Sorry it has taken me so long to post on the blog. After Holli was evaluated for Shephard's Center it was decided that she needed some things evaluated before she does in-patient therapy. Back in March she was admitted to the hospital for 3 days to have a Baclofen trial. Each day she was given an injection into her spinal column of baclofen to see how her body responded. It was increased each day for 3 days. It was decided that she could benefit from having a baclofen pump implant to get the continuous infusion. That was done several weeks later. We can tell that her muscles are more relaxed and not as much muscle spasm and tone. We recently purchased a used wheelchair converted van so now Holli and I can go to her appointments without having to depend on other transportation. She does not do well out in public and gets agitated easily. Now that we don't have to wait at least an hour to get picked back up from her appointments, makes it so much better on both of us. It is hard having to depend on other people getting you to your appointments on time. It has been a very hot summer so we are not able to take Holli outside during the day very much unless we have to go somewhere. We are just trying to stay cool. We have finally been able to get occupational therapy coming to see Holli along with her physical therapy and speech therapy. To say the least, she stays busy during the week with everyone coming and going. She loves her male therapist and is always happy to see them. She is such a flirt!! Out biggest problem right now is Holli has no appetite and getting her to eat anything has been a challenge. She will cover her mouth with her hand and refuse to even try to eat. We cut back on her nightly tube feeding trying to get her to eat during the day. We will see her doctor in a couple of weeks and at that time discuss her getting in-patient therapy soon. Please keep her in your prayers as we face hopefully the next step in her recovery. I will try to do better about updating the blog. Diane

It was three years ago today that I got the chilling phone call that changed Holli and my lives. It is hard to think back and remember our journey. All the obstacles that she and I have both over come and also for my grieving my husband's death. In this process we have had many blessings bestowed upon us. I will never forget all the friends that I have meet and all the acts of kindness that was shown to us especially while I was away from home the first 6 months after Holli's accident. Holli has come so far....I thank the Lord for being with us every step of the way and for all His blessings. I am so blessed to have Holli home for the past year. We are both so much happier being home. She is still slowly progressing. It is thrilling seeing her standing with help and getting her body stronger. She talks and laughs more and more but of course she still gets agitated and will cuss you out in a heart beat!! Her favorite pass time are movies such as Muppets, Shriek, Scooby-doo or anything animated or musical. She loves to sing and will sing along with the movies or the music channel. I am once again trying to get her admitted to Shepherd's Center in Atlanta. She still needs aggressive therapy to help her continue to progress. Please keep us in your prayers about this next step in Holli's life. Thanks to everyone that has helped , prayed and supported us these past three years. I will never forget your acts of kindness.
Diane

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Holli has been home. She and I are both so much happier being here. She is now standing up in physical therapy with assistance. Each time we stand her she tolerates it for a longer period of time. It will take awhile to build up her strength. She appears to be getting stronger, especially her left (unaffected) side but I am seeing some improvement on her right side. We finally after about 3 tries found a good foot splint that she wears daily for about 8 hours that is helping her foot drop. She is continuing to get botox every 3 months in her right arm and leg. We now have to put her arm splint on when she goes to sleep or she will take it off!! This way we can get some benefit from the arm splint. Holli is talking more and more but still confused most of the time and continues to have the short term memory loss. She continues to get agitated easily and will cuss you out in a heart beat. Her appetite varies from day to day. Some days she will eat and drink really well but then other days she will not eat anything. We still have her on nightly tube feeding to be sure she get adequate nutrition. She loves watching movies and believe it or not football. This is funny to me because before her accident she could care less about sports. When Heather has asked her during the play offs who would win , she has picked the winners every time!! It will be interesting to see if she picks the winner of the Super Bowl on Sunday. Her 34th birthday is coming up on Valentine's Day. She has come along way these past three years but she still has a long way to go.

It is hard to believe that I have had Holli home for 6 months. It is so wonderful to have both of my girls back home with me. I am still grieving over my husband's death but having Holli here to concentrate on has really helped. Holli and I am both so much happier with her being here. Holli has nursing assistants come here twice a day to help with her care which gives me a break and enables me to go to the grocery, run errands or make appointments for myself. Holli is still getting botox injections every three months so we get to go on a "road trip" whenever she has an appointment. Even though she enjoys going in the transportation van to the doctor these trips tire her out. She gets a shower once a week, which she still does not like, and get up in her wheelchair for several hours 3-5 days a week, depending on when I have someone to help me get her back to bed. Everyday she wears her high top tennis shoes and right arm splint for 6 to 8 hours. She is being fitted for a splint for her right foot to help with her foot drop. Physical therapy comes twice a week and nurse once a week. It seems like we are always having company with everyone coming in and out. Today Holli was visited by her good friend, K T, from Oakland, Ca. It is always so great whenever Holli's friends come and see her. It makes her so happy to see her friends. I know Holli gets tired of just looking and being with me all the time!! I appreciate all the love and prayers that we are still receiving. We have come a long way on this journey but we still have a long way to go. I want to wish my 91 year old Dad Happy Farther's Day, love you Dad.

Hello friends, On my way back from the Gon KiRin roadtrip to Detroit I stopped in Nashville on my way to Austin to visit with Holli and Diane. I arrived late and Hollis was asleep so Diane and I had the chance to catch up. The last time I saw them was when Hollis was at St. Lukes Hospital in San Francisco before I moved to Mexico in July 2009. Wow times flies and Hollis has progressed tremendously!!! She suddenly woke up and was eager to see who was there. I walked down the stairs and she was smiling. She thanked me for coming to visit her all the way from California. She was amused by my 100-pound rottweiler and wanted to see her up close. Osa Perez jumped on her bed and licked her face multiple times as Hollis giggled. She laughed and said "you've got a big pooch but she's a big baby!" She asked me if I was going to spend the night. I said "Yes, we are going to have a slumber party!" She told me to get on her bed thus I did. I told her that everyone misses her and loves her and she said "It's not the same without me is it?" I agreed. Later that night I was sleeping in her room that she grew up in and I noticed the glow in the dark message that she wrote on the ceiling as a child. It said "The stars don't shine when your eyes are closed!" It really touched me because I could hear her saying it as I read it. The next morning we watched TV together and I played with her beautiful dark brown long hair. I gave her my silver guatemalan jade ring that I made in Chiapas and she thanked me. She liked looking at the bling. She was talking a lot and she listened and absorbed very word I said sometimes repeating my sentences taking it all in. She even had a conversation with my pops on the phone. She made his day and he told her that she's a tough cookie. Harry called and sung her a song. She recognized the song and said it was beautiful. She enjoys watching Disney movies and listening to her mom read to her. She still has her sass and doesn't always like it when the nurses put her in the shower. I encourage all of you to stop by and visit her whenever you are near Nashville. She loves the company of her friends . Diane has renovated the entire downstairs for Hollis including the shower room. She receives Botox every few months to help with the flexibility of her muscles. Holly told me that she loves her mom and that she's her main inspiration. Diane is very happy to have Hollis around. It's been really rough since Doug passed. Heather and her two girls will be moving in soon. I am pleased to know that the Hawthornes are together once again. Love and kisses, Franny

I will never forget that phone call in the middle of the night two years ago. The one that turned my world upside down as well as Holli's . It is hard to believe that it has been that long and all we have gone through, the heartaches, the ups and downs of our journey. Thank you Lord for being with us every step of our journey and for giving me the strength to get through each day. Through this journey I lost the love of my life two months ago. It is hard some days but having Holli home gives me a purpose and a joy and makes the heart ache a little less. I am so thankful for how far Holli has come and look forward to her continuing to improve. We are so blessed by the love and support of our family and friends. Just the encouragements and love that was given helped me get through the rough days. I pray a year from now that we will still be rejoicing in Holli's continued progress. I just want to say thank you for your continued love and support.
Diane

For those who do not follow Holli on her caring bridge site, I was finally able to bring Holli home on January 15th. We totally remodeled the downstairs to make it Holli's living area. For the most part Holli is very content and happy being home. She still forgets that she is at home and asks when we can go home. We have been home 3 weeks tomorrow. Holli was greeted that day with family and friends to welcome her home. It has been a comfort for me to have her here so I don't get lonely. It has been hard since Doug died and I miss him so much but having to concentrate on Holli has been a blessing and is helping me to heal. I pray that this coming year will be filled with happiness. We will be celebrating Holli's 33rd birthday on Valentine's Day. We will definitely have ice cream and cake.