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July 20 Update

By Bud | July 21, 2008

Every Sunday here at Craig they have chapel at 10:30. We have not missed one since our arrival and today was no exception. It was a very emotional service. Our co-patient Dale is going home to Huntsville, Arkansas Thursday. Dale is the 60 year old gentleman that I told you about in an earlier email. He was shot by a co-worker’s 22 year old boyfriend in Springdale, AR. Jan 15th. She was killed, Dale is now paraplegic. He has been here since Jan. 30th and is ready to go back to his beloved state of Arkansas. Dale and I have conversed over the last six weeks and I did not realize how much it meant to him until this morning. What I had taken as my usual talking habits, Dale told everyone in church how we became part of his family and our encouragement for him when his family was unable to be there was comforting to him. Dale then came over to me and we hugged and cried together there in church. The relationships that we have formed with other patients and their families have been a blessing from God in it’s own right. So since this was Dale’s last Sunday in church with us here, I asked him to lead all of us in the Razorback chant. Woooooooo Pig Sueeeeeeee (2 times) Wooooooo Pig Sueeeeee, RAZORBACKS. I think that is how it goes. I’m sure I will be corrected by someone if I am wrong. The service ended with Dale singing Amazing Grace to us. We will miss Dale here, but we will meet again.

Another busy week for visitors from BA with Easton Woods and his mother Lisa. They came in Friday and spent the day with Peter and Easton spent the night with Peter in his room. They brought us a prayer quilt provided by St John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa. Saturday night they attended the Rockies game with us, seeing a Rockies victory.(see attached pictures) Fellow BA hockey player Matt Cooper was also here Sat. to visit Peter. Matt was unable to go to the Rockies game with us due to having some car trouble. Monsignor Gaalaas came by today, back in Denver after a visit to Crested Butte with his sister. The visitors from back home are so important to Peter. He knows that the support he has helps him in his road to recovery.

Janet has returned to be with us and she will stay here this week. Whitney will be here Wednesday along with Peter’s good friend Wes Moody and they will stay through the weekend. The Miami Project, the top spinal cord injury research center in the nation, will be here this week to interview and video us for a short video on our story to help promote spinal cord research. Please pray to give us words of wisdom to help promote the research for the devasting effects of spinal cord injuries. Pray for Peter this week to regain sensation in his lower body and to continue his progress in taking steps in the pool. One thing Peter is struggling with is when he goes out in public places. Please pray to give him strength when he leaves the confines of the hospital and has to deal with the real world outside of the hospital walls.

He will walk again,
Bud

Topics: Peter |