Jaclyn (sister), Stephanie Neuschafer (first person to Larisa’s aid and helped calm her untill she was air lifted), Larisa, and Emily Grainger (best friend).
This picture is one of my favorite we have posted on this blog!!!! It just speaks volumes!!
Today we are still enjoying the “cloud nine” feelings of week-end events! We feel so indebted to all of you. Right now Larisa is sitting in the recliner with with Molly and Mia (dogs). Good Night from TGH. Monica
“THANKS” TO THE ABILENE NEWSPAPER, THE REFLECTOR CHRONICLE, WHO HAS HAD NUMEROUS ARTICLES AND HAS DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB ON FOLLOWING LARISA’S PROGRESS. HERE IS THE ADDRESS IF YOU WANT TO “COPY” AND THEN “PASTE” THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS TO SEE THE FRONT PAGE ARTICLE IN SATURDAY’S PAPER.
http://www.abilene-rc.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=A16C12FA-19B9-E2F5-46819AFC9CFEE436
The ‘ol GMC just disappeared into the night with Monica and Larisa heading back to Wichita after a most wonderful weekend leaving behind a very quiet house! We couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable day! Jaclyn, Pantaleo, Larisa, Monica and I loaded up in the GMC and went to Larry Spelman’s for a very rich fellowship meeting!
Our hearts were filled with much thankfulness and joy for the goodness of our Heavenly Father. One thing we heard that I appreciate was that Jesus, in his absense, left behind the Comforter. So often, I would love just to talk to the Lord face to face like a friend to a friend. But that’s not yet possible. He sent the Comforter that through our faith can be like a friend to us. And even more so as he intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.(Romans 8:26)
After our naps, we had Donieta, Dwight and Daniel Craig over and they brought Dairy Queen and homemade cookies with them! A little later, Arlin, Heidi, Carmen, Monique and Marcus Resco arrived and we a great time visiting and eating and visiting some more! Arlin brought his adjusting table and gave Larisa and a few of the rest of us adjustments! Thank you, Arlin!
Now all are gone but a thankfulness for such priveleges! Have a good night! Jeff
It is so nice to have Monica and Larisa home for a couple of days! This house isn’t the same without them! They are so happy to be home, especially Larisa.
At the moment, we are sitting around the fireplace chatting. Larisa, Jaclyn, Pantaleo, Jason(Pantaleo’s good friend) Monica and I are talking about this that and the other thing. Just enjoying normal life. Nathan just left for Manhattan about an hour ago.
Larisa just got a text from Dave and he made it home!
I must say it’s great that Larisa and Monica will be coming home on the weekends more often in the future, but I’m going to miss our dear Wichita friends! Our 2nd homes at the Grainger’s and Genteman’s have been a refuge in the storm, we are ever indebted to them!
Nathan, Larisa and Jaclyn
Larisa in front of “one of the many, many, signs around town”.
Thanks again for the warmest welcome ever!!! Jeff HIA
I wanted to express my thanks too for all who made Larisa’s homecoming so special. The assembly was for Larisa, but I think I can speak for Jeff, Monica, Jaclyn, and Nathan along with Stephanie, Tanya, Jennifer, Emily, and I that this assembly was so important and needful for us too. We really wished that Tim and Dave could have been with us, along with other family and friends that have stood by Larisa and all of us.
Fortunately, Larisa doesn’t remember those first weeks that led into months of her hospitalization. There were some very dark days. To see Larisa yesterday and the progress she has made just seemed unbelievable. I knew this day would come, but was in awe yesterday as I saw her in front of her classmates and teachers. We know that Larisa has several weeks of grueling therapy ahead of her before she is able to go home. But I feel that yesterday’s events have made her even more determined to reach her goal of going home. Tanya mentioned yesterday that Larisa is going to be able to do and be whatever she desires. Those of us that know Larisa would certainly agree with that.
Anyway, a BIG special THANK YOU to Tanya and Jennifer, Stephanie, and all of the administration at the school and students that made this such a special day for ALL of us!
Thank you!
Debbie (LOM…Larisa’s other Mom!)
“Wow!” This day was definitely a “WOW” day!!! After Larisa’s therapy we went to pick up her wig. Then we drove straight to Abilene High School for a 2:30 “Welcome Back Celebration”!
On the edge of town we saw a Welcome Home Larisa sign with balloons, and yellow ribbons were tied on numerous light poles along Buckeye. Many businesses had signs in there windows, the High School was decorated outside and inside, our home was decorated inside and outside, and we were totally amazed how much time was put into decorations! Lots of flowers were given out. The most important presentation was Larisa’s plaque to Stephanie Neuschafer (It read…With gratitude for your bravery and courage on 9/25/09). We loved the AHS band playing before the program started!!! Words can’t begin to explain the THANKFULNESS in our hearts for all the support, it brought tears to our eyes! Tanya Rempel and Jennifer Strouse from the Burn Center lead the ceremony. Debbie, Emily, Sharon, Melissa, and Christi drove up from Wichita too. Dave was in New York and missed out…we missed him too.
Larisa in her new wig!
Larisa worked at this Sonic.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO MADE THIS MEMORABLE DAY SO SPECIAL AND WHO HAVE ENCOURAGED US ALL ALONG THE JOURNEY!!! MONICA (HIA) HOME IN ABILENE!!! Yahoo!
P.S. I have to add that the dinner around the table tonight was EXTRA special, but we were MISSING TIM!!! Also, it is 10:10pm here and Larisa is still up…she has gone on a ride in Jeff’s chevelle with Nathan, Jeff and Nick Bronson…she will sleep good tonight!
Not much new except we are excited and hope we can sleep tonight in anticipation of Larisa going home tomorrow after therapy. The high school has a “Welcome Home” ceremony planned at 2:30 for her. It will be a big day. Anxious for tomorrow. Monica at TGH
Larisa got up bright and early to get across town for therapy at 8:30a.m. Her out-patient therapist is Mike Reynolds. We are very confident in him as we have heard about great results from other burn patients. We did go back to the wig shop and order Larisa a wig:) Wes & Marilyn Brown cheered us up tonight. Hope the blog keeps working like it should, as it has been an incredible communication tool! Monica from TGH
Boring is good, so we had a good day. Boring refers to Larisa’s schedule, not the visitors we had:) (Lee & Dica Chipperfield from NE and Loren Spellman and Jon Smart). We went to gospel meeting tonight and enjoyed hearing about compassion (action word). Thanks to everyone who has had true compassion to all of us in this life altering experience! Night. Monica from TGH
Today was a rest up day for Larisa. She had a big nap before going across town to therapy (they didn’t work her hardly at all, mainly evaluating) and after therapy she said “I don’t feel like going home right now.” I asked her, “what do you want to do?” Larisa decided she wanted to go to a wig shop. She enjoyed her time out, but we didn’t buy any wigs yet due to a number of areas in her hair area that are not healed. As soon as we returned to Graingers she took another big nap. She is sleeping on the couch here in the living room. The fireplace is running, Emily is in the bath, Dave is at a business meeting, and Debbie is showing a property they are trying to sell, Jeff is driving a Conway truck, and I’m so, so, happy to be out of the hospital walls (prison walls, torture chamber, isolation, time-out corner etc.). As I’ve mentioned before, no pain, no gain, so we are definitely gaining! Good Night from TGH. Monica
back: Harold Grainger, Jan Pitz, Doug & Shayla Stitt, Jeff Hertz, Debbie Grainger, Christie Lester, Darrel Thompson
middle: Dave Grainger, Roenna & Clarence Schaplowsky, Monica Hertz & Larisa, Emily Grainger, Debby Thompson
front: Kasha & Laisen Stitt, Sharon Carroll, Melissa Chardene…..
We had a wonderful Sunday morning meeting. I know that many of you were thinking of us this morning. We have been missing some voices in meeting and it was good to hear them again!
Larisa reminded us this morning that Joseph kept very near to God - even through some very difficult experiences - and as a result had a great reward. Her words on the subject carry great meaning for all of us.
We are off to Gospel meeting. Thanks, as always, for checking in.
David
Wow…we are happy to be writing this blog from the Graingers! Hospital walls were getting to us (to say the least) but we are thankful for the medical world that was there when we needed it and we will use it a plenty in the future.
Maybe we should clarify how the discharge from Rehab came 3 days sooner than planned. Yesterday morning, after Larisa received her Dynamic Walk Foot Braces and was actually jogging in the hall, she begged NOT to have her neck release surgery on this Monday. Larisa said, “I can put up with my neck restriction (tightness) for now. I just want to live a normal life.” So, we called Dr. Sprole and she said it was ok. In the weeks ahead as the out patient therapists work with Larisa they will watch her spine and neck structure closely. If they feel it is fusing or causing tissue tightness that would cause long term problems then surgery will be scheduled. Or when Larisa can’t tolerate it anymore, then surgery will be scheduled.
We had a super duper day! Nathan went back to Manhattan, Jacob visited for part of the day, Jeff worked on rental houses in Abilene and joined us in time for a wonderful BBQ supper tonight! Thanks Reza.
The Kansas College Basketball teams played against each other tonight. Our house was divided. (Wildcats vs. Jayhawks) I wore both teams shirts so I always was on the winning side, but I had to keep changing shirts cause there was at least 20 lead changes. Lots of giggling and happy moments!!!
We are VERY, VERY, THANKFUL to have made it this far on this journey. Thanks to her HUGE ARMY for sticking with us. We have decided that the initials LLA (Larisa’s Little Army) that was used previously on the blog is incorrect. The corrected version is LHA (Larisa’s Huge Army). As you quiet your mind and soul tonight, please be reassured that prayer is a mighty source of power. Good Night from TGH (The Grainger’s Home). Monica
Good evening,
Larisa had a safe trip home. Debbie, Emily, and I helped Monica pack up (again!), but this time felt different. Specifically, it felt better! No problems getting home and unpacked, and Larisa has found extra energy to cruise the house! She and Emily just disappeared downstairs. Nathan got here a few minutes ago. Monica ran to the store for “soup fixins”. Christy is here, and we have lots of pets to go around! It feels great to have Larisa here.
Once again, words cannot express our thankfulness for LLA, and all of your efforts on our behalf. Come and see us!
David from 3 N Sandalwod
PS Here is an Original Larisa Joke from right now (she is sitting beside me) - “What does a sore frog say?…..Rubbit, Rubbit!”
There were times when I wondered if we would ever see this day,
There were times when I wondered “How many months…?”
But TODAY is THE DAY!!!
Thank you for all of your prayers! They have been answered!
David for ALL OF US
Not much new, except Larisa decided to go down to the recreation room this afternoon. She was “wowed out” with all the paint items they had. She painted this picture and had a good time. We also received some ‘California Sunshine’ (fresh gerber daisies - yellow, orange, red, pink). Thanks to the Rob & Karen Gibson family for cheering our room up. Dave and Emily cheered our room up too with yummy fast food. It’s snowing and blowing, so Emily might get snowed in and spend the night with us (she also has been hoping for a snow-day from school tomorrow too).
Good Night from LRR - Monica
P.S. Just in case you think you see a red ribbon on the top of Larisa’s head, it’s not, just back ground loot:)
Today went great with therapy. Larisa’s plastic surgeon stopped by to review the neck release surgery plans for next Monday and the weeks following.
Larisa’s pressure garment and glove came. The glove fit, but her upper body garment was too small again. So, it’s frustrating that after 2 fittings, and 2 different orders, that have taken 1.5 months, we still don’t have pressure on her upper body scars. I might explain that scar tissue continues to grow unless there is counter pressure against it. Scar tissue causes tightness and is thick and continues to be processed by the body from 1 year to 18 months. Anyways, we will check on getting them reordered and hope for the best.
We are counting down our days here at Rehab. Yet the days since Sept. 25th keep adding up since life was normal, so please keep praying for us as the length of this journey is quite stressful to say the least. We know that prayer has kept us this far, and we have faith and hope for the same strength and courage in the future.
Hanging in there from LRR. Monica
Hi, right now I’m eating the candy I won by challenging Brandon, my therapist, in ping pong. Another therapist used laser on my neck today and I think it helped. Emily stopped by after school and I probably bored her to death cause I ended up taking a nap, so she got her homework done.
Dave, I under estimated your fan club responses. “I guess they love you too, like I do!”
If any one wants to challenge me to ping pong, bring it on.
Good Night Everybody. Larisa
Hi!
Well, Larisa had another good day in rehab. Jaclyn (sister) and Rachel (cousin) came down for the day. Other company - Harold Grainger and Roena and Clarence Schaplowsky. Debbie and I are sitting her talking with Larisa and Monica. Larisa made ME write the blog tonight. She wants to see how FEW comments I will get. Don’t let her down! We are babysitting a big shaggy brown standard poodle, and we are headed to the lobby so Larisa can see and pet him. All for tonight.
David
(Larisa is a hard act to follow!)
Sick of hearing from me yet? I enjoyed all of yesterday’s comments and now I’m just sitting here wishing I could be in Sunday morning meeting with my family and friends. 
Love Larisa!!!
Hi Everybody,
Scuba diving was fun today! jk, jk, but I wish! Ummm, I don’t know what to say except, thank you so much for thinking of me and for all of your comments and all of your encouragement. Come see me! If you want to see me in the Rehab Hospital you will have to hurry because this is my LAST WEEK! I will go back to the Burn Unit and have surgery on my neck one week from Monday. Then after that I get to go HOME! Well, home to the Grainger’s. This is exciting news!
love to ALL 
Larisa
Hello!
I asked Larisa what she did today, and this was her answer:
“I did 100 sit ups, 50 push ups, ran 3 miles, and rode a horse…just kidding!”
She did have a good day of therapy. They have made a “putty-splint” for her left thumb. Tracy came by to look at it - she actually took it off for the night because of redness of the skin (pressure). She wants Larisa to wear it two hours on, two hours off tomorrow. This replaces the splint that she had previously. She has a whole basket of “gadgets” and splints by her bedside. Emily was complaining of her ankle hurting, and Larisa told her to help herself to the basket of splints!
We had a pleasant evening with Larisa. Monica headed back to Abilene today. Aaron Couch is down for the weekend. I have a funeral of a cousin to go to in Guymon, OK tomorrow (with Uncle Harold, Dad, and Beth). Emily and Debbie are in Lawrence tomorrow for a volleyball tournament. Jeff and Monica are working on rentals in Abilene. Life goes on. We are anxious for the BIG day, getting Larisa home. We know she has one more surgery on her neck before that will happen. She is ready for it!
All for tonight. Have a safe and profitable weekend!
David for LRR
Good evening,
Larisa has had another busy day. Work, work, work…but the results are great! Another record day of walking - 900 feet! It is easy to see her progress, just getting herself out of bed, and taking a few steps on her own across the apartment. Today Monica came up with a new “progress chart” - the length of time Larisa is able to stand up and play ping pong! Larisa’s comment - “Brilliant…”. Emily came to the room after school, hung out and got her homework done while Larisa slept. I came by after work and hassled both of them. They can hold their own, though…
Dr. Sprole came by the Rehab Hospital to visit Larisa today. She thinks her eyes are doing great, but she is worried about the scarring on the front of Larisa’s neck. This is going to require another surgery fairly soon, as this scarring is restricting the mobility of her head. Dr. Sprole thinks that when Larisa is ready for discharge from the Rehab Hospital, she will send her back to the Burn Unit for this surgery. Larisa (and Monica, and Jeff on weekends) would then come to our home from the Burn Unit. Dr. Sprole may think about removing Larisa’s feeding tube during this surgery. I think that she will consult with Dr. Bingaman about the plans for the feeding tube. Dr. Sprole also thought the sores on Larisa’s head were improving.
Tuesday was a real turning point in Larisa’s recovery, in my opinion. For those of you that have visited, you will understand what I am saying - while Larisa has never been unpleasant or unkind, she just hasn’t been herself. Understandably so. So, on with the story. Emily came up to Larisa’s room right after school on Tuesday. I came by around 6 pm, and honestly thought I had been through a time warp. These two girls were laughing, giggling, teasing, joking…Monica was looking on in amazement also. It has stayed that way since then. It isn’t that there is an absence of discouraging and painful, yes very painful, moments. But our little live wire is in there after all. When I left tonight, I just told Larisa “I am so happy”. She looked at me like I was crazy…she’s baaaack!
Mike Betts called tonight to check on Larisa. Sheldon is doing well. He is at home, and goes in as an outpatient for his therapy. He is making steady progress on his recovery. They have had some trouble with his donor sites healing, so that has been a struggle. Overall, he is doing well. They will be coming down next week, so we might get to see them.
I feel very thankful tonight. I have waited a long time to write this particular blog. Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers that have made this incredible week possible.
David for LRR
Larisa had another good day. Graingers stopped by to cheer us up. Tonight after her head wash she said, “I want to go shopping”. I told her that it might be a while till we can go out for that, but we can go shopping on the internet. She said, “Oh yea, let’s shop for wigs!” We found some, but we think it’s best if we look at some local shops first and touch and learn about them ‘hands on’. Also, Larisa is not ready to wear a wig because some areas on her head are not healed yet, so we have some time before buying a wig. But we are anxious for that day to come. So….forward goes the progress and more things to think about. Good night from LRR. Monica
Larisa had a great day! She toughed out therapy and was her silly self all afternoon and evening. It sure did my heart good to watch her and Emily joking, giggling and teasing like best friends do! They brainstormed up the idea to order pizza and invite a few girls over. Julie Taylor was able to come, but Alex and Kristin already had commitments. We can’t value friendship enough! Especially the friend we have in Jesus. Once again, “THANKS” from many miles away for all of you blog readers and others that have been true friends to all of us!!! Good Night from LRR. Monica
Sorry to leave a post so late. I’ll fill in for Monica tonight from up here in Abilene.
She said Larisa had a strenuous but good day. They started to give her a little pain medication just before the therapy which helps Larisa alot.
The eye doctor did a routine eye exam on Larisa and found that one of her eyes has a catarac. The doc said this is common with patients that have had a high amount of voltage run through their body. So, I guess she’ll be having surgery sometime in the near future. I don’t think a date has been set for that. It doesn’t sound like a dificult surgery. The worst part is that Larisa’s vision has been adversely affected in that eye. We’re aware that it could be much worse.
Hope you all have good night. Jeff
Good evening,
Hope all had a restful, profitable day. We enjoyed our meeting at Stitt’s, and meeting this afternoon in Rose Hill. Very encouraging day!
This afternoon I got a Ping Pong challenge that I couldn’t refuse! Larisa called me out, and so off to the Rehab hospital for the match. We had a lot of fun…no real score keeping. Jeff stood behind her, and we had some really good rallys! It didn’t take long to wear her out. Her stamina is about 10 minutes. But, we were not playing ANY ping pong one week ago. So it is daily progress, slowly but surely.
It is great to be back in Wichita with my family, and good to be with the Hertz’s again. It was good to see Jaclyn and Nathan on Saturday. Emily (alto sax) had a League Honors Band day on Saturday. They take selected band players from all the schools in the league, invite in a guest conductor from one of the major universities, and learn three concert pieces. They start practicing about 9 am, and the concert is at 4 pm. It was amazing! I wanted to sneak Larisa out the back door of the Rehab hospital to go to the concert (and she might have gone for it!).
This morning, Larisa had another upset stomach. It has seemed some better through the day, and she is feeling OK this evening. She had an abdominal x-ray this morning, but I haven’t heard any results. The nurses have given her some Zofran today to help with the nausea. I believe that Monica said that Larisa will be seeing Dr. Sprole this week also. The wounds on the top and side of her head are ever so slowly healing…sort of. We will see what Dr. Sprole is thinking.
“Be true today, let not tomorrow, with anxious fears becloud thy soul; be true today, fret not nor sorrow, thy cares upon the Saviour roll.”
All the best for a wonderful week, one wonderful day at a time!
David from LRR (actually I am at home
First of all, I just want to say thank you for those of you that leave comments. They continue to be a source of comfort to us! Also, to those that have sent cards to the Wesley Rehab, not to worry, we’ve been getting them. They send them on to our home address.
Larisa is still dealing with stomach pain and vomiting but otherwise has had a good day. Can you believe Larisa and Jaclyn played Ping Pong?! That’s right! Larisa did quite well as long as the ball was within reach of her right hand. She had to sit down after about 5 minutes but, after a short rest, was ready to play another 5! Watch out Jeff Peck, it won’t be long and she’ll be able to take you on in a game!
Mark and Relyssa Weeda came clear from the Omaha area last night to see Larisa! We enjoyed having them with us today. Nathan and Jaclyn just left to head back to Abilene. At 6 PM, Teri and Sheila Davis with Hot Rod Catering brought us BBQ at the expense of Raza Eftekar. Thank you so much Raza! It was absolutely delicious!
Debbie Bengtson brought us some very, what shall I say, maybe delicate, homemade chocolates. They were so beautiful you sure wanted to be careful to eat them slowly. They were mouth watering delicious! So, between the BBQ and chocolate, this is a very bad time to go on a diet.
We enjoyed having Dave and Debbie and some good laughs with them! They continue to be a huge help to encourage us these days!
Will let this be all for now. Have a good and profitable day tomorrow. Jeff
Larisa began and ended the day being sick. She experienced painful stomach cramps and lost the contents of her stomach, if you know what I mean. The majority of the time in between was good. She had 4 hours of therapy and did fine with that.
Debbie, Emily, Christy and Vicky McGuffy brought more puppies today! They brought the runt of the litter which took a little nap on Larisa’s lap! That was a bright spot in Larisa’s day!
Thank you Bob and Marianne Houkom, Darryl and Debbie Thompson for coming to visit! Thank you Teri Genteman for bringing Taco Bell for supper! We appreciate your efforts on our behalf.
Sometimes we are weary and may not show our appreciation for what you all do for us as we should. We apologize for that. But as we reflect back on the love and care shown us, it truly is encouraging and uplifting. Thank you!
Good night all. Jeff
This move was easy and kind of exciting as it was to an apartment that’s for patients getting ready to go home. It’s designed much like normal living conditions; normal bed, normal tub/shower, small kitchenette and small table w/2 chairs. We go to the nurses station to get her meds and we’ll be giving them to her. Monica is currently giving Larisa a bath w/o assistance from the staff.
The “feel” we get from nurses, doctors, cafeteria help, admissions and management is much better than where we were. I want to be clear in the fact that there were some very qualified help at Wesley, some that we will miss. But the complete package here is a welcome improvement.
Larisa first visitor here at Lourdes arrived at 5:00 am to draw blood! One or two other nurses to show up for other things, then breakfast at 7:30 am. So, definitely not a laid back schedule like at Wesley but we take the bad with the good. One really big negative, which they seem to be really strict on, is all visitors have to be out of the building by 8:30 pm! We murmured and complained about it, but to no avail. They said for Larisa’s sake of rest, they hold to the rules on that.
The address is the same but the room is apt# 102 instead of 2021w.
I need to add that 2 of Larisa’s cousins came to see us and helped us move. Thank you Rachel and Heather Hnizdil. Now we have Jean Olsen and Joe McFadden visiting us. They brought sour gummy worms which is a favorite candy of hers! How did they know?
Surprise! Jim and Beth Grainger just arrived! I’ll let you go for now. Good night. Jeff
Well, we got moved. We’re wore out mentally, emotionally and physically. It’s the end of a full day and to be expected. Thank you Sharon and Melissa for coming to see and encourage us. Thanks Debbie, Emily, Mia, Chooka, and Molly for coming to our help in the move. We had alot of loot to get packed, loaded up, unloaded and unpacked. We appreciate the extra hands. The dogs were a moral booster for Larisa.
Now to get settled in and familiar with the new surroundings and staff. Good night to all. Jeff
P.s. Our new address here is;
Via Christi Rehab/Our Lady of Lords
1151 North Rock Road , Room #2021
Wichita, KS 67206-1262
P.S.S Larisa walked 600 feet today!!!!!!!!
C/O Dave Graingers 3 N SANDALWOOD WICHITA KS 67230
