Update: Friday (7/28)

Hello everyone. I pray that you had a great week.

Josh is doing fine today. He is continuing his therapy as scheduled. When he is not in therapy right now he is pretty much sleeping. They say that this is normal because of the increased level of activity they are putting him through. Mom says that sometimes he appears to be sleeping, but she feels that he is awake but too tired to open his eyes. It should get better in a week or so. He tries to do everything they ask him to do - which is great. Physical therapy really worked hard on his legs today. They are pretty concerned about his left ankle. It is just soooo tight. They may have to do alot more to that ankle than just stretching it out - like maybe a splint or a cast. We will have to see how it goes.

Speech therapy worked today on his swallowing. He was attempting to swallow today and so hopefully it won't be too long before they will try a swallow study. If he passes it then he can slowly begin to eat. I think it is in the not-too-distant-future.

The doctor seems to think that the tremors are caused by the tone of Josh's muscles. He believes that they can control it with medications. The only thing with that is finding the right combination without making him too drowsy. I hope that the medications will help. I know Josh gets a little frustrated sometimes when he can't control his arm.

That is about it for today. Thank you for your love and prayers.

Update: 7/27/06

Good evening to all. I hope that you are having a good Thursday - it's almost the weekend - you can make it!

Josh had a pretty good day. He participated to the best of his ability today by trying to do everything that was asked of him. Today he sat up in his chair for 6 hours. Now mind you he is reclining a little and he takes cat naps, but at least he was out of the bed. He went down to their gym today for physical therapy and they stretched out his back and worked alot on his muscles. They even tried to play a little soccer with him and he attempted to roll it back, but it's a start. All the therapy is really wearing him out, but it is stimulating his brain and muscles so that they can heal.

Josh is getting all fancy on us! He got an air mattress for his bed and he has a wheelchair they are sortof customizing to fit his needs. The mattress helps to relieve pressure to his body while lying in bed since he can't turn himself and by him sitting up in the chair it helps to work his abdominal and neck muscles by strengthening them.

I pray you all have a wonderful Friday. Until next time.

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Updates... 7/25 , 7/26

Good evening to all. I hope that you are having a great week. I am sorry that I did not get an update out yesterday - I am having computer problems. But, it is with great excitement that I am writing to you from Charlotte. You read it right! We got the word around 10am Tuesday morning that Josh was accepted to Charlotte and they had a bed ready for him. We left around 12:30pm via ambulance to come a little closer to home. We are very excited and Josh said he understood why we were moving. I think he is ready in his mind to get better, now we just have to get the rest of his body to comply.

God is so good in opening the doors for Charlotte. There were several times the answer looked like it would be "no", but everything worked out. At first we didn't think we could get North Carolina benefits and just as we were told that we couldn't - dad got Josh's NC card in the mail that same day. Then there was a possibility Charlotte wouldn't have a bed for a little while and Tuesday morning after everything was confirmed here we were, on our way to Charlotte. How perfect is that. The EMT's were really cool. They kept calling me and letting me know that Josh was doing fine. I really appreciated this because we went through alot of nasty weather and I wasn't sure how Josh would do. I don't think he remembers anything, but still I was a little weary given the circumstances. We are going to miss t he staff of UNC very much for all of the wonderful care they gave to Josh over the past 53 days, but it is time to move on and make new friends.

Once in Charlotte, we were treated very kindly. The facility is nice - it is located directly beside the big Charlotte hospital - Carolinas Medical Center. We were met by Josh's attending physician and he was very kind - I think he will take good care of Josh. The staff was also very nice to us all as well. I look forward to getting to know them over the weeks to come. Josh does have a roommate. He is a 22yr old guy that also had a head injury riding a skateboard. We like him and he said he would look after Josh when we are not there - he is able to get up and move around freely. We are not able to stay with Josh overnight which was very difficult the first time because he really can't fend for himself right now. I know they will take good care of him, but still it was hard just the same. Family can be there for therapy and pretty much all day, but visiting hours are from 4pm to 9pm. Josh is starting off with about 3 hours of therapy a day, (a short session on Saturday and on Sunday he justs rests) between physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. He is also followed by a dietician, case worker, educator, aides, and nurses. They try to keep the same people working with Josh everyday (as much as possible) to keep with continuity of care. The first nurse we met was Katie and she seems like alot of fun. She works the evening shift and as mom and I tearfully left for the evening she asked if it would be okay if she could pray with Josh - of course we said YES. She said she and Josh made a deal that they would say a prayer every night together that she worked. I know God is watching out for Josh!

Josh made it just fine through the night. We anxiously got back to the rehab center at 7:30am when Josh was to begin his therapy. Lisa, his occupational therapist, met him first. She came in first thing, got Josh dressed in real clothes and got him sitting up in the chair. He really seemed to like this. He had a happy and peaceful look on his face while sitting up. I know it had to feel good to get out of that bed. He did okay, he is just sooooooo weak. He was able to hold his head up for a little while, but it wasn't long before he was looking straight down. He also needs assistance when sitting; he just can't do that on his own right now. He sat in the chair for a little over an hour. Ben with physical therapy came in next to evaluate Josh. His muscles are very tight, so it is going to take alot of work to get them to where they need to be. He is moving his right arm and his right leg a little, but the tremors to the right arm and left leg limit some of what he can do. I pray that in time the tremors will go away and he will begin moving that left side a little more. At the end of PT Josh was very tired so we got him back in the bed. He did really well for his first time being up. Next Melissa with speech therapy came in and saw Josh but he was pretty tired at this point so he wasn't talking as well as he has been. But he did answer all of her questions appropriately. She is going to see him first tomorrow so she gets to see him before he gets too tired. They are also going to spread out his therapy to give him breaks in between so they can get the optimal usage of their time with Josh. Every evening Josh gets a schedule for the next days therapy. It really helps plan your day. Eventually Josh will work up to 4-4 1/2 hours of therapy a day. Josh says he is going to work hard to get better. I think that as he gains some strength back we will really see a difference.

That is about it for his first day of rehab. He did well, but I know that it wore him out. Mom and dad are staying in an extended stay hotel about 8 miles away. Dad is going to sortof temporarily base his business out of Charlotte while Josh is in rehab. I am going to work a few days in Columbia then stay up there for the rest of the week. Hopefully this won't last too terribly long. But whatever it takes to get Josh back to functioning on his own. That is the goal and I know that with God's help, prayer, and people working daily with Josh it can be reached. Thank you all for your continued love and prayers.

Josh's new address:

Joshua Chandler
Charlotte Institute of Rehab
1100 Blythe Road
Room 104-2
Charlotte, NC 28203

Charlotte!!!

(Posted by Brandon)

I talked with Cari yesterday, and she told me they would be carrying Josh by ambulance to the hospital in Charlotte at about 1 pm, or so. Charlotte is the best hospital in the area for the therapy Josh will need. It looked like Josh would be going to Greenville, SC instead, because after finally getting approved, Charlotte did not have a bed for Josh. The Lord worked in such a way, that every detail went smoothly.

I know the family is ecstatic. Instead of being 250 miles from their home in Columbia, they are now only 90. It also marks the completion of the first stage of Josh's recovery. Josh, by God's grace, has come a long way.

I'm sure when the family gets settled in Charlotte, Cari will send out an update with more information. Until then, praise God for His work and continue to pray for Josh and the Chandlers.

Grace and Peace,

Brandon

Trach-Free!!! (7/24/06)

Hello everyone. I hope that things are going well for the first of your week.

All is going fine in Chapel Hill. Josh had a pretty good day. Guess what, as of 2pm today Josh is trach free! He is breathing on his own and seems to be doing fine. His oxygen level is staying up without the trach in. He is trying to talk a little and is beginning to get the hang of it. It is going to take lots of practice. We were playing a cd from the Wilds and Josh was trying to sing along to a song called, "Bow the Knee". We all really like that one and Josh is mouthing the words and attempting to put sounds with it. I asked Josh today what he wanted me to tell everyone in the update and he says, "HELLO!".

Josh had a couple of visitors today and he recognized them and was able to communicate a little with them. He listened intently as they talked to him. I am looking forward to when he can speak with everyone tell you how thankful I know he is have everyone care for him so much.

Rehab - we could possibly be going tomorrow (Tues, July 25th) but it is still an uncertainty. We are really trying for Charlotte and could possibly go there if a bed opens up in the next day or so, otherwise it will probably be Greenville. The social worker was trying very hard to get something nailed down today, but time was against her. I am hoping to hear something first thing in the morning. We have told Josh about rehab and he seems to understand. That is about all I know for now. I know we will end up where God would have us!!

Please continue to pray for his complete recovery. Thank you for all of your love and prayers. We love you all.

Weekend Update (7/22,23)

Hello to everyone. I am sorry that I did not get to the update yesterday. My roommate got married Saturday (congratulations to Victoria and Jerry!), and I just couldn't get around to it.

Josh is continuing to do fine. We are just in a stagnate place of trying to get to a rehab facility. I am praying that come Monday morning we will get the ball rolling again and get some answers. We had a few answers to prayer late Friday afternoon, but I will tell you about all of that at a later date (I am waiting for confirmation of rehab first).

Josh is having a little problem right now with tremors. He still follows commands, but he just shakes alot and I think it interferes with how well he can move his hand. The doctors seem to think it is the side effect of some of them medicines he is on, so they are trying to adjust some things to get them to stop. The tremors seem to have slowed down a little, but please pray this will go away. He did have some visitors this weekend and he was able to recognize them. Mom said he intently listened to what they were saying.

My goal for Josh this week is to get him into a chair and really work hard with him as far as physical therapy is concerned. I know that he would love to get out of the bed, so that is what I am going to push for tomorrow. Anyway that is about it.

I pray you all have a wonderful week. I will talk with you soon.

Update: 7/21/06

Josh did fine again today according to mom. Physical therapy was able to sit him on the side of the bed for about 10 minutes today. Josh needed a lot of help to sit up but he was able to use his right arm a little bit to hold himself steady. I am sure that he really enjoyed being in a different position, even if only for 10 minutes. They are continuing to rotate the splints to help out his arm (left) and ankles. Nothing too exciting happened today.

As far as rehab is concerned, a door opened up so that we MIGHT be able to get to Charlotte. Thursday they told us that his benefits fell thru for Charlotte and that he would be going to Greenville, but then my dad got home and opened the mail and Josh had a card for benefits with North Carolina - so the Charlotte door opened back up!! Unfortunately all of this happened late Friday afternoon so we will have to wait until Monday morning to get some more definite answers. God is good. I was very excited about the unexpected benefits surprise.

I pray that you all have a great weekend. Josh is supposed to have a couple of visitors this weekend which I know will boost his spirits. Thank you all for you love and prayers. We love you all.

Update: 7/20/06

Hello all. I hope that you are having a good week. Only one more day until the weekend!!

Josh is doing fine according to mom. All is going about the same. Mom and Josh are practicing with his speech each day. We are still trying to help Josh stay loose in his joints until he gets into a more intensive rehab program. I am hoping this will happen at the beginning of next week.

I believe we will have the answer tomorrow about whether or not it is Greenville or Charlotte. I will be sure and let you know. Other than that, nothing exciting happened today. Have a wonderful Friday.

Update: 7/19/06

Good evening all. I pray that your week is going well.

According to mom Josh had another good day today. He was awake for all of his therapy today and everyone was very pleased with the progress they have seen with Josh. He was able to get the splint for his left hand and the brace for the left elbow today. I really think this is going to help Josh as he tries to get his left arm back to moving. Tomorrow the occupational therapist is going to take a look at Josh's ankles to see if there is anything he can do to help keep them in their normal position. He has not walked in a month and a half so his feet are getting pretty stiff. We are trying to curb future problems by getting all of these splints for Josh. The speech therapist says Josh is doing all of the right things as far as getting back to talking by moving his lips and tongue - he just needs to practice coordinating everything together but once he has done this (watch out) we should see great improvements in that area.

Josh had a better night's rest last night, but he was still awake for a couple of hours thru the night. Mom said he took lots of little cat naps today and that he was looking pretty tired so I pray that he sleeps completely thru the night tonight. I did talk to Josh for just a second on the phone this evening and he sounded good. I think it won't be too much longer before he is calling everyone himself. I guess that means I have to give him back his cell phone!

No word yet on rehab placement. I will let you know as soon as we know something. Anyway, that is about it for today. I hope you all have a good day tomorrow. We love you.

Unbelievable!!! (7/18/06)

***Posted by Brandon (site publisher)***

I was able to go and see Josh for the first time since he has been in his "normal" hospital room. My friend Mark went on Saturday, and Josh said his name as soon as he entered the room. I guess I was kinda hoping the same would happen to me. Each time I had been in the last two weeks, Josh would always be out of it, having responded a lot the day before. This time, I was hoping it would be different (for the better - that may be a little selfish). I called Cari to make sure that they would tell him that I was coming to see him tonight, so he had better stay awake so I could talk to him (I was partially kidding). She told me that I could actually talk to him, although she didn't know if I would respond. I told Josh I wanted to see him tonight, and that I was coming to Chapel Hill to visit. He said (somewhat weakly), "OK Brandon." I honestly did not know what to say. My heart raced. It had been about 2 months since I had been able to actually talk with him, not just to him. The LORD is GREAT!

This primed me for the visit tonight, and the visit was more than I could have wished for. (I mean regarding his overall health, but also me personally seeing him doing better.) He was conscious, looking around the room. When I began talking to him, he looked at me and steadied his glance. His hands and arms shaked the whole hour-and-a-half that I was there at his bedside. My dad, who came with me and my girlfriend, gave Josh a haircut, his first in about 2 months. He looks much much better, even though I know people liked his blonde curls... The long hair was causing him to sweat more than was necessary. He had told his mom and sister several times that he was hot.

Basically, I talked with him the whole time, asking him questions about things in the past he remembered. A few times, he looked at me intent on telling me something, but it was hard to make out what he was saying. He had been laboring all day. It really seemed like he had been out in the sun sweating all day. That's how tired he looked. The haircut also wore him out, even though it was good for him. He told us he liked the haircut.

His family is thrilled with his improvements. I know it had to have been difficult for the family not to be able to communicate. He has sweet parents and a sweet sister who all love him dearly and unconditionally. He has much to be thankful for, as do we all. Cari travelled back tonight to Columbia. Josh's dad travelled back a few days ago.

As I saw Josh tonight, I couldn't help but think of a psalm, Psalm 145:

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. the praise

Day 45: 7/17/06

Hello all. How did your week start? All is good here in Chapel Hill. Today is day 45 - it is hard to believe that much time has gone by since the accident.

Josh had another good day of being alert and following commands. The little booger stayed awake all night last night and he was up most of the day with the exception of when physical therapy and speech therapy came in to work with him. He pretty much slept right through it!! We will have to have a talk about this!! He did do a few things for them, but he is capable of so much more than what they have been able to see. Do you think they will come at 1am? He seems to be moving and shaking a good bit then! He does do stuff for his nurses though, so at least people don't think we make it up! Josh did not get the splint for his hand today because the occupational therapist was sick so hopefully he will get it tomorrow - I guess that just means I will have to work with it more to help keep the joints loose.

They were able to change Josh's trach down to a size 4 today and he seems to be doing just fine with that. I am not sure that he even knows there is a difference. The next step is taking it out for good! Josh is able to talk just a little bit with the valve over the trach and at times he is getting much better at it - he is still very weak and sometimes it is difficult to make out what he is saying and other times he is very clear.

It looks as if Josh will be going to either Greenville, SC or Charlotte, NC for rehab. It is a matter of paperwork right now. I am still praying for the door to stay open in Charlotte. The physical therapist that Josh had today said she did some of her work in that rehab center and that it was a very good place to go. We will just have to wait and see what God has planned.

Have a wonderful week. I look forward to telling you of more progress to come. Thank you for your continued love and prayers. We love you all.

Slowly...but Steady! (7/16/06)

Josh had a pretty good day again today. He was alert for a good part of the day. He talked just a little bit. It is still pretty difficult to understand what he is saying because he is so weak. Dad got him to hum a little with the music and sometimes he mouthed the words of some of the songs. I am glad that he remembers them. Josh didn't do anything new today, but I am so pleased with all that he is currently doing. I am going to try and get a big wheelchair (almost like a bed that folds to a wheelchair) from physical therapy and see if we can get Josh out of the bed tomorrow. I hope they will let him - I know that he would like it very much.

That is about it for today. Dad is traveling back home tonight - pray for safety. I will be going home on Tuesday night to go to work for a couple of days. I hope to get alot done on Monday and Tuesday regarding rehab placement. Please pray the doors open up for Charlotte.

More Improvements! (7/15/06)

Josh had a pretty good day today as well. He was alert for a good bit today. I would venture to say that he is alert about 60% of the time right now. Which is fabulous - I am encouraged everyday with his progress. At this point in time Josh could go to a rehab facility right now, we just have to find the right place to go. Josh is breathing so much better; he seems to be healing very well; and he doesn't need as much medicine as he did before - just a little every now and then.

Today Josh talked a little bit more when he had the valve over his trach. He answered all of our questions appropriately. Josh had a friend come to visit him and without hesitation he recognized him by clearly saying his name (Mark Lopez). Josh asked for me to move a pillow that was under his arm and I did and then I asked him if that was better and he said, "much better" very clearly. He still says some things that are so weak I can't understand him, but some things he says very clearly. He said, "I want to stand up" and "get me something to eat". I also showed Josh about 5 or 6 different pictures and he correctly identified everyone in the pictures - without hesitation! He also clearly spelled different peoples names by signing them. He spoke to my friend Wendy on the phone and said "Hi Wendy", to which she just about cried because she wasn't expecting that. I really feel that Josh is moving in the right direction. I know that he has many more obstacles to overcome, but he is getting there, slowly but surely.

He gets tired very easy, but to Josh's credit he is driven enough to push himself to get better. I think in time that he will push himself even more and he sees his own self progressing. Please pray for strength for Josh. He is moving his left arm around a little bit, but he has a long way to go on that. He keeps it so tightly in towards his body (especially the wrist) that I am afraid that he might develop a
contracture to that arm. I asked for a splint today and hopefully will have one on Monday. Otherwise we exercise it and all of his joints several times a day. I guess that is about it for today. I will keep you posted. Thank you for your continued love and prayers.

First Words!!! (7/14/06)

Josh had a really good day today. He was pretty alert alot today. I can think of 3 different times that he was awake and alert and he didn't seem all that agitated. Each of those times he was awake for quite a while, an hour at the least. He was following all the same old commands with some new things as well. I was making faces at him and he copied me a couple of times. I scrunched up my nose like a rabbit and Josh did too as well. It was pretty funny - he did it several other times throughout the day. Another new thing Josh did today was play a little game with me by throwing (very weakly, but throwing!) a little stuffed animal that was given to us. He did it repeatedly. He also correctly showed me with his fingers how old he was (24). It was fun to see a few new things today.

We also tried putting the cap on Josh's trach today while he was awake and he did say a couple of things. I had to strain to hear him because it was soooo weak. Some of it I didn't understand, some of it was just noises, but some of it I did understand. He told me his last name; he told me what my dog's name was - "Dixie"; he asked, "Where's mom" (she went downstairs for dinner); I asked him if he was okay and he said, "I'm thirsty though", and something else I think but I don't remember what it was. He then began to get very frustrated because I couldn't fully understand him so we had to stop so that he wouldn't get too agitated. It was very exciting to see this progress. I know in time he will get it. To address the "I'm thirsty" question, I explained to him why he couldn't drink, but I did wet his mouth pretty good with some toothettes. I think it satisfied him for the time being.

Another thing I noticed today was that Josh is having a hard time with is depth perception. I know he can see because he correctly copies things that I show him, but when goes to grab for the stuffed animal or give me five he misses by a good bit. I don't know why it is like this but I told the doctors and they are going to get Opthalmology to check him out just in case. Maybe he is just so weak that he can't do it. I can tell he is going to have to gain alot of strength back. I guess I would too if I had been lying in a bed for 42 days and counting.

Charlotte is a still a possibility at this time. I am really pushing for it. I will know more next week.

All in all it was a real good day. I pray that you all have a really great weekend. Thanks for your continued prayers - I know I say this everyday, but I really do mean it. We love you all.

PICC in (Thursday Update - 7/13)

Hi there. How's your week going? Great, I hope. All is pretty okay here in Chapel Hill.

Josh had a pretty good day today. He was awake part of the day and following the usual commands. He was able to get his PICC line later this afternoon without any difficulty, so we are very thankful for that. Now hopefully that will last the rest of our stay here which is uncertain at the moment. Everything is still in the works for a possible move to Charlotte, but no word at this time (not that I really expected any this early - it will take just a little time to get all the paperwork here and there). The physical therapist tried to do an evaluation with Josh this morning, but he had just received some medicine so he was pretty sleepy and didn't really respond for her. She is going to try again tomorrow. Nothing new to report. We are kindof in a wait and see mode right now.

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

Wednesday Update: 7/12/06

Hey there to you all. All is going okay in Chapel Hill on this Wednesday.

Josh has been pretty much awake all day today according to mom, not always fully alert and following commands but not really resting that much today. This is in part because Josh has lost the iv in his arm and they are having a very difficult time trying to find a place to put a new one. I think his veins are pretty much tired of all the poking and prodding they have been through thus far. They had some specially trained nurses come up and attempt to put a more permanent (by permanent I mean not forever, just for a few weeks or so until he no longer needs it) iv line in called PICC line, but they were unsuccessful. They jokingly asked if Josh was a Rugby player because his arms are soooo strong! and they were having alot of difficulty trying to hold him still while they looked for a good place to put the iv. Now Josh is going to have to go back to the radiology department in the morning so the doctors can&n bsp;try to put it back in with special ultrasound equiptment. Josh has not been able to get some of his medicines today since they have had nowhere to put it and I believe this is the cause of his agitation today. Mom has said that he hasn't been too terribly agitated, but that he hasn't gotten any rest today and he has been sweating like crazy all day. Hopefully they can both make it until the morning. Otherwise Josh has done fine - still following the same old commands.

We haven't heard anymore on regarding anything with the rehab placement. As soon as we find anything out we will let you know. I am traveling back up to Chapel Hill in the morning so I can help mom out for the rest of this week.

I pray that you all have a wonderful rest of the week. I will talk with you all tomorrow.

Tuesday Update: 7/11/06

Hi everyone. I pray that you are all having a good week so far. All is going fine in Chapel Hill. I am sorry that the update from yesterday did not go through. I did try and send it, but I wasn't feeling so well last night and I was too tired to deal with it.

Josh has had a pretty decent couple of days per mom. Yesterday was not too exciting. He pretty much slept all day - he was only really awake a little in the morning so that meant mom was able to get a pretty good nights sleep as well. Also yesterday they were able to switch the trach out to a 6.0 and Josh seemed to tolerate this very well; I guess he really didn't know the difference in trachs. Today Josh had a good day as well. The speech therapist was able to work with him and she put the valve over the trach for about 30 minutes and it didn't seem to faze Josh one bit. Basically what this means is that they covered the trach and Josh was breathing using his nose and mouth - not dependent on the trach! They monitored his oxygen level and it stayed at 100% which is the best he can do. Over time they will do these little trials a few times each day to get Josh used to breathing completely through his nose and mouth. Then once he is alert most all of the time and is having no difficulty breathing they will begin to go down on the size of the trach until they take it completely out. Physical therapy works with Josh a little bit right now as well. Mostly just stretching all of his muscles out. In time, it too will get more intensive. Other than that Josh did the basic commands he always does which is good. We don't want him to stop doing the things we know he can do right now because that would suggest a change in his neurological status. Mom said that he isn't coughing as much as he usually does so I am hopeful that he getting over his pneumonia. I think that he transferred a touch of that to me! Anyway, I am very thankful that mom has had a good few days with Josh by herself. All seems to be going in the right direction.

As far a rehab is concerned we have been told by numerous people that Charlotte is the way to go. They have a very good rehab program for head injuries such as Josh has. The speech therapist today thought that Josh would be a very good candidate for a program such as this. What will have to happen is they will come out and evaluate Josh to see if he would benefit from their program, then Josh would have to be accepted for it, and then he would have to wait for a bed to be available - that is the short version. Charlotte would only be two hours away verses the four hours it is to Chapel Hill. But I know it is all in God's hands, so Josh will end up where he needs to be. Thank you all for your continued love and prayers.

No Update Yesterday

(Brandon) I did not receive any emails from Cari regarding Josh in the last few days. If I remember correctly, she will be returning to UNC-CHapel Hill Memorial on Wednesday. I know that everyone, like I do, anticipates daily the improvements with Josh. The family is extremely thankful that you are praying for Josh. Please continue praying, for Josh, and also the family. They have been at the hospital for most of the 6 weeks that Josh has been there.

I will look forward to posting the next update tonight.

Sunday Update: 7/9/06

Hey there to all. Well, dad and I made it back safely from Chapel and I will be returning on Wednesday and dad will return either on Friday night or Saturday morning - please keep us in your prayers as we travel back and forth.

Josh had a pretty good day today. He was alert quite a bit today and his agitation did not seem to be as intense as it was. He was able to follow commands and I think he was trying to say something, but I couldn't make out what it was. Josh was also following people around the room with his eyes and if you said something to him he would turn and look in your direction. All in all he had a pretty good day. I guess that means he will sleep all day tomorrow!! haha!

I spoke with the doctors today and they are planning to change the size of his trach tomorrow to a 6.0 (smaller in diameter) instead of the 8.0 that he currently has. This can be a very good thing because then they could possibly put the valve (like a cover) over the trach and we may be able to see if Josh would be able to say a word or two in the near future. This is only a POSSIBILITY - it doesn't mean that he will talk. We will have to see how he does. I know for sure they won't try this until his breathing becomes much easier, but it is something to look forward to!

They also mentioned about the possibility of being transferred sometime in the near future (hopefully end of this week, beginning of next - that is what I am shooting for). We will know more tomorrow once we talk with the doctors, social worker, etc. It is all dependent on who will accept Josh as a patient and who has a bed available for him. These are all things to keep on your prayer list for Josh. I would personally like him to be transferred to Columbia, but I want to go to the place that will best suit Josh's needs so he has the best chance for a full recovery. They say that once patients are in the different therapies (physical, occupational, and speech) that this is where you will really see the progress. I can't wait for that!!

Please also pray for my mom to have strength for the days ahead. She will be with Josh 24/7 now that he is in a regular room. Josh can't do anything for himself right now and is totally dependent on those around him. She is going to have to help care for his basic needs since a nurse is not going to be just right outside the door like in ICU doing ALL of his care (the nurses help out as best they can and they have been awesome, but when they are looking after 6 or 7 sick people their time is limited to the nursing stuff). Taking care of Josh can be a lot right now, emotionally and physically, so please keep her in your prayers.

I will let you all know of any plans for the future. Thank you for your continued love and prayers. We love you all.

Saturday Update: 7/8/06

Hello to everyone. Sorry this is getting out so late, I didn't have access to a computer last night.

Josh is doing okay. He was moved out of ICU today to a regular floor room. His new room number is 5207, but this could change because they did not have a bed available on the trauma unit, so when one becomes available we may have to move again. We'll see. I am happy for the move because that means mom, dad or I can stay with him at all times. I am going to stay with him tonight because mom will have to do the next three nights on her own as dad and I travel home later tomorrow evening to get back to work. I will be back probably sometime on Wednesday. Josh pretty much slept all day, but he did have a few times when he was awake and looking around and following commands. Hopefully as we can get more involved with physical therapy and other related therapies we will see a vast improvement. But the big step was accomplished - we moved out of the ICU!! I pray that nothing comes up (i.e. Josh has difficulty breathing) that he may have to go back for a short stay. That's about it. Have a wonderful Sunday.

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

36 hours and counting... (July 7th Update)

Josh had a pretty good day today. He was awake when we got there this morning and mom and dad got to see him nod and shake his head appropriately to our questions or comments. It was very exciting for them to see this, me too, but it was there first time. Josh smiled at mom and dad today and he blew a kiss to them as well. He also did the squeezing of the hand, wiggle of the toes, etc. He was a little agitated at first, but he was able to calm down and he seemed pretty alert this morning. When alert, Josh will follow you around the room and turn to look your direction if you say something to him. The funniest thing he did today was towards dad. Dad was being silly (imagine that!) and we told Josh to stick his tongue out at dad if he was crazy - I haven't seen him stick it out that far yet!! We all got a good laugh out of that one. Today Josh also gave the "I love you" sign in sign language to each of us individually. That really means alot! Tonight before we left Josh was again a little agitated, but they gave him some medicine and he seemed to chill out and was drifting off to sleep. I pray that he has a good night.

Today Josh was moved to the CCU unit (room 3731). This is a lateral move; he is still in intensive care, they just had to move him because he was the most stable patient in the unit that he was in (I like hearing that!) and they needed his room for someone much sicker. Hopefully tomorrow he will get moved to the stepdown unit (intermediate intensive care) - Guess what that meant - he has been off of the ventilator now going on 36 hours!!! He has done pretty well too. Occasionally he breathes hard, but he will calm down so the ventilator is not necessary at this time.

Josh also got his feeding tube today as well and all seemed to go fine. They can't use the feeding tube for 24 hours to let his stomach rest, but hopefully later tomorrow he can get the one tube that is in his nose out. Other than that, nothing left to report. I was very pleased with Josh's progress today. Hopefully even more progress tomorrow.

Have a wonderful weekend. We love you all.

Thursday Update: 7/6/06

(Brandon) Just for those who may not know me, and are expecting Cari to write, I am Josh's friend whom he was coming to see the night of the accident. I am maintaining the blog site for the Chandlers, and I post from time to time, as well as posting Cari's letters each night.

I was able to go see Josh in Chapel Hill tonight. He basically rested peacefully all day. From all that I know and heard from the family, he wasn't agitated at all today. He has kinda been on an every-other day rotation between active and restful. One day will be full of responses and reactions, and the next day will be restful. Today was the restful one. But that's good for Josh. He ended up being off the respirator for 14 consecutive hours yesterday. That's a milestone so far! (When he achieves 24 hours off the resp., he can come out of ICU.)

He did pull his feeding tube out of his stomach last night late, so they had to re-insert a feeding tube in his nose, as they had done originally. As of now, they are planning to do a minor surgery tomorrow in order to connect the feeding tube back into Josh's stomach.

Continue to pray, and don't forget to share the story of God's faithfulness with others. It can be a great evangelistic opportunity. The story involves Josh, but it is ultimately about God. He has a great plan. He is loving and gracious! We praise Him for how good He always is! (Psalm 145)

Until Tomorrow!

Joy Unspeakable (7/5/06)

(Cari)Hey there everyone! It is with great excitement that I write this evening.....

Josh has had an awesome day - praise the Lord! When I walked in this morning Josh's eyes were wide open and he was looking around the room. I started talking to him and asking him questions and Josh began to nod and shake his head appropriately to my questions. I was getting so excited. I asked him if he knew who I was and he at first mouthed, "Heather" (she is our favorite nurse who took care of him last night and she also has blonde hair), but after I corrected him he mouthed, "Cari." I asked him if he knew what tomorrow, July 6th, was - I said, "mom and dad's...." and he clearly mouthed "wedding anniversary" - which is correct. They will have been married 32 years tomorrow - what a wonderful anniversary present! I then began talking to him about all of the sporting news that he has missed while sleeping and he listened intently, nodding when appropriate. I told him that USA lost in the World Cup and he made a funny frowning face. I told him that J.J. Reddick (his favorite basketball player) was drafted to the Orlando Magic and I told him that it wasn't too far so maybe one day we could go to a game and he just smiled real big. I told him of all the people that have written and called and he seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. His friends Katie and Jonathan sent Josh a World Cup soccer t-shirt which I had hanging in his room and I pointed to it and asked Josh if he could see it and he mouthed "Fifa" which is what the saying on the shirt read. It stands for the name of the tournament, "Fifa World Cup." He had to have read this because I never mentioned this to him. This communicating went on for about 2 hours. He then took a little nap and woke back up in time to watch France beat Portugal in the World Cup semi final
. He was sitting in an upright position in the bed and actually watched a good bit of the game. He would wave to the doctors as they were standing in his doorway. Everyone was excited for his progress. He kept looking out of his door into all the commotion in the nurses station like he was taking it all in. I could tell there were several times he was getting frustrated if I could not figure out what he was trying to say, but that will get better with time. Sometimes Josh is weak when he mouths words and it is difficult to tell what he is trying to say, but there are other times when there is no mistaking it. It was such an incredible feeling seeing Josh do so much today - I only wish that mom and dad were here to see it, but tomorrow they will because they are traveling back in the afternoon. \n \nThere are sooooooooooo many new things to tell you all. I clearly could read his lips that he had "to go to the bathroom." I explained the situation to him and he seemed to understand. Apparently last night he told Heather that he was "thirsty". Today I was explaining all of his tubes to him and when I got to the feeding tube he looked at me and clearly mouthed "I want to eat!". I think he understood why he could not yet once I explained it to him. He also did something different - I thought he was reaching up to pull out his trach tube/oxygen and I was telling him not to; but he just reached up and began feeling it then he moved to feeling his face as if to see if it was still there. I asked him if he wanted to look in a mirror and he shook his head no. I told him that he only has a scratch on the left side of his nose. Still, looking in a mirror may take a little time. One of the funnies that we had recurring today was that whenever I asked him in front of his doctors and nurses what he thought of UNC he just stuck his tongue out!!! They all laughed and said they would let is slide since he is in the hospital, but once he was better they would have to debate that!! Josh did all of the old commands as well: wiggled toes (but this time on his right side too!), thumbs up, squeeze hands, blink, gave "yes an no" in sign language, etc. By the end of the night I think that Josh just wore himself out. He was getting a little agitated but nothing like it has been in the past. He was sweating a good bit, so I am hoping that once he got a bath and some clean sheets he would drift off to sleep for the evening. He needs to rest up so he can show mom and dad all his new stuff tomorrow! I know that some of these things that Josh does seems so insignificant and trivial, but right now it is monumental. Keep praying that it only gets better from here. He was sitting in an upright position in the bed and actually watched a good bit of the game. He would wave to the doctors as they were standing in his doorway. Everyone was excited for his progress. He kept looking out of his door into all the commotion in the nurses station like he was taking it all in. I could tell there were several times he was getting frustrated if I could not figure out what he was trying to say, but that will get better with time. Sometimes Josh is weak when he mouths words and it is difficult to tell what he is trying to say, but there are other times when there is no mistaking it. It was such an incredible feeling seeing Josh do so much today - I only wish that mom and dad were here to see it, but tomorrow they will because they are traveling back in the afternoon.

There are sooooooooooo many new things to tell you all. I clearly could read his lips that he had "to go to the bathroom." I explained the situation to him and he seemed to understand. Apparently last night he told Heather that he was "thirsty". Today I was explaining all of his tubes to him and when I got to the feeding tube he looked at me and clearly mouthed "I want to eat!". I think he understood why he could not yet once I explained it to him. He also did something different - I thought he was reaching up to pull out his trach tube/oxygen and I was telling him not to; but he just reached up and began feeling it then he moved to feeling his face as if to see if it was still there. I asked him if he wanted to look in a mirror and he shook his head no. I told him that he only has a scratch on the left side of his nose. Still, looking in a mirror may take a little time. One of the funnies that we had recurring today was that whenever I asked him in front of his doctors and nurses what he thought of UNC he just stuck his tongue out!!! They all laughed and said they would let is slide since he is in the hospital, but once he was better they would have to debate that!! Josh did all of the old commands as well: wiggled toes (but this time on his right side too!), thumbs up, squeeze hands, blink, gave "yes an no" in sign language, etc. By the end of the night I think that Josh just wore himself out. He was getting a little agitated but nothing like it has been in the past. He was sweating a good bit, so I am hoping that once he got a bath and some clean sheets he would drift off to sleep for the evening. He needs to rest up so he can show mom and dad all his new stuff tomorrow! I know that some of these things that Josh does seems so insignificant and trivial, but right now it is monumental. Keep praying that it only gets better from here.

Other good news, Josh had been off of the ventilator since 9am this morning. He has done very well. Sometimes when he coughs alot he loses his breath and it takes him a minute to catch it again, but then he settles down. I was very encouraged that he was able to stay off even while he was awake and communicating alot today. These are very good improvements. \n \nI look forward to telling you all nothing but great things from here on out. I know there may still be some bumps in road, but God is good and I am thankful for all that He has allowed Josh to accomplish so far. Thank you all for your love and continued prayers. We truly love you all and now Josh is joining in on that - he nodded when I ask him if he did! Have a wonderful day.

Tuesday Update (7/4/06)

(Cari)Hi to all. I hope that you all have a fabulous Independence Day.

No fireworks from Josh today. All he did was rest. I guess that I cannot complain after all of the activity that he had yesterday. He still followed commands on occasions, but he was pretty zonked all day. He was able to be off of the ventilator 6 hours last night and 6 hours today. This is good progress. I pray that tomorrow he will do even more.

Mom and dad traveled home today and will return on Thursday. They had some things to take care of and they felt that this was a good time to do it. Other than that, nothing new. I wish I had more, but thankfully nothing bad to report.

Have a great rest of the week. We love you all.

Monumental Improvements! (6/3/06)

Hey there everyone. Today was a good Monday, no make that a great Monday in Chapel Hill!

Josh had a very good day. I felt like he made alot of progress today. Josh was able to stay off the ventilator for 4 hours today. I was very pleased. Hopefully tomorrow he will be able to stay off a little longer. Maybe 6 or 8 hours??? When he was off the ventilator he seemed pretty comfortable, but as it loomed around 4 hours he looked a little more restless so they placed him back on the ventilator until tomorrow.

Josh had a great day neurologically as well. During the middle of the day today he seemed the most alert that I have yet seen him through this whole ordeal. He kept his eyes open for quite a while today and he was looking around and tracking mom, dad, and I while we were talking to him. He also did many more new commands today. Lets see, he did his "a", "b", "c", an "r", and an "i" in sign language (selfishly I think he was trying to spell CARI!! but that is up for debate). He also did "yes" and "no" in sign language. He would open his mouth and stick out his tongue on command too. I don't think that Josh has lost his sense of humor either. Today dad asked him how he liked his mustache/goatee and instantly Josh stuck out his tongue. I laughed so hard. He did it four times because dad kept asking him to see what he would do. For those of you who don't know my dad this is something new he started since the day of Josh's accident and is continuing to do so until Josh completely wakes up. Way to go Josh! because I am not so fond of dad's new found hair. Dad is feeling pretty left out of "feeling the love" from Josh so I asked Josh to blow dad a kiss and he kind of puckered up and missed and spit. That was pretty funny too. By the third time Josh had blown us a kiss. For real!!! It also looked like he was trying to say words, but he just couldn't get that out. He won't be able to physically make words until the trach is able to be covered up or taken out, but he can mouth words if he wants. Josh is also making this weird growling type noise. Mom thinks that since that since he can't talk he is doing this instead. I don't have an answer for that one. Josh is getting there, slowly but surely. He also did the usual commands, but we are really excited over the new stuff. I guess that is about it, but whew, what a day.

The doctors are very pleased with Josh's progress and they believe it will only continue unless Josh were to get sick or get another infection which could set him back a little. For this reason please pray that he stays well and infection free. His nurses get just as excited as we do to see his progress. They have been awesome in taking care of my brother. His nurse today has said she knows that he must be loved because she has not seen anyone get so many cards and letters. He has over 80 cards (not to mention tons of pictures as well) on display in his room. They are lining the window sill and they have a domino effect if you knock one over. So thank you all for the love that you have shown to Josh and our family. We love you all.

Sunday Update: 7/2/06

Hola everyone!!! I pray that you had a great weekend. All was good here in Chapel Hill.

Josh had a good day. He did as the Lord commanded for Sundays, he rested!! He looked comfortable all day. He followed commands as usual but today he did something new - mom asked him to smile if he could hear his music and he cracked a smile to right side. We both looked at each other like, "did he just do that!". He has had more facial expressions over the past two days than he has in a long time. I don't know what he is thinking about, but it is nice to see something different. He still doesn't follow commands all the time but he is doing them a little more frequently which I really like. Today his nurse, Matt, was pinching him and asking Josh to stop him to see if he was responding to pain and Josh was looking in Matt's direction and then he raised his right arm like he was going to swat at him. I have never seen him do that as well. It was quite funny. Matt just laughed.

Physical therapy has started seeing Josh a week or so ago to help keep his joints moving. As he progresses it will get more intense to help him regain strength and fine tune his motor skills. For now, they just do exercises everyday and they have a splint they rotate on his feet to help so he doesn't develop foot drop. Foot drop means that since he isn't moving his feet or placing any weight on them they just simply could lose their tone and can make it difficult later on down the road when he tries to walk. Obviously this is not what we would want so the splints are a good thing.

They trialed Josh off of the ventilator 2 times today so far and he has done just fine which is great. They spaced the trials further apart which I believe has greatly helped Josh succeed in the trial. The doctors estimated it would take from 3 to 7 days to get him completely off the ventilator. They felt that a full 14 days of antibiotics (we are on day 7 of 14) should get rid of the pneumonia and this should help him in his breathing as well. Otherwise, nothing new. But praise God that he had no steps backwards.
Thank you for caring about my brother. We really appreciate all the love and support we have received over the past month. Please continue praying. We love you all. Have a wonderful holiday.

Saturday Update; 7/1/06

(Cari)Hello to all. Happy Saturday. I pray that you all had a pretty good day today. All was okay here in Chapel Hill.

Josh did alright today. They did try to "trial" him off of the ventilator and he did okay the first time, but struggled the second time. What they do is turn off the ventilator for 30 minutes and place oxygen over the trach and see how he does. They then turn the ventilator back on and try again later. As I said, he did okay the first time, but I think with everything he was doing it just wore him out and it was difficult for him to breathe easily the second time. Think of it as exercising. Josh has not completely used his own muscles to breathe for a month now and he has to work his way back to be able to function as it was before the accident. So each time they "trial" him off the ventilator he is getting a little workout for his lung muscle. Hopefully it will strengthen quickly and then Josh will be able to co mpletely come off of the ventilator. We will see how tomorrow goes. I am hoping they will give Josh a little more rest period between trials.

His agitation level was fair today. He is still was following commands at times, but you have to catch him at just the right time to get good responses from him. He is healing, it is just taking time. Thank you all for your continued prayers. I pray that you all have a great Sunday. We love you all.