The last day of 2014. Tonight will be a night of celebration, festivities, remembrance of those we lost and many changes. There will be changes in the Chapman family in 2015...hopefully most of those changes will be positive, and prayers will be sent up daily for Jamie and his continued recovery. We have had an interesting year. Bought an oxygen chamber that is now upstairs and we are on a regular routine of getting Jamie into that chamber even before breakfast. His only complaint: why cant Jack come in? Because hes a dog...Jamie then had me research to see if dogs could do oxygen therapy. The answer is yes, but we decided that he would not be able to clear his ears. Jamie lived away from home for 6 months for intensive therapy in Galveston. Every Friday I would drive to Galveston to pick him up, and every Sunday Kim and I would drive back down to Galveston to take him back. The sadness that was in his eyes when we left was heartbreaking, but we all knew this was the best thing for him. We lost my precious Emily this year. I have never had to put down a dog, but I knew it was the right thing to do. But also the hardest thing I have done since Jamies accident. We are fortunate to see Nicola, Kayla, Jayden and Richard every day, to be involved in their lives. To see those little people grow. Colin now works on a rig, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, we get to see him when he is off, we were fortunate to see Katie for her 25th, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I plan on writing a book titled Where in the World is Katie Chapman fashioned after Wheres Waldo? ;) Our lives are busy with all that Kim and I have on our plate,,,we are working very hard to remove some of that as our (my) main focus is to enable Jamie to recover as much as he can so that he can become an independent young man, and not miss out on life. He has lost so much in these 3 years: friends, freedom, the ability to run, and just be Jamie. He has changed in many ways, not just physically but emotionally, and socially. He (we) have met so many wonderful people who have become mentors to Jamie and in the process to Kim and myself. The selflessness that these new friends have shown in their actions have made us so grateful. We worry daily about what the future will hold for our youngest son. God forbid one of us becomes ill...hence the massive amounts of vitamins that everyone takes while making fun of me...but my success is that no one who takes my combo of vitamins has become ill in 3 years. So Im not so crazy. My heart hurts daily for Jamie and I miss the old Jamie. I have embraced the new Jamie, but I still want to see him without a brace, taking the stairs 2 at a time, I want to see his face light up when he finds something funny. I want to see that social animal again. I want to see him run on the soccer field again. Many have told me to give up those wants and wishes. To them I say: never will I give up for those wants. If I give up, I have then given up H.O.P.E., and that is not something I would even consider. Jamie has done some wonderful things this year. Physically, mentally, emotionally. But I think the most amazing thing he has accomplished this year was to speak to the kids at Sartartia Middle School about drinking and driving. The faculty at SMS have embraced Jamies message with open arms. His message: if you are going to be drinking, DO NOT DRIVE. As you get older and enter High School you will be bombarded with the temptations of drinking. Parents may not be there, parents will trust you, friends will challenge you. If you are faced with this situation, call a friend to pick you up, call your parents, as you get older hide the keys, somewhere you will not find them until you are sober. You do not want your mother changing your diaper, feeding you with a tube inserted into your stomach, having to move away from home, going to doctor after doctor after doctor. For your entire world to be about therapy. To never see friends any longer, to suffer the disappointment of being invited somewhere or being picked up to go somewhere to socialize with friends and it never comes to fruition. He wants parents to know that if you tell your child to call you if they are ever put into a situation where they will not be able to return home safely, you will not yell at them, you will not berate them. But that you promise to pick them up and calmly speak to them when the dust settles. That you are disappointed in their decision about drinking but that you are very proud of them for putting their fears of getting in trouble aside and calling you. That your child has proven that they want you to continue to trust them. As this evening progresses, know that AAA will provide free rides for anyone from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. If you are out partying and the thought is slightly in your head that you should not be driving, please call AAA or a friend/sibling/parent for a safe ride home. You do not want to be walking down the rode that Jamie, myself and Kim are walking down now. PRAY, TALK TO YOUR LOVED ONES, DONT DRINK AND DRIVE....
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:52:52 +0000
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