chatteris parish community

UPDATE
Saturday 22nd November 2008
I am afraid I have been very lax in updating this site as life trundles on without much changing for Jem. His life is really on hold until we have the old gym building made into a living room and sluice room for him. He has a motability car on order with hand controls - for delivery in about 8 weeks. As it is he sees many of his local friends and is frequently to be seen wheeling through the town or being towed behind a friend's motability scooter! (Must get a picture of this!) He has purchased some flashing wheels from the USA which make it easy to see him coming from some distance! Typical Jem - but very sensible!
He has also now got two solar panels and even a wind turbine - so his new abode will be pretty Green!
Morale wise he accepts his situation - and is looking forward to restarting College after Christmas.
We are now approved to have our existing Gym and Sauna building at the rear of the main house stripped and converted into a 15' x 40' bungalow for him, with shared access to the house, but with a wet room, bedroom and living space built into the existing gym space. Design work is almost complete - but the design will beg the need for filling in the pond to enable access, help with loading some of the accummulated junk in and behind the gym into a skip and making more space in the cottage to take the gym equipment and sauna. We will also need to erect some sort of covered/weather roof access between Jem's home and the house when funds permit, and any help in the construction would be welcome when the time comes!

The sauna and gym will be re-established in the stables/cottage at the front of the house which is also necessary for Jem's continued rehabilitation and a family living space also built in there. As long as no-one sleeps under the sheet asbestos roof, although it is sealed, the powers that be are happy!

I am now reducing the size of this blog - but will occasionally update it as things change. There are still people who know Jem who have not heard of his accident so I am retaining the background piece


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Background

As most of you will now know, Jem was involved in a serious car accident on Wednesday 20th February at around 7:20 pm in the evening. This occurred outside the Nightlayer Leek Company on the A142. His car skidded on some mud which had made the road surface greasy and he spun around - colliding sideways with the electricity power supply pole outside the house on the North of the road. I saw his car yesterday (28th) and he is extremely lucky to be alive, given the damage the vehicle sustained even before the Fire brigade cut him out. The impact was on the passenger side just behind the passenger door and the whole car was bent around the pole to some extent. The police say that he was within the national 60 mph limit, and they have checked the tyres and brakes and steering and found no defects. He had just left Wings yard following a friend and the accident occurred as he accellerated to catch him up, but he only travelled 350 yards from where he turned on to the road. He was removed from the car and was sedated in the ambulance. On arrival at Addenbrookes he was in A&E Resussication Unit for several hours and it was touch and go for a while - I was there 10 minutes after he arrived as I was with Zelda as we had both been in Cambridge. He suffered head trauma, serious concussion, a broken spine at the H vertibrae (waist level), a hairline crack in the spine at the base of his neck, some broken ribs one of which just nicked his left lung, but most seriously his spinal cord was pinched for some 18 hours before an operation to repair the bones in the spine and allow the cord to again be straight and clear of further damage.

On Thursday 21st he underwent a 6 hour operation which reconstructed the bones in his spine and thus relieved the pressure on his spinal cord, however the damage to his spinal cord at the time of the initial accident trauma has seriously damaged it as it was pinched beyween the broken segments of the spine. We are being advised that Jem has very little prospect of feeling anything from the waist down and is unlikely to walk again, although obviously until he is fully assessed there is a chance that he has more feeling than the CT and MRI scans indicate.  It is our belief that prayer will eventually overcome these dire prospects and in time, with his faith, his charactistic resolve and focus, he will recover at least partially.

On Friday 22nd he was begun to be brought out of sedation, but after over 7 hours he was still not responding, so the Intensive care staff ordered a further scan and as a result of this Jem has had a further operation on Friday night to insert a probe in his brain cavity to measure pressure. Anni was there overnight and as he came out of the sedation after the operation he began to thrash his arms about potentially disturbing the many tubes and electronic lines, so he was returned to sleep under light sedation. On Saturday morning he momentarily opened his eyes but returned to sleep, later becoming more aware of the people around him.  After his improved situation on Saturday in which he was recognising us and gripping our hands - by Sunday 24th he had been taken off the ventilator and has had the two main tubes removed from his throat. He has not spoken yet, but Anni has talked to him to let him know where he is and why, that he is safe, that all the many friends  he has want to see him when he is strong enough and that prayers are being said across the town and in March and beyond.

He still remains unaware of his major injuries and the Consultant has indicated that he wants to take Jem through the prognosis when he is  more awake and in a controlled way so that if he reacts adversely it can be managed.

By Monday 25th, Jem had a good night, and he was complaining of some pain. He was now talking to the nurses and doctors.. He has had the probe removed from his head. He remains unaware of his longer term problems at present.

Thank you for all your prayers - as you can see Jem is improving but still has many hurdles to overcome before he will be loping around the church and town again! Jem is now fully conscious,  still in the NCCU, but will be moved soon to a Neuro ward for assessment prior to a move to a spinal injuries unit. I understand that there are three in England, Stoke Mandeville, near Aylesbury; Stanmore in Middlesex and Sheffield.

He is now partially aware of his potential prognosis as today Anni was close questioned by him and why he couldn't feel his legs or feet. We have made it as positive as possible and he doesn't know the formal position, which the hospital will address as planned.

Jem has been gently told of his prognosis by Mr Crawford, the Consultant Surgeon and has taken in all on board with great maturity and stoicism. He is being very focused and courageous and is determined to make every effort to he well again.

From Saturday 1st March he has been sitting up out of bed in a large wheeled chair and si enjoying the odd trip down to the food court away from the ward. His weekend visiting was pretty manic, but he enjoyed all the people and really does appreciate the effort being made by the many folk who are popping in to see him and in some cases wheeling him down 4 floors to the Food Court! He has been in the gym every day except today (Wednesday 5th) and on 4th he was placed in a contraption (Jem's favourite word "contraption") - which allowed him to stand upright, although he had no feeling in his legs. He spends much of the day sending messages to his feet, but so far will no result!

He has from Wednesday 5th March occasionally felt "pins and needles" sensations which I regard as positive, but the hospital staff feel is not a sign of a full recovery. Mmmmm - time will tell, it is early days yet! He has also spoken of some changes to his tummy numbness which he is hopeful of.

On 16th March he was allowed out for some 5 or so hours and spent 4 hours at home in the company of his friends and family. Thanks to Simon Ayling for the lifting in and out of my MPV car which has proved the ideal vehicle for transporting Jem. As it says above we hope to repeat this visit home for a lengthened time on Sunday 30th March, returning him by 8pm
The Sunday visit on 30th has been a great success and has helped Jem manage his boredom through each week with frequent visitors. As noted above he will have relatively little notice when he is transferred to the Spinal Injuries unit, but is keen to "get out" each week if he can!!

He has been allowed out on Sundays on a total of three occasions, but his transfer to Stoke Mandeville will disrupt this for a while, although I understand from a charge nurse that he will be encouraged to have weekend visits later in his rehab programme.

He has transferred to Stoke Mandeville Naational Spinal Injuries Unit on Thursday 10th April 2008 and was discharged on Friday 18th July as having been fully rehabilitated, some 3 months before date expected. Typical Jem!!.

Communication
There is  a mobile which Jem can be reached on.
The number of this is 077660 38843. He has also his own line at home which is 01354 696866. 
Jem's Awareness of Prognosis 

Jem is fully aware of his pronosis now and seems to have come to terms with it, although his optimism may take a beating in his potentially long stay at home awaiting the changes for him to live independent of us. 

Our continued sincere thanks to you all 

The situation is pretty tragic but, with the prayers of all, remains one of hope. With the support of all our friends, acquaintances as well as people who we have never met before Jem has a solid support network praying and thinking of him.  Anni, Zelda, Joel and I continue to be overwhelmed with the kind thoughts we have received and especially for the prayers of the townspeople and church members of all denominations.

Our thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts, letters, cards and flowers.

Jonathan, Anni, Jem, Joel and Zelda

Written by :

Jonathan Finch

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