Stand with Jordan as he fights to stand again

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, our tribe of Manwarings sat together over zoom to support Gareth’s younger, brother Jordan as he was getting ready to go into the hospital for surgery the next day. He had a massive calcified herniated disc between his shoulder blades and it was slowly causing his legs to go numb and occasionally to give out. After several surgical consults the conclusion was that his back was a ticking time bomb. It was time to act before it could get any worse. We told him that we would be praying for him. “You got this Jordan!” we said. We were confident all would go well and that he would be walking out several days later. We were confident he would be home for Thanksgiving. After two back to back procedures to repair the herniated disc, there was a complication with Jordan’s spinal cord. He woke up from surgery and he immediately knew something was wrong. He was unable to move from the chest down; unable to wiggle his toes. He woke up to the reality that it would be a long time; maybe a year or more before he would be able to walk again. Jordan spent 9 days in the ICU. And because of Covid restrictions prohibiting visitors at the hospital he watched his three children over zoom eat pie on Thanksgiving while he laid in a hospital bed hurting and alone. He spent 2 days in intermediary care before being transferred to the rehab hospital on Dec. 4. For the last few weeks Jordan has been learning how to do life in a wheelchair. Each weekday he has minimum of 3 hours of PT/OT. He is learning how to get in and out of the chair and how to handle stairs; bathing, dressing, etc. The PT is focused on drawing out what little movement he has and pushing his brain/body/nerves to do more. He is yearning for the day he can go home, yes. But he also knows that this time in the hospital is incredibly important and he is committed to getting as much out of it as possible. And that is where all of you come in. Friends. Jordan lives on a hill. There is a sloped driveway leading up to 15 steps to get to his front door. We are a family of artists but also realists. The front door is out. The plan is to build a ramp into the basement and make it wheelchair accessible, to renovate the bathroom in order for him to shower in a wheelchair and to make the basement “home” for Jordan for the time being. The money we raise will also help to cover the cost of transportation to and from PT. It will help to cover the cost of the uncovered medical bills as well as to provide for their family while Jordan, the sole breadwinner, is recovered enough to go back to work. While on disability his salary with be cut in half. We need your support in this and we need your prayers for Jordan as he fights this battle on his own. Jordan is a fighter. He is taking this sitting down only because he has to. Let’s stand and walk with him until he’s able to do that again by himself.