Surround Linden with Love

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since we posted directly. We've had a few busy weeks with lots of changes. Linden came home from Rehab on Thursday and launched straight into his new outpatient routine Friday morning. We now travel to the hospital 5 days a week for physio and OT sessions.

Linden is continuing to improve, and he's enjoying being out of the hospital and being able to raid the fridge at leisure.(-: He did make a lot of positive gains while at Rehab and worked hard to make the most of his time spent there. The medical team there were very happy with his progress and impressed with his positive attitude and self motivation. He has gained a lot of weight and strength back, and is walking much better than when he first went there. We spend a lot of time on weekends walking down along the river and practicing walking up and down stairs. Linden also helped me go grocery shopping and cook this weekend, and is enjoying just getting to do normal type activities.

Linden is healing up really well and making good progress, except for movement in his knees and elbows. They took another set of x-rays last week and there has been a lot more calcium deposited in his joints, which is severely hindering his movements and causing some nerve pain. He's working hard with his physios to keep the range of motion that he does have, and we'll just have to wait until the calcium stops depositing before the doctors can assess and hopefully remove it surgically, which could be a year or two away still.

We both want to say a big thank you to our family, friends, church family, and aviation family for your continued support and prayers. We love hearing from you and we continue to see the positive results of your prayers.

Much love,

Bri and Linden

Carol Millist writes: Hi All, Roger and I caught up with Linden and Bri in Brisbane last weekend when we both flew in separately from Darwin and PNG. They were both at the South Brisbane train station to meet me in the morning and Roger in the afternoon when we arrived on the airport train. Their apartment is about 3 blocks from South Brisbane station, a nice walk to the station. Linden has put on weight since I last saw him a month ago, and definitely walking more confidently. Bri has mastered the art of getting his stretchy garments on in record time. Linden was to be discharged from Rehab on Thursday, May 16 but haven't got the word on that yet. Roger and I are sitting at Dubai airport waiting for our call to board for London and then we start a 21 night Baltic Cruise on May 18. Talk again later.

Carol Millist (Linden’s mother) writes: It’s 15 weeks today…. I look back on the journey so far …. Tues 22 January, the accident, (thanks Dave, Roger and Pachel boys for acting so swiftly), Goroka Hospital (thanks Dr and Mrs Boone and staff), the call to SOS, Careflights (you are so appreciated), Royal Brisbane Hospital Emergency … Burns to 50% of the body, - intubation, induced coma, debridement, (the debrief .. 6-8 weeks in Burns Unit after ICU and 18 months to 2 years to full functionality), ICU, ongoing skin grafting, Burns Unit, more surgery, nursing care, physio, occupational therapy….walking!! (thanks to all the fantastic doctors, nurses, physios, OT’s and supporting medical and non-medical staff of RBWH Intensive Care and Burns Units and GARU Rehab facility). So, on behalf of Roger, myself, and our family… Thanks to all who have been our support on this journey – we appreciated the many offers of assistance from friends near and far, the spiritual support of pastors and chaplains, our family and friends who’ve visited and supported Linden, the many phone calls, sms, emails and facebook messages of love, Fleur and her friend’s initiative in setting the facebook site, for your PRAYERS that have been and continue to be offered world wide, the financial assistance for Linden and Bri that has been gifted so generously through the Gofund site. Then here’s to the unsung heroes, silently working behind the scenes… friends in the aviation maintenance industry, supporting Linden’s father, Roger, and the AAS Team in PNG by stepping into Linden’s boots and keeping the maintenance schedule up on AAS's one remaining aircraft, P2-SDE, and packing up P2-SDC ready for shipment to NZ for rebuilding. Thanks guys, you are the best! And to our God who has heard and answered our prayers, we give you honor and praise and thank you for your mercies.