Sunshine Soldier

Silas is doing well. He is also beyond exhausted. But he is being such a trooper! So many blood draws and scans and Neuro checks. But he gets it. He understands everyone is trying to help.

We are hopeful that he can get another CT scan tonight. That will show how the clot and brain bleed are doing. And those results will determine some next steps.

He is still having some hallucinations but they don’t seem as strong or upsetting.

We have seen OT, PT, Neurotherapy… they all think he is doing amazingly well.

Please pray for 100% healing for Silas. Please pray that the delirium subsides. Please pray that he can sleep tonight. Please pray that the CT scan comes back showing improvement. Please pray that Si is being drawn closer and closer to the Lord, and that there he finds his comfort and strength.

Please pray for Ryan and I. For endurance and wisdom.

Please pray for our other children- Caleb, Cheyenne, Collin and Alexa. They miss Silas so much. Please pray for those that are caring for them who also miss Silas so much.

God is so big, so strong and so mighty. He has been with us through every single moment of this trial and he will continue to be. Not only that, He has equipped us for it.

In the car yesterday, I heard this song on the radio. And I worshiped. The last 18 days have been beyond hard. Just when I thought my heart couldn’t possibly hurt any worse, it would. The only way we could carry on was by putting our complete hope in the Lord. And he sustained us. Because we had a firm foundation. We were (and are) standing on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Silas loves the Lord so much. And he is truly an instrument in the redeemer’s hands. If you have not read his testimony, here it is…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Silas is doing well. We did get to move to a new room last night at around 9pm. What a blessing! We now have window and a view of the river. It is much quieter so there are a lot more opportunities for rest.

Silas is still delirious a good bit of the time. But now it is not scary stuff which is a huge blessing.

He was able to sleep some last night, but even then he talks and has his eyes open. So I don’t think it’s the best rest.

He is so sweet and kind.

Please pray for Silas to sleep. Please pray that he comes out of this state of delirium quickly. Please pray for 100% recovery. Please pray that he draws closer to the Lord and is comforted.

Please pray for Ryan and I. For endurance. We are tired but we are so blessed. We are so happy to have our boy back. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to walk right alongside him through this trial.

If you have not read Si’s testimony, here it is.

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Silas is still doing so well. His memory is great. He is getting stronger and stronger. He is sweet and funny and considerate.

All that being said, the delirium struggle is real. He feels like all kinds of crazy things are really happening and he gets frantic. He has tried to take cords and things off of his body and he tries to get out of bed.

It’s normal. As in it happens to a lot of TBI patients. But, it’s very hard on him. He gets so scared. He is praying to himself and we are praying with him. God is using it for sure. But it’s still quite difficult.

We are being moved to another floor shortly which should help.

Please pray for 100% recovery for Silas. Please pray that the delirium subsides. Please pray that he will trust in the Lord and be comforted. Please pray that he will clearly see how God is using this in his life and in the lives of others.

Please pray for endurance for Ryan and I. This will likely be a long night. This too shall pass.

Please pray for our kids at home. They are so ready to be the Atkinson 7 again.

If you have not read Si’s testimony, here it is. It will bless you!

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Please pray. Si’s heart rate is a bit high. They are trying to figure out why. Nobody seems overly concerned… But definitely concerned.

Silas is still doing so well. He is talking much more clearly today.

Physical Therapy just came to see him. They were very encouraged and encouraging. They are so pleased with his progress.

This is the deal… Silas could come home from here. But it just might not be the very best for him. We want the very best. It is looking like that might be Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

Please pray for wisdom for Ryan and I as we make this decision.

Please pray for 100% recovery for Silas. Pray that he gets moved to a different room today so that he can sleep. Pray that his CT scan later today shows good things. Please pray that his heart is encouraged and that he feels all the love that is being poured out on him. Pray that he is compelled by the love of Christ and can pour that out on others. Please pray that his faith grows even stronger through this.

Silas loves the Lord. You can read his testimony here…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Hello all! Silas is still doing great. I wish I had time to tell you all the wonderful things that happened today… But I am just so tired! So, I’m just going to ask you to pray…

Please pray that Silas will be able to go to sleep for the night. He gets delusional because he is so tired! We really need him to sleep and leave his IV alone. If he were to pull it out, that would be really bad because he is on a blood thinner.

Thank you all so much!

Silas is amazing! He is doing so well. He is actually sleeping at the moment.

The team is so excited about him and his progress. They want to get him to a different room in the hospital ASAP. Out of ICU! Amazing! They want to get him home very soon. There are several moving parts to make that happen.

Please pray that all the parts come together and that Silas can move to a different room tomorrow. Please pray that he gets to go home from there and do outpatient rehab. Please pray for a 100% recovery for Si. Please pray that he shines his light for Jesus so bright.

Please pray for patience for all of us.

If you have not read Si’s testimony, here it is…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Silas is still doing great. He is so tired but he is having a lot of trouble sleeping. There is a lot of activity in a hospital! He also is coughing a good bit which makes it hard to sleep. He is getting over pneumonia and the flu you know.

He got to go outside this morning for the first time in 2 weeks… to the helipad!

He ate a good breakfast and is in good spirits overall.

Due to the brain bleed, he has crossed eyes and double vision. Those may stick around until the brain re-absorbs the bleed.

Please pray that Silas can sleep. Please pray that his brain will quickly heal from the bleed. Please pray for a 100% recovery. Please pray that Silas is compelled by the love of Christ and can shine his light so bright. Please pray for strength and endurance and comfort. He is missing home so much.

Please pray for patience for all of us.

If you have not read Si’s testimony, here it is…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Silas continues to do so so so well. God is so good.

We had the sweetest day with him today. He said so many funny Silas things. And his concern for others… precious.

Ryan is going to shave his head so that the two of them match. Silas is getting the biggest kick out of that! He keeps reminding Ryan that he is not getting out of it.

Silas was awake all day “so that he would be able to sleep tonight.” He got to have several visitors and he was able to engage with each one.

We really just enjoyed every minute with him. He is sweeter and cuter than ever before.

Obviously, we still have a road ahead. But we know that the Lord is with us. He always has been. He has never failed us.

Please pray for 100% recovery for Silas. Pray that he loves the Lord more than ever before and that he continues to see how God is using him. Please pray for strength and endurance and comfort for him.

Please pray for Ryan and I as we walk this road with him.

I expect the Silas updates to go down in frequency quite a bit moving forward. Praise the Lord!

If you have not had a chance to read his testimony, here it is…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/

Sweet Silas. Words cannot express how much we have missed this boy. He is better with each passing minute.

As usual, his primary concern is for those he loves. He is talking about the Lord and how great He is. He is smiling. He is cracking jokes. So Silas.

He is still very weak. Talking is hard. But he keeps doing it.

The team is blown away by this “dramatic recovery.”

The possibility of outpatient rehab has been mentioned quite a bit. That would be so amazing!

Please pray for 100% recovery for Silas. Please pray for strength and endurance and comfort. Please pray that Silas is drawn ever closer to the Lord.

Please pray that he can come home from here and do outpatient rehab!

If you have not read Si’s testimony, here it is…

https://sunshine-soldier.com/2022/05/20/my-testimony-by-silas/