May 31 8:30 pm

Hello to all, Tonight is certainly better than earlier today. Neil's pain was finally managed this afternoon. It took longer than we would have liked, but the pain is now where Neil can tolerate it. Because Neil was so sick for so long, he has been on many medications and his tolerance for medication is very high. This makes it difficult for them to determine what Neil needs. Neil was able to sit in a chair for an hour and a half today. We are so encouraged by his progress. We look forward to tomorrow. Please continue to pray for Neil's recovery.


Please pray for Sue, Shanna and the families in SICU.


Thanks to all of you for your love and support.

May 30 9:00 pm

Good evening folks, Neil is back in the room from surgery. He is napping some and they are trying to control the pain. While Neil, DeAnn and I were downstairs waiting for the surgery, the doctor came by and told Neil there was no infection in his blood, but there continued to be infection in his leg. He explained the amputation would have to be above the knee. He went on to say he planned to cut through the rod in Neil's femur as he did not want to have to make an incision to remove this. He did not want Neil to have another wound. So, the surgery went well and he was able to cut through the rod. Because of the multiple surgeries this week, Neil got a unit of blood in the operating room and another unit in recovery. The absolute wonderful news is all of this is we are looking at and loving Neil. Please pray the pain will be managed from this minute forward.

Neil has been blessed by many miracles and continues to thrive with the love and prayers you have showered upon him. We honestly can never express our gratitude for your help in saving Neil's life. Today is a grand day as the is the beginning of Neil's leg healing. We so look forward to tomorrow.

Please continue to love and support the Andress family. Please pray for the families is SICU. There have been several accidents and many families are so scared. There was a tractor accident so please remember this family.

May 29 9:00 pm

Hey Folks, Neil has had a very good day. His appetite has been normal today. Yea!!!! His pain has been managed for the most part. The wound care folks came and took the wound vac off his abdomen and left it off. Monday, Neil will go to the wound clinic and will have a skin graft placed over this wound. Physical therapy came in twice and Neil worked hard. He is getting stronger and stronger every day. He will have surgery tomorrow. Tomorrow is the "start" day for Neil and we are all looking forward to this. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Susan Toole came through her surgery well and the biopsies were good. We are so pleased.

Linda, Shanna's mom, called today. She said physical therapy works with Shanna everyday and that Shanna is making some progress. We are so pleased for Shanna and her sweet family. Please continue to pray for Shanna's full recovery.

Thank you all for your love and support. Please continue to love and support the Andress family.

May 28 8:45 pm

Good Evening Folks, I have had a pretty good day. There was a little more pain than the last surgery. Other than that, it has been great. My spirits continue to be high because of all of your thoughts and prayers. One of the main reasons I am still here is because of your prayers. Please continue to think of me as I going to have another surgery on Friday that will let us know exactly where we stand on my leg. We will keep you informed of my progress. Good night from Baptist South.

This afternoon we found out our good friend, Joe Wright, was in an accident coming home from Troy. He is actually right across the hall. Please pray for Joe's full recovery.

A good friend of mom's, Susan Toole, had surgery today. Please pray for her full recovery.

May 27 8:00

Good Afternoon Folks, Neil is out of surgery and is feeling so much better than he did on Friday. The doctors have absolutely figured out how to better manage his pain. The doctor said there was more dead muscle as well as some infection. These are the same infections, serratia and VRE, that Neil has had for some time. The doctor had to take the amputation up higher, but it is still below the knee. The doctor will go back in on Friday to take a look. He is cautiously optimistic that the amputation will not have to go above the knee. I am writing this note with Neil. He is ready to get on with this so he will have a "starting point". Neil as well as all of us so appreciate your love and concern. We are amazed that today is 13 weeks since this horrible accident occurred. Without all you we could have never managed this and we are so very grateful. We sure look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

May 26 Part 2 8:30pm

Hey Folks, Sorry I put the wrong date last night. We have had a good Memorial Day. Neil's pain has been effectively managed most of the day. He has exercised his leg and is doing incredibly well. I would like to think his appetite is beginning to return. He has not been nauseated for several days (knock on wood). Today he had shish kabob for lunch sent by Teddy and Lisa(our home here in Montgomery) and BBQ chicken and ribs brought by Mona Berry. He and DeAnn enjoyed it all. We have celebrated our holiday in style. We have not yet heard from the doctor so we do not know when the surgery is scheduled. We are hoping around 3 pm like last week. We sure do look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Sue and Shanna.

Thanks so very much for your love and support. Wow, we are so blessed with all of you.

May 26 8:30 pm

Good Evening to all, Neil has had a good day. The pain is still manageable and we are all so pleased. Neil was able to sit in a chair for about an hour and a half. Otherwise, you know weekends are slow in the hospital. Please pray for Neil's leg.

We are so very thankful for each of you. We can never tell you how much your prayers and love have meant to us. We cannot wait until tomorrow. We hope all of you are having a good Memorial Day Weekend. Be safe in your travels.

May 25 7:00 pm

Good afternoon, Last and this morning was pretty lousy for Neil. It was very difficult for the doctors to manage the pain. At about noon, it seemed they were beginning to figure it out. (Thank goodness) Neil slept very little last night and today. He says the pain is down to about an eight most of the time. Neil says he can handle the pain at an eight and we hope with some more time it will drop. Neil says he is up for visits but is concerned he might be napping and does not want anyone to make the drive and not be able to visit. So, if you think you might be able to stop by, please feel free to call any of us to see if Neil is awake and feeling up to a visit. Physical therapy came by and Neil was able to move his leg up and down and side to side. Please pray for the muscle to be viable in Neil's leg and for the pain to be lessened.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support. We have all been blessed with your prayers.

May 23 8:00pm

Hey Folks, Neil came through the surgery well. The doctor said there was some more muscle that had died, but he did close the wound. The good news in that is that he was not concerned about infection. Yea!!!!! The doctor will go back on Tuesday and open the wound to determine if everything is as good as he hopes. Neil has much more pain that we ever anticpated. He has a pain pump but his tolerance for medication is rather high due to all the medication he has had over the last many weeks. Please be patient about visiting until Neil is able to manage the pain more effectively. My goodness, we hope this will happen sooner than later. The nurse anticipates a couple of days. We are so thankful for Neil's recovery. Please pray for the muscle to stay viable in Neil's leg.

Linda, Shanna's mom, called this afternoon. Shanna moved yesterday to Cedar Crest for her recovery. Please pray for Shanna to continue to wake up and have a full recovery.

Susan, Sue's daughter came by to be supportive. She said Sue has had an infection. Doggone it as she was doing so well. Please pray for Sue's full recovery.

Neil sends his love to all and so appreciates your support. He cannot wait to get past this and move on to Health South.

May 22, 12:30 pm

Good Afternoon Everyone,

This is Neil at the wheel. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. You will never know how much they helped during this time. I also want to thank my family as I could not have made it without them. I am doing the blog today to personally tell you all that I have some bad news that is going to turn out to be great news. Tomorrow at 3 pm, I am having my right let amputated below the knee. After the second opinion from the great orthopedic staff at UAB, they agreed with the doctor here. With the injuries to my leg, it will never be functional. A prosthetic leg will be better. This will help us get our lives back to normal sooner rather than later. It is very possible that by the end of next week, I could be in rehab at Health South. (Many of you may not believe this as we have yelled "Wolf" several times before.) I want to thank my cousin, Hunter and Kaila, and my good friend and financial advisor, JD, for the great visit while I was in Birmingham. I understand the next few days probably will be very emotional. With your continued support and prayers, I will be able to manage the surgery and the recovery. In the end, I want to thank my beautiful wife, DeAnn, for her continued support. I know this has been tough on her as well as the rest of us. I want to thank all of you in helping me to fulfill a dream in being able to write this blog entry. Thanks so very much

May 21 8:30 pm

Hey Folk, Sorry I did not post last night. Life here gets very busy at times. We will see doctors in the morning in and we will update the blog then. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please pray for the full recovery of Shanna and all our friends here.

Thanks so very much to each of you. We are sending our love to all. Please continue to support the Andress family.

May 19 8:30 pm

Good afternoon, We still have not heard anything regarding UAB. Neil saw both doctors today and they said they were calling UAB. Maybe tomorrow we will hear something. The wound care folks came by today. The good news is that his abdomen looks great. The not so good news is his leg may have some more tunneling down the leg. This may be indicative of more muscle loss. Physical therapy came by twice today. Neil sat on the side of the bed and did leg lifts this morning. This afternoon they helped Neil stand up and he moved his legs. He did this 4 or 5 times. It was very impressive. Neil is getting stronger each day. We sure look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

I went for a short visit with Sue today. She is doing great. I was able to watch her walk around and then took her to her room for a visit. My goodness, she has come a million miles. She is sure a miracle and we are so pleased. Please continue to pray for Sue.

Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Shanna. We sure do pray she will continue to wake up.

Thank you all for your love and support.

May 18 8:30 pm

Hope you all have had a good Sunday. It has been a fine day here at Baptist South. Neil has been nauseated some, but it is still better than it was last week. The pain in his leg is improving. We hope to hear something about going to UAB tomorrow. We will keep you posted. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shanna and our other friends here.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, visits, calls, cards and your support. We so appreciate all of you.

May 17 8:30 pm

Good Evening to all, Neil has had a good day. The nausea has been better today. Some medication has been added and this seems to have helped. As you know weekends in the hospital are slow. We are pleased with these days as Neil gets stronger and his lungs continue to heal. Neil and DeAnn have had several visitors and this makes them smile. We are so blessed with loving friends and family. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shannon and our other friends here. I have not heard from Mr. John Ceyfus and so hope he is doing well. His family is so supportive of him. We hope and pray Nelson is recovering well at home. We were not able to see Ms. Daisy before she left. She should be in Greenville. Ms. Daisy is so blessed to have Laura and her husband in her life. Martha Jean Davis went home Wednesday and is doing well. Please continue to remember her in your prayers.

Thanks to each of you for your prayers, love and support.

May 16 9:00 pm

Hello folks, Neil went for the barium swallow late this morning. No problem was detected so we guess that means Nieil's problem is delayed gastric emptying. The doctor never came by after the test with any suggestions to help with the nausea. Neil was able to eat dinner, fried rice and noodles. Thus far, he has felt better. The wound care folks came by and changed the dressing on his leg. They agreed it looked better than it did on Wednesday. Because it was bleeding (which is good news) they were not able to put the wound vac back on it. They will change the dressing on Monday. We sure look forward to tomorrow. Everyday is a day of healing and Neil's lungs continue to get better. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Tommie Lee came by and said Sue gets better and better. All of you have sure had a big part in her healing. Please continue to pray for Sue.

I saw Linda, Shanna and family. Shanna looks beautiful and is slowly trying to wake up. Please continue to pray for Shanna's full recovery.

We send our love to all of you. Please continue to support the Andress family.

May 15 9:00 pm

Hey Guys, The doctor came by and said the orthopedist he was waiting to hear from is out of town all week. Thus, the reason he never heard from him. The doctor hopes Neil can get to UAB Monday or Tuesday Neil talked to the doctor about the nausea. He said he would send a GI doctor by and he did. After talking to Neil, the doctor said he felt sure this was delayed gastric emptying which is caused by all the medications Neil must take. He suggested a low fat diet, but said it would really only get better when he was off all the medication. He wants Neil to have a barium swallow tomorrow just to be sure nothing else was wrong. Physical therapy came by and Neil did great. He sat up for about 15 minutes worked out his upper body. The wound care folks came by and changed the dressing on his abdomen. Wow, this looks great. All in all, this has been a good day. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.



Please continue to pray for Shanna's full recovery and our other friends here.



Mr. Frank Clark's sister, Ms. Cox, has been able to leave here and go Capital First Rehab. This is wonderful. Please pray for her recovery.



Thanks so very much for your love and support. You all mean so much to us.

May 14, 8:30 pm

Hey Folks, Still no news from UAB. The doctor said he was trying to get them, but we have not heard a word. Today has been a good day for Neil. Physical therapy came by and they worked on upper body strength. Neil has not been up at all since the surgery. We hope he will be able to sit up again soon. Dang it, Neil continues to be nauseated mostly in the mornings. The wound care folks came by and changed the dressing on his leg. They were not as pleased because there was evidence of tunneling and this could be due to further muscle loss. The wound vac is back on his leg and this will be changed again Friday unless Neil goes to UAB. If Neil goes, the wound vac on his leg will be removed so the doctors there can see everything. However, the wound vac on his abdomen will go as this wound will not be reviewed in Birmingham. We sure look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Bonnie Porter is back home. She had the heart cath and there was one 95% blockage. This was corrected with a stint. Her heart had to be "shocked" back into rhythm. She will rest the rest of the week and plans to be back at work on Monday. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and please continue to pray for her recovery.

Janice Strickland saw the doctor yesterday and got a good report. He took the stitches out and she got a new leg brace. Please continue to pray for Janice's knee. (I am betting she will be on the golf course by the end of the summer.)

Linda, Shanna's mom, came by last night. She was smiling as she told us they took the trach from Shanna. Shanna is absolutely breathing on her own. Please pray for the full recovery of Shanna.

Thanks so very much for your love and support.

May 13 8:30 pm

Take a look at this new putter. Harriette and Lee had sent a love offering for us to go out and eat. We realized a much better deal was to go shopping for the new putter Neil had been wanting to get. Looks like it is a good fit!!!! Neil cannot wait to get on the putting green and give this a try. We feel the same way.

Today has been a good day. I think it is fair to say Neil is in a "holding pattern". We are still waiting to hear something from UAB. The doctor came by and said if he does not hear from UAB in the morning, he will call them. He continues to be hopeful Neil will go in the next day or so. The good news is the antibiotics are sure doing their job. Some nights Neil has a low grade temperature but he has none during the day. This is great news. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please remember Becky Peaton's mom, Lila Webster, in your prayers.. She has some respiratory problems and has not been feeling well.

Please pray for the full recovery of Bonnie Porter. She is in the hospital in Mobile having a heart cath.

Susan, Sue's daughter, came by today. We had seen Ed, Sue's son-in-law, earlier in the day. Sue is doing better and better. Please continue to pray for Sue.

Please pray for the full recovery of Daniel Luckett. He is in Iraq and his convoy was hit. Daniel is being flown to Walter Reed Hospital. He and his unit need our prayers. We are so blessed they are willing to serve our country.

Thanks so much for your love and prayers for Neil. You have provided so many blessings for him, DeAnn and all of us.

May 12 8:45 pm

Good Afternoon, Things are fine here at Baptist South. The only thing we heard from UAB was that there was that there was no bed available. That can change very quickly and that is what we hope. The wound care folks changed the dressing on Neil's abdomen and his leg. The wounds look much better. Neil's leg continues to hurt some but is much worse during and after the dressing change. Physical therapy came in and did a series of range of motion exercises with Neil. We look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please continue to remember Sue, Shanna and our other friends here. Please pray for Martha Jean Davis. She is still in the hosptial in Dothan.

Please continue to remember the Andress family. Thanks so very much for your encouragement. It means so much to us.

May 11 8:30 pm

Happy's Mother Day to all, I am so sorry I forgot to post last night. Actually, that is a good thing as Neil was doing so well. Neil has had a good day today. We have celebrated Mother's Day and we are so blessed. Neil watched the golf tournament today. We had an excellent lunch. (No cooking by these moms as we went to the Blue Moon.) Neil was able to have a good lunch and dinner. We so look forward to tomorrow as we wait to hear from UAB. We will let you know as soon as we know something. Please pray for Neil's leg.

Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Shanna. We saw her mother today and wished her a Happy Mother's Day. This is such a special family.

We are all sending our love to Sue and her family.

Thank you for your love and support.

May 9 9:00pm

Good Evening, Neil has had another good day. The wound care folks came by and changed the dressing on his leg. The wounds are getting better. The newest surgery continues to be very painful. Maybe this will be better tomorrow. There was no news aobut going to UAB today, therefore we think it will be the first of the week. We sure look forward to tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.



Scott and Cindy were not released until this morning. I think that was a blessing in that they were going to be released later last night and they might have been in the storm. We hope they got home safely and Scott can continue his recovery at home. Please continue to keep this sweet family in your prayers.



Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shanna and our other friends here. We understand that Nelson was released from UAB this week. Wow, that is sure an answer to prayers. Please remember Nelson and his family in your prayers.



We are all blessed with your love, prayers and support. Thanks so very much.

May 8 7:30pm

Good Evening, Neil has had a good day. He has not been nauseated today. That in itself makes for a better day. Neil's leg continues to hurt from the surgery. With medication, the pain is becoming more manageable. How wonderful!!!!! The wound care folks came by and changed the dressing on Neil's abdomen. This wound is looking very good and is much smaller. The doctor came by and said he had called his associates at the UAB Trauma Center. This request for a second opinion regarding the treatment of Neil's leg has been cleared with the Center's Director. The doctor said this could be tomorrow, but his best guess is that it will be early next week. Neil will travel to Birmingham by ambulance. We do not know how long this will take. We anticipate a day or so. Please continue to pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.

Sue is almost home. She was moved today to John Knox Nursing Home to complete her rehab. According to Susan and Tommie Lee, Sue was welcomed with open arms. Sue knows many of the people and the staff and they know her. She was very, very happy to get in her room. She is going to get her hair done Monday. How fabulous. Please continue to keep her recovery in your prayers.

I visited with Shanna and her family for just a bit. Linda, Shanna's mom, had been up early to visit with Neil and DeAnn. Shanna has had a good day. Both physical and occupational therapy are working with her. Please continue to pray for Shanna's full recovery.

Last night I mentioned we had seen Cindy and that Scott was back in the hospital. Well, you all are just praying him home. He will probably be discharged late tonight or early in the morning. I said hello to him and I must say he looked great and certainly did not look like he was in the hospital. Of course, that is because Nurse Cindy takes such care of him. Please remember this family in your prayers as they travel home to complete Scott's recovery.

Please continue to pray for Martha Jean Davis. She is in ICU in Dothan following carotid artery surgery.

Thanks so very much for your love and prayers. We cannot wait until tomorrow.

May 7 6:15 pm

Good Afternoon, Neil has had a busy day. We have good news and bad news. The good news is Neil has not been nearly as nauseated today. Thank goodness!!! The bad news is there is a real problem with Neil's leg. During the surgery, the orthopedist opened the pin site thinking there was a problem with infection. In fact, Neil has compartment syndrome. This means the muscle died in his leg during the time he was in SICU and was so swollen. There is also a problem with his foot as there is nerve damage and Neil has no feeling in his foot. He does not think Neil's leg will be a functional limb and that Neil will have chronic problems with his leg. The orthopedist's recommendation is to amputate Neil's leg right below the knee. He says this stressing his concern about Neil and wanting Neil to have a normal life. After discussing this with the orthopedist and the doctor, the doctor is calling the Trauma Center at UAB and having Neil go there for a second opinion. We are hopeful this will happen within the next week. This is not a place we want to be but continue to be so thankful Neil is alive and is capable of understanding the options and making an informed decision. Please pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.

We saw Cindy Hornsby today. They were so worried about him having a serious infection. It seems he in fact had a serious virus. Yea!!!! Scott will probably be here a couple of days. Please continue to remember this sweet couple.

Please pray for the full recovery of Martha Jean Davis. She had carotid artery surgery today. She is in Dothan in the hospital.

We saw Tommie Lee today. Sue will be moved to John Knox nursing home tomorrow for a couple of weeks. She will complete her rehab and then GO HOME to John Knox Assisted Living. (She has her apartment there.)

We so appreciate your prayers, love and concern.

May 6 8:30 pm

Good Afternoon, Neil had surgery on his foot. The doctor put pins in to hold the 3rd and 4th metatarsals (toes) in place. Also, he put a metal plate in Neil's foot to hold the arch. The last thing the doctor did was to open the pin site. This site is thought to be one of the problems with the infection in the foot. It is not healing as it should. The doctor as many concerns about this. He is going to consult with others and will bring all that information to us. Neil is back from the surgery and is as comfortable as a man can be following surgery. Please pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.


Doggone it, Scott and Cindy Hornsby are back. Scott has been sick for the last several days. He is very dehydrated. Please pray for Scott's full recovery.


Penny Driggers, wife of Harry Driggers from Brantley, had four bypasses today. She is doing very well. Please pray for her full recovery.

We visited with Shanna and her family. Shanna had a good day. The physical therapists worked with her today and wore her out. Please continue to pray that Shanna will wake up.

Janice Strickland is having a good day. Her knee is not hurting quite so bad today. We continue to pray that Janice will soon be back on her feet and on the golf course.

Thanks so very much for your love and support. Please know I say that with all the genuineness I have as we could not have managed this without you. We look forward to tomorrow.

May 5 2008

Good Evening, Well, Neil is still here at Baptist South. The orthopedist came by and said everything was great and Neil was on his way to Health South. Within 10 minutes he was back saying after reviewing the x-rays one more time, he saw a break in a bone in Neil's foot. He thought this would require surgery and that Neil would stay here. He ordered a CAT Scan. Neil had that and later was told by a nurse that there was "dislocation of the 3rd and 4th metatarsal". The nurse has a call in to the doctor to determine if he is planning surgery for tomorrow. Other than this, Neil has had a very good day. Neil's spirits are good in that he does not want to go to Health South and have to return here. He wants to get there and go to work getting back his strength and regaining muscle mass. Since I started writing this, the doctor called Neil. He plans to do surgery tomorrow afternoon around 4ish. He will put pins in to hold the toes in place. The doctor did tell Neil his goal was for Neil to walk Augusta next year on this leg. We love the doctor's goal. This will make you smile. Neil can have breakfast in the morning so he has placed his order. You know he will get exactly what he has ordered. Please pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.

Stan, Shanna's dad, came by and visited with Neil and DeAnn. He said Shanna was having a good day. He indicated they were discussing options for Shanna. Please continue to pray for Shanna's full recovery.

Sue's daughters, Susan and Tommie Lee, came by after Neil did not show up at Health South. They are so sweet to us. We are going to start calling them Aunt Susan and Aunt Tommie Lee. Sue continues to make progress. Please remember her in your prayers.

Please pray for the full recovery of Bonnie Money's father. He was here today having tests.

Listen to this praise report. Bob Robertson, Dothan, got all his tests back following surgery and everything is grand. He will not have to have any further treatment. How can anyone doubt the power of prayer?

May 4 8:30pm

Hey Folks, I forgot to post these yesterday. You will see Janie and Neil before the haircut and after Janie has worked her magic with the shears. Janie, Thanks so very much!!!!! This made Neil feel much, much better.

Good evening to all, Neil has had a very good day. He is ready to go to Health South tomorrow. We starting packing up various things deciding what goes home and what goes with Neil. It is hard to believe that Tuesday marks 10 weeks since this started. The way we frame this is that this was a horrible accident no one could have ever predicted. In a blink of an eye many lives were changed forever. There have been many miracles and blessings along the way and we strongly believe we all will reap blessings from this the rest of our lives. Neil still has much work ahead of him and at a minimum one more surgery to close his abdomen and do away with the ostemy. The doctor anticipates this surgery will be several months away and will require a 5-7 day hospital stay. Prior to the surgery a skin graft will be placed over his abdomen. This should happen in about another month. Neil is up for the challenges he faces and continues to have many cheerleaders with all of you included. We all anticipate being back at work at our various offices later this week. All of us are humbled by your love and support. We can never thank each of you enough for your prayers which provided the miracles for Neil. Also, your prayers have blessed many people that have crossed our paths since being here. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please continue to pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.

Susan visited us today and said Sue is making sound progress. Susan and Tommie Lee will be at Health South tomorrow when Neil gets there. This family has certainly been a blessing to us.

Shanna had a good day and was able to sit on the side of the bed with assistance today. You go, Shanna!!!!! My goodness, the Talleys have also blessed us in so many ways. Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shanna, Ms. Cox and our other friends here.

Please continue to surround the Andress family with your love.

May 3 8:45 pm

Hello Folks, This has indeed been a good day at Baptist South. Neil's PICC line was removed today. Also, Janie came up and cut his hair. Neil said this is grand. He was able to sit in a chair for about two hours today. All in all, a very good day. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please pray for Neil's lungs and his leg.

Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shanna, Ms. Cox and our other friends here. We saw Shanna's family and she has had a good day. We sure hope and pray Nelson is doing well in Birmingham. Janice is home and has begun her recovery. Let's all cheer her on. You go, girl!!!!

Thanks to each of you for your love and support. Please continue to surround the Andress family with your love.

May 2, 8:30pm

Hello everyone, This should be Neil's last Friday night in Baptist South. The plan continues to be for him to go to Health South Monday. He has had a good day. He was up in the chair for about 4 hours. Also, he took 3-4 steps getting there. The infectious disease doctor came by and said he wanted Neil on Zyvox for 6 weeks. The orthopedist came by and will x-ray Neil's leg Sunday. The orthopedist said he continues to be concerned about the infection in Neil's leg. He did say Neil was "winning" right now. We love the fact that Neil is winninig. Please pray for Neil's lungs and leg. I did not include Neil's breathing as you all have prayed Neil breathing into great shape.

We saw Shanna (I have been spelling her name incorrectly) and her family. Her mom said the doctors think Shanna should go to a nursing home to continue waking up. The rationale is that Shanna would not reap all the benefits from Spain until she is consistently able to respond to commands. They have family who works in a nursing home here in Montgomery and will consider this as well as other options. Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Shanna.

Please pray for the full recovery of Jayme Gardner. She is from Troy and is here having some tests. Her sweet family loves her so much.

Thanks so very much for your love and support. Happy Friday to all!!!!

May 1, 8:00 pm

Hello to all, This is another Banner Day. They pulled Neil's trach this morning and he is doing excellent. He is breathing all on his own. He took off the oxygen support and has not put it back on. The wound care folks came and dressed his abdomen. They are very pleased with the way the wound looks. They will consult with the folks at Health South as the nurses there will change the dressing when Neil moves. Neil was up in the chair for 3 1/2 hours today. My goodness, Neil has come a million miles and we are so pleased. Please continue to pray for lungs, leg and his breathing on his own.

Bob Robertson's (Bob is Marjorie's husband, she works with the United Methodist Children's Home in Dothan ) surgery went well and the doctor is very optimistic that everything is good. They will receive a report later in the week. Susan and Tommie Lee (Sue's daughters) came by to visit Neil and to give him the scoop on Health South. Sue is doing very well. They told Neil how the system works and he is looking forward to going. We are so blessed to have made such dear friends. I have not seen Shannon's mom today. I will do my best to check in with her tomorrow. Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Sue, Shannon, Daisy, Bob and our other friends here.

Janice is to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Please pray for Janice's full recovery.

Thank you all for your love and support.