Update on Andrew, July 7th 2007

TUESDAY, JULY 03, 2007 03:17 PM, EDT

I'm so glad that Andrew was able to report to you all personally. It was a surprise for me as well. :) He is continuing to do well. Last week was a busy week for him. He took some driving classes to learn to drive with his hands (which he was very excited about!). He also has been doing a lot of intense therapy. He walked from the physical therapy room to the occupational room with a walker all by himself! He is the very first person with his level of injuries (hip disarticulation and above the knee amputation) to ever have walked out of the physical therapy room on legs! What a blessing! The prayer requests continue to be the same. Please pray over his hands. Just pray that God will continue to heal them. Also, continue to pray for wisdom for his doctors as they make critical decisions regarding his surgeries coming up next month. Thank you all so very very much for your prayers. I really wish (and know Andrew feels the same) that we could thank every one of you personally. I know you have really taken Andrew into your hearts. Thank-you! ~Katherine

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2007 04:51 PM, EDT

Hey y'all, This is Andrew typing here. I am continuing to get stronger every day through therapy, and I have especially been encouraged by my improvements in learning to walk again. I have worked harder here than I ever did during my Academy days or infantry training, yet I can credit these improvements only to the grace that God provides me each day. God is so good! I would like to thank all of the individuals, families, and churches that have prayed specifically for me throughout this entire ordeal. I truly believe in the power of prayer and I am so grateful for the prayers lifted up for my sake. I ask that when you pray for me, please also pray for those wounded veterans that do not know Christ. I don't know where I'd be without my faith.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007 08:01 PM, EDT

Andrew's doing great. He told me that he's gaining strength this summer so he'll be ready for several big surgeries that are coming up in August. Please pray over these upcoming surgeries. One will be the colostomy reversal. Pray that everything will heal in such a way that he'll be able to have it reversed soon. He will also have to have his right ear surgery redone. His intestinal emergency that happened a few months ago (that sent him back to the ICU) caused so much pain and vomiting, that his eardrum burst again. They will redo this right side and look towards hopefully fixing the left side next (which is his worst side). Mom asked that I ask for prayer for his hands. His left hand is starting to show signs of improvement. He's beginning to feel some numbness on his pinky. This is great because he is left-handed! His right hand still needs a whole lot of improvement. He can still use his hands for basic things. He just can't do things like play the guitar etc. (which he loves). As he has been practicing his walking, his phantom pains have worsened a bit. He is on the maximum dosage of medication for phantom pain. Hopefully, they'll be able to figure out another remedy to help with this. Because of the walking on prosthetics, his brain thinks his legs are still there. I'm just so thankful for how far he has come. When I talk to him on the phone, he's sounds great. He's enjoying the small improvements he makes daily. He continues to be thankful for what he has instead of what he doesn't have. I am thankful to have that example in my life. Thank you all for your prayers and support! ~Katherine