"We Survive. We Heal. We Grow."

Tom and NIna Hedin

Back in January and February I had a very special Comments for a Cause. If you were following my blog then you will remember the story of Tom Hedin, husband to Nina of the wonderful The Adventures of Artsy Nina blog. Tom was severely injured in a snowmobile accident in Minnesota and recovery was slow and painful. There were days that I am sure they all wondered what was going to happen next. Here is a link to my initial post about Tom.

Life goes on and for the rest of us we moved on. We moved on to the next Comments for a Cause here on It’s Just Life and found new things to focus on but my mind and prayers were never far away from the Hedins. The accident was a life-changer for this family of four and last week I asked Nina if she would send me a quick little update about what life was like about 6 months after the accident. She graciously agreed and the following are her words .

Friday concluded Tom’s 3rd week back to work, including 8 hours of overtime. He’s a tired and sore man! His muscles are still adjusting to heavy use; his job is very physical. Most days he survives with the help of ibuprofen. I’ve only had to help him get his socks and boots on a couple of times this last week. He was so sore in the mornings he could hardly bend over!

But I really believe all this activity is good for him, and he does too. He says that it will probably be a year, or even two, before his muscles can handle life the way they did before the accident. And mentally, getting back to work has been wonderful. Tom is happy to have something to do besides therapy; to contribute to projects, to earn a living, to talk to people besides, well, me. 🙂 He was so excited to receive his first paycheckon Friday that he sent me a picture of it (and believe me, I was excited to see it too, haha).

He finished up his physical therapy about 10 days ago. His right wrist and left elbow have lost some of their range of motion and he isn’t able to kneel on his left knee. Considering his original list of damage, these lingering defects seem pretty minor.

So now we are adjusting to the ‘new’ routine which is really the old routine. Work, play, eat, sleep. Oh how we all have missed it! This journey has taught us so much about the resilience of the human body and spirit. Life happens and we adapt. We survive. We heal. We grow!

Tom and Nina have discovered the reality of what life can throw at a person in a very short period of time and the good news is that they have stood strong and Tom has fought hard to get where he is today. Add to the mix the outpouring from family and friends, the support of a workplace that took Tom back when he was ready to go back to work and the many prayers and good wishes from folks who do not even know them and they have come out the other end of this tragedy evens stronger and believing what the media often wants us to ignore—-the fact that there are indeed many wonderful people out there who are supportive and loving when he time comes that help and encouragement is needed.

My hope is that this story helps to renew your faith in the human spirit, in the compassion of our world and the belief that one person can make a difference. I know that Nina and Tom and their perseverance and strength have made a huge difference in my life and I am blessed to be able to share a bit of their story with you. Have a blessed day, my friends.