Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello All,

I spoke with John today & Micah is making lot's of progress! John has also been trying to get back into the swing of business but is juggling being at the hospital so as to not miss anything. Elizabeth is home with John & they're both thrilled about it! Heather soldiers on at the hospital but remains in good spirits.

John shared that Micah has been working hard in rehab & is much more balanced than a week ago. He's reaching for items with more precision & his energy level is growing. During exercise the nurse will sit him on a large ball & slowly tip him forward, back & side to side. Micah's job is to correct the tip & re-center himself. He's doing well with it. They're also working with Micah on standing & walking. He still requires a lot of help with the walking but he's doing well with standing. Micah is able to sit up now, more or less on his own!

The nurses continue working to help Micah eat so he can be removed from the feeding tube. He's got the basics down & swallowing isn't an issue but recently he's had a difficult time keeping food down so the feeding tube is still in for the time. Eating & speaking share some muscle and brain process commonality so the solid food is important to retraining speech too. That said, the rehab team has been encouraging Micah to speak and he's proactively making sounds in response. That's a good first step.

I apologize for not having any pictures or video this time around but we'll get some more out soon. Thank you all for your continued support & prayers! Keep praying...

God bless you all!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello all,

John & Heather want to express their continued gratitude for your prayers. They're welcomed, needed & working! I'm going to be transitioning to weekly updates so you an all see the blessings happening but please keep Micah & the whole Andrews family in your DAILY prayers.

It's been an exciting week for Micah! At the beginning of last week Micah was pretty limp when someone would pick him up, his movements were fairly erratic and he had very limited control of his right side. Now - a totally different story! He's becoming increasingly active, more precise with his movements (like picking up & holding onto a ball) and attempting to sit up on his own, on the right side! He still requires some help but he's progressing by leaps & bounds. It's so encouraging to see.

The rehab team is working on retraining Micah to eat orally. He's doing great & will be getting some chocolate pudding today! The doctors will be removing the feeding tube within the next few days, once they can verify Micah's not aspirating food or liquids. All very exciting!

I've attached a picture of John, Micah & Elizabeth from my visit today. They all look great! I've also recorded a short video of Micah having a "pillow fight" with Heather. You can see just how active he's become. Click HERE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifTkEoc6SVU ) to check it out...

It was a great visit. I'm looking forward to even better ones. Thanks so much for your continued prayers. Keep praying & God bless you all!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello all,

Sorry it's been a few days. I had the opportunity to visit Micah Saturday & get some updates. Largely he was doing the same but slowing progressing with his therapy. It's difficult for doctors to speak in "averages" because everyone is so different & injuries vary but it appears Micah is making strides. Last night John e-mailed me the following:

"Hey Dave.

Micah had a huge day today!!  You saw him yesterday.  He was really starting to use his right side and his eyes were tracking more center-right.  We saw a lot more activity out of him as well.  Today was even better.

When I walked in the room, Heather said "Watch this".  She teased him a bit with a pillow, then placed it on his chest.  He proceeded to "fight" it off with both arms and legs!  He was giggling and smiling the whole time.

I had to do it too!   He was really pushing on it.  I was blown away with how much strength he had.  He really had command over all of his limbs.  He's still not very accurate with reaching for things, but I'll take it!  Today was a true miracle.  I wish you could have seen him.  This week is going to be awesome. "

I absolutely love John's optimism! That said, it's hard not to be excited about this progress. I told him it's one of the most encouraging things I've ever heard. It's funny - Yesterday in bible study we had a question posed to our small group that asked "to name a person, living or dead, who's influenced your life." Of course most, including myself said Jesus who obviously has but we also named others. The truth is anyone I named, in one way or another, was encouraging to me because I could see Christ playing a role in their life. After thinking about it this morning, I'm adding Micah to my list of people who encourage me. Again because of the enormous & clear presence of Christ in his life. I'm also encouraged but John & Heather's faith in the face of tragedy. Instead of tearing them apart, it's brought them closer together. Instead of "testing" their faith, it's strengthened it. This is ONLY possible because of Christ in their lives & their obedience to Him.

It's unfortunate that the situation is what it is but I'm so blessed & thankful that I can grow in Christ through of it. I'm incredibly encouraged & hope you are too!

Keep praying & God bless you all!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello All,

Well the past couple days have been a lot of work for Micah. He's in full rehab now but doing well. The team works him for a solid 3 hours daily. He's been staying up a bit longer than that but still needs a lot of rest.

Initially he wasn't using his left side, his eyes tend to track to the left & he has difficulty releasing his jaw after biting down but yesterday he began to raise and use his right arm! John mentioned that in the morning Micah can track his eyes a bit more to the right but he reverts to the left when there's more stimulation. The Andrews and the rehab team are all working with Micah to help him relax his jaw after biting down and to relearn his body in general. It's a difficult & time intensive process but Micah has responded better that they'd anticipated.

I've linked a video (from late last week) for you to see. It's shows how very sweet Micah is. Click the link & enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UEE-iJ5K_U

Please continue to pray for Micah & the whole Andrews family. Many of your prayers have already been answered but the needs continue to be great. As well as Micah is doing, he still has a long road of hard work ahead. Help pray him back to health!

Thanks to you all & God bless!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello all,

Micah has been moved & has officially started neuro rehab! They're doing initial assessments but it's still hard work for Micah. He's been staying up longer and longer each day. The neuro team has already identified a few areas that Micah needs help with & they've been working with his parents to help him retrain these functions.

I had an opportunity to visit yesterday & Micah looks so good. His grandparents & sister came to visit too. I've attached a picture of Micah & Elizabeth. It was absolutely precious when she sat down next to him & held his hand. It was terrific to see him smile too. He's such a happy little guy. It's very encouraging to see.

I have a video that John took of Micah the other day (some of you have already seen this on FaceBook) & I'll get it posted soon but I wanted to give a quick update this morning & remind everyone to keep the Andrews family in prayer this morning, as you go into worship.

Thanks so much & God bless you all. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello all,

Sorry it's been a couple days. Honestly there's not been much to report but as you know, sometimes no new is good news. That said, here's what we know today.

Micah had been having a rough time with withdrawals from medication. He had a fever and "shakes" the night before last. Heather did get to lay in bed with him & just hold him. I'm certain that was comforting to both of them. The doctors are trying to balance giving him enough meds to treat pain and counter the effect without causing future withdrawals. This is a gentle balancing act because everyone's different. There's no single formula but they're working at it.

Heather & John had an opportunity to hold Micah yesterday. This was simply fantastic! I've attached a picture of Heather & Micah. It's such a sweet sight!

Micah will be starting neuro-rehabilitation at Barrow TODAY! They're one of the top facilities in the country for this treatment so it's quite a blessing that Micah is going there. I've heard from several people in the medical industry that this is the place to be. Another prayer answered!

As promised, the Andrews are just about ready for visitors. Please give them a couple days to settle into the new schedule & *** VERY IMPORTANT *** make sure to call John BEFORE coming. You will get to see Micah but he'll be on a strict rehab schedule. The docs will NOT allow a session to be interrupted so for your own time-sake, schedule ahead. When you call John, you might need to leave a message because reception in the hospital is limited. A text might get to him faster. Please wait for him to reply with a time. The rehab schedule is not the same from day to day so please check each time you plan to visit. Barrow is located at 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013. It's basically the 3rd Street building by St. Josephs.

Thanks again for all your prayers & KEEP PRAYING. Rehab will be hard work for Micah but God has performed many miracles here. I'm certain there are more to come!

God bless you all!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935

Micah Andrews - UPDATE

Hello All,

Yesterday was a terrific day! Micah has started into his pre-rehab stage where they wake him every couple hours & lightly exercise him about every 4. This is not an easy process as Micah doesn't have control over his full motor skills (yet). They actually started this the day before yesterday & and as I mentioned in the previous update, it was incredibly difficult for his parents to see their son "groan" and "foam" at the mouth. He'd become frustrated and that's about it.

While they started into the process early yesterday, the doctors were trying to prepare the Andrews with the idea that Micah may never be the same. They said "He's still your little boy but he may be a different little boy." This was disheartening. When they started into the exercises, Micah began much the same as the day before but John explained to me "It was like God tapped me on the shoulder & told me to say..." and at that moment John said "Micah, D-I-A-P-E-R." This is a joke he and Micah shared. When Micah heard this, he relaxed, stopped groaning and smiled! Everyone including the doctors cheered. One of them began to cry and had to leave the room. None of them were prepared for this because a smile indicates that Micah did several things. He heard what was said, processed the information, remembered the joke and physically reacted to it! This was one of those precious, small miracles that we've all been praying for. By the way, this was repeated several times throughout the day! In fact, I had the opportunity to snap a picture of Micah when John had threatened to tickle him. Again, A huge blessing that Micah can understand and react to the anticipation of being ticked. I've attached the picture to share with you.

Please understand, Micah tires quickly & has a long road ahead to recovery but yesterday was encouraging beyond words. Especially for John & Heather. Prayer works! Please continue to pray for Micah's progress, the Andrews strength & the peace of all those who were involved in and affected by this horrific accident.

Thank you all so much - Enjoy the picture & God bless you all!

Sincerely,

David S. Mendel, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR, CDPE, e-PRO
RE/MAX Renaissance Realty
Valley Premier Team
www.ValleyPremierTeam.com
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite B200
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(O) 623-889-2575
(M) 602-291-3283
(F) 866-813-4935