Vicki has been home for a week now, and she's still surprised her body keeps sending signals that she needs more and more rest. I keep explaining that her body has suffered a severe trauma whether she was awake to remember it or not. Mentally, she understands my point, but her body still just doesn't want to get up and go the way she is accustomed and I think it frightens her somewhat.

Now... drumroll please....

WE HAVE HAND CONTROLS INSTALLED ON THE VAN 

We send a special heartfelt prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving for each and every person involved in this provision, we are sooooooooo speechless. Never before have we seen the hand of God so closely as during this time of unusual hardship. Many people we have never met before who heard of our situation began sending help and in the end we had enough to get the hand controls installed.

We even had enough left to make life even a bit more convenient with a hand held shower head and a shower bench. That will keep Vicki from standing too long, which causes serious muscle cramps, and also allows her to sit down, which prevents the possibility of falling. Even a small fall could be life threatening this soon after surgery. And of course, being paraplegic, they will also make my life more convenient too!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you! I know many of you prayed for us with sincere and fervent prayers and we know that you are among the instrumental members of this helpful group, and we want to express our gratitude to you. You know who you are, and we love you.

Monday after work, I will go take photos of the hand controls so you can share in our joy. Vicki already expresses tearful excitement at being removed from the driver's seat. Driving has been a source of extreme stress for her since long before I knew her. But now, she will never have to drive again (I hope and pray).

I have even learned how to load and unload the wheelchair into the van by myself. I have to enter the passenger front seat, then remove one large wheel from my chair at a time and place it behind the front seats, then the frame follows and sits atop the wheels. I have a sliding board to go from one seat the next without falling into the console gap in the middle. To get out, I simply repeat the process in reverse - I slide from the driving seat into the passenger seat, open the door, take out the frame, then assemble one wheel then the next, turn off the van, get out and lock up.

I cannot even begin to express the way I feel when I lay down at night knowing Vicki is beside me, and if something were to happen I would actually have a way to get her to help. What a drastic relief. Feeling helpless really stinks, but being helpless is far worse. Now, I'm no longer helpless. And it's wonderfully incredible.

Until now Vicki has always handled the money, balanced the checkbook, updated the register and cross-verified everything with the monthly statement, etc. But now I've decided to do this to alleviate her stress or frustration, because she hates numbers, they always get jumbled in her mind. So she doesn't have to deal with money or driving any more. I hope she keeps getting better, and better, and better.

And I hope each of you knows of our appreciation for your part in all this provision and change.

Thank you.