Diron & Jim(nursing school buds)
Diron & Chris (firefighter from Arlington we used to be counselors with at Camp I-Thonka-Chi burn camp)
Well, we were away from Harmony for the longest time yet! Diron was gone for 2 weeks. He had the new laser surgery for his burn scars (scar bands) in San Antonio. He was put under anesthesia for the procedure, but was in a good amount of pain from day 3 to about 7 with lots of shirt changing required (oozing..uugh!). Now, he is feeling back to normal and seems to have more range. He laughed saying he could use both hands to put his shorts on, which he hasnt been able to do in years! He usually has to only use one hand. His OT wife will have to keep on him to do his stretches! He will hopefully have several more of these laser surgeries to increase his movement and decrease tightness.
Diron & Chris (firefighter from Arlington we used to be counselors with at Camp I-Thonka-Chi burn camp)
Diron excited to be back in Galveston...and especially Moody Gardens (FAVORITE place)
Well, we were away from Harmony for the longest time yet! Diron was gone for 2 weeks. He had the new laser surgery for his burn scars (scar bands) in San Antonio. He was put under anesthesia for the procedure, but was in a good amount of pain from day 3 to about 7 with lots of shirt changing required (oozing..uugh!). Now, he is feeling back to normal and seems to have more range. He laughed saying he could use both hands to put his shorts on, which he hasnt been able to do in years! He usually has to only use one hand. His OT wife will have to keep on him to do his stretches! He will hopefully have several more of these laser surgeries to increase his movement and decrease tightness.
Satchel & I flew to TX and met up with Diron to attend the World Burn Congress in Galveston, TX. Diron was speaking on a panel, and graduated from nursing school there so it was even more enjoyable! I got to see all my friends from my several years working at the Shriners Pediatric Burn hospital there. The Phoenix society (www.phoenix-society.org) was so wonderful and gave us some scholarship money to stay at Moody Gardens where the event was held. There were 800 other burn survivors there and multiple fabulous speakers sharing their stories and success. One was Dr. Prema Dhanraj, a nationally known burn surgeon who was burned in India as a toddler. She is an amazing woman and has beat so many odds to become who she is. Her story was definitely goose bump producing! I have to leave a couple of quotes she had from her mother as she was growing up:
"Life is not a bed of roses. It is like being thrown into a bed of roses. You get to smell the beautiful roses, but also feel the thorns".
- "The happiest people dont have the best of everything. They make the best of everything that comes their way"
-"We can not change what we look like on the outside, but we can change who we are on the inside"
Some other meaningful phrases throughout the weekend were:
-It doesnt matter what lies behind us or in front of us that matters...but within us.
-I am not what happens to me. I am what I choose to become. -Carl Adams
There was also a presentation by Dan Caro. He is a renowned drummer who was severely burned at 2years old and lost his hands. He had a vision of being a famous drummer and did everything to make that come true. He is so inspiring and his website is www.dancaro.com
The whole conference was a great experience for both Diron and I. We missed Satchel but he was being spoiled beyond belief by his Grampy, and mainly Gram (Diron's parents) at their farm in north TX. He had a blast. We were so happy to see him after a week of his absence.
I know this is late, but I'm so happy Diron was able to get the surgery done and that everything turned out well! It sounds like you guys had such an amazing trip.
ReplyDeleteI looked at Dan Caro's website. Wow. That is an amazing story...I have no words. I can't imagine what it would have been like to hear him speak.
Thanks for sharing all that!