March 10

Facebook post from Patrick

"Walk by Faith, not by sight. As you take steps of Faith, depending on Me, I will show you how much I can do for you.....The issue is not your strength but Mine, which is limitless. By walking close to Me, you can accomplish My purposes in My strength."

We have continued to progress and happy to report that we were able to meet up with a few from our Arizona Army!

Molly Mac, a friend from NLXF, surprised us with a short visit in the healing garden yesterday. It was soooo great to see a friendly Cedar Valley face. She even provided us a Starbucks gift card for future smoothies and a gift for our special Starbucks employee Ruthie. I said to Jamie, "Honestly, who does that, who would think to give a gift to a complete stranger that I mentioned one time in a FB post". Jamie's response was perfect, "Molly Mac does". Thank you Molly for shining your light!

A very good friend of ours Angie Haskovec slipped up to our room and dropped off a gift basket for us filled with Jamie's favorites. I unfortunately missed her, but it speaks volumes of her as she provided for our family while 29 weeks pregant. You can see more of her storyhttp://haskovecstwolittleangels.blogspot.com/?m=1.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to visit old neighbors of ours from Apollo St. Max and Gwen lived two houses down from us and our girls frequent their driveway as a turn around point with their bikes and little cars. Max and Gwen took very fondly to our girls and served as almost another set of grandparents for our kids. It was soooo unbelievably nice to see them. As we start to make plans on how we are going to get back to Iowa, they have offered to take some of our items back with them. As we sit here today, we will be flying home....as to when, we hope sometime next week.

As you can see our army continues to provide and we could not be more grateful for every ones generosity and genuine care for us.

Jamie update- PT and OT went well yesterday. Although she did vomit at 430 am, the steroid that was administered yesterday helped to reduce her vomiting and give her an added boost. Her stamina grew substantially yesterday. Step by step we are getting there...it just takes time.

Specific Prayers for Jamie's double vision to improve and reduced nausea would be greatly appreciated.

Do Better.
Be Better.

March 9

Facebook post from Patrick

As I sit here and try to come up with a recap from yesterday....I simply pause and reflect on the past 6 days and I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. Grateful for the surgery outcome, grateful to be on this road to recovery, grateful for all the friends and family that we have in our corner back home cheering us on and caring for Seeri, Jaelyn, Linden, and Myah!

Simply grateful for all of you!

We had an eventful day yesterday and we're able to take in about 20 minutes of sunshine. Jamie asked me how the weather was prior to going outside and I replied with, "It is probably a Top 5 day for Iowa weather", which is the typical norm these Arizona folks get to experience.

We had our pt and ot visits and all went well. They continue to challenge Jamie to build her stamina. Every activity we do just zaps her energy, but we have been here before and as what has been our theme...We are taking it step by step.

Grateful to post that we had a positive Wednesday! I sit here, in my elevated blood pressure state, watching the Hawkeyes as Jamie is taking her afternoon nap.

We're battling and Doing Better. Being Better. Grateful!

March 8

Facebook post from Patrick

"Live in the Light of My Presence, and your light will shine brightly into the lives of others".

It seems as though every morning I pick up this devotional it has something in it to grasp on to and hold. If you have read Jamie's blog you have heard her talk many times about shining your light, shine it bright. Well yesterday she was shining her light as usual, it was just a little dimmer than Monday.

It is very easy to come on to Facebook and flash up pictures of your wife, three days after a major brain surgery, walking the halls and smiling after a shower. In the very same breath, it is challenging to come on here and be honest about yesterday.

We had a challenging day. Jamie's nausea is causing her to not get very much nourishment. Anything she takes in - comes right back up. It is almost like having a horrible case of the stomach flu on top of a brain surgery. The Doctors reassure me that it will subside with time. The route that they took to get to the cm went right by the main nausea control center of the brain. So nausea is expected, but we trust it will subside.

She was able to take three walks yesterday, every walk zapped her energy. But I point out that she got up and battled...I know she didn't want to do them, but she forced herself out of bed and did them.

An update on deficits - Jamie's double vision remains no more nor no worse than when we went into surgery. Her left side remained the same with forearm to finger tip stiffness and lower shin to toe stiffness. Her right toes have followed suit, but we hope like her right fingertips this will subside as well. Her balance remains "off", but we both feel it may be due to her still being "higher than a kite" (her words not mine) They do have her on so many narcotics to dull the pain.

The good news, check that, the great news is the the tingling and numbness in her face and lips is gone. The majority of her pain is coming from the incision wound in her neck. They went in to great detail with me regarding the manipulation of her neck muscles during surgery, I had to ask them to stop about half way through their description as I had enough. Honestly, I probably know 10% of what happened to Jamie during her surgery on Friday and that may be 9% more than I want to know.

Sooooo, yesterday we expected. It doesn't make it any easier to live through. We didn't expect to be riding out of here on unicorns with rays of sunshine and rainbows coming from our butts. We know that peaks and valleys are going to happen and yesterday just happened to be a valley. Today we will wake up and fight again and get better. One step at a time.

Specific Prayers for strength - healing - and rest. Jamie has a very difficult time listening to her body, if you could pray for her ears to listen a little more intently, I would personally appreciate it.

PS, I wrote the majority of this post last night in my 6 foot 6 inch cot. I am very glad to report that Jamie ate a piece of french toast and her smoothie this morning and kept it down. We took our lap in the hall at the speed of light, got her shower in, and she is now snoring as loud as her father-in-law does. Please take this post with a grain of salt. Pray for us and know we will be fighting every minute to get back home!!

March 7

Facebook post from Patick

"Seek Me first and foremost; then the rest of your life will fall into place, piece by piece."

Jamie received a daily devotional as a gift prior to leaving for Arizona. I have read the devotional to her each morning, today the above hit home to us.

We have a long road of recovery ahead, but we trust in Him and know that piece by piece and step by step He will help us to fit everything back into place.

Speaking of steps, yesterday was more steps than I could have ever imagined. PT challenged Jamie to get up and get moving...well for those of you that know Jamie, she rose to the challenge. We took 4 walks yesterday, albeit only about 50 feet in length they were still walks. They were one foot in front of the other walks that required naps immediately following, but they were WALKS!! I was so proud of her, coming so far in only such a short period of time.

The highlight of the day was her shower. It made her feel like a million bucks and truly washed away the old and brought out the new and improved version of Jamie 3.0.

Her appetite is minimal due to the fear of nausea setting in after eating. The only constant and positive food she looks forward to is a strawberry smoothie from Starbucks. Ruthie and I are on a best friendship basis at this point. "Mr Patrick will take one strawberry smoothie with whip for his wife please", without me even saying a word. This morning the smoothie was waiting for me at the counter prior to ordering, with a piece of pumpkin bread that I didn't even order. Ruthie gave me a wink and said, "Enjoy your day Mr Patrick". The kindness of a stranger, as we are in a foreign land, was overwhelming.

I will let you enjoy the photos from yesterday, they do a heck of a better job showing you how Jamie is doing than my words do.

As we continue our pt and ot therapy, I ask for your prayers of strength and courage for Jamie. She's fighting!!

Do Better. Be Better.

March 6

Facebook posts from Patrick

Moving day-

We wanted to show everyone our new view. Yes, with the new view came a new room. Jamie was moved out of icu late yesterday afternoon to the neuro floor. She has made significant strides in the past 12 hours - she is now eating jello, her nausea has decreased, and as I type this she is going through her first pt assessment. Next on the schedule a nap and then a SHOWER!!!

We had a very good discussion with our neuro team this morning. They said they were going to start to challenge her with some physical activity and asked if she was up for it...I intervened and said they didn't know who they were messing with.

So step by step we continue to recover. Her shower this afternoon will do wonders just to make her feel human again.

Just a quick update for everyone.
Do Better. Be Better.

Today was better than yesterday and tommorrow will be better than today.

March 5

Facebook posts from Patrick

Jamie and I have been blessed with family and friends that would do just about anything for us at a drop of a hat and there is NO WAY we could be battling through all of this without ALL of you.

To Brother Tom for taking on all 4 kids for the past 4 days, thank you. To all the neighbors/friends who have been dropping off food and checking in on the kids, thank you. To Jon and Angi for tackling the weekend, thank you!

If I were to try and thank each and every person that has helped us over the past 3 weeks this post would take a week to write. Trust me, a blog will eventually come from my wife's fingertips (I enjoy reading her words better than mine anyways).....but in the mean time I just had to say Thank You to everyone that has impacted, reached out, and provided for our kids and our family.

We are indebted forever.

Jamie update- she is resting. She was under anesthesia for 9.5 hours so they anticipated it would take her a longer period of time to come out from it. Dr Spetzler just stopped in...I was shocked to see him as he was supposed to be gone for a week after Jamie's surgery. He saw the shock on my face when he walked in and I said to him, "You are supposed to be gone". He quickly replied back with, "I had to see your wife prior to leaving. She's doing remarkably well." To hear the world's best re-assure us was all I could have asked for 24 hours ago. We are taking it step by step and making progress with every step.

Specific Prayers can be said for a successful reading of a post-surgery mri that she will have this afternoon.

God bless, thank you all! Truly, Thank You All!!

Step by Step-

Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers, we are so grateful to have your support.

Jamie remains in the Intensive Care Unit to help control her pain and monitor her as closely as possible. She has and will continue to be sedated to allow her body to rest and heal. I have had the opportunity to speak with her and held about a ten minute conversation this morning. She remains upbeat and positive, knowing she's ready and willing to fight.

Barrow Brain Institute and St Josephs Hospital - I will say this much, this medical institution and it's staff --- simply remarkable. I can see why they are known across the country for their neuro vascular talents. It is a world-renowned facility, period. It may have taken a little longer than what a concerned husband wanted for them to read her mri, but i know we made the right choice to have Jamie's surgery here.

This morning I had a conference with Dr. Spetzlers team to review Jamie's post-surgical mri. The results were very encouraging/positive and what I needed to hear to be able to take a breath again. The surgery in itself was very challenging and very difficult. If you were to have told me on Friday morning that where I sit right now was an option, I would have signed up immediately. We are very grateful and very thankful that God has watched over us so closely.

We will continue to take it one step at a time, there is mumblings going around that we may be moving to a neuro - floor by tommorrow. We still have a road to travel, but I am so very excited to have the opportunity to travel it!!

It was difficult to see Nathan and Angie travel back to Iowa today...their shoulders helped carry us the past few days. Bill and Mavis travel back tommorrow, hold them in your prayers as they travel -- I don't think they will be auditioning for the Amazing Race any time soon. I think Iowa is the right pace for all of us....a little too hectic here in Phx.

I will do my best to keep everyone informed. All I know is we will continue to Do Better. Be Better. Because of all of you! God Bless!

March 4

Facebook updates from Patrick

Jamie Smith just headed back for her surgery. We greatly appreciate all of your prayers and messages. We will know more within the next 6 to 10 hours, in the mean time - pray, please just pray! There is a Guardian Angel watching over her, kindly ask her to stay.

Let Go and Let God.
Be Not Afraid.
Do Better. Be Better.

First of all, the amount of support, messages, and prayers that we felt today was purely overwhelming. We are 1,528 miles away and yet because of all of you we felt right at home. Thank you!!

It has been an exhausting day filled with emotion. I am very happy to say that Jamie's surgery just finished and she has been wheeled back to recovery. With any luck I will be able to see her in an hour.

Dr Spetzler shared positive and encouraging remarks with us. The next 24-48 hours will be difficult , but as he said to me, "We need to take it step by step".

As of now, I anxiously wait to see my bride and whisper in to her ear, "You did it". We thank you again for all that you have done for our family and ask for you to keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming.

P.S. My heart is full for the communities of Turkey Valley, what an incredible way to represent at the state tournament. ‪#‎trojanpride‬.

"Today my wife had brain surgery". As many times as I say that in my head I still don't believe the day we just had. I remember turning to Jamie at 530 am this morning on our way to the hospital saying that very same thing, "Your having brain surgery today" and we both just looked at each other in disbelief.

If I had to describe the day we just had well,.....IT. WAS. LONG. It started with pre-op check in at 6am, difficult conversations with Dr's dealing with what exactly they were going to do, and of course the challenging hugs and kisses prior to surgery. Then came what I would expect as the longest 10.5 hour wait of my life. The wait...no words can describe this....no words. I am so thankful for Jamie's parents, her best friend, and her brother for being here. I wouldn't had stayed sane if it wasn't for them....and for all of you - the messages/prayers/ they were tremendous.

As for our current state - Jamie is resting peacefully in her ICU bed as I lay next to her on a cot made for umpa-lumpas (seriously my feet are hanging over the cot by a foot). Im thankful, I'm beyond thankful...it's dejavu for me as I flashback to Iowa City 2.5 years ago. I have not been able to carry on a full conversation with Jamie as she is still heavily sedated, but about 5 mins ago she gave me the, "Smith Family Secret I Love You" sign...it brought tears to my eyes. The plan is for her to rest and let the anesthesia wear off. Some time tommorrow they will conduct another MRI of the impacted area. As I have said before, she will get worse before she gets better. The surgery acts almost as if another bleed occurred. We are aware of this challenge and we are ready to battle together, "Step by step".

At this point, I honestly am so exhausted that I don't know if this post will make sense, but I will leave you with this.

Today is the only day of the year that tells you to do something, March Forth is exactly what my GSD/DBBB wife did.

Tomorrow we will be better than today. God bless!