Today we celebrate 6 months! * graphic images at the end

Today marks 6 months since the accident.

Yes...that is the saw Brigham was using when the accident happened.  He used it again for the first time in January. He says it felt normal and it wasn't scary or difficult.  

He has stood next to the saw horses and tried to figure out how he even got cut.  He and Jeremy cannot figure out how it happened. It just doesn't make sense. As our friend says, it doesn't matter how it happened.  It happened.  I think it was an experience meant for more than just you.  Your story + miracle has touched so many people. 

 

*WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE* AT THE END*

DAILY

As I imagine with any life changing injury there are a lot of lonely times and struggles.  So many wonderful, kind people continue to ask "How is Brigham?" We don't want to be a downer or to have to explain all the details so you find yourself responding, "He is doing good."  And that isn't a lie, Brigham is doing good but he still deals with daily pain and figuring out adaptions to life. It's a balance of amazed with the progress vs struggling with current limitations.  Many people see him as healed and completely recovered because he has progressed so well but he will never be back to where he was. 

Brigham's injury is tricky and unusual.  The fact is most people don't live after severing their femoral artery and give up a good vein in their injured leg to save it. No one can tell Brigham what to expect. 

There is some "wait and see" in his recovery regarding . . .

the swelling in his lower right leg

regaining feeling in his inner half of his right leg

the one muscle in his quad working again

Patience is the word that comes to mind. It is teaching all of us to only plan so far into his life. Because what he can do now could be completely different in 6 months, 2 years or 5 years.  

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Brigham is currently in limbo with physical therapy.  

He has been doing about 2 hours of PT on Monday and Friday which puts him in bed with his leg elevated for the rest of the day.  It wears him out. These are the days he does online college since he can't do much else. ---Right now the PT office is trying to get the insurance to approve a Work Hardening Program with their athletic trainer.  This will push him big time.  It is 4 hours a day 4/5 days a week. It will show them if he needs to go back to physical therapy or not.  It will also magnify his weakness + disabilities. 

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MOM THOUGHTS

I'm listening to a new podcast by Amy Purdy called Bouncing Forward. Her story is inspiring, I recommend a listen. I don't want to give it all away but I will tell you she had a physically life changing event in her life. I draw similarities from her and Brigham's story and her positive attitude. Some of my favorite tidbits I love:

*You don't bounce back from an injury/trauma because you will never be the same (mentally, physically, etc) you can only move forward into the new. Hence the podcast name: Bouncing Forward

*Her biggest trial brought forth her biggest accomplishments. 

*You get to write your story. What will your story look like? You get to choose. 

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*GRAPHIC IMAGES*

ACCIDENT SCENE

Brigham's Uncle and cousin cleaned up the jobsite while Brigham was in surgery. It was pretty gruesome and I hear these pictures don't do it justice. It made his cousin physically ill, I honestly can't even imagine. They picked up the tools and ruined wood, cleaned off the blood on everything they could, picked up Brigham's backpack and hat, and drove Jeremy's truck back to our house. One of Jeremy's workers took the skill saw home to clean it completely. What a blessing for us to have people willing to help on a really tough assignment. 

These aren't the best pictures but it gives you an idea.

In this picture ^^^ you can see where he dropped the skill saw near the saw horses and his perfectly cut stair stringers. To the right is the pile of wood his leg was laying on while they worked on him. You can see how far the blood sprayed in the yard. It looks like a crime scene.