I apologize for the delay in updating the site, but I forgot my password for a while!  I got lucky today when I tried again!  Like the title of this post stated, Praise God, Billy got his release to go back to work!!  He went back on Monday, January 5, 2009, less than 9 months after the accident!!  Here’s more proof that God is not finished working miracles!!!!!!  Billy has adjusted fairly well to working again but still has a way to go with his nerves (which is common with Traumatic Brain Injuries).  We believe that this, too, will continue to improve in God’s time!! 

He was thrilled to be back to work and be, as he put it, “providing for his family again!”  I guess it’s a man thing, but I told him that just by his being here, he was providing what I needed!!  The Lord has truly blessed us more than I could have imagined and we know that He has big plans for Billy and me in the days ahead!  Please help us pray that we will be obedient in all that He calls us to do!!

We want to thank everyone again for all the prayers and support that we have been (and are being) shown during Billy’s recovery!!  It really has been an amazing  journey and we give God all the glory!!!

I promise to update again soon but it is almost time for church so I have to close for now! 

May God bless and keep you in the coming days and strengthen your daily walk with Him!! 

Love in Christ!!

Billy & Gina

Wow, time has sure flown since we’ve been back home!   A lot has been going on, but Billy is doing exceptionally well!!  He has been taken off quite a few medications (some that he was on before his accident) and is doing great!!  He was able to come off Coumadin this week and we are so thankful for that (he was freezing!)! 

About a month ago we requested prayer in our Sunday School class as we were both showing symptoms of depression and the Lord has answered in a magnificent way!!  Billy has improved so much over the past few weeks!  He is beginning to look and act more like the old Billy that I fell in love with  years ago!  We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in a couple of weeks!  Time can really get away from you!  In some ways, it seems like  yesterday when I met him (I was smitten right away) and in others it seems like we have been together forever!!  I feel like my life began when we met! These past 10 years have been the best of my life!  God has truly blessed me with this precious man!!!  I am feeling much better also!  I was trying to hold everything in and not worry anyone!  We really appreciate all the prayers that have gone up for us!  We are seeing God work in every aspect of our lives!! 

 He has been released from physical and speech therapies for good!  They both said he has met and exceeded all their goals!  He is still in Occupational Therapy at this point and is doint remarkably well!  He has improved in every area and we are praying that he will be able to go back to work soon, Lord willing!!  I am amazed every day at how well he is doing!!! 

He is having problems with a lot of noise and activity so we were advised to take it slow!  We went to a high school basketball game to watch his nephew, Cody, play ball and it was too much for Billy!  He sometimes gets very nervous in crowds!  So we may be limiting our attendance at large events for a while.   He was told that earplugs may help so we’ll see!

Well, I guess it’s time to close tonight!  Tomorrow is going to be another busy day!  There is still so much to tell but I am short of time tonight!  We just wanted to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year and to thank you all for remembering us in your prayers! 

May God bless you and keep you in His care until next time!

Love in Christ,

Billy & Gina

We have been home a week and Billy has been back on his coumadin since October 24th.  We went to the coumadin clinic yesterday and he got the best reading he has had in a long time!  Praise God, his rate was 2.0 (the desired range is 2.0 – 3.0).  Everything seems to be on track right now and we are looking forward to his return to rehab next week.  He goes Tuesday for speech and occupational therapies — the doctors want to wait 1 month post-op to begin physical therapy so that should begin the week of November 17th. 

Billy is doing really well and looks great!!!  Lora, Dr. Boyer’s nurse, removed the staples in Billy’s head Monday and said that everything is going well!  She said that he may be able to go back to work after the first of the year, depending on how his rehab goes.  We know that it will all happen in the Lord’s time and give Him all the glory!!!  He continues to guide us through Billy’s recovery and we pray that we will be obedient to His Will in all areas of our life!

Thank you for your prayers for us and those named in previous posts!  The Lord is still working miracles everyday!  We ask that you continue to remember the Hunt family as Mr. Hunt is still in critical care!  He has made progress but as we have seen, you have good days and bad days in these situations.  We pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen him and that he may be able to go to a room soon!  Also, please remember the Tyler family as Matt is having a few physical concerns and is awaiting test results!  Keep praying for our nation and the upcoming election!  We pray that God’s Will be done!!  Also, pray for our president and all our troops that are still serving in harm’s way!  Revival begins Sunday morning at Madison Avenue and we pray that God prepares our hearts and minds for His service! 

We pray that God blesses each of you and that you feel His presence always!  Have a great weekend!!

We just arrived home from the hospital and Billy is worn out!  He was not able to get very much rest in the hospital and was really looking forward to his own bed!  Dr. Boyer came by at 8:00am yesterday and removed the lumbar drain and said that if he was able to get up in the afternoon without a headache (which would mean that there was still a lot of drainage) we would probably be able to come home today!  Well, he never once complained of a headache or nausea so they removed the catheter also and let him walk around a little last night.  He did great!!!! 

This morning, Lora, Dr. Boyer’s nurse, came by and said that he would be discharged today!  Praise God!  It is all happening so fast!! (Not necessarily fast enough for Billy…time has been passing fairly slowly for him at times).  We got to leave the hospital at 11am this morning and stopped to get him something to eat before coming home so he could rest! 

We are to go back to the doctor’s office Monday so they can take out the staples and make sure that everything is going as planned.  We ask that you continue to pray for God’s Will in his rehabilitation and recovery! 

We thank God for the most amazing 6 months of our lives!!  We have met so many wonderful people and have become closer to those around us.  The Lord has definitely provided for all our needs during this time and we give Him ALL the glory!!  Thank you again for all your prayers and support during this difficult time!!

Our time at UT this past week allowed us to meet other families going through equally challenging situations and we ask that you remember them in your prayers also.  I can’t remember names except for the Hunts.  Mr. Hunt was injured in a motorcycle accident October 11th and has several injuries/health issues going on (some pre-existing).  He is a wonderful Christian man with a loving wife and two teenage children.  Please be praying that God will strengthen them all for the days/weeks and months ahead!

Before we left this morning we heard from Ray Whitehead.  We spent a lot of time together praying together during our first visit to the hospital (for his wife, Billy & others in the unit).  They have been home for a while and have been very active (enjoying the summer with their young daughter).  Ray and Kimberly came to UT today for a checkup!  She is doing well and we pray that her recovery continues to go well also!  We look forward to getting together with them outside the hospital soon!

10/21/08  8:12 PM

6 months ago the doctors said 18 months before we will know how well Billy will recover!  Just goes to show everyone that doctors can only do so much, and thank God for what they do, but God is the Great Physician.

6 months (not 18) and Billy has recovered much faster than any person might imagine possible. We should pray that he will continue to grow strong and improve in the upcoming days, weeks, even months. 

He is doing fine recovering from his surgery on Friday.  He was giving the nurses a hard time in critical care and told them they were too noisy.  He told them it was a good thing their boss was not around or they would all be fired!  He is now in room 543 and improving every day.  He has a drain in his back for the spinal fluid that was leaking.  He may get it removed tomorrow, if so, they will watch him for another couple of days to be sure all is well.  After that he may get to go home. 

 God is still holding Billy in his healing hands and working a miracle through him.  Please keep praying that God’s Will be done and that Billy will be home soon.  Pray that he and Gina will have strength and understanding about the future,  and knowledge to help them make decisions on uncertainties.

Well, we are waiting for Billy’s surgery tomorrow!!  We are trying not to get too excited until we know that it’s going to happen but we are hoping and praying for some closure (no pun intended….well, maybe).  Anyway, we just ask that you be praying for a successful surgery and that he will have a healthy recovery!!  Also, please pray that we may be strong in our witness to those around us at the hospital as we will be exposed to many different lifestyles and beliefs during our stay!! 

Again, we thank each for you for your prayers and continued support!!!!  We continue to be amazed at what God is doing through Billy’s accident and cannot praise Him enough!!  There has been so much heartache in our church family recently (so many illnesses and deaths recently) but we believe that God is truly working miracles around us each day (and the devil is doing everything he can to stop it)!  Please continue to remember each of these families in your prayers!  Believe with us that God will prevail!!!!!!!!!! He’s still in the miracle business!!!!!!

I will probably not be updating the site for a few days to a week (I will be without a computer again) but we will get the word out ASAP!  Keep checking!! 

Oh, for the record Brother Don’s surgery went well today.  He looked good and said he had already walked a little this afternoon!  Pray that he continues to improve each day!!  Zach Ash is having surgery on his eye tomorrow, so please be praying that all goes well for him (and his mom and dad)! 

We love you and pray God’s special blessings on each of you!  May we all give Him the praise, honor, and glory He deserves as we face each new day!

Billy and Gina

It seems I’m already falling down on my updating job.  It appears that I have once again taken on more than I can really do appropriately.  I am struggling to fit the updates into my schedule as I would like!  I want to keep everyone informed on Billy’s progress so you can see just how your prayers are being answered, but taking care of Billy takes precedence over anything else (that and spending time with our Lord and Father seeking His will in our life).   As was mentioned before I think, we still have a house in Townsend that needs to be sold.  We know that it will be sold in God’s time and that He is taking care of us while we wait, but we sometimes get frustrated and ask that you be praying that God will give us the strength and faith to stand strong during these difficult times!!  We have truly been blessed throughout his accident and recovery and give God all the glory!  We know that we could never have made it through without Him and His wonderful peace! 

We have seen several doctors in the past two weeks, for both of us.  Billy’s primary care doctor has not only taken him off all his additional medication from the accident, except the coumadin, but has removed his medication for acid reflux and lowered his blood pressure medication (Thank God)!  He has been doing great with the reduction so far!  We went yesterday, spent half a day, having his pre-op testing taken care of, so if all goes well, we wait for Friday, October 17th.  Caprice, our pastor’s wife, invited us last week to visit her Sunday School class so that the ladies could annoint Billy with oil and pray over him (and for me, too).  It was awesome!!  Billy and I appreciate it beyond words!  We have felt such a peace and are anxiously awaiting the surgery!  Billy is doing great!!!!  He is getting around much better (without even his cane around the house).  He is anxious to get rid of his helmet, though!  We are looking forward to the day when he can go without it (or his protective baseball cap). 

We do have several prayers requests for others:  my sister-in-law lost her father last week and her mother is not in the best of health either, we lost a dear loved one at church and request prayer for her children and family, I lost a first cousin this week in Georgia, and there are several people from church and our community that are facing surgeries next week as well as several who are recovering from surgeries, remember the sick and especially the lost in our families and community!!  We request prayer for a special little boy, his name is Noah and he was born prematurely last week.  He is struggling and his parents have not been given much hope.  Please remember this young family (his father is in the Navy and they are not home so pray that they have the support they need during this most difficult time).  Please remember our soldiers and their families and our nation and the upcoming election!!

Before I close I would like to wish my dear sister, Vickie, a Happy Birthday tomorrow!!  We love you and pray God’s special blessings on you in the coming year!  Thank you again for your prayers and support and we pray that each of you has a blessed week!

Thank you to everyone who is praying for us!  Billy is doing really well!  This was a rather slow week as far as doctor’s visits.  We only saw two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, which in itself is progress!  He was taken off of all the medications that were added after his accident except the coumadin so we were thrilled! Speaking of coumadin, at his visit to the coumadin clinic this week we discovered that his rate is still not where they are wanting it.  They would like to see it between 2 and 3.  He has only had it at that level once since his release from the hospital (just when he was taken off before his scheduled surgery in August).  We stopped the coumadin on August 1st and it has not been back on track since.  This week it was 1.1 (which means that his blood is still clotting more than they would like).  They have increased his dosage again to see if they can get it back up to 2.  The only thing is, he will be taken off of it again by October 10th to let his blood start clotting by the time of his surgery on October 17th!  They are telling him that he is quite a challenge….that’s what my endocrinologist keeps telling me!!  Praise God, we are both doing really well despite the challenges!

Please continue to pray for us as we face the upcoming surgery and hospitalization!  We are confident that all will go well but we still covet your prayers! 

We have several prayer requests for others.  Until I get permission, I am unable to put a name to the requests, but there are several dealing with cancers, serious illnesses, upcoming surgeries, recoveries from surgeries, loss of loved ones, and several friends that have been activated in the military and are serving in Iraq (there are also several that are awaiting activation).  Please remember our nation and the upcoming election in your prayers, our churches, preachers and teachers, and that each of us will be true to the service God has called us to each day!  One of my nieces just got married to a soldier and they are awaiting his orders.  I ask that you remember Vanessa and Jordan Lewandowski in your prayers as they begin their new journey as husband and wife!

Before I close I would like to thank the many wonderful young people who volunteered their time this past summer at Big Creek Missions in Kentucky!  On their last night, July 24th, a couple of dear friends from church (Don & Hazel) drove us up there so we could thank them in person and let them see how their prayers for Billy were answered!  It was such a blessing!!  Billy walked us around and showed us what he had done up until he was going up on the roof!  He still doesn’t know what happened and maybe never will but I think It helped give him some closure, which was great!  I think it also helped them end the summer on a positive note!  We thank Kevin and the whole crew for the wonderful job they are doing up there!  We heard that the whole community was familiar with Billy’s accident and were constantly asking about him. We thank everyone for your concern and prayers!  We give God all the glory for everything He has done in our lives and the seeds that have been planted!!!!

We pray God’s blessings on each of you and thank Him for the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people!!  We love you and pray that all is well with you and your families!  You may share your prayer concerns or praises with us and we will be glad to forward them! 

Love,

Billy & Gina

I apologize for the long delay in updating this site but everything has been so hectic since Billy was released from the hospital July 3rd (20 days earlier than the doctor’s had hoped he might be ready)!  My name is Gina, I am Billy’s wife, and I just wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciate all your prayers during this difficult but AMAZING time!  Before I continue we would like to let Joe & Leah know that we appreciate your dedication and hard work in keeping everyone informed for us!  We now better understand a little of the sacrifice that you made to help us when we couldn’t think or act for ourselves!!  We love you both and pray that God showers His blessings on your family!!! 

We have truly experienced an awesome journey with God that we never dreamed possible!  We cannot praise Him enough for all that He has continuously done for us!!  Billy and I have been on the run almost constantly since his release from the hospital.  We have been seeing doctors and therapists almost daily (sometimes 2 or 3 in a day) and I am trying to squeeze in some work here and there!  But the Lord has greatly blessed me through all the sick time I had accumulated!  I am just now beginning to use vacation time!  Billy was supposed to have had surgery on August 8th to replace his skull-flap but as they were shaving his head in preparation of surgery, they discovered a staph infection.  Although we were disappointed in the delay, we thank God that it was discovered  before they made an incision or it could have been very serious!!  His rehabilitation has been stopped until after his surgery because he has gone as far as he can without exposing him to more risk.  He is still having problems with his left hand but they are going to work on it more after surgery….he has a stress ball (and a few exercises) to work with some but they will focus more on it after surgery.  We also found out last month that he is leaking spinal fluid, which delayed us again.  Anyway, we went to see the neurosurgeon this past Wednesday.  After discussing options with the doctor, and since Billy is not having any complications with the leakage, we have prayerfully decided not to have surgery for the leakage but to continue with the flap replacement on October 17th.  They are going to put a catheter in at that time to let the fluid drain and hopefully seal itself!  Billy will have to be flat on his back for about 5 days to let it drain and avoid any complications or infections (to the best of my understanding) so we will be hospitalized longer than we would have been otherwise.  We are excited about the surgery and the rehab to follow so that things will be back to normal!

We also thank our dear friends, Mark and Scott, for organizing and participating in the benefit golf tournament for Billy on September 6th!  We were able to go, for a while, and Billy had a ball!  We were amazed at how many people took the time to participate in this tournament.  There were many people working in different areas and we thank you so much!  It was a humbling experience to see the love of others at work for us!  Billy enjoyed the day (he got to drive a golf cart for a while so we could see everyone in action) but tired well before the tournament ended!   From what I’ve heard we were home and Billy was in bed before everyone finished playing! 

Please continue to pray for us and the work that God has ahead for us!!  We give Him all the glory!!! 

We sincerely thank each of you for your continued prayers, cards and support during this amazing journey and pray that God blesses you as you never dreamed!

Love in Christ!

Billy & Gina

We returned from Joe’s grandmothers funeral this week and we had to catch up at work.  We finally got to see Billy last night and all we could say was Wow!!!  Billy is progressing very well.  He said that he walked about 60 feet yesterday at PT.  Billy is using a walker some and is doing well with occupational therapist as well.  The therapist has Billy doing things such as playing checkers and other games to redevelop his digital dexterity as well as fine motor skills.  After playing checkers with Gina for a while, Billy told the therapist that Gina cheats.  Yep, I would say that he is well on his way to a remarkable recovery.  Billy has been moved to a liquid diet, which is earlier than the therapists thought. (That isn’t new with Billy)  He is still looking forward to getting to eat Lee’s chicken and mashed potatoes, and while the diet he has now (cream of celery soup) isn’t it, he is pushing forward toward that goal. We tried to figure out a way to get some chicken but we could only come up with pureed and he made a face.  I guess that wasn’t quite what he had in mind.

God is at work in all of our lives but we can really see it in the Patty’s.  I praise God every day for the Patty’s example of faith.