Wednesday, September 26

We visited Josiah yesterday (Wednesday) a few hours after he had surgery to debride (remove dead skin on his right leg). The grey area is a sponge material on top of the wound. They removed a large amount of skin and tissue.

He now has a Wound V.A.C. which inserts medication (clear bag) and removes blood and liquids. He knows when the V.A.C. is working because the medication burns and raises his pain level. The technician said the burning will stop after 24 hours. He will need to have the V.A.C. for two weeks.

He will go back to the operating room at 1 pm on Friday to dress the wound and see if there is any more dead tissue.

Diane (his mom) asked if I would be interested in starting a scrapbook for him of photos and notes. I began with a 3-ring binder so pages can be added. He really appreciated it and in this picture is looking at x-ray pictures of his broken pelvis.

It appears that he has been accepted at Good Samaritan Hospital, Lebanon, PA, for rehab when he is medically ready to discharged from West Reading Hospital.

When several nurses visited and one reviewed his injuries to the incoming nurse on duty, we learned that he also has rib damage. I double-checked with the nurse. Did you say rib fracture. She said yes. Josiah did not know that.

I did a slight manicure for him today. He wanted his fingernails trimmed and cleaned  on his right hand. A nurse brought me a towel and wash cloth so I could soften his hands and nails with a warm wash cloth.

Because Cerwin shared Josiah’s accident and physical injuries at the TFC prayer breakfast on Saturday, Harold Stauffer (right – a Lancaster Chapter Contact Person) brought his friend Jorge, a CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) chaplain to visit Josiah.

Before going home, we walked up the hall to visit Tyler and his family. Their youngest child was not in the hospital yesterday. Tyler is improving, but is not aware of a discharge date. They are hoping that he can go home for rehab, but that is not known at this point. He also has a Wound V.A.C. for the tissue damage done when his pelvis broke in the accident.

Keep praying for healing, peace, and strength for both guys and their families.