Seth and Caroline Sherry's Road to Recovery: October 5, 2012

Friday, October 5, 2012

October 5, 2012 - update from Caroline

So things are looking up. Several of the roadblocks slowing our exit from Africa have been removed. Although we still don’t have payment for the actual moving company in place yet…yikes. But for the most part we have just been amazed at the blessings that have come to fruition in the last little while.

Seth's company (with some ) extended out medical coverage for six months. We are stoked! The only downer is this coverage is good anywhere but the USA and Canada. So, with our extended coverage and a phone conversation with Seth’s neurologist, it became an easy choice to send Seth down to South Africa. He will leave on Monday and has an MRI and follow up appointment with the doctor scheduled for Tuesday. If he needs surgery, he will stay in South Africa and have it done. If the doctor suggest he just needs to wait out the numbness and it will likely go away on its own, he will fly to the US directly from South Africa. I will stay here with the kids and my mom. The movers are scheduled for Thursday next week. The moving should take three days and then we will fly on the following Wednesday the 17th. I can hardly wait.

In the meantime, Cali just had an ear infection and is moving onto stomach flu. I discovered what looks like ringworm on Thomas leg this afternoon. Things like that make my soul scream, “get me off this continent”. And some really excellent news is the miraculous regeneration of my heel. It looks amazing! I cannot believe it. I have been putting weight on it. It feels weird and there are areas that are numb but I am confident it will be pretty close to normal in the next few months. --Caroline

5 comments:

Sara JeanOctober 5, 2012 at 6:25 PM
Oh Caroline! I'm so glad to hear things are for the most part looking up. Your heal DOES look amazing!! Hope Cali and Thomas get better soon. Hang in there! You are amazing. You will be home soon.
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janelOctober 6, 2012 at 9:45 PM
Great news about your heel, Caroline! You've got more running ahead of you (like that big hill to Garbanzo!) Our prayers and still with you.
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MattOctober 7, 2012 at 5:21 AM
Caroline....your heel looks so great! What wonderful progress. Counting the days till you guys are back stateside!
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SethOctober 10, 2012 at 3:23 PM
what. holy crap that looks awesome - i'll marry that surgeon.
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Liz LOctober 15, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Yay Caroline! So glad to hear things are looking up. Can wait for you to get back to the states!
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Donations of Love

The Sherry and Raynor families have been overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and outpouring of love. Your individual and collective support has been tangible and made a real difference. Many of you have additionally asked how to make a financial donation to ease the immediate financial burdens. We have set up this site to make that possible.

On Saturday, July 14th, Seth and Caroline Sherry along with their children, Tommy (4 1/2 yrs) and Cali (1), Caroline's younger sister, Katie (18yrs.), and 3 friends - including Seth's best friend from Corvallis, Seth Wiggins, were all traveling by car from their home in Zambia to Zimbabwe. The driver fell asleep and the car rolled three times, crashing into a tree just at the front passenger seat where our Seth was seated. Though banged up, Seth Wiggins and the two other friends appear to have not been injured badly. Tommy was thrown 100 feet from the car and had a concussion and cuts to his head, Cali seems to have been spared any serious injury, Caroline has a very serious cut on her foot, Katie has broken ribs and lung contusion along with a serious concussion and perhaps other undiagnosed injuries. Seth Sherry was critically injured with a broken neck and back (C-1 & C-6 vertebrae).

As you can imagine, the care in a 3rd world country is lacking and compromised, particularly with Seth. Over a period of a day and half, it became clear that if Seth's life and limb movement abilities were to be preserved, he would need to be flown to Johannesburg, South Africa which the insurance company did arrange and Seth Wiggins accompanied him on the flight (where he remains to give perfect care and attention to our Seth). Caroline and family stayed behind in a clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe (the capitol) where they were in the care of local LDS church members. Recently Katie was transferred to South Africa to be in the same hospital as Seth to received more advanced care for her injuries.

In South Africa, all exams and tests were redone and the injuries more specifically identified. Seth continues to have movement in feet and hands though his shoulders and arms above the elbow have diminished sensation and movement (this however, has improved over the last couple days - a very good sign). Neurosurgeons have teamed together to provide the best approach to stabilize Seth's neck and back. The next step in doing so is critical and of immediate concern to prevent paralysis. Currently Seth has been fitted with a Miami Brace to stabilize his neck and allow swelling to decrease. He may face surgery in the coming weeks.

Caroline and the kids have recently been able to fly to South Africa to be with Seth and Katie. They are setting up temporary housing in Johannesburg. The future is unknown with Seth and Katie's time in the hospital. Seth has a long road ahead of him but he remains optimistic. Caroline has had to balance caring for others, making tough decisions, dealing with all the logistics, AND suffering with her own physical injuries.

There have been so many prayers, blessings, people in the right places, and miraculous help from LDS Church members in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. We appreciate your concern and prayers, they are deeply meaningful to us and important for Seth, Caroline and family.

Please leave uplifting comments here to be shared with Seth and Caroline to help boost their spirits and we will have them printed for them to read there in South Africa.

Donations will be used to cover medical expenses, temporary housing needs, travel, and the many yet unknown needs in the long road ahead. While we all wish this circumstance never existed, we do gratefully acknowledge your requests to help.

Click on the DONATE button to make a contribution on this secure site using bank, credit card, or Paypal money transfer. If you don't have a Paypal account you can still make a donation -- just click the DONATE button and look at the bottom left-hand corner of the Paypal page for instructions to donate.

Friday, October 5, 2012

October 5, 2012 - update from Caroline

5 comments:

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