How Could We Forget.... Pt. 2

Continued.... (Read first part here)

***Warning this may be a little gruesome for some.  Not trying to be, just trying to tell the story.***

The accident happened around 8:30pm and we were down at the ER in Asheville by 9:30pm.  

Sounds like a long time, but we were all the way up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we made very good time.  Although it didn't really matter all that much because we waited about 2 1/2 hours before we saw anyone :)

Everyone was very nice, but I was getting frustrated, like,

"Don't you all see my husband's thumb is gone and he is bleeding all over the place?!  Doesn't that concern anyone??"

Looking back I know they wanted to help us, but that is just the way the ER works.
(I have a picture of him sitting and waiting, but I think it might be too much to put on a public blog. If I can figure out a way to edit it I will put it up).
A lot of different things happened to get Matt ready for surgery.  But I'll spare you all the details!
Dr. James Thompson was the doc to do the work on Matt's thumb.

Dr. Thompson was the real deal.  Hands were his specialty.  He had worked and taught at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He knew what he was doing.
I got to stay in the room with Matthew, which I was glad about.  He was wide awake through the whole thing.  He said the part that hurt the worst was the numbing shot given to him right in his thumb/wound.

I can only imagine.

Dr. Thompson told us that there was a 50% chance of the tip of Matt's thumb taking back to the rest of the thumb.  This was the highest percentage he could give us.  Normally in adults they would not even try to reattach, but since it was such a clean cut (thank you, brand new Gerber Axe), and since Matt was healthy and not a smoker, Dr. T decided it was worth a try.  But he did not want us to get our hopes up.  We thought for several days that he had missed the bone, but we received wrong information in the ER, some bone had indeed been severed, which was an additional challenge for the reattachment.

So, the entire time Dr. T is working on reattaching the thumb, Matthew is sharing the gospel.  He is not mincing words either.  I was praying the entire time, not saying much, also worrying that Dr. T was going to sow the thumb on backwards or something because of Matt's straightforward comments!
There are many more details, but this blog is getting way too long...

It was a long month or so of waiting to see if the thumb had accepted the other piece.  

Matt's dad was wonderful to take him to all of his appointments in Asheville, about 45 minutes from home.  It was nearly impossible for me to take him as I was in my last semester of my senior year, doing Student Teaching.  Basically working full-time as a teacher, just not getting paid.  But I'm not complaining, I had the most amazing C.T.=cooperating teacher (and assistant and one-on-one!) ever and I learned so much from all 3 of those lovely ladies!  My C.T. was also incredible with the accident, letting me leave early some days to go to certain more important appointments with Matt.

We are so thankful for Matt's parents and others helping us out so much during this time!  We had church family making us meals and people coming out to visit and pray.  We were so blessed!

Most of all....

We give the LORD all the thanks and all the glory, because the months prior to the accident we felt like we were barely holding on with both of us working full-time and me going to school.

I remember depending on Matthew to do most of the housework and cooking, especially on his days off because when I wasn't working at my school, I was working at home to complete lesson plans for my first graders and all of my university assignments.

It was impossible to think about not having his help, but for several weeks, even a couple months after the accident, he was really unable to keep doing all the things he had done previously to serve and help me.

It was completely and totally the grace of God that we made it through those times.  

As we look back, we honestly cannot say how we got everything done that we needed to be done and that I still graduated with honors and we still made it to seminary the following January.

God is faithful.  

He carried us.  

He sustained us.  

He provided our every need.  

He was our Rock.

Some photos of the journey....

This is where Matt spend the majority of his time... I called it "the cockpit."  He had the computer connected to the TV so he could watch movies and teachings.  He had the wireless keyboard and mouse pad on the little table where Snoopy is, he had drinks, and pillows and blankets, and books all around.  I think it was at this time that he/we decided to go to Imago Dei Church when we moved to Raleigh/Wake Forest.  We had been looking online and praying about where to go and were leaning that direction, but it was during this time that he was able to watch almost all of the Galatians teachings and we were blessed and encouraged and felt at home without even being there.  We are so so thankful to be a part of this church family now!  Another one of God's gifts!

Meal Time, at the table.  This was an accomplishment!
Poor guy was so drugged up the first couple of weeks.
I was so glad when his pain meds went down and he could feel more like himself.

He was supposed to keep his hand elevated, so we called him "The Tour Guide."

November 9, 2011.  Right before going into surgery to remove the "dead" piece and reconstruct the best thumb Dr. Thompson could make.
I was sort of a wreck this day because he had to "go under" and that always comes with certain risks.  But everything turned out fine.  There are actually some really funny things that happened this day.  As mentioned in the first post, we were trying to conceive at this time so one of the things Matthew said after coming out of surgery was,
"When can we have baby making sex?!"
He repeated this question ever so loudly to all the nurses, doctors, and other innocent patients and family members.  I am sure I was beet red the entire time.  I was also praying that his parents could not hear him in the waiting room, because we had not told anyone we were trying.  Ahh... I received a lot of sympathetic looks that day.
It's ok Babe, I know you were quite drugged :) xoxo

The Bandage

He has a great sense of humor....
Thumbs up for us!
With the Lord on our side we made it through my graduation and Matt's injury and we were still headed to SEBTS!
Thank you family and friends for all the support and prayer!
We love you!

Caleb Parham and my funny guy
Nov. 26, 2011
Chelsea and Andrew Zimmerman's Wedding:)

The shirt my brother bought Matt for Christmas...
A big dog with an axe.... haha... funny Josh:)
Matthew is a pretty hilarious guy and he doesn't even realize it.
That is one of the things I love most about him.
I also love the fact that he never takes himself too seriously:)

***Warning***

The next couple of pictures might be a little more than you want to see.... Please progress with caution.  

This is what his thumb looked like before the 2nd surgery.... that blackness is deadness... no life there... maybe some spiritual analogy though ;)

What his thumb looked like a week or so after the final surgery....

We praise God for being our all in all!

We know He was with us, behind and before.  What a good and gracious Lord.

"You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me." 

Psalm 139:5

We know He has and will continue to keep His promise:

"The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.  
Do not forsake the work of Your hands."  
Psalm 138:8

How Could We Forget... Pt. 1

***Warning this may be a little gruesome for some.  Not trying to be, just trying to tell the story.***

A little over a year ago, on October 14th, 2011 my husband and I set off on a great adventure to go camping at Pisgah Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We had a van full of way more stuff than we needed and our bellies full with a yummy smoothie from Smoothie King, we were off! We were leaving later than we had planned, but I was choosing to have a good attitude and be patient (the Lord is still really helping me grow in those things!).  Matt had just worked a nightshift at work the night before so that means he got home at 5:30am, in the bed by 6am and woken back up around 1pm or so.

ANYWAYS.... We were now on our way, driving down all sorts of beautiful roads.  I still couldn't believe this was my home and I also couldn't believe we would be leaving it in a few short months to head to seminary.  We were both so excited, but the bittersweetness of leaving family and friends was also there.  Matt had dealt with a lot of stress and anxiety and stomach issues pretty much all of 2011.  I had injured my back very badly the previous October and was still suffering from it.  A few months prior, August to be exact, we had begun praying about and trying to start our family, which had been unsuccessful up to this point (another story for another time:)).

We had a lot of ups and downs in 2011.  

As we look back on it we call it our Year of Faith.  

God was really stretching, testing, challenging, and growing us in a lot of ways.  The events that were about to play out on the lovely fall evening of October 14, 2011 were just another part of our Year of Faith.

We arrived to our campsite around 7:30-8pm.  We met our "neighbors," Mark and Bill, two nice guys away for the weekend to fish.  Then we set up our tent, joking and laughing the whole time.
Finally, it was time to start dinner.  We were going to have hotdogs cooked over the fire topped with guacamole and baked beans on the side. Yum!
We brought our own fire wood, which Matt needed to cut down into kindling.  For his birthday a few months earlier he had received a Cabela's gift card, combined with one he had received for being in a wedding, he bought himself a brand-new Gerber Axe.

Lauren's perspective (Maybe Matt will write his one day...):

So there was my man cutting kindling out in the woods, sexy right?, but to be honest, he was making me nervous.  

He had just sent me to the van to get some more wood... in my nervousness, honest to goodness, I was about to turn around and say,

"Please be careful Babe" 

but before I could say anything I see him walking over to the other campsite to talk to the two fishermen.
I head over there to see what is going on and as soon as I approach I began to say "Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus."  I think that is about all I could do or say.

My Matthew is holding his left hand, thumb to be more specific, and all I can see is bright, red blood pouring out of his thumb.  

Matt is calm, cool, and collected.  

He starts telling us all what to do.  "You (pointing to Bill) get me something to put pressure on the wound with, then go tell the Park Ranger what has happened and call for an ambulance."  "Ok, now you two (Mark and I) come help me find the thumb."

So over to the cutting/fire area we go.  I am still saying "Oh Jesus" a million times.

Asking my husband if he is ok.
What?
I know stupid question.  I felt so helpless.

Then I started praying a little more full prayer, "Oh Jesus, help us find the thumb."  "Oh Jesus, please let it not be in the ashes."  Then I spotted it, "There it is! Oh I cannot touch it..." So Mark picked it up.  I went to the van and got a little cooler that I had thrown in at the last minute for "no reason."  Put some ice in it and we wrapped the piece of thumb in some plastic.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: If anything like this were to ever happen to you, i.e. losing an extremity, studies now show that cool/cold water is enough, ice can damage nerves, etc...).  

By this time, Bill has come back and tells us to get in the car.  I grab my purse and give Mark the keys to the van.  They say that they will pack up all our stuff for us (such great guys!).
Matt and I get in Bill's car and drive to the front of the park.
Matt asks me to read Psalm 139, a Psalm we had been mediating on a lot in recent weeks.  Bill is still in the car with us as we wait for the ambulance.  We get the opportunity to read Scripture, pray, and share the gospel with him before they EMT guys get there.  All while my husband is holding pressure on his half a thumb.

Wow, I cannot over state how proud I am of my man.  

God was so faithful to him during that time.

The paramedics get there and load us up.  Matt in the back with one guy and me in the front with the driver.  I wasn't happy about being separated, but it turned out ok.  

Matt again shared the gospel with the gentleman working on him.  I wish that I had been more in my right mind and thought to share the gospel with the driver, but unfortunately, I was very emotional....

To be continued....   

Well Hello October

So the first week of this lovely month has flown by!

I am amazed!

Not to talk about the weather or anything cliche like that, but it is really feeling like fall here.  I have been pretty cold the last two days, which is a lot for a 9 month pregnant woman to say. 

This blog doesn't have a whole lot of direction but I have a few things on my mind....

I just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and support so far and I ask that you would not stop. Labor and delivery are coming! We need our family and friends! We are so incredibly grateful for each one of you!

I have been writing my "Birth Plan" and so I wanted to put this out there, although most of you probably already know: we are going for an unmediated, natural birth here in a few weeks.
I am sharing this not to say that I'm "more of a woman" than those who have had medicated births, (1-because I haven't actually done it yet and 2- because I don't believe that :)) but I am sharing this because I would appreciate any encouragement, tips, etc from those of you have been where I am trying to go.  This is all very new territory for me and while I am extremely excited to have my little girl, I am also a bit wary of the unknown. So please feel free to share how you managed your unmediated births:)

Keeping with the randomness of this blog here are some great things about October:

-My parents got married on the 10th.  They are celebrating 25 years this year! Praise God!

-My brother was born on the 22nd! He is wonderful! I can't wait to see him as an uncle.

-Our baby girl might be born this month!

-Matthew gets a much needed and well earned fall break!

-We finish our birth class on the 27th

-Family is coming in town! Including my little college sister! Go Flames:)

-Fall is in the air!

Well... There is so much more to love about October/fall but I'll save that for another less random post, hopefully!