9/12 UPDATE:

Well, we have survived three full days at home with my two rug rats. Nate is doing pretty good since being discharged on Friday. He is still having a lot of bad nerve pain and his left arm is still paralyzed but I’m holding on to the hope that all this nerve pain is a sign of healing and awakening/reconnecting of the nerves. I have gotten all followup appointments and consultations scheduled with PCP, Neurosurgeon, Orthopedics, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. All good news! The bad news… Nate’s insurance doesn’t cover OT or PT so all of these appointments will be out of pocket unless the VA can come in clutch to help cover the costs. Right now getting the VA to help is our only hope for that. We’ve had lots of hurdles to overcome but we are both learning to navigate this new phase of life. Please continue to pray for his healing, specifically on the Brachial Plexus and neck fractures. Pray that his nerves regenerate fully and that the paralysis is only temporary. The rest of his wounds are healing quickly but I know it will take time for the bones to heal, and even more time for the nerves to heal. Pray for his pain levels to decrease so we can begin weaning him off some of his meds. Pray for his lungs to heal fully and that he stays clear of pneumonia. Pray for our travels this month as we go back and forth to different appointments and Duke Hospital. Pray for every therapist, doctor, and surgeon taking care of his recovery. Pray for wisdom for all involved in his care plan. Pray for me, that my own health problems don’t interfere with me caring for Nates needs as well as my boys’ needs, and my own needs. Pray for patience, grace, peace, and hope for us. Thank you so very much to everyone that has checked in on Nathan and sent meals, thank you for all of the donations to his GoFundMe- we are about 20% to his goal in only a week.

9/5/23 UPDATE

We stood up and walked to the bathroom and hung out in the chair for a little bit. He was much more alert and awake today. He’s taking a good nap now and getting lots of rest. We got the results of his upright X-rays from yesterday and at this time he is NOT needing surgery. He will have to repeat the X-rays and MRI in a month once the swelling goes down and the shock of the trauma goes away to reevaluate his condition and see how well he is healing. There are still a few clearances that Nathan has to get before we can talk about discharging. We are still waiting to talk to the brachial plexus specialist, getting final confirmation from Hand & Plastics that they still want to hold off on the wrist surgery, and a couple other things but I am hoping and praying that he will be able to get discharged by the weekend. We upped his dosage last night for the nerve blocker to see if that would help his nerve pain and it has. So I feel like we finally found our medication cocktail to keep him comfortable enough to rest. He’s still at a 5 on pain levels. He feels weak today but I’m so proud of him for getting up, walking, and sitting in the chair today. It was a good day. I will update again in a few days but I wanted to share our progress for now. Thank you to everyone that has prayed, sent well wishes, and that has donated to help Nathan with his expenses while he is recovering.

9/3/23 UPDATE:

Where do I even begin? The last 48 hours have been an intense blur. Nathan was in a very serious ATV accident on Friday night while we are in Indiana visiting family. He was airlifted from Kokomo to Indianapolis where he was admitted to the Neuro ICU. He has suffered several traumatic injuries but he is in a wonderful trauma unit. He has multiple neck fractures, a broken collar bone, broken shoulder blade, broken wrist, two broken ribs, a hematoma on his spinal cord, a bruised lung, and most concerning is the C7 break and brachial plexus injury. He has lost all motor skills and feeling in his left arm. Right now we are asking for you to pray that these nerves reactivate and he regains full feeling and movement to his arm. I have contacted Nathan’s work and his job is secure and I was able to enroll him in health insurance with his job. Today was day 30/30 to be able to enroll for insurance coverage, however benefits aren’t expected to start until 9/11/23. I am going to do everything in my power to see if insurance can backdate his coverage to his start date and also push hard with the VA, but we are still expecting some huge medical bills. I am starting this GoFundMe for Nathan to help us cover his medical and living expenses while he is out of work and recovering from his injuries. As of now we don’t know if he will be needing surgery or not. His wrist will definitely need surgery in the near future but it’s not an immediate priority. Physical therapy will be coming first thing in the morning to help us get him up on his feet so that we can do the much needed upright X-rays of his neck and shoulder. These scans will help his team of doctors decide if surgery is necessary. Either way, Nathan has a very long road ahead of him. Please keep him in your thought, prayers, and send him all the love, positive energy, and prayers you can. Thank you in advance for praying and I will do my best to keep everyone updated. 100% of all donations will be used for Nathan’s medical bills and living expenses, minus the fees taken out by GoFundMe.

Much Love,

Britta, Nate, Robin (mom) and the entire Grabbe family.