March 31, 2020

Update by Kim

Today Shannon graduated from SICU - which sounds to me like university, so we are giving her the same fanfare we plan to when she does graduate from one. Not only did she graduate- Rapunzel has left the tower! Jefferson has been so fantastic for her and we cannot say enough good things about them. I am planning an entire post on sharing how fantastic they have been. Now she’s off on a new adventure. While it’s not as cool as going to see a bunch of paper lanterns take flight, we know this is exactly what she needs. She moved to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital so she can do brain and spine injury rehab. 

Shannon has been practicing breathing without the ventilator again and did well. She also had some speech therapy- to teach her how to form her words so others can read her lips better, and also to try to talk plugging her trach. We are so hopeful that both will help her communicate better until she gets the trach removed. It’s so hard for her to not be able to tell us what’s on her mind. And we hate seeing her get frustrated with our inability to read her lips or guess the right word. Without context at all- it’s so difficult to know what she’s saying. I’m sure it all makes sense to her, but most things we have figured out make no sense to us. One day, she was telling us about a chicken....we have no idea what she was trying to tell us about it. 

For those of you who knew of our struggle deciding which rehab to send her to; the answer became perfectly clear. We had been doing research, talking to friends, and praying about it. I find that choice of words is a funny thing. I kept praying to "make the right choice", but I never really felt like I was getting an answer. This morning, Magee seemed like it was where we should send her. But when the hospital called, Lancer immediately told them we hadn't decided on Magee- which is where they were planning to have her go. Then she told us one of the other hospitals had to move all their patients to single rooms (coronavirus rules) and won't have an open for several weeks; the other can't take patients with ventilators. So the only "choice" left of the places we were considering was Magee. So there you go. 

AND>>>>>>>> BEST. NEWS. EVER.

 We got to be with Shannon to help her get settled in at the rehab hospital!!! It was fantastic!!

Today has been so crazy. They told us this morning they were working on getting her ready to leave. It might be today, it might be tomorrow. We had to wait for spinal to sign off on her leaving, the room to be available, and the insurance to pre-approve of her transfer. Then we were informed of what type of clothing Shannon needed at the rehab hospital, and of course the wardrobe she brought home from college wasn't going to work. So I had to venture out into the coronavirus infested world and (this is the really shocking part- if you know me AT ALL)  I went to Target. I know. Miracles do happen. Lightning is coming. I shopped at Target. If you've doubted my love and devotion to her at all, THIS is proof that I would seriously do anything for her. All the other stores besides Walmart are closed. The really good news is that everyone is buying shirts because that's all you see on conference calls. I guess everyone just wears pj's or skivvy's on the bottom. It was *really* easy to find sweatpants and joggers for her. Thank you world, for not standing during conference calls. 

Lancer and I were both able to meet Shannon at the hospital, and everyone we encountered were absolutely wonderful.  We were told we had 15 minutes with her, and were happy to have that. After a ride up the elevator with the paramedics that transferred her, we were met by a wall. A literal wall. The door opened and there was a wall there. Too bad none of us read the instructions in the elevator on how to get to the floor her room is on. {Go up 2 floors, turn left, go right, past the place where the Johnson's farm used to be, then another set of elevators, and right again.} Shannon had her back to the elevator door, and when I told her we couldn't get out because there was a wall behind the doors- she mouthed today's Disney quote. 

This is a long post! Sorry. 

They got Shannon all checked out and settled, and her doctor told us she'd be back in a second, and not to leave Shannon alone. We told her to take her time. Next thing we knew, no one came back for us. When "visiting hours" ended, not that anyone can actually visit, no one came for us. We had been there for 2.5 glorious hours! Shannon was getting really tired. We had already spent a lot of time with her explaining to her what happened in the accident, what happened to her physically, and what our interaction with her will be like going forward, for now. She was very much aware and understanding what we told her. Tomorrow, she might not remember it. But tonight, having us there, and hearing how she has championed her injuries with the help of thousands of people praying for her, and the blessings she's received from God; she fell into an easy sleep and looked absolutely peaceful. I was even able to sneak back in with the posters we forgot in the car and hung them up without her waking up. I hope in the morning she knows it wasn't all just a dream, although that's how it's feeling for me right now. 

Please pray that Shannon will continue to improve her ability to breathe on her own, that she will be able to communicate better so she's not so frustrated, that she will be comfortable in her new surrounding, and that she will continue to be strong and at peace. Please don't forget to thank our Father in Heaven for *ALL* the blessings. My little answered prayer of being with her is all I needed to get me through another few weeks or so of this crazy life. Thank you for caring, praying, and being there for us!

Today's Disney quote:

{squirrel gibberish} 

Kronk- Ya, tell me about it.

{squirrel gibberish} 

Kronk- No, no! It's not you. She's not the easiest person to get close to. 

There's a *wall* there. 

-Emperor's New Groove