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May 15, 2006
WSLS NBC follow up interview with Courtney
Yesterday, Melissa Martin from the Roanoke NBC affiliate came to Harrisonburg to do a follow up story on Courtney's progress. It was entirely Courtney's decision, and she agreed. She wanted an opportunity to share her testimony, and her biggest concern was that she didn't want anyone to think that she just wanted her 15 minutes of fame. I assured her that nobody would think that after hearing what she had to say. I hope you agree.
You can see the video of that interview for the next day or so here:
http://www.wsls.com
In the lower right corner, the video is titled, "Brake Drum Accident Recovery." Again, they did a nice job editing. They talk with you for 30 minutes, and then edit it down. I apreciated the fact that Courtney's testimony was left intact. It truly captured Courtney's spirit through this ordeal. You can read a transcript of the video here:
"Woman Talks About Being Hit By Brake Drum"
I have DVD copies of the previous news reports done by WSLS. If copyright allows, I may encode those and post them here for archival purposes.
Courtney is now almost entirely narcotic free. In the past days she's only taken 3 half doses, and those only at night. In fact, last night she didn't have any. Last week she was taking 5 full doses a day. The pain is under control with OTC Advil and Tylenol. Her primary discomfort now is jaw pain (possibly muscular), and major neck and shoulder stiffness. She had a professional massage last week, and we're scheduling one for later this week.
I heard back from our family dentst. He is going to contact Dr. Park to make sure that they are both on the same page. He was very sympathetic to Courtney's situation and offered to do anything necessary and possible in the interim to make her comfortable. Thankfully, she's doing pretty well, and can probably wait until after the jaw is unwired.
Overall, Courtney is holding up well. She has moments when she gets discouraged by the discomfort and knowledge that it's going to take a long time to fully recover, but she's hanging in there. She's still eating well, and continuing to slowly gain weight. She's taking short walks with friends and trying hard to stay up as much as she can during the day. She hasn't slept very well the past few nights, and is pretty frustrated about that, but that could be attributed to removing the narcotics after taking them pretty heavily for a month.
My mom and John left on Sunday, and Courtney's mom came back on Monday. We've still got tons of family help and fantastic food being delivered by our friends. If I continue to eat at the rate I've been eating, by the time Courtney is fully recovered, I'm sure to weigh 300 lbs.
[ UPDATE - The video is no longer available on WSLS via the links above. If legal, I'll post permanent links at some point in the future. It make take a few weeks. ]
Posted by mark at May 15, 2006 4:07 PM Subscribe (FeedBurner)
Comments
Amazing! Thanks for sharing that with us. Courtney looks great! The Lord is indeed good.
Posted by: jonathan at May 16, 2006 9:10 AM
Courtney looks absolutely beautiful and her story is a testimony of God's greatness and love. She is a miracle. I love you all and am constantly praying for you. God is so good.
Posted by: Dana at May 16, 2006 9:18 AM
Mark- I worked briefly with you at Sonner. I just wanted to say what a blessing Courtney's testimony is-and,I believe, God has great plans for her. Not to mention, she looks great. Many blessings!
Posted by: Ellen at May 16, 2006 12:35 PM
Oh Courtney! How wonderful you look, but your message to all was so wonderful and such a blessing to all of us, your extended family. The Lord is being glorified through you and through this! Praise God for his goodness and we will continue to pray for your healing.
Love,
Aunt Darian
Posted by: Aunt Darian at May 16, 2006 12:38 PM
Courtney, you look marvelous. I wish I could be there to visit; that day will come soon, I'm sure. Your testimony inspires all of us. I'm glad Judi is with you this week. Will call soon. Much love, "Mike"
Posted by: mike cushman at May 16, 2006 12:54 PM
Oh Courtney-
It was so good to see you and hear your voice. I sit here with tears running down my face. I miss you so much and want so badly to be there. I am so proud of your strong faith in God and your testimony. I believe that God has already done a miracle in your life and that he has the power to heal you...something our family has learned well the past year.
You are an inspiration...I love you.
Posted by: Kara at May 16, 2006 1:12 PM
Thanks for sharing the video interview, Mark. I may just be hormonal, but I cried like a baby through the whole thing. Courtney looks awesome, and I'm just so glad she's *here* and doing so well. What an amazing testimony. Know that we're all (Dylan included) praying for her every night.
{big hugs}
Posted by: Brooke at May 16, 2006 3:16 PM
Mark & Courtney,
You may have a hard time remembering me from Orlando...it's been years. My sister passed on the information about the story on the local news. Wow. I'll be praying for you guys. God certainly has some big plans for both of you and your family. You guys are testimony to his grace. We'll be praying for Courtney's recovery!
Touch base sometime if you get a chance. I'd love to catch up.
Todd Cullen
Posted by: Todd Cullen at May 17, 2006 7:19 AM
Courtney, what an amazing testimony you have to God's grace and protection! Thank you so much for sharing that video. It was so wonderful to see you...you look beautiful! I continue to praise the Lord for what He has done and continues to do for you and your family! I miss you!! Much love to you!
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly (Love) Perkins at May 17, 2006 9:34 AM
Dear Courtney,
You are precious and such an inspiration. We are so happy to hear your recovery stories. We are thanking God each and everyday for your healing. Lauren and I started getting so tickeled the other day. Remember the dinner in New York...you remember, ...the questionalbe woman at One if by Land... what a great time we had and cannot wait until the next time. We love you and the kids and of course Mark. Wish I could be there to make you some food too. xo,
Leslie
Posted by: Leslie at May 17, 2006 2:06 PM
Good news. Glad you're making progress Court! :) Love ya
Posted by: Amy at May 19, 2006 6:36 AM
Courtney,
We'll be away for a couple of weeks and out of touch, so we just wanted to express how much we are praying for you. When we return, we fully expect to hear wonderful news of your continued recovery. And what a great interview! You and Mark are clear demonstrations of what it means to follow Christ. Thank you.
Love,
Dave and Gail
Posted by: Dave and Gail Veerman at May 21, 2006 7:42 AM