December 17, 2007 Update

Last week Jayden went to Seattle for a checkup and more MRIs on his neck. The results were mixed. One doctor felt surgery should be done. Another doctor disagreed and felt Jayden’s neck should be given more time to heal. The end result was that they agreed to monitor for changes in Jayden’s neck for awhile longer. He will have to go back in a few months for more tests.

Meanwhile Jayden still loves school and cannot wait to catch the school bus each morning. He has a personal aid who assists him on the bus and another aid who assists him at school. We’ve elected to not let Jayden go to school for full days because after going part day and then going to therapy, he is just too tired. His stamina hasn’t yet recovered to fully normal, but it is improving.

Jayden’s overall condition continues to slowly improve as well. His fine motor skills are not 100%, but he can do many things, including drinking from a cup and eating with a fork by himself. In the past month we’ve also noticed more improvements in his speech. He can say several words now, although not consistently or always clearly. His most recent thing to say is “Ho Ho Ho”. Jayden is also doing much better at following simple instructions. His occupational and speech therapists are doing great work with him, and we are very grateful for their dedication.

As this year draws to a close, we are very thankful for all the many people who have supported Jayden in a variety of ways since his accident 10 months ago. He would not be where he is today without your help. There are some of you we will never meet, and none of you that we could really ever repay. But to each of you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. That your paths crossed those of Jayden was no accident, but rather the provision of God. Thank you for allowing Him to work through you to make the life of little Jayden so much better. And now, we wish each of you a most blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with peace and love.

Prayer requests:

Improvement in Jayden’s neck and spine so he will never need surgery.
Further progress with Jayden’s speech and cognitive abilities.
Fair settlement of Jayden’s insurance claims.
Good health and safety for all of Jayden’s caregivers.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

October 3, 2007 Update

We received the report on Jayden’s neck x-rays in early August. His neck is stable—no better but no worse. Based on this, the doctor allowed us to remove Jayden’s neck collar and monitor him closely to ensure that his neck remains stable without the collar. This has gone well, and Jayden has adjusted to having no exterior support on his neck. His neck will be x-rayed again in December to make sure things are still going as planned.

Jayden started kindergarten in September, and he loves it. He goes for only a few hours each day, but he is doing so well that the school recommended he begin going all day. The process has been started to make this happen. In the meantime, Jayden is still going to occupational and speech therapy five days a week.

Jayden’s physical and mental condition continues to improve slowly. He walks and runs and plays with toys much like any five year old would. His motor skills are not 100 percent normal, but they are quite good and still improving. His speech is still slow to progress. He can say a few words, but they generally pop out spontaneously rather than as a result of conscious thought. He makes a lot of sounds though, and has become very good at expressing himself with sounds and body language. Jayden’s cognitive abilities are also impaired, but he works very hard at problem solving and often surprises us with what he can do.

Below are some photos that show a couple of events that happened in Jayden’s life recently. First, we had a lot of fires in Montana this summer, and Jayden got to visit a fire camp. He is shown dressed in the typical clothing of a firefighter. Secondly, actor J. K. Simmons heard about Jayden and came specifically to visit him at his school. Among many other roles Mr. Simmons plays in the TV series LA Law and The Closer, has had voice parts in The Simpsons, and most significantly for Jayden, he played the role of newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson in all three Spiderman movies. It was an exciting time not only for Jayden, but for all the children in the class to have Mr. Simmons visit.

Prayer requests:

Continued stability of Jayden’s neck.
Further progress with Jayden’s speech and cognitive abilities.
Fair settlement of Jayden’s insurance claims.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

July 30, 2007 Update

Jayden had new x-rays taken of his neck last week, and we are waiting to hear the results from Seattle. In the meantime, he continues to do well. Jayden’s physical coordination continues to improve. He now eats well using his fingers, and he can eat with a fork if you impale food on it for him. Jayden is very active and walks and runs almost normally now. Unfortunately it has been so hot that he can’t spend a lot of time outdoors.

Jayden has been making a lot more vocal sounds, and last week he began to say a few words, including “out”, “no”, and “want it”. He can’t say them clearly or consistently yet, but it is a good start and something to build on.

Jayden is continuing to go to occupational and speech therapy five days a week. His favorite part of therapy is going in the swimming pool.

Prayer requests:

Good results on Jayden’s neck x-rays.
Continued development of Jayden’s speech, concentration, and cognitive abilities.
Decisions regarding enrollment of Jayden in school this fall.
Fair settlement of Jayden’s insurance claims.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

June 22, 2007 Update

Sometimes it's good to pause for a moment and take stock of how far you've come. Since beginning this web page in March, we've posted many prayer requests. I thought it would be informative to summarize what the results of those requests have been. Listed in the table below are the previous prayer requests and their outcomes to date. The requests are listed in the order that they were made, from most recent to oldest. Some requests were made multiple times, and in that case they are listed only once below for their earliest occurrence.

Prayer Request	Outcome
That Jayden will tolerate his neck collar and that the muscle tone in his neck and upper body will quickly return.	Answered prayer -- going well so far
That Jayden and his in-home caregivers will get into a routine and that his out-patient therapy will be productive.	Pending, but looking good so far
Improvement in Jayden's speech, cognition, and upper extremity motor skills.	Cognition and motor skills show slow improvement. Speech not significantly improving so far.
Pray for God's provision for the financial aspects of Jayden's recovery.	Much has been met through health insurance and Medicaid. There are still some large outstanding bills from March through May that are not covered.
Rapid healing of Jayden's neck so that surgery will not be necessary.	Answered prayer
Wisdom for the doctors and Jayden's family in deciding what course to take with Jayden's neck injury.	Answered prayer
Transportation for Jason -- his transmission gave out this week.	Answered prayer
Pray for those who are organizing Jayden's benefit events.	Answered prayer
Pray for a safe and happy visit home for Jayden on Easter Sunday.	Answered prayer
Jayden's relief from pain, so that he will eat well and get the most out of his therapies.	Answered prayer
Approval of Jayden's application for Medicaid.	Answered prayer
Wisdom and fairness for those who are making decisions about payment of health and vehicle insurance benefits for Jayden.	Health insurance has gone well. Auto insurance still pending.
Endurance and good health for Jayden's family and other caretakers.	Answered prayer
Quick healing of Jayden's ear and throat infection	Answered prayer
Continued progress with eating and drinking so the nose feeding tube can be removed	Answered prayer
Continued improvement in speech and motor skills	Motor skills showing improvement. Speech is not significantly progressing.
A serious flu outbreak has started in Missoula. Pray that the flu will stay away from Jayden and his caretakers.	Answered prayer

Now that Jayden is home and into a routine, he is continuing to do well. He has adjusted very well to the halo being off and to wearing the neck collar. When he returned to therapy this week after being off for his trip to Seattle, the therapists commented on how much he had improved since they last saw him. The improvements have been in using his hands to manipulate items, and in deliberate thought processes and following simple requests. His attention span is also improving.

Prayer Requests for this Week

Return of Jayden's ability to speak
Continued improvement of motor and cognitive skills
Decisions regarding enrollment of Jayden in school this fall
For those in our church family who are organizing a yard sale for Jayden's benefit

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

June 14, 2007 Update

It has been awhile since we posted an update here, and a lot has happened.

Jayden visited the neurosurgeon in Spokane, and he recommended surgery to fuse the vertebrae in Jayden's neck. He further said that if Jayden were his own child, he would have the surgery done in Seattle, because this will not be a simple surgery, and Seattle has the most skilled doctors and best facilities in the northwest. This was the third opinion we received on Jayden's neck (from Missoula, Spokane, and Seattle), and all three opinions were unanimous -- all recommended surgery and all recommended having it done in Seattle. So we scheduled surgery in Seattle for today, June 14. More on this later.

In the meantime, Jayden's physical progress continues. He walks quite well now and runs nearly as well. His arm and hand coordination continue to improve slowly. He can now feed himself finger foods fairly well, but cannot yet use a spoon or fork very effectively. He is drinking from a cup and can use a straw. He has pointed to a cup when he wants a drink. Jayden has begun to follow simple directions like bringing an object to you when asked. He is extremely active, and his attention span, though still not great, is slowly improving. One puzzling aspect of Jayden's recovery is his speech. He still makes some sounds, but he has completely stopped saying words. We hope that his speech will return in due time.

Jayden's progress has been such that there was little justification for having him remain an in-patient at Community Medical Center. He was discharged two weeks ago and is now being taken care of at home by his dad and grandparents. He will be continuing occupational therapy and speech therapy on an out-patient basis. His doctor recommended that physical therapy be stopped because his physical progress has been so good.

One of our prayer requests was answered on the day of Jayden's discharge when he was granted a Medicaid waiver after previously being rejected for Medicaid. This is a real blessing, since Medicaid will help pay for Jayden's medical expenses as well as providing needed equipment and limited in-home care.

The doctor in Seattle wanted Jayden to come over a couple of days before his scheduled surgery so that new MRI scans and x-rays of his neck could be taken. His most recent x-rays were 7 weeks old, and there was a possibility that changes had occurred. After viewing the new MRI and x-ray images, the doctor met with Jason and advised him that healing of Jayden's neck was much greater than he expected and that surgery would not be necessary. This was a wonderful surprise and an answer to prayer. We view this as a true miracle from God, and we are eternally grateful for the thousands of people around the world who have been praying that Jayden's neck would heal so that surgery would not be needed. Talking about miracles is one thing, but experiencing them first hand is a different matter. We have seen many miracles since Jayden's accident, and as a result our lives will never be the same. God is powerful and merciful, and He cares about each one of us in a very personal and individual way. Jesus said, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you" (John 16:23). We have experienced the truth of that statement many times since Jayden was injured on February 3 of this year.

Jayden arrived back home in Missoula today, the very day he was scheduled for surgery. His halo has been removed and he is now in a neck collar due to his weak neck muscles, which have not been used for 4 1/2 months. He will wear the collar for 6 weeks and then have more x-rays to see if his progress is still satisfactory. If so, then his dreaded neck fusion surgery will be just a distant memory.

Prayer requests for this week:

First and foremost, give praise and thanks that Jayden's neck is healing and surgery was not necessary.
That Jayden will tolerate his neck collar and that the muscle tone in his neck and upper body will quickly return.
That Jayden and his in-home caregivers will get into a routine and that his out-patient therapy will be productive.
That Jayden's speech will begin to return.
That those making decisions about Jayden's insurance claims will be fair and just.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

May 17, 2007 Update

Jayden's walking has improved greatly in the past week. He is much more stable, and his strides are regular, fast, and of good distance. At times he even runs short distances. Jayden can pull up to the standing position very easily now, and sometimes rises to standing without pulling up on anything. The halo keeps his head tilted slightly backwards, so when he walks Jayden leans slightly forwards at the waist to see where he's going and puts his hands behind his back for counter-balance. This gives him a distinguished look, and one of his therapists calls him "the professor".

There has been little change in Jayden's speech in the past week, but his speech therapist has noted that his attention span has become a bit longer at times. Jayden's motor skills in the upper extremities are improving slowly. We expect to see greater improvement in these areas once he has mastered walking and moves on to other things.

Jayden's benefit auction in Missoula was a huge success. The turnout was great, and bidding on the auction items was strong. Jayden attended for about two hours and had a fantastic time. The benefit in Mississippi was less successful for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the development of severe back problems by the chief organizer. Nevertheless, this benefit also raised some much-needed funds to help with Jayden's expenses. We would like to sincerely thank all those who played a role in Jayden's benefits, including the organizers, donors, advertisers, workers, bidders and other attendees. Your efforts will make a big difference in Jayden's recovery. There were many great items left over from Jayden's Missoula auction which are now listed in a silent auction on this web site. Click on the links near the top of this page to participate in the silent auction.

Jayden will soon be visiting a doctor in Spokane, WA for examination of his neck. The results of this visit will be the deciding factor in whether Jayden must have neck surgery.

Prayer requests for this week:

Healing of Jayden's neck so that surgery will not be required.
Improvement in Jayden's speech, cognition, and upper extremity motor skills.
Approval of Jayden's Medicaid application.
Fair settlement of Jayden's insurance claims.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

May 10, 2007 Update

Jayden is a TV star! Our local TV station KPAX did a wonderful story on Jayden tonight on the evening news. We would like to publicly thank them for the great job they did. To see the story, click HERE. There are also links on the site to the full video interviews of Jayden's Dad and Grandpa.

Jayden's week has been mostly good. An infection at one of the skull-pins on his halo set him back for a day or so, but otherwise he has been happy and active all week. He is becoming a little more confident in his walking each day as his ability to stabilize himself improves. Jayden no longer wants to be in his room, and he roams much of the rehab unit with an attendant close by his side in case he should start to fall. There has been little change in Jayden's speech or hand coordination this week while he has been concentrating so hard on re-learning to walk.

The decision about Jayden's neck surgery is still under deliberation. We will have a phone discussion tomorrow morning with a doctor at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center who is giving a second opinion. In the meantime, there are thousands continuing to pray that Jayden's neck will heal without the need for surgery.

Saturday, May 12 will be a huge day for Jayden. Rev. Steven Scott and many other friends are working hard to prepare for his Benefit in Mississippi. I cannot say enough good things about the untiring efforts of Rev. Scott, even while he is having health problems himself. Our entire family owes a huge debt of gratitude to this selfless man.

On the same day, Jayden is having a Benefit in Missoula, Montana. The generosity of businesses and individuals in Missoula, surrounding areas, and the entire U.S. has been overwhelming in providing items for the benefit auction. There will truly be something for everyone there. If you are within driving distance of the Western Montana Fairgrounds in Missoula, I encourage you to come to the benefit on Saturday to support Jayden while you find some bargains for yourself. The chili feed and auction preview start at 3pm, and the auction begins at 4:30pm. The auction flyer can be viewed HERE.

Prayer requests for this week:

Pray for healing of Jayden's neck and for the best decision regarding neck surgery.
Pray for improvement in Jayden's speech.
Pray for health, endurance, and safety for those who are organizing Jayden's benefit events, and for safety and inspiration for all those who will be attending.
Pray for God's provision for the financial aspects of Jayden's recovery.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Jayden with occuptional therapist Becca

Jayden with nurse's assistant Nikki

Jayden with therapist trainee Laura and physical therapist Beth

May 3, 2007 Update

What a difference a week makes! Only two weeks ago, Jayden had just learned to sit by himself. It was just a week ago that he learned to move from a sitting position to a kneeling position, and was beginning to try to stand up. Now this amazing child can grasp objects and pull himself up into a standing position, and then walk up to 50 feet without any assistance. With just a little support from holding his arm, Jayden has walked all over the rehabilitation center, and even walked to a playground about 300 yards from the hospital. Everyone who works with Jayden is astounded by his rapid progress with walking. He is a miracle child in every sense of the word.

We have noticed that when Jayden makes rapid progress in one area, his progress is slow in other areas. His speech is coming along very slowly, or may even have regressed slightly in the past week. We are not too concerned, because we think it will eventually improve. Jayden has been going through similar development patterns as an infant in learning to eat, sit, crawl, walk, and talk. If these patterns continue, then re-learning to talk may be one of his last advancements.

Jayden's use of his arms and hands has shown some improvement. He is using his right hand much better, and can do finer manipulations with the right hand than with the left (He was right-handed before the accident). He is beginning to learn to feed himself with both the right and left hands, including using a spoon and a closed cup with straw. He still must be hand fed, however, in order to get adequate quantities of food and fluids.

Today Jayden's family met with his neurosurgeon, Dr. Day, to discuss the potential need for neck surgery. Dr. Day recommends using a bone fragment and a small titanium plate to fuse two vertebrae in Jayden's neck in order to stabilize a loose joint resulting from stretched tendons. We will seek a second and perhaps third opinion and have more discussion before making a decision. Our objective is to do the very best thing for Jayden, whether that is surgery or some other option. Of course we are still hoping that Jayden's neck will heal on it's own, and there are many people praying to that end. The Great Physician is still in the business of performing miracles.

Prayer requests for this week:

Healing of Jayden's neck.
Guidance for Jayden's family as they make a decision about what to do for Jayden's neck.
Successful preparations for Jayden's two benefit events on May 12.
Fair settlement of Jayden's vehicle and health insurance claims.
Approval of Jayden's Medicaid application.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Jayden with physical therapist Zeta

Video of Jayden walking

April 26, 2007 Update

It has been an amazing week for Jayden and a week of ups and downs for his family and hospital staff. At the beginning of the week, the staff recognized that Jayden was becoming so active that he was at risk of launching himself out of bed onto the concrete floor. This could be tragic if he landed on his halo. So they removed his bed from the room and replaced it with padded mats that take up half his room's floor. This turned out to be a very good thing for Jayden because now he can get unlimited exercise on his own rather than lying in bed. He is taking full advantage of the opportunity. On Monday, he learned to roll from a sitting position to a kneeling position by himself. Since then, he has practiced this move hundreds if not thousands of times.

Then today, he learned to move from a kneeling position to a half-kneel with one knee on the floor and the opposite foot flat on the floor. This is a preparatory position to standing up. Later in the day, he was clearly beginning to try to stand on his own. By the end of the day, he was able to grasp someone's hand and pull himself into a standing position with no other assistance. At one point he amazed us all when he grabbed his grandma's hand and pulled himself to a standing position, then began walking rapidly towards the door and reaching for the doorknob. He had clearly decided to get out of Dodge.

Jayden has become so active that one must see it to believe it. He is perpetual motion from the time his eyes open in the morning until they close at night. Today he wore out a nurse, three therapists, and two grandparents. He is amazingly strong, and everyone comments on how quickly he is growing. He is eating and drinking very well and still gaining weight. His speech is progressing more slowly. He will say certain words over and over for a few days, and then he will never say them again. At any one time his vocabulary is limited to just a few words, with "no" currently being his favorite.

On Tuesday, the doctors decided to x-ray Jayden's neck with the expectation that it had healed and the halo could come off. Jayden had been wearing the halo for 80 days. This turned out to be a disappointing experience for everyone except Jayden who didn't understand the outcome and remained his happy self. The x-rays showed that Jayden's neck injury has healed only 25-30% rather than fully as expected. As a result, the doctors recommended surgery to fuse two vertebrae in Jayden's neck. This was a hard blow for Jayden's family, and we still have many questions that need to be answered before we are willing to accept surgery as the best alternative. We will be having a meeting soon with Jayden's neurosurgeon to gain further information that will help us make a decision that is in Jayden's best interest.

Prayer requests for this week:

Rapid healing of Jayden's neck so that surgery will not be necessary.
Wisdom for the doctors and Jayden's family in deciding what course to take with Jayden's neck injury.
Improved development of Jayden's speech skills.
Guidance for those planning Jayden's benefit events on May 12.
Fair resolution of Jayden's vehicle and health insurance claims.
Successful processing of Jayden's Medicaid application.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

April 19, 2007 Update

Since getting his feeding tube out a week ago, Jayden has done very well. His emotional state has been very happy, and he continues to get stronger and gain more control over the use of his body. He can now alternate between lying down and sitting up by himself, and he has stood with light assistance for up to 5 minutes. He can point to different colors. Yesterday he began saying No-No to things he doesn't like and today he said Yes a couple of times. He is still eating and drinking well and allows us to brush his teeth. We are working on him using a potty seat, and he has been successful twice.

Jayden has captured the hearts of everyone at the hospital. Sometimes he has as many as three therapists working with him at one time, not because they have to, but because they want to. His therapy sessions often turn into vigorous play sessions with everyone in the room laughing joyously.

Jayden will have x-rays of his neck in about another week to determine if his vertebrae have healed sufficiently for the halo to come off. If it can come off, then Jayden will be put in a soft neck brace to support his weak neck muscles. He may be in the hospital for another month after the halo is off.

Prayer requests for this week:

Continued progress with Jayden's motor skills and speech.
Successful preparation for Jayden's two benefit functions on May 12, one here in Missoula and one in Mississippi.
A successful decision on Jayden's Medicaid application.
Transportation for Jason -- his transmission gave out this week.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Photos show Jayden can sit alone, and Jayden having therapy

---

April 12, 2007 Update

Jayden got his feeding tube out today. HOORAY!! We've been waiting for this for weeks, and it sure made us all happy. In fact, the way it happened was hilarious! The doctor came into Jayden's room this morning and checked the chart that we record his fluid intake on. Upon seeing the quantity, the doctor said, "Great, let's take that tube out today." So he put on rubber gloves and began to meticulously undo the tape that secured Jayden's tube to his face and his halo. He was preparing to slowly and carefully extract the tube out of Jayden's nose. Well, that just wasn't fast enough for Jayden. To the doctor's amazement, in a split second Jayden reached up, grabbed the tube, and pulled it out himself. The whole room burst out laughing.

Jayden continues to get stronger, more active, and more alert. He can sit for up to 30 seconds unassisted, and is doing better with assisted standing. Today he was trying very hard to crawl for his therapist, but he doesn't really like being in that position. He can take food in his left hand and put it in his mouth on about 25% of his attempts. He is using his right hand more every day, but still not as well as his left. He has been taking fluids from a syringe, and has recently started drinking a little from a cup. He is eating a large variety of foods and good quantities. Speaking is coming along more slowly. He can say a few words, but not consistently. His disposition has been happy the past several days, and he is often a chatterbox, though we can't understand most of his language. With his feeding tube now out, Jayden will have to take his medications orally. Fortunately though, he is now off all medications except Tylenol, Benefiber, and occasionally Oxycodone for pain. He's not needed the Oxycodone the past 3 or 4 days.

Jayden had a wonderful trip home on Easter Sunday. The house was full, and he was the center of attention. We even got to take a four-generation photo of Jayden, his dad, his grandpa, and his great grandpa. The only bad part was returning to the hospital. When Jayden was returned to his room, he got mad and threw a little tantrum, but it only lasted about 10 minutes and then he was his happy self again. We are hoping that Jayden will now get to make short visits home on a regular basis.

Prayer requests for this week (Note: while I don't normally list praises for answered prayers in order to keep these updates as short as possible, there is obviously much to be thankful for. Jayden has made tremendous progress since the accident, and we give praise to God and thanks to the many people who have contributed to Jayden's recovery.)

Pray for continued improvement in Jayden's motor skills and speech.
Pray for those who are organizing and preparing for Jayden's two benefit events on May 12.
Pray for wisdom and fairness for those who are making decisions about Jayden's insurance coverage.
Pray for God's provision for expenses NOT covered by insurance (During the past week, Jason received one bill from one hospital for costs not covered by insurance that is more than twice his annual salary. Jayden has been in 4 hospitals and will be receiving many more such bills).
Pray for health, strength, and endurance for Jayden's family and caregivers.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Photos of Jayden having occupational therapy with Becca.

---

Here are a few photos of Jayden's visit home on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007.



Jayden with his dad, his grandpa, and his great grandpa.
What a blessing to have four generations of family together for Easter!

---

April 5, 2007 Update

Jayden's recovery continues on a path of slow but steady progress. His ear infection now seems to be over, and he is much happier most of the time. Jayden is becoming physically more active and is gaining a lot of strength in his trunk and limb muscles. He can balance himself in a sitting position for a few seconds, and he is standing with assistance for longer periods of time.

Jayden continues to explore verbal communications. He can now say, "one.two," and sometimes he will even say, "three.four". He says "Hi!" in a shouting tone of voice. His eating has continued to improve, and now he is completely off supplemental feeding through the tube. He actually gained three pounds in the past week! Drinking is a different story, though. He refuses to drink from a cup, baby bottle, or any other device, but this morning he did take several spoonfuls of cocoa for me. He also took his medicine from a spoon today. Drinking is the final obstacle that must be overcome before his annoying feeding tube can be removed.

Easter Sunday is supposed to be a beautiful day here in western Montana, and Jayden gets to come home for a visit! We are really looking forward to seeing how he will respond to getting out of the hospital and back into familiar surroundings for awhile.

Now for a commercial break.. As you know, Jayden's medical bills are overwhelming. Two special events are being planned to help, and both will occur on May 12. First, Rev. Steven Scott of Steven Scott Ministries is a well-known Southern Gospel singer from Tupelo, MS. Brother Steven is organizing a benefit concert that will include numerous other singing groups and individuals. More information on the location, time, and list of artists will be provided as it becomes available. Thank you Brother Steven! Visit his web site at www.stevenscottministries.com and buy one of his CDs. He is donating all the proceeds to Jayden.

The second event on May 12 is a benefit that Jayden's friends are hosting at the Fairgrounds in Missoula, MT. This event will include a chili feed, musical performances, and an auction of donated merchandise and services. We are pounding the streets of Missoula asking businesses to make donations, and so far the success has been pretty good. Some of you reading this live a long way from Missoula and will not be able to attend the benefit. But the good news is, if you really want to help...you can! You can help by either sending items for the auction yourself, or asking businesses in your town to make a donation. I have a nice letter made up, including a picture of Jayden, that you could present to businesses near you to ask for a donation. If you would like an electronic copy of the letter, please email me at jaydentrust@gmail.com. If you would like to send items yourself, please mail them to Jayden Summerfield, 8250 Lazy H Trail, Missoula, MT 59808.

Prayer requests for this week:

Pray that Jayden will begin to drink liquids so his tube can come out.
Pray for those who are organizing Jayden's benefit events.
Pray for a safe and happy visit home for Jayden on Easter Sunday.

May all of you have a blessed Easter. May you truly understand the meaning of Easter, and may you have the faith to KNOW that one day you will meet the One who died for you.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

---

March 29, 2007 Update

Jayden had another week of slow but steady progress. His ear infection continues, but is a little better the past two days. We hope it is about over. When his ears and throat hurt, he will not eat or actively participate in his therapies. No doubt the tube in his nose and throat contributes to this problem. He requires pain medication multiple times a day to make the pain bearable.

There were two very positive developments this week. First, Jayden's eating has picked up significantly. He no longer requires tube feeding during the day, and today the doctor said they could begin reducing his tube feeding at night. Jayden's diet has expanded to about everything a normal 5 year old would eat, and some days his calorie intake is sufficient for his maintenance. He has been slow to take liquids, though, and only yesterday started to sip some cocoa. Drinking adequate fluids will be mandatory before the tube can be removed.

The other positive development is speech. Jayden's vocabulary slowly expands by one or two new words per week, and this week he began putting words together for the first time. He can now say, "I want more", but it is obvious from his facial expressions that it takes some hard mental work to get those words out.

Jayden is physically quite strong and is getting closer to being able to sit by himself. He is also using his right arm and hand somewhat better. The pain from his fractured clavicle and dislocated shoulder seems to be getting better. When placed on a flat surface, he can easily roll back and forth from side to side now. His muscle coordination still has a long way to go, but we are hopeful that it will continue to improve.

Jayden's halo has another five weeks before it can be removed. The doctors have set that time as the target when Jayden will be able to transition from an inpatient to an outpatient status. We believe, however, that he will be able to come home for short visits before that time, perhaps as early as Easter.

Prayer requests for this week:

Jayden's relief from pain, so that he will eat well and get the most out of his therapies.
Removal of Jayden's feeding tube in the near future.
Continued progress with Jayden's speech and motor skills.
Quick approval of Jayden's application for Medicaid.
Wisdom and fairness for those who are making decisions about payment of health and vehicle insurance benefits for Jayden.
Endurance and good health for Jayden's family and other caretakers.

Blessings to each of you who has had a part in ministering to Jayden and his family.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Jayden doing therapy

---

March 22, 2007 Update

The past week has been mostly good for Jayden, with just a few setbacks. His overall awareness and alertness continued to increase, and he has good muscle strength. He still lacks the ability to coordinate his muscle movements though, and he cannot sit, stand or walk on his own. When assisted in standing, he shows a bit of stepping movement, so in time his walking ability should return. Jayden continued to say a few words this week, like "more" when he wants to continue a fun activity. He also said "grandma" a few times and "hi" and "bye" a couple of times. Occasionally he will move his arm as if waving bye, and sometimes he will give a high five to special people like his daddy.

One of the more notable events of the week occurred on Saturday when Jayden pulled his feeding tube out. The tube irritates his nose and throat terribly. He first pulled it part way out, then it was re-inserted and x-rays were taken to ensure it was in the right place. Then, when his dad's back was turned for just a moment, out it came, all the way. Needless to say, this caused a lot of commotion at the hospital. Jayden must now wear a sock over his hand part of the time to prevent a reoccurrence of the tube removal game.

The greatest event of the week occurred on Monday when just by chance Jayden's aunt Amy brought a Reese's peanut butter cup with her to the hospital. Jayden has had a bad oral aversion and wanted nothing near his mouth. He also had not eaten anything in weeks. But the sight or smell of that peanut butter cup was just too much. His room quickly filled with amazed people watching him bite off chunks, chew them up, and swallow with no problem whatsoever. Since then he has moved on to Cheetos, Cheerios, french fries, hamburger bun, banana, and waffles, but the peanut butter cups are still his favorite. We hope to increase his eating enough that he will soon be able to have the tube removed.

As the week came to a close, Jayden developed an infection in his left ear and throat that is making him feel really crummy. He is on antibiotics, so hopefully it won't last long.

Prayer requests:

Quick healing of Jayden's ear and throat infection
Continued progress with eating so the nose tube can be removed
Continued improvement in speech and motor skills
A serious flu outbreak has started in Missoula. Pray that the flu will stay away from Jayden and his caretakers.

Thank you to the many thousands who are now praying for Jayden around the world, and to those who are helping in so many other ways.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

Jayden with speech therapist, Sarah

---

March 15, 2007 Update:

It has now been almost six weeks since the accident. Jayden was in Seattle for three weeks and has now been in Community Hospital Rehabilitation Center in Missoula, Montana for nearly three weeks.

The past week has been a better time for Jayden. His feeding formula and schedule have finally been adjusted so that he no longer has much of the abdominal pain that was so troubling. His pain medication schedule has also been adjusted so that he doesn't have overwhelming pain throughout his body, but he is also not too medicated to engage in his therapy sessions.

Jayden's physical therapy is concentrating on strengthening his trunk and leg muscles so that he can eventually sit and stand on his own. His speech therapy is working on reducing his oral aversion so that he can begin to eat and speak again. Some progress in reducing his oral defensiveness was made this week.

The most exciting change in Jayden during the past week is that he has been exploring using his mouth and vocal cords to speak again. When it is quiet and he is lying in bed resting, you can see him making different mouth shapes, sticking out his tongue, and experimenting with different sounds. He has even said a few words, though usually not very clearly or on request. This is a major step forward because it shows the speech portion of his brain is reestablishing its connections.

Thank you for all your prayers and support on behalf of Jayden and all of our family.

Jayden's Grandpa Bob

---

Photos of a much younger Jayden

Jayden at age 3

Jayden with therapist, Rick

---

---

BACK TO JAYDEN'S STORY

Please sign Jayden's Guestbook

---

Back to McCracken Cove

---