Updates...

Just wanted to have everyone say a special prayer tonight... Johnny will be going into surgery tomorrow for a skin graft to his leg. Please pray that he remains infection free and the surgery goes well. After this surgery Johnny will be recovering while awaiting rehab. Good luck Johnny... We are all praying for you!

I will post updates as I get them!

New room, new request!!!!

Just wanted to leave an update. Johnny has changed rooms within the hospital. Johnny is in room 819. His telephone number is 904-244-2819.

Johnny got a wheelchair yesterday and was able to get up and ride a round a little with the help of his family. Johnny's dad is back in town to be with him and is a tremendous support. Johnny's mom will be by to visit today and will be staying the weekend. Johnny has a great support system and has many friends stopping in to visit. Thanks to all of you guys! I know Johnny loves the company.

Johnny's new food request is PROTEIN... AKA STEAK!!!!!! One of Johnny's best friends is bringing one of his favorites tonight... Long Horn Steak! Eat up and enjoy Johnny!

Johnny is still enduring heavy physical therapy. Along with that comes pain... physical and emotional. Johnny has been so strong throughout this... You are such a trooper Johnny! Stay strong and keep fighting... you will be back at home and in your old routine in no time!

Feel free to give Johnny a call. The days are long in that hospital room and he would love to hear from each of you!

Updates from the week...

Sorry I have not posted any updates lately... my computer got a virus and I was unable to log on to the blog to post anything. So, a quick recap of Johnny's week...

Johnny went to surgry on Tuesday to have skin grafts done on both his arm and leg. While in the OR the doctors decided his leg was not healed enough to perform the skin graft. It may be up to 6 weeks before they feel it is healed enough to perform the surgery. The skin graft on his arm was completed with success. Now Johnny has to be very careful to let his arm heal. The graft is like a thin piece of wax so any movement may cause it not to take.

Johnny has started working with physical therapy. He is doing remarkable well. Johnny is dedicated to getting better and getting home, back to work, and back to his life. He is still having quite a bit of pain and is still recieving medication for that.

He has spoken to many friends and family members and welcomes any calls. He is so ready to move out of the hospital and start rehab. He has been able to talk to his sweet baby girl on the phone and I know that is a huge part of his recovery. Addy is still here in Charlotte but will be making the trip to see her daddy very soon. She is so excited and I know Johnny is also. I have talked with Johnny mnay times this week and each day he seems better and better. He is ready to take this challenge and fight it every step of the way! He is doing so well. God truly does answer prayers... keep them coming!

Saturday, January 17th

It has been 2 very long weeks since Johnny's accident. So much has happened to all of us through this journey but most of all to Johnny. So many prayers, emotions, tears, laughs, hugs, and support but in the end, 2 weeks later, Johnny is out of the ICU. Way to go Johnny... We all knew you could do it! Johnny is starting to piece together all the events over the past 2 weeks. He remembers very little about the accident but remembers bits and pieces. He is now dealing with the emotional aspect of his injuries and is having pain associated with his arm and leg. Johnny got a chance to look at the blog and sends a special thanks to everyone for their prayers, love, and support. Keep them coming...

A quick update on the course of his treatment... Johnny will go back to surgery on Tuesday for a skin graft to his arm and leg. The projected recovery time is about a week and then the plan is to head to rehab. Johnny is ready to get up and go.

I had the pleasure to talk to Johnny yesterday. To hear his voice was heart-warming. It truly made my day to hear his voice! Being a nurse and knowing more about the medical aspect than my other family members has been good and bad. I was able to help explain what the nurses and doctors don't take the time to tell you, but on the flip side I knew what Johnny was going through and what he was having to endure. It is one thing to do this for a living but it is another thing when it is your own family lying in the bed! Johnny, I am so glad you are better and I can't wait to give you a big hug! You are a miracle and we knew all along you would be nothing less than a fighter! I love you bro!

Johnny would love to hear from all of you. His room phone number is 904-244-2804. He also has his cell phone if you would rather call him on that! Stay tuned and I will post updates as they come!

Friday, January 16th

Johnny is continuing to have such great days! Johnny got out of bed to a wheelchair today for the first time in over a week! The nursing staff got him up and rode him a round a little so he could do something different. His voice is becoming stronger and before long he will be able to talk on the phone. Johnny is very alert but has times, due to medicine, that he forgets or makes up stories. Just for a laugh (because I know he would kill me otherwise) Johnny told Tonya he had the nicest nurse ever and that he went home with her to meet her family and that they were such nice folk!

Johnny was on the waiting list to get his own room so hopefully, when I post his next update, he will be out of the ICU and able to visit more freely with those who have missed him so much! Keep your head up John boy... so many people are praying for you! You have a couple beers promised to you already and lots of chocolate coming your way!

Thursday, January 15th

And what do you ask for after being sedated after 1 1/2 weeks???? Cake and beer!!!!! Johnny is still trying to piece together all that has happened over the past week but he knows for sure he wants cake and beer... and boy does he deserve it! Johnny is starting to ask questions reguarding the accident and is now noticing his injuries. He did shed a few tears and asked his brother many tough question as to how he would get through this. Well Johnny, all your friends and family will be how you get through this, that sweet baby girl will be how you get through this, and you will get yourself through this... you are such a strong person!

Our love, support, and prayers go out to you Johnny. You have so many people rooting for you and we will be your crutch to continue to get through this tough time! Sweet little Addy can't wait to hear the voice of her daddy so continue the fight the fight and we will all be blessed with that sweet sound soon!

Thanks to everyone for all your continued prayers. Johnny, Tonya, and Addy are so lucky to have such wonderful people in their lives!

Answered prayers...

And the good news is... Johnny is off the ventilator and his tubes are gone!!!!!!!! Johnny is fighting the fight of a lifetime and he is winning! The doctors took Johnny off the ventilator at 5pm today and removed his ventilation tube. Tonight Johnny spoke his first words in over a week. Being the fighter he is, his first words were, "When am I getting out of here?!?!?" Now that is the Johnny we all know! His voice was still very quite and he was still pretty tired from his surgery so he did not say much but he said enough to warm out hearts. Johnny's father-in-law was telling Johnny goodbye after his visit and as he was leaving Johnny said "Bye Mr. Chester". Johnny's long term memory seems intact but his short term memory is not, therefore leading to his confusion as to where he is and why he is there.

Johnny's surgery went well. The doctors said his wounds look great and they did not need to do too much to clean them up. Johnny will be getting skin grafts in the near future but for now he is well on his way to recovery!

This is such a huge step for Johnny. Thanks for all your prayers. God truly listens and answers. Way to go Johnny... We love you so much!

Wednesday, January 14th

Just spoke with Tonya and she got a call from the Dr. this morning saying that they were going to take Johnny back into sugery this morning to clean out his wounds on his arm and leg. They will continue to do this periodically to clean out the wound and prevent infection. He will be sedated to perform the surgery but should come out of the anesthesia fairly quick afterwards. Depending on how well he does after surgery the plan is to still extubate him later this evening. Johnny continued to follow commands for the medical staff overnight and all reports are promising. Good luck during your surgery Johnny...

I will update tonight on how the surgery went...

Please pray for my daddy...

Get well soon Daddy! Your biggest fan is praying for you....

Tuesday, January 13th

Johnny had an awesome day today but almost managed to get himself into ALOT of trouble. Apparently when the doctors go into the room in the mornings Johnny ignores them and does NOTHING they ask him to do (follow commands, blink his eyes, squeeze their hands, etc.). This is very common as a patient awakes from such an injury. They are confused and respond only to familiar voices versus a stranger's voice. So, at the morning visit the doctors approached Tonya and Johnny's family about a more permanent treatment option to the ventilator called a tracheostomy. The doctors said that since he was still not following commands that they would need to perform a tracheostomy on Johnny to help facilitate in his progress. Knowing that Johnny had been responding to their commands, his family asked the doctors to come watch as they prompt him to respond. The doctors agreed and came to his bedside to assist in initiating a response. Sure enough... Johnny responded! He opened his eyes to his name, squeezed his brother's hand when asked to and even nodded his head at times to certain questions requarding his sweet baby girl. The doctor was amazed and extremely happy to what he had witnessed. They were so impressed with this milestone in his recovery that they said that there is now a possiblity that tomorrow they would take his tubes out and let Johnny breath on his own. What a fighter!!!!

This is huge step in his progress. Once Johnny comes off the ventilator he will be able to better express himself by verbalizing his needs and it should cut down on his agitation.

Everyone say a special prayer tonight that Johnny continues to follow the lead of the doctors and fight the fight! We know you can do it Johnny! We can't wait to hear that wonderful voice of yours. Addy asks everyday when she can talk to her daddy and we pray tonight that that day will be very soon!

Monday, January 12th

Another good day for Johnny. He is continuing to wake up from his sedation and remains temperature free. He is really starting to move around in the bed and is fighting the tubes in his mouth. These are all good signs that Johnny is waking up and noticing the things in his environment. He is opening his eyes to stimuli in the room and is using all extremities to move around in the bed. Another day of weaning and a huge leap in Johnny's progress. Come on Johnny... we are all cheering you on!!!!

A word of thanks...

I would just like to take a lil time to say thank you to all of you that have been by my side through all of this. It is so amazing how much love and support Johnny has as well as Addy and I. We love "ALL" of you so much and in this tough time in our lives it is so overwhelming to know that we have so many people that love us. I know if Johnny was able to write this himself he would never be able to write each and every person that has showed their love, prayers and support to get us through this. So for everyone involved, we love you and with the Lord's help and all of your help..."WE WILL OVERCOME ALL" and we will pull Johnny through this....
Thanks for Everything!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonya and Addy

Sunday, January 11th

Johnny has had a great day today. He is continuing to wake up from his sedation and is less agitated than previous trials. Johnny is getting sedation medication every 4 hours and pain medication every 2 hours. They are no longer sedating him around the clock. He was more responsive this morning to his family and friends. He was attempting to sit up in the bed and was opening his eyes to familiar voices. He is breathing on his own with only slight help from the ventilator. He is still on the ventilator to assist in lung expansion and to make sure he gets a set amount of breaths per minute. This is very common in the ventilation weaning protocol and is a good sign that Johnny is tolerating the weaning process.

The blood test and lung test looking for infection came back negative. This is great! That means that there is not an infection and that the temperatures may be neurological due to agitation. They will continue to treat him with a series of antibiotics as preventative medicine against threatened infection.

All the news from today has been very promising. We should look for Johnny to continue to wake up through out the week. It is too early to tell at this point how fast he will regain orientation of what has happened to him. Each person varies on how fast they wake up from this type of sedation and injury.

Addy is still in Florida and is still head-strong on seeing her daddy. Please continue to pray that Johnny will get well soon so this baby girl can see her daddy and that Johnny can see his biggest fan and strongest inspiration!

Please pray for all those around Johnny. May God give them the strength to be Johnny's crutch as he starts to wake up and become faced with his reality. Johnny, we WILL pull you through this...

Saturday, January 10th

Johnny had a good day today. The doctors are starting to wean his sedation. Johnny opened his eyes today for the first time this week in response to his family's voices. When asked to blink on command he does. He is still on the ventilator due to the amount of sedation that remains in his system but that will also change as he becomes more responsive. This is a great sign that he is starting to come out of the sedation with less agitation. The plan is to continue to wean the sedation over the next few days and allow Johnny to wake up.

As Johnny begins to wake up and face the reality of what has happened he will rely heavily on us to get him through it. This is going to be the toughest time for Johnny and those around him. We need to come together and help him through this. Thank you to all of you that are continuing to send such kind words. May God give us the strength we need to pull him through it! We love you Johnny!!!

Check back often as we will continue to update on Johnny's progress daily...

Friday, January 9th

Johnny had surgery on his hand/arm today. Everything went really well and the doctors feel that his arm/hand is out of the woods and there should only be a few more procedures on it. They went in to place some metal into his fingers where the bones were badly broken and relocate some of the joints that were dislocated in the accident. He was under anesthesia after the surgery but the doctors felt they would try to wean his sedation later tonight and into the weekend. His arm will undergo a few more surgeries in the near future to place skin grafts so I will keep you posted on when those will take place.

Johnny's fever had broken for the better part of the day. The doctors are still awaiting the blood test results to pinpoint the infection. He is on a broad range antibiotic for now so hopefully those are treating any systemic infection for now.

Please pray that Johnny will tolerate weaning of his sedation over the weekend and will have minimal pain and agitation as he begins to wake up from the sedation. Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers, support, and love. This means so much to his family. I know that like myself, so many of us feel helpless to Johnny and his family right now but do trust that your prayers and kind words mean so much in this road to recovery...

Quick update on Johnny's surgery

Just spoke with Tonya and Johnny did not have his surgery yesterday. He is on the "add-on" list and was unable to go yesterday but is still a possibility for today. I will keep everyone updated on when he goes and the outcome. Johnny's temperature continued to spike during the night. The doctors are still waiting on his blood test to come back to pinpoint the infection and better be able to treat it with the appropriate antibiotic. I will post more updates this afternoon.

Addy is doing well. She went to the hospital with Tonya yesterday. She asked a lot of questions as to why she was unable to go see him and why she was not able to talk to her daddy. She was able to see Johnny's parents (her grandparents) which was good for her and them. She is getting a lot of love and attention and is taking this all very well so far.

Motorcycle pictures...

Last Tuesday we went to the towing garage to take a look at Johnny's bike. It looked better than we all had expected. It has a hole in the motor, the handle bars were taken off, and there were many dents and scrapes. Here are a few pics...
I will update later today on Johnny's status but for now continue to send your prayers. Just wanted to share this one... It was one of Johnny's favorite's pictures...

Johnny and his two loves...

Thursday, January 8th

Johnny is going into surgery today at 2pm to do further work on his hand. He had many crushed bones in his hands and many dislocations. They will putting in rods and plates during the surgery. I will keep you updated on his status.

Say a prayer for Tonya today. Addy is on her way to Florida with my dad. Addy is aware that her daddy fell off his motorcycle and is in the hospital with a boo-boo. She loves her daddy more than anything in the world and will be his inspiration through all of this. I am sure many questions will be coming Tonya's direction today so please pray for her...

I'll keep you updated!

Wednesday, January 7th

Johnny is still heavily sedated. Today the doctors feel like they need to find a source of the temperature he has been maintaining. They drew a few blood samples to determine if the source of infection was in his blood stream. According to those results they will know what to do next. They will then proceed to rule out an infection in his lungs. We will keep you posted on those results. The doctors reported today that towards the weekend they will start to decrease his sedation and let Johnny wake up a little.

Thanks to all of you for you continued prayers, support, and love. Johnny nor his family could not do it without you guys! This is a road that he will need each and every one of us to travel with him! I'll post more once I get an update!

Tuesday, January 6th

Tuesday morning Johnny would continue to be in a sedated state on the ventilator. Due to some bruising on Johnny's lungs, the doctor felt it would be better to have him completly sedated and let the ventilator do all the breathing for him in order to let his lungs have time to heal. The RN said they decreased his sedation medication during the night. He woke up but became very agitated so they had to re-sedate him in order to keep his blood pressure from rising too high. Johnny would remain sedated and dependent on the ventilator for the remainder of Tuesday in order to rest. He is not on the ventilator because he CAN'T breath on his own but because the doctor's DON'T WANT him to in order to completly rest/heal his bruised lungs.

His left arm was beginning to swell from the surgery so they elevated it to prevent any further damage to the hand.

His vital signs were stable and Johnny looked very comfortable. His color was starting to return and the swelling was decreasing.

Monday, January 5th

Monday morning Johnny was still very agitated but was awake. He was still opening his eyes in response to the voices of his friends and family. He would attempt to turn his head towards your voice and would still squeeze your hand when prompted to. He was breathing with minimal support from the ventilator and his vital signs were stable. He was running a small temperature and was pretty swollen which was a response to the increased amounts of fluids he had recieved. He remained in this state for the better part of the afternoon.

At 4pm Johnny was taken into surgery to clean out his arm and leg wounds to prevent infection.
After surgery Johnny was heavily sedated. He would remain unresponsive due to sedation for the remainder of the night but was comfortable and stable.

All about John...

I am starting this blog to keep a daily update on Johnny. Johnny was involved in a motorcycle accident on January 3rd. He went out for a Saturday afternoon drive... a drive that would forever change his life.

At 7:35 Johnny was t-boned by a truck. Johnny had very critical injuries involving his entire left side. He sustained a left leg injury, a crushing left hand/arm injury, bruising to his lungs, and multiple rib fractures. Johnny was not wearing a helmet and by the grace of God, did not sustain any head injuries. Johnny was taken to the local hospital where he was immediatly taken into surgery. He was in surgery for 6 hours and then was transferred to the Intensive care unit on life support. He would remain unresponsive throughout the morning due to heavy sedation and pain medications.

Later that night (Sunday, January 4th), Johnny began to open his eyes. He was very agitated but would open his eyes to his name, squeeze hands when asked to, and was very responsive to the mention of his precious daughter. He would remain this way the majority of the night and into Monday morning.