Parker Allen

always4bama · March 4th, 2008, 03:42 PM

Please pray for Parker - he and his family are AL fans (though at this moment that is not important) Parker is a student at Auburn and was in a serious car accident last night and life flight transported him to Columbus, GA. He is stable but has sustained head injuries. He had surgery, they removed a blood clot from the brain and part of his skull so the brain could swell without pressure. Currently vtals are stable.

Some of you in Decatur or Morgan County may know his grandparents Jack and Betty Allen or his dad Stewart Allen.

dennychimes76 · March 6th, 2008, 12:42 PM

Parker will be in our prayers.

always4bama · March 18th, 2008, 06:55 PM

The doctors are still saying it is a day by day wait. Parker is breathing on his own, his temp will spike every now and then. They will but him on the vent in the evening to give him some rest. He does have some response with his eyes and he also reacts to having his face washed.

Please continue to pray for Parker and the family.

always4bama · March 24th, 2008, 02:54 PM

Parker has been moved to a private room at Columbus Medical Center - though his condition remains about the same.

For those that would like to you may send the family an email to:

www.http://columbusregional.com/email_a_patient

The emails are printed and delivered to the family M-F.

dennychimes76 · March 24th, 2008, 08:35 PM

	Quote:	always4bama
	Parker has been moved to a private room at Columbus Medical Center - though his condition remains about the same. For those that would like to you may send the family an email to: www.http://columbusregional.com/email_a_patient The emails are printed and delivered to the family M-F.

Thank you for the updates always4bama. Please continue to let us know how Parker is doing. I sent him an email. RTR

always4bama · March 28th, 2008, 06:08 PM

Parker has been running a temp for a couple of days now. The news is that the temp is caused from an intestinal infection caused from antibiotics. They are working towards getting this taken care of by changing meds. There are also some blood clots in the legs, they are not overly concerned with this because they have the mesh in place to catch them in case they move.

Once the temp is gone they hope to move him to UAB. They were also looking at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta - for now UAB seems to be the next location hopefully this will happen next week.

The family is still in need of prayers.

dennychimes76 · March 31st, 2008, 09:58 AM

	Quote:	always4bama
	Parker has been running a temp for a couple of days now. The news is that the temp is caused from an intestinal infection caused from antibiotics. They are working towards getting this taken care of by changing meds. There are also some blood clots in the legs, they are not overly concerned with this because they have the mesh in place to catch them in case they move. Once the temp is gone they hope to move him to UAB. They were also looking at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta - for now UAB seems to be the next location hopefully this will happen next week. The family is still in need of prayers.

Again, thank you for the update and please continue to post as you get new info. Parker and his family continue in our prayers.

always4bama · April 2nd, 2008, 10:05 AM

Hey, folks. Just a quick update. Parker's grandmother just told me that they were not able to move Parker yesterday as planned, but they are en-route as I type. She asks that we all pray for safety as they travel. Also, there is a website you can go to for updates: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/parkerallen .

dennychimes76 · April 2nd, 2008, 10:43 AM

Thanks for the update!!

always4bama · April 5th, 2008, 08:08 PM

The following post is from Stuart and Roslyn (Parker's parents) posted on CaringBridge their most recent update.

To the many friends of Parker,
Thank you for taking the time to show us your concern. Hopefully, sometime soon, we will be able to thank all of you personally. Your faith has encouraged us so much.
Parker has finished two days of therapy, rehab, tests, etc. here at Spain Rehab at UAB. He has done well, but is very limited in what he is able to do. He is still in a marked coma, which as I understand it, means he responds to some stimulation, but is unable to respond to simple commands w/ no vocalization. Parker's day consists of speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy during the morning in the room. In the afternoon, we get him in a wheelchair and take him to therapy for 2 1/2 hours on the floor. It is a very exhausting day for him, as well as us. Does anyone know of a good chiropractor that makes in-hospital visits and works cheap?
The program we are in is a Pre-rehab / Family training program where Parker receives therapy and Roslyn and I are taught how to take care of him when we take him home. We will probably be here for another week and then go from there, depending on his progress. Please continue to pray for Parker to progress and improve. Thanks to God for how far he has come to this point.

Stuart and Roslyn

always4bama · April 9th, 2008, 11:48 AM

Stuart's latest journal entry in regards to Parker;s progress:

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']We are so thankful and appreciative for all the many words of encouragement we have received from all of you. This is only one of the ways God is using Parker's accident. His plan has been evident since the first few hours after we got the news he had been in a serious car accident. The Lord has provided every step of the way and your encouragement is a part of that. Please accept our thanks.[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Parker has had two good days of therapy. He continues to make small steps of progress. He lifted his head a few times today and was able to control it and lay it back down. It takes so much energy for him to do something like this, that seems so small. He is beginning to push against pressure with his arms, as we do his range of motion exercises. Roslyn and I are being trained by the staff on how to take care of him. As would be expected, her grade is much better than mine. I wish you could all see how much she loves Parker. It is truly amazing and a great inspiration. Parker and Hunter are so blessed to have her as their mother.[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Just a note, this will probably be a long process of recovery. Don't get discouraged if the results are slow in coming. Keep praying. I don't know how this will all turn out, but I believe that God is doing something great that will bring glory to His name. The signs are everywhere.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']In Christ,[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Stuart[/FONT]

always4bama · April 14th, 2008, 09:45 AM

Below once again is Stuart's update from the online journal. Parker's grand-daddy said yesterday that due to the progress Parker showed this week they will keep him in re-hab for two more weeks. The original discharge date wold have been this week.

We believe that this has been a really good week for Parker. He has been alot more alert and responsive the past several days, especially to touch and sound. He is beginning to be able to follow commands, at times. When he is concentrating on moving or following a command, he has to work so hard. We have been greatly encouraged this week. I think the Lord knew that we needed it. Just as He has from the beginning of this ordeal, His timing has been perfect. A word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an email, a visit, a gift, a meal, something Parker does ... coming at just the time when we're in need of a lift. God's grace is truly amazing. In times like this, you are faced to do the things you should always do. I know my priorities have changed 180 degrees since March 3rd. I know I will never be the same. We are so thankful for everything you all are doing for us. Let me say this... some of you have paid me some very nice compliments on here and I thank you for your kind words. So there is no confusion, Jesus Christ receives all the glory and honor for anything I may say or do. He is abundant in mercy and without Him, I am without hope. God has sustained Roslyn and I this entire time. His hedge of protection and healing power is the reason Parker survived the accident and is with us today. Pray that whatever happens out of this, that the name of Jesus would receive all praise, glory, and honor. Please continue to lift up Parker and our family in your prayers.
Thank You,
Stuart, Roslyn, Parker, and Hunter Allen

always4bama · April 16th, 2008, 10:28 PM

Copy from journal

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your kindness and for taking the time to show your concern. I believe that the many prayers that are being offered to the Lord on our behalf are truly making a difference. Please continue to pray for God's grace to sustain us and for Parker's healing. Also, the past few days, Parker has really be struggling with what is termed "storming". His muscles tense, he sweats, his heart rate and breathing increase, etc. We are told it is something that is normal for persons with traumatic brain injuries and he is being treated with medicine for it. However, it effects his ability to relax and be in a state where he can concentrate and learn / re-learn. I think as he has become more alert, he is having these episodes more often. I tell you this to ask you to pray for the Lord to help Parker be able to relax and rest.
Otherwise, today was a good day for Parker. Last week, he had improved to the moderate coma level on the Rappaport Coma Scale. There are 5 levels on this scale: 4) Extreme Coma, 3) Marked Coma, 2) Moderate Coma, 1)Near Coma, and 0) No Coma. The Moderate level means he was inconsistently responsive to stimulation presented to 2 or 3 sensory modalities but not responsive to simple commands. Today when he was tested by the speech therapist, he scored at the Near Coma level. That means he was consistently responsive to stimulus presented to 2 sensory modalities and/or inconsistently or partially responsive to simple commands. Praise the Lord for the progress. The doctors, nurses, medical staff, emergency personnel, maybe even family have watered, but only God causes growth. Roslyn and I are so blessed to be able to spend this time together and to care for Parker. We thank God every day that He brought him through the accident and has given us this opportunity.
Thank all of you.
Stuart and Roslyn