Oh What a Difference a Year Makes!

It will  be a year tomorrow that John Thomas had the fixator surgery.  What a difference a year makes!  Brad and I were remembering back and talking about those months after the fixator. The stay in the hospital, the first attempt to get into a car, the plane ride home, the gruesome pin cleanings.  It was beyond horrific!  This year has been one that we will always remember but are so ready to forget. 

A short time after the fixator was removed in April, I lost my Mom.  I was actually in Florida for a follow up doctor visit with John Thomas when she passed away peacefully in her sleep.  Not long after that, Brad lost his cousin.  Some of our dearest friends have lost a parent, had a miscarriage, lost a beloved pet, had a parent undergo life threatening surgery.  So....do we dare hope that life will be different in 2017?  Do we dare hope that John Thomas will be fully healed in 2 weeks when he returns to Florida?  As my mom would say, "YOU BET we do!".  Isaiah 40:31 states...

 

 

 

God has placed some amazing people in our lives to help us through these times.  We couldn't have gotten through this year without our precious friends and family. Please join us in praying for a full recovery for our Mr. Man.  Brad will take him to Florida to meet with Dr. Feldman on Jan. 12th.  He will have x-rays and a physical exam.  Our prayer is for complete healing.  Scottish Rite doctors said he would need to be in a wheelchair for 3 years, but the mighty Healer had a different plan.  This month marks 2 years we've been on this journey.  We are praying that John Thomas will soon be able to run, jump, skip, hop....everything that an 8 year boy loves to do!  He is currently on a basketball team with some of friends from school.  Coach Baird has been amazing in finding ways for him to be able to participate with the doctor's restrictions.  We know that only a little while longer until he can take BIG STEPS on the basketball court and everywhere else he wishes to go. We can see the finish line....the race is almost over....and we can't wait to finish #jtstrong!

 

 



 



 

 



 

#GodIsFaithful                                            #jtstrong                                          #eyeofthetiger

 

All our love,

Brad and Janay





The day we've been praying for!

Based on the xrays from last week,  we received great news!  John Thomas can now go to school without his brace!  He only needs to sleep in it at night.  Wow!  Talk about a happy boy?! There are no words!  Of course, he cannot run and jump...and is not cleared for P.E. or sports, but we are getting there!  He has been in a wheelchair, worn a 2 legged brace, a fixator, and a 1 legged  brace for the past 20 months...and now is FREE!  Praise Jesus!   

Brad and I can't thank you enough for your continued prayers, hugs, voice messages, text messages, cards, and encouraging words during this long journey.  Being parents, we still worry about his hip collapsing and asking what if???  We are stepping out in faith that Dr. Feldman knows what's best for our Mr. Man, so we will continue to follow his treatment plan.

Tomorrow is the first day of 6th grade for Jules and 2nd grade for John Thomas. I know both of them will be taking BIG STEPS as they walk into their schools.  For John Thomas, tomorrow marks the first day of being freed from the chains that bound him for almost 2 years.  By the grace of God- he is healed.

#godisfaithful              #JTstrong             #eyeofthetiger

All our love,

Brad, Janay, Jules and John Thomas

Fixator Free and Loving Life!

John Thomas is loving life!    The hardest problem is keeping him off of his leg...he just wants to run and play like a normal 7 year old boy!  We go back to Florida June 9th to see Dr. Feldman.  We are anxiously awaiting that visit.  He will tell us if we're discharged or if more surgery is needed.  Our prayer continues to be that sweet Jesus, our Mighty Healer, has healed our Mr. Man. 

John Thomas loved seeing all of the #jtstrong shirts.  Our family is very humbled and gracious for all of your love and support.  Here are a few pics from that day.

 

 

 

We  couldn't have gone down this long road without you!  We cling to this:

 

All our love,

Brad, Janay, Jules, and John Thomas

 

#GodIsFaithful    #EyeOfTheTiger   #GodPower    #jtstrong



 

X-Ray #2

Today has been a great day!  John Thomas had his second x-ray since getting the fixator in December.  Dr. Feldman has already responded with "so pleased- the femoral cap is rebuilding".  He is a man of few words but those words are music to our ears.  High five Jesus!  We're still on schedule for the removal of the fixator on May 2nd.  He'll be in a brace for 6 weeks and will need his crutches or his walker. Then we'll head back to Florida in June for another check up.  Our pray is the bone will continue to rebuild, and our Mr. Man will be healed.  

Thanks again for your love and support!

Brad and Janay 

#GodIsFaithful                  #EyeOfTheTiger               #GodPower

Life as "normal"....

We are moving right along with this "new" normal life.  John Thomas continues to do well in physical therapy.  He amazes us how well he can get around!   Dr. Feldman said that the last x-ray looked "exactly as it should".  We will take that positive news!   We will have another x-ray in a couple of weeks.  We continue to fight the infection around the back pin.  At this time, we are back on antibiotics until it clears up.  Our eyes are set on May 2nd- removal of the fixator.  He is so ready to be done with pin cleanings and hip stretches....actually we all are!  He will be in a brace and back in a wheelchair for about a month after the removal of the fixator.  This is important for the holes in his bones to heal.   Our prayers are for this to be the final stage in this process for John Thomas.  No more surgeries will be needed.  Thanks for your prayers, texts, cards, gifts, meals....the list goes on and on.  We will never forget your kindness and generosity.

 We are getting closer to seeing big steps from our Mr. Man!  We plan to finish strong!
#GodIsFaithful                                      #EyeOfTheTiger                       #GodPower




Much love,
Brad and Janay

Day 37

What a difference a month makes!  We are getting used to our "new normal" and when we look back at where we were a month ago, we just can't believe how far we've come. We've got a very strong boy with a lot of faithful Prayer Warriors.   Thank you for your prayers and constant support.  We will have our first x-ray tomorrow and send it to Florida.....prayers that the hip is doing exactly what it's supposed to do!  Here are some things that have been going on this month:

John Thomas loves his Rocky shirt from Aunt Lern and Uncle John.  Rocky Balboa is his hero!

All of the staff from Cottonwood Creek have been amazing!  Ms. Gilstrap took this "Super Bowl" picture during P.E.   We are so grateful to Mrs. Wszolek and his 1B friends for their support and encouragement.  

We are so grateful for the physical therapists and workers at Coppell Sports and Spine.  John Thomas goes to therapy 4 times a week and works with Mrs. Katie and Mr. Jon.   Zack helps out too, and John Thomas loves it!  It's very hard work and some days are better than others, but they are the perfect fit for Mr. Man.  And speaking of physical therapy, this just happened yesterday.  Tears of joy flowed from Momma and Daddy's eyes.  High five, Jesus!

We really couldn't have gotten this far without everyone's help.  The meals have been delicious!  The gifts have been overflowing from our family and friends.  Our church, FUMC-Coppell, has been such a source of comfort and strength.  Pastor Tom has such a way with words that bring hope and peace in such a dark time.   

We continue to witness bountiful blessings from The One who taught us the meaning of true love.  

#GodIsFaithful              #EyeOfTheTiger          #GodPower


Thank you for everything!

Our hearts are full,
Brad and Janay

Day 11

Before we headed to the airport, we needed to drop off some things at the hospital.  These were the P.A.'s for Dr. Paley and Dr. Feldman.  They are so sweet- they sent this message to John Thomas!  We love Ms. Vera and Ms. Tiffany!