As it turns out, there will be no evaluation. Somebody decided it wasn’t necessary.

As well, the Physicians Assistant overseeing Dustin’s care has — in good conscience — changed the language in her notes from “vegatative state” to “traumatic brain injury from a bicycle accident.” While language in notes may not seem like a big deal, she told Leigh Anne that that change might help with the insurance company, especially with regards to what treatments and facilities they might cover. As well, since there is — from the insurance company’s perspective — a light at the end of the tunnel (i.e., a definite timeframe for Dustin leaving his current facility), they are not hounding Leigh Anne about terminating his coverage as much as they have in the past.

Plans for the Salters leaving Travelers Rest at the end of January for Fort Worth are getting firmed up, although certain significant details (such as a place for Dustin and for the Leigh Anne and the kids) are yet to be worked out. Do pray that God would work out all these details, along with ones that no one can foresee, with his powerful and merciful hands.

In recent days, the therapists that are working with Dustin daily have noted some improvements in his responsiveness (to verbal and painful stimuli). However, there has been hard news this week from the insurance company: given Dustin’s current condition (on a trach and not sufficiently responsive) insurance will not pay for the facility he is currently in–or one like it–after January 31. As well, he is not responsive enough to qualify for other more aggressive rehab facilities.

The social worker at the hospital here in Travelers Rest is bringing in someone from outside this hospital to evaluate Dustin’s condition and make a recommendation to the insurance company about his qualifications for care. If Dustin “performs well” and the evaluator writes a good recommendation, then the insurance company might pay for Kindred in Forth Worth, TX–what we’re hoping for. If things at the evaluation do not ‘go well,’ the insurance company will most likely cease any kind of payment after January 31 and payment for all of Dustin’s care would then have to come ‘out of pocket.’

One way or the other, Leigh Anne is planning on relocating the family to the Fort Worth, Texas area by the end of January or shortly thereafter.

There is much to pray about in these days:

• Dustin’s evaluation (most likely to take place next week)
• God’s provision of payment for Dustin’s care (contributions can still be made to the “Dustin Salter Care” fund through Reformed Universities Ministries, www.ruf.org, online or thru the mail)
• the moving process
• Leigh Anne’s wisdom and endurance in decision making
• the kids and all of the transitions currently in their lives

Trusting the good shepherd.

It has been over two weeks since I’ve posted an update on Dustin’s condition. While I’m sorry to keep you feeling in the dark, there really has been dreadfully little change. He remains largely unresponsive. He will, occasionally turn his head toward you when you ask him to, or try to hold up his head when the physical therapists tell him to. He continues to have sleep/wake cycles and his trach is capped. While these are encouraging signs, they do not yet qualify him for placement in a traumatic brain injury facility. He continues on IV antibiotics. Eight weeks since the accident and largely little improvement.

The Salters remained here in South Carolina for the holidays and had a full house most of the time, with family and friends in from all over the place. I believe the Salter Hotel housed 15 people one night. Once all the house-guests were gone, Leigh Anne and the kids spent New Year’s Eve with Dustin, watching a movie.

Some specific things to pray for:

• Season of fasting and prayer: from noon to one o’clock tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 5. While there will be a few brothers gathered at Dustin’s bedside to pray for his healing, let us all join our hearts and voices in prayer to God who alone can heal.
• Leigh Anne is going on retreat for a few days. This weekend, she plans to leave Greenville and head to Atlanta for the RUF Staff Wives Retreat. She will be gone for 48 hours — the longest time away from Dustin’s side in over 2 months. While the time away will be good for her, it will no doubt be very difficult as well.
• Furman RUF. Tonight they have their first large group since Christmas break. Various pastors and RUF staffers are going to each take a month at a time and preach through the Psalms for the remainder of the school year. Furman RUF Large Group meets every Thursday at 7pm.

I wish that I could write each one of you personally, but as you can see, there are just too many of you. My kids and I are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from all over the world. We combed the e-cards and personal letters to place the stars. I’m sure this isn’t exhaustive. My favorite comment was from Jacob when he said, “Nathan, someone is praying for us in Singapore! That’s all the way around the world.” This journey that we are on seems unclear at times and I find that I really only have enough strength /courage for one step at a time. I’m thankful when the end of the day comes and I realize that yet again God has sustained me.

Hearing from “old” friends has been encouraging.I have also made a few new ones. God’s mercy to me right now is that the kids are doing remarkably well. They are excited about Christmas and being out of school.

This verse has brought me much comfort:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

In Christ,
Leigh Anne

Since the surgery a week ago, Dustin has improved some. His eyes are opened again occasionally and the physical therapists were encouraged by their work with him today–he seemed to be trying to hold himself up some. He also is breathing on his own again through his nose/mouth; the trach is capped. These are good signs.

At the same time, Dustin remains unresponsive, does have a touch of pneumonia and a urinary tract infection and is therefore on antibiotics again. In order to better facilitate Dustin’s getting intravenous medications he received a “peripherally inserted central catheter” (PICC line) in his upper arm today.

Also, the doctor overseeing Dustin’s care this week at North Greenville Hospital is encourgaing that he be moved to a facility that specializes in brain trauma so that he might get “more aggressive treatment.” He mentioned a few facilities that he has sent patients to before and there are others that are being looked into as well. Again, if you have suggestions along this line, please send an email to this address.

Continue to pray for Leigh Anne’s endurance, strength and peace. It has been almost 6 weeks now and the pain, fear, confusion, etc. are in many ways more accute now than they were 5 weeks ago. Pray for her as she tries to balance home and hospital, ‘mothering’ and ‘wifeing’, serving and resting.

It is now five weeks since the accident. Today, there are two main changes concerning Dustin and his care.

1) On Monday, the doctor who removed part of Dustin’s skull 5 weeks ago to give the brain room to swell replaced that portion of the skull. This means Dustin had to go in for surgery and has had some changes in his condition most likely related to that. For example, he has not opened his eyes again since Monday, though he does move his arms a little as he had before the surgery. He is running a little bit of a fever. He is a little bit swollen around the face and head — though nothing like what he was just after the accident and following the initial surgery. Again, these are not necessarily serious issues, but are hopefully just related to the surgery.

2) Dustin has been moved to a new facility. He is no longer at the Greenville Memorial Hospital in downtown Greenville, but is now in the North Greenville Hospital (room 307) just outside of Travelers Rest. He is able to be here indefinitely and there are many benefits to it. The main of which is drastically reduced drive time, from 25-30 minutes one way for Leigh Anne, to now she is only 2 miles from her husband. The kids will be able to visit with their daddy more frequently as well. The North Greenville Hospital is less than one mile North of Sunrift Adventures and the new Travelers Rest High School on 276, on the left. Click here for a map.

North Greenville Medical Campus
807 North Main St
Travelers Rest, SC 29690
864.834.5132

You are welcome to still send E-cards through the Greenville Hospital System’s website (www.ghs.org/egreeting.asp). Be sure to write in “Dustin Salter” and to select North Greenville Hospital and those will be delivered directly to Leigh Anne.

Pray that Dustin would recover from this most recent surgery. It can be discouraging to have seen his eyes for over a week and now for him to be keeping them closed. We’re trusting that he is simply needing to rest up from the surgery and will soon continue to do the things he had been doing before the surgery, and hopefully show signs of improvement generally, like consistently responding to commands.

Pressing on in prayer.

We learned something new today … Dustin is no longer technically in a coma. He is now in what doctors call a vegetative state. Here is the difference: when a person is in a coma, he is essentially sleeping; when he is in a vegetative state, he has sleep/wake cycles, opens his eyes, may move around some.

Please note: Dustin has not ‘woken up,’ per se. He remains unresponsive and technically unconscious. But he is no longer in a coma. As well, please note that he is not in a persistent vegetative state as one must be in a vegetative state for several weeks before his condition is considered persistent.

For Leigh Anne, continue to pray for her to have wisdom and guidance in decision-making and peace with decisions made — especially concerning Dustin’s ongoing care and where it will take place. As has been said previously, Leigh Anne is being counseled and well cared for ‘on the ground’ by several pastors, friends and family regarding these difficult decisions. If there are suggestions for Dustin’s care that you feel would be helpful, please do not post them here as comments but send them to this email address. Thank you for your genuine and sincere concern, as well as your thoughtfulness in these matters.

As well, pray for Leigh Anne’s endurance and strength. The truth is, if all of this is a marathon, we really have no idea at what mile we are. Fortunately, our Father knows the end from the beginning and calls us to come to him for rest along the way.

Let us, then approach his throne of grace on Dustin’s behalf, for his healing; on Leigh Anne’s behalf for God’s sustaining grace; and on behalf of the children who miss their daddy. And may we all cry, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” And more importantly, hear and believe his response, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

from
Thursday (Dec. 7th) @ noon
to
Friday (Dec. 8th) @ noon

Participate in any way you can: fast for the whole 24 hrs, skip one meal and pray, forego coffee for the 24 hr period, gather believers together in your area and spend an hour in prayer.

There has not been much change at all these past few days in Dustin’s condition. Given the nature of the injury and the lack of significant improvement to date, any changes in his responsiveness are eagerly looked for, if also slow in coming. His eyes do open, though he is clearly not ’seeing’ and he does not respond (blink or flinch) to having a hand fly toward his face with eyes wide open. His pupils remain unresponsive — as they have been for 3 weeks now. He does at times give resistance to certain pressures but is not responding to commands. Hope and fear are two terribly similar emotions at times.

For Leigh Anne, continue to pray for endurance, wisdom, strength, peace, faith. For Dustin, continue to pray for God’s healing to take place — “when he wills, where he wills & how he wills.” For the kids, pray that God himself would be their everpresent help in times of trouble, that they would find his mercy and grace their refuge and only hope, now and always.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
As for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
~ from Psalm 73 ~

Several of you have posted comments indicating helpful suggestions for Dustin’s long-term care. We would love to hear whatever suggestions you have, but would appreciate if you sent those directly to the following email address (gmbeachy@gmail.com) as not all visitors to this site need to hear these suggestions. We would like to reserve the “Comments” section of this website to expressions of love and support for Leigh Anne and the family.

All suggestions about Dustin’s long-term care received at gmbeachy@gmail.com will be given to the folks who are directly helping Leigh Anne process through these issues.

Thank you for all your expressions of love and support.