by the look on his face. I can only imagine how it must feel to know some of what is going on around you and not be able to express what you are thinking or feeling. I know I would get incredibly frustrated. We just try to reassure him and do our best to be there for him always. The nurses are realizing that he is getting frustrated as well and are doing their best to help him however they can. I know that in time he will be able to communicate and then it should get alot easier for all.

Josh did get his feeding tube today. It didn't happen until around 4pm, but he was able to get it. They have to leave the tube in his nose in for another 24 hours because they wait that long after the feeding tube is placed. Hopefully by tomorrow evening he won't have any tubes on his face. Yeah! Then we can see the whole Josh. Josh has adjusted to the trach pretty well. They did not trial him off of the ventilator today because it was so late in the day to get the feeding tube in, but I am pretty sure they may try tomorrow. We will have to see how he does. I think it may be okay, he just doesn't always take deep enough breaths, so we'll see. He is oxygenating fine which is great; he just sometimes breathes fast especially after he coughs. I can tell that he is getting better though.

That's about it here in Chapel Hill today. Daddy will come up in the morning for an extended weekend since it is a holiday. I will keep you all posted. Thank you for your love and prayers. We love you all.

Thursday Update: 6/29/06

Hello to everyone. I trust you all are having a good week. Today was much better than yesterday here in Chapel Hill.

Josh had a good day as far as not being agitated. Mom and I watched him sleep all day (the highlight of our day is arguing over who will get to open the mail that day!!), which I am very grateful for, because it is hard to see him fight and get worked up. They are trying to figure out all the kinks in his medication so that he won't be too sleepy to follow commands but not so agitated as well. They believe that he gets so agitated because this is when the hurt part of his brain is trying to heal or that he is fighting through the injury so that he can function optimally. Josh is still in there. I truly know that! Tonight before we left for the evening he followed a few commands. I asked him for the typical thumbs up and he did. I asked for a squeeze of the hand and he did squeeze both hands tonight (stronger on the right than the left, but a squeeze none-the-less). And finally, I asked him that if he loved mom and I to wiggle his toes and those little toes were just a wiggling quite a bit. It was like a mini-emphatic statement! How encouraging. It is much easier to leave on that note for the evening than if he is restless and agitated.

Tomorrow's schedule holds a placement of a feeding tube in the radiology department. It is tentatively scheduled for 11am, but we'll see. Also, later in the afternoon if Josh's breathing status is okay then they may do a trial off of the ventilator to see how he does. Currently he is breathing on his own again and only using the ventilator for pressure support and doing just fine. Hopefully that will continue into tomorrow. If all were to go well over the next few days we could possibly be transferred to an intermediate intensive care unit at the beginning of next week. Then hopefully maybe a transfer closer to home in the near future - but that is all speculation. We will have to see how the next week goes.
Thank you all for your continued prayers, love, and support. We love you all.

Typical Day After Surgery

(Cari) Good evening all. Today was a rough day here in Chapel Hill - mom and I stayed with Josh until 1:30am last night because he was having one of those restless fits, then we came back around 10:00am to stay with him for the day. And today Josh didn't have such a good day. He was very restless/agitated all day and he wasn't responding to commands as well as he had in the past. I am unsure as to why he is like this; I am praying that it is just a "phase" he is going through. It is very disappointing seeing as how we had such a good weekend, but it is all in God's hands though. He is breathing okay, just when he gets restless his breathing increases a good bit. They only made a few changes to the ventilator today. We will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. We want to thank you for your continued prayers - please don't stop. We love you all.

Tuesday Update: 6/27/06

Praise the Lord Josh finally got his trach! It it good to see his whole face again. Josh looks more like himself now. All went well. They did not have any problems today with the trach. His nurse, Greg, did a good job. He gave Josh lots of good drugs and I guess that made him very happy because he behaved. I know that God ultimately saw him through it. The only thing that Josh was not able to get today was his feeding tube. They tried but were unable because they could not visualize the tube going into the stomach like they wanted so they put it off for now. They didn't want to do it blind because they may have nicked his colon and that is not good. He may go tomorrow to radiology and have it placed under special instruments if they feel it is needed. If Josh were to wake up and make s ome significant progress they may hold off and just feed him thru the tube in his nose until he is able to eat for himself again. We will just have to see how everything plays out. After the trach Josh was sleeping good. He is probably just going to be pretty sleepy today until all the medicine wears off and then we will know a little more tomorrow.

Nothing else new today. Josh looks much more comfortable and he is resting well. Before the trach placement Josh was still following commands as before so maybe in the morning he will be able to try and say a few words. We will see - I may just have alot of wishful thinking. Mom and I are going to say good night to Josh - if anything has changed I will let you all know.

Have a wonderful evening. Thanks for your prayers. We love you all.

Good News!

**posted by Brandon**

For those of you who knew of the tracheostomy that Josh was having today: the procedure went very well and Josh is doing fine. Having the trache (sp?) allows the doctors to remove the breathing tube from out of his throat that was causing him so much aggravation. I assume that they removed that at the same time as the procedure. Check back for a more detailed post tonight. (Probably after 11:00)

Monday Update (6/26/06)

Josh had a pretty good day today. He started out comfortable and he is still following commands on a fairly consistent basis. Today he did squeeze hands, wiggle toes, blink twice, and thumbs up all on command. He did this for Bro. Dave Smith, his nurse and the doctor. This is the first time that the doctor has seen him do anything on command. Nice plus. They tried to turn down the ventilator but Josh seemed to get a little tired with everything going on today. He wasn't breathing as well as he had been (his respiratory rate increased and his volumes were not adequate) so they moved the settings back to where they were at the start of the day. I do not consider this a setback. We are asking so much of him right now and to add some ventilator changes can wear him out at the moment. Josh is continuing to hang in there!

Prayer request for tomorrow the 27th: Josh is going for round 2 - the trach and the feeding tube are scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. They are going to do it at the bedside this time. They feel that keeping him on the same ventilator will curb any problems they ran into the last time. I am a little nervous because of our last experience, but they feel very confident that this is the best way. They tell me they do this all the time at the bedside. Don't worry, Josh will be completely sedated so he should not feel anything. I have peace about the trach and I think that it will really help in his progress neurologically. I'll keep you posted.

Josh did do something today that he has not done in the past. We asked him if he remembered the sign for "yes" in sign language. We reviewed it with him and he was able to correctly repeat this on command. He only did it once, but hey, we'll take it!

Thank you again for all of your prayers. We love you all.

Cari

More Improvements! (6/25/06)

Hello and good evening to everyone. I pray that you all had a good weekend. Dad and I had safe trips back and forth from Columbia to Chapel Hill and vice versa. We waved as we passed each other on the highway!

Josh had a very good weekend. It was the most alert that he has been so far. I was quite impressed with all that he was doing when I walked in to his room this evening. All his nurses have said that he is following more commands for them as well. I am VERY encouraged. Josh also has not needed as much medication as he has previously which I really feels helps with clarity in thinking so he can follow commands.

When I walked in Josh's room tonight his eyes were open and he kept them that way for a little while. He even looked over at me, but I don't think he was focusing very well. I asked Josh lots of questions tonight and he was responding by squeezing my hand (ON PURPOSE!!) and wiggling his toes on command. Let's see, I asked him if he loved me and of course he squeezed my hand (he better or he might be hurting later!!!) and wiggled his toes. I asked him if he was in pain and he did not squeeze my hand. FYI a squeeze is a yes and no squeeze is a no tonight. Mom asked him if he was praying to be able to come out of this and he squeezed my hand and wiggled his toes as well. I asked him if he was cold and he practically pushed my hand out of the way, I took that as a big NO! Josh is very hot natured guy. Best of all we talked for about 10 minutes and he had purposeful movement for all of my questions and he responded immediately. It also looked as if he was trying to talk but he can't right now because of the tube in his throat. He is moving both of his arms and his left leg well, but not as much on the right leg so we will have to see if this improves. I really believe that Josh is in there, it is just going to take a little while to get him back to his old self. I believe that God has great things still planned for him and what a testimony he can have when this is all said and done.

They did not change any of the ventilator settings today, but I know they will begin to wean them back down as the week progresses. His oxygen level has been very good today as well. He did have a fever today so we will have to keep an eye on that. Otherwise things are looking good.

Thank you all again for your continued prayers. We love you all.

Love ya,
Cari

Steps Forward! (6/24/06)

Hi everyone! I hope that you all are enjoying you weekend. Today was a much better day for the Chandlers.

Josh had a pretty good day today. The doctors did not attempt to turn down the ventilator settings any, but Josh seems to do best when they leave him where he is for a day or so then attempt the changes. They said he was breathing much better today and his oxygen level was staying right where it needed to be. Josh also seemed to be more alert today. He kept his eyes open longer than he usually does (mama even said he looked at her then turned and looked at dad). I do not believe he was focusing, but they were quite encouraged by it. Josh also seemed to follow commands better tonight than he has in awhile. His night nurse tonight said he opened his eyes, squeezed her hand, wiggled his toes, and gave a thumbs up on the right all on command. How wonderful!!!! Josh has not needed as much medication today as he has in previous days. Also a plus, because the more he gets the sleepier he is to try and follow commands. Hopefully they have found a combination to help alleviate agitation, but not make him too out of it. All in all today was a good day for Josh. Best part was, my dad got to see him do all of this. It is hard for him to see progress when he is only here on the weekends.

I, unfortunately, did not get to see any of his progress today. I am just living through the eyes of my mom, dad, and the nurses. I came home to Columbia today to get some things done and to see my puppy and my kitties - I really miss them. I am going to attend my church in the morning then return to Chapel Hill in the afternoon. I am very happy that I do not have to report any setbacks! I pray you all have a blessed Sunday. Thank you for your continued prayers. We love you all.

Friday Update (6/23/06)

Hi everyone. I pray that all is well with you. Today marks three weeks in our long adventure.

I wish I had great news today, but Josh had another big setback. It started off okay - the doctor was teetering on whether or not to do the surgery, but she decided to go ahead with just the trach only and leave the feeding tube for later if needed. She decided this because Josh had a borderline fever last night and his white blood cell count went up a little bit which indicates some type of infection. Probably the pneumonia starting back up again. They started him back on antibiotics this morning and went ahead with surgery as scheduled. Josh went to surgery around 9:45am doing okay, but as they were beginning to cut for the tracheostomy Josh's oxygen level went way down and they had a difficult time getting it back up. For this reason, she did not feel comfortable enough to continue to switch out the ET tube for the trach, so they stopped. They did several things to check to see what the problem was, but they were unable to pinpoint exactly why it happened. I know this is in God's plan, it was just very unexpected for me. Maybe Josh likes that tube in his throat more than I thought he did!!! They also had to significantly increase his ventilator settings, so he will have to slowly come down again which will take a little time. The doctor said they will probably work on decreasing it this weekend. They did a chest xray and it appeared to look the same as the ones from before. The only explanation they have as to a potential cause of why this happened is that the small airways in his lungs could not hold up with the change in ventilators (i.e. the one in his room to the one in surgery) and that a little pneumonia could also be interfering with oxygen exchange as well. Combine these two together and this could happen. So, we will try again sometime next week. It took a little while to get Josh settled back in his room, but once there he was able to pretty much chill out for the rest of the day.
Dad is almost here for the weekend. He made it through the rainy weather - praise the Lord. I will keep you posted on Josh's progress. Thank you again for your prayers. We love you all. I was reminded two times today by a bumper sticker and a sign - Relax, God is in control. I have to keep telling myself this and it does help!


Dad is almost here for the weekend. He made it through the rainy weather - praise the Lord.

I will keep you posted on Josh's progress. Thank you again for your prayers. We love you all.

Thursday Update: 6/22/06

Josh had a pretty decent day today. They kept him medicated when he was agitated, but it seemed to hold him longer than before, so it didn't seem as though they were giving it to him as often as they have the past two days. I hope that is a good sign. They were able to turn down the ventilator settings just a little bit more today. He tolerated the new settings fine. Again, good sign. Finally at the end of the evening Josh did give a thumbs up to his friend Brandon Godwin and his family. Josh was beginning to settle down by the time mom and I had left.

Okay, big prayer request for tomorrow the 23rd, Josh is having his surgery for the trach and feeding tube placement. This is scheduled for 9:30am. Now whether or not surgery is running on time is another question. Also, Josh cannot have a fever or show any signs of infection tonight or they will cancel the surgery and reschedule for next week, because it is more of risk for complications if an infection is present. Besides, I really like this surgeon, and I would rather her do it tomorrow than someone else next week.

I was able to get away today for a couple of hours and visit a patient of mine that got a double lung transplant in March at Duke University. It was wonderful to see her (Mabel Hall - for those of you who know who I am talking about). She looked great! She is staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Durham. I got a tour and then we she took me to a Duke bookstore and I bought Josh a Cameron Crazies t-shirt and a pin that says, "Yes, I am a Duke fan"!!! I am going to make a cute sign above his bed to put it on so everyone will know just what kind of fan he is - as if his room doesn't give it away!

I just don't feel like I can say this enough, but thank you for all of your prayers and emails and visits and calls. My family really appreciates it, and we are overwhelmed by the love shown by you all. Thank you!!!

Wednesday Update: 6/21/06

Hello everyone. I hope everyone is having a great week - you're more than halfway to the weekend!!!

Josh had an okay day today. He was still pretty much agitated most of the time, but they are working on finding a good mix of medicine to help keep him calm. It is pretty much a balancing act. Mom and I really didn't stay with him much just to help decrease the stimuli around him so that he would not be so agitated. We just frequently went back in to check on him.

We spoke with the doctor this morning and she was trying to let Josh come off the ventilator on his own, but it doesn't look like he will be "awake enough" to do that any time soon without compromising his airway or breathing. He really needs to be able to follow commands and communicate in some form all the time so they can know for sure that if anything were to happen to his breathing they could help him out before he were to stop breathing and then have to emergently place the tube back in his throat. For this reason, they are putting him on the surgery schedule sometime Friday morning to have the tracheostomy and feeding tube placed. I really have a feeling that this will help alot, because I think alot of his agitation is the tube that is in his throat right now. I could be wrong, but we'll see. They did not turn down the ventilator settings anymore today because of his agitation. I think they will be more aggressive with this when he has the trach. He still doesn't have a a fever which I am very thankful for. We are trying to stay infection free so we can concentrate on his neurological status.

That is all the news for today. I pray that you all have a safe Thursday. We will be cheering on the USA tomorrow as they play their third soccer game in the World Cup (silently of course, for Josh's sake!). Good night and thank you for your prayers. We love you all.

Tuesday Update: 6/20/06

Good evening to all. I hope that your day was better than ours, but we made it through.

Josh had a very rough and frustrating day today. It started out with Josh being very agitated and fighting against the ventilator. This pretty much continued all day with the exception of 10-15 minutes here and there. They gave him lots of medicine to calm him down, but that really didn't work today. I couldn't figure out what was causing him to be this way, and neither could anyone else. On top of this Josh flirted with a fever all day. I think he lost about 2 pounds of sweat in all his fighting!

Mom and I are going in early in the morning to talk with the doctors about his progress. We haven't crossed paths with them in the last 2 days and I believe tomorrow afternoon or early Thursday morning will be when they do the trach - we'll know more once we talk with the doctor. Josh needs it because he really pushes against the ET tube (tube that is down his throat right now). I think that this surgery will relieve alot of his anxiety which, I believe, causes him to be somewhat agitated. I would be if I had a tube down my throat for 18 days. They were able to wean the ventilator a little bit more today, but Josh didn't tolerate it as well as he has in previous days.

When we finally left for the evening he was resting peacefully - praise God. It was very difficult to watch him today, knowing I really couldn't do anything for him. I think he probably wore himself out from all of the day's activities. I pray that tomorrow goes much better. I'll keep you posted. Have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Sunday Update: 6/18/06

Happy Father's Day! I trust you all had a great day. All is fine here in Chapel Hill, NC. Thank you for your prayers. Dad made it back home safely!

Josh had a good day in the respect that he did pretty much the same stuff as yesterday. He continues to follow simple commands when he is not too agitated or sedated. He had his eyes open alot this evening, but he was not focusing on anything. I was hoping that he would do something different on Father's Day for dad, but he is being his stubborn self, so just the same thumbs up, blinking twice, and moving his right arm and left leg around alot. After dad left he picked his left leg up off of the bed and put it over his right leg. That was a first that I have not yet seen!

They had to start back the continuous sedation drip for Josh, because he was needing medicine so frequently. He seems to do better getting it continuously rather than just every couple of hours. I really feel that once the breathing tube comes out, either via trach or just him not needing it anymore, he will do much better because he really seems to be fighting it right now (like he is very aware that something is there). They did not adjust any ventilator settings today. I feel that when the trauma teams comes back from the weekend tomorrow, they will be making some changes. Because he was so restless this evening, mom and I stayed until about 11:30pm. When we finally left he was resting peacefully again.

Tonight we were going through Josh's cd's and we found one that had a song on it where he sang a solo part. It was the first time I had heard his voice in more than 2 weeks - it's amazing how we can take things like that for granted. It sounded really good. I can't wait to hear him talk again (even though he can be very obnoxious and loud!), hopefully very soon.

Glory to the Father (from Josh's dad)

TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,

Today is Father's Day, and I am in Chapel Hill, N.C. visiting my son. As you know he is in intensive care after a serious auto accident. For the last 16 days, he has been in a coma and on a ventilator. As all of you know, it's very difficult to see your child sick or injured. You would rather it be you. I believe that nothing can hurt a parent more than to see his child in a situation like Josh is in. It's incredibly hard to see Josh just lying in the bed, knowing that you can do nothing to help him physically. More people have seen me cry over this than any other time in my life. As you would expect, this has been heart-wrenching for Barb, Cari, and I.
However, this e-mail is not about our problem. I want it to be a letter of Praise and Thanks to all of you.

Some of you have heard me say some of these things, but most of you have not. I need and must do so again!
From the beginning, Barb and I have decided not to be bitter, but better from this. We have only 2 questions of GOD about this chapter in our family's lives. The first is, "what does GOD want us to learn from this?" The second is, "how can we make sure that GOD receives the Glory and Honor from all that happens?" As incredibly difficult as this has been, GOD has shown his love to us in exceedingly, abundant ways. Through other people and Christian friends, GOD has shown us how much he loves us. We know that thousands of people are praying for us and Josh! I know of people in South America, Russia, Guam, and Canada are praying for our Josh. Even Laura Bush has heard of Josh's accident and is praying for him! I don't have time to give you that story. So MANY people and Christians have done so much for our family during this time. They have given their time, talents, and money to help us. Our church, Grace Baptist Church, has done so much for us. They have shown their love to us. They have sacrificed for us. They have driven to Chapel Hill to see us giving up their day. They have cried as we have cried. They have shown the love of Christ to us. They are family !!!
I want you to know that GOD's family is greater that just Grace Baptist Church. A special thank you to Falls Road Baptist Church here in Rocky Mount, NC for all they have done for us. Also, many other Christian friends have come by to visit us, give us food, money, a phone call, and a hug as well. They have heard of Josh's situation and wanted to stop by and let us know that they are concerned for us, praying for us, and love us. It has been enormously encouraging to Barb, Cari, and I. There will come a time in your life that is so overwhelming, that without the love and support of others, you won't make it through it. I have learned at this time, it is important to let others help you and demonstrate the love of God to you. Accepting everyone's help is very humbling to me.
I can't tell you how special each of you have been to me and my family. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Please continue to pray for Josh, Barb, Cari, and I. At times we may seem down, but we are confident in the victory that GOD has planned for Josh and us.

Saturday Update: 6/17/06

**Written by Cari**

Good evening to all. I hope that your Saturday was just fabulous. Daddy made it safely early this morning to visit for the weekend - praise God. I get a little nervous now whenever people take road trips!

Josh had a pretty good day today. Nothing exciting and new, but definitely no steps backwards today. That is a phrase that I like to hear! Josh again is continuing to follow little commands like blinking and raising his fingers, but he is still having some agitation (which they still have to medicate him for). Today seemed to be a little better than yesterday. Finally, at the end of the night, he gave daddy the thumbs up sign - it was the first time my dad had seen him respond in any way. I was glad that daddy could actually see some progress. They were able to turn down his ventilator settings even more and he seemed to still be able to tolerate it by the end of the day. He is now again breathing on his own, using the ventilator only for pressure support and for oxygen needs. We will see how he does overnight. Hopefully tomorrow will bring much the same with less agi tation. Wouldn't it be awesome if he were to communicate more on Father's Day? That is my prayer. I hope that you all have a wonderful evening and Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there.

Friday Update (6/17/06)

**written by Cari**

Today was a good, but rough day - if that makes any sense? No setbacks today. It was two weeks ago around this very time Josh had his accident. It is hard to believe how far we have come and how far we have to go since then, but with God's grace and the strength of so many friends and family behind us - we will make it!

Josh is continuing to follow commands such as blinking and holding up his fingers, but I feel that he is in sensory overload now that he is "awake" and can sense everything going on around him. I think it sends him into a bit of a panic and therefore he becomes very agitated, very quickly. This is very common with patients who have sustained head injuries. I believe he realizes that he has a tube in his mouth and he can't communicate like he wants to, so he begins to fight in the only way he can right now and that is with his arms (he pulls very hard against the wrist restraints) and the harder he fights, the heavier and heavier his breathing gets. For this reason, they have to give him medicine (they turned off his continuous sedation drip today and are only giving it to him as needed) to help calm him down. Hopefully, as the swelling in his head continues to go down these symptoms will lessen. I pray that it doesn't l ast very long because it is very difficult to see my little brother suffer. Mom and I tried not to stimulate him much today so as not to further aggravate him even more. Therefore, we are really limiting the amount of visitors he has for the moment while he is so easily agitated.

Good news is that they took both of his chest tubes out today. I know that it has to be much more comfortable for him. They were also able to decrease the settings on the ventilator just a little bit today and he seemed to tolerate it okay. His is coughing alot and I think that sometimes makes him lose his breath, but he is doing okay in the respiratory department. When we left this evening Josh had just gotten cleaned up and was resting very peacefully.

We are just in the wait and see mode right now. My dad will be traveling up early in the morning to visit with us all for the weekend. I hope that you all have a wonderful Father's Day weekend. I will write again tomorrow. Keep praying for a complete recovery. Again, thank you all for the encouraging emails and cards. We truly appreciate it.

An Eye Opener - Thursday (6/15/06)

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thursday, I know you must be glad that Friday is closing in and hopefully a good Father's Day weekend looms ahead.

Today Josh began the day as usual - sleeping!!!! Mom and I repeated yesterday to a tee -- we watched him breathe and sleep. They were able to turn the down the ventilator settings even more today and he seemed to tolerate that just fine. They are talking about taking out the chest tubes in the morning. I am sure that will make him feel a little more comfortable. I do not believe they are going to do the trach and feeding tube tomorrow. They said they are probably going to wait until Monday.

Now on to the big news. We thought Josh was not going to do much today, but around 9:15pm Josh began to stir, so we tried the thumbs up thing. I guess he is getting bored with this and he would not do this on command. His nurse Heather suctioned him out and he opened his eyes, which he has been doing, but this time he kept them open for awhile (about 5 minutes). He was not focusing, but it appeared as if for the first time he was aware of what was going on around him. Per Heather's request I asked Josh to hold up two fingers, and HE DID!!!!! Next I asked him to blink twice, and HE DID!!!!! He was moving around alot at this point in time to where he even moved his left leg off of the bed twice. Two seems to be the magic number! He again wrestled mom and I with his right arm - and, let me tell you, I thought one time he was going to break my fingers. Josh was moving around alot and appeared that he was a little anxious - we kept telling Josh that he was in an accident, is in the hospital, and that they are having to breathe for him right now, but he is okay. So, after about 30 minutes of agitation Heather had to give him medicines to calm him down. When we left for the night around 10:45pm, he was again resting comfortably. We are SO encouraged by all of this progress it even made his nurse cry because she was so happy for him. I pray that tomorrow goes just as well - God IS good.
Until tomorrow, we love each of you and covet your prayers!!

Wednesday Night Update (6/15/06)

**written by Cari**

Josh had another calm day. Mom and I again watched him sleep!! And let me tell you what fun that is! However, I am very thankful that he did not have any steps backward today. I don't think that Josh will remember, but he is watching all of the World Cup soccer games, so he can't say he didn't watch it. His friend Brandon brought him a USA jersey from the 2002 World Cup that we have hung up in his room. I know that he will really like that.

I think that mom and I have figured out the Josh has got his days and nights mixed up. He sleeps all day and when we go back to visit and say good night he is much more active. Tonight he was just moving his right arm all over the place (or at least as far as the restraint would let him move). Mom was holding his right hand and Josh was throwing her around - his strength has not left him in his arms. He does move the left, but not as much as he does the right arm. I think that he and mom were having an arm wrestling match! He did give the thumbs up to us twice - that seems to be the magic number. He did open his eyes for us twice as well today, but he doesn't focus or do this on command, just a spontaneous movement. But we are taking all we can get right now. They did not change the ventilator settings any today. I think they feel is best to decrease them slowly to give his lung the time it needs to heal. Josh does have a pneumonia to that left lung which he is currently on antibiotics for and it seems to be doing the trick. I belive Josh hasn't had a fever in the past two days. The type of pneumonia Josh has is resistant to certain types of antibiotics (ORSA for those of you that care to know) so he is on what they call contact precautions. This is only precautionary so that it is not spread to other places or people in the hospital. Because of this mom and I have to put on gowns and gloves when we are in the room with Josh. We feel so special! Hopefully this only temporary until Josh completes the antibiotics and the pneumonia cultures are cleared.

Tonight Josh has our favorite nurse Heather (who requested to take care of Josh), so I feel very comfortable leaving him because she is very compassionate and takes excellent care of him. We are beginning to have a fondness for UNC because Josh has gotten such good care here. Don't tell him that though, he might get mad that we are beginning to change our tune!! Josh is hanging in there as always, so keep praying for his recovery. One of these days he is going to wake up and we look forward to sharing all of the love and cards and emails from everyone all over the country. We love you all. Until tomorrow.

Tuesday Update (More Thumbs) - 6/13/06

**Cari**

Hello to all. Josh had a pretty restful day today. He was not moving around like he was yesterday - I guess all of that movement wore him out, so mom and I just watched Josh sleep all day. How exciting!!! He didn't even give a shout out to his friend Brandon and his dad when they came to visit. We thought that sleeping was all that we were going to get, but tonight when they tried to take him off of his sedation and change him to oral (feeding tube) pain medication he became pretty uncomfortable and restless (it was obvious by his breathing heavy and grimacing), so they had to restart the iv medication. During the time when he was hurting he was moving around a good bit - so I bugged him like usual and he did give me the thumbs up twice. This time his nurse saw him, so we were pleased with his progress even though the poor baby was hurting. When I left him tonight he looked like he was resting comfortably. I pray this continues tonight and tomorrow brings more progress.

If all goes well, Friday is the target date to have the trach and feeding tube placed. This would require surgery. I am still a little anxious about this, but I know it is the right thing to do, and the best part is that it is only temporary. I tell everyone my head knows it is the right thing to do, but my heart is having a difficult time with it. Anyway, we will have to see how it all plays out.

Thank you all for the cards and emails you have sent to me and my family. They are very encouraging. It is nice to feel so loved when you are so far away from home. I pray you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

Monday Update (6/12/06)

**written by Cari**

Josh had a good day today. NO setbacks!!!! Yeah!! We were very excited about this. He seemed pretty comfortable all day, with the exception that he was moving his arms around a good bit (right more than left), but unfortunately not on command. No eye openings spotted today. I will say that mom and I were encouraged because as we were talking to him we asked him to hold up his thumb like we do everyday and he did. We thought it was just a fluke, so a minute or so later we asked him to do it again and he held both thumbs up. We were very excited, but of course he only did this for us, not his day shift nurse so her assessment of him had not changed (but hey, what do I know, I am only his sister, the nurse!!). He only did this one other time later in the day (Victoria Lowder saw him do it), but he wouldn't do it anymore for me. We will keep a close eye on this. I am hoping he will possibly do more tomorrow. As far as his lungs are concerned they only moved the ventilator settings down very minutely - which I am okay with. Josh is hanging in there, so keep praying.

Many of you have inquired as to what I am doing for work. I have a wonderful boss and understanding coworkers and 6 weeks of PTO (paid time off), so I am taking a personal leave. I am doing fine for the moment, but I will return to work when Josh stablizes a good bit more. I am needed here right now.

Pictures of Josh

Two of these are from the WILDS. The other one is from a friend's wedding about 3 weeks ago. The girl with Josh is not Josh's girlfriend. (you're welcome M-Lo!)

For those of you who were at the WILDS two summers ago and might remember Josh, he was in the Cabin: "Oh-I-Know." He was the loudest male counselor on site.

How I came to know Josh (a WILDS experience!)

Josh lived to work at the WILDS, a Christian camp in Brevard, NC. His parents told me that's all he ever talked about. Since beginning college, Josh has been home about 2 weeks at a time for Christmas break, and before and after camp in the summer. He worked at the WILDS for 4 summers. He served as a counselor for 2 summers, a COR counselor (an experienced counselor who roves from team to team to meet team needs - a counseling honor), and as a Junior Boot Camp (Jr. Camp) lead counselor last summer. I had the privilege of going to the WILDS for 7 consecutive summers, 6 times a camper, 1 time a counselor. My last summer as a counselor, I went to CIT (camper-in-training... a two-week program intended to help develop servant leaders among Sr. High teens.) My CIT weeks, Josh was one of the CIT counselors. Even though he was not my counselor, because we were in all the same sessions, we became friends. The next summer when I went to check in as a counselor, he was the second familiar face I saw. Barely remembering his name, I hesitantly approached him, seeking to re-introduce myself. I was met with a "Brandon Godwin!!!" and a friendly, masculine embrace. He had not forgotten me at all! That summer we spent several weekends hanging out. I had the privilege of counseling on his team for two weeks. He placed me in a leadership role when he was not around. He pushed me to grow those two weeks. He also helped me physically when I got sick one afternoon. He gave me his bed and took my seven 4th-6th graders for the afternoon. (What a guy!!!) We remained in touch throughout my Sophomore year at BJU. He always encouraged me wherever I was at. He always smiled, a charateristic not common at most college campuses. He became one of my best friends. I look forward to the day when we can recount God's goodness together and laugh about old times. (And Josh, when you read this soon, remember you still owe me a DC Utd. game...)

A Few Steps Forward

**written by Cari Chandler (Josh's sister)

Hello to all. I hope that you all are having a wonderful Sunday. Things went much better for Josh today than yesterday - praise the Lord. I was getting tired of all the steps backward. It is very trying emotionally. I guess Josh just wants to make sure that we all know how big our God is by showing how much he will have to overcome with God's help.

Josh has had a pretty peaceful day. They did not adjust his ventilator settings today, which I am happy for because I think he just needed a day of rest. We had a little scare when they thought his neurological status has not been as good as it had been for the past week, so they took him straight to have a cat scan of his head. Everything turned out fine, or at least, the same as it has been. The neurosurgeon said that her assessment of him had not changed, so we were very relieved. I am, in a way, glad that they did the scan because we haven't had any tests done in awhile. It puts my mind at ease a little to know that he has had this done. And he didn't get too agitated when traveling off of the floor. I believe tomorrow we will talk with the trauma team about the tracheotomy and feeding tube, so I am preparing myself for that. I am assuming that it will be at the beginning of the week if they can wean down the ventilator settings a little. They also changed some of his antibiotics around today because some of the cultures they had gotten from his lungs were sensitive to a different antibiotic. His fever has not been as bad today as yesterday - only a low-grade fever.

Today Josh did do something he has not done yet, he opened his eyes just for a second (only twice today), and I missed it! Now mind you he did not do this on command, only to outside stimuli, but I will take anything I can get. I am very cautiously optimistic that it was a step in the right direction. Can you believe that he did this while he was being
suctioned? I knew he didn't like it, so I guess he was trying to tell his nurse something!!!Tomorrow the USA is playing in their first game of the World Cup, so Josh will be watching!! He was so looking forward to it, so we are taping all of the USA games for him to enjoy later down the road. Last night too, when I was saying good night to Josh, I leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead and my hair tickled his face and (can you believe it?) he turned his head in the opposite direction!! Mom just laughed. I told him that I would not take any offense to it. Anyway, I pray that you all have a good night. Pray for my dad, he is traveling back home tonight to work for the week and then come back on Friday night. We love and miss you all.

Saturday Update: 6/10/06

**written by Cari**

Hello again and thank each and everyone one of you for your continued prayers in Josh's recovery. I trust you all have had a great Saturday.

Josh took another big step backward today. He started out the day with alot of difficulty breathing. They are unsure as to why, but they had to go up quite a bit on his ventilator settings. Once again they are breathing for Josh. They have changed the way they are delivering breaths to him. Now instead of just forcing the air into the lungs while Josh breathes, they have increased the volume of air so as to meet the needs of his body to be able to oxygenate well. Josh has also been fighting a fever all day. For this reason, they took out some of his lines and restarted some iv's in case this may have been causing the fever. Since the ventilator changes earlier this morning Josh has seemed pretty comfortable throughout the rest of the day. It has been a long day, but I pray that Josh has a restful night and that things will go better tomorrow.

Update: 6/9/06

***written by Cari

He had a good day today. No big steps forward, but definitely no steps backward today -praise the Lord! They were able to wean Josh down on his ventilator settings again so that he is breathing on his own and using the vent for pressure to fill the lungs and to give him oxygen thru the breathing tube. They were also able to get him off of the heavy sedation to a milder one, so we are hoping that maybe he will be able to do a little more - all in time though. Josh is basically calling the shots now on how the doctors treat him. As his lungs heal they will be able to wean him off of the ventilator and as his brain heals we will know just what kind of damage was done, if any (that is what I am praying for). Josh looked very comfortable all day today with the exception of when he had to be suctioned. He truly doesn't like it.

I pray the weekend will be much the same as today, unless he decides to wake up and tell me to quit bothering him. Josh always joked that things were "all about Cari", I guess he decided this is the way to get back at me!
I wish there was more to report, but I am just so thankful that we didn't step backward today.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We love you all, and I know Josh would say the same. Keep praying for our miracle.

Update: 6/8/06 (#2)

Just wanted to give a quick update from what has happened since the last update this morning. Some of it good, some of it not so good. For starters, Josh is continuing to hang in there. So keep praying.

Good news: They felt that the pressures in his head were acceptable over the last two days so they decided to take the drain out of his head. He tolerated that fine and has appeared to be okay since. I have spent most of the afternoon in his room and he looked pretty comfortable. His nurse even shaved him today and I will have to say he looks so much better. I just tell him all the time to wake up and argue with me. So far, he's winning!

Bad news: They had to put a chest tube on the right side earlier today. Now he has one on both sides. They did this because he had air leaking into the tissues just under his skin. They believe this happened because of the amount of pressure they needed to push air into the left lung was more than the right lung needed and it caused one of the air sacs to open therefore leaking air into the surronding tissues. Don't worry, it should heal on its own but it will take time. Also, Josh is beginning to have a little pneumonia in his lungs. They have started him on 2 heavy duty antibiotics and hopefully these will kick in before it spreads too much. They have to suction him more often and he hates that. Don't worry, I am taking names so he can get them back later! They were able to decrease some of the settings on his ventilator and as his lungs heal they will be able to decrease them further. I did not realize exactly how bad his lung was damaged, which means it is going to take a little longer to heal, but it WILL heal.

Billy and Linda Aulds and the girls came by for a visit today, and I will have to say that it was definitely an encouragement to see him. Mrs.Aulds was very encourageing to me as well, seeing as she has been through all of this fairly recently. It is awesome to see how God has healed him. Josh has a long road ahead of him, but he too can recover.

Thanks for all of your love and concern. Keep praying.

The ICU Walk...

(written by Cari)

Josh took a step backward yesterday. We knew this could happen, but it doesn't make it any easier when things were looking so good. They call it the "ICU walk" - a few steps forward, a few steps back. But God is good! I think of Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Josh ran into some breathing problems yesterday afternoon. His oxygen level slowly began to decrease so they had to increase the settings on the ventilator. Right now Josh is breathing some on his own, but the ventilator is breathing for him as well. They also had to increase the pressure to fill his lungs. I am not quite sure if it is pneumonia setting in or if it is the pulmonary contusion (bruise to lung) that is causing all of the problems. I am waiting to talk to the trauma team regarding their thoughts on his difficulty breathing. He did have a fever yesterday and they are starting him on antibiotics (Vancomycin).

Good news is the pressure in his head is staying down a little bit even while the drain is closed, which is a good thing. They are still monitoring him very closely though. Neurologically he is still the same, but they are keeping him pretty sedated so as not to complicate his breathing or the pressure in his head. I believe today they are just going to let his body rest and heal.

Josh seems to do worse when they have to turn or move him so they are giving him extra pain medicine before doing so to help with any pain he may feel from the broken ribs. I guess if I had some broken ribs you better be giving me something to help control the pain before movement!

I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Josh is hanging in there and we tell him everyday who called or wrote or visited. I know he can feel your prayers. We got him a CD player and have been playing his stuff since he loves music so much and I am also filling his room with pictures and cards.

Again we thank you for all of your prayers. Keep praying. We love you all.

Update: Tuesday, June 6

(written by Cari Chandler)

Josh had a good night. Still the same neurologically, but that is what we are expecting - VERY slow progress. Yesterday Josh had an MRI of his neck to try and clear his spine and praise the Lord no fractures found. They are going to take off his cervial collar once the neuro people say it is okay - so probably within the next 24hrs. We found out Josh doesn't like to "travel" (or leave the ICU unit), he got pretty agitated in MRI, but once back in ICU he settled down. I told him he should be nice, but you know Josh - he doesn't listen to his sister.

Today Josh went and had an IVC filter placed which is a meshlike wire netting they place in the great vessel of the heart to stop any blood clots from going to the heart and lungs. It is pretty basic stuff for trauma patients because they are at very high risks for blood clots. He didn't go to surgery it is something they can do in the radiology area. He tolerated this much better today than the MRI because they loaded him up on sedation! Guess what, he actually listened to me when I told him to behave!!!

The trauma doctors said they think his spleen is going to be fine. They are not really that concerned with it anymore, but they will continue to monitor it. The next step from their standpoint is getting him off of the ventilator, but that will probably be awhile. They have already prepared us that Josh will probably be getting a tracheostomy (tube in his neck that helps him breathe) and possibly a feeding tube at the end of the week or beginning of next week. This is just temporary - but it is better for Josh in the long run. He is still breathing on his own, but requires the ventilator for the pressure to force air into the lung.

I know many of you may have a picture of Josh in your mind that he is all beat up and cut open, but I want to assure you that to look at Josh, he just appears as though he is sleeping with alot of tubes coming out of his body. He only has on scratch on his nose - all other injuries are internal. So in that respect we are very thankful.

I am traveling home tomorrow and coming right back. I need to do a couple of errands and get some things to bring back, but I will still try and give you a report tomorrow. Josh doesn't have any procedures scheduled, so I feel it is the best time to make a run home. Please pray for safety (a friend from college will be riding with me to keep me company).

Many have asked for an address to send cards to, so I have one (please no flowers because you cannot take flowers into the ICU area).

Josh Chandler, Room 2711
UNC Hospitals
101 Manning Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

How It Began

(written by Cari Chandler, Josh's sister)

Friday night (June 2nd) around 10pm, my brother and a friend of his (Seth Bacon) were traveling to Washington DC to a DC United soccer game (Josh has a friend who plays on the team). They were stopping at a friend's house in Rocky Mount, NC to spend the night and finish traveling Saturday morning. There had been a lot of storms in the area that night and due to the rain Josh hydroplaned off the road, spun around and hit a tree. The impact was on the driver's side of the car. Josh took the impact and currently remains unconscious in ICU in Chapel Hill, NC. Thankfully, Josh was the only one injured in the accident - Seth was able to walk away with just a few scratches (praise the Lord). I know that some may not understand why this has happened, as I do, but I do know that God is in control and that He has a perfect plan already set in motion. I believe God still has great things planned for Josh.

From the beginning God has been working, let me tell you how. The first responder to the scene was a trauma surgeon who just happened to be passing by, he stayed with Josh until the ambulance came. The second responder on the scene was a nurse, who also stayed to help in any way possible. I believe the trauma doctor realized how serious Josh's injuries were and he somehow notified either the EMT's or local hospital that Josh would need to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center. Second, Seth was able to remain calm and call both my parents and his parents, and help be our eyes and ears since were were so far away. Josh and Seth were traveling to Brandon Godwin's house that night. Brandon and his father were an incredible help that evening and the days to follow. Brandon's dad realized something might be wrong when Josh and Seth did not arrive on time and he had Brandon call Josh's phone. Seth answered in the ambulance and told him about the accident, and Brandon and his dad quickly made their way to the hospital. Upon arrival to the local hospital, doctors were already preparing to transfer Josh to Chapel Hill via helicopter. They immediately took care of Josh's collapsed lung by placing a chest tube and intubated him prior to getting on the helicopter. He was still breathing on his own a little bit, but they intubated him as a precaution - he would have needed it later anyway. By helicopter I am told it is about 15-20 minutes to Chapel Hill, probably a little more because the weather was so bad. Josh got to Chapel Hill and immediately was being worked on. They placed a ventricular drain in to monitor the pressure in his head, continued to keep him on the ventilator and monitor his collapsed lung. He also suffered several broken ribs and a lacerated spleen which they have been keeping a close eye on to watch for any further bleeding. In the meantime, Brandon and his dad took Seth home with them while Seth's dad traveled down to meet everyone. Mom, dad, and I immediately took off in the car and headed to Chapel Hill. We arrived safely around 4am and we were able to go right in and see Josh. I will have to admit that it was very difficult
\nto see him just lying there knowing that the next 48 hours would be critical in the fight for his life. Josh is my only brother (or sibling for that matter). But Josh is hanging in there. \n \nToday is Monday, June 5th and Josh has passed the critical 48 hours, but there is still a long road ahead. Currently he is still on the ventilator, but he is breathing on his own now. He just needs the ventilator for pressure to take good effective breaths. He is being continuously monitored for his blood pressure which is remaining stable on his own and they are continuously monitoring the pressure in his head. For a trauma patient his intracranial pressures are elevated, but not as high as some are and the good news is that it has not elevated any further over the past two days. He still has the chest tube in to drain his left lung, but even that is beginning to slow down a little bit. His spleen is doing okay. They do not feel right now that they need to take it out. His major injury is his head. They do not know how much of his brain is injured right now, because they have to keep him sedated or else he becomes too agitated. Twice a day they turn off the sedation to assess his neurological activity and yesterday he did respond a little to pain, so that was encouraging. \n \nWe are just taking it day by day. I can tell you that the love we have felt from all over the country and even different parts of the world is overwhelmingly incredible. I know Josh and our family is constantly in your thoughts and prayers and we greatly appreciate that. Words cannot describe how thankful we are to all of you. God is still in control and we are trusting him to bring Josh through it. \n \nAll of the doctors and nurses here have been incredible. They see this type of thing all the time (unfortunately), but they are taking Excellent care of Josh and my family. We are kidding them that Josh is going to be mad that they took him here instead of Duke (which is just 15 minutes down the road), seeing that he is a huge Duke fan!!! Don\'t worry, we are going to take pictures of him in those baby blues!!!",1]
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to see him just lying there knowing that the next 48 hours would be critical in the fight for his life. Josh is my only brother (or sibling for that matter). But Josh is hanging in there.

Today is Monday, June 5th and Josh has passed the critical 48 hours, but there is still a long road ahead. Currently he is still on the ventilator, but he is breathing on his own now. He just needs the ventilator for pressure to take good effective breaths. He is being continuously monitored for his blood pressure which is remaining stable on his own and they are continuously monitoring the pressure in his head. For a trauma patient his intracranial pressures are elevated, but not as high as some are and the good news is that it has not elevated any further over the past two days. He still has the chest tube in to drain his left lung, but even that is beginning to slow down a little bit. His spleen is doing okay. They do not feel right now that they need to take it out. His major injury is his head. They do not know how much of his brain is injured right now, because they have to keep him sedated or else he becomes too agitated. Twice a day they turn off the sedation to assess his neurological activity and yesterday he did respond a little to pain, so that was encouraging.

We are just taking it day by day. I can tell you that the love we have felt from all over the country and even different parts of the world is overwhelmingly incredible. I know Josh and our family is constantly in your thoughts and prayers and we greatly appreciate that. Words cannot describe how thankful we are to all of you. God is still in control and we are trusting him to bring Josh through it.

All of the doctors and nurses here have been incredible. They see this type of thing all the time (unfortunately), but they are taking Excellent care of Josh and my family. We are kidding them that Josh is going to be mad that they took him here instead of Duke (which is just 15 minutes down the road), since he is a huge Duke fan!!! Don't worry, we are going to take pictures of him in those baby blues!!!

Welcome

Welcome to the official Josh Chandler Update site. The purpose of this site is to provide current information on Josh's condition as well as other information pertinent to the situation. I will be receiving information from Josh's family almost every day. Please pass the address of this web site along to anyone interested in keeping up with how Josh is doing.