Here’s participation so far for TEAMMATT weekend:
Keniff, Josie, Paige, Matt, Wade
Danny
Sarah
Nancy, Bob, Max
Preston and Christian (according to Christian)
Miggy (Mark?)
Leonard and Scheree
Joey, Biskit, Robin, Gabe
I am sure I forgot someone(s). Anyone else?
That’s the name of the cabin we have rented in the Smokies for the TEAMMATT weekend. You may recall we promised Matt a party at the University of Tennessee if he made it there in the fall and he did it!
Matt started in late August and so far so good. He has electronic assistance in his classes in the form of a special recorder that sits by the instructor. He is then able to review class notes for anything he missed in real time. He had an earlly issue with a TA in geology lab. They had to view through a prism and record what was seen – meaning he had to wear 3-D glasses. He told the TA he could not complete the assignment because he has a bum left eye and the prism thing just doesn’t work. She said 0 for you bud. I guess she didn’t believe the eye thing because of the deaf and bionic hardware that was so evident. He stayed calm, emailed the professor about the problem and VOILA – credit given. I just think they didn’t want me to call.
Matt had laser surgery on the eye in July but it wasn’t successful. So they took out the stitches (which had been in his eye since December 2005) to let the corneal settle to a more natural state. We will have another surgery to try to get the vision back – probably during Christmas break. Assuming no other situation occurs to delay that.
Anyway – to keep my promise, I rented this three story chalet in Pigeon Forge. It is a beauty and I have neither the time nor energy to recount the maze I went through to get the thing. But I did from October 21 – 26, 2008. My first vacation of the year. Come on down! Tennessee plays Alabama on the 25th and we plan to go. Can’t decide whether to have the party the night before or the night of the game. Time for that later. So far two sisters and one brother and all my little family will be there. And I think Sellsee. And I can’t remember who else.
Shhh…..it will also be a surprise birthday party for Keniff. 60. He will be so tiffed. I can’t wait.
Plan, teammatt, plan!
rolled the ATV this weekend? Go ahead….guess
But then again he was wearing a helmet.
Don’t do it!
That’s all.
We are trying something new this weekend – camping at a 4 day country fest. Yes, we have rented a travel trailer, friends rented one and have the spot next to us and we are Thursday – Monday out in a field somewhere. Kinda…..I was hoping to take Thursday and Friday off but that isn’t going to happen. But I will be there in the evenings and to sleep in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar bed. And all day Saturday and Sunday.
Matt was going to come until he determined that would be foolish since he hates country music and is worried he will have no place to plug in his transmitters for the 8 hour dry out every night. So it will be us, the friends, Wade and Cliff. Oh, and Sugarland, Brooks and Dunn (yuck), Kenny Chesney (he’s stopping in for a beer), Trace Atkins (yuck again), Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, etc. I don’t even like concerts because I can’t be confined that long.
So why am I doing this?
Wade is coming home for the summer! He will be working at my company for the next few months! The best thing is he has to dress business casual which will be quite an upgrade from the college grunge.
When he called he assured me he would be fine. He had one pair of presentation khakis and one shoe. Yep. One shoe but he was sure the other was around there somewhere.
So the big hearted boy and I had a nice talk. He is strong and has grown up very fast over the last few months. Realizing that ne’er do wells seldom do well. He has made some new determinations. Looking to do the right things. He told me he can’t wait to be here and see me everyday. A message that every mother of a 19 year old (or any age for that matter) loves to hear.
So summer is on.
Matt is a University of Tennessee student! As of yesterday. What a journey, and I am only talking about the past 48 hours.
Matt was in Knoxville yesterday to register. I was in North Carolina on a business trip. I received a text message at 2:36 a.m. from Matt. Must be something wrong. The test read: Whenever you wake up please send me the name of the woman I am supposed to talk to about the in class assistance for the deaf. OK. Could you have asked earlier? Like while I was at home and could get the information? Nope. Too easy and predictable. So I got on the computer and forwarded the information. Anyone else wondering if he really followed through with the contact?
Then yesterday as I was in the Detroit airport waiting for my connection I received a call from Wade. Just to chat since he had been up since 6 am. Why were you up at 6 am? Because Matt called him at that hour to get some information as he had neglected to take all the necessary paperwork to pre register! Now, if you were driving 5 hours to register at a new university would you not take the paperwork to do so? Nope. Not my Matt.
So at about 3:30 I receive another text from Matt. Much simpler.
“I am officially a UT student” That’s all. It said so little but so much. It is overwhelming to think that a mere 3+ months since we started this journey, the boy who was told he would be unable to return to classes for 1.5 years is set to begin at UT in the fall.
I see some orange and white in our future. The colors of love!
Where are all the posts I put here the last three weeks? Where did they go? All those stories!!! All that history!!!! Oh dear!
As I continue existing in a state of elation, I have also looked back at the past three months and several things stick in my mind. These moments were further ingrained in my mind on Saturday at dinner with friends in Cincinnati. Our friend’s mom was in town and we have known her for years. She lost a son within the past two years following a fall and accompanying head injury from which he could not recover. He was young and is dearly missed. You can imagine the room while we were celebrating Matt’s miraculous recovery while her son did not have one. At some point we looked at each other and silently agreed to change the subject!
As we sat after dinner talking about Matt she asked some heartfelt questions about our journey and she shared hers. I recounted a few poignant moments I can’t escape……
The day Matt was transferred to the rehab hospital Kenneth rode in the ambulance with him. The rest of us, and there were plenty of us, drove over and Paige and I went down to the unit first. As we approached the room we heard Matt YELLING, “What the —- is going on? What is happening to me?” Paige and I started sobbing in the hallway but quickly settled down. We walked in the room to realize they were trying to weigh Matt and because he was recently rendered deaf there was some difficulty relaying the circumstances to him. As we entered the room Matt was getting back into the bed and he looked at Kenneth and said simply, “I’m scared”. Rip my heart out.
Two days later, after my two sisters had left to return to their homes and families and we were settling into some type of routine Matt asked that I take his picture with Cliff and Biskit. He leaned on his friends for support and I snapped the photo. Matt was all grins and as he layed back down he looked at me and asked, “Mommy, am I going to get my hearing back?” I could only shrug my shoulders and write a note that I did not know but more tests were to be done the next day. I could not give him the answer he wanted and needed. It broke my heart. He rolled over in bed and went to sleep.
As we continued our after dinner conversation, D told me that while we were all talking earlier in the kitchen “Jo Anne, I could see the love in your eyes when you talked to Matt.” That meant so much to me but also begged the question whether she could see it in my toes and elbows and under my fingernails as well because that is how much I love all my children – completely and everywhere and regardless.
These moments will never leave me and they will forever be part of the fabric of our family. We love each other and fight through everything. We have been given challenges – greater than some and not as great as other families. We are strong. We have friends. We get as much as we give. Our children are becoming wonderful adults. And we will continue making and sharing such moments.
Grandma Killion knows this and because we are strong she is waiting to visit until one of us needs her again.
Apparently there are significant side effects when cochlear implants are activated. According to Keniff, these side effects include but are not limited to:
The wearer breaking out in song while shredding junk mail and cleaning the apartment……
CLEANING THE APARTMENT? He never cleans the apartment.
My cleaning lady may be out of a job – don’t you think Matt would look cute in a little apron with a mop in his hand?
