From: David
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2000
I stepped off the plane a little after 6 pm this past Tuesday evening and called Russell on his cell phone. As he approached the airport, Russell directed me to the curb in front of the terminal, and within minutes we were on our way.
As we dashed to his house, Russell told me of Lynne's progress. Russell had spent the night before with Lynne in the Independent Living suite on the Rehab floor of the hospital, where he was being evaluated on how well he had learned to take care of Lynne on his own. It was the first time they had spent the night together in over six weeks. Everything went smoothly except for a small basement fire that woke them up at 3 am. For about an hour, the fire alarm outside their room gave a loud ding, then a whirr and a click as it reset for the next ding.
Russell and I picked up Eric and Aaron and arrived at Lynne's hospital room by 7:10. There stood seven of the Riggan's shepherds -- Jay Ray Toland, Dick Ihfe, Jim Jennings, Wylie Hill, Bob McGrew, Bill Wisecarver, and Bill Bradley. A long-time friend from Lynne's work, Kathy Brown, was there as well. Lynne sat in her wheelchair. I greeted her and hugged her, and unlike my previous visit, she hugged me back!
Russell opened a Bible and read James 5:13-18, then said he and Lynne were claiming that passage: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, and the Lord will raise him up."
We surrounded Lynne, and several of us laid our hands on her. Each elder prayed, and Kathy and I prayed as well. We thanked God for all the good he has done in Lynne's life and in the lives of countless others around her. We thanked him for the family, friends, and shepherds who have supported her and her family, many of whom were joining with us in prayer elsewhere at the same hour. We asked for complete healing of Lynne's body and for blessings on all who would attend to her. We prayed special blessings on Russell, Eric, and Aaron. We cried tears of thankfulness, joy, and love -- and tears of submission to our Abba Father.
Russell and Jay Ray had each intended to bring oil, but had forgotten. During the prayer, Russell had the presence of mind to check the kitchen where he found the last of a bottle of Crisco, which he rubbed on Lynne's forehead!
Once the elders had gone, Kathy and Russell helped Lynne finish moving out of the room where she had been for over a month. The packing done, there was a final look around. Much had happened in that room, and Russell asked Lynne if she was ready to move on to the next chapter. Without a word, Lynne walked her wheelchair to the door, turned off the light, and kept going.
Russell's sister, Gaye, and I were in charge of getting the boys to bed Tuesday night then up and off to school the next morning. Just before bedtime, and during breakfast the next morning, they found time to beat their Uncle David in a game of chess. Isn't there something in the rules that your opponent can't be coached by his twin brother?
Back at the hospital, Russell and Lynne were already up and around. Lynne's IV had been hurting her some during the night, and had finally gone south. Nurse Carl was trying to start another one -- a frustrating experience for both Lynne and Carl. But he finally succeeded, and this one was much less painful, which was a blessing.
Russell and Lynne should've seen it coming, but the gift I brought them was wrapped in a box that originated with Russell's mom and has been passed around for several Christmases now -- all of which is documented in the lid! Kevin had been the last recipient of the box at Christmas, and he and Kayla had thought to give it to me on the way out the door. Kevin had written the last entry in the lid, "To Lynne, from the Powells 2000, Get Well Soon!"
I shared a scripture from Exodus 23:30 with Lynne, where God tells the Israelites in the desert that he will not drive out their enemies in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for them. "Little by little, I will drive them out before you." Lynne started singing the song Lora had printed for her -- Little by little in every way, little by little in every day, Jesus is changing me! -- and when we finished singing, we marvelled together at God's timing.
Bob McGrew showed up to spend the morning with us. Bob is officially retired as an elder, but he is certainly still shepherding the Riggan family! Bob said he noticed Russell working in the grocery store a few months ago, recognized him from church, and struck up a friendship. They have become very close. It was Bob who sat out in the cold with Russell while they waited on a tow truck a few weeks ago.
Bob asked Lynne and Russell how they met, and all of us, including Gaye who also there by now, enjoyed retelling the story of how Lynne's sister, Teresa, and Russell's friend, Mike Reed, set them up. "I walked Lynne down the aisle twice," Russell said, "once at Mike and Teresa's wedding and once at ours." We told of the Midland-to-Lubbock romance, and of the room in my house that became Lynne's when she came every weekend to visit Russell -- or at least the weekends he didn't go there!
Lynne was going through a very difficult time in her life when she was dating Russell, and we decided it was during that time she found out Russell was "leanable." He still is. One of Russell's favorite quotes is from Forrest Gump, "Forrest, you lean against me, and I'll lean against you, and neither one of us will have to sleep in the mud."
Dr. Barber came in to check on Lynne's progress, and she announced she was voiding on her own! "OK," said the doctor, "tell me the story, and I'll critique it." The doctor wasn't surprised this had happened, and explained in scientific terms what was going on. Russell and I found out later we were thinking the same thing as the doctor was talking -- the science doesn't decrease our faith in God, it only convinces us more that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Just before noon, the orderly arrived to get Lynne for surgery. Nurses Carl and Josie moved her from the bed to an adjustable gurney, then to the higher gurney. We accompanied her to the second floor for surgery. I placed my hand on her head and assured her that my one hand represented a hundred more that were praying for her. At that moment, Dr. Cannon Lewis walked around the corner. He is the resident from her church that has been checking in on her. He also stopped and assured her. (What a "coincidence!")
Russell followed Lynne into pre-op, where he pointed out to the anesthesiologist the red band on Lynne's wrist that said she was allergic to morphine. Just to be safe, the anesthesiologist also wrote "No morphine" above the knee of his scrubs, then found a piece of tape, wrote "No Morphine" again, and taped it to Lynne's forehead!
Russell joined Bob, Gaye and me in the waiting room several minutes later. At 1:48, a nurse called us to say the surgery had begun. She called us again at the halfway point, then once more when they were finished, which was just before 4:30.
Dr. Harper came out, and he looked pleased as he explained that they had "unroofed" C1-4, and that Lynne's spine was well decompressed. He drew us a sketch to show the laminae and spinal processes that had been removed. By removing this bit of bone, there is nothing for the spine to compress against. There was no need for fusing and there was no need to do anything with the disks. Even if the disks were somewhat herniated, with nothing to pinch them, they would not be painful.
I had to leave for the airport before I saw Lynne, but by just after 7 pm, Lynne was on her way to room 1231. Russell called me at work Thursday to say that Lynne had had some trouble getting adjusted to her new room. It is a semi-private room where Lynne is flat on her back. It took some doing, but Lynne finally figured out she could work the Demorol pump by grabbing the cord with one hand and pulling the button to her chin. Russell got frustrated with a nurse who didn't seem to have a clue about spinal injury in general or Lynne in particular. The neurologist who came by to see her only had notes from his meetings with the other doctors, and had not seen Lynne before.
Our prayer is Lynne will be able to rest for a few days, then move back to Rehab. Russell is a great advocate for Lynne. Pray that he will have the wisdom to change what he can and accept what he can't.
Love,
David
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2000
I stepped off the plane a little after 6 pm this past Tuesday evening and called Russell on his cell phone. As he approached the airport, Russell directed me to the curb in front of the terminal, and within minutes we were on our way.
As we dashed to his house, Russell told me of Lynne's progress. Russell had spent the night before with Lynne in the Independent Living suite on the Rehab floor of the hospital, where he was being evaluated on how well he had learned to take care of Lynne on his own. It was the first time they had spent the night together in over six weeks. Everything went smoothly except for a small basement fire that woke them up at 3 am. For about an hour, the fire alarm outside their room gave a loud ding, then a whirr and a click as it reset for the next ding.
Russell and I picked up Eric and Aaron and arrived at Lynne's hospital room by 7:10. There stood seven of the Riggan's shepherds -- Jay Ray Toland, Dick Ihfe, Jim Jennings, Wylie Hill, Bob McGrew, Bill Wisecarver, and Bill Bradley. A long-time friend from Lynne's work, Kathy Brown, was there as well. Lynne sat in her wheelchair. I greeted her and hugged her, and unlike my previous visit, she hugged me back!
Russell opened a Bible and read James 5:13-18, then said he and Lynne were claiming that passage: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, and the Lord will raise him up."
We surrounded Lynne, and several of us laid our hands on her. Each elder prayed, and Kathy and I prayed as well. We thanked God for all the good he has done in Lynne's life and in the lives of countless others around her. We thanked him for the family, friends, and shepherds who have supported her and her family, many of whom were joining with us in prayer elsewhere at the same hour. We asked for complete healing of Lynne's body and for blessings on all who would attend to her. We prayed special blessings on Russell, Eric, and Aaron. We cried tears of thankfulness, joy, and love -- and tears of submission to our Abba Father.
Russell and Jay Ray had each intended to bring oil, but had forgotten. During the prayer, Russell had the presence of mind to check the kitchen where he found the last of a bottle of Crisco, which he rubbed on Lynne's forehead!
Once the elders had gone, Kathy and Russell helped Lynne finish moving out of the room where she had been for over a month. The packing done, there was a final look around. Much had happened in that room, and Russell asked Lynne if she was ready to move on to the next chapter. Without a word, Lynne walked her wheelchair to the door, turned off the light, and kept going.
Russell's sister, Gaye, and I were in charge of getting the boys to bed Tuesday night then up and off to school the next morning. Just before bedtime, and during breakfast the next morning, they found time to beat their Uncle David in a game of chess. Isn't there something in the rules that your opponent can't be coached by his twin brother?
Back at the hospital, Russell and Lynne were already up and around. Lynne's IV had been hurting her some during the night, and had finally gone south. Nurse Carl was trying to start another one -- a frustrating experience for both Lynne and Carl. But he finally succeeded, and this one was much less painful, which was a blessing.
Russell and Lynne should've seen it coming, but the gift I brought them was wrapped in a box that originated with Russell's mom and has been passed around for several Christmases now -- all of which is documented in the lid! Kevin had been the last recipient of the box at Christmas, and he and Kayla had thought to give it to me on the way out the door. Kevin had written the last entry in the lid, "To Lynne, from the Powells 2000, Get Well Soon!"
I shared a scripture from Exodus 23:30 with Lynne, where God tells the Israelites in the desert that he will not drive out their enemies in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for them. "Little by little, I will drive them out before you." Lynne started singing the song Lora had printed for her -- Little by little in every way, little by little in every day, Jesus is changing me! -- and when we finished singing, we marvelled together at God's timing.
Bob McGrew showed up to spend the morning with us. Bob is officially retired as an elder, but he is certainly still shepherding the Riggan family! Bob said he noticed Russell working in the grocery store a few months ago, recognized him from church, and struck up a friendship. They have become very close. It was Bob who sat out in the cold with Russell while they waited on a tow truck a few weeks ago.
Bob asked Lynne and Russell how they met, and all of us, including Gaye who also there by now, enjoyed retelling the story of how Lynne's sister, Teresa, and Russell's friend, Mike Reed, set them up. "I walked Lynne down the aisle twice," Russell said, "once at Mike and Teresa's wedding and once at ours." We told of the Midland-to-Lubbock romance, and of the room in my house that became Lynne's when she came every weekend to visit Russell -- or at least the weekends he didn't go there!
Lynne was going through a very difficult time in her life when she was dating Russell, and we decided it was during that time she found out Russell was "leanable." He still is. One of Russell's favorite quotes is from Forrest Gump, "Forrest, you lean against me, and I'll lean against you, and neither one of us will have to sleep in the mud."
Dr. Barber came in to check on Lynne's progress, and she announced she was voiding on her own! "OK," said the doctor, "tell me the story, and I'll critique it." The doctor wasn't surprised this had happened, and explained in scientific terms what was going on. Russell and I found out later we were thinking the same thing as the doctor was talking -- the science doesn't decrease our faith in God, it only convinces us more that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Just before noon, the orderly arrived to get Lynne for surgery. Nurses Carl and Josie moved her from the bed to an adjustable gurney, then to the higher gurney. We accompanied her to the second floor for surgery. I placed my hand on her head and assured her that my one hand represented a hundred more that were praying for her. At that moment, Dr. Cannon Lewis walked around the corner. He is the resident from her church that has been checking in on her. He also stopped and assured her. (What a "coincidence!")
Russell followed Lynne into pre-op, where he pointed out to the anesthesiologist the red band on Lynne's wrist that said she was allergic to morphine. Just to be safe, the anesthesiologist also wrote "No morphine" above the knee of his scrubs, then found a piece of tape, wrote "No Morphine" again, and taped it to Lynne's forehead!
Russell joined Bob, Gaye and me in the waiting room several minutes later. At 1:48, a nurse called us to say the surgery had begun. She called us again at the halfway point, then once more when they were finished, which was just before 4:30.
Dr. Harper came out, and he looked pleased as he explained that they had "unroofed" C1-4, and that Lynne's spine was well decompressed. He drew us a sketch to show the laminae and spinal processes that had been removed. By removing this bit of bone, there is nothing for the spine to compress against. There was no need for fusing and there was no need to do anything with the disks. Even if the disks were somewhat herniated, with nothing to pinch them, they would not be painful.
I had to leave for the airport before I saw Lynne, but by just after 7 pm, Lynne was on her way to room 1231. Russell called me at work Thursday to say that Lynne had had some trouble getting adjusted to her new room. It is a semi-private room where Lynne is flat on her back. It took some doing, but Lynne finally figured out she could work the Demorol pump by grabbing the cord with one hand and pulling the button to her chin. Russell got frustrated with a nurse who didn't seem to have a clue about spinal injury in general or Lynne in particular. The neurologist who came by to see her only had notes from his meetings with the other doctors, and had not seen Lynne before.
Our prayer is Lynne will be able to rest for a few days, then move back to Rehab. Russell is a great advocate for Lynne. Pray that he will have the wisdom to change what he can and accept what he can't.
Love,
David