Thank you for your prayers. Matthew got a couple of hours of sleep last night, but not nearly enough. It would help a lot if he could move out of ICU to a regular room, so please pray for that since it would be much easier for him to sleep in the regular ward.

They put his neck collar back on, and he will need to keep that on for a while. They think that the problems in moving his right (undamaged) arm might be due to pinched nerves in his neck. Pray they won't have to operate on that and that it will heal on its own soon.

The occupational therapist was in today and gave us some useful tips for feeding himself. Drinking is the hardest due to the heaviness of liquid and the risk of spilling, so we got him a lightweight spill-proof water bottle and a small, spill-proof coffee mug.

We are researching facilities where he might be transferred for nerve repair for his left arm. Thankfully, most of them seem to be in-network for our health insurance. The next steps include getting a referral from the surgeons here.

Today Matthew found out that he automatically receives 12 weeks of unpaid disability leave from his job, which means they will keep his position for that amount of time. We can also apply for longer disability leave, and we will be looking into California disability insurance. His school knows what has happened and has been understanding, but we don't yet know what this means about his student loans if he is unable to continue his classes.

The local Best Buy does not have the specific one-handed keyboard he needs, but we hope to order one online soon for fast arrival.

Today they transferred him from the bed to a chair for a while. When he does that, his pulse goes way up, and sitting up is very tiring. But it is still great progress to be in a chair rather than a bed.

We have asked permission for him to be able to be in a wheelchair for a while to get out of the room for a change of scenery and even go outside to the courtyard. They told us that is allowed, and I know that will really lift his spirits when he is able to do that.

Today he met another chaplain, who is a motorcycle rider, and really hit if off with him.

A missionary friend is sharing his shared hotel discount plan with us so we can get better rates on a local hotel as needed. If anyone else were interested in donating frequent flyer miles or hotel points to us for our travel, that would be much appreciated.

Matthew has no IV pain killer now since his pain is much better, and he is able to manage it with pills.

The swelling in his left (damaged) arm has not made progress. Please pray that his body can get rid of those extra liters of fluid. The swelling does not seem to have lessened for a week.

Matthew is in excellent spirits. There are still tons of questions regarding his future, schooling,

living situation, spiritual issues, etc. etc. Please pray for him.

Once again, we are all grateful for your prayers, financial support, love, encouragement, and care for Matthew and all of us as his family.

Todd