My Hero!

Jer is still on the mend - staying with family in Dallas. (Thanks Marie and Eddie!!!) He is a modern day 'mountain man' - he's made of strong stock. Here's a pic of him shortly before his discharge from the hospital. I always knew he was an angel - now he's got the halo to prove it. (Ok - I know that was a horrible pun - but couldn't resist! Besides - Jerry thought it was funny!)

Please continue to pray for his skull fracture to heal and for his stamina to increase. He has the best friends on the plant - thanks for continuing to stand by him with your visits and your prayers! He is more mobile now and loves to have visitors - so give him a ring! I'm counting the days until I can get back to Dallas and give him a big hug :O) Until then, I'm counting on all of you guys to give him his daily dose of love! Forever grateful - Jamie (Jer's sister)

"Thank You" Doesn't begin to cover it!

I'm Jerry's sister from Phoenix - Jamie - or as Jer calls me "Jammer Jones" ;O) Today marks three weeks or 22 looonnngg days since Jer's accident. I wish all of you could have seen him then and see him now - his recovery is truly nothing short of miraculous! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and unending gratitude to all of you - his true blue friends - who not only helped pray him through this - but provided an incredible amount of support to me and the rest of my family. There are no words that can convey the unquantifiable amount of THANKS due to each of you. But I will try......

To his Dallas friends who rallied at the hospital every day and never left us alone for a minute: Roger & Gina (and Zach), Rick & Renee (and Delaney), Sally (she is truly an angel unaware!), Shawn & Kim, Keith & Sheila, Jeff (Big Sexy), Keith (Sconey) and his former roommate Ken, Big Joe, Jamir & Gary, Tim, Gary & Stephanie, Steve, Dano, Scott, Mary, Donna, Ted & Stacy - the constant support of your presence and your prayers held us together.

There were literally dozens of other friends who called, visited and prayed for Jerry - please know that even though I have not listed you by name - your faces are etched in my heart forever and I will never forget your kindness to my brother!

To Jody - his future wife: for those of you who don't know the story - Jerry and Jody dated about 23 years ago - she was his first and only true love. About a year ago God brought them back together and without a doubt I would not have been able to get through this without her! Having someone by my side constantly who I know loves Jerry to the same depth that I do was comforting. Also her nursing background really gave the family assurance - as she knew what questions to ask and could explain things to us clearly. Jody - you are a ROCK and I love that you love my brother so much. As mom said - you were born to be a Gallimore - you just took a detour. I sure am glad you're back girlfriend.

To his out of state friends who stayed in constant contact with us via phone, text and emails: The Webers in Tucson (Sandy, Beth, Susan, Kim), Michigan Mike & Julie - his hunting buddy, Kevin (a childhood friend in AZ) and his mom Sharon, Kevin from CA (Jody's brother), June, and all his American Airlines brothers from Tucson who sent their love and prayers. (Jer started his career there in 1988 before transferring to Dallas!) And all his new friends in Iowa - Bruce and Susan (nice decorating job on the house! She tied yellow caution tape instead of 'yellow ribbons' all over Jerry and Jody's house to welcome him home!) And I can't forget all of the sweet old ladies at the nursing home Jody works at who have been praying for him. Also to Pastor Dave & Cheryl in Michigan and their wonderful church. (A childhood friend of my moms!)

To our parents Bonnie and Big Jer (an honorary 'Bullet Brother' - Roger and Rick will get this one!) Thank you for raising such an outstanding young man - my baby brother Jerry! He has always been highly loved and respected inside of our family -but finding out just how many people feel the same way about him as we do was an incredible gift and a testament to the fine young man you raised!

To his extended family Jacque (who set this blog up for him!) & Ken and his precious nieces Lizzy and Lauren - you will ALWAYS be part of our family! Marie and Eddie (who have opened their home to us during his extended recovery) - who knew that 30 years ago when you walked into my life that we would be part of so many adventures together. You are the sister I always wanted - God just delivered you into my life via another mother ;O) Aunt Joyce and Cousin Kimmie, Matthew - thanks for the long distance love! Uncle Bruce and Aunt Marge in Tucson - thanks for your prayers and getting your entire church to prayer for Jerry!

To American Airlines management who treated us like royalty and took care of every need before we even knew we had one: Margo, Lynda, Dan, Mark - you are a credit to your profession and some of the most compassionate people I've ever met.

To the Unions Guys who treated Jerry and us like family: Darrin, Tony, John and Big Ron. It was obvious you guys weren't just doing you 'job' but that you really care!

To my church/employer (North Ridge Community Church - AZ) who allowed me the amazing gift of taking three unplanned weeks off to stay with my brother here in Dallas: Pastors Mike and Dan, Linda, Lisa, Marie, Debbie, Edwina, Bill and the rest of the amazing staff - you will never know how much your support meant to me. I really did not give 'work' a second thought as I knew my entire team was rallying to get the job done back home. You guys rock!

To Parkland Hospital and the amazingly talented physicians, nurses and therapists: there are too many of you to name - but know that we still pray for you all as you continue being God's tools. You don't have a job you have a calling - what you do on a daily basis to put broken bodies and lives back together is incredible. May God bless you and your families tenfold the amount that you have blessed us!

To the Paramedics and EMS staff who so quickly responded to the accident scene and were able to get Jerry out of the truck and to the hospital in record time. It was no 'coincidence' his accident happened just yards away from the fire station. They even came to the airport and signed Jerry's get well card!

To Crown Plaza staff - especially the shuttle drivers Tyson and Joe who became our friends and joined us in praying for Jerry. You helped make our unexpected stay as comfortable as possible and never complained as you quickly took us back and forth to the hospital at a moments notice. Your kindness blessed us.

To our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ: I saved the best for last! From day one we have been holding on to the promise in James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will raise him up. Thank you Jesus for answering the thousands of prayers for my beloved brother. He was on prayer chains in churches all over the world, on numerous websites and blogs, even other families in ICU prayed for him. It was amazing to see the family of faith literally come out of the woodwork to lift him in prayer. Father we don't know why You have chosen this family to extend such amazing grace and mercy to - but we welcome it and our lives will never be the same because of it. We pledge to You to always share the overflow of Your love You have so abundantly poured into our lives with Your other children. We know that You love each and every one of us with an unconditional love - a love we will never be able to fully comprehend this side of heaven. Thank You for loving us so much that You sacrificed Your own Son on the cross to restore our relationship with You. (John 3:16 For God so loved the word, He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.)

Well - I have to pack now - headed back to Phoenix for awhile. Until we meet again my new friends ;O)

Gratefully His,
Jammer Jones (Jerry's sister and #1 fan always!!!)

Day 18 -Wednesday 6/10/09

JERRY GOES HOME!!!!
Yup - you read that right - after 14 days in ICU and 4 days on the ward - Jerry was discharged late today. About 10 docs from the trauma team came into his room to see him off and to see with their own eyes what a miraculous recovery he has made. We have a looooonnnnggg list of thank you notes to write - of course the first we have already sent (over and over again) to our merciful Lord for His hand of protection and healing that have been on Jerry during this entire adventure. We want you to know that you - his friends were just as important in his recovery as his surgeons were - your prayers bombarding heaven daily were instrumental in his survival and recovery.

He will be staying in Texas during his recovery so he can do his follow-up with the several different medical specialties he still needs to see. He has a sister in Corinth (Denton area) that he and his family will be staying with. His cell phone is all charged up and hooked to the front of his halo - so if you have his number - feel free to call him. We hope he only has to have the halo on for 6-8 weeks but it could be longer. He still won't be back to work for awhile. So don't be shy about contacting him - he's going to get 'cabin fever' locked up in the house and will need some company from time to time. As we mentioned in an earlier post - his sense of humor was undamaged by the accident - so if you are in need of some Gallimore humor - stop by. He even talked about getting a shirt made that said "Gallimore 1 - Bus 0"!!! That's our Jerry :O)

Again we give all the glory, honor and praise - to the name of above all names - Jesus Christ our Savior!

The Grateful Gallimores (AKA - the Sigma K Crew)

Day 17 Tuesday 6/9/09

Jer's progress continues to amaze not only us but all of his doctors as well. Matter of fact his trauma team wants to present his case this Friday at a trauma conference. The doctor asked if he could get a digital picture of Jerry so the team could see how great he looks!

We are just waiting for him to be cleared by physical, occupational and speech therapists to find out when he can go home. He can sit up, stand up and even walk short distances on his own already! As each medical team (lots of residents and medical students along with their attendings) comes in to check on his status - we continue to get more and more details on his injuries and how severe they were. He had more than one type of injury that all by itself is usually fatal. That he survived is a miracle and the result of the thousands of people who prayed for him. We have lost count at how many people told us he was put on their church prayer chains.

We hope that all of his friends realize what a difference their prayers have made. We know that our lives have been changed forever by the outpouring of love and concern you all have shown for Jerry. Our hope is that God will use this situation to show Himself to all involved in a new and personal way. And if you don't know Him yet - our prayers are that this event in Jer's life will encourage you to seek Him - as He is real - alive - and loves YOU more than you can even imagine! We, his family, would be happy to talk to any of you about our wonderful Savior. Don't hesitate to contact us. We want all of you to be part of our eternal family too!

We started this adventure clinging to James 5:15 and we have seen God deliver BIG TIME! (And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.) We give all praise and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for choosing to bless this family in the all the ways You have. The Grateful Gallimores

Day 15 - Sunday 6/7/09

Happy Sunday - Jer is back in a regular room and out of ICU again! His heart has been cleared -so the pain he was feeling was not cardiac related. He is just starting to 'feel' more of his injuries. They made an adjustment to his halo to tip his chin down slightly so he will be able to walk better. He is able to get up and down from his bed to a chair and now he's well enough that he has to go to xray instead of xray coming to him. All small achievements - but they are all steps in the right direction. We already know how strong he is - he even went almost 9 hours today without any pain medication - can you believe that with all of the injuries and surgeries he's had! He is our little mountain man!

He had the weekend off for a lot of his treatments as many departments are closed. So starting Monday he'll be working really hard again at regaining his strength. We are still not sure how long he will be here - they have talked about him doing some inpatient rehab for his injuries. Of course he'll still have to have lots of long term rehab once he is discharged. But he is up for the challenge and just happy to still be here.

Thank you for your continued prayers - keep praying for the healed skull fracture, pain management and no infections. And may God bless you tenfold for all the ways you have blessed Jerry and us - his forever grateful family. Big Jer, Mama Bonnie, Jamie, Marie and the love of Jer's life - Jody girl!

Day 14 - Saturday 6/6/09

Sorry we didn't blog yesterday - it was Jer's 2nd night on a 'regular' floor and his sister got to spend the night with him so she didn't blog ;O) Each day his improvement continues to amaze us all. He is working really hard with his respiratory therapist to improve his lung capacity and prevent pneumonia (which is common after a long stay in ICU on a vent). But thanks to the constant prayers of his friends and Jer's indomitable spirit - his lungs continue to improve every day.

Each day Jer also asks more and more detailed questions about the accident and his injuries. Yesterday he even asked for a mirror so he could see all the 'weird' things he's feeling on his body. (Remember - he can't move his head and look down - so he had been relying on all of us to describe things to him.) He continues to be overwhelmed with emotion as you see the 'lightbulb' go on when he realizes not that he cheated death - but how many times he cheated death!
We were also reminded today when the trauma surgeon told him "There is no text book to tell us how to treat you or what your body should be doing during this recovery - as you are not supposed to be here based on your injuries!" We all know that already- but there is something about the doctor saying it so directly that just takes the wind out of you all over again. THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR MERCY - Thank you Lord for Your divine protection and deliverance of our boy. All the praise and glory goes to You Father.

This morning we found out Jer has to go back to ICU for some better monitoring of a few things. The doctor told him to not view this as a setback - there are just some things they are keeping a close eye on and they can't do the level of monitoring they want to if he is on a 'regular' floor. Hopefully it will be only be for a day.

Thank you again for all of your prayers, cards and phone calls. Together with God's strength you all keep us going day to day. His fiance had to leave this morning but will be back on Monday - it's going to be a long 2 days for her being away from him. Please ask God to give her (Jody) His peace and comfort and restful nights sleep. Until tomorrow - a grateful Gallimore Family - Big Jer, Mama Bonnie, Jammer Jones (Jer's nickname for his sister Jamie), Marie and the next Mrs. Gallimore - Jody ;O)

Happy Birthday Jer Bear!

It finally happened today - Jer was moved to a regular room and we were blessed yet again to get him into a private room! He is working hard on getting his lungs back into shape and it seems every time he's just fallen asleep the respiratory therapist comes a knockin for another treatment. His lungs got a really good work out today as his room filled with his friends from work - the laughter could be heard all the way down the hall. He also got his halo adjusted in anticipation of a visit from Physical Therapy tomorrow to see if they can get him on his feet yet. It was a good day!

One of his buddies made him a homemade Italian creme cake and another one brought in an entire 'meal on wheels' for all of us to enjoy as we celebrated Jer's 43rd birthday. You had to see it to believe it! Rick presented him with a giant sized birthday card covered in photos of Jer, his family, friends and his favorite things along with hundreds of notes from well wishers. He was overwhelmed and at a loss for words. His eyes filled with tears as he squeaked out "I've got some awesome friends".

This experience has changed all of us in so many ways - for the good. Please continue to pray for Jer's recovery - specifically the continued healing of his lungs and skull fracture. And please keep his fiance Jody in your prayers as she gets ready to head home to Iowa for the weekend to work a couple of shifts. It will be hard for her leave him - but she'll be back in a couple of days. She has been a rock through all of this - her nursing background was a real comfort to his family as she stayed right on top of the care he was receiving and was able to 'translate' the medical jargon into things we could all understand.

Our prayers for all of you are that God will bless you tenfold the amount you have blessed us with your support, your prayers and your presence. Thank you from the bottom of our very full hearts - the Gallimores

Happy Birthday Uncle Jerry!

The girls were so excited to get to see him on his birthday! They brought a cake and helped him eat it. Here are some pictures from the party!

Day 11 - last day in ICU!!!

Jer has overstayed his welcome in ICU and they are kicking him out!! He is doing so well they are ready to move him to a 'regular' floor bed. His core strength is incredible - he can sit up in bed and his rad sense of humor has returned full force. He ate three meals today and even asked to brush his teeth. He is still sleeping most of the day - unless we are waking him up to eat or the nurses are waking him up to give him breathing treatments and do wound checks. His body is in such high healing mode it's exhausting him - so he needs lots of zzzzzz's.

His buddies from the union stopped by to see him and brought us an awesome gift basket to help us pass the time in the waiting room - everything from cards to beef jerky, aspirin and magazines. We are overwhelmed at the number of visitors and phone calls we still continue to get daily.

Jer is just now beginning to realize the severity of his accident and he's starting to remember some specific visitors. Tonight he told us he remembers Rick and Renee Mill's daughter - Delaney praying at his bedside. He got really choked up. He also told us about a fund raiser golf tournament his employer has every year to help support guys on the ramp who are going through tough stuff - his voice cracked as he told us "I'm definitely participating in that next year!" That's our Jer - already thinking about how to give back a fraction of the love and support he has received over the last couple of weeks.

Well - tomorrow is his 43rd birthday and it's going to be the most memorable birthday in his life - as eleven short days ago we really were unsure if he was still going to be with us to celebrate it. Our praise and thanks go out to our Father for allowing his stay this side of heaven to be extended! Jer Bear - we love you so much and we are so proud to call you our son, brother and soon to be husband (not soon enough if you ask Jody!) Sweet dreams tonight baby boy - we'll see you bright and early in the morning. Mom, Dad, Jamie and Jody

Day 10 - Tuesday 6/2/09

Wow - what a difference 24 hours makes!!! Jer had his feeding tube and gastric tube removed today. He can feed himself (jello and mashed potatoes). He is maintaining his oxygen saturation with just a little assistance from an O2 cannula. He finally started getting some quality sleep and it's working wonders with his mental clarity. He did have to have a halo put on today to stabilize his skull fracture - but they did the procedure bedside (no OR) and he tolerated it very well. It will need to stay on anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months - just depends on how quickly his bones heal. But if history has shown us anything - it's that Jer is strong as a mountain man and that combined with the continued prayers of his friends - I'm sure he'll continue to amaze the doctors with his recovery. The halo contraption looks pretty barbaric - so no Frankenstein jokes OK! It's amazing at how well he's adapted to it - he even curled up on his side and took a 3 hour nap right after they put it on!
We are pretty sure he will be moved out of ICU tomorrow or the next day. His 43rd birthday is Thursday - so we'd love to have him in a regular room by then. We know to expect good days and bad days - so please continue to check in with the family to see if he is up for visitors.
Again we give thanks and praise to God for His faithfulness and abundant blessings He has showed on our family and especially the care He has orchestrated for Jerry. Humbled and overwhelmed by His love and yours - the Gallimores.

Day 9 - Monday 6/1/09

The big event for today was getting his 2nd (and final) chest tube out!! His lungs are still beat up and we need continued prayer for their healing. He is getting breathing treatments 4 times a day to assist in that. He thinks he's well enough to come home and keeps insisting we bring him his clothes and his phone. He really still does not grasp what he has been through. Ironically, one of the 'side effects' of being in ICU is sleep deprivation cuz they are poking and proding you around the clock. Our hope is that he will be out of ICU in 1-2 days and once he's transferred to a 'regular' bed he'll be able to distinguish his days and nights and be able to get some restorative sleep. Because he does not grasp the enormity of his injuries - he is very agitated and down right ornery with us. He can't have plain water yet and he has tried everything to talk us into smuggling a bottle of water into ICU for him. The speech therapists are working on getting his swallow reflex strong again. (Being intubated for several days you are not able to swallow at all - so it takes some time to get that process going again.)
It's a day by day process so we are not sure he is up to visitors yet - if you come by the hospital please check in with the family in the main SICU waiting room and we'll let you know if it's a good time to see him.
For all you prayer warriors out there - your faithful prayers and persistent pounding on heaven's door if producing nothing short of miraculous results. Please don't let up - keep praying for no infections, strong lungs, healing of the skull fracture and the clearing of the mental fog he's in. To God be the glory in all of this - thank you from the bottom of our full hearts - the Gallimores