I’ve Fallen – Part 2

It’s 2:30 am and I begin to cry softly as I lay on the couch trying to find a position that is free from the pain behind my right shoulder blade. My frustration turns into a prayerful cry out to the Lord for relief. “Please, O God. Help me find rest. I’ve told everyone how you have helped me heal, but continued rest at night eludes me. Am I being a hypocrite in withholding how I feel at night? ” I want to yell, but I know that I would wake up my wife and my daughter and her husband who we were visiting. 

I realize that my suffering is minimal to those who have lived in pain for a lifetime. I’ve only had a couple of weeks of sleeping in one to two hour cycles. “God, thank you for saving my life.” I pray softly in the spirit remembering the last two weeks with gratitude. I know that some would want to know what happened after I left the hospital.

Savannah to Baxley

• It was 2 ½ weeks ago when I fell off of a roof in Baxley GA. After a 4 day stay in Savannah recovering, I asked them if I could go back home to Alabama to heal. Having ruled out any significant spinal or internal organ injuries, they consented to allow Pam and I to leave.
• As I sat in the wheelchair exiting the hospital, Micah pulled up to the entrance  in his Toyota, Camry. I had to be able to leave on my own two feet. With help, I stood up and walked to the front passenger seat. “Wow, that’s a long way down.” I thought. With Micah’s strong hands he assisted me with my brace on to the seat. With a little bending of the head and swinging of the feet I was ready to be buckled in for our 2 hour drive to my brother-in-love’s house in Baxley.
• Before leaving Savannah we had to make several stops which included lunch, a stop for prescriptions at a pharmacy and clearing out the AirBnB. This was the first time I felt the warmth of God’s creation in several days. Savannah is a beautiful southern town in GA with streets lined with mossy oaks, eclectic colonial homes and planned green parks along the perfectly geometric city planned roads with many still paved with  cobblestone bricks.
• We parked outside the AirBnB and I told them I was okay to stay in the car with the window cracked and the sun on my face. I watched as a few people passed by on the sidewalk.
• Throughout our ministry together, my wife says, “Everybody has a story.” I was looking at a woman walking by and trying to imagine her story.  With arms, neck and legs covered in tattoos,she walked by with her gaze toward the sidewalk. Either her day had not gone well, or she was contemplating the rest of her day. In my car I voiced a prayer for her. “God make yourself known to her. Let her find hope that is real in Jesus.”
• Micah and Pam were finished with the cleaning and we ate some pizza before our trip to BAxley. It had already been two hours since we left the hospital.
• I knew we were retracing much of the back roads of the ambulance ride a few days earlier. Georgia is relatively flat with large open farm land and pecan groves. 
• As we near Baxley, I point out the Hurricane wind damage to trees and homes which brought me to Georgia a few months earlier to work.  We were working on the last home before returning back to work in Tuscaloosa

Baxley

• Kevin and Wendy had another friend staying with them for the weekend. Donna is a nurse who lives in Alabama. SHe had lost her husband to cancer a little over one year ago. She was amazed that they let me go so early. But here I was walking into the home because of the prayers of many people.
• Where to sleep? Kevin had a couple of electronic recliners for me to choose from. With my brace I was feeling more comfortable slowly bending down into a chair, but getting up still required help.
• Micah and Pam slept nearby to help me up during the night to go to the bathroom. My ability to move for myself was growing, but also apparent was my need for others. 
• We made plans to leave around 9 on Sunday morning for the 7 hour drive to Tuscaloosa

Baxley to Tuscaloosa

• I decided to ride back home in the Ford Escape which I had driven to Georgia, Micah would follow Pam in his Camry. Getting in and out was much easier as the seat was closer to waist height.
• We stopped for lunch in Perry at a Chick-fil-a. There was an old comedy skit on Carol Burnette in which Tim Conway played an old gentleman asking for help from Mrs. Wiggins. He made a sloooow shuffle throughout the skit. I was doing the Tim Conway shuffle across the parking lot and into the restaurant. 
• With my full rib cage brace on and my shuffle into the restaurant, I was catching the first glimpse of compassion and stares for someone who is handicapped. How would I look and treat someone who looks and is walking like me?
• Our next stop was at a Love’s truck stop. We told Micah we were close enough to home, that he could stop following us and get home a little quicker to Birmingham. When Pam and I started driving again, we both felt the weight of “it’s just us now”. Could she move me if I need help? We were trusting God once again.
• My kids made a decision to switch out help for Pam with Micah staying in Birmingham and Katy coming from Starkville. It took nearly 9 hours of travel, but we made it home.

Tuscaloosa First Night Home – Saturday

• Katy arranged our first of many meals with Dr. Shelby and Lisa Sanford. I shared what I could remember of God’s miracles and of the many who were praying.  Dr. Shelby helped me understand some of the impacts of the fractures.
• As night time approached my next hurdle loomed in front of me. Where would I sleep? 
• I really wanted to lie flat in bed, but it was so hard to roll into a sitting position and then get up. Even in the hospital, the bed kept me at a slight incline. Secondly, I wanted to take off the rib cage brace, which was only possible if I was laying flat.
• Pam and Katy were not sure if they could even put the brace back on, if I took it off completely. So we compromised and took off the front part while I kept the back underneath me on the bed.
• I also wanted Pam to get some needed rest. Somehow I convinced them to leave me in the bed alone with my phone nearby so I could call them when I needed them. I am so overly optimistic at this point.
• It was only 1 hour later when I called Pam to help me use the bathroom. Those who know, understand the complication, embarrassment, laughter of helping with the necessity of urinating, Pam never complained.
• Then I had to call her again in another hour.
• Thirty minutes later I called again, not for help with the bathroom, but to help me get out of bed and away from the excruciating pain on my back from the brace. She was so afraid that she might hurt me, but we managed to put the brace together again and got me out of the bed.  Where to now?
• I moved to the living room and sat upright in one of our Queen Anne chairs. My back was comfortable, but my head could not find a good resting point. All the time I was staring at our rocking recliner. It looked so comfortable. The big question, would I be able to get out of it?
• Finally, I told Pam, I was going to try it….I needed rest and got it that first night.

Sunday Week, 1

• We watched church online Sunday morning. The chorus of a new song brought my emotions bubbling up to my eyes. Every Day, Every Minute, Every Moment, God is In it.A gratitude prayer flowed from within. 
• “God, you were there with me on the roof before I fell, as I slipped you were not surprised, when I started the fall of the roof you knew my every thought, You were in my prayer and Kevin’s prayer as I fell head first, the thud of my impact caused You no alarm, as I awakened from the shock of the pain You were the breath in my lungs, Every moment You were with me. And You are just as present with me on this Sunday morning.”
• This issue of getting out of the recliner was becoming a bigger deal. My kids had already ordered one from Amazon, but it would not arrive until Wednesday. Pastor Abb Javine would try to get one from a furniture store on Monday.
• A few came to visit and I would recount the miracle of God’s protection from catastrophic injuries. Pam would remind me to talk quieter and caution about saving my energy.
• The second night I slept in the recliner and the blue chair.

Monday, Week 1

• Pastor was unsuccessful with the purchase of an electrical recliner, but came by for a visit. It was around noon on Monday. Pam told about her phone call with Pastor Abb earlier that morning about the chair and said, “Maybe God, can have it shipped earlier.” Pastor Abb wanted to be a part of making the chair happen.
•  I looked at Katy who had the tracking information. She said, “Well, it looks like it was just delivered. It’s probably outside right now.” In a few moments, Abb was able to use my dolly and plop a big box in my living room. He did get to help with the chair.
• Katy unboxed and assembled the electronic recliner. It was wonderful to get me to the upright position so I could stand up with relative ease.
• That afternoon, I asked to lay in the bed and undo the top part of the brace to let me sleep without it. Pam got a text from Trisha and Ed Buckner who were in town visiting from Starkville. At the same moment, I was asking Pam for some medicated powder. Mr Ed brought some in a few moments and we visited and prayed. What a relief to have the brace off and let my skin begin to heal.
• Another friend brought a meal and we chatted about God’s goodness.
• I slept that night in the new recliner. Katy went back to Starkville, on this night it was Pam and I. We were trusting God that she would be able to assist in whatever may arise.

Tuesday, 1 Week since Accident

• About midnight I woke up and was fully awake, Pam was sleeping on the couch nearby. I could not stop thinking that I needed to record what had transpired over the last week while it was still fresh in my mind.
• I moved to my blue chair and started typing on my laptop. All night long, I would type, nod off and repeat. As the dawn approached I fell into a deep sleep in which Pam saw me with chin buried in my chest. “Greg, are you okay?” I mumbled and said yes, I am typing.
• I was compelled to finish the first 72 hours. I wanted to let others know what had happened and how God was answering prayers. I wrote nearly 4000 words capturing the event and recorded over 30 minutes of audio. This would be my longest blog.
• My parents arrived on Tuesday. There is  a unique bond that remains between a mother and child throughout your entire life. She wanted to see me, hug me, and take care of me when Pam was at work. Blessed to have loving parents in their 80’s while I am in my 60’s.
• Another friend, Billy Ramsdell, showed up to help. Billy and Shanna presently live in Dothan, Alabama. Billy was in the youth group when Pam and I were first married in Florida. That friendship has only drawn closer over the course of lives. He came to serve.

Wednesday – Week Two

• That Tuesday night I asked to try and sleep in the bed again. To me it felt like the brace was making it hard to breathe. This time Billy and Pam totally removed the back and top part of the brace. Pam lovingly sponged me, noticing bruises and healing taking place in my body.
• When I needed to get up in the middle of the night, I had to put the brace back on. I told Pam she could do it, but she went and woke Billy up to help.
• To put the back part on, I have to roll over on my side -usually starting on my left. They shove the brace under my back as far as they can. Then I roll to the other side and they shift it to center it on my spine. FYI – rolling from side to side with my fractured ribs was a chore, in other words, it HURTS. 
• They successfully got me put back together and I moved to the recliner for the rest of the night while Bily slept on the couch. It was the best night’s sleep for Pam in a while, knowing that Billy could help if I needed it.
• So many people were reading and sharing the I’ve Fallen and Many Helped Me Up. I could feel the concentrated prayers for my life. 
• A shift happened on Wednesday. My Tim Conway shuffle was gone. I was taking walks up and down the driveway. Mentally, I knew that I was going to be okay. Hope for healing for me personally was rising up within my heart.
• Pam and I went to the Orthopedic Doctor. This was my first drive around town since arriving home last Saturday. It looked the same, but somehow I was different.
• After X-rays, the consensus was that no surgery would be needed for the damage to my shoulder. The clavicle was only slightly displaced from my AC-Joint. PT was scheduled a couple of weeks out to let my ribs heal before the workouts.
• We still needed to do a followup with my primary care doctor. I am not sick very often and have not been under the best care. Hard Headed. Anyway, my doctor had retired so we needed to find another primary care doctor. Pam found someone who could see us on Monday.
• I mention this date, because I told Pam we were flying to Washington state on Wednesday to see our daughter and husband.  We bought these tickets in early January. Pam wanted an okay from the doctor that I could fly. Dr. Greg’s determination that  I was ready to fly needed a second opinion.

Saturday – Week 2

• Saturday was a great day. Some of the kids and grandkids came for a visit. It was a crisp and beautiful day to be outside. I pushed Oliver on the swing. We watched the kids jump on the trampoline. The younger ones played with the toys and fought over the toys. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of life. Every sound, laughter, and conversation made my heart happy.
• Then, they slowly had to make their way back home. My parents also got to enjoy the grand and great grands. It was a good day.

Sunday, Week 2

• My parents left to drive home to Florida and Katy went back to Starkville, Pam and I were by ourselves again. 
• I was able to take a shower and dress myself by this point. Slowly, but was able to make it happen.

Monday Week 2

• We made our visit with the primary care doctor. She gave the okay for travel, but I would need to wear the brace in the airport.
• NOW to address a topic that I have not mentioned thus far in my story. My sugar levels. I have type 2 diabetes and have been taking supplements and exercise to control it. Christmas and traveling have not yielded the results and my sugar was super elevated. They gave me insulin while in the hospital and sent me home with metformin.
• My primary care doctor wanted a better monitoring system, so I am hooked with Libre3 continuous monitoring.
• While I was in the hospital, Pam looked at the clock on my last night and saw 12:34 am. She felt God say, “1234 are the numbers of order. For you and Greg I am doing a reset. I will bring a new level of order in your lives.” Pam knew this would include Greg’s diet and eating.
• I don’t want to rely on medication, because of the side effects.  Not getting sugar levels under control also has negative side effects. Praying for wisdom as we move forward and for the order that God desires for us to live in.
• My son, David and my friend Billy both told me to use the wheelchair while going through the airport. Pam was already suggesting this. I knew this was one of the ways God speaks, repetition, so I told her to make arrangements for wheelchair help through the airport. I would wear the brace also.

Tuesday – Week 2

• We finally made it to the clinic for the MRI for my shoulder. My Orthopedic wanted to make sure he did not miss anything else going on with my shoulder.
• Later that day we did a follow up X-ray on my ribs and lungs. We would have to wait until tomorrow for the results.
• At this point we were busy packing for the trip. Friday will be our daughter’s birthday and our 38th anniversary.
• I drove for the first time. Doable

Trip to Marysville, WA

• Pam had to work on Wednesday morning while I finished my packing. I put my brace on and told her I would drive to the airport.
• She let me, but she voiced her reservation. She had received a call that morning from the X-ray and MRI from the day before. I had developed some fluid in my right lung and some damage to my rotator cuff.  The doctor said it was okay to travel, just be careful.
• We made it to the ticket counter and the attendant could tell we felt rushed. She assured us that everything would be fine and to take a deep breath. Pam checked our bag and asked for wheelchair assistance.
• Dominique was spot on and ready to assist. He paused and waited for another traveler who also needed assistance. She was loaded down with all of the stuff that you need to transport a 7 week baby. We assumed she and her mother were saying goodbye with tears in their eyes. She was traveling to Dallas where we would change planes.
• I still felt hypocritical having to use the wheelchair as I knew I could walk.
• However, our flight was delayed a little and only 40 minutes left to make our connecting flight. My new wheelchair driver was fast….oh yea, let me backup just a moment.
• Our new mother was flying back home to Alaska. She was in Birmingham visiting her parents. Her husband had been stationed in Alaska and decided to live there. She was also flying on our next leg of the journey to Seattle. 
• When we exited the plane, she was in front of us struggling to carry her belongings and the baby. She had to walk from one of the terminals to the other. Pam asked if she could take the 40lb bag and help her. Now Pam was loaded with our backpacks and another 40lb bag trying to keep us with our very adept race car attendant.  Eventually, he would take one bag from Pam and then another wrapping in the arms of the wheelchair. Then he took the 40lb bag and put it on my lap…and away we skirted. We made it to the gate 5 minutes before boarding. 3 minutes later our new friend showed up to the gate.
• Being in the wheelchair allowed us to board first, so did our friend. Pam found out that she helps with the youth at a Christian Missionary Alliance church in Alaska.  She told Pam – the rest of the story. She knew it would be difficult to maneuver through the airport. She and her mom had prayed specifically for someone kind to see her need and help her along the journey. She told Pam that she was a direct answer to her prayers.
• As Pam relayed this part of the story to me, I smiled. “If I had to sit in a wheelchair to be an answer to someone else’s prayer, God I am okay with that.” It really isn’t about me.

Marysville, WA

• Melody and Campbell were married on December the 8th making the newlyweds. We had a great time seeing her Chick Fil A store,meeting her team of employees,  eating at some fantastic restaurants, sightseeing Snoqualmie Falls, and Seattle’s Pike Street Market place.
• Which brings you back to the first paragraph of my pain throughout the night time hours. God reaffirmed his love…My grace is sufficient for you..me, Greg.
• On the Sunday we flew back, we went to the early service with Melody and Campbell. During worship I became aware that this was my first worship service to attend in person since the accident. Here I am Lord with my hands raised giving You thanks for the privilege to declare the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Truly ITS YOUR BREATH IN MY LUNGS, so I pour out my praise. Even as I am typing this I can’t stop crying and giving God thanks.

Return to Tuscaloosa

• After we returned to Tuscaloosa, I did a practice run on a school bus.   On Tuesday, March 5th, three weeks from the accident I started working at my former job… a city school bus driver. 
• I am not completely healed, but God is with me.
• On Wednesday, Pam and I had the privilege to serve on the prayer team at the end of the service. God was allowing us to be His hands, feet and mouth.

Final Reflection

I don’t know why God allowed me to fall without permanent damage of spinal complications, neck injuries, or internal damage. But He did. I have been the recipient of so many directed prayers for my recovery. Thank you is not sufficient to express my gratitude for your time of praying for Pam and I. My task is to follow His lead, wherever that may take us. He is my shepherd..surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.