John's Status - | |
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NOW : 2008 - John is doing well - 100% recovery. He's been back to work and has excepted a salaried position in management. He recently bought a 2008 Harley StreetGlide and is ready to ride... and we're pretty sure he'll be wearing a helmet when he rides. The Accident: On Friday, July 27th, John had a
motorcycle accident on highway 191 near Vernal Utah. He was headed to
Durango with a group of riders. John was the last rider in the group.
No one witnessed the incident - it appears that he lost control of his
motorcycle for reasons unknown at this time. I (Rich) was there with
him, minutes after it happened. There were others giving aid to John
literally immediately. The ambulance made it to the scene and got John
to the Vernal Utah Hospital where he was life-flighted to Salt Lake City
Utah at the University of Utah Medical Hospital. Clipped
from the Rocket Miner Newspaper Saturday, Sept. 8th Sept 9th - John was moved to the University of Utah rehab unit on Thursday September 6th. He is doing very well with his recovery and simply wants to come home. He has assured us that he will work as hard as he can for the therapists so that he can get out of there. Last week, John was standing for very short periods of time (30 seconds), on Wednesday, he tackled a flight of stairs and today is walking from his room to the therapy rooms without any assistance at all. The rooms are about 500 feet away with an elevator ride in between. John is still extremely weak and his weight is very low, but his spirits are high. He, Mom and I have laughed and giggled all weekend. His memory is great, except for the day of the accident and maybe a few days before. He has no recollection of the accident and is bothered by the fact that he cannot remember and that he even had an accident. We are delighted to see that John's sense of humor is back, but the nurses are struggling with it a little bit. We keep telling him that if he messes with them, he'll never be able to come home. He continues to find ways to make them wonder if he is joking or being serious. Please continue to pray for John, at this time I think he may need our thoughts, prayers and energy the most. We know that your prayers are what has gotten him this far and we know that he wants to come home. John should be able to see this website soon, so keep your thoughts coming so that he can read your inspirations, too. Thank you all again. - Jaelyn Sept 2nd - Update Wow - what a change this last week has brought us. John is progressing rapidly. We will be moving him from Long Term Acute Care at Promise to either U of U Rehab or Health South Rehab sometime in the coming week (hopefully - as long as he can avoid infections or any other unpredictable events). He remains very tired and weak. He cannot walk but he is able to stand while holding the parallel bars. He has been doing some therapy but it is time to start a progressive, intense program to re-develop his motor skills and build his body (physically). He is able to have short phone conversations and he even initiates conversations at his bedside. He cannot remember where he is or why he is there. We have explained the accident to him but he cannot piece it together yet. He truly seems confused about what happened - but we believe that is to be expected. He seems to feel some conflict about having a motorcycle accident. He kept telling Jaelyn and Melissa that he is a good rider and that he could not have had a wreck. He simply cannot recall anything shortly before and after the accident. He has displayed his sense of humor on more than one occasion - the doctor told John that he too rides a Harley. The doctor said the he rides a Dyna Wide-Glide, and John responded with "Oh, that's too bad". "I ride a Road King...". John is clearly agitated whenever we say "John you have to eat this...." or "John what day is it..." He gets tired of answering all of the questions but we feel he is doing well... The upcoming weeks will be difficult as John begins rehabilitation. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We believe he has made it this far because of all of the support from everyone. Special thanks to my folks for being with John, literally 24/7, while the rest of us have gone back to work and to be with our families. These events really make one aware of how important family and friends are... thank you everyone!!!!! - Rich Aug 28th - Update This morning John had a few bites of egg, banana & pancakes for breakfast and was able to drink his orange juice through a straw. Eating is a big step for him and has come a lot sooner than anyone thought. The speech therapist is very satisfied. John was wheeled to the rose garden and enjoyed some afternoon sunshine. Aunt Marjie and Uncle Dick visited him today and he was able to muster a great big smile for them as well as responding to their conversations. John's trach tube was removed also today and he is no longer on any form of oxygen. He is really making strides, even though his therapies are all so rigorous. He seems to be in good spirits most of the time except for the pain and discomfort that he is experiencing. We are all so thankful for all the cards, well-wishes, phone calls and especially the prayers that you have all sent. Keep it up, everyone, it's working... Jaelyn Aug 26th - Update John has been
moved to an acute care facility called Promises in the Salt Lake
Regional Hospital. The move was smooth and without incident. On his
first day there, he had a shower (for the first time in 4 weeks) and was
evaluated by physical, occupational, and speech therapists. These people
don't mess around. They want his recovery to be started immediately. But
you can imagine how John was feeling going from laying in a bed for 4
weeks to showering and sitting on the edge of the bed (with maximum
assistance), all the questions, poking and prodding. We were all pretty
shocked that they did so much in one day! Anyway,
during his speech evaluation, the therapist decided that he was
swallowing so well, even with the trach tube, that she gave him apple
juice, apple sauce, and diced peaches, just to see if he could handle
the different textures and HE DID GREAT with nothing going into his
trach tube after he was suctioned. What a sight to see him chew!!
His respiratory therapist decided to plug off John's trach tube. He is
now on minimal oxygen (1-2 litres) through a cannula in his nose.
He is doing great with his oxygen saturation. Now for the big
news... John has begun to speak. Because the trach is plugged off,
he is able to speak and hear his voice. He first said "yes" when
prompted by a respiratory therapist and since then has spoken mostly to
explain his pain. "Ouch, please, come on, please" ... He told Mom to
"leave me alone" while she was trying to situate him on the bed.
Unfortunately, because he is "coming back" so much right now, he
is in a lot of pain and he has to tell us. It is so wonderful to
hear his voice, even if it is for bad reasons. Keep him in your
prayers. This is a most important time for us. The roller coaster
we have been on is so hard but the good times are really good. - Jaelyn Aug 23th - Update John has really struggled with the infection in his lung. He is recovering but it seems to be a slow process. The doctors removed his chest tube today and are hoping by tonight that he will be moved out of ICU to a regular room. He is still very sleepy (seems like the infection is zapping all his energy). The doctors are now adjusting his medications to make him more awake and alert during the day. It is almost like he has his days and nights mixed up. We are still very hopeful that he will recover from this quickly and start the head trauma healing process again. We really want to see some progress soon, so keep him in your thoughts and keep praying! - Jaelyn Aug 20th - Update John has had
his first real setback. He contracted a chest infection and has
slowed his progress a little. He had to be placed on a ventilator
(again) and receives antibiotics. He was supposed to be moved to an
acute care facility on Friday, but because of the infection, has been
moved back to an ICU. This is NOT critical care, it is called
intermediate ICU, just a step down from critical care. John is awake and
alert. We believe that he recognizes us and our voices (even on the
phone). He is making purposeful movements with his hands and sometimes
with his foot. He makes the movements on command and also
sometimes, just to show off. That's OUR John!!! He is now scanning the
room with his eyes to see who is there. The infection made him very
sleepy and not so alert for a day or so but we feel he is back on track
now. He will not be able to go to the acute care facility until he
heals and is feeling better. It is really great to be able to look
into his big brown eyes and know he is looking back. We are hoping
he will be out of ICU in a few days so that his recovery becomes speedy
again. The doctors assured us that this is not a major setback
and that it will not be the last. It has been trying for us to get him
through this but we know what lies ahead and are very excited for the
next movement or the next blink, hey, maybe even be talking soon. Let's
just keep positive and keep praying.
- Jaelyn Aug 16th - Update Following a surgery to place a tracheotomy tube and a permanent feeding tube, John is finally showing signs of coming back to us. An MRI showed that his brain is healthy and that he has a great chance for recovery. John is now tracking (moving his eyes toward a person or object) and opening his eyes on command. He is being moved from critical care but will stay on the neurological floor for a few more days. He will then be moved to an acute care facility. John actually "mouthed" the word "stop" when a doctor was pinching him. These are incredible triumphs for John and are so reassuring for us to see. We really feel like he is headed in the right direction now. The doctors are pleased with the results of his tests and have confirmed that we have a long road ahead, but we know that he can do it. John has a great spirit and he has always worked very hard to achieve his goals, so we have all the faith in the world in him! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers and we know he will get right back to where he was before. - Jaelyn
Aug 12th - Update John is making
progress. He has been off of the paralyzing drugs and the sedatives for
a few days now and is handling it well. Unfortunately, it will take some
time for all of these drugs to come out of his system. John has opened
his eyes twice now, once for Melissa, his daughter, and once on command
from a doctor. He also wiggled his left toes on command a few times on
Saturday the 11th. He was not so cooperative on Sunday and the
doctors assured us that he needs more time. There are a lot of good
things that the nurses are telling us like his muscle tone is good and
he is showing signs of reaction to stimulus. When his ventilator tube is
suctioned, he winces as if he were in pain. It is not pleasant to watch
him show discomfort but it is reassuring that he is still trying to come
out of his sleep. His brain pressure still rises when the nurses do
procedures but the good thing is that if falls rapidly. Last week, it
took a long time for him to recover from any rise in brain pressure and
he usually had to be medicated to lower his pressures. Our family feels
good about the changes that we have seen in the past week, even though
they seem small, in our eyes these improvements are huge leaps and
bounds. It has been difficult to be patient during all of this but when
we do see and hear the growth and advances he is showing. We are
once again humbled and know that he is working very hard to come back.
Thank you all again. Aug 8th - UPDATE John continues
his journey back to us... his room was filled with sunlight today. The
nurses allowed the shades to be open and this made the room feel a lot
more positive as compared to the darkened room.
Aug 7th - UPDATE The last few days have been good for John. His brain pressure has stayed down to levels that seem to make the doctors happy. They have chosen to slowly lower his medications and he is responding well to this change. We are still very hopeful that he will come back to us soon but only time will tell if he will tolerate the changes. He is still fighting and we know this as he is making progress. These last 10 days have been stressful but we are thankful for every small improvement that we see. Lowering his medication and keeping his brain pressure down at the same time has been a struggle but it is an incredible achievement for John. Keep your inspirations coming as it it so important for us all to hear from you. And thank you all again for every prayer, thought and kind word. - Jaelyn |
John, you are on a long ride with Jesus now - Alan Kershisnik I would like to just tell you this: this is much harder on you and your family than it is on John at this time. I believe he is taking an amazing "ride" right now…not on a Harley, but equally as thrilling times a million. I hope that when he wakes he will be able to share it with you and you "listen" to his details. Yes, you are right—he knew you were there and knows you are there now. - Pennie Hunt Our family finds so much comfort in all of your words. Please keep
sharing your words of encouragement with us. It is important for us to
hear from you. It means a lot for us to know you are all thinking
of him. Keep the faith as we all do. THANK YOU ALL -
Jaelyn Knudson (John's favorite ((only)) sister) I just wanted to let you know that you, John and your entire family
have been in our thoughts and prayers all week. I started to write a note thanking everyone for their kind phone calls, support and prayers...and find myself lost for words. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it, thank you just doesn't seem to be enough... Keep my Daddo in your prayers and keep calling/emailing us to check on him and he will be better soon, I just know it. - Melissa J. Lyon, John's daughter Spent the day with your family today...It's a heavy burden waiting for a loved one to come back to you, but he will come back. He just needs time to heal. Be patient and wait for him. We will keep you in our prayers and wait with you. We love you, - Becky Lambson Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you. If there is anything we can do on this end please let us know. There are so many people praying for John, I know he will be healed. God Bless You All, - Becky Costantino Stay strong, our prayers will pull John through. - Tim Kaumo To the Family of John Lyon – I know this is a tough road for all of
you, but I have seen and heard of the strength, love and support each of
you has for one another. You all have so many friends that are so
concerned and willing to do anything for you – we are all a phone call
away. You are all in our prayers! - Sarah, Jo Ann and Bob Maser You are all in my thoughts and prayers and have been put on so many prayer chains, I hope you draw strength from knowing so many people care. God Bless you all. Get better, John! - Dora Holbert To the John Lyon Family, When the going gets tough, the tough gets going and that is exactly what you have all done. You are all a very strong willed family with a “ton of faith” and that is what is going to pull John out of this. We are all here for you all if you need us and we all send our love and prayers and positive feelings for John’s recovery. - Gayle Webb Dearest Lyon Pride- Dear All, Lisa T. just shared your update with us—great news! Our prayers will continue. -Annette You are all in my thoughts and prayers. John is a tough guy and I I've called my circle. Different paths, one prayer. Your family is included. Much Love, - Joyce Wade I am confident that the strength of family, continued faith in God, hope and prayers along with John's unwavering determination to persevere in all that he does, that a full recovery lies ahead. I hope that this day comes soon! I will continue to pray extra hard until this day of celebration arrives. - Jeanne Reiter I pray every day and night and continue to fight back tears for him as well as for all of you. I wish there were more that I could do. Melissa hang in there your dad is a strong willed wonderful man and I know he is thinking of you right now and I know he will come back to you. (I miss and love you!) Aunt Carolee, Uncle Jay, Rich and Jaelyn my prayers are all with you and to give not only John the strength but all of you as well. - Becky Reiter I was glad to see the 8/8 update and I hope your brother continues to make progress. Let your family know that I am thinking about all of you and hope for your brother's recovery. - Rose Moseby Keep fighting big man. My love and prayers are sent out to you. - Amber The 8/12 update is very encouraging! It will still be a long hard uphill battle, but John is strong and so is his family, so between all of that -- with all the love and prayers that are being sent his way, he'll make it back to you --- one step at a time. My prayers are with all of you. - Zoanne I hope everything works out for John my thoughts and prayers are with you guys! Take care. - Schu John, So very glad to hear there is progress. Our thoughts and prayers are
with John and your family. John and the Lyon family are in our prayers and thoughts. From the employees of FMC. John, We were very sad when we heard about your accident. We pray every day for you to have a full recovery. Your family is very strong and devoted to you and you are very lucky to have all of them in your life and by your side, as you heal. There is a loss of words to express how we feel. All we know is that we care about you very much and are waiting anxiously for you to get better. We are thinking about you and praying for you, and your family. - Marj and Dick We had the opportunity to visit with Jay, Carolee, Melissa and Kim on Tuesday the 14th. John had some surgery earlier that morning and they were waiting and praying that John would wake up. Although my health situation was not as critical as what John's is, however, the love of family and friends, words of encouragement, and mostly all the people who prayed for me during my cancer journey is what made it possible for me to become a survivior. Never Give up Hope. God has His own time period for healing John and it will happen. His journey may be long but we will continue to pray that he will improve daily and that your family will continue to stay strong as he will need your strength as well. From one survior to another, John you keep up the fight! - Danny and Marilyn McDonald What a friggin’ rollercoaster!! Thank God for faith! Can’t imagine
going through what you all are enduring without relying on each other and
your faith in God. All the while John sleeps; soon to awaken and begin the
journey of recovery. Know that you (John and family) have an abundance of
resources to help along the way. Make us (all those that love and care
about you) feel useful and allow us to take part in what will one day be
called a “miracle”. This will be a very long road and one that should be
embraced and shared. Do not think for a second that calling on us is
burdensome or a bother; because everyone that knows this family also knows
that you would do the same for us. Yaaaahooooo! The news sounds fantastic! I know John has a long and difficult road ahead, but the prognosis sounds so very promising. I have no doubt that you are all staying positive throughout this. Please don’t think I’m callous or shallow for saying this, but it is so very important to HOLD ON TO YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR! (Carolee, you get me, so I don’t think you’ll be offended by my saying that). So we’ll all keep saying our prayers for all of you. And you guys just keep pinching John until he has decided enough is enough and pinches you back! - Mel I just wanted to thank everyone for their kindness and positive words
of encouragement. I am back in Laramie now...finishing my last year of
law school for my dad because he told me that "no matter what Bozo,
promise me you will not be distracted and that you will finish school...do
good things." I feel a little lost without him right now, but I am
doing my best. John, I think about you daily and wonder how you are. Thanks to Melissa and Rich for taking phone calls to keep me updated, the worry is less and less with every passing day! I know you are a man of strong will and desire and you have the want to live!!! Keep on living your dreams and fighting for the life you make worth living...... everyday. The world needs your smile and laugh in it! - Yelly Dear John: Your Seattle family is praying for you....in fact, people all over the Pacific Northwest are praying for you!! We are with you all the way, John. Last night Uncle John and I talked about you, the first grandchild of John and Margaret, and how you kept us entertained at the Ridge Ave house. What a tough, sweet little boy you were then, and still are!! Grandma Sugar's favorite!! Its comforting to read the postings about your amazing progress. Hang in there John, we know you can do it. There are countless family members, friends, and people you don't know, praying for you and rooting for you. We love you very much and look forward to the day we can be there to celebrate your recovery. God Bless You and your family. Love, Uncle John, Aunt Sandy, Tom, Jack and Michelle. I am so happy to hear of the improvements John is making. The power of prayer and love! What an amazing thing. You’re all in my prayers, daily. Sometimes several times a day and I hope you draw strength from the many, many people who care and are thinking about you and praying for strength, comfort and healing! God Bless you all. Love, Dora To John, It was June 14th, 1998, this was the day that I got struck with lightning. My wife, mother, father, brothers and sister along with all of my close friends heard that I had been struck while riding my Harley. I endured a lot of obstacles including pain, some loss of vision in my right eye, short term memory loss, and loss of some of my hearing. The biggest obstacle was the unknown. I had an overwhelming amount of support from all that were near me. I believe the phone calls, get well cards and most of all the prayers brought me from the darkest corners to live life to its fullest. When you get well you will read all the cards, be told of all the phone calls, and read all of these support letters and know that you’re loved and God wasn't ready for you yet. And for the family; stay strong, stay supportive, and be aware that John knows your all there. The Seneshale family has prayed for you from day one and will continue until John gets back on that Harley. - Sincerely, The Seneshale's Add us to all the people in the Pacific Northwest praying for John's recovery. Our prayers go out to you, John, and your family; God give you all the strength you need to see you through this difficult time. Much love, Candy & Dennis Peters Wow what a difference in John's condition since we were in Salt Lake on
Friday. We got a chance just for a few minutes today (Tuesday) to see him
and he immediately recognized Marj and I and responded right away to some
personal comments we made to him. In fact, Carolee said that John smiled
for the first time after Marj joked around with him and told him he had
some of that tough Valko blood in him - He reponded "Do your think so"?
and then said "It' nice to see you" - What great progress - Please give John my best wishes, for a full recovery. I hope that he comes through everything O.K... I have been riding my bike every weekend here in the Tucson area, seeing as much as I can with only one day off. Any way, hope things are going well. - Barbara Shannon Big John.......... NICE to read that the John we all know is getting back into the swing of things! I bet the nurses are having a hay-day with you and your sense of humor... Tell um that’s how we know we have John back and they better get used to it... cause the rest of us miss it! Keep your spirits high and and the road in front of you... and as a another good friend of mine always says.. a smile on your face and a giggle in your heart!-- Yelly, Bug and Dalton What a recovery! Keep up the good work. As someone who’s been through a long recovery myself, I can tell you some days are definitely going to be better than others but with the kind of spirit John has and the love and support of such wonderful family and friends, the road is much easier. You’re all still in my prayers. Good luck, hurry home! -Dora Holbert Howdy, Lyonz! Ok, John, here are the rules for recovery: 1) no laps around the nurses station unless there’s some serious cleavage-checks going on in passing. Murses don’t count. 2) Spill some apple juice on the sheets once every few days, just to keep them guessing. 3) Pull out a thermometer from your pocket and say, “damnit, some asshole has my pen!” Ok, you probably heard that one before. 4) Remember you have a HUGE team of cheerleaders on the sidelines. Keep up the good work! Dunno if you’ll make it to Homecoming, but at this rate, you may want to start planning out your Halloween Costume! Still keeping you in thoughts and prayers - Mel n Monty Kimball John has been continually, and will continue to be in our prayers! God certainly has a plan for him, and we are so thankful John continues to improve daily! If there is anything we can do to help, just let us know! Isn’t God Great! - Ann & Mike Rudoff (his neighbors) We were in Salt Lake yesterday (9/15) and was going to come see you, but heard from Scott that you were coming home. What GREAT news that was to hear. What an inspiration you are, John, to all of us. Your faith, your determination and the love of God, family and friends has brought you through this amazing recovery, as you have conquered some mighty great obstacles. Keep up that strong will and determination and that Lyon strength and pride and we will see back on that Harley soon, although we prefer Goldwings. May God continue to give you strength each day and you keep up with that therapy. We are looking forward to seeing you soon. We will continue to keep you in our prayers. Carolee and Jay, God has indeed blessed you with one amazing son and of one to be very proud of to have been able to overcome such a journey. - Danny and Marilyn McDonald This note is to John and all of his family. I did not even realize
that John had an accident until last week when I saw the picture and
information in the Rocket Miner. I flipped. Could not believe that it
was our John. I did not want to believe it and ran to the computer to
check out the site. It confirmed my worst fears. That it is the John
that we know and love. I wanted to call John or drive to Salt Lake City
to see him but did not. I am certain that lots of us feel like we want
to be there….because we want to see John and make sure he is ok and
because we want John to see us, because he is such a great person to be
with and we realize how much we miss him. |
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