Speech! Speech!

As you can see from the pictures, we had a wonderful thank you/birthday party on Saturday. It was absolutely terrific to see Paul's friends again and watch him enjoy himself among them. He woke early and we got ready for Mass. Afterwards, he came back to the house to get some breakfast while we set up the Fellowship Hall for the party. Everyone started to arrive around 12:10 and Paul did a good job of greeting just about everyone. He would see someone he knew and would go hug them and thank them for coming. At around 2:00, Paul came to the front of the room and we got everyone's attention so that he could read his speech that he had been working on the week before the party. He began by jokingly stating he would start out by asking for a donation. There was a burst of laughter and he enjoyed that alot. Then he started his speech. ( I have typed it exactly as he had it typed on his sheet.)

"Hi Everyone!" (Everyone responded back, "Hi Paul!") He smiled back at them.

I want to thank you all very much for taking the time to come out to this event today.

It is amazing how much everyone has done for me and still does for me every day.

It is obvious that the prayers to God have helped me so much. God has given me vision back in my eye, which initially the doctors examined and found to be blind. Later, the eye was only half blind. With more of God's help, my left eye was brought back completely to 20/20 vision. (Everyone clapped at this statement.)It is amazing what God can and does do.

We all know how much God can and does do, but my friends and family and St. Stephen's community have done an incredible amount for me as well. We have had meals cooked for us, people have prayed for us unceasingly, people have helped me with my walking and balance and have driven me everywhere I needed to go.

An incredible thing to me personally are the Masses that have been said for me. I've been a Chrisitan my entire life, but since the accident I have realized that I needed to focus on God a lot more.

As you can see, I am standing here talking to you. My eye has been restroed to 20/20 vison. I can still move all my limbs, and my heavenly Father has kept me alive!!! God has blessed me so incredible and I pray for God to bless each one of you."

He looked up and just smiled at everyone and they all clapped. He said "Thank you" and walked back to his table. A few minutes later, we brought him back so we could all sing Happy Birthday to him. He will be 22 on Monday. We decided on this date for the party so that we would could not only thank everyone for helping us get him to this birthday, but to celebrate his life. We didn't want to celebrate the accident date! So after his 11/11 accident, we celebrated his 22 birthday in the 11th month of recovery!

It was an incredible day. The weather could not have been more wonderful and Paul could not have felt better. We kept waiting for him to let us know he was done and needed to go to the car and lay down or even leave. But he didn't. He even skipped taking Tylenol until 2 hours later than usual. He held his own the whole time. We were so busy greeting and thanking people for all they have done that Paul had to fend for himself. He was walking around and talking to just about everyone. He got his food and ate, and now that he has set his alarm on his cell phone, he went to Jerry when it was time to take his 2 PM medicines. He went out to the car and told Jerry he wanted to sit out there for a few moments where it was quiet. Then after about 15 - 20 minutes, he went back in. He left church at about 3:15, as we had to stay and clean everything up. When we got home he got up when he heard us. He took another 15 minute rest around 6 PM. A friend he hasn't seen since Christmas, Jason, came to our house and Paul was really glad to see him. Jerry, Paul and Jason went out to get something to eat at about 7:30 PM and didn't get home until 10:15. This is the first time Paul had put in all those hours. He was a real trooper. God had to have blessed him, as we have not seen Paul so animated and show that kind of endurance! One of the big surprises of the day was when his Aunt Kelly and her daughter Abigail (7 yrs old) arrived from Chicago. They drove down Friday/Saturday and arived right after the party got started. Paul was very surprised and scooped Abigail up into his arms and hugged her. He used to go to Chicago fairly often to visit his dog Abby when she lived with my brother and sister in law. He became very attached to their children, Griffin and Abigail. Abigail has called a couple of times since the accident and has left voice messages on our recorder. We have saved them and will listen to them every once in awhile. Each time we smile as we listen to her tender messages for Paul.

I am still in awe of how terrific the day went. God's amazing hand at work again in our lives. Paul is so correct when he said "We all know how much God can and does do."

We have received word that the doctor in Charlotte NC will see Paul. It will be November 21st, at 3:45 PM. That will work out great for us as Jon and Marie were coming for Thanksgiving and they are now going to meet us in Charlotte and we will stay there overnight and then drive into Atlanta the next day. That will help them break up their 9 hour drive into 2 easy days. Hopefully this neurosurgeon will have some idea why the ventricles are still so large. One question we still have is whether the enlarged ventricles are causing his headaches or post traumatic headaches.

We met with the personal trainer last Wednesday. It is a really wonderful arrangement and we look so forward to Paul getting started. We have to wait to get the approval from Paul's doctor saying he is fully capable to start a training program. He will have workouts on Wednesday afternoons. The personal trainer will work on endurance and flexibility first. Paul is still somewhat stiff in his movements. We have to get a letter from either the rehab therapists or his neurosurgeon stating Paul is allowed to start this type of training.

Monday, October 16

Paul got up this morning and it is a gray day. I asked him if he wanted to wear his new dress shirt for Mass and he said, "No, too much gray. Gray pants, gray shirt and gray day." Jerry took the day off as a surprise for Paul's birthday so that he wouldn't have a typical Monday.

Of course, this can't be a typical Monday. We are celebrating a birthday that was not supposed to happen, except by the grace of God. Praise His Holy Name.

With great thanksgiving to all of you,
Love,
Jon and Rebecca