BRENT'S STORY

We've been encouraged by MANY people, countless times, to write this story down.  It is definitely a story that needs to be shared for posterity's sake, and we never want to forget all the little details, as God was in those details. We have abundant gratitude, and we are forever anchored in faith and humbleness as we look back on this experience. We also hope that by sharing with others, it will offer hope and comfort to those in times of despair, uncertainty, or in the midst of trials. He hears us, He knows us, He answers prayers, and He has a plan for each of us.

 Since Brent isn't into writing, (People, he brags about getting away with turning in the same book report over, and over from about 4th-7th grade, and it was "Henry and Ribsy" by Beverly Cleary!) that leaves me to document it. We recognize we were exceedingly fortunate and EXTREMELY close to living a very different life had the outcome of Brent's injury not turned out the way it did. We are also tremendously sensitive and recognize there are others who have had similar injuries and have not had a positive outcome. Our hearts go out to them. While we don't have answers or explanations for "the whys," we sympathize deeply, and have much love, regard, understanding, and compassion.

I've thought recently of the story in the scriptures of the 10 lepers. Jesus healed all ten, but only one turned around to thank Him and acknowledge what He had done. We want to be like the ONE...  We recognize His mercy and abundant blessings, and we give credit and praise to Him. 

Some say Brent was lucky, others say it was circumstance. We say it was a MIRACLE.

After putting off writing this for a year, here's the story in its entirety... 

EVENTS OF THAT DAY

Thursday, Sept 1st, 2022. Brent, his co-worker: Poncho (Roberto) Lemus, and his friends: Steven Manning, and Cade Taylor, were moving cattle on the Birch Creek Road, just south of our tiny town.  As they were moving the cattle down the road, one cow jumped through the fence and Brent rode off on his horse to retrieve it. He rode up to open the pole and wire gate, something he had done many times before from the back of a horse. He had a fleeting thought that he should get off the horse to open the gate since it was a younger, inexperienced horse, but he was in a hurry, it was HOT, the horse had never offered to buck before, and so he proceeded.   

He doesn't recall what happened after approaching the gate, but he believes one of the gate wires must have touched his horse's feet as he dragged the gate open, and it spooked his horse. Evidently his horse started bucking and Brent didn't have ahold of the reins since he had set them down over the saddle to grab the gate post. He was launched into the air and landed square on the top of his head. He must have gone unconscious and woke up to his friends gathered around him. He realized immediately that he couldn't feel his hands and feet, and Cade told him not to move. (Actually, his first reaction when he woke up WAS to try to jump up, but he didn't have the ability. His limbs were not functioning properly in the moment). Cade quickly called Steven, who was across the road, to tell him what happened. Steven called 911, and they waited for Quick Response to arrive. It was sweltering laying out in the sun, and Poncho thoughtfully stood over Brent in attempt to make some shade for him as they waited. They took great care to not move him (Thankfully! The slightest movement could have been the difference between never moving again), and joked with him that there was a reason the belt buckle he was wearing was for team roping, not for bronc riding! Once QR arrived and assessed him, they established that Life Flight was the best choice for transport even though the ambulance was already enroute from the closest hospital in Burley, 20+ miles away.  Life Flight arrived just prior to the ambulance and he was carefully loaded into the helicopter. 

We are extremely grateful for good friends, Cade, Poncho, and Steven, for being there to help Brent through that day. "Thank you" definitely doesn't feel adequate. Coincidentally and tragically, Steven's dad, Robert Manning, experienced a similar horse accident a few years back with a very similar injury where he also suffered a broken neck, and it happened less than a mile up the road. Sadly, Steven's dad was paralyzed and subsequently did not survive that accident. We can only imagine how traumatic and awful it was for Steven to experience this day with Brent, and in some ways re-live his dad's accident. We're immensely appreciative he was there, yet empathetic.

THE CALL

Amidst the accident, I was having lunch in Twin Falls with my sister, Melanie. I had gone to Twin for a Costco run that day, and Melanie happened to have a day off work. During lunch, I had turned down my phone and tossed it into my purse. When I returned to my car, I checked my phone and noticed I had a missed call from Steven Manning. I assumed he was probably looking for Brent and I called Brent. When I didn't get an answer, I had a momentary thought that maybe something was wrong and called Steven back. He told me that Brent had been bucked off his horse and they thought he possibly had a fractured back, but he was awake and talking. He said that quick response was there working with him, the ambulance was on the way, and the initial plan was to meet them in Burley at the hospital.  I hung up and called my sister who had just gotten in her car, and told her what was going on. She ran over and jumped in the driver's seat of my car . A few minutes later, Steven called back and said Life Flight was on the way instead, and they would be taking him to Twin Falls. Ok, so we would stay put! A few minutes later, he called back again and said, "Change of plans. Life Flight is taking him to Pocatello instead because they have a trauma neurosurgeon there, and Twin Falls doesn't." The helicopter pilot also told Brent, "You're in luck because the best neurosurgeon happens to be on call."  The pilot also told Brent that he looked like he had 2 heads due to the size of the goose egg on top of his head.

Melanie and I started the 110 mile drive from Twin Falls to Pocatello. I didn't have much information at this point, just what Steven told me about a possible fractured back, but felt unexpectedly calm for the most part.  Looking back, this was partially due naivety and lack of information, and also due to faith and prayer. Everyone who was there with Brent also said that he was very calm during the entire incident. We believe he had some help from loved ones on the other side. 

EMERGENCY ROOM

When Melanie and I pulled into the ER parking lot at Portneuf Medical Center, I suddenly felt extremely anxious and nervous. I stopped at the desk, gave the required info, then walked back to the ER where they were still getting images and assessing Brent's injuries. The ER physician came in with both concern and awe all over his face, holding some printed copies of Brent's CT images and explained that it was much worse than they expected.  Brent had a severely broken neck that was dangerously subluxated (dislocated) between C7 and T1, and the vertebral facet joints had "jumped over" one another and locked. He also had multiple fractures of several other vertebrae from C2 to T2. He explained that Brent was very fortunate to not be paralyzed. He told us that Dr Morgan, the neurosurgeon on call, was headed our way and that Brent would be taken to the OR for emergency surgery. I can't remember if it was the ER physician, or the anesthesiologist that told me: Dr Morgan is excellent. He's the best, and if I or my family needed surgery, I would feel completely comfortable with him. He also told us that he was one of "the most pleasant neurosurgeons we would ever encounter... if you know what I mean" (with a wink and a laugh). Melanie especially got a chuckle out of this as she has had ample experience with neurosurgeons since one of her sons has a cerebral shunt. Hearing his praises was comforting and appreciated because entrusting a loved one's life and future outcome to a stranger's hands isn't easy, and this gave us some peace of mind. 

While we waited in the ER for Brent to be taken into surgery, he lay there and kept apologizing, saying how sorry he was. I don't know that he was sorry for anything specific, but I think just in general that this had happened.  Also, the day of the accident, Brent had plans with our 12-year-old to go with him to lunch (after several prior failed attempts). This is an exciting privilege as a new Jr High student, evidently.  But as is typical, ranch life happened, the cows got out and into a haystack, and needed immediate attention so Brent had to cancel their lunch plans, and a few angry/ disappointed texts were exchanged. The accident coincidentally happened right about the time they "would have" been at lunch together. I can imagine Brent was filled with regret and also worry about what he would now be ABLE to do with his kids in the future. 

PRIOR TO SURGERY

 Just before surgery, the anesthesiologist discussed how risky even intubation would be because of the challenge of keeping his spinal cord completely stable and unmoved while placing the endotracheal tube. He gave Brent the option of having the breathing tube placed while awake vs. asleep (I didn't fully understand the benefit of doing it awake, but Brent definitely opted to be asleep!)  Our brother-in-law's stepdad and nephew, who live in Pocatello, came to the ER and administered a priesthood blessing for Brent, and that gave us solace.  Brent was then whisked to surgery (from my understanding, the more time that passed and subsequent swelling, the higher the risk for spinal cord damage and paralysis. Also, any movement could be detrimental). As the Operating Room physicians and staff gathered around for his pre-operative assessment and to review his CT scans, they (the ones who hadn't met Brent yet) were all in disbelief that his spinal cord was "intact" (meaning he was not paralyzed). Even though his arms and legs felt numb at that time, he was able to move them. 

Many medical professionals who have seen Brent's case and images over the past year have echoed that the majority of people with similar injuries typically become quadriplegic or lose their lives. At one visit (about 3 months after the accident) with Dr. Austin Myers, a physiatrist (rehabilitation specialist), Dr. Myers was looking at Brent's CT images with us talking about how his spinal cord took a bend. He told us that when he was in his residency in North Carolina, Camp Lejeune was nearby and he said that he couldn't tell us the number of Marines he saw that came in with that same injury who were on a ventilator for the rest of their lives, which wasn't long, because their spinal cords were either severed or critically damaged. He said he couldn't emphasize enough that the fact Brent was standing next to him looking at his images was a miracle. 

SURGERY

Over the next 6.5 hours in surgery, Dr. Morgan reduced (realigned) Brent's spine and vertebrae back into position as closely as he could and then anchored rods and screws above and below the multiple fractured areas. The left side of his spinal column had lots of broken and crushed pieces of vertebrae that had to be removed, which left fewer areas to attach screws to stabilize his spine on that side.  This "fusion" procedure had a very small margin of error, as a millimeter too far in any direction could damage the spinal cord or an artery. Thankfully, surgery went well overall, despite the challenges. While the injury did pinch the spinal cord, there seemed to be little damage to it. 

After surgery, the neurosurgeon came to the waiting room to fill me in. He said he was surprised at how unstable and unsupported Brent's spine really was. He had trouble finding vertebrae that were intact enough to stabilize and reduce his spine, but accomplished it successfully. They also typically try to perform the surgery from the anterior (front) of the neck because it's less invasive and prevents having to cut through the muscles on the back of the neck. They initially started from the anterior, but immediately aborted when they got a good view and realized how complex his case was, so they sutured him, and flipped him over to complete the surgery. He reiterated how fortunate Brent was that there was not significant damage to his spinal cord, and how atypical this was given the severity of the injury. I asked if everything still seemed "ok" with his spinal cord after surgery. Typically they waited until the next morning to extubate, but Dr Morgan decided he would take Brent off the ventilator that night to wake him and re-assess the mobility in his arms and legs. He told me that if mobility had been affected, they may have to go back in and "make some adjustments." I'll never forget him also being frank with me and saying, "Unfortunately this may have changed his life, and I don't know that he will be able to do heavy duty ranching again."  He explained that time would tell, and it would be a 'wait and see' situation. My heart dropped into my stomach as I couldn't imagine having that conversation with Brent. Ranching is what he knows and loves. But there were more miracles to be seen...  mercifully we have not had that conversation to date.  I headed to the ICU waiting room at nearly 10pm, and I was allowed to pop in to his room to briefly say goodnight and asked him to show me that he could still wiggle his fingers and toes. I was relieved to see that he could! Then I headed to my parents' in Pocatello for the night. 

HOSPITAL STAY

DAY 2 &3

Brent was really restless and anxious. The numbness in his arms and legs along with the shocking/jolting nerve pain intensified. I remember how he would just barely drift off to sleep, and 30 seconds later he would jolt awake because of the shooting nerve pain. This repeated hundreds of times, over and over, especially day 2. And if anything touched his arms, he said it felt like glass shards cutting his skin. The poor guy just couldn't get any relief and couldn't get much rest either. Eventually they figured out some medication adjustments which allowed him to get some sleep and rest. Also, his Dr. put him at ease when he explained that the shocking nerve sensations up and down his arms and legs along with the increased numbness was typical, but he was confident these would resolve over time. 

DAY 3 OR 4 (I can't recall for sure)

Physical Therapy visited and got him up to try to walk/see what he could do. They started him out with a walker and hovered closely, holding on to him. By the end of the second session the following day, the therapist folded up the walker and set it aside. He was in disbelief at how well Brent was doing. 

Dr Morgan made his rounds and mentioned that he'd heard Brent was up walking and was impressed and surprised. Brent said that he had never felt so helpless, and Dr Morgan's reply was, " Listen, you had a horrific injury. As severe as we see! With your injury, I'm amazed you're even walking, to be honest with you." However, the doubt that Dr Morgan expressed following surgery regarding whether Brent would ever be able to return to ranching, shifted to optimism and encouragement when he saw how well Brent was doing!

The next couple of days in the ICU were filled with rest, lots of visits from friends and family (thank you to all of you who came), Occupational Therapy, more imaging, some really funny pain med hallucinations (I'll save those stories for another time), Physical Therapy, Respiratory Therapy etc... Brent's sense of humor stayed entirely intact, and he had some of the nurses rolling. Of course, everyone was curious to know if all of his systems were in check, and a common question was whether his bowels were working yet. One day, he answered the nurse," I got the engine started, but couldn't give it any gas!" I thought his nurse was going to fall over laughing. Brent was also unusually expressive with his feelings (thanks to the pain medication? Those who know him, know how rare that is), and one day told Dr. Morgan-- "this might sound cheesy, but I love you, man." Dr Morgan grinned and humbly said he was glad he was there to help him.   

 Honestly, there is much credit due to the exceptional medical care Brent received. These two (Dr. Morgan on the right, and Chris Williamson on the left-- the PA who assisted in surgery) are legit superheroes. They are humble and claim they were just doing their job, but we feel if it weren't for their expert, intuitive care that day, Brent may not have had such a favorable outcome. The impact these medical professionals have on people's lives is profound and we are forever grateful to them. We appreciate the dedication, comfort, kindness, and extraordinary care we witnessed not only through Brent's emergency, but also over the past year with follow-up care. They listen, and really seem to care about the work they do.                                                                                                                                 

DAY 4         

Brent was downgraded from an ICU patient to a med-surg patient, but since they didn't have any open beds on the regular Med-Surgical unit, he remained in the ICU. The plan at that point was to move from the ICU to the Med-Surg floor, and then to the Rehab Unit. Our kids were very anxious to see him and we hoped that since Brent wasn't "technically" an ICU patient anymore, they would allow our 12 yr old to visit (kids under 12 weren't allowed to visit any unit). My parents brought Brody up to the hospital, but unfortunately he wasn't allowed in the ICU. His little heart was broken-- he just really wanted to see his dad to see for himself that he was ok. Phone calls and video chats weren't quite the same and didn't give him the peace of mind he needed. The next morning, Brent's nurse learned about the failed visit, told us to have my parents bring him to the hospital again, and said she would grab a chair to wheel Brent out to the waiting room so all 3 kids could see him. We appreciated her sooo much!

DAY 5

The kids came up to the ICU waiting room and they were able to see their dad! That was definitely the highlight of the day and did everyone's hearts so much good! They thought it was funny he was wearing a dress. There was also discussion of being released soon, either to the rehab floor or home. Since he was doing so well, they sort of left it up to us, but said if he went to the rehab unit he was required to stay a minimum of 5 days. Brent was ready to be home and couldn't bear the thought of another 5 days in the hospital, so that's what we decided.

DAY 6 HEADED HOME!

Brent was released to go home which also happened to be Sept 6th- his birthday! He couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift than to be HOME with his family. 

We headed home mid-afternoon. The day didn't go completely without hiccups though. Most people don't know this story because I was completely mortified at the time and threatened Brent to not tell a soul. As we were driving home, here's my poor husband in the passenger seat in his c-collar, fresh from surgery, very uncomfortable, eager to be home so he could rest, but being a trooper for our 90 mile drive. We were in Raft River, which is about 20 miles from our exit/ 40 miles from home, when Brent asked me a question. I turned to look at him for a split second, and hit a little piece of wood on the Interstate. Not long after, I saw a notification on my dash signaling that one of my tire's pressure was slowly decreasing. I started sweating bullets!

  I was already anxious and overwhelmed (and running on very little sleep for the past week) about bringing Brent home, and becoming his sole care giver. There was no night shift nurse to stay on top of his pain med schedule, nor someone else to watch for infection or other complications. Anyway, I saw the tire pressure decreasing and was sweating and praying big time! I felt like I was already failing. Brent mustered up some jokes about it, and I did NOT find any humor in the moment (I can laugh about it now). As soon as we exited the freeway, the pressure started declining rapidly.  I had called the tire shop off the closest exit ahead of time and explained our situation, and thankfully we squeaked in on a breath of air left in that dang tire. The tire shop patched our tire quickly so we could get home, and the kids were eager to sing, "Happy Birthday."

MIRACLES AND TENDER MERCIES

I was unquestionably in a "fog" the day of the accident/ surgery, and it has certainly taken time for the magnitude of things to "sink in."  We definitely DID recognize each miracle and blessing as they were happening, but I was just processing one thing, one moment at a time (survival mode, I guess).  And I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when the doctors kept saying how severe Brent's injury was, I kept thinking, "How can it be that bad if he's able to move his arms and legs? They must say that about every broken neck." Initially, I clearly didn't realize the extent of the miracles. Now that we've both really had time to contemplate... Wow!                                                                                  The list is long:

* The area where Brent landed was rocky and he landed on his head, but other than a massive goose egg, his head/ brain were fine. Besides his neck and a couple fractured ribs, the rest of his body was unscathed.

*He wasn't alone, thankfully, because it wasn't uncommon for him to be working solo.

*The guys with him took great care to not move him. This could have been the difference between never moving again. 

*Life Flight was able to land right at the scene, and he didn't have to bounce 20 miles in an ambulance to the nearest hospital. Also, we found out later that our local Quick Response had reviewed spinal cord injuries just a few days prior. The guys who were with Brent were very impressed at how QR handled him so carefully, confidently, and expertly. We depend a lot on our Quick Response people in our little town, and we're grateful to them.

*The ER staff was great and promptly evaluated and diagnosed him. It really couldn't have gone any smoother. 

*His spinal cord was miraculously protected despite the nature and severity of his broken neck.

*As we were told, "the best" neurosurgeon was on call and they were able to get him into surgery quickly. Also, we learned that had Dr. Morgan not been on call, he likely would have been put back on the chopper and transferred to SLC, Utah, which would have delayed surgery (for who knows how long) and increased the risk for paralysis.

*Surgery went well despite the challenges.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

I still cannot think about the overwhelming support shown to us without tearing up. We were blown away! People are so darn good. We had no idea what we needed or what to even ask for, but people stepped in before we could even blink. Friends picked up our kids from school, and kept them until family could get there. People stepped in to feed and take care of our animals. Meals were brought in the second we got home and continued for weeks. Friends, family, and the cowboy community came together and organized an online benefit auction, a team roping fundraiser, a muley roping fundraiser, a reining cow horse training clinic, a benefit dinner, donations were made through venmo, and we were served in many other countless ways. There were innumerable individuals who served quietly without us even knowing who they were. We thank each and every one and wish we could hug everyone individually. All of these amazing people stepped in to help and wouldn't take no for an answer, even when we told them prayers were MORE than enough. We learned how much better we can be. We have been so fortunate and feel there are others who need it more.  We definitely don't feel deserving or worthy of the amount of selflessness, love, and Christlike outpouring of service on our behalf. We are humbled, forever impacted, and grateful. We vow to be more like the good people in our circle, to pay it forward whenever we can, and to love and serve like we were served. I always knew we lived in an incredible community with great people, but I have realized we are surrounded by the absolute BEST on the planet!

AFTER SURGERY/RECOVERY

The first week home was spent figuring out how to juggle life, kids, taking care of Brent, and how to keep him as comfortable as possible. The recliner was where he slept and spent most of his days.  He was just grateful to be home where he could heal. The kids wanted to camp out in the living room with sleeping bags every night so they could be near him. We were grateful to have him home! About a week after surgery, Brent started to complain that his left calf hurt, and he was limping on it. My intuition told me to call the doctor, and we ended up back at the hospital for a venous ultrasound. Sure enough, Brent had blood clots in his left leg. We are grateful we caught them early. Also, my nursing duties expanded  when the stomach flu hit our house a few days after coming home! We could have viewed these challenges with a "when it rains, it pours" attitude, or we could have chosen to recognize the tender mercies that accompanied them. Both Brent and I escaped getting the stomach flu, and we discovered the blood clots early. We chose to focus on those tender mercies. 

While Brent was unable to do chores, Brody really stepped up to help with feeding the horses and calves at the house. One night he had a mishap and stabbed himself in the leg with the pitchfork. He ended up being fine, but mercy! We started accepting donations of bubble wrap at the Jones household.

As a rancher, Brent has been no stranger to injuries with a few resulting surgeries: a shattered collar bone, torn knee ligaments, a broken hand, the list goes on...  Recovery after those was pretty straight forward, and after a few months, he was good as new! It didn't take me long to notice recovery after this one was going to be much slower, and more complex. We both became students of patience. 

Healing has been slow, but for the most part uneventful, other than 2 incidents that landed emergency CTs. One was a violent sneeze, of all things. I think it was about a month post-op, and Brent sneezed which caused pain in his neck and back. His Drs thought it was probably that his muscles were seized up but wanted to rule out hardware displacement with a CT. Thankfully, all was well.  The second incident was in January or February when Brent was walking into physical therapy. He legit slipped on the ice on the sidewalk, and body slammed himself onto the ground. He didn't have time to react or attempt to catch himself and landed flat on his back on the ice. The PT employees saw it happen and ran out, I think to see if he was dead or alive. They dismissed him from therapy that day, and requested imaging before they would touch him. As you can imagine, he hurt all over.  His Drs have a pretty low threshold for wanting imaging any time there was new pain or an incident like this, so another CT verified everything was good and in place. 

Brent was able to start Occupational Hand Therapy pretty early on to help regain strength in his hands and arms. However, physical therapy was off limits the first 3+ months. His neck hardware, as we learned at his first post-surgical follow-up visit, was high risk for failure (he just had a lot going on and a lot of hardware), so he had CT scans about every 3-4 weeks those first few months and was told to not do too much physically to allow time for the hardware to properly fuse and heal. He was also restricted from lifting more than 8 lbs. Brent followed doctors orders exactly, and was the most obedient patient for the first time in his life! He kind of had to be. But for a guy that went from non-stop, "on the go," never sat still, and loved to work (he had been called a "workaholic" a time or two) to 12 weeks of resting, healing, and a sedentary lifestyle was tough. This has not only been a physical test, but mentally as well. One day, I got out of the shower and Brent had found a buddy. Our Halloween skeleton was sitting in the recliner next to him. Clearly, he was feeling bored and lonely and I needed to reevaluate and spend some time with him. Brent also learned some new skills- he was introduced to Netflix and became hooked on his first series, Cobra Kai. Those who know Brent, know he doesn't typically sit still long enough to watch much TV. He's a "sun up to sun down" kind of guy! The kids also tried to teach him about Minecraft. 

Brent's hands and arms also bothered him 'round the clock' those first few months-- Think "hit your funny bone" kind of pain and tingling, but continuous, more extreme, and constantly radiating from his elbows down to his hands, along with some muscle weakness. We found the cold temps intensified the nerve pain. I knew in time he'd be back to old Brent, but it's definitely been a journey. However, I must say, Brent has been a trooper through all of this. He has had a few "moments"(as to be expected) but has RARELY complained. He has never been one to complain and is more of a "silent sufferer" with a high pain tolerance, which I think can be a good and a bad thing. He has been a good sport through it all, and I'm proud of him for how he has handled this. 

We were also able to add in some non-conventional treatments, thanks to the generosity of others, such as: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and Magnawave (PEMF: Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field therapy). We'd heard about studies and positive feedback with these 2 treatments for spine injuries and healing of cervical fusions, so we were willing and glad to incorporate them.  Brent often had appointments 3-4 x per week, 20-100 miles away. Thank goodness, I had said yes to an online business opportunity 4 years prior where I had built a business that significantly contributes to supporting our family financially, with the ability to work flexibly around Brent's appointments. That opportunity falling into my lap was a 'God thing.' Brent wasn't able to safely drive in a c-collar 24/7 during the first 3 months. Professionally, I'm a registered dental hygienist, but I cannot imagine how it would have been possible to juggle working in a dental office throughout all of this.

The 1st time Brent saw the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, he almost turned around and walked out. He said he felt like he was crawling into a casket 😂

Finally able to take off his c-collar!

Around 3 months after surgery, his Drs became a little concerned that he was "falling forward" at the C7-T1 junction (anterolisthesis) and monitored his imaging closely for the next few months. There was a lot asked of the hardware at that junction, and worst case scenario if his spine was starting to slip forward, they would do another surgery to extend the rods and screws lower down his spine. However, things proved stable and another surgery wasn't needed.

About 4 months after surgery, Brent was given the "go ahead" to start physical therapy. From this point, I noticed his recovery started to pick up and I saw progress happening faster. The strength in his shoulders, arms, and hands began returning. Today he still has some numbness in his left hand and hypersensitivity to temperature. It hurts to touch or lay his arms on something cold, he has frequent muscle spasms in his neck/back, and occasional nerve pain in his arms. But this has improved over time as well. Although his spinal cord wasn't damaged per say, it was pinched and caused some central cord syndrome (mostly affecting pecs, triceps, and hands), and both time and physical therapy have helped. Brent has been very vigilant with his physical therapy homework, and spends most nights after the kids are in bed working downstairs like "Rocky."😆 He used hand grip strengtheners that he would squeeze every night until he couldn't feel his hands (unbeknownst to me). After a few weeks, he hand some new hand and wrist pain and a large bump on the inside of his wrist. An MRI said it was tendonitis, and then a week later, he heard a loud pop when he picked up a salt block and had ruptured (tore) his Flexor Carpi Radialis tendon. That was a minor setback, but thankfully no surgery was required. We had a visit with a hand specialist who said it wasn't an important enough tendon to miss. Ha!

HOW BRENT'S DOING NOW

He is  finished for now with physical therapy and is doing a little more every day at home and around the barn. His neck is presumed "fully fused" and healed (typically at 1 year). He is experimenting, pushing himself, and finding out what he can do (and is also figuring out when he has over done it). He is determined to do the things he did before (although it might look a little different, and he may not be able to go as long and hard as he used to), and this determination and willpower have been key to his recovery and mindset. He was released for "light duty" work a few months ago (however, light duty doesn't really exist in ranching) and he hopes to be fully released medically soon. The remaining symptoms that he is still dealing with seem minor when we stop and contemplate what could have been and how different our lives could have been. His arms, hands, and legs are functional! (we get asked this a lot)

Brent climbed back on a horse for the first time at the end of June, and in true Brent Jones fashion, he had to goof around and pose like a bronc rider. I think he was prepared to hold on better this time!

It was a short, cautious ride- about a 10 minute walk around the arena, but I think it felt good mentally.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

I don't know why hard things happen. I believe we have a loving Heavenly Father, not one who causes, or even allows bad things to happen. But I do believe He has a plan for each of us and often "saves us" when it's according to that plan. I think He utilizes our trials to teach us and asks us to lean on Him in faith. We can learn and grow from adversity. He is there to help carry our burdens, and we don't have to do it alone. Sometimes it takes life altering experiences for us to change our perspective, or realign our priorities and realize what matters most. 

Through the hard we have learned: 

Life is fragile and can change in the blink of an eye. Live your life; tomorrow is not promised. The little things matter. The way we treat and care for one another matters. Don't miss opportunities. Tell and show your loved ones that you love them.  Don't waste time on the things that don't matter, or the things that take you away from what matters most. Make the memories. Take the trip. Be sorry, and apologize. Change. Work hard. Know what you stand for. Live your truth. Have faith. 

Thank you for praying, caring, and celebrating with us through this journey. We love you and can't thank you all enough!