Has it Been So Long?

Has it really been a month since the last update?

Wow...

Clearly I am a slacker. For this I apologize.

At any rate so much has happened since the last time I wrote here its almost hard to believe it hasn't been longer. Maybe it has?

John's recovery could best be described as miraculous. He's going back to work part time teaching a few classes here and there. For all intents and purposes... he's fine.

Those of you who prayed... its quite clear that they were heard and answered. I offer this as a testimony to Faith.

Look at this new picture... then scroll down and see the pictures of the injuries and accident. Believing doesn't require seeing... but sometimes the visual evidence is undeniable.

God Bless.

Checking In

John arrived at Emory yesterday. He's in room 308. He's got a talkative roomate named Woodie who was in a coma for a month after a motorcycle accident. Woodie apparently just woke up last week, but he's doing great and will be leaving on Friday.

John's doing very well. He's got control of all of his functions. He feeds himself, opens all of his food, takes himself to the restroom, and is actually starting to show some pretty impressive coordination.

He's very un-emotional, and not at all inquisitive. You all know how out-of-the-ordinary that is. Its to early to jump to any conclusions though. These are small things considering. Hopefully the girls will get me a few more pictures to put up.

Cards should now be sent to Emory.

Thank you all for your support, your time, and your prayers.

Back to Atlanta

Things are moving along very well for John. He's up and walking around. He's trying to feed himself. He's reading some... and if you ask him how he is, he's liable to say something like "dilapidated." Thats perhaps the best sign of all, the way his personality is starting to show.

John is being checked into Emory Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, which is an inpatient facility with a brain injury program in Atlanta.

Lucinda will be driving him down today or Tuesday.

Intermediate Care Unit

I apologize for not getting this update posted sooner. John is now out of the Intensive Care Unit. He's been moved to the Intermediate Care Unit, which is usually refered to as Step-Down. He's able to walk with assistance, and is becoming quite a handful.

Lucinda and Joy have been there all week. Literally someone is there by his side 24 hours a day. Joy told me you can't take your eye's off of him for 3 minutes without him trying to climb out of bed. He's not being bad, he is just trying to go to the bathroom or something. He's not quite as coordinated as he thinks he is though, and

John pulled his feeding tube out and is eating totally on his own now. As long as he keeps eating well they won't replace the tube.

Your prayers are appreciated as always.

Take a Seat Big Boy

Things are progressing very well for John. Over the weekend he had his first meal, so they will be gradually weaning him so they can take the feeding tube. They were also able to clear his neck and take the brace off.

Today John was able to sit in a chair for around three hours. After being on his back for nearly a week I imagine that was a welcome change. Better still, Joy was talking to one of her friends who happens to be an occupational therapist at Erlanger. She told Joy she was walking by John's room and found him standing up in front of his chair. She ran in there and got John sitting again, but these are all great signs.

I have several good pictures to add but Blogger is not playing nice. Perhaps it will be more willing later today.

Rise and Shine

What? Bloggers don't get the weekend off?

I'm sorry y'all, things have been going so well I guess I've decided to lighten up around here. I guess before I start cracking jokes I should fill you all in though.

John's daughters Jill and Jennifer (whom we playfully refer to as 'The B Team') showed up Friday morning to give Julie and Joy a chance to get some down time and handle some of their own personal issues.

Wouldn't you know it... It was Friday morning when John started showing significant improvement. He was far more alert and oriented than he had been the night before. When before we were happy to get 2 or 3 questions answered in an hour long visit, John was stayed awake for 15 minutes almost continually.

Friday afternoon things continued to improve. He was awake for almost the whole visit. At one point Jill held up a book and asked him what she had in her hand. Everyone expected John to say, "book". Instead he read the title of the book to her. At that point asking simple questions seems silly... so they just sat next to his bed and read to him. John really enjoyed the visit.

That's the amazing thing. It's been less than a week and John is at the point that he can enjoy a visitor. He's speaking in sentences... and is clearly himself. When asked how he is, he responds, "I am blessed". Just like he always has. When asked if he had a favorite Bible verse, he said, "Anything from James".

There is just to much to tell in one update. The truth is, these pictures will let you know a lot more about his improvement than my clumsy typing.

The Accident Scene

A few days ago we were able to visit the scene of the accident. Its hard to get a scale of what happened through a few pictures but its the best we can do. 27 is a limited access four-lane divided highway. The John hydroplaned at the bottom on an on-ramp. Water runs off of that ramp down onto the road and collects there in a deep wide puddle. In rain like this, you might think of hitting a good sized pond.


Describing what happened is hard. When he hit that standing water the Accord shot off at a 45 degree angle across the road. John slid across both lanes of 27 North, then across the median, then across both lands of 27 South.

There were two large impact points. A highway exit sign was struck, and the car smashed through the tree line along the side of 27 South, knocking down several small trees. At some point it appears the stove on the trailer came loose, flew over the car (we think it hit the roof), and smashed into a large tree. John's car then hit that same tree on the driver's side. The impact crushed the stove, but all that metal cushioned the blow considerably. Its like the reason John's alive right now.

The scene was chaotic enough that the above is just a best guess. The officer on the scene is still unsure about all the details of how the stove got where it was and how the car ended up oriented it the way it was when they arrived.




In this last picture you can see the glass embedded in the tree where the stove was crushed by the car.

I don't think its a stretch to say that someone was watching out for John on Saturday the 23rd.

Cards, and Thanks to the Morgan Family

We'd like to thank the Morgan family who've gone above and beyond the call of duty. They've opened their home to Lucinda, and done everything possible to make her feel welcome. If any of you would like to send cards to Lucinda or John, the Morgan's have asked that they be sent to their home until John is out of the ICU:

John R Morgan MD
1420 Shawhan Terrace
Chattanooga TN 37411-2222

The address has been added to the bottom of the sidebar as well.