The 5th year!

Hi,
We are coming up on the 5th anniversary of Bobb's stroke this year. It continues to impact us in so many ways, mostly because of the aphasia (loss of language) Its such a profound disability - this lack of being able to communicate on any sort of deep level. We have adapted and made it work for us - though there continues to be days when neither of us have the energy to figure out the communication barrier. Which then makes me feel guilty and him feel bad. Life as we know it will never be the same, but.....we do trust that God is sovereign and that He has a plan in all that Bobb has lived through. He loves the Lord and worships Him fully and communicates with Him on a better level than any of us I think. He has had to rely on Him when his whole rest of his world has been upside down, crooked, backwards and plain misunderstood trusting that the Lord knows him whether the rest of us understand him or not :-) We are thankful that he isn't as locked out of language as other sufferers of aphasia. He can and does continue to develop new skills and cognitive abilities as time goes by. The struggle is not giving up even though things seem so impossible. With God and the skills God has gifted others with we continue on working for ways for Bobb to cope with one arm, a leg that never quite functions correctly and speech that fails him often. These people and friends and family we could not have done without over the years! They have been the hands and feet and care of the Lord for us. Now we are moving out from our little place here in Wallowa County and seeing how the Lord will have us serve our local community and beyond. We have been able to see so many people in the past few months and we are so thankful for the role that God has give us. We are so glad in that no matter where we are there are the family of Christ and our hearts meet together. Praise to the Father for all His Good Gifts. Thanks

Almost a year later---HELP! :-)

This year has had a lot of up's and downs - I even doubt there will be too many who come here any more and see if I've done a post. I guess maybe I ought to get better at it. Anyway, after November of last year - we did a lot of traveling back and forth to Seattle to a Vascular Neurologist and a lot of tests - some of which were repeats of old ones - and a lot of medical bills later---It was determined that Bobb probably had a Carotid dissection - an injury to the carotid that had narrowed it and that was probably why he had the stroke. He doesn't have vessels clogged up or anything else any where else in his body so thats what they think the most likely cause was be deduction. But...we have 2 cardiologists and two neurologist all say that he doesn't need or shouldn't be on coumidin - only aspirin and as we get further away from the original stroke with no new strokes the more likely he won't have another one. God is the only one that knows that for sure. Bobb's ability to communicate continues to improve. He jokes with friends, does fantasy football with the guys, participates in a men's bible study called High Quest and those men talk about how much Bobb has been a witness and inspiration to them, he helps around the kitchen, does the lawn, does the laundry, and continues to work hard at improving his language, walking and keeps his hand from atrophying in a fist. He loves the Lord wholeheartedly and says he's better than before. He's looking forward to his oldest daughters wedding and giving her away to AJ Holliday on October 3, 2009. Yes 2 weddings in little over a year - don't know if I can take much more :-) She will be moving to Australia after the wedding :-( Oh sad day for Mom and Dad. Bobb LOVES his girls - well the boys too, but the girls he's protective of. He still struggles to write a good sentence - its hard work. But...He has passed all of the requirements to be an independent driver again - The state of Oregon has all they need - eye test (passed) written test (passed) driving test (passed) and medical clearance because the medication is effective for the seizures that started in the summer of 08. We had a wonderful driving trip in June 09--5400 miles to see friends and the kids - Laramie and Christina in Texas and Lance and Jen in California. It was quite a loop. We also talked to friends and departments in Duncanville at SIL. We were trying to decide if moving to Texas might be an option for us ----but....I'm feeling the most stable I've felt in 3 years and Bobb having to start over when his support system is fairly solid here just seems too much yet for us to start over again so am looking for Wycliffe Alternatives here in the NW for now plus trying to raise another $1100 monthly support will take a while also if that is the route we take at some point.. We are hoping and praying we can raise $7000 or more to be able to return to PNG in the Summer of 10 (BOBB HAS APPROVAL TO TRAVEL!!!!) We really want to be at the MOLIMA Bible Dedication in July and see how Bobb tolerates PNG. And...added bonus we can stop in Australia and see LiChel and AJ :-) I think I need some encouragement and hand holding and help trying to get a presentation together to be able to go to our churches. Anybody out there want to help? Contribute? :-)

The Lord is Sovereign as a friend told me today - and don't we know it. Even if we don't like the changes in our lives - he is still God and loves us. Thank you Lord for NEVER letting go, even when some of us slip.....
THANK YOU ALL FOR PRAYING ----CONTINUE Cause Bobb always would like more improvement and changes, but takes what he is given :-) Love to you all.

Wedding etc

I know its been a very LOOOOOOOONG time since I wrote in this blog, but....I found tonight a blogspot about a pastor who has aphasia and apraxia like Bobb - and its been 4 years ago and he also has seizures like Bobb and it has inspired me for the moment to resurrect this blog and begin again. I doubt anyone is looking at it lately, but ....I thought I'd do it for my own sanity if nothing else.

Yes, Bobb started having seizures (Grand mal - ugly seizures) that leave his tongue the size of a golf ball inside his mouth and injuries in all kinds of places depending on where the seizure happened - and after he had started driving again!!! - Oh to have independence taken away again - its a hard row to hoe. The medication so far - when he is taking it properly (another long story) is working for which we are very thankful!!

So anyway, when I get a chance I will post wedding pictures of the grand event - Laramie and Christina's wedding - it was an absolutely beautiful fall day in September - the weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was small, intimate, country, and everybody was fed well. AWESOME - Now they are back in Texas :-( and missed by all here in Oregon.

We have one more vascular neurologist appointment in December - and maybe the issue of why the stroke happened will finally be answered. It has something to do with they think a dissection (tear) in his Carotid artery, but there is a 3 hour test he will undergo to confirm that and to see if there are any new emboli forming inside his now many branches of his carotid thanks to that injury. Then there will be decisions to be made and the advice is so conflicting and no matter what we do someone is going to think its the WRONG decision. We desperately need GOD's guidance to know which way to go. Can and will Bobb return to PNG, How does the future look inside Wycliffe - do we move to Texas, Florida, North Carolina, stay here and figure out a good assignment that will work better than the one we have now. Bobb deserves more from life - closure to PNG if nothing else - He gave his all (almost-his physical, and mental, but not his life) for the gospel, but God still has a plan in this and I especially need to be brave in whatever direction God points us at this juncture because someone is going to think we are stupid, and/or faithless no matter which way we go. Please pray we will listen to God's voice!

Here are a few photos from Dad & Mom. Hope all is well.



Bobb concentrating hard on his gait.

Bobb working on hand and arm strength.

Bobb and Kayleen

A spring day in Oregon.

Announcements :-)

Announcement #1 - Laramie and Christina (Bixby -soon to be Lewis)(her parents worked in Ukarumpa) are engaged to be married - looking to an August or September Wedding - we are very happy they will be joining their lives together.

Announcement #2 - Bobb and Kayleen will NOT be returning to Papua New Guinea for the summer. This was a huge disappointment. Two doctors (a cardiologist and an internist) here in the U.S. cannot agree on what caused his stroke - and they will never truly know - but because of that the Doctors in Ukarumpa are not willing to take a chance on Bobb returning to PNG and not having modern medical technology available. We are still trying to cope with this closed door. Please be praying for us.

The cardiologist says that the hole in Bobb's heart is too little to cause the stroke and he did not want to close it - the internist says that the hole IS where the stroke came from and he could have another stroke any time and a long flight makes Bobb more susceptible to having clots form and subject to another stroke, because he isn't mobile enough to move on a plane. (The internist doesn't know) Well we totally disagree on the plane flight issue. We have flown across the nation to Eastern Canada and he CAN move on a plane-- has and done(though it is not as long a flight as we are talking about for PNG) - so we could be very careful, on the DVT issue, but the decision seems to be final and we will not fight them on it, though it is Bobb who would be taking the chance and realizing that God had a plan even if it proved to be fatal. We felt it really was BOBB's choice, but thats the way it goes. Unless we are willing to seek another opinion - the hole will not be closed because the cardiologist says no, but the internist will always say he's in danger of another stroke and thats what the clinic chose to believe so we will never be able to go back unless we find a doctor willing to close the hole - we are caught between a rock and a hard place with no solutions in sight other than to believe its a closed door which we HATE. We will work harder in helping with the upcoming wedding instead and try to figure out what else we are suppose to be doing. Though these things really make you feel useless, unwanted and as NOTHING. It was NO minor thing for us!!

Announcement #3 - Kayleen STILL works for Wycliffe - Papua New Guinea. When they send her work - she does it over the internet for them. We have not left Wycliffe even though she also works a part-time job to keep up with the needs (medical and otherwise) here in the U.S. We Cannot leave Wycliffe nor have we wanted too, but the insurance issues are at the forefront because we would NOT be able to find other insurance for Bobb. So we NEED to continue to work with Wycliffe to be able to continue to get the needed services Bobb needs at this time of his life. We had always had the hope of returning to PNG again someday out there in front of us - but now that is gone - its trying to figure out how to fit again.

Announcement #4 - Bobb is continuing to improve. He now has thumb extension - with extreme concentration - but its improvement. The speech therapist says he has moved to more advanced speech concepts and is continuing to improve in his word finding. In general life he is now praying out loud and participating more in conversation in a small group. Still can be difficult to understand exactly what he is getting at - but with a little work and clarification, communication continues to improve along with his cognitive abilities.

Announcement #5 - Lenise plans to go to Trinity Western next year in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Pray for her as she finishes up her senior year and prepares to go to college.

Announcement #6 - We lost Bobb's mother in October - but....Praise the Lord she accepted him as Lord and Savior and was baptized just 6 days before she went home to be with Him.

Announcement #7 - Kayleen had neck fusion done right after Esther died to fuse at 3/4 and 5/6 with bone grafts due to severe disk bulges. She now has strength again in her right arm - Hallelujah :-) The Doctor had told her to step in a little hole and fall would have paralyzed her from the neck down - thats how severe the injury to the neck was - it involved the spinal cord and made for some pretty good nerve damage - Kayleen just thinking she had overused her arm and just tryed to not use it much would fix the problem. She hadn't realized she was playing with fire :-)

Announcement #8 - Bobb was asked to be a guinea pig as Physical Therapists from Kadlec Medical Center in the TriCities, Washington(3 hour drive one way for us), trained on a device called the Bioness. It is a device that attaches below the knee to help in foot drop issues - raising the toe and ankle. It was a fun day - and it did help him walk a little quicker. I told him we might even be able to walk together again and hold hands :-) We are in the decision process of whether we will pursue this for Bobb. We do not know at this juncture how much the insurance will pay-- 80% or just 50% of the approximately $5,000 dollars this will cost us.

Announcement 9-10 - Praise for all those who have taken the time to be a part of Bobb's recovery process - some come in once a week to help him, some make sure he is included in life, some take the time to really talk to him, some just show they love him. We are so thankful for the Body of Christ! Praise for all those who have taken the time to encourage and be there through all the ups and downs of these last 21 months as Kayleen and Bobb have been figuring out how to put their lives back together and wait on the Lord's leading. Kayleen especially is very thankful for those friends that have stuck closer than sisters and given her grace as she has struggled and triumphed and fallen again.
Thank you all

Pray for Bobb to continue to be dedicated to his recovery. A person once said its like pennies - you collect pennies and one day you have enough to spend. Thats how we see his recovery at this stage - as long as God allows and provides the small gains - someday who knows what they will add up to :-)

Pray for the financial situation - as our Wycliffe income continues to decline and we continue to have desires on how to help Bobb recover - if its medical it costs A LOT. We need to visit our supporting churches to thank them and talk about our continued ministry but are not sure how that looks yet :-) So pray for logistics and wisdom.

Continue to pray for the Bible Translation programs in Papua New Guinea - they meet new challenges every day from bridges going out which doesn't allow for getting aviation fuel and gas and diesel, to disputes with local tribal groups over land, to sudden death of a translator in the village. There are victories everyday - so continue to pray for them that they may remain steadfast to the task before them.

THANK YOU ALL.
Bobb and Kayleen
PS
Have an absolutely beautiful EASTER!!!

HE HAS RISEN! - What greater gift to mankind?

Thanks again!
Bobb and Kayleen

Finally Catch up

Ok, what's happened since March - a lot :-)



Anyway we did our 3 weeks in Canada and Bobb hasn't used a cane since. He still has a pretty pronounced limp, and pretty slow, but much more capable of doing things without dragging the cane around :-) He cooks, he cleans, he does the lawn, and he works on lots of therapy every day - a list (Zap, which means electrical stimulus of his leg and hand), Ladder work , Take a walk without his AFO, Read, Cognitive 1 hour, Hamstrings, Conductive Education (exercises), speech therapy. He never has enough time in the day, but we couldn't do without the work he does around the house either. ANd we are going to Walla Walla twice a week and sometimes to Tri Cities for other appointments. Neither of us do lack for anything to do



We are hopeing to get him working on some spreadsheets and other things soon and he has a driving evaluation later this month. Oh his freedom will go way up - (if we had a vehicle for him to drive when I'm gone). Please pray for this and for his work on passing the written test again.



He is working on improving his hamstring strength and hip flexion. Before Canada he couldn't use his hamstrings at all. Now he can work them a little and we continue to work on strengthening them. There are very God Given gifts of people who come and help Bobb with some of his exercises. WE can't say how much that means to us - its impossible to spread my arms far enough or measure far enough!!



Therapists continue to believe he will continue to improve and including Dr. Breland his Rehab physician so we keep working and working.



Bobb's arm is coming along, but there are no dramatic changes other than he has some wrist extension and a little finger wiggle - but you have to look fast or you miss it. His therapist believes that he is on the verge of a breakthrough on it and Dr. Breland thinks if we can get over one last bit of fence we can begin to work on functionality of his hand and arm. Please, Please pray hard for this to become fact instead of just wishful thinking. God knows about Bobb's healing and he will do it perfectly whatever that might be.



Cognitive is coming along too. His reading is improving, his speech recall is improving though hard with any group of people around. He has done a 1040 ez on his own - that may not seem like much but I know high school seniors who couldn't get it. And a loveable college student that had his dad do it :-)



God is in his heaven and working with me especially. Bobb takes most things in stride and works hard at praying for others, and being a part of a healing prayer ministry. That has been a Godsend for him to feel of value in ministry again. Me - I still have my up and down days - sometimes more down than others - like when I'm paying bills (and things don't stretch far enough) - but lots of people have that problem ;-) or looking at my messy clutter ridden house that I don't seem to have enough time or energy to get under control - its very draining for me, or when I just want a normal conversation with Bobb where every cry of my heart and his and every sentence is a struggle of interpretation.



We have spoken in a church a few weeks ago and he read all the scripture and spoke a few sentences. That was pretty awesome.



We have a remote assignment with Wycliffe for PNG branch right now and I have spoken to Craig Swanson recently to make sure we are on the same page of what he needs from me. They were in Walla Walla and he replaced Bobb in his position. Staff for the financial department in PNG is extremely short. Pray for them! It is a very stressful job.

Beginning Ability Camp

Well we have made it to Ability Camp and this is day 3. It was quite a trip to here. We got stuck in Denver for 7 hours when we were suppose to be there about an hour. Then when we got to Toronto we had about a 3 hours drive. We got to Picton at like 1:30 or 2:00 a.m. and had to go grocery shopping at an all night market. We were soooooo tiried. Bobb arrived with his legs pretty swollen, but a nights sleep helped that.

He has started Conductive Education and Hyperbaeric Oxygen. He seems to be pleased with what he is learning and they have made him put up his cane. He hasn't used his cane now for 2 days. He limps a lot, but he moves along.

I haven't went in to the Conductive Education yet and they keep the door closed, but they make them work. There is a Chiropractor of about 76, a woman from Syracuse, N.Y, a widow and about the same age as the Chiropractor, an English professor (50) who had a stroke only 11 weeks ago, and a couple of other people, but 3 of them counting Bobb have no use of their left hands and are walking slowly or in a wheelchair. One guys speech is extremely slurred, the other lady can talk just fine. Bobb is not the only one with aphasia - one women comes for hyperbaerics only and she has no speech other than yes or no. But they live close and are not staying here at the camp.

The kids are all ages from a 13 month old to a 12 year old. The mothers (and Dad's) work very hard for their kids and to keep hope alive. There is one woman here with her son Adeeb who was raised Hindu and married a muslim and they are from Trinidad. There is a man and his wife from Saudia Arabia with their daughter. The mother speaks no english and the dad does not come out to socialize very much - they are muslim. There is a young mom here from Portland, Oregon with child #3 who is morman. One women who's 2 year old drowned and was brought back to life, but with brain damage about 7 months ago. She is still going through the grieving process and one young mother with her daughter Keyley who has been here 2 or 3 times before with her daughter so she knows all the ropes.

Pray for us and them as we all work together to grow in skill and as much normalcy as can be obtained.

Pray for Bobb's endurance and his light to shine! They all think he's a pretty nice guy - go figure :-)

One of the caregivers (to the english prof), and I walked to Lake Ontario today - it is REALLY big :-) It was sunny and crisp :-) Enjoy the daffodils for me :-)

Pray!!! Thanks!
Bobb and Kayleen