Memorial Day – May 29, 2006
Dear Friends and Family,
We've had an eventful few days since Ryan left Craig last Thursday. We were scheduled to leave Craig about 11am but didn't actually leave until about 4:30. Dr. Balazy asked Candice and Ryan to meet with a group of interns and PA's at 8:00am on Thursday to share their thoughts about certain aspects of their spinal cord injuries. They were able to express their feelings very well. Dr. Alvarez wanted to have the filter removed that had been placed in Ryan's vena cava temporarily on Christmas Eve to prevent blood clots. After an hour and a half of trying to remove the filter, the doctor decided to leave it in. Sometimes the filters grow into the vein walls. Ryan is making the transition from taking Lovenox shots to taking oral Coumadin to thin his blood and keep it from forming blood clots.
On Friday, Claire invited Ryan to a hand cycling clinic sponsored by Adaptive Adventures in City Park next to the Denver Zoo. We had a great time seeing our Craig friends and having a picnic. Ryan had a blast trying out the hand cycles! He absolutely LOVES riding the hand cycles!
On Sunday, Ryan received his "Duty to God" award at Church and an awesome engraved sword. All of the little boys in the meeting were pretty excited about the sword! On Sunday, we also had a surprise visit from Ryan's cousins, Ani and Devin. They were on their way to Washington DC where Ani will be a travel nurse for the summer. It's so much fun to see all our nieces and nephews are accomplishing!
Today, (Memorial Day) we grilled at the hotel and went swimming with Whitney and Justin's family. We are going to miss seeing their family almost every day!
Since leaving Craig, Ryan has been to see a couple of movies, gone out to dinner with friends, gone to the mall and spent time with our family. It's been so nice to have him at the hotel. He is very excited about going over to Utah on Saturday and to check out the outpatient rehab programs there. There are going to be a lot of youth at BYU from the Parker area.
Barry and I are trying to make a lot of decisions on our home before going to Utah. Ryan has several appointments before we leave Colorado. We are also getting Kate ready for girls camp for four days, EFY in Rexburg for a week and being a nanny to my brother Todd's children, in Hailey for a couple of weeks. In her "spare" time she will be a nanny to Callum, Isabelle and Tate.
Hayley and Ryan are coming to Provo from June 8th thru the 12th. It will be good to see them. Hayley is finishing her classes for her Bachelors in Nursing and will finish in August.
Tyler and Rebecca's baby girl is due in three weeks. We are very happy they will be spending part of the summer in Denver while Tyler does an internship for a law firm. They will be living in our home with Barry and Kaitlyn. Ryan and I hope to see them several times while they are here.
Our family's lives have changed greatly in the past five months, especially Ryan's. While this is just one of many transition phases Ryan will be going through in the next six months, we are so blessed he has kept his cute sense of humor, wit, and positive outlook on life. Your attitude really does affect your altitude!
Today, I ran into a friend from the Stonegate Ward at the grocery store. When we were leaving, she said, "We pray for Ryan and your family every day." We know that those prayers have been answered. Heavenly Father is taking wonderful care of Ryan and our family. Ryan wouldn't be where he is today without the faith and prayers of family and friends. We appreciate you and love you.
Love, Bridgette, Barry, Ryan and Kaitlyn
