Willow had an accident near Topeka. Lori needs local assistance

[stude31]

Ok...  

I talked to Lori last night and this morning.  She sounds very tired and she had just gotten over pneumonia so hopefully it's not creeping back.

This morning she had told me that they were going to do the wrist surgery at 8 am but I guess it was pushed back and they are going to do some more tests on Willow today.   She told me she had to go because she had over slept and was going to starbucks drive thru to get the largest coffee they sell.  We went over a few more details of something to come, I just needed to work out some things...  

Well she called back and she said that she had to tell me that she got in line at starbucks and ordered her the coffee she had mentioned and when she got to the window they told her there was no charge.  The car in front of her paid for her drink.   As I am overwhelmed to type this it just goes to show in the moment we feel drained and struggling God makes a way through situations to show that through everyone he can touch lives.  This person in the car in front of her has no idea the difference they made to a woman who has been through so much this past week.  How amazing that is.

I had to share that with you and let you know I believe today will be a great day for Carl.

Joe.

Stude31

[RainMaker]

Ok...  

I talked to Lori last night and this morning.  She sounds very tired and she had just gotten over pneumonia so hopefully it's not creeping back.

Well she called back and she said that she had to tell me that she got in line at starbucks and ordered her the coffee she had mentioned and when she got to the window they told her there was no charge.  The car in front of her paid for her drink.   As I am overwhelmed to type this it just goes to show in the moment we feel drained and struggling God makes a way through situations to show that through everyone he can touch lives.  This person in the car in front of her has no idea the difference they made to a woman who has been through so much this past week.  How amazing that is.

I had to share that with you and let you know I believe today will be a great day for Carl.

Joe.

Stude31

I think that God sometimes will send us an angel to remind us He cares.  That person in the car before Lori was a messenger.

[stude31]

How convenient... We are at the top of Page 10.

I have an announcement to make to all of you.  I have received many emails asking how they can help and ideas on ways to show their support for Willow at this time.  I have spoken to many of our Kansas Valkyrie members and we have brainstormed several ways that we could help but we believe this is the best to do at this time.

On behalf of the Kansas Valkyrie Riders we have set up a Medical Fund account at Lori and Carl's bank in Olathe.  Please know that by no means is this an obligation to anyone to feel they have to but for those of you that have thanked me and many others for updating Carl's status. We felt that the most effective way that one could help is by donating to the medical expenses.  If you feel like that is something you would like to do please PM me and I will provide you with the details. Or email me at joestudebaker5555@gmail.com (remove the numbers).

Stude31

[Carolyn Schmidt]

Ok...  

I talked to Lori last night and this morning.  She sounds very tired and she had just gotten over pneumonia so hopefully it's not creeping back.

This morning she had told me that they were going to do the wrist surgery at 8 am but I guess it was pushed back and they are going to do some more tests on Willow today.   She told me she had to go because she had over slept and was going to starbucks drive thru to get the largest coffee they sell.  We went over a few more details of something to come, I just needed to work out some things...  

Well she called back and she said that she had to tell me that she got in line at starbucks and ordered her the coffee she had mentioned and when she got to the window they told her there was no charge.  The car in front of her paid for her drink.   As I am overwhelmed to type this it just goes to show in the moment we feel drained and struggling God makes a way through situations to show that through everyone he can touch lives.  This person in the car in front of her has no idea the difference they made to a woman who has been through so much this past week.  How amazing that is.

I had to share that with you and let you know I believe today will be a great day for Carl.

Joe.

Stude31

My heart overflows. We can all take a lesson from the car in front of Lori.

Thank you Joe for the updates. You're a good man.
Blessings,
Carolyn

[Michael K (Az.)]

Now how cool is that??

[T.P.]

I will kick this off with $100 bucks to Carl and Lori,     Git-R-Done  

joestudebaker5555@gmail.com

Your the Best Joe,  No wonder they named a car after you.     T.P.  

[BudMan]

Done! 

[HayHauler]

We need a PayPal account tied to this account.  It will make it super easy to donate!
What say you Joe?

Hay
Jimmyt

[stude31]

We need a PayPal account tied to this account.  It will make it super easy to donate!
What say you Joe?

Hay
Jimmyt

That is a great idea, I will talk to Lori about that. 

[clintsdivco]

I just got home from visiting Carl and Lori at the hospital. Carl had his best day yet since the accident and was in good spirits. Lori actually looked pretty relaxed tonight too.  We had a very nice visit. They put off his surgery again today and may possibly do the surgery tomorrow. 

Carl is actually in room 2105. I went to the room that was posted on the board here and met some strangers. He was moved right across from the nurses station after his fall the other night. They have still been getting all the email cards even though they have the wrong room number on them. They have really enjoyed all of the thoughts and well wishes.

Clint

[T.P.]

Hey All,  Carl is in a new room,  not 2123 anymore.  the new one is  2105

http://oprmc.com/   T.P.

[Serk]

Update from Lori on Facebook:


good morning. Carl will be having surgery this morning at 9:30. I am on my way to Starbucks before going to the hospital. I will post am update later.

[motomama]

Carl is still in surgery, they took him in a little over an hour ago.  It truly amazes me the way that our God works!  He has put the people in place in our lives that need to be there at the specific times that we need them!  I am so very thankful for all of you, and all of our friends that have been there are continue to be there throughout this entire ordeal!  Thank you all so much, and you mean the world to us!

I have to share with you that late last night when I arrived home, there was a package on the steps.  It was addressed to Carl in care of me.  I took it inside and opened it and it was a bear.  When I got the bear out, I noticed a little button on his hand that you are supposed to push.  I pushed the button and the bear started dancing and singing "I feel good!".  This was the first good laugh that i have had since this ordeal began a week ago.  So, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to the person that sent this bear!  It totally made my day yesterday to see it!  I brought it up to Carl this morning and he, too found humor in it!  Whoever you are, please know that we appreciate it and it brought smiles to both of our faces!!!

Carl is improving every day!  We appreciate all of the love, support, encouragement and prayers from alll of you during this time!!!  Thank you Again, and I will update as I can.  Since I do not have alot of time to update everyone, I usually post the updates on my facebook, so if those of you that have shared those updates can continue to do so, I would appreciate it.  We love you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

[therapist]

Just checked in, found about the accident.  Hope Willow comes through surgery OK.
That body of his has been through a lot, considering his previous spill.  Good thoughts
coming from Northern Michigan.

[R J]

Carl's body has been through hell ever since he joined the Marines and got discharged.

Don't ask me how I know this.

Semper fi.

[old2soon]

Prayers still up from da Ozarks.  Get better soonest Carl. Lori-I hope you get some time to at least try to relax.

[Jabba]

Hopefully things went well.  Lori has been keeping me updated from Motomamma's facebook feed.

Please tell Willow we love him.

Jabba

[bg]

anyone know what name lori's fb page is under.
i searched for her name and couldn't find the one i thought was hers.
so glad to hear carl is making improvement every day.
he and lori are a great couple and have my continued prayers and thoughts for
as long as needed.

[Katmandu]

bg -  her facebook page is under Lori Smothers Holmes

[Xtracho]

Been away from the machine the last couple of days. Thanks to Stude for the great updates. The Starbucks story is uplifting. Looks like Willow's recovery is moving along. Our prayers continue here in Panama City Beach.

[stude31]

Lori posted two posts today...

This one was posted earlier but wanted to add it to this link..

Wow...I think I must have been a little bit tired! I didn't set any alarms last night and when I work up and looked at the clock, it was 11!

Surgery went well yesterday. They got Carl's hand all fixed up and now he has a little extra hardware in his body. It should heal fine. He was doing well when I left the hospital last night. He was still experiencing some confusion, but that is to be expected with the type of injuries he incurred. They will be removing his stitches today. His blood sugar has been running fairly high, so they are working to keep it down.

The plan is to move him to a rehab facility when he is able to. At this time, I don't know when that will be, but it should be sometime in the next few days.

Thank you again for all of the support, encouragement, and prayers. We do appreciate all of you! How for me to get moving around and get up to the hospital!


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Most recent:

I have to say that I have the most wonderful friends! With everything that has been going on in our lives the past week, I have received so many calls, messages, and so much support from all of you! It is hard for me to even remember everyone and everything that has been done so that I can personally thank all of you! Yesterday, I was able to step away from the hospital for a few hours after Carl's surgery and our friends at Voga Salon, Ashlee and Armando opened up (although they were closed for the weekend) to pamper me a little bit! It was so appreciated and it was a nice, relaxing break for me! Dane from my RLI group came out one evening and mowed my lawn and it is my understanding that several of the people from my group have volunteered to do this and it has been scheduled to be taken care of for several weeks. Dr. Rich took care of me one morning this week and it was nice to be able to relax a bit there too! There are many that are planning meals, etc. when we need them, along with the outpouring of support and those that inteceded on our behalf, I had from many, many people while we were in topeka at the other hospital and trying to get things resolved there! I am overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many people that care and truly want to help us! I know there are many others that I have not named, as I can't even think of them all at this time, but please know that you are ALL very appreciated by us, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Thank you SO very much!


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I had talked to Lori a little bit last night on the phone and she said that Carl had struggled with a positive outlook.  We all can only imagine what he is going through, some of us could argue that they know or have had similar experience but I can only say that I was sad to hear he had dropped into a valley in his spirit but I am sure today was another story.  This is probably to be expected but please keep Carl and Lori in your prayers.  She did tell me that the day after a person buying her starbucks coffee she ran into a friend at the starbucks the second day and they bought her coffee then, as well.  I am hoping to go visit him tomorrow evening or maybe wednesday.  I will post if I hear anything more.   Carl is one tough guy, sure hope he is okay with what I said.  The reason I mentioned this was to let you know he is "human"

I miss you Willow 

Stude31

[wiggydotcom]

Thanks, Stude. We know Carl is a trooper and will get through this. There's bound to be some highs and lows along the way.

We can only pray that his faith will make the down days short and few.

Lori,  thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to post updates on Carl!  God Bless you both!

[Michael K (Az.)]

Here's the latest from Lori:

Carl is improving every day, some days are just a little bit harder for him though. He had a fairly good day. Physical Therapy had him get out of bed, they customized a walker for him to use to steady himself and they had him move around some before returning to bed. This much activity wore him out a little bit. He had a few visitors today, and I think that lifted his spirits, along with him being able to talk to a few people on the telephone. This evening, he was getting a little bit restless and wanted to sit up in a chair. It took a couple of folks to move him to the chair, but he did do it. Unfortunately, due to his balance issues, they had to put a belt around him and the chair to keep him from falling forward, as they did not want him to fall out of the chair. He sat there for a little bit, but then found himself nodding off which caused him to fall forward a tad bit. When he would, of course, he would feel the belt restraining him, and I think this was uncomfortable for him. He became a bit agitated, and wanted to go back to his bed. I think due to the agitation, he became very anxious and confused. He even asked to have his nurse sent in to help him make up his mind. Before I left the hospital, they were giving him his pain meds along with some medication to calm him. At times, it just makes me feel so helpless as there is nothing I can really do when he becomes anxious like that. My heart breaks for him, as he is trying to hard and it just frustrates him so when he cant remember things or make decisions, etc.

It has been a week since his accident, and I can see improvement in him every day. I am learning to be a more patient person, as there are some times when I have to tell him the same thing or answer the same question multiple times. He is trying so hard, and I know he will eventually get back to where he was before...it will just take time.

Again, thank you all and please continue to pray for us!

[RainMaker]

My thoughts and prayers continue to be sent to Carl and Lori.  Willow is fighting to get back and he'll be there. 

Lord, grant both of them the patience they need to allow your healing power to work.  Amen

[Whistler]

Continued prayers for Carl and Lori!

JDW

[RP#62]

Carl we were so sad to hear of your accident but glad that you are on the mend.  Guess you have another birthday now.  I have to say though, it looks like you did the low rider mod to your bike.  Looks kinda cool.

-RP

[flsix]

Been away for a few days and am glad to see that Carls surgery went well. Still praying for continued improvement.

[Serk]

Update from Motomoma from the Book of Faces:

Carl had a fairly good day yesterday. As I had said before, he is showing improvement every day. He had a few visitors yesterday, and i believe that lifted his spirits some. He had a handful of people visit him over the weekend. He just tires rather easily, but that is to be expected. Please continue to remember us in your prayers. Thank you!

[Michael K (Az.)]

Update from Motomoma from the Book of Faces:

Carl had a fairly good day yesterday. As I had said before, he is showing improvement every day. He had a few visitors yesterday, and i believe that lifted his spirits some. He had a handful of people visit him over the weekend. He just tires rather easily, but that is to be expected. Please continue to remember us in your prayers. Thank you!

 

[R J]

I'll do more than that.     I'll dig the link out for the hospital and send him another Get Well card.

Modified:

Got-R-Done.

[RainMaker]

I'll do more than that.     I'll dig the link out for the hospital and send him another Get Well card.

Modified:

Got-R-Done.

Just sent one.

[T.P.]

The link to email Carl

To send an email to:  Carl Holmes.   room 2105

http://oprmc.com/about/patient-email-service-form.dot

Overland Park Regional Medical Center
10500 Quivira Rd.
Overland Park, KS 66215

[Serk]

Another small Facebook update:

Slipped away from the hospital for a little while to attend my RLI meeting. Carl has already had OT and PT this morning and is worn out. I thought it would be a food opportunity for me to get away for a little bit. — at Uncle Buck's Grill.

[Serk]

Okay, just had to share this funny coincidence. I was just writing Carl a mail through the hospital mail page. As ya'll have noticed, there's a captcha on the page (Random letters you hafta type in to prove you're human and not a robot.). The one I got was "Serko"... Strange coincidence, made me laugh...

[Daniel Meyer]

Okay, just had to share this funny coincidence. I was just writing Carl a mail through the hospital mail page. As ya'll have noticed, there's a captcha on the page (Random letters you hafta type in to prove you're human and not a robot.). The one I got was "Serko"... Strange coincidence, made me laugh...

I got "zoomy" last night LOL!

[flsix]

Serk I feel shorted, all I got was "bekki" on todays e-card. No connection there what so ever

[Michael K (Az.)]

If I see, "Michael K" down there, I'm gettin nervous!! ♫♫

[flsix]

That would start getting spooky.

[Serk]

Another Motomama update from Facebook for you non-Facebook types:

Carl had physical therapy and occupational therapy both this morning. It wore him out and he took a pretty good nap afterward. Physically, he is coming along very well. He looks so much better. They removed the bandages from his wrist and hand today and he is able to move it some. In time, it will be as good as new! He was struggling a bit today with some depression. There are times that he just gets really down, but I am sure that is normal for anyone in his condition. It just hurts my heart to see him that way. When I was leaving the hospital, he was taking his pain medication, so I am hoping he gets a good night's sleep! Hopefully things will look better for him tomorrow. Please continue to pray for him.

[R J]

Another Motomama update from Facebook for you non-Facebook types:

Carl had physical therapy and occupational therapy both this morning. It wore him out and he took a pretty good nap afterward. Physically, he is coming along very well. He looks so much better. They removed the bandages from his wrist and hand today and he is able to move it some. In time, it will be as good as new! He was struggling a bit today with some depression. There are times that he just gets really down, but I am sure that is normal for anyone in his condition. It just hurts my heart to see him that way. When I was leaving the hospital, he was taking his pain medication, so I am hoping he gets a good night's sleep! Hopefully things will look better for him tomorrow. Please continue to pray for him.

Lori, I write him a card every time I am on the Puter and think of it.     I know how much those cards mean to the patient.

I was digging around in my large store it drawer.    I found all the cards that were sent to me when I had my hand worked on and my phony knee put it.  It is way past my bedtime and mom has came home and already when to bed.

Good night everyone, and good spirits and prayers for Carl and Lori tonight.