Weekend Update

Tuesday, April 3 – Sunday, April 8th

These last few days have been filled with continued progress and great effort on Wesley’s part. He has stood up in the standing equipment three times this week and for some reason this has a tendency to really tire him out. He is doing much better on rolling over on his side and has shown great improvement in this area. He continues to tease us and one of his favorite tricks is to pretend he has passed out while we are moving him. His whole body just gets limp and you would think he has passed out. After a while a smile creeps onto his face and he thinks he got you. Karen and I have gotten very used to his pranks but once in a while he gets an innocent bystander sucked into his trickery.

Wes and Mr. Bridger

We have had several visitors this week who have brought meals and more importantly shared their company with us. We have had old friends visit and have met many new friends who are patients here. Saturday, we saw an old friend, Mark, go home with his wife and children. Mark had a very serious brain injury after hitting an elk near Flagstaff, AZ and we grew to love him, his wife, and his children. We will miss their smiling faces and words of encouragement. They are a wonderful LDS family.

We also made new friends with a wonderful couple from Phoenix this week. Scott is a friend of Dallin and Nate’s and is a medical student with them. Scott is an avid athlete and was training for a triathlon on a bicycle when he was hit by a car. He sustained very serious brain injuries but is making remarkable progress. He has such a cheerful attitude and has much support from his wife and extended family. What a blessing it is for us to meet such wonderful people. Scott served a mission in German a few years ago.

Dallin and Nate both took turns again this week staying with Wes and allowing us to go to their homes and spend the night. Connie and my brother, Greg, came to stay with Wes during the day a couple of times this week, which allowed us to take care of some things away from the hospital.

we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as our stay at Barrows is concerned. It looks like we may be leaving here in about 10-14 days. Wes’s core strength continues to improve daily and he is sitting for longer periods of time. He still has an unbelievable amount of work ahead of him but he is building strength, endurance, and balance he needs to make that progress.

Our son, Trevor, arrived here in Phoenix early Saturday morning after driving all night from Rexburg, Idaho. He is a student at BYUI and is on summer break. He has not seen Wes since we left Montana and it is so good to have him with us. Trev is doing an internship at a medical lab as a requirement for his biology degree, his Grandma Benson helped set that up for him. He is staying with Dallin and Ashley.

On Thursday Wesley had a very special visitor come and see him. It was Steve Young. Years ago he was the QB for BYU and then for the San Francisco 49ers.  Steve had an amazing career in football. we are impressed with his athletic ability, but more impressed with his Forever Young Foundation and the passion he and his family have to help others and especially children. A friend of ours, Sterling Tanner, who works with Steve arranged to have Steve drop by and see Wes. Even though Steve had a very busy schedule Thursday, he made time to come and see Wes.

Steve also brought a special friend with him, whose name is Jim Herrmann. He was very kind and friendly with Wes and we appreciate his kindness. He played football with Steve Young.

Steve brought a film he helped narrate called “Tyler, A Real Hero”, we are looking forward to watching the video and will report on it in the next few days. Steve also told Wes, “You and I are now forever friends. I will always be your friend and we will follow your progress on the blog.” He also said, “If you ever need anything, please let me know.” Steve also gave Wes a signed 49ers football jersey. All of this attention put a big smile on Wesley’s face.

As I think about Steve’s visit, I am reminded that he is a great administrator and he helps so many organizations that focus on children; in fact, it seems his whole life is now devoted to easing the pain that brings great suffering to children. As busy as Steve is, he has not forgotten the power of personal contact. Administrative work has to be done, but the real joy is found in spending time personally with those who are dealing with difficult situations. Thank you Steve Young, Jim Herrmann, and Sterling Tanner. Thank you for bringing a smile and light into Wesley Joseph Greene’s life. You have set a great example for all of us to follow.

Wesley’s brother-in-law, Ben, is a huge BYU and Steven Young fan and would have given anything to meet him. Unfortunately, Ben is working in Louisiana; we wished he could have been here.

I cannot thank all of you enough fro your prayers, cards, visits, gifts, and thoughts of concern over Wesley’s accident and recover. People continue to come into Wesley’s room and are amazed at the amount of love that is ever present on the walls of his hospital room. They come in and say they have never seen a hospital room like this one. Thank you for brightening our lives and being a part of us. We are reminded that what you have done to support us is more cherished because you are loved ones and family. You help us find the positive in everything and our hope is strengthened because of our knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know everything is going to be just fine. Thank you for being on this journey with us.

Friday morning we got a surprise visit from a childhood friend of mine, Vance Jenkins. Vance is from Carlsbad, NM, where I was born and raised during my teenage years. He shared with us that most of his ward is praying for Wes and especially his own, very large, family. Vance shared with Wes that he has a daughter who has not prayed for several years and, after hearing about Wesley’s accident, has started praying again. We are so grateful that Wesley’s experience is causing people to pray and that it is strengthening testimonies of the importance of prayer. Please know that our prayers are being answered.

Saturday was a great day. We got a pass to leave the hospital all day. We went to Nate and Britt’s house and Wes, Karen and I enjoyed being away from the hospital and surrounded by nieces and nephews. There were a lot of laughs, hugs, and kisses. In the afternoon, we took Wes to see the new movie, The Hunger Games, which he really enjoyed. He has read all three of the books in that series and was anxious to see the movie. It was his first movie since the accident and he even got to watch it from his own reclining wheelchair. We had a wonderful day and wished that it did not have to end back at the hospital. There is an end in sight.

Sunday was another awesome day. We left the hospital early and headed for the Thunderbird Building in North Phoenix for a 9:00AM sacrament meeting. Wesley’s cousin, Craig Lazenby, reported on his mission in Africa, where he served for two years. It was great to be at church again. This was the first sacrament meeting we have been able to attend since the accident. We then went to Britt’s house and relaxed for a while with the grandkids and then went to Grandpa Green’s house for an Easter Feast and lots of family. We got back to the hospital around 7:30PM. This was a great weekend for Wes.

New Record: Wes stacked 13 blocks. This is really hard to do with small blocks. He is a stud.

Be sure to check out the videos below.