Skylar's Accident

Skylar before the accident.

Skylar with my son shortly after the accident while he was at the Shepherd Center

If you follow my blog or have read very much of it, you have probably read about me helping care for my nephew, Skylar, who is a quadriplegic. I think I have mentioned before briefly what happened to him. Several months ago we had cookbooks printed using recipes from family and friends of Skylar's. The fund raiser was a success and we were able to sell all the cookbooks and help pay for him to return to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. for 12 weeks (9 hours weekly @ $832 per week) of physical therapy. Included in the cookbook was an introduction which told about Skylar's accident. I thought I would share it with you:

In the early morning on Sept. 29th, 2007, Skylar, who was 19 years old at the time, wrecked his truck. Immediately after the accident, he was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital, and stopped breathing twice on the way to the hospital. In the emergency room he was placed on a ventilator and taken to ICU . It was during this time that we were told that he had suffered a complete C4-C6 injury and he was paralyzed from the neck down. The next day he underwent surgery in which his neck was fused together using a piece of bone from the bone bank. We were told that he had a 50% chance of surviving. A few days later he came down with the bacterial virus that causes meningitis and developed pneumonia. After receiving care and fighting for his life at Huntsville Hospital, he was transferred to The Shepherd Center Rehabilitation Specialty Hospital Center in Atlanta, GA. on October 11th, 2007. When he first arrived, he was vent dependent, had a feeding tube, no feeling below his elbows and no movement below his shoulders. Due to him being vent dependent, they had to perform a tracheotomy so the tubes in his mouth could be removed in hopes of reducing infection. On December 17th, 2007 we were able to bring Skylar home without a ventilator and without a feeding tube and for this we are thankful. But he still has no movement. As time goes by, Skylar and our family are coping with what paralysis actually means. Besides being unable to walk, Skylar cannot feed himself, brush his teeth, bathe himself, dress himself, scratch his nose, or do any of the many things we take for granted each day. He has to endure pain, catheters, turning schedules, pressure sores, blood pressure issues, urinary tract infections, depression, ingrown toe nails, and the list goes on. He is totally dependent on those of us who take care of him each day, and this is especially hard on him. We pray each day that with God's help, we will be able to help him regain at least some of what he has lost and get back some of his independence. This has been a life altering journey for Skylar, as well as all of us who are close to him. He is so much more to us than he will ever know and we are very thankful to be a part of this new journey in his life. Along the way, we have been very fortunate to have the support of others and this cookbook is symbolic of the love and support that we have received from our many family members, friends, and community. As you use this cookbook to bring pleasure to your family, take time to tell them each day how much you love them. And always remember…

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So love the people who treat you right,

Forget about the one's who don't,

And believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy,

They just promised it would be worth it."

-Author Unknown-

Thank you for visiting and please say a prayer for Skylar.