Friday, August 21st

Hello to all. There have been many things going on in our life. Summer is winding down and school starts back Monday. We made a trip to South Texas last weekend so Clay could go to the ocean and see Grandma and Pappy. He had a good time and was able to walk on the beach late in the day and fish off the pier at night. There were several people that came to see Clay while we were there. He has gained much of his strength back and decided that it was time to ride a bike again. He has not been on one since the accident. Grandma was filming the first ride, which turned into a race, and she witnessed a spectacular crash. Clay was racing his brothers when he lost control and fell over. He now has scraps on his knee. He was lucky in his landing and does not seem to be suffering any ill effects. We had another surprise while in Corpus. We had contacted the Shriners burn hospital for a consultation and they called the Friday we were there and said they could see Clay on Monday in Houston. We made plans to spend an extra night and drove up the coast on Monday morning to a 1:00 appointment in downtown Houston. The people at the hospital were very gracious and they explained a lot of different thoughts about Clay. The most interesting portion of our visit was what we were told about his left hand. They took X-rays while we were there and thought they could take the remaining portion of the index finger and stack it on the top of the thumb to give it more length and function. They have a plastics specialist that was on vacation. As soon as he returns they are going to explain the case to him and contact use if this is feasible. Clay is already on the surgery schedule for September 18th at Children's in Dallas. They were going to work on the hand and release the eyes. We hope to have discussions this week with the doctor from Children's. Clay went to burn clinic at Parkland yesterday. They want to schedule a neck release early in October. Mom takes him to Wichita Falls every day for therapy. Deidra will homeschool Clay this year. We have also enrolled him in kindergarten but he will participate as a homebound student. Through this program, a teacher will come to the house 4 hours a week and OT/PT will come as well. The teacher that is sent out has to be certified in Special Education. Deidra has her teaching certification (1st grade-7th grade) but is not certified in Special Ed. One of the education diagnosticians mentioned that if Deidra was certified in Special Ed., she could be contracted and paid to teach Clay. Deidra is trying to figure out how she is going to get all of Clay's lessons taught, take him to his daily appts., and be back home to meet Carson and Cody when they get off the bus (along with washing clothes, cooking meals, helping with homework, grocery shopping, etc.) As a family, we will all come together and help (many hands make light work). Deidra mentioned that she would like to have more time to send e-mails and stay in touch. Instead of turning on the computer at night, we try to get as many hours of sleep as we can. Please know that we are grateful for all your comments and care. Hopefully, one of these days, we will have time to respond to you individually. Many thanks to all who have continued to pray. We pray each day for strength from God. We will try to post more frequently after school begins and we get into a routine. Take Care.

Saturday, August 8

Hello to all! We have not posted in awhile, as we have been busy travelling to Clay's rehab & doctor appointments. Each weekday morning Clay gets into a hyperbaric chamber for 90 minutes. He has been in it 8 times now and will continue for awhile. After his hyperbaric treatments, we travel to the rehab center in Wichita Falls (Mon, Tues, Wed, & Fri). We have been travelling to Dallas on Thursdays (to the Burn clinic); and the Occupational therapist puts a new cast on Clay's right hand each week. We have become attached to all of Clay's therapists in Dallas and Wichita Falls. To each therapist who worked with Clay in the hospital and all the ones who worked with Clay in the outpatient clinic: we miss you. To all of Clay's therapists in Wichita Falls: you already have a special place in our hearts. To all the nurses and doctors who worked with Clay: you will always have a special place in our hearts.
We met with a plastic surgeon last Monday at Children's hospital in Dallas and he discussed the surgeries he could do for Clay. He can help Clay have 50% function with his left hand by performing surgery on his middle finger & the small portion of thumb, to create a pincher. He also discussed how he could surgically release Clay's neck and eyes. We will post specific surgery dates and details later. We also contacted the Shriner's hospital in Houston. We will know next week when we can schedule a consultation with the doctors there.
Clay is still eating very well and keeping up with Carson and Cody. His brothers have been good therapy for him. As a family, we were usually outside a lot & did many outdoor activities. We are now adjusting to a "new normal" way of life - indoors a majority of the time. I had some time the other day to work in my flower beds and enjoyed the sun. Clay can go out in the late evening to play for awhile. As the weather cools down, he will be able to go outside more often (with sun protection). With the 100+ temperatures, we have to be careful that he does not get overheated when we go to his appointments and run errands. We have to spend a little time outdoors each day or else we would go crazy (& Clay needs his vitamin D). We had our first "big" dinner together last evening & the boys helped prepare it. Before the accident, I would have fussed about any mess in my kitchen. Now, I am just glad that we are all together making messes in the kitchen. :-) The time we spend with our children is priceless.
We want you all to know how thankful we are for your care; & please feel free to call, write, or visit anytime. Have a good day!