Julie & Julia

It was an emotionally charged weekend for the T family!

Already high Christmas Day energy levels escalated when we received the phone call from Dave & Janelle (in Edmonton) that their Christmas present to all of us was a little baby niece! Julia Lynelle Joy was born at 7:08pm on Christmas Day! WOOOHOOOOOO!!

On the 27th, Lowell and I had the pleasure of being the first of the T family to meet baby Julia. Dave & Janelle seemed totally relaxed while they hosted and fed us whilst tending to a TWO-DAY OLD and two other small children. Very impressive and so very fun!

On the night of the 27th, the emotional roller coaster took a fall. We found out that Julie Anne had been in a sledding (tubing) accident in Carstairs, and had broken her neck. While this was devastating news, we were thrilled to hear that she miraculously avoided paralysis. After an ambulance ride and some long hours waiting on a stretch board, her X-rays revealed the broken neck, and she spent the remainder of the night in the Trauma room.

On the morning of the 28th, she was given treatment options, and she chose the surgery route (i.e., the expedited recovery route). Normally, the wait for such a surgery is a couple of days, but 10 minutes after she made her decision, there was an opening. This really confirmed to the family that prayers were being answered!

Her first words post-surgery and after the doctors confirmed sensation were "I'm not paralyzed!" HALLELUJAH!!

By the time Lowell and I arrived at the hospital, she was in recovery mode. It was difficult to see her trapped in her bed with a neck brace on, but she was still our Julie Anne and her sense of humour was still in tact!

Only two visitors were allowed in the room at any given time, so the rest of the group congregated in the hall. Martz took the opportunity to temporarily swipe an anatomy poster from the wall so we could discuss the point of injury. How very academic of us I know!

Lowell and I brought her a bear that we "built" for her at 'Build-a-Bear'. The bear's name is Joy (named after Julie Anne Joy) in hopes that it would bring her joy! In the process of building the bear, we were asked to kiss a heart and make a wish. We wished for a quick and full recovery, and the heart was then stuffed inside Joy Bear. When we brought the bear back to the car, we rummaged through the car's emergency kit and stole some gauze to create a neck brace... just like Julie Anne's! Joy Bear was the only member of the family that got to sped the night with Julie Anne...

While I believe the worst part is over, Julie Anne still has a long road of recovery ahead of her, and prayers continue to be appreciated. We want our non-broken-necked Julie Anne back!!