Hello From The Wedding!

Hi Justin, Monica and Brandon! Hello from Wisconsin! We are at the wedding right now and we are all thinking of you and wishing you were here. We wanted to try to include you in the festivities - so here's a picture of the motly crew after the ceremony! Yup - little Savanna is now Mrs. John Adams. We're off to the reception now.

My Perspective

On a recent trip to Lynchburg I was able to spend a few days and see for myself how Justin is doing. The initial crisis is over, and now his altered reality has begun. It has been over a month since the accident and Justin is still experiencing constant pain in varying degrees depending on the cycle of medications. How long the nights are when you only sleep a few hours at a time. Waiting for the meds to kick in, trying to find that elusive comfortable position. I started calling him “the thrasher.” The lack of physical rest is wearing on one’s psyche as well.

The doctors say he is healing appropriately, which is good news. However, while watching him struggle to be somewhat ambulatory, and begin the painful physical therapy routine, I realized a full recovery will be no small thing to achieve. While I go about my normal routine, complain about my aches and pains, here is a guy who just wants his “life back.” As we researched insurance policies, organized bills and notices coming in the mail, I thought about the time and energy that will be devoted to managing the paperwork and insurance issues necessary to restore him financially.

I don’t mean to sound negative. I’m just an aunt who loves him, and wishes she could wave some magic wand and make it all go away. We don’t know why this happened to Justin. We are leaving it in God’s hands and are trusting Him to work “all things together for good.” My purpose is to remind us all of the long road to recovery that lies ahead for Justin and to ask you to continue to pray for him and give him your support and encouragement, now more than ever.

An Unexpected Blessing

We are so thankful for the unusual ways God is providing help and encouragement to Justin and the rest of our family.  Tom Mills, a fellow cyclist who was in a similar, very serious accident a year ago, heard about Justin and contacted him through this blog.  Recently, Tom came to our house to meet and visit with Justin.  His visit was such an encouragement.   They compared notes on accident details, surgery and the long road of rehabilitation.  There is nothing that compares with hearing from someone who has been down the road ahead of you and can share the pain and triumphs of such a major life experience.  Tom also brought some helpful items for Justin to use to aid in his recovery.  We are so thankful for Tom and his willingness to reach out to a stranger and offer such support and friendship.

Please keep Justin in your prayers as he is battling with continual pain and discomfort.  He is learning how to grit his teeth and smile in spite of it all.  He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow at UVA that will tell us if his body is healing correctly.  Look for an update after his appointment and forgive me for not updating over the last few weeks!

Let the Activities Begin!

Justin has really appreciated the visitors he's had over the past week.  It's always a good thing when he can take his mind off the pain and each of you that has visited has provided him something else to focus on.  Thank you!!!  He has actually been out of the house a few times this week which is so good for his spirits.  He's gone over to his house a few times, went to a movie yesterday, and is at the homecoming game right now.  Each of these outings takes a whole lot out of him, but he is pretty good about calling it quits when he's had enough. 

Justin's parents left yesterday and his Aunt Annie came into town to help us out.  It was so hard for his parents to leave, but we are so grateful they were able to be here for two whole weeks.  I certainly couldn't have managed without them.  Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Lacey!!

Busy Schedule

Justin has been kept busy over the past week with doctor's appointments, home health, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.  He got 43 staples out yesterday from the surgery he had on Monday.  He has seen his home health nurse twice this week and the occ. therapist and physical therapist once.  We've been working on getting him comfortable without much success.  Keep praying that Justin progresses in this area.  The home health nurse was surprised by his high blood pressure today and made the comment "You must really be in a lot of pain".  Every day will get better and we are celebrating each day's progress.  Win for the past few days: Visitors!!!

A Few Pics

Justin asked that I put a few pictures up of his journey so far.  There aren't many since his injuries were pretty serious and we don't want to scar those of you who read this blog.  Please know how much we appreciate all of you!  Big Win of the Day: having a few visitors : )

Getting Settled

Our house is full and so are our hearts.  It really is so amazing to have the opportunity to have everyone under the same roof...it's something I won't take for granted for a long time.  I would say the transition to being home has probably been a bit overwhelming for Justin and yet I know he is so relieved to be out of the hospital.  He told me yesterday that he is coming to grips with the fact that his life will never be the same again.  He dealing with a lot right now on top of being in a lot of pain and having to depend on other people to do everything for him.  I am so grateful that his parents are still here and together we can make Justin's life a little easier. We will spend the next few days getting used to his new "normal" and figuring out what daily life will look like.  Pray that we know how to make Justin as comfortable as we possibly can.  Big win of the day: Justin got to take a shower!!!!

Coming Home!

Sorry I haven't updated for the past two days...getting ready for Justin to come home TODAY!!!  Brandon just left to pick him up from UVA.  It's a big day and we are so excited that he is finally coming home!!!

Raining on the Outside...

...but there's a party going on in here!  Justin was up and out of bed today...praise God!!!

Meals for the Lacey Family

Dear Friends,

We are so excited that Justin is scheduled to be coming home this weekend after spending the past 1 and 1/2 weeks in the hospital! Even though he is on the road to recovery, he still has quite a bit of healing to do and will need a lot of assistance during the next several weeks. Thankfully, Justin will be moving in with his brother and sister-in-law, Brandon and Monica Lacey, during this difficult transition.

This is where you come in...

Brandon's job requires him to work at night while Monica is busy keeping up with the demands of raising their two small children in addition to working part-time at their church. If you've been wanting to do something for Justin but have not known what to do, this is the perfect opportunity. Justin is scheduled to return home this weekend if all goes well, however, this is subject to change daily. We will continue to update this blog, so keep checking back for up-to-date information. We would like to start providing meals for Justin and his family on Monday, October 4. If you would like to participate, please contact me and I will send you the link to be on the schedule.

We feel so blessed that Justin is alive and that we have been given this opportunity to show him how much he means to us! Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the Lacey family.

Blessings,
Ruthie Gillespie
brsgillespie@msn.com

When the Going Gets Tough...

...the tough get going and that's what Justin is working on right now.  He is (understandably) in a tremendous amount of pain and couldn't sleep last night .  His mom said he fell asleep around five this morning and the nurses left him alone so he could sleep until about eight.  They have a battery of pain meds coming at him every two hours along with his pain pump and he is working on relaxing and working with them.  He lost a lot of blood during the surgery, so they are giving him a unit of blood right now.   The nursing staff attempted to stand him up earlier today, but his blood pressure dropped and his heart started racing so they let him lay back down.  These are all "normal"  reactions and it is comforting to know that they are all leading to recovery.  Tomorrow will be a better day!  I know how strong Justin is...it won't be long before he's moving around!  We will be an important part of that process and I know that the words you have written here will be read and re-read over and over again as he spends the next months recovering.  Thank you for your beautiful words.

Out of Surgery

Justin is now out of surgery.  Everything went as planned and he is expected to be out of the recovery room in about 90 minutes.  He may be discharged from the hospital as early as Saturday.  He'll most likely be moving in with our family until he is able to get around on his own.  He will be unable to put any weight on his leg for about six weeks.  The surgeon tells us that Justin should be able to go back to normal activity in nine months to a year. Let the healing process begin!

Getting Started

He's in surgery

Pre-Op

Justin is in pre-op.  It will be a bit before they take him into surgery.  We talked with him this morning and he seemed like he was ok.  A little nervous, obviously, but hanging in there.  Addison told him she prayed for him to be careful around cars.  Pretty sure he won't encounter any of them in the OR.  : )  Thank you so much to everyone who has visited him over the past few days as he has been waiting for surgery.  I know he feels so much support and love.  Thank you!!!

Not yet

Justin is not in surgery yet.  Will let you know when he is.

Still a go

Justin's surgery is scheduled for the morning.  Unless they have a trauma patient come in, Justin will have his surgery first thing (they begin surgeries at 5am).   Please pray for Justin to have a sense of peace and confidence.  Pray that the doctors will perform the surgery with precision and skill.  Pray for a successful surgery that results in full recovery!

Rough Night

Rough night last night for Justin with a lot of break-through pain.  I think his body is responding to all the tension and he is having some intense dreams that jolt him out of his sleep.  It takes a couple seconds for him to re-orient himself and realize that he's been sleeping.  He is also discovering new injuries as time goes on.  Brandon and I noticed his right eye and right hand were bruising yesterday.  He also felt a sudden onset of pain in his right shoulder yesterday and had some pain while he was chewing.  Brandon's mom tells me that his right wrist is bruised today and he thinks he may have a broken tooth.  None of these are serious, obviously, but they are certainly reminders of the fact that his body has been through quite a trauma and we are so very blessed that he is alive!  The surgeon was telling us that he has another patient who was hit while cycling and is now immobile.  Thank God Justin's injuries are not permanent!  We are counting our blessings!

Private Room

Justin has been moved to his own room-what a blessing!  Room# 6108.  This will make it so much easier on him for so many reasons and we are grateful.

Justin is about the same.  He had a fairly good night last night with the normal disruptions of being checked routinely by the hospital staff.  We have come to realize that Justin's body moves toward the end of the bed.  This becomes very uncomfortable for him as the traction is not as effective this way.  There were several times during the night that we would reposition him toward the top of the bed and provide him some relief.  So glad we discovered that this was the source of his discomfort.   Continue to pray that God would provide comfort and relief in this waiting period.  Thank you!

Change in Plans

Dr. Weiss (the surgeon) just stopped by and told us that he thought Saturday would be a bit soon for the surgery.  Apparently they are looking for the blood to clot a little more around the injury before they do the surgery.  It's looking like Sunday or Monday.  Justin is ok with this news and has actually requested that Dr. Weiss personally perform the surgery.  Dr. Weiss is off for the weekend and has agreed to perform the surgery on Monday.  Justin is more comfortable with this option although Dr. Weiss told him he can change his mind and try to get in on Sunday.  We'll keep you posted!

Anesthesiologist Visit

Today has been mostly uneventful and we are ok with that.  A few of Justin's friends have stopped by, his parents took a shift at home, and Brandon and I are spending the night up here.  Justin's mind has been distracted from the pain with all of these events and it has been so good to see him smile and laugh.  Not sure how good that is for the cracked rib, but it has been good for his spirits.  We are still being told that surgery will most likely be tomorrow.  The anesthesiologist visited us this evening and went over his part of the surgery.  Justin has never had major surgery before and you can see the fear in his eyes.  Heartbreaking.  I am so proud of him.  He is holding it together so well.  He continues to doze in and out and actually slept hard for two or three hours.  He needed it.  Please be praying that he rests well tonight, that he has a peace about the surgery, and that the surgery actually takes place tomorrow morning.  Bless you all for the love you have shown him!

Monica

Surgery!

We are told that Justin is going to have surgery tomorrow morning sometime (providing there are no emergency traumas that come in).  This is great news!  We are so anxious to get the healing process started. 

Justin is doing much better.  His pain is being regulated and he has actually been dozing on and off since I got to the hospital around noon.  They gave him muscle relaxers for some spasms he was having in his back.  I think this has made all the difference.  He is sleeping right now.  It's too bad because his roommate is serenading us in Spanish.  I wonder if he knows we're on the other side of the curtain?  Adorable.

Justin is such a trooper.  He rates his pain at a 4 or 5 right now and I know that his knee is hurting him quite a bit from the traction.  I didn't realize this earlier, but he has a broken patella (kneecap) as well.  I'm pretty sure the traction pin irritates it, but Justin doesn't say anything unless you ask him how his pain is.  He is so grateful for your thoughts and prayers.  It's been great for him to read all of your comments...I know he feels loved and cared for. 

I will keep you updated as the surgery draws closer so you can pray.  Thank you for all the prayers you have offered up so far!

From Justin

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  Justin

Address

Feel free to use the following address if you'd like to send Justin a card, etc.:



Justin Lacey
University of Virginia Hospital
1215 Lee St.
Charlottesville, VA 22903
6 East Rm 6113A

I'm sure he would appreciate it!

Surgeon

Somebody must be praying.  : ) We just got a call from Brandon's mom...the surgeon came to see Justin.  Praise God!  He will not have surgery tomorrow, but at least he has a better idea of what's going on and knows that he has not been forgotten.

Traction

Justin's leg is finally in traction.  There is so much more to the story than that simple phrase, but we are so grateful that the pressure in Justin's hip has been lessened.  He has a new pain and pressure on the pin above his knee, but at least we are making some bit of progress.

To be completely honest, we are all discouraged right now.  Justin has yet to see a surgeon and the possibility of surgery tomorrow seems to be slipping away.  It feels like getting Justin hooked up to i.v. pain meds, moved out of the ER and in traction were huge battles that none of us anticipated having to fight.  He is in tremendous pain and it is so difficult to wait on what seems like unnecessary delays to get him some relief.  We are all trying to be patient and yet fight for him.

Pray for an overwhelming sense of peace and purpose.  Pray that God gives us discernment, that Justin can rest fully in His love, that we take action when we feel His prompting...and for a better tomorrow.

A Real Room!!!

They have finally moved Justin to a regular room!!  The hustle and bustle of the ER and the tiny cramped room are no more.  This also means that Justin's leg can be put in traction, so pray for him.  Brandon and his parents are with him and Brandon says that Justin isn't talking much and is focusing his attention on handling the pain.  Pray for him!

Still in the ER

Justin has had a rough morning and is still in the ER at UVA. They stitched up the lacerations in his leg overnight and put him on morphine. Apparently that made him nauseous so they switched pain meds. This morning they inserted a pin just above his knee (while he was still awake) and are planning to put his leg in traction as soon as they can move him to a regular room. They will wire the pin to weights with the intention of pulling the head of the femur bone away from the shattered hip. They are concerned that the femur will be damaged by the sharp fragments. He is still feeling everything and I'm pretty sure the pin procedure was traumatizing for him. He also hasn't been given permission to eat or drink yet. The surgeon has not been able to see him yet as he has surgeries scheduled for the entire day. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for sometime tomorrow. Please continue to pray for Justin. He is in a tremendous amount of pain and is also saddened by the fact that he is missing the wedding of one of his best friends this weekend (he was supposed to fly out to Oregon this morning). Brandon and his dad are on their way up there as I type this. They are bringing Justin his computer so feel free to leave comments for him to read.

Ruthie's Post

Here is the account of what happened last night from Ruthie (Bill's wife).
*********************************************

I hate to write such a bulk informal message in regards to the accident, but this is surely the most convenient way. My apologies!!!
I was unable to return calls and texts, so this is the route I'm choosing.
At around 5:30p while cooking supper I got a call from Bill that I was unable to interpret clearly. I thought he was telling me to "come pick him up (it had started to rain/storm) they (He and Justin Lacey)had ALMOST gotten hit -I'm in Poplar Forest. "I lost the call and he nor his dear friend whom he was cycling with would answer my call. So off William and I went to go find Bill and Justin. Samuel was next door with Maddie and Sarah and Lauren were here.
William and I were driving in torrential downpours looking for the guys. I still had no clue what we were going to come to. Near the end of Ramblewood there were cars,ambulances, and bikes on the ground. I just went into panic mode ! I asked the gentleman directing traffic if the guys had been hit! He said YES. William immediately started to cry and we ran to the scene in the pouring rain.
The paramedics were so kind and reassuring that they were OK! but to see them there just laying on the ground in stretchers wounded! I came to Justin first , he was visually injured the most. I then came to Bill. Both of them were talking to me, but it still didn't help my fear go away. I had to be strong for William. Off we went to LGH. William was still very upset and we rode with Bill in the ambulance. I immediately thought of Justin who was probably so scared and had no family with him. I immediately called Becca who got in touch with his family. Thank the Lord. Justin's parents don't' live here. They live in GA and just happened to be coming in to town to visit.
Once everyone got settled in to the ER we learned that Bill had no broken bones, just a chip on his shoulder. His ankle is in a splint and has crutches-left side of body pretty beat up, but going to be just fine. Justin encountered more serious injuries. Justin has been transported to UVA for surgery. His hip socket was shattered, and has a broken rib. There were several large laceration to his leg.
So, this is in detail of the events of the evening. I am sure I've covered more than you may care to read, but I'm a mess:-) I love my husband so much and I'm so thankful that they are still with us tonight. He's in a lot of pain!!!! But we will take pain!
He and Justin are so strong and thankful to be alive!

Blessings to you all!!!!

Love,
Ruthie

How It All Began...

Justin was hit by a car yesterday while road biking. The driver of the vehicle didn't see Justin or Bill (Justin's friend) and pulled out right in front of them. Bill is banged up pretty good and has a substantial injury to his ankle and shoulder. Justin's femur drove through his hip socket, shattering it. He also has a broken rib and some pretty intense lacerations on his legs. He is stable, but is in a lot of pain. He was transported to UVA last night and is currently waiting for the surgeon to evaluate him and schedule surgery to reconstruct the hip socket. Justin's parents were actually an hour away when all this happened. They were on their way to spend the weekend with us...how like God to orchestrate that. We are grateful.

Please keep Justin in your prayers. I know he would appreciate them so much. Feel free to leave a comment for him and check back often for updates!