Welcome back to the next Thriving Not Just Surviving post,
This post has two VERY different parts. I am going to give a
recap to help fully understand so please stick with me (this is Maureen by the
way).
We just passed three years from his initial cancer diagnosis.
That diagnosis alone was a lot, bleak and he conquered it taking Thriving Not
Just Surviving as an inspiration to keep fighting for a better life. One year
after that diagnosis, he had a seizure which lead to an Epilepsy diagnosis and
that part of our challenging journey through uncontrolled seizures for a time,
medication changes and hospitalizations with an extensive surgery to save his
shoulder. We left our “home” and moved across the state to be close to his
doctors and have family support. In December he was diagnosed with severe and chronic
migraines and has since battled a few viral things, shingles being one of them.
During this time, he hasn’t been able to drive since February 2018, works remotely
and hasn’t been able to exercise as he used to.
Through all of this Greg has continued to press on, taking
each new thing and pushing on. He is a private person and has struggled to find
a therapist/counselor whom he connects with. He has carried all of this.
On Wednesday, Greg willingly went to the hospital for a “Behavioral
Risk Assessment”. You speak with a counselor and they determine if you’d
benefit from an inpatient stay with full medical support to address emotional, mental,
physical needs. Greg was admitted and he has been staying at a local hospital
on their “Behavioral Health Unit”. We are not sure how long his stay will be, but
don’t anticipate it being that long. We pray that he can be in a better mental
and emotional state when he is discharged and can get back to the Thriving part
that has always been so important to him.
On a different note, before the above occurred, we applied
and were accepted to receive a seizure response service dog! We feel this will
be an extra way to provide Greg with freedom, safely and peace of mind! A seizure
response dog does not prevent seizures but is HIGHLY trained to assist him in
the event of a seizure. They can pull him to safety (if he’s outside, on a hard
surface, etc..) as well as bring medication, get immediate assistance and more.
We have chosen a program that provides extensive training for the dog and us,
as well as a program that comes right to us so we don’t have to travel. The
training is ongoing and with someone like Greg whose health changes, we thought
this was important! We are fundraising to meet the financial need and invite
you to visit our page. If you are able to financially support us, we would be
grateful. If you are not, please pray for us and please pass on this information!
The process usually takes about 9-12 months but we’d like to raise the money as
fast as we can!
We have received so much support from our communities and
are so grateful you’ve walked this journey with us. None of us know where our path
leads, and we know each and every one of you have your own challenges in your
life. We are just grateful you continue to remain as part of our support system
in so many different ways.
Here is a picture from when Greg was first diagnosed and he came up with Thriving Not Just Surviving- this is a good reminder of the hope we had.
Here is a picture from last summer, and a favorite for both of us.
Know that you are in our prayers and please, please pray that
Greg and I can both get to a place of thriving instead of surviving.
Love you two!
ReplyDeletePrayers for both of you have never stopped and will continue as you journey to thriving! Love you.
ReplyDeleteLove you two amazing people!
ReplyDelete