Sonny's Bar-B-Que

Today was Dan's second day in the rehab center. All of his kids are going up to see him in various groups, because he is easily overwhelmed by large crowds. Matt and I saw him first thing this afternoon and we were surprised by the fact that his eyes were starting to look like normal again! This is great news.
Dan is very tired today because he had a rough first day in rehab yesterday. Sundays are for resting, so he is taking full advantage of that! He seemed a little confused and disoriented today. When his mother (via telephone) asked him if he was eating well he replied "I always eat well at Sonny's". Later on when Matt and I saw him, I asked if he'd had a shower and told him that he smelled nice. He told me "It always smells good at Sonny's." We all got a good laugh out of these two statements, but realize that he is genuinely confused and exhausted. We are taking this road with Dan one day at a time. We are rejoicing that he is able to use the bathroom (with assistance), and eat, and walk, but we are realizing that he can only do one of those things well per day. If he is exerting himself physically then its not a good day for visiting.
We know that all of these small steps are leading to a big recovery. I was very encouraged to receive this letter from friends of Dan and Kathy, and wanted to end today's blog by sharing it with you. Thank you again, loved friends, for your prayers.
Love,
The Family

The letter:

Dan & Kathy -
you are in our thoughts and prayers! Most of you do not know us, but we met Dan & Kathy several years ago. My husband and I were traveling to Myrtle Beach in 2003 and were involved in a horrific motorcycle accident not far from Charlotte. We were airlifted to CMC, but our families were told that we had a very slim chance of survival based on the brain injuries we had sustained. News of our accident spread in our hometown and somehow - by the Grace of God - the Charlotte chapter of the CMA heard of our accident. Dan, Kathy and several other members of the chapter began to visit with our families as they sat at our bedsides day after day waiting. The support that Dan and Kathy showed our families was so comforting as they were 3 hours from home and had little hope of our recovery at that time. Through God's will, my husband and I both survived. It has been a long road to recovery for us. We have continued to keep in touch with Dan and Kathy. When we received the call about Dan's accident, we were devastated. We contacted several of the local churches and had Dan and the family has been placed on Prayer Chains throughout southwestern Virginia.My advice to everyone close to Dan - never stop praying and celebrate every little step (chewing, swallowing, labored steps, broken words) because those are the foundation of his recovery. While my husband was in rehab, a friend told me, "Whatever God brings you to, God will get you through!" That statement is so true. Keep the faith! Please know that you all are in our thoughts and prayers everyday!
All our love,
Trey and Stephanie