Today has already been a busy day for Adam! We've been up and went to church with Sadie and Papaw! It was absolutely wonderful to see the faces of those who have kept Adam in their prayers this whole time. Thank you Pastor Steve for your encouragement and words this morning. God really did perform a miracle through all this!

Adam has been pretty busy since he's been home. He had Sadie Wednesday night for a while. Thursday he had meetings and spent most of the day in Fort Wayne with Mom and Dad. On Friday he was able to go over to Depuy and spent about 4 hours with his boss and co-workers. When he returned back to CC he wanted to stop by the jail. So that he did. I finally returned home about 8:30 Friday night and got to see him! He looks great! I think you can hardly see his scar from the surgery unless you are looking for it!

Yesterday was the 10 week mark! I can't hardly believe it! I was able to spend the day with Adam and Sadie. Last night Abbie and Joe Bailey welcomed us over (along with Dad) for a cookout. We had a good time visiting with friends! Thank you Abbie and Joe for mowing his yard while he was away, for bringing him food, for your prayers and for your friendship! You both are a true blessing! Sadie had a great time running around with the other kids last night! I don't think she was ready for bed when we laid her down! She spent the night and didn't make a peep until 6:30 this morning, then she was ready to go, yelling "Daddy where are you!"

Rodney and his wife also came by last night with their little girl! I think Adam enjoyed the extra company! I'm sure he's sick of all of us already!! Ha!

This afternoon Ryan is picking Adam up and he'll go over to their house for a cookout. Again...new faces!

He really is doing wonderful considering where he was 10 weeks ago. He does get tired pretty easy, but knows when to say enough is enough. When Sadie lays down, so does he!

Thank you all AGAIN for your constant prayers, he still has a road ahead of him, but has/is making such great strides! This week will be filled with appointments with the doctors that will follow him now that he's back! And maybe we'll have to make a sibling outing to Bdubs!!! Have a great Sunday all! Pictures to follow after bit!

Home at last!

I want apoligize for not having posted any news since Adam's arrival home. It's been a crazy few days as we all adjust to having him home. I just simply haven't had the moment to reflect on his blog. We are all taking turns staying with Adam until he is able to stay alone.

I did get a few shots of him arriving off the plane in FW. Adam, his Dad and Diane from Workman's Comp arrived almost before we did. Jake and I made a mad dash to meet the party as they hit gound.

Russ, Tony, and another wonderful fellow (who's name I didn't know) met the group as they landed with a banner "Welcome home Adam". All of us were reduced to tears!

Since their landing, we've all been busy. Shepherd's asked that we keep 24/7 on Adam a few days until he is settled at home. We are to gradually allow him time alone, which I'm sure he is ready for as we wish him also to be. He's been followed by someone 24/7 for so long, I'm sure it is frustrating for him.

We are all taking turns staying at Adam's house, he's had visits with Sadie, Grandpa Lemmon, and Rodney and his family. Jody Morrissey and Jana Reeg stopped Friday night to say Hi and welcome him home, all much enjoyed and appreciated.

Adam continue's to improve, but tires easily. Nap times are usually in the afternoon. I'm sure he'd welcome the familiar faces of all of his friends and fellow co-workers, drop by and see him...

I'll attempt to get to get the pictures of his landing posted soon when I catch my breath... I about died today mowing his yard by push mower! I'm used to riders, so this was a new experience, but it's done and I have to say it didn't look to bad!

Lots of hugs and well wishes to all of you, have a good weekend!
Mom

Almost time!

In a little over 3 hours, the men will be home! Jake and I are busy moving his clean laundry, dog (we simply can't forget the dog!), and truck over to his house. We will then head over to FW to grab a sandwich and then head to the airport to wait!

Mike called about 3:30pm and they were at the airport waiting. He said Adam was tired, but trying to take a catnap while waiting. Their flight takes off at 7:30pm so they had a long wait ahead.

I think today was one of the longer days I have had. I'm sure Adam has had more than I have, but it will sure be nice to have everyone home. Thanks to everyone who kept me busy today and making the day seem shorter. :)

I'm taking the camera along to get shots of their arrival and will post them tomorrow.

Count down begins!

There hasn't been much news from Atlanta, but I do know from reading Adam's facebook page that he has been counting the days. I believe we are now close to counting the hours instead! Tomorrow (Tuesday) night is the big night, so in less than 24 hrs the men will be home.

Plans are in place to have his buddy "Luke" at home waiting on him and Wednesday he has a date with "Miss Sadie". I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise for her to finally see her Daddy in person, rather than over Skype.

Adam went today for his last full day of therapy. Tuesday morning he, his Dad, and DeWayne will meet at 9 am at Shepherd's for his release interview. After the interview he is done, no more therapy for the day, and they can start to prepare to come home. Actually, I think they are preparing today! When I talked to Mike this morning he was doing their laundry and attempting to pack some of his stuff.

Mike said it's been really warm in Atlanta, but the humidity is the worst part of it. The flowers that had been replanted at the hotel, have started to bloom again and are really pretty. He wanted to know how the weather here is and if there was anything new going on? I told him we have finally hit some warm and humid weather ourselves and that CC had been fairly quiet as far as I knew.

I will keep you posted on their arrival back to Indiana. Pray that they have a safe journey home. Thanks again everyone and God Bless!

Wednesday's News from Atlanta

Hello all, Mom stepping in for Carrie. As you can see I'm having issue's with placing the photo's. I thought they'd land at the bottom of the post, NOT, but at least I got them to upload!

I talked to Carrie earlier today and she was off work and headed on her way to her vacation spot. She told me where, but I've forgotten already the smaller details, but I do know she said she'd text me when she lands late tonight. Maybe I need to check myself in for some of Adam's "memory" therapy.

Okay, the news from Atlanta today! We had a request from one of the county employee's, April Waugh, RN of a shot of the "Cupcake Factory". Well April, he found it and hopefully I'll figure out how to also include the photo's from today which included that shot (see above, I wrote this first then attached the photo's, the photo's landed where they wanted too!). Mike said they just about missed the shop while looking for it. If you want more details about whether he went in or not, or sampled any cupcakes, YOU'LL have to ask him... LOL

The guys also found the Krispy Kreme donut shop, the original one for Atlanta. Mike's quote, "Mmm Mmm good!" and "Adam sure liked them!" Not surprising, this family is big on a few things, chocolate, ice cream, and donuts.

I've also included a picture of Adam (taken today) and one of Adam with his case manager at Shepherd's, her name is Kendra. Kendra was responsible for Adam while there and was his sounding board if he had any concerns or issue's with anything pertaining to his stay at Shepherds, including therapy and things of that nature. Kendra also worked closely with his therapists and was responsible for helping make the decision to allow Adam to move to outpatient therapy and stay with his Dad at the hotel. As we all know she most likely had her hands full (just kidding Adam). We'd like to "thank" Kendra and all the staff at Shepherd's for a job well done and making it possible for Adam to return home as quickly as possible. They are a wonderful group of people, their love for their jobs was quite evident, and their results most remarkable.

Mike let me know that his schedule was already filling up back home. It sounds like he'll get back and hit the ground running. I'm sure he's as ready as Adam is to get back home.

He said it was 56 degrees and cool tonight. Ha, ha, we've been 56 or below how many days/nights now? I've even turned the heat back on a few nights to take the chill and humidity out of the house. We can only "wish" that we could get just as tad bit as warm as Atlanta might be! Bring some sunshine and warmth home with you boys!

On a personal note, I'd like to share something with all of you that have followed Adam's blog. My niece and her husband, Danelle (Schmitt) and Jason Ridge (son Marcus), are expecting triplets. Danelle is presently hospitalized in South Bend and may be there for some time. Grandma & Grandpa Lemmon and I travelled to South Bend today to visit with Danelle and my sis Carla. Please include their family in your prayers if you would, that Danelle and the triplets stay safe and healthy until their arrival. Carla has given me so much support (as did ALL my siblings) through all that we've gone thru with Adam even though she had her own daughter Danelle to worry about! Mom, Dad, Carla & family, to the families of Steve & Brenda, Steph & James, Joel & Shannon, "Thank You"............ Love you all!

To all our friends and the WC Community all of you have heard the "Thank You" from Carrie. However, we can't express enough how much everyone's support and prayers have helped us, so this one is from Mike and I, "Thank You"...... God Bless you ALL!

Time

Adam asked tonight what my theme was going to be tonight for the blog! I told him I hadn't really thought about it. But as I pondered it and reflected on what Adam and I talked about, I think the theme is time...can you all believe that on Saturday morning it'll be 9 weeks. That's a long TIME! Or so it feels! Adam is ready to come home. I said to him tonight, it's just TIME! So some of you know and some don't, but tonight I share with everyone, Adam will return into Fort Wayne sometime after 9pm on May 25th. They don't know their exact flight times yet, but it's official! He'll be home before we all know it!

Adam will have a treadmill test this week to conclude his physical therapy down there. He has to jog on the treadmill for 5 minutes. I think this will allow them to see how he does with jogging a longer period of time and keeping his balance. They have explained that he will have to do some therapy here at home once he gets back, but he just wants to be back!

What a journey this has been. Not something we ever want to go through again, nor would we want anyone else to have to go through this either, but nonetheless, a journey! I'm sad to say that I won't be able to welcome Adam home! I'm off on a vacation I planned back in December, but the good news is, I'll come back refreshed ready to keep Adam on his toes! :-) The blog will be handled by Dad or Mom while I'm gone! Enjoy their outlook on things! Tonight I leave you with some pictures from the County Employee's Wellness walk Sunday!



And one from this weekend with Derek, Jaime, Joey and Gale

And one from the hot tub!

A long weekend

Adam had a long weekend with a lot of visitors. On Friday after another day of therapy, Derek and Jaime Ness took Adam and Dad to an Atlanta Braves game. I hear that there were fireworks afterwards! Then on Saturday, Joey and his dad, Gale, were there. When I talked to Adam on Saturday they were hitting up Bruster's, the super wonderful ice cream place they have in Atlanta! Adam said they walked around the park where the hotel is and just hung out. Tonight I called him around 8 and he had just woke up! Said that they got up early to eat breakfast with Joey and Gale before they headed back to Indiana and after they left, Adam took a nap. It was much needed since it was around 7 hours long! I just hope he sleeps tonight!

Mom attended the walk/run today for County Employee's. This years walk/run was dedicated to Adam. Once again, we are blow away by the amount of support YOU ALL have given Adam. You all are amazing people and I pray that God bless you as much as all of you have blessed us! Thank you!

Tonight I leave you with a quote that has been on Adam's facebook page for a while, but it's a quote that in the early days of Adam's accident that someone pointed out to me....and I think it pretty much sums up why he chose to serve our community!

"Make a place in your heart for those who put service above self; For they understand that freedom requires a sacrifice that the protected will never know."

Thank you to the many that protect us on a regular basis. Thank you to those that protected Adam the night of his accident. You will never know how much your sacrifice meant to us that night.

More good news!

Got a good text from Adam last night letting us know that he will be home the night before his scheduled day to be released! He had asked me about whether he should ask, I told him the worst she could say is no, and he asked and she said "yes, that's a good idea." So his day for coming home is coming up!!! WOOHOO! Today he said that he had some stuff to look up on the computer and had to do it within a certain amount of time. He passed! He said that his therapists have been working on multitasking and he is doing wonderful with that as well. He played Catch Phrase today and he said that he was really speaking up and answering things. He notices that other have deficits that he wouldn't have noticed weeks ago. The therapist said his memory is doing great! He said that at the beginning of his session today that she gave him three things to remember. And then they worked on other things and at the end, they asked him to tell them the three things he was supposed to remember....HE DID! I remember way back when at Parkview when he first started therapy and he couldn't remember much at all with his short term memory! He has to remember them over the weekend too and report back to her on Monday with those phrases that he's supposed to remember. God is good! He knew there was a little girl down here who needed her Daddy! He also went up on the amount of weight that he's using for his therapy with his shoulder. It still bothers him, but not as much as before! Like I said before, God is good! It'll be 8 weeks on Saturday since this all began! I still remember vividly when Dad woke me up to tell me Adam had been in an accident. I don't know if that memory will ever get less vivid, but for one thing I am glad...that God brought him out of this on a positive note. I know it's not all completely over yet, but I feel like progress has been made! This situation has made me re-evaluate the things that are important to me. And besides God, my family is number one. Always has been, but forever will be! If I can get the paparrazi to get me some pictures this weekend, we'll be all set! Derek and Jaime Ness will be there tomorrow to see Adam and then Joey and Gail Herron will be down there late tomorrow night for the weekend! New faces for Adam and I'm so excited for them to see him and see how well he's doing!

Rehab day like 400!!! Not really!

Talked with Adam tonight and will share a bit from him about his therapy today. He said that he had to do a bunch of balance exercises this afternoon on the balance ball. He also had some kind of exercise where the walls and floors moved, so he had to concentrate on balancing during the movement. He said that he tried to concentrate on other things to get through this exercise, but his therapists said that he is doing VERY well! He had speech therapy with another rehab participant today and he said that that guy is way worse off than what Adam was. But he could pick up on what the guy was having problems with. That's great that he's picking up on this stuff! He said his shoulder works with much less pain than before, even though he still has some and his range of motion is way better than before. After talking with his therapists, he realizes how lucky he is to only have a few little issues to work on after having a brain injury like him. He really is a lucky ducky and the MAN upstairs was really watching over him! He's getting closer each and everyday to being home. I absolutely CANNOT wait! I know that it has to be much harder for him to "wait" but I can't either! Thank you all again, for all your support! You are all wonderful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just got done talking with Adam and Dad. Dad said that he's seen major improvement in Adam just in the last week. He said that his short term memory is getting much, much better. They went to an aquarium today and dad said that he just tried to stand back and let Adam have his space and he does really well. Adam said that on Friday night, after he moved in with dad at the hotel, he had the best nights sleep since coming out of his coma. Then last night when we talked to Dad, Adam was in the hot tub at the hotel. Hopefully that might help his shoulder loosen up a bit and also help relax him before going to bed! He's still ready to come home, and I can't blame him. I'm so eager to see him as well and see for myself how well he's doing! We're just so very blessed with how well Adam is doing. I can't wait for him to be back with his Miss Sadie! He's already arranging his first evening home with her! Again, thank you so very much for all your support. I was mowing today and just kept thinking how awesome it was to see all the support for him last night. We live in a community that cares and it unbelievable how everyone comes together to care for their own. THANK YOU again, and again, and again!

Tonight I share with you what Adam has to say. He shared this letter as part of the Spaghetti Dinner tonight. Thank you so much for those of you that came out and supported him. Once again, I'm overwhelmed at the amount of love and support Adam has and how much our community really cares! It's a blessing to be a member of the Whitley County Community. THANK YOU!

Hello everyone... I first want to thank everyone for their support...any support and their prayers!! Though I'm down here, all your support helps, and believe it or not, much of it makes its way to me...sooner or later.

I especially want to thank everyone who was at the accident scene, to those who put '"Service above Self." Your character and unselfishness says a lot about you...thank you to all that helped. And thank you to those that made the scene to provide moral support.

I would like to share with everyone my current condition... Physically I am feeling really well. My once broken left shoulder is healing. I still experience shoulder pain when I attempt to take my arm to extreme angles or push/pull heavy objects. The swelling and bruising disappeared on my arm a few weeks ago...all looks normal. Due to a few different factors I have not slept well since I woke from my coma. Some days are worse than others. I know that lack of sleep can affect a person mentally and physically. It has affected me a bit. I've recently started a light work-out during therapy. I have been running on the treadmill and have done modified push-ups for the first time. April 9th stands out to me as the first day I comprehended info, recalled being awake, and being alert. I could walk with assistance, had shoulder pain most of the time and was fidgety. Currently I can run up and down the stairs, perform walking lunges, sprinting, perform jumping jacks and walk backwards while tossing a ball back-and-forth between someone. I can do all these activities on my own, and with much greater aggressiveness!! My physical "instinctual" reactions have also returned.

Mentally...According to medical records, I arrived at therapy as a 7 on a scale 1 to 10, 10 being recovered/normal condition. I am currently between a 9 and 10. My only remaining issues, according to rehab, are my short-term memory, which is very common among brain injuries and my 'word-finding', which means finding particular words, completing statements and talking fluently.
Currently my short-term memory is very close and getting better each day. As humans we all forget information, so it's not uncommon for one to forget info they were given. So I am no different, however, I would forget simple info. I have disciplined myself to spend a few minutes daily thinking of past events, people, therapy, etc. Just to work on the memory. My memory is very close!! Word finding is also close...very close. I am talking fluently, using the correct words for a particular subject and completing statements. I am again taking initiative in speaking up on given issues for myself.

Not including the shoulder pains, I am feeling like myself. My personality traits are the same and returned weeks ago. For those that know me, you'll identify those traits. :):)I never forgot daily tasks such as showering, dressing or eating, etc. Nor did I forget info that I took in years ago. I still remember driving directions, names and phone numbers... phone numbers I learned years ago, but haven't used in that long as well.

I was given my tentative exit date during this week. Tentative meaning, it can be scheduled sooner if improvements meet particular requirements. Some of you may know my exit has been re-scheduled for a sooner date. I will be home soon!!!

Each day here I have improved, and each day is one day closer to home, to my family, my Ms. Sadie and my wonderful friends. Each day is also a little harder being away from everything....away from life. I miss it all. Again, I want to thank everyone for their support!!

Take Care, Adam

Just another day closer!

This is another day closer to Adam coming home! Talked with Adam today and he said that his therapies are going good! He worked with speech therapy, had an exercise group, a music therapy group, and a few other things today. He said that he had to plan a meal and will have to go out Monday and buy everything he needs and then later next week cook it. He chose hot dogs and "Roni and Cheese" as Sadie says! And as simple and yucky as some of you may think it sounds, NOTHING sounds better than a hot dog on the grill!!! Yummm!!!! He was at Target with Dad and Jake tonight when I called. I think they also went to Bdubs for dinner! Tonight will be his last night at the "compound!" He will be staying with Dad for the remainder of his time in Atlanta. Dad and Jake climbed Stone Mountain today and YES it was stone! Can't wait to get some pictures from them to show everyone! And also some pictures from Dad of Adam and Jake together! Jake heads home tomorrow, so please pray for his safe return. Also, Saturday is the Spaghetti Dinner that Cheryl and many other people have helped to organize for Adam. We're hoping to see everyone there! We'd love to be able to say a huge thank you for the support that you've been for both Adam and our family! Thanks all!

Great News for the day!

Woohoo! Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! Great news came today from Adam. They are allowing him to be released a few days early! He was happy about this. Also on the weekends he will be able to start staying with dad and he found out today that starting next week, he'll be able to stay with dad full time. If he wants to stay at the center that is fine, but is allowed to stay with dad now. Starting tomorrow, he'll have to start asking for his medications. They no longer will be "offering" them. He will actually have to get up and ask the nurse for them in the mornings. I don't think he'll have any problem with this, he was asking for them back at Parkview! Jake arrived down there last night and when I tried getting a hold of them tonight, they were all out to dinner with the group. Adam said last night that they were going to some kind of Ryan's Buffet. He said it wasn't the Ryan's Steakhouse that they have up here. Other than that, I don't know much else! I do know that this is just another step forward in this long recovery! I will have more from them tomorrow when I actually get to talk with one of them! Today was just texts and hear-say! It's absolutely amazing how your prayers have helped Adam! This is just another example of God working in this situation! Keep praying!

6 weeks, 4 days and still counting

Hey all! Sorry about the LOOOONG delay on getting this messaged up. I was out of town for a few days at a work conference. But Adam seemed to have had a great weekend. On Saturday an old high school friend of his, Holly, who lives in Tennessee made the trip down to Atlanta to see Adam. They got to hang out for most of the afternoon/early evening then she headed back! If I can remember correctly, I think they went and had some more Bdubs! Ha! After Mom and DeWayne left on Sunday morning, Dad asked him what he would like to do, and he said, "want to see a Braves game?" He had been checking out the schedule! They went to the game and the Braves won! They then stopped for a bite to eat and he spent some time talking with Sadie. After that, it was back to the "compound" as he calls it.
From Dad: I saw improvement after the first week here and have seen a marked improvement the second week. This weekend we walked in the park area, uneven terrain, up and down stairs, went up and down escalators, crossed streets, stepped off curbs, went up and down ramps. He had no difficulty doing any of these. He has done well in the short amount of time he has been here. There are new people coming just about every day to the center. And of course, he has made friends with several!

Tonight I was able to have Sadie for a few hours so we connected to Adam via Skype. She enjoys seeing Adam via the web! I'm so glad she's able to still see his face. He looks really good. His scars on his head are really healing well. He said that his therapies are going well. He had to balance a checkbook, write like 15 checks and manage his bills by putting the on a calendar. He said he got a 100% on all this! WooHoo! As Dad said above, his walking and balance seems to be wonderful! He said he also did some push-ups on an angle today and they felt good, but after a while, his shoulder was hurting him a bit!

In a matter of 6 weeks and 4 days, he's made leaps and bounds in his recovery! It's absolutely amazing to see his progress and how God has really been at the center of it. He's a miracle, without a doubt in my mind and I'm so very thankful that God saved him for us and gave us and him more time on this planet! He can't wait to get home and just sleep a few days he said today. But I know first and foremost, he can't wait to see his baby girl! Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers for Adam and our family! We've made it through this far from all of your support! So THANK YOU!

Jake made the trip down today and he will be back on Friday. Watch out Atlanta the Schrader boys (all three) are on the loose! Keep Jake in your prayers as he travels!

At the Braves game...

Miss Sadie playing outside today...

And our sidewalk art for Daddy!