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.