The Puriri Family: ROADSIDE RESCUE

This post begins with a BIG thank you to Rakai and Carly for staying the night with Ammon. I wanted to stay through the night with Ammon but it had already been a very difficult day. That's enough about yesterday because today was a happy day.

We arrived this morning with a determination to lift his spirits. The list of things to do included an outside field trip, a shower and conversation with hospital personnel to see when we can break Ammon out of this place. Not that it's a bad place...it's just that a hospital is no place for a healthy, active young man.

Our roadside rescue started with a hello from Leo. Ammon wanted to "crutch it" to the main entrance and he did while the physical therapist (Shannon) walked next to him. It was a long walk and maybe a little bit too much too soon. I sat on the bench across from him. His face was white as a ghost. I told him he looked like one of those creepy dead people in the movies. But soon the color returned to his face. He was happy to see his dog.

The front entrance to the hospital is a really busy place. Noisy cars and trucks, people coming and going. Shannon said we could take him for a walk as long as he stayed in the wheel chair. She gave us an hour and off we went. First down to stand under the skybridge instead of in the sky bridge. Then Rakai suggested we walk back up and find a patch of grass under a tree. The road to one side, the parking lot to the other but that didn't matter. He was outside. Rakai pulled the car over and turned on the tunes. We listened to Ammon explain his helicopter journey.

Ammon looked out through the wind and watched the blades move around. Everything happened in slow motion on this first helicopter ride. A result of low blood pressure I suppose. He said he didn't feel the pain until he was pulled from the helicopter and then it was a pain that cannot be explained in words. He yelled at the medical team working on him, "MAKE IT STOP." Then he said, "I've been thinking a lot about Jesus and the pain he suffered. I feel bad for Him. People don't understand the pain he felt, except maybe James. I'm just one person. There's all the other people in this hospital and then people all over the world. They all have pain. Pain He suffered. You can't understand His pain until you've experienced extreme pain yourself."

The clock was ticking down and we needed to get Ammon back inside. Later on in the day the shower happened and then later on after that we did an evening picnic complete with homemade hamburgers, thanks again to Rakai. Yes we did have that conversation with the social workers. No conclusive answer yet. Maybe he'll break free on Monday. For now we are here and he is waiting for my computer so he can skype a few friends after we leave.

Today was a good day and here's the pictures to prove it.