doing more each day

Here is the latest pictures of his legs.  His scars are healing up quite nicely.  His right ankle 'hurts' all of the time.  He wraps it in it's own blanket and calls it a burrito.  I have been making him do more for himself each day.  See his reacher pole in the picture?  He has started to 'need' it.  He doesn't complain, but I know he wishes I would do more.  But it is for his own good.
Tanner's teacher called me yesterday.  She said he just sits there and doesn't finish his work.  I know that last week he was putting dad on every thing at school.  Poor Tanner is so worried about dad.
Last night was Jordan Dredge's wedding.  I had a work meeting, Karly had dance, Austen had work.  So Dan came and took Randy and boys to it.  I was able to show up for the last ten minutes.  It was our first outing that wasn't medical.  I had a great time.  Randy lasted about 45 minutes before his discomfort got the better of him.

The Shelton's van is fixed.  My mom told her hairdresser and friend Sue.  Sue told her husband, who told an old work friend, who happened to be my brother's neighbor that we borrowed the first van from.  Any rate, they fixed her lift and door.  I lent her the saturn for the two days it took to fix it.  And then drove her to pick it up.  So good for her.  Randy has found our van to be more comfortable for him now that he can move a bit more.  Still not using his feet, but he can scoot into the floor of the van and then onto a seat.
What a small world!  Thank you everyone for your help and concern.

I am selling Randy's saturn.  He can't drive for a while, plus it sits too low for him even when he gets 'better'.  With a broken pelvis and spine it will be too difficult.  I plan to buy a mid sized car to replace it with.  I will drive the mid-sized car instead of the van to save on gas.  We will hold on to the van because that is the only thing Randy can get into for now.  Let me know if your interested in purchasing it.  I have it posted on ksl Ad:  # 4098434

thank you for all of your well wishes

Everyone has been so kind to us.  From people in the ward bringing in meals, to sympathy cards and even money.  It is all so welcomed and appreciated.  Today I was feeling rather down and sorry for myself. When I came home late from dropping Karly off to her book club, and lending out our car to Becky Shelton I discovered a wonderful get well card filled with money and gift cards.  It was not signed.  Another random act of kindness. (It is the bird card in the middle)Thank you generous mystery person!
This, along with the card from my high school friend Rickee I got in the mail today really helped to lift my spirits! Thank you.
 Cooper is super impressed by it.  He seems the most excited to open our cards.  I wonder if it is because he was too sick to open his before?
Thank you everyone who has and is continuing to help us.  The meals were a big help.  I feel so overwhelmed with working extra and the stress of bills and family life that not having to think of what to make for dinner was so wonderful.
 Receiving money is a big stress reliever.   I honestly breath a bit lighter each time.   It also makes me feel guilty because I know that everyone is going through tough times in this economy.  We are no more special than anyone else.  But I am ever so grateful for your generosity.
  To all of your sweet thoughts and kind words, the encouragement, the people who can relate to our situation, the close friends who let me whine, the saints who let my kids play at their houses, to you I say thank you.  I am reminded everyday how blessed we are to have such great people in our lives.  I am ever so grateful to be on my journey of life with you.
"People are more important than things." Grandma Margret Alder

benefit dinner

Jeff and friends have planned a dinner to help raise money to repay the good people who have remodeled our home.  Here are the details:

Friends of Randy Willes,

Benefit Dinner & Auction

We have benefited from Randy's selfless service and cheerful smile over the years, now its our turn to help pay him back.

A Fund-raising benefit is being held for Randy to help cover cost after he was injured in a hiking accident. Proceeds will assist with medical expenses, lost wages, and cost to make his home wheelchair accessible.

Date:       March 19, 2011

Time:      6:00 p.m.

Location:  Boys & Girls Club of Murray:

               244 E. Myrtle Street (East side of State St. between Vine and 53rd S.)

               Murray, Ut 84107 (see map below).

Spaghetti Dinner $10/each or $50/family

Door Prizes

Silent Auction

Live Auction (Mayor Snarr Auctioneer)

A glimpse into some of the exciting auction items include:

Climbing & Canyoneering Gear from:

Imlay Canyon Gear

Sterling

Additionalcompanies that expressed interest:

Rockexotica, Mammut, Petzl, IME.

Climbing Gym Passes:

Momentum climbing gym

Rockreation climbing gym

Canyoneering Trips:

Heaps Canyoneering Trip

Imlay Canyoneering Trip

Choprock & Neon Trip guided by Ram

Additional Items:

Hale Center Theater Season Tickets

Garage Door Opener

Professional Makeup

Many more items not listed.

This will be a great event for everyone. We look forward to seeing you there (bring a friend) and thank you for your support.

RSVP: Reply to benefit4willes@gmail.com , this will help us in planning, but don't let it keep you away if you forget to reply. 

Please pass this on to all your family and friends.

The roll in shower is so sweet

 Wheel chair accessible sink.  His legs go underneath so there is no cabinet.

sunday March 6

It was quite the weekend.  Randy is doing well.  Our friends and neighbors have been good to us.  I have been extra busy.  Austen's friend and friends dad took him to the auction to buy a new car.  I think he did well.  He is excited.  Tanner has cried a few times because he would like to take a bath.  He got to take a bath at my mom's house today.  We both miss having a tub in the house.
Grateful that Randy can take a shower though.
The learning disability conference was great. I gained some useful knowledge for work and home.
I took the little boys to classic skating for their school fundraiser.  They had a blast!  Some girl told Tanner he was the best dancer ever and gave him a dollar.  He was super excited.

A new day

Our friend Dr. Rossen was able to call and talk to Dr. Higgins our surgeon.  They had a long talk.  In the end Dr. Higgins will not release Randy to any one for pain management.  He is still prepared to have Randy off of the oxy   in 6 weeks from his post operation date.  He did write another prescription as we are out of the other one.  Now we have to get to the U to pick it up.  Dr. Higgins called and spoke to Randy this morning.  He was quite surprised to hear how much pain Randy is in.  He 'allowed' Randy to take the 15 ml every 4 hours that the E.R. and Mark R. and Randy had already started on right before our trip to the ER.
So for now, Randy's pain is under control and we will just take it one day at a time.  I filled the script from the E.R. so Randy won't have to worry about running out and having out of control pain again for days.
I had my yearly doctor appointment and refilled my prescriptions (okay, all but one.)  It has already made a difference in my energy levels which helps my mood.  Since my hysterectomy and thyroid surgery keeping my levels normal has been quite a trick.  But today is a great day so I am going to live in the moment.
Our friends the Allred's moved away about one year ago to Nevada.  Today Ryan surprised us with a visit.  He and Randy are having a great talk as we speak.
I was able to get a scholarship which will allow me to go to the LDAU conference tomorrow.  It is for work.  I will be going alone but I am still looking forward to it.  Karly has the day off of school so everything is falling into place.  Randy should be well taken care of.  It is in Provo and I will leave at 4 so not a big deal.
In other breaking news:  The Murray paper want to come and take pictures of our house and interview me next Saturday.  I must admit I am a little bit anxious.  I hope I do okay.  It is because Jeff told them about Randy's accident and all of our random acts of kindness that people have done for us.

Wednesday= boy am I tired

Tuesday night we decided to take Randy to the E.R. for some pain management issues.  Our doctor would not return phone calls since Monday.  Randy had a lot of pain for the entire day.  So at 8pm he took and extra oxy to try to get control of the pain.  He even took a valium without me asking him to.  But the pain was too great.  He cried/sobbed for over one hour.  So at 9pm I packed him up, told Karly to put everyone to bed and I drove him up to the U.  We waited for a long time.  We got seen around 11pm.  We were not discharged until 3:30 A.M.  Arrived home at 4am and I was off to work and dropping kids at school at 8:30.  I work until 3, then I pick the kids up.
For my lunch break I stopped in to take Tanner to school.  Randy was able to sleep for some of the morning.  I didn't gear him up or feed him today because I slept in.  So I did all of that when I got back.  My mom had been sitting with him and Tanner.  Randy's parents arrived as I was leaving.
The E.R. ran some blood work and took another x-ray to see if there was anything causing his new pain.  They didn't see anything.  His pain is located in the front part of his ankle.  They told us that there is a large plate right where it hurts.  Our friend Dr. Mark Rosen called our surgeon and us.  He suggests that we find another doctor to take over the pain management side of his surgery.  We really like this idea.  One, because he will be good at what he does, and two, we need someone who responds and can help Randy.  This is a long journey and he can't rehab if he is in too great of pain.  We think our surgeon is a great surgeon.  But our issue is pain management.

Here he is at the E.R. we had a space in the hallway.  I mocked him for smiling for the picture.  I told him he was suppose to be in pain.

Pain is getting the best of him.

I don't have much time to write lately.  Here are some recent photo's.  They are from yesterday.   Randy is in a lot of pain lately.  His drug withdrawls are still with him.  I don't see him sweating anymore though.  His doctor isn't letting him have more than 3 days of pain pills at a time.  He lays in bed because everything hurts.  Depression is sneaking in on him.  Anyone in pain gets this way.  The past 6 hours today have been rough.

Tanner had a tooth pulled yesterday.  We sold Austen's car.