Joleyn Larson Photography & Design

From Jenny…..

Hi everyone~ Just wanted to let you all know that Dad has been admitted to the Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, here in Billings, and was transferred there this morning. It is a brand new acute care facility, and we are so thankful that he qualified to come here. We have a wonderful feeling about the facility itself, but more importantly about the staff and the care that he will receive here, as he continues to recover. ACHM is located on Gabel Rd, just off of the Zoo Drive Exit off the interstate. You can all go to this website to get directions to ACHM, or addresses and phone numbers:
http://achm.ernesthealth.com/
It is a 38 bed facility, but they are only taking 8 patients at this time. As GOD would have it, they had 7 patients, and after reviewing Dad’s case, he was chosen to be admitted as the 8th patient at this time. What a blessing!!
Hope this finds you all well. Keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming!God Bless,Jenny

Subject: RE: Update on Don D. Proue

Hi everyone~ This is a short note, to let you know about something that we are very excited about and touched by–Dad smiled at his sister Maureen this morning. He was resting, and she was reading to him by his bed. She noticed that his eyes were open, and told him hello, and he smiled at her. She said he had a very soft, kind look in his eyes and it was definitely not a grimace. Praise God!! We feel that he is hearing us and is trying so very, very hard to communicate with us, and we thank God for today’s miracle!!God Bless you all. Our prayers are being heard!!Jenny

Subject: FW: Update on Don D. Proue

From Jenny:
Hi everyone~ A very good friend of my dad’s stopped by the hospital today with this poem that he had just written about Dad. We are so moved by it, and I can’t read it without crying tears of sadness, pride, and everything in between. I just wanted to share it with you. It’s a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man.

THE HERO

I was visiting with a friend of mine, just the other day,
About the way the world was goin’, and he made this observation,
He’d make a lot of changes, if he had his way,
Before the politicians completely ruin this great nation.

Then he made a remark, that struck a note with me,
He said, “What this world needs is more heroes, yes you bet.”
And I got to thinking later, that I guess I would agree,
And I got to thinking on some heroes I have met.

Some were TV or movie stars, heroes of a sort,
And I’ve met a few who had medals from the war.
There are doctors who are heroes, and some in the world of sport,
And there are fireman and policemen, and probably more.

And then I thought of someone, who didn’t fit the mold,
Not like those others mentioned here today.
He has no medals or certificates, nothing on paper, so I’m told,
But to those who know him, he’s a hero—in his own way.

He’s a hero to his wife, 36 years they’ve been together,
Hand in hand, they’ve fought the battle, day by day.
They’ve stuck with one another in sunshine and foul weather,
If you ask her, who’s her hero, what do you think she’ll say?

On their own now, his son and daughter, would gladly tell you how,
A thousand times he was there for them, and probably more.
Of times he was their champion, their defender, and now,
A granddaughter waits for her Granddad to walk through the door.

There is no hero like Granddad, to a little girl,
There is no one who could ever take his place.
Someone who spoils her, and sets her world a whirl,
She sees a hero written all over his kind face.

There are others who would testify if there was a need,
To his strength of his character, his nobility of spirit.
Neighbors who traded work and grew to know this man,
There’s a chorus of their voices, can you hear it?

Very seldom in a person’s life, do you find a kindred spirit,
Someone you liked from the start, and better day by day.
This man is such a man, and he might be surprised to hear it,
But almost everyone who works with him feels the same way.

There were elk hunters that he’s guided, and tourists from everywhere,
Dudes and sportsmen, men who feel like all of us.
That there really is something special about this ordinary man,
Being genuinely humble, he’d be embarrassed at all the fuss.

If you want to add your testimony, you’ll have to get in line,
The line of friends is long, to stand with this hero of our times.
He’s had a serious setback, but we’re all bettin’ he’ll pull through,
Because that’s just the way a hero does things; Here’s to you, Don Proue.

Written by Joe Charter
May 23, 2008

From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 4:08 PM
Subject: Dad 5/23/08

Hi everyone~ Just wanted to let you know that they moved Dad from ICU to the Neurological Floor at St. Vincents hospital this afternoon. He is in room 531. This is a sign that he has made progress physically, and they feel he is stable enough to be moved from ICU. In all honesty, it is very scary to us as we realize that the nurse to patient ratio is much lower in ICU than it will be on a regular floor. We are not sure how long Dad will be able to remain on the Neurological floor. There are criteria that he must meet in order to remain there. If he does not meet those criteria, he will probably be moved to a critical care hospital (most likely Advanced Care Hospital of MT) here in Billings. He must also meet certain criteria in order to be admitted to, or remain at, that facility. If he does not, then he will have to be moved to a nursing home.
We are so desperate to see Dad’s continued progress, so that he can continue to receive the most specialized care available. Please continue to pray for his improvement and healing, and also for the nurses and doctors who will be overseeing his care.
God Bless,
Jenny

From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 5:17 PM
Subject: Today’s good news~

Hi everyone~Just wanted to relay some more progress that Dad has been making. We are so thankful and praising God for the improvements he has made, and continues to make. We are so proud of him!

This morning, more than once, I asked Dad to move the thumb on his left hand, and he did. The physical therapist saw it the first time, and a family friend saw him do it again. Next, I asked him to move the fingers on his left hand, and he slowly brought them down, and then lifted them back up. He isn’t responding to every request, and I couldn’t get the same response later in the day, but I firmly believe that he was responding to me. He is fighting so hard!

Dr. Koppeland usually makes his rounds in the mornings, but just finally stopped by this afternoon. While he couldn’t get Dad to respond to any specific commands, he did say that he is definitely seeing new movements, which he considers semi-purposeful. He says that Dad is following the natural chain of improvements, and is making progress every day. He told us that he himself is the biggest skeptic, and that he is surprised at the progress Dad has made so quickly, and continues to make on a daily basis. Thank you GOD!!!

I’d better get this sent, so some of you can read it before the work day ends. Thanks so much for your support and prayers. They are working!! Love to you all~Jenny

From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 4:24 PM
Subject: Update for today 5-21

Hi everyone~

Another note to update you on Dad’s progress today. He is still not responding to commands, but continues to have his eyes open for several minutes at a time. This morning, Mom and Brandon were doing his physical therapy with him, and laid his arms at his side, so they could work with his feet and legs. Dad very quietly pulled both arms up and folded his hands on his belly, just like he did when he would lay in his recliner and watch the news. We were very excited by this, and when we told the neurosurgeon, he said that it was “super.” We are finding that “super” is quickly becoming our favorite word…. They also took Dad off of the respirator today to see how he would tolerate it. At last check, he had been off the respirator for over 4 hours and counting, breathing completely on his own, and was doing very well. That is very encouraging, as we know that in order for him to be moved from ICU, he would need to be off of the respirator entirely.

Yesterday, they did some neck x-rays to check for any damage to ligaments, etc, in hopes that they would be able to remove the neck collar. The x-rays and flexion tests looked great, so Dr. Koppeland decided there was no need for the collar. Now that he is free of tubes in his mouth, and the neck collar, he looks very peaceful and much more comfortable. In fact, he looks so good that we all swear he is going to open his eyes and start talking to us any minute. We are anxiously awaiting that day!

Thanks again for your prayers and inquiries about his condition. We know he’s making progress and are SO thankful for the improvements that we have seen. We continue to pray for more improvements each and every day.
God Bless~Jenny

From: Jenny Gilbert
Subject: Update Update for today 5/20

Hi everyone~Unfortunately, there isn’t much change with Dad today. Dr. Koppeland (the neurosurgeon) couldn’t see any new signs of improvement. We know that there won’t always be improvements from day to day, but we sure wish their could be. Dr. Koppeland also gave us somewhat of a reality check, as far as the timeline we could be facing. He feels that it could be three months or more before Dad wakes up. He also said that if he doesn’t wake up by about 9 months, it is reasonable to expect that he has hit a plateau and will show no further improvement. None of this is new information to us, but is still very hard to hear. We can’t imagine not having him in our lives for such long periods of time. We are still very confident that he will wake up, and are doing our best to focus on the blessings we have, and the improvement that Dad has shown. However, we do have our “down” days when the grief of the situation hits us like a ton of bricks, and we just miss the sound of his voice, his laughter, his smile, his twinkling eyes and sharp wit–everything that makes him HIM–so very, very much.

So, I guess today I ask for your prayers for those of us who love him so very much, to give us patience and strength to get through these “down” days. It never means that we have begun to give up hope on a positive outcome. It just means that we anxiously await the day when we truly have him back with us.

God Bless~Jenny

“If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:12

Thanks for all your prayers.

__________________________________________
Hello everyone~

We had another good day with Dad today. He’s keeping his eyes open for longer periods of time, although he isn’t focusing on us yet, or tracking any movements. The doctor also got the cultures from his lungs back and he does not have pneumonia, so we are thanking God for that as well. They also took him off of the ventilator for about an hour this afternoon and he did very well, breathing completely on his own. It sounds like they will continue to do this several times a day, in hopes of weaning him off of the ventilator.

We are counting the blessings that God has given us, but are still very anxious for Dad to wake up and talk to us. The neurosurgeon told us that he knows it feels like we’ve been here forever, but in the grand scheme of things, he feels that Dad is making progress relatively quickly. We are very encouraged by that. We know how strong Dad is, and just ask God to continue to give him strength while he heals, and to give us patience while we wait for his awakening.

Thanks again for all your prayers!God Bless you all~Jenny

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” — Psalm 106:1

From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:16 AM

Good morning everyone~We just spoke with the neurosurgeon this morning and got some exciting news. Dad’s right eye, the one which was so bruised and damaged, has begun to respond and show some movement. This is new progress that the doctor called “encouraging”. We are thanking God for this new movement and trust that it is a sign that Dad is healing and will soon be back with us.
Please continue to pray for his fight against the pneumonia. They did another chest x-ray this morning, and we are anxiously awaiting the results and praying that his lung condition is staying strong.

Thank you so much for your prayers, and praise God for the small encouragements we have received today!!God Bless,
Jenny

Please…lift them up.

Wake him up Lord, wake him up. Heal his tired body.
Only you can do this, and we trust that you will.
Your timing is perfect, may we wait patiently on you.

In Christ We Are!
Tracy Sr., Joleyn, Tracy Jr., Ryan, Alex and Jhacie
_______________________________________________
From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 8:03 PM
Subject: Dad

Hi again everyone~

We started the day off with very good news. The neurosurgeon told us that it was “super” that Dad had opened his eyes. We were ecstatic and all decided that “super” was going to be our new favorite word.

The physical therapist was in to see him and also started doing therapy with him to keep his joints from getting stiff. After that, we got some disappointing news when they did another chest x-ray and told us that they can see he is beginning to get pneumonia. They have him on some broad spectrum antibiotics, and we are praying and praying that these will keep the pneumonia under control. We know that the road is going to be long and hard, and it breaks our heart to know that Dad may have to fight any extra battles along the way. Please pray for Dad’s strength to fight this infection.

Dad seemed to have a very rough day, as his respirations and heart rate were very high. They didn’t allow us to see him for some time, in order for him to get the most rest he could. While we wish we could be by his side every minute, we definitely want to do what is best for Dad and hope and pray that he will get the rest he needs.

Hope this email finds you all well. We know there will be days that seem harder than others, and we pray for our own patience as well as Dad’s restfulness so he has the strength that he needs to keep getting better.

God Bless,
Jenny

From: Jenny Gilbert
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 11:38 AM
Subject: Today’s report

Hi everyone~

Some of you have already heard, but I wanted to relay our exciting news that Dad opened his eyes twice yesterday, and once already this morning. It is a long ways from a response to a command, but the neurosurgeon said that this was “super”, so we are very encouraged by it. They have started physical therapy with him to keep his joints limber, which we are also thankful for.

Please keep praying for improvements like this! God Bless,
Jenny