where do we begin. . .

Shawn and his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Howard Richter

First and foremost, we are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for allowing us to be here together a little longer. And for watching over Casey and protecting him and everyone else involved in the accident.

Second, we are truly grateful for Casey. We believe he was a huge factor in saving Shawn's life. He was aware of the situation and an alert driver. We can all take a lesson from Casey and be more aware of what is going on around us.

Next, we are so blessed to have such amazing parents and families. We will never be able to repay everyone for the kindness and support everyone has shown us. As soon as they received that first phone call everyone put their lives on hold to be there with us. It was so nice to be together during those first, scary days. It's hard to explain the strength we felt from that and hope that bond will never be broken. We know it was not only a scary time for us but for all of you as well. Thank you for staying strong and for holding us up. We truly felt loved.

Kelly, thank you, thank you , thank you. For the many hours you have put into making this blog. As you all know, we are not bloggers, but it was extremely helpful to let everyone know how Shawn was doing and to get the facts out. We know many people have enjoyed reading it. Thank you again for taking the time to do it. It has been very uplifting for us and many others.

And to everyone else, all we can say is THANK YOU. We have been reminded of how many great people we have the opportunity to be associated with. Friendships truly make our lives brighter. There have been so many cards, meals, treats, visits, phone calls, comments, texts, and emails. We could never repay so many people for the kindness shown to us. They say life is not about what you have but about who you have in it. We have the best friends, neighbors, and community anybody could ever be blessed with. Thank you.

As far as our progress, Shawn's health is doing great. The doctors have said everything is healing properly and that it is all truly a miracle. Once February hits, the snowmobile season is going to be "limited to trail riding". Ha, ha, ha. But, hey. . .it's better than nothing. Shawn is back to work, and somewhat back to normal life.

If we can hope for anything through this experience, it is that we never go back to our old normal. We can only hope that neither will any of you. This experience has been our reminder that every day is special, and the only thing that matters is what we fill those days with. We beg everyone to stop and make decisions on what is really important and not what we need to get done. In the end, work will still be there. But the experiences and relationships we have with our family and friends and those we love is all that truly matters.

Once again, thank you to all. Be careful. . . Enjoy life. . .and don't be strangers.

Love, Shawn and Kelsey

on the road again. . .

Well, sort of.

Shawn is home now, and back on the road again. . .as much as he can be, that is! (Which really isn't much!)

Kelsey's Dad moved a big 'ol recliner into their house for them, which has been a great help. Unfortunately, Shawn has to spend a lot more time in it than he'd like. His first week home he joked about having a "babysitter" with him all the time. When Kelsey was working, there was always someone close by to help him. This week, however, he's trying to reinstate a little independence, assuring us all he's big enough to be on his own.

Believe it or not, he has actually been putting in a few hours at work!

We laughed the other day when Kelsey told us that this experience is preparing her for parenthood! She's been setting her alarm to get up and check on him and make sure he's up on his medicine. Plus, by the time she gets him down the stairs, into the car, and make sur

e she has his medicine and water packed, she has to plan an extra 30 minutes to get anywhere on time! One thing is for sure, Kelsey has been incredible through out all of this! Our family is amazed by her goodness and strength- we are so glad Shawn's got her! And he is the first to brag about his top-notch nurse!

Shawn really has been a great patient, and both Dr. visits last week went really well. Both the trauma doc and his orthopedic surgeon felt like everything was moving along great, which was of course super news! Shawn has continued to be pretty emphatic about using as little pain medications as possible, and is, amazingly enough, pretty much surviving on a few Tylenol a day. We all laugh about the continued arrival of new bruises- which keep showing up at different places in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors! But, like everything else in he's dealing with, according to Shawn, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

We continue to be amazed at his strength and determination throughout this whole ordeal. The other night our family was gathered together. In time, the conversation turned toward the accident and all the miracles that occurred. Kelsey commented, "This must be why miracles don't happen very often, it takes so much coordination to make one happen!" We are completely humbled by the many, many miracles that continue to surface regarding the accident.

Shawn's mom was telling us how many people keep suggesting to her that Shawn must have something very special to accomplish during this life here on Earth. But, she went on to say that she and a friend were discussing this very thing when her friend told her, "You know, maybe the only thing he is supposed to do is to live each day of his life the very best he can every day he is here."

Isn't that true for all of us? It's amazing how something like this makes us sit back and look at how we are spending our days. When it's all said and done, it may not be the "fireworks" of it all that really matter. You know, the big and important things we all seem to think we should be accomplishing.

Maybe it's the little things. And maybe the part that really matters is that we do those little things the very best that we can, every day that we are here.

Heavenly Father, thanks for the reminder.

day 5- he's coming home!!!!

(Doesn't he look proud of himself in this picture? Or maybe it's just all the drugs. . .)


So. . .He is either really charming or really grouchy, because he miraculously talked them into letting him come home. (He seems to be pretty adept at pulling off miracles this week.)

We were all surprised to hear the news, but when we asked him about the change of plan, he explained, "They gave me a list of things that had to be done, so I just did them."

There you go.

Anyway, we are all so glad he's back in town!

P.S. . . .A little side note about visitors:

Shawn still has a ways to go in his recovery process, so if you could call before showing up, that would be great! This way, he (or Kelsey, at least) can make sure he's minding his P's and Q's. Also, with all the bugs going around, please, please make sure you don't come if you have any friends of that sort hanging around. He has some respiratory issues that could be a problem if every one's not careful.

Thanks for understanding. . .you know there's not two more social butterflies than Shawn and Kelsey, and they would love to see you all! Let's just keep him on the gettin' well road!


PPS. Yesterday Shawn was telling his sister that he wished he had been able to get his house painted before the accident. These were his next words, "I don't know how steady I'll be on a ladder."

Yip, you read that right.

So, if you happen to be driving by and see him making an attempt at any foolish endeavors, (ie: ladders, planting trees, etc.) PLEASE help us out by making an intervention. Seems he's into checking things off "his list" these days.

We're just thinking that his luck might eventually run out.


WELCOME HOME SHAWN! WE LOVE YOU!

day 4 - workin' hard

Today was a great day for Shawn, but boy, did he work hard!

He is so determined to come home. If there is anything he thinks he can do that will help him get better faster, he is going to do it! (And don't try to tell him he can't!)

This morning when the doctor came to do rounds, the conversation went something like this:

"I hear you're spreading rumors around here."

He responded, "Oh really? What's that?"

"They say you're telling everyone you're going home today."

"I am!"

"Not on my watch you're not."

The Dr. is thinking more along the lines of Monday, if Shawn is a good boy. But Shawn, on the other hand is thinking there are too many days between now and Monday! Every time someone walks in the door he asks "what do I need to do?" . . ."tell me what I can do to get this moving along". . .

One of the things they told him he needed to do was to have a few accomplishments in the little boys room (if you know what we mean). He immediately pointed to his catheter and said something to the effect of, "How am I supposed to do that with this? Get this out so we can get 'er done." So, out it went! (Much to his dismay, the gettin' 'er done part isn't always so easy!)

With the help of his buddy Cam and the physical therapist, he walked a ways down the hall with his "old man walker". But when he found out he would need to master the crutches and stairs before going home, he soon had the therapist back giving him lessons on the crutches. And when she suggested he work on those for a while before tackling a couple of stairs? No way! He did those too. The first time, she told him he was doing great, but was a little shaky. So he did them again, turned to her, and said, "I wasn't shaky that time, was I?"

Same thing when it came to getting out of bed by himself. As soon as he found out he would need to do it by himself, there was no helping him! With this boy, it is definitely mind over matter! He matter of factly explained that he believes you can push yourself a lot more than you think, and then the next time, it will be easier to go even further.

The nurses and therapists were loving him. They said it's fun to have a patient who is so motivated. (FYI, they say the young male patients are usually the biggest wimps!) They told us it is fun for them to have the tables turned. Instead of begging, pleading, and dragging Shawn, he's the one pushing, prodding, and insisting they let him do it!

If all of his hard work doesn't pay off, he told one of the nurses that he has a plan B. He and a few friends figured out that if necessary, they can repel him down from his window and make a quick escape if need be. . .

We're thinking he's had enough excitement this week. Let's pray he sticks with plan A.

so good

Shawn's friend, Casey Earl (who was also the driver of the semi) and his wife Kristen came to visit Shawn and Kelsey tonight. They were able to visit for almost an hour. Kelsey said it was "amazing" and left her speechless. It was so good for both of them to see each other and have a chance to talk. According to Kelsey, it was one of the coolest things she has ever experienced.

To Casey- Shawn and Kelsey want to thank you so much. Again. . .thanks for Tuesday. And for coming to visit. It was so good.

And especially. . .CONGRATULATIONS! (Casey and Kristen are new parents!) Shawn and Kelsey are wishing you the best with Macey!

funny guy

The highway patrolman who first arrived on the scene just stopped by to give us some insurance information. When I asked him if he'd been on the scene, he said he was the first patrolman there. He then told me what a good sense of humor Shawn had.

When he drove up, he said he knew whoever was in the van was dead, so he readied himself to take care of the necessary details when he heard someone yell, "He's alive!"

He then ran to the car. When he asked Shawn if he had been taking any medications or had any chronic medical conditions, Shawn told him, "No, but I've got a van stuck on my leg."

A predicament indeed.

Gotta love a good sense of humor.

day 3

thursday afternoon:

They just moved Shawn out of ICU into the surgical intermediate care! :)

Thanks again. We wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We are truly blessed!!!!!!! Kelsey

givin' us the giggles

A few funny moments along the way. . .

When they were cutting off Shawn's clothes and boots before he went onto Life Flight, he had a bit to say. Everyone had to laugh when he mumbled, "I can feel someone taking my pants off, and I don't think it's my wife."

While he was on the stretcher moving from the van to the helicopter. . ."Things are looking up, it's a blue sky day."

And he is still a little confused about why they called Life Flight in the first place. He knew his legs hurt pretty bad, but he was pretty sure that once they got them out of there, he'd just head home. In fact, when someone asked him for his wife's phone number, he hesitated and told them, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. It would probably better if you just got me out of here and then I'll tell her in a few hours when I get home".

Of course, on life flight, he had everyone laughing.

The first night in the ICU, Kelsey arranged for all of his family to have a few minutes together with him in the ICU. He was really sedated, but when his mom asked the nurse if we could quickly have a family prayer. Shawn roused enough to caution the nurse, "don't ask her" (pointing to his mom- he's always giving her a hard time about her long prayers). Then after, while we were waiting for someone to volunteer, he mumbled, "Well, I ain't sayin' it."

He is continually harassing the nurses. Kelsey is continually monitoring him, but has been assured that in his current state, he can't be held liable for harassment for anything he says. Oh, and to all of his single buddies, he's scoping out all of the hot nurses for you. He's determined to get you all lined up.

Amazingly enough, he hasn't yet asked for chocolate, but he thinks the water they gave him the first night was the best thing ever. He raved and raved about that good water.

And to Mike, the male nurse, about the breathing machine. B.S. But, he's set on getting it to the top. He's sure that when he does, he's gonna get bunnies, dancers, and bells and whistles. . .just like at Lagoon.

And last night when Jodi and AJ were back with him. He was pretty drugged up, but when AJ asked what they'd had him doing, he was proud to tell him about his day. "Yeah, I got up and walked to there (pointing), and did this little breathing thing, and oh, I guess the van is trashed."
And a few miniutes later, a few of his machines were beeping. When the phone stared ringing, he told them one of the favorite lines of the day,

"This is a beeping revolution."

so sorry. . .

For all of us who know him, you are expecting this.

"I'm so sorry."

As you can imagine, Shawn is full of "I'm sorry".

Sorry for wasting all of our afternoons the day of the accident.

Sorry for all of the worry.

To the guys who had to lift him onto the stretcher, "Sorry. . .this would be a lot easier if I had gone on a diet".

To Russ (he thinks that's your name), he is so worried about you. Sorry about your shirt. It was green but he bled all over it. He want us to let you know he'll get you a new one. And about your face. He was trying to stay in his "happy place" to deal with the pain, and when you kept telling him to look at your face, he told you that your face was too ugly to look at for so long. He's really sorry.

Sorry about the van.

Sorry to Casey about the truck. One of the first things he said when he saw his brother Chris was to please call Casey and tell you he's sorry about your truck. . .he's going to fix that up. We all can't wait to see that.

To the guys trying to get him out of the van. He didn't mean to be a *%&#@, but it hurt pretty bad. And he is sorry about telling you what to do to make it go faster. From what we hear, he wasn't. (You know, a *%$#@.)

You know Shawn. He's really sorry about everything.

day 3

So far. . .

They gave Shawn 2 more units of blood this morning. They are thinking the blood loss is connected with his leg injury and not his spleen. Also, they pulled his IV's and put in a pic line today.

Still in ICU.

Still giving them heck.

day 2

Shawn had a pretty good day.

In the morning, he saw pictures of the accident, which gave him a little better idea of the seriousness of it all. Pretty crazy.

In the afternoon, he walked about 10 feet, with the help of a walker and a few nurses. Very proud moment!

Red Jello!

They brushed his teeth and cleaned him up a little bit, which he thought was pretty great.

The doctors know he is bleeding internally, but aren't sure where at this point. They are monitoring it very closely. He ended up getting 2 units of blood today. Funny part: Shawn is sure is he going back to work on Friday, if he could just get out of the ICU. After the Dr.'s discuss the blood loss issue with he and Kelsey, he begins hounding everyone. "What can I do to take care of this blood thing? Do I need to breathe faster? Should I breathe slower?. . .Doesn't blood have something to do with oxygen? Just tell me what to do to fix it and I'll do it. . .Is there some kind of visual imagery I can be doing?. . ."

Shawn also had a male nurse, who is also Shawn's same age. He is a big guy like Shawn and from the sounds of it, they had a great time giving each other crap all day. They, along with Hootie and Chris W., kept Kelsey in stitches with all of their bantering and naughtiness.

Shawn's family all met for dinner and then was able to see him that night. He was pretty drugged up and gave us all a few good laughs. For a guy who doesn't like taking a tylenol, he was pretty souped up. We decided to save our videos of this for future blackmail. Possibly sell it for a commercial. . .you know the kind. "This is your brain on drugs. . ."

Despite the haze, he looked so much better!

Kelsey and his family are completly overwhelmed with gratitude at the many, many people have called to offer help and concern. The family business estimates that they recieved over 200 phone calls regarding the accident and his condition. Kelsey is just amazed by everyone. Thank you so much!

another miracle

Sometime following the accident and after they had gotten Shawn onto Life Flight, someone handed my brother the Peterbilt symbol from the hood of Casey's truck. They had found it in the back of the van.

Shawn's brothers decided that they are going to make a trophy for him with this symbol.

The day following the accident, one of the highway patrolmen was speaking to Chris (Shawn's brother) and Chris mentioned that very thing. The trophy. It was at this point that the patrolman agreed, and then mentioned that he know if we understood the significance of that symbol. He told him that if you look closely at the windshield of the van, you can see that there is only one hole. One hole where this heavy, metal symbol must have flown through.

Right where Shawn's head should have been.

Once again we were reminded of something one of the emergency workers told Shawn's mom, "There are only two reasons why Shawn is alive. First, the airbag worked. Second, the Lord didn't want to take him home today."

the lowdown

First of all, he IS alive! And he has his legs!

We know there are so many stories circulating. Kelsey wanted us to let you know a little about what happened. . .

Tuesday morning, Shawn went to Logan to pick up a minivan for work. (Yip, all of you who know him can breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't HIS van!) He had picked up the van and was driving back toward Tremonton when he drifted over into the oncoming traffic, hitting an oncoming semi truck. Thankfully, the driver of the truck (also a buddy of Shawn's), saw him coming, slowed, and did the best he could to avert the collision.

Shawn doesn't remember anything about he accident, and awoke sometime briefly following the collision. We know he hadn't been on his cell phone, as he remembers waking to it ringing and someone asking if he could reach it. It was clipped onto his belt and someone was able to answer the phone. It was actually his brother-in-law AJ, who was calling to chat with Shawn and actually didn't immediately believe the woman who told him Shawn had just been involved in a serious accident. Unbelievably, Shawn and AJ were able to talk with this woman's help. Shawn told AJ that he was trapped, and that he didn't know what had happened. He said that his legs were starting to hurt and he hoped someone arrived soon who could get him out.


At this point, he was also able to give phone numbers to people who were able to call his wife and his mom. Thankfully, one of the first people on the accident scene was a neighbor of his parents and was able to make that call. Because of these calls, Kelsey, his mom, and a brother were able to get to the scene of the accident and see him before he left with LifeFlight.

If you've seen the pictures, you can imagine how tightly Shawn was trapped in the van. From what we've been told they had a really hard time getting him out. He has said that he made it through by imagining his "happy place"- telling himself he was somewhere else, and this was only a dream.

From what we've been told, anyone involved is completely amazed that Shawn is alive.

He was life flighted to McKay Dee Hospital in critical condition. He has broken the larger bone in his lower left leg. The surgeons have placed a rod and pins in that leg. In addition to his leg, he as 4 broken ribs, and a broken sternum. A portion of his lungs is collapsed, but that is doing well. He also had some spleen damage, which they are monitoring closely. He is currently in the intensive care unit, but as you can imagine, is giving them heck! The nurses are all happy they have a patient who can actually talk to them!

gratitude

Where do we start?

We're so thankful to so many, many people.

Those who first arrived at the scene. . . thank you for the comforting words you said, and the difficult phone calls you made. For stabilizing Shawn's neck and keeping him with you. For arranging a priesthood blessing, and for being worthy to give one.

To Russ. . .(Shawn thinks that was your name). Thank you for sticking with him.

To the First Responders, EMT's, Patrolmen, Paramedics, Life Flight crew. . .wow. Thank you. You had a tricky job getting him out of there. Shawn has said how comforting it was to hear so many familiar voices and know that you were there, doing a job you are good at. You are amazing and you make miracles happen. Thanks.

To Casey. . .We can't say enough. You are the hero in all of this. Thank you for doing what you did. You saved Shawn's life.

To the many, many people who are calling, texting, and praying. . .thank you! We are humbled beyond measure. Last night Kelsey said through tears, "This is amazing. I would never live anywhere else." Your prayers are being felt. (And according to the nurses, they are working! They told Kelsey yesterday that they can tell Shawn has a lot of prayers in his behalf because he keeps getting the best doctors to work on him!) . . .Keep 'em coming!

To Shawn's buddies. . .or do we say brothers? You know who you are. Thanks for being there like always- and for keeping us all laughing.

Most importantly. . .to a loving Heavenly Father. Our hearts are full of gratitude. We are strengthened and reassured that each of us has a plan and a purpose to fulfill. We understand that for reasons unknown to us, our family has been given Shawn to keep a while longer.