Good Afternoon! Today marks the 188th day since Ashley went into the ER (May 7th). That day was the most trying day followed by the most trying weeks of our lives. And through it all… God has remained steady and faithful. He has met our needs physically, mentally and emotionally through this trial. We’re so incredibly thankful for all the amazing people that have been placed in our lives. Especially our immediate family who have closely born this burden with us. I would also like to give special thanks to our church family. I’ve always known that we’re not to walk the walk of faith alone, that has never been more real to me than it has been this year.
We just past the 6 month mark (Nov 7th) on this journey and Ashley is doing great. Of course we could always ask for a faster return to full health but she is making steady progress each day which is a huge praise report. At home Ashley continues to help with laundry, dishes and other household items. We continue to stand in faith for her short term memory to return which will help tremendously with the rest of her recovery.
We wrapped up our in-home therapy at the end of October and that went very well. All of the therapists were wonderful. They worked worked hard with Ashley and made the process enjoyable. We’re now in our 2nd week of outpatient therapy at Carle Hospital and it’s going well. She went through her evaluations and the therapists have set goals. Our outpatient therapy should carry us through the month of December and then we’ll review Ashley’s progress and see what additional therapy is needed next year.
The kids are also doing well and the school year is going smoothly which is a HUGE praise report. We’ve all been through so much and, even though we’ve tried to minimize it, the kids have had to make adjustments as well. Overall they’ve done remarkably well. From time to time Ashley will make a statement that is incorrect and we have learned to gently correct or steer the conversation in a different direction. Again, all going back to short term memory and her brain properly accessing information. This is our primary prayer request moving forward.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and faith filled words of encouragement. We appreciate it more than you know.
Prayer Focus Moving Forward:
- Return of short term memory
- Better access to long term memory and information
- Continued physical strength
- Motivation (initiation) for every day tasks i.e. getting up, doing laundry, dishes, etc…
- Good rest
Thank you again
In Christ,
Matt, Ashley & Family
