dustin's benefit

Dustin's benefit was this past sunday, a huge thank you to everyone who helped, volunteered, donated, participated, and attended. it was a SUCCESS, it was a slow start but got busier as the day went on.....

i cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has come together for dustin and i, all of you mean the world to us and will forever be a part of our family!!

sunday, sunday, sunday

1 week till the benefit, thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to pull this event off for us. just want to remind/inform everyone that there are 2 rides taking place, 1 from republic harley in stafford, and 1 from cluckers in tomball...we will have shirts for all the riders, and the day will be full of games, BBQ, and fun.

we are so ready to see everyone!!! cant wait, see yall in a week!!

dustin's videos

i am so thrilled that dustin posted his therapy videos on the blog, now all you can see just how far he has come over the last 12 weeks. if yall are anything like me i cant help but smile with a tear in my eye when i see him run. this is something that we thought would be something that he would accomplish in the far off future, and here we are and he is already able to do it. impressive

videos

So I got a couple of videos on the blog, but I didn't flip them. Sorry.....the next ones will be easier to watch. There are 2 here..one shows me when I took my first steps in the new leg and the other video shows me after having it a few days. You can tell the difference in the way I walk. I'll put another one up shortly showing me walking with it today....an even bigger difference!!!

dustin is going to be a model

this week, like all other weeks, we spent most of our time at physical therapy and doctor's appointments. However, this week a couple exciting things happened. Dustin's therapist is absolutely amazing, and pushes him every day in his sessions. she has him walk in all directions, including backwards and sideways to improve his gate and to help teach him to trust his new leg. she has dustin wear a harness and he has to walk and pull her without any crutch. she also had him jump on the trampoline to learn to utilize the springs in his foot. Her hopes are that this week in therapy he will no longer use a crutch. and she will teach him to walk while carrying objects, and teach him to walk in curved formations and figure 8's.

dustin's therapist is so impressed with his improvement (10 weeks since accident, 8 1/2 weeks since surgery) that she has been photographing him for her clinic's pamphlets. (his first modeling gig)

We also went to the amputee clinic this week, to have a check up with the amputee team. They are also extremely impressed with dustin's strength, attititude, and rapid recovery. The whole team was shocked at how well dustin is walking so quickly. and they also approached dustin about a second modeling job. They have asked dustin to come back this next week to be the "dummy" for the final lab for the med students/physical therapy students.

At this point we are on schedule for dustin to be crutch free and work ready in about a month. Dustin's attitude has never faltered, and he makes a lasting impression on every person he touches throughout his life. people are shocked by his story, but amazed at how well he is doing and how he has maintained his sense of humor and his determination to get better gets stronger each day.

Flyer for benefit (see bottom of this page)

Hey guys,

So I'm a little new to this blogging. Amy asked me to put the benefit flyer on this page, so I did.....it's at the bottom of this page. Hope to see ya'll there!!!

Dustin

its a leg!!!

a week ago we were able to bring home dustin's new leg!!!! seeing his face light up when he takes a step on his leg is absolutely amazing, and makes this journey worth it. he was so excited about having his new leg that he hated to take it off the whole weekend. that saturday he wore it to a crawfish boil and all night playing poker with some friends. The following day we made a trip to Austin, to see our home and visit our neighbors. And of course, Dustin wore his leg most of the day.

Even though he loves wearing his leg, the actual act of wearing it and attempting to walk tires him out. walking for dustin is more of a workout for him than it has ever been for us. He has to keep the muscles in his butt tight at all times (his butt actually controls his leg, and more specifically his hydraulic knee) as well as keeping the muscles in his stump flexed as well. So generally he can only wear his leg for about 3 hours everyday. We are working to increase this number everyday...of course with our goal being that he can wear and walk on his leg for the entire day.

This week of 2 legs has been full of Dr. appts, physical therapy, lawyer meetings, and leg adjustments. But, amid all our double bookings and making what seems like hundreds of trips to go downtown we snuck in a meeting with "dustin's benefit team" and they have worked out a ot of details of the event. I am working on figuring out how to put a copy of the flyer on the blog to promote the event.... once i get the flyer on here yiou will see there is bike ride, a bikini bike wash, bbq, silent auction, games and a raffle for 2 round trip airline tickets from continental airlines. raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20, and the winner will be announced on june 28th (day of benefit) and posted on the blog the following day

Dustin's first step

today dustin got to try out his prosthesis!!!! we met with the prosthetist today, and to dustin's delight he had his leg built. dustin was able to stand on 2 feet for the first time in over 6 weeks. Seeing dustin take his first step was probably one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen. His steps were a little wobbly: his socket was a little too big, the length of the leg a little too long, and dustin was trying to over power the leg; but he took a ste!! to be more accurate he took probably about 50 steps. He walked back and forth aided by the parallel bars at the prosthetist's officer trying to get used to his new appendage.

The prosthetist still has some "tweeking" to do, and perhaps the thing dustin is most excited for is that over the next few days his leg will become customized. around dustin's socket will be an identical shirt to the one he was wearing the day of the accident. A way to "harley-up" his leg and to always have of a piece of that day with him.

Right now it looks like we will be able to take the leg home with us this saturday. Dustin will not be able to walk on it for several weeks still, but at least it will be his and he can see it, touch it and wear it everyday if he likes.

today was a GREAT day

it is crazy to me that just over 6 weeks ago was dustin's accident, and today he walked!!!

thank you!

Some very generous friends, family members, and the dealership that sold dustin his bike have offered to put together a benefit to help dustin and i out financially.

The date has been set for the benefit to be held at molly's pub on louetta on june 28th. there will be a ride from republic harley davidson that morning that will end at the bar; where we will have BBQ, games, and a silent auction to honor my husband, and raise some money to help us out.

I know so many of you have been such an instrumental part in our support thus far, but if anyone would like to help out with anything please let me know.

Also, a friend of ours has set up a benefit account for us at Woodforest National Bank (which is apparently located inside of walmart, as well as many freestanding branches)

Thank you again to all who have helped out this far, and thank you in advance for anyone who is interested in helping in the future.

My sister is setting up a seperate email account just for the benefit, as soon as i have the info i will pass it along.

Thanks again

stitches no more

dustin's stitches came out yesterday!!! and that will be our last visit to the orthopedic surgeon until after dustin has his first fitting for his new leg.

yesterday we also met with the prosthetist, who gave dustin a shrink sock, which is designed to constrict dustin's stump to shrink it and shape it to the proper form for his prosthetic. we were also able to see an example of what dustin'n new knee and foot will look like. the knee he is getting is best described as looking like a small car jack. it is hydraulic so that when he bends it it will swing back out on its own. and his ankle has a swivel function that will allow him to still play golf, and it has springs that lead into the foot. the springs allow him to jump, and offer him shock support. what we were really excited about is that dustin will be able to personalize his leg. the prosthetist told him to think about what he wants his leg to look like...by this he means that dustin gets to come up with some sort of design, logo, emblem to put on his leg. so he instructed us to find a t-shirt/piece of material to incorporate into the construction of his knee to reflect him and his personality.

according to the prosthetist dustin will get a cast made next thursday to create the socket, then in about 7-10 days he will have his new leg built!

stitches gone tomorrow

well tomorrow we meet with dustins orthopedic doctor again, this time to REMOVE the stitches. we are so excited that they will finally be gone. this means less maintenace and dustin can take a shower without having to worry about putting a plastic bag over his right leg.

we will also begin therapy at a new location this week. dustin will start more grueling physical therapy to help him gain more strength so he will be ready to get his leg...

speaking of his new leg, they say he should have it in 3 weeks!!!! we will meet breifly with his prosthetist tomorrow as well. dustin will get his shrink sock, which will help to properly shape his stump to get fitted for his prosthethis, and next week they will take a cast of his leg to build the socket.

things are moving right along, soon enough dustin will be up and walking all on his own

dustin's 32nd birthday

an invitation to all:

my mom has offered to host a BBQ for dustin's birthday at her home in the spring/klein/tomball area of town this sunday. We are thinking that it should begin around 1 pm. we will be cooking the basics, but feel free to BYOB...shoot me an email for directions or more info

amy.granger82@gmail.com


tomorrow i will post info regarding our other doctors appointments from this week, hope everyone has a great friday!

another step

Dustin took a shower today!!!! he decided that he no longer needed sponge baths (even though he REALLY likes his nurse) so he took the plunge and took his first actual shower in over 3 weeks!!! we of course had to tape up his leg, but he has able to get into the shower, sit on his shower chair, and with the help of a handheld shower head he was able to bathe himself and wash his own hair.

i, of course, was a nervous wreck when we decided to try this out today, but he did great!!!! his left leg has gotten so much stronger since we have left the hospital, and he is so good at using his walker to support him that i need to let him do things on his own...and each and every time he has tried out a new task he astonishes me with how far he has come

this weekend

Dustin is getting around more and more each day. everyday we try to get out of the house for at least a little while. Some days its just for a walk/roll around the block, some days we do things a little bit more exciting.

For our outing on saturday we decided to venture out into the monsoon weather and head to kevin's dealership, republic harley davidson (where dustin bought his bike), to go to a bike show. dustin was thrilled to get out of the house to do something he loves. however the day made him a little sad. not sad because it made him think of the accident but sad because he is not able to ride right now. when we left the dealership he talked to me about dyna (the bike) and how pretty she was, about how i would have loved the seat, he even told me about the pin-striping on her...it broke my heart to hear him speak about what he loves so much, but is unable to truely enjoy at this time. its all temporary, right?

Sunday we went to our old church, fellowship of the woodlands, which was nice...the place has gotten so big now. they talked about how God has a plan, it may not be in line with your plans, but He is so big and so amazing, that if you accept that he will unveil his plan to you over time...you may not understand it now, but trust that He does have one.

Today we went to see dustin's orthopedic doctor...we had high hopes of getting his stitches out, but the doctor said he needs to keep them in for another week. his leg is healing really nicely...and definitely stitches will be removed next monday. since they did not remove the stitches when we were hoping i think therapy/prosthetic plans are set back a little bit...but we need him 100% before we move him to the next step.


i just want to give everyone a heads up, dustin's birthday is this saturday...i am not sure what exactly we are doing yet, but i will let yall know as soon as we have it squared away

progress at home

sorry its been a delay since my last post, we have been working on mastering the art of manuevering around the home with the walker, building muscle and working on a routine.

Dustin, of course, is progressing extrememly well. between him and my dad he has figured out a way to manage the bathroom with ease, all it took was a little bit of ingenuity (he has to fold one of legs of his walker in a little bit to fit through the door). dustin managed to get his own lunch yesterday: he made it out of his chair to the kitchen, grabbed his soup, took it to the microwave and heated it up all on his own, all he needed was help getting it back to his seat. (i know this seems like a simple task, but try it hopping on one leg while holding onto a walker).

Today dustin and i went to the park. one thing he has learned is that it takes some serious upper body strength to use the wheel chair and walk with your arms. so while at the park today he wheeled about a half mile until he got too tired, then we found a shady spot under a tree for him to do some strength training excersises. dustin has learned how to use his chair and a resistance band to help build up his strength.

next week we meet with the orthopedic doctor to make sure everything is healing properly (and hopefully get the stitches out), and we will also meet with his rehab doctor and prosthetist to start the process of learning how to walk again.

it is amazing that at just over a week since his surgery my husband is already so independent, and dustin's attitude has not faltered at all. he has no problem making jokes about his situation or waving his "nubby" at our nephew or Riley (ricky and dianna's little girl)

we're home

dustin and i made home to my mom and dad's today...his nurses were sad, but super excited to see us go. its nice to be home but we have already ran into an unexpected challenge. apparently standard size bathroom doors were not meant for walkers..we are working on a solution to this problem.

all in all we are thrilled to be out of the hospital, but it will take some adjustments...but we love a challenge

we are going home!!!

We just received our discharge papers: just about 3 hours shy of exactly 2 WEEKS since dustin was life flighted here to memorial hermann. I know i have said it before but i am so amazed at the progress dustin has made over this short period of time. his physical therapists are very proud of him and are confident he will do great on his own!!!

we will be doctor free for about a week, then we will have follow up appointments with dustin's surgeon as well as his rehab doctor. next tuesday we will meet with the prosthetist again (the leg maker) and get that much closer to dustin getting his new leg. then the real work will begin. dustin will have to teach himself to walk on two legs all over again, but i know my husband and he will surpass the doctors' expectations once again.

we will be staying in houston at my parent's house, so feel free to come visit!!!

going home...soon

We have great news, according to the doctors we will be discharged from the hospital early next week. they are anticipating sunday at the earliest-tuesday at the latest. we cannot wait to get out of our little hospital room.

of course, by home i mean, we will be moving into my parents house while dustin continues rehab and gets ready for his new leg.

today is a GREAT day!!

Today has been full of great things!!! during physical therapy today dustin STOOD UPand GOT OUT OF BED!!! he went from sitting on the edge of his bed to a standing position using his walker. the first time was a real challenge for him since he had not been out of bed in 12 days. he experienced quite a bit of pain and light headedness when all the blood rushed to his residual limb. but, like all things, they say this pain will decrease each and every time he stands up.

from the walker he was able to turn his body to sit in a wheelchair. and of course, for dustin, sitting was not all he wanted to do. so he took the tour of the 6th floor. he traveled along past the nurses station where all the nurses that have come in contact with him greeted him with smiles and encouraging remarks. from there dustin decided he was up for a little challenge so he traveled to the waiting room where there are ramps. he went down the first ramp with no problem so he decided to go down a second ramp. it was at the bottom that he realized that he had to go back up the ramps to get back to his room. it was a bit of a struggle but he made it to the top of both ramps on his own.

just a few minutes ago his doctor came in to change the dressing on his leg, which showed us that he is healing really well, with no signs of any complications. we were told that if dustin continues with the progress he has made already we may be leaving the hospital early next week!!!!

in about an hour we are meeting with his prosthetist to learn more about getting him his new leg...as i said today is a GREAT day!!!