GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD, EVEN AND ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DON'T DESERVE IT!!

GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD, EVEN AND ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DON'T DESERVE IT!!

First of all, thanks to each of you who are taking the time to pray and add Jerry to prayer lists on his behalf (and ours). I don't remember a time, even through the death of my mother, when I've been so aware of the awesome grace of God to help His children (Jerry Sr. and I) through difficult circumstances, and we've had them.
Jerry, Sr. and I drove to the crash scene today. Jerry Jr. ended up flying approx 72 ft. from his bikes' impact with the guardrail, but moved more parallel to the guard rail rather than over it, and we're thinking that would be because he tried unsuccessfully to stay on the bike. It's hard to describe, but impressive in person. I saw the photos taken yesterday, but it's really more dramatic in person. It was 30 feet to where his helmet initially hit, and another 42 ft. (approx) to where they found him. We're interested to know exactly what direction his head was, but don't know if we'll ever know that.

Yesterday they did find a piece of his leather jacket that had been ripped off (long and narrow), and some of the missing pieces of his helmet. Today we measured the different distances between the visible impact points and made notes and a map for insurance. The location in which the bike was found was on a bend of an on-ramp to I-95, just at the point 2 lanes merge into 1. The traffic was moving pretty fast (it seemed) and it felt very dangerous to be there taking photos, etc., but even though the merge is not well marked, no one came near hitting us. We could tell they would brake as soon as they saw us, but it wouldn't have mattered much if they'd have had to swerve to miss side-swiping another vehicle. We found a total of 4 spots that the bike probably slid along the rail before it fell over (the 1/10 of a mile or so from initial impact and where he was found the next day.


Then we left to go to the hospital to see Jerry. We knew there was a chance that he'd be taken off the ventilator today, and we wanted to be able to speak with him and hear what he'd have to say after surgery, or if his Mom add a talk with him about the paralysis. Things didn't go quite like they had planned, (he started hyperventilating after 20 minutes), and so they quit trying for today, mostly 'cause he also had a follow-up CAT Scan scheduled at 4:00 p.m. He is still on the ventilator, and the plan is to take him off on Tuesday (tomorrow) between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., or when they can get everyone there. They can't really give us an exact time. They are not anticipating any problems.

We expected to find him in a drug induced coma, but he had his eyes open and he was alert and communicating with two of his friends. He seemed glad to see us, and the nurse came in and was telling us about the new brace that they placed on his neck/chest this a.m. And - PRAISE GOD - when they were examining him this morning, they realized that he not only has feeling in his hands and forearms, but can move his hands and can push off with his hands, which means he still has use of his triceps AND he can move his hands at this point. Since it's so early after surgery, they've not changed their official diagnosis, but apparently at this point, the only "paralysis" is from the bottom of his chest bone (sternum) down. His arms seem fine. This is HUGE!!! This is AWESOME!!! This is a miracle from God!!! Praise Him!!!! This, like, triples the amount of independence he will have in so many ways!!

Also, Jerry, Jr. spirits seemed good. Jerry Sr. seemed uncomfortable, with all the tubes and stuff, but that's understandable. Jr.'s urine had a lot of sediment in it Saturday, but is now clear. He is having a lot of pain in his right shoulder, and is still unable to even try to turn his head, but they turn him in bed every hour or so. Allie is back in his life (as of Friday night, they were still not together, but she wants to be there, and for now he says she can stay). She is again calling herself (with his approval) his 'fiance'. We (his parents) aren't sure she'll be around for the long haul and are just praying for clarity for them both. They have a very contentious relationship, and it has not been healthy for either of them, but there is such a bond since the 'heavy' things they went thru during and after Aiden's birth, life, and death. (She was not Aiden's mother) . Anyway, Jr. is 31. We support him in his decisions, and voice our opinion when we don't agree or have concerns, but he rarely listens to his parents. It seems no matter what his family has said, in the end, he's just done what he wanted. :o/ Just like a kid. :o)


We are also talking about starting some fund raisers (which would go directly into a bank account/fund) for his medical expenses. We'll know more about what his needs are after I speak with the insurance company. He has Aetna, and they're known as a very good company, but I'm not familiar with his policy YET. I will be shortly. Also, I have to contact SSA and make them aware of his disability status. Talk about deja vu!!

So, for now, I ask you to keep praying that his injuries will diminish, rather than worsen, that his wound healing would be swift and complete in spite of the presence of spinal fluid, and that he would draw close to Christ. Also, he needs determination of spirit and his will, and for depression, bitterness, and anger to have no root in him. We, as parents, need wisdom in handling his financial needs and insurance issues, also disability issues... such a shame none of us have any experience with that!! ;oO (total sarcasm there from me, the current disability queen of the family)!!! So, tomorrow a.m. we'll have some phone calls to make on Jerry's behalf, and then we'll head down to the hospital again. We also need prayer that no anger or bitterness would take root in us, as it is so hard to deal with the fact that the State Police never followed proper protocol on the scene when they responded, which resulted in him l aying out there for 6 hours... with a severed spinal cord, unable to move, in the cold... Ugh! It's horrifying to think about, but it's like an accident scene where you can't look away... our minds keep going there. We're trying to not get our hopes up too high with his apparent 'progress' today. He's still on Levophed I.V. for his blood pressure and heart rate, which are low, and he's got a feeding tube in (yummy -- NOT!!) through his nose, and the vent tube, but otherwise... other than the neck and leg thing, he really seems to be improving and hanging in there. We'll definitely know more about his mental state after the tube comes out tomorrow, and he's less sedated. They're giving him Fentanyl, (a sedative) which means he probably won't remember any of this week, but he 'said' (well, he nodded when asked) today that he was awake all night when he was laying out there next to the road, and that he is remembering more about the accident. W e don't yet know exactly what that means, either. It seems from being at the scene that something or someone prevented him from turning into the corner soon enough (his riding buddy? another car? an animal?). He was a good enough rider and the corner was not that sharp, that even at the speed he was going, he should have been able to make it. There are so many questions and so few answers. And that is hard.


On the Jen front, I just spoke with her Mom, and she's at the hospital. They gave her the labor-inducing med this morning at about 9:00, and as of 3:00 p.m. she was 3 cms dilated. We figure she'll wait til we're all sound asleep tonight and then deliver. :o) Her and Jared (her husband) are also experiencing God's grace, in that they are convinced it is best that they be by themselves at the hospital, which frees us as "Moms" to focus on Jerry, Jr. right now. We are also praying that everything goes well with Olivia's birth, and thank you for joining us in that prayer.

Please praise God for His goodness and provision on our behalf! We are so thankful to Him, and desire to let everyone know just how good He is! We are so thankful for His grace during this difficult and trying time. Hope all is well with each of you...

Linda Sue and Jerry, Sr. Hambleton