Kaden update - post surgery

Kaden is doing well. Thank you for praying with us. The surgery went well. The doctors did not have to use the cadaver tendon because Kaden is a slender guy and they were able to stretch his own anatomy to reach. So that is one less point of failure.

According to Kaden, this surgery has been the most painful to date. In the past, he did not need any strong pain killers at home, but, instead, used only tylenol & advil. This experience was significantly more painful and he was using the stronger meds and at the strongest dose. Thankfully, today he woke up with little pain. Praise the Lord! He took some tylenol this morning (just in case), but didn’t need anything else all day. Again, thank you all for praying with us!

Now we wait. 12 weeks is a LONG time to be in an immobilizing brace. Kaden is already somewhat miserable in it as the straps and bracing metal pieces are very uncomfortable even when wearing it correctly. It will just take some getting used to. We continue to pray for a full recovery but know that we won’t know any results for several months. We praise the Lord that this surgery was even an option and that there were local doctors willing to give it a shot. Looking forward to sharing good news in a few months.

“I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.”

Psalm 30:1-4

Kaden Update - surgery today

It has been 11 months since the accident. At first, recovery and healing came more quickly than expected. We were super excited. It seemed as though Kaden might escape somewhat unscathed which would be miraculous.

Overdue updates: 

In March, Kaden had surgery on his knee again because he had not recovered enough range of motion through PT. They did a quick clean up and broke up/removed most of the scar tissue which successfully allowed complete range of motion. Yay!

In June, Kaden had surgery to remove all the metal in his arm/wrist. The bones have all healed and the plates and screws were no longer necessary and were painful and restricting movement. Again, this surgery successfully allowed further range of motion. Yay!

What led to today’s surgery:

When Kaden was able to drive again, he noticed something was off about his back. He could feel it when he sat in the driver seat and shifted the gears of his car. He asked me to look at his back and it was extremely noticeable that something was really wrong. Not only did his scapula come away from his body when lifting his arm, but he could not lift his arm up and could not bear any weight, like picking up a glass of water to drink. It is his non-dominant hand and he had been compensating in other ways. He didn’t notice at first because there was so much else going on that it didn’t seem critical and he thought it was an injury that would gradually heal.

We made a doctor appointment and the doctor confirmed he had a winged scapula but he didn’t really know what to do about it. The physical therapist added some exercises to try to help the condition, but it was not effective. In May we saw an orthopedic specialist who was immediately amazed at how bad the condition was and told us surgery was required. Typically, they try to do PT before deciding on surgery, but since the PT was already happening and the condition was so severe, they set up some tests. A few weeks later, after 90 minutes of tests (basically electrocuting all of Kaden’s back and arm muscles one at a time) confirmed that his nerves were not functioning properly, a surgery date was tentatively set. We really only found out in the last week that it would really happen today.

So this morning at 5am, we checked in to the hospital. This surgery is no guarantee that his arm will be fixed, but it was our only option. Basically, they are going to use part of his pectoral muscle and cadaver tendon to control his scapula.

Please pray that the surgery is effective.

We will not know for several weeks. Kaden will be in an arm brace, completely immobilized, for 12 weeks - longer than any other surgery to date. It will be hard, but we hope it will lead to better use of the arm. Once movement is allowed, there will be a significant amount of PT and time required for complete recovery and for the body to accept old muscles taking on new jobs.

2023 - Reflections

2023 Grubb Family Letter

As we start the new year, I am reflecting on the last with thankfulness.

2023… The year our kids turned 21! 20. 18! & 16! – some big birthdays and indications of big life decisions being made regularly in the Grubb house. We are so thankful that our kids are all walking in Truth and still seek wisdom from us and other trusted adults. The decisions they make as young adults (school, calling, jobs, vehicles, moving out) have the potential to have big consequences. We are feeling the gravity of each one and with 3 young adults it seems there is always a big life choice being prayed about in our home!

2023 in a nutshell… Air Force. IT. Cancer. Civil Air Patrol. Teaching. Motorcycle. Senior Thesis. 50-Mile Race. College Graduation. High School Graduation. Camp. Family Reunion. Senior Thesis. Encampment. College drop-off. Hollywood Show. Motorcycle Accident………. College Graduation. Job Offer. Virginia. Kaden walks again! Christmas. 50^th Birthday. The Lord’s hand was on it all.

For the more detailed version, see below.

January… the year always starts with people leaving – the holidays are over. Jonas heads back to the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) with 3½ years left. Scott is still running his IT business. Ellen (Scott’s mom) is told she has 6 months to live due to cancer in her leg that is now also in her lungs. (spoiler alert: she is still with us!!!)

February… Silas attends SNCOS (senior non-commisioned officer school) as he is promoting in leadership at Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Tara continues teaching in our home and at the homeschool group one day each week – dissections, debates, dual enrollment, GenJ club, alongside Algebra 2, Latin 2, Biology, Western Cultural History, Socratic Dialogue, and British Literature. Grandma (Ellen) turns 75! Major Miller, a man instrumental in Jonas & Silas enjoying CAP dies unexpectedly at the age of 82. Kaia & Tara visit Liberty University in Virginia as Kaia expects to attend in the fall. We sneak in a day in D.C., too.

March… It snows at our house (first time since the 90s). Jonas turns 21 & Scott heads to Colorado to take him out for his birthday and experience a day in the life of a cadet at the academy. Kaden buys a motorcycle in central California prompting a roadtrip with his mom & grandma to pick it up. His license did not permit freeway driving yet, so we drove home on the byways (not the highways). Kaia turns 18. Tara has a birthday and subjects the children to a traditional birthday hike when Jonas is home for spring break. 

April… cousin Alison, took Jonas & Tara to Disneyland (first time in almost 20 years)! We enjoyed Easter Sunday sunrise service on the hill at our church, Kindred Community Church. Jonas was “recognized” – a huge deal for cadets 4^th class at the academy. Kaia defended her senior thesis: the first amendment right to free speech on college campuses. Jonas completed the Falcon50 – a 50 MILE race on his base! (What?!?)

May… Kaia attended a super fun high school “grad nite” with other homeschooled students from our church. Silas turned 16 and got his driver license! Kaia graduated from Cypress College with an A.A. in Kinesiology (she was pursuing physical therapy) and an A.S. in Criminal Justice (she is pursuing a B.S. in this field).  She went to her high school prom with her small group of senior girls from church. Silas went to CAX – cadre assessment exercise – and was selected to be on cadre (leadership) for the CAP summer encampment. Kaia left for Ironwood Christian Camp for the summer. Kaden applied for a job with homeland security.

June… Jonas came home for 3 weeks – the academy gives them one of three 3-week periods off each summer. Jonas got the first period this summer. Kaia came home for a day to attend her high school graduation. This was the last time we’d have all the kids home until Christmas. Kaden, Jonas, & Tara worked VBS at our church.

July… Kaden & Tara fly to Kansas City for the 4^thof July Thibodo family reunion! Kaden turns 20. Kaden finishes his last college class, writing his senior thesis: the effects of social media on mental health. Silas & Tara go to CAP encampment for 12 days where Silas serves on the logistics team and Tara works in mess leading a team of 15 cadets and 4 adults to make & serve breakfast and lunch to 600 people each day! We both got to fly on a Blackhawk on the last day of camp – so amazing!

August… Kaia returned from camp and was home for 9 days before Scott & Tara flew along to drop her off at college in Virginia. We stayed a few days as Scott had not seen the campus and to make sure she got settled. In contrast to the 1 backpack Jonas was allowed to bring to college, Kaia brought 4 HUGE bags! Grandpa turned 77 while Kaia was home. Kaden found out that he made it through the extensive homeland security hiring process and was waiting for a date to report to FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center). As it usually takes 9-24 months to get through the process, it appeared the Lord was really opening doors to get Kaden through in less than 3 months! Kaden’s metal band played a final show in Hollywood before one of the members moved across the country. Scott & Tara visited Jonas at USAFA for parents’ weekend.

August 31… Kaden was in a bad motorcycle accident. He was on his way to work early one morning and we woke up to a call from the hospital. We are so thankful that the Lord spared his life, but also that there was a surgeon willing to attempt what other surgeons thought was not possible – to repair his left leg. Kaden, though still in much pain, looks and walks like normal now – praise the Lord!

September… Kaden was in the hospital for 9 days with a grandparent or parent by his side every moment. I am so thankful that Jim & Ellen (the grandparents) stood in when we couldn’t be there and just to give respite throughout the time. The day Kaden came home from the hospital, his degree came in the mail. (He had already chosen not to attend graduation in New Jersey.) Kaden graduated from Thomas Edison State University with a B.A. in Communications. Hooray! Our church family, homeschool family, people from all parts of our lives shared in our difficulties as we nursed Kaden back to health. We were gifted food everyday so that I could give my full attention to nursing. Kaden was home but in a wheelchair with 2 broken arms as well as the leg, he could not move himself at all. He needed crazy amounts of meds at all different hours. I had to learn to give him shots twice a day. And the whole time the Lord sent his people to love us, solve logistical problems, encourage us, and care for us. In the meantime, we tried to shield our out-of-state kids from the extent of the challenges as we didn’t want them to be too distracted other than to pray for their brother. Silas rose to the occasion, as much fell on his shoulders with mom tending to brother. It was a sad day when homeland security called and told Kaden to report 10/23. The timing of the accident was interesting as normally people are looking forward to getting back to school or back to work and Kaden was in the midst of change, so he is just diligently working to heal, not sure what comes next. 

October… Once Kaden’s shots & meds were done, Silas & Tara flew to Virginia for a weekend to attend an event with Kaia! Scott & grandma were able to handle Kaden’s care. He got the casts off both arms and his leg in a brace so it could bend just a bit – woohoo for progress! Crutches after both arms broken was challenging, but eventually, he was able to use them.

November… Kaden is allowed to walk! Only 9 weeks after the accident – incredible! There is still a lot of pain and therapy to happen, but the amazing progress makes us hopeful! Silas & Tara again went to a GenJ student action team in Virginia. Thanksgiving was different without Jonas & Kaia, but precious as mom (Ellen) was still with us and based on her diagnosis in January, we didn’t expect that. Tara started working at Samaritan’s Purse with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – a job that would last only a few weeks, but was very enjoyable and fulfilling.

December… Everyone was home! Jonas & Kaia both flew in on the same day. Everyone loves volunteering at OCC, so it was fun to have the 4 kids work together and bring me dinner. (: Christmas with extended family was lovely with lots of food and fun. For Christmas, all the kids got suits and it was perfect timing because we all attended the All Academy Ball on 12/26. It was a fun event to get dressed up and to celebrate Jonas. We celebrated Scott’s 50^th birthday! He enjoyed time with family at a movie and his favorite restaurant.

What an incredible year! Looking forward to seeing what the Lord has for us in 2024!

On the horizon… Kaia will graduate with a B.S. in criminal justice from Liberty University in May. She has been accepted to graduate school but also applied for several jobs – may the Lord continue to guide her. Silas will graduate with a A.S. in aviation from Cypress College in May. He will still finish his senior year of high school (24-25) before moving on to ??? Kaden continues to heal and is working to get back to the physical condition he was in before the accident and would still like to pursue a law enforcement career. Jonas has spent 2½ years in Colorado at USAFA and has 2½ years to go!