Update - 5/30/06

Matthew accomplished some pretty positive things this weekend. He has been told that his right hand fingers and hand need to be straightened out. So, on his own, he began using his left hand to work on those fingers. At first he got the fingers straightened out and then yesterday he managed to get the whole hand straighted out. It's amazing that something we take for granted, Matthew has to work hard at, but he is aware of what needs to be done and he's working as hard as he can.

Matthew also ate 12 strawberries yesterday. This is great because he hasn't been consuming noticeable amounts of food by mouth for about a month.

And the third thing I'd like to report is questionable about being a positive step (just kidding!!!). Matthew has begun to really focus on T.V. shows - he's not just staring at the screen with a blank look. He watched a show on the Discovery station this weekend and he paid attention to the program but would look away when the commercials came on. When the show returned, he focused back in on the show.

Today is Andrew's turn to see several doctors. He's been doing better since the bout with mono, but he tires easily. He's actually seeing the doctors today because a pain that he's had in his leg on the right side from the time of the accident has never gone away. Hopefully they can determine what the source of the discomfort is.

The Lord be with you this day!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Update and Request for Help

We received unexpected news this week. The doctors plan to release Matthew from Rusk Rehabilitation Center on June 16th, so Matthew has to come home. Rusk's policy is that a patient must make major progress to continue in their care. Matthew's "baby steps" of progress are not what they consider "major progress".

As you may guess, this has resulted in Erich and Brenda having to scramble to find a way to bring Matthew home MUCH sooner than planned. The rooms in their current house are not large enough to accommodate Matthew's needs, so they have come up with a plan to temporarily move Matthew into his grandparent's basement in Lincoln, Missouri. The basement is at ground level and some modifications will need to take place in order to get Matthew in the house. The first major hurdle will be to pour a concrete driveway up to the house and a concrete slab next to the door for access into the house.

We are appealing to you for help - they will need to purchase or lease a handicapped accessible van right away and those vehicles are very expensive. Please consider contributing what you can to the Matthew Kurz medical fund for this need. You can still contribute to the Thrivent fundraising until May 31st to have your gift matched. Make checks out to "Thrivent" and mail to:

Bob Boone
7220 W. 98th Terrace, Suite 230
Overland Park, KS 66212

As a reminder, after May 31st you can send gifts made out to the "Matthew Kurz Medical Fund" to:

Citizens Farmers Bank
East Main Street
PO Box 219121
Cole Camp, MO 65325
660-668-4416

Physical help is also crucial right now. If you can help in any way with the pouring of concrete and making the Kaiser house accessible for Matthew, PLEASE call Brenda and Rev. Kurz immediately at 660-221-1850. We need your helping hands!

Most importantly, your prayers are requested. This has been a little unsettling for the family and another hurdle to deal with. Please pray that our Lord and Savior gives them the strength and courage to take on one more challenge. And we also pray that God continues to care for Matthew and grants healing and progress. Matthew will be surrounded by all of his family regularly and will be in a familiar place - so maybe this is just want Matthew needs to make continued improvements. Brenda has already visited the rehab center, ResCare, in Sedalia that gives outpatient care and therapy. She's impressed with what she has seen there and she's heard great things from people who have gone to or had family members go to ResCare.

Thank you for the many ways you have supported, helped and cared for the Kurz family. The road is long that they must travel and they continue to need our support, help and care.

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Birthday celebration

Matthew has had two very BIG days this week - graduation and birthday! Matthew handled them both very well, with small smiles on his face for both events. There were lots of people at his birthday/graduation party, including representation by three T.V. stations and six newspaper reporters. Check out the following links to read the articles from the Columbia Tribune and the Columbia Missourian.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2006/May/20060523News008.asp


http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=19967

Both newspaper articles are very well done, so I will let them tell you the story. I will add a couple details that Brenda shared with me last night. Two of Matthew's friends performed their speech contest pieces and everyone enjoyed that - including Matthew with more smiles. Matthew kept his head up and eyes wide open for the big event (as you can see from the pictures). But on Tuesday, Matthew was "wiped-out" from all the activity and was pretty tired and quiet all day. I'm glad the newspapers have a picture of Matthew with the article so that you can see how great he looks.

Today, Wednesday, Matthew has another big day, but not quite as fun. He will have another CAT scan on his brain as a follow-up to see how the shunt in his brain is doing. Matthew also will have a bone scan of his body to see where the calcium is settling in the muscles and joints. This is causing hardening of his some areas of his muscles.

Have a wonderful day!

Rachel Asburry

A Report on Graduation

Well, this is probably old news for most of you because word has spread like wildfire about Matthew being at graduation and there was a newspaper article in the Sedalia Democrat. But for those of you that are not in the Central Missouri area to get all these reports - it really was a very special day and I'm glad to be able to give you a firsthand report!

The day started off great with Matthew's nurse, Everett and his mother and I loading him up in the handicapped accessible van for the trip from Columbia to Cole Camp. While Brenda signed Matthew out for the day, I had a few moments with him by myself. I told him how glad I was to be with him on this day and his godfather, Randy wanted to be there too, but he was preaching in St. Louis. I was holding Matthew's hand - he gave it a little squeeze and smiled at me. I can't tell you how happy that made me.

Matthew traveled very well in the van and stayed awake the whole trip. He even held his head up most of the way. We were treated to having a "bodyguard" when we arrived at the high school - Mr. Schearer, the new football coach. He stood by to help at every turn and monitored people going in and out of the room where we "made camp" near the entrance to the auditorium stage. He was truly a blessing to us that day.

Matthew's friends came in to visit him a few - sometimes more than a few - at a time. We were so thrilled to see Matthew smile several times at his friends. His smile isn't a wide open grin; the left side up his mouth turns up and his face is bright and clear - it's a wonderful sight to see. Then when his classmates left to get their graduation gowns on, then we got Matthew ready too and stayed in that room for most of the ceremony.

When the big moment came for presenting the graduates, the gentleman at the podium (sorry, I didn't catch his name) made an announcement that when Matthew came on stage to please refrain from applause and flash photography because that is difficult for brain trauma patients to take in. So, he said "Matthew Christian Kurz" and Rev. Kurz wheeled Matthew onto the stage in his cap and gown like the rest of the graduates and Brenda was by their side and she received the diploma. Matthew's head was held high and they turned him to face the auditorium. It brings tears to my eyes to retell the story. When Matthew came onto the stage, his classmates stood up and soon the whole auditorium rose and gave Matthew a silent standing ovation. We couldn't be more proud of this young man who has endured so much and made it so far since the accident.

At this point we left and loaded Matthew up in the van, so we didn't get to hear the reading of the awards and scholarships. But we were told by family members that stayed that when Matthew's name was read the auditorium erupted in cheering and applause.

Matthew's adventure that day didn't end with graduation. We then took him home for a little while. With a little effort his wheelchair was lifted into the house and Matthew sat in the living room soaking in the atmosphere (at least we think he was "soaking it in"). He was peaceful and quiet, but kept his head up and looked intently at his family and his nurse, Everett and speech therapist, Jenn.

I expected Matthew to fall asleep on the way back to Columbia, but he stayed away and kept his head up alot. He probably wanted to make sure I kept both hands on the wheel while driving :). He was settled back in his room and then could relax laying in his bed. It was a special day!

If you would like to read the article in the Sedalia Democrat here's the link:

http://www.sedaliademocrat.com/News/301782054066999.htm

I made sure to email the reporter that in the future, he should refer to him as Matthew or Richard, but not Matt!

As soon as I get the report from Matthew's parents on how the birthday party went, I will share that with you.

God is good!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Graduation

It's a go! Matthew's doctor has released him to attend high school graduation on Sunday. A multitude of stimuli with all the people that are there might be too much for Matthew to handle, so he will be in a room nearby and when it is time for him to receive his diploma, he will go across the auditorium and then have to leave immediately. If you want to congratulate Matthew and greet him, the best time to do that would be at Rusk on Monday night for his birthday celebration from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Matthew will be receiving the following scholarships and awards:

Kansas City Art Institute Scholarship - $10,000, renewal every year based on an above 3.0 GPA.

Honors Diploma given by the Board of Education from Cole Camp High School. This honor is given for students who have completed the core curriculum of preparation for college for students that have received a 3.0 GPA or higher.

State College Preparatory Studies Certificate: Issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of Missouri for those students who have completed a core curriculum and scored 21 or higher on the ACT.

It was Matthew's goal as he went through high school to be awarded these awards and scholarships, and we are very proud of him. He had to work hard to reach these goals and we will continue to encourage him to work equally hard to continue on the journey of recovery from brain trauma injury.

Thank you for all your support and love for Matthew!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew's birthday is May 22nd. Please join us in Columbia if you are in the area or want to make a little trip. There will be a celebration from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Rusk Rehabilitation Center in the cafeteria on the main floor. There will be refreshments, fellowship, and even some entertainment. Some of Matthew's friends from school will be "performing". There will also be a large picture with matting around the sides for everyone to sign who comes to the celebration. We want this to be a special remembrance for Matthew. If you are not able to attend, please send a card to:

Matthew Kurz
Rusk Rehabilitation Center
315 Business Loop 70W
Columbia, MO 65203


Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother
P.S. A message to those who put comments with an update - Brenda DOES read the blog and the messages, and she appreciates your words of comfort and wisdom from experience.

Update - Edited - 5/17/06

Mother's Day was an enjoyable day for the Kurz family. The boys were watching re-runs of the Cosby Show with Matthew. At one point Lucas and Timothy laughed really hard. Matthew then SMILED and opened his mouth as if laughing without sound. What a treat to see!

The doctors, staff and Brenda and Erich are all very pleased to see Matthew very calm, with very little agitation. Once in a while he moans when being transferred from the bed to the chair because of his foot still hurts, but overall there is tremendous improvement with his demeanor. His foot wound is taking time to heal, but it is doing a little better. This wound does impede his therapy on his foot and ankle because the therapist can't grasp his foot fully to move it around because of the pain it causes him, so she has to hold it gingerly.

The doctors have indicated that they are confident that Matthew is very aware of everything going on around him. They can tell by his clear response with hands, eyes, etc. that his is paying attention and understands.

The incision over his collarbone is doing OK. They had to cut away decayed tissue last week in surgery, but it looks much better now. They tested the area for infection and one doctor mentioned that he was amazed that there wasn't any infection considering how long there was an open wound. Could this be because of the good bacteria Matthew receives from the Shaklee product, Optiflora?!

A business has finally been found that will make copies of Matthew's artwork. The piece that is affectionately called the "Van Gogh" and the "Nose Picker" are $35 plus shipping. The charcoal picture (still life) is $100 plus shipping. The cost is so high because of the size and the large amount of ink that it takes to produce the picture. Money collected from the sale of these pictures will be included in other Thrivent matching fund programs. Go to www.colecamparea.com/Matthew to view the artwork. Andrew continues to be the contact person for this project. Until the end of the May, the checks need to be made out to "Thrivent" and mail them to Andrew at:

Andrew Kurz
24302 Cheese Creek Road
Cole Camp, MO 65325

The Harley Davidson fundraiser went pretty well on Saturday despite a slow start with one cyclist in the morning. Later in the day there were ALOT more. You can still contribute to this fundraiser and add to the funds that will be matched by Thrivent by sending checks made out to Thrivent with "Matthew Kurz fundraiser" on the memo line. Send the checks to:

Bob Boone
7220 W. 98th Terrace, Suite 230
Overland Park, KS 66212


Brenda asked me to share the names of a couple books she's been reading about head trauma. One is entitled, "Where is the Mango Princess? A Journey Back from Brain Injury". The author is Cathy Crimmins, wife of a man who was involved in a boating accident while in the water. A boat hit his head. The book describes the journey of process of repair with head trauma and how life is changed forever and the caregivers will have to care for the victim for the rest of their lives.

The other book that you might want to check out is called "Ketchup on the Keyboard" (sorry, I don't have the author's name). This is a mother's story about her son involved in a car accident, with head trauma injuries.

We will let you know Friday (at the latest on Saturday) if Matthew will officially be able to attend the graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 21st. Nothing has happened recently to get in the way of this "adventure" for Matthew, so we hope the doctors give him the official OK in a couple days.

Have a blessed day!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Update - 5/12/06

Surgery went well yesterday for Matthew! They removed the plate and screws and now we pray that the area heals well and quickly. His collarbone healed well some time ago and now it's time for the skin and tissue around the area to heal as well.

In preparation for other surgeries, Matthew has been uncomfortable and agitated in the new surroundings of the hospital, but this time Matthew was calm and didn't get upset before and after the surgery. This is a pretty good indicator that Matthew may not be set back in his progress from another surgical procedure.

As we look down the road, there aren't any EXPECTED surgical procedures or hurtles to get in the way of Matthew's progress so we hope and pray the "baby steps" forward will increase.

God's blessings to you this day and have a great weekend!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Update - 5/10/06

Folks, I'm swamped at work and at home so I don't have time to give you all the details on Matthew's recent progress, but I do want you to know ASAP that Matthew will be having surgery on Thurdsay at 3:30 p.m. They need to remove the plate and screws that were put in to hold his collarbone in the correct position. The screws are working their way out and can potentially cause Matthew lots of problems. The collarbone looks good so the procedure shouldn't be any problem, but it IS surgery. He will probably have to be kept overnight in the hospital because the surgery is later in the day.

We are hopeful that another surgery procedure doesn't set Matthew back in his progress.

Thank you for your prayers!

Rachel Asburry

Update - 5/7/06

It has been a good weekend for Matthew. He is making improvements and even though the surgery set him back in his progress, he is regaining some skills and abilities back. Previously Matthew was gripping a spoon and pulling it toward his mouth. He is doing that again (with ice chips in the spoon). They will begin introducing other foods little by little again and encourage him to not clamp his mouth shut.

He has also been assisting with getting himself dressed (which he did before, but had stopped). When asked, Matthew will push his own arm through the sleeve.

Matthew's parents and his therapists can see that he DOES understand what is being said to him and around him. The question is if Matthew will choose to respond back. He doesn't respond with words, but with the thumbs up sign or shaking his head. He was doing these things before, but had stopped. We're glad to see these skills are returning.

What is new and exciting is Matthew is holding his head up on his own more each day. A few days ago he could hold his head up for 1/2 hour normally. Each day he makes it for longer. Today he was sitting up in the wheelchair and holding his head up, with legs bent normally and it was so exciting for his mother to see.

Another extremely positive thing is Matthew is learning to breathe deeply through the muscle spasms until they pass. Previously the muscle spasms would cause him confusion and so much pain that he would moan, groan and "fight" the spasms. Now he can breathe deeply until the spasms "let go". He doesn't cry out like he did before. Now you may wonder why he's still having the spasms when he's on the medication for relaxing the muscles. To completely get rid of the spasms would mean so much medication that he would be a "wet noodle" with no muscle control at all. The level of medication he is receiving now reduces the amount of spasms and makes it more comfortable for Matthew without taking away his ability to respond to therapy.

A few days ago Matthew was given the OK by the doctors to take a little trip on May 21st! If all goes well and things continue as they are going, Matthew will be able to attend the graduation ceremony in Cole Camp. The arrangements are being made and Matthew's doctor thinks it will be good for him. Matthew's parents couldn't be happier about this news!!!

Matthew's 18th birthday is the day after graduation, on May 22nd. Brenda is hoping to have a card shower for Matthew and a celebration in his room at Rusk. More details to follow. We hope that you will begin looking for a special card to mail to Matthew on that special day.

God be with you all!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother

Fundraiser Info

"Life doesn't always deal a fair hand - in these times, we can all use a little help. Give Matthew Kurz a helping HAND and join us for a HAND up Poker Run."

These are words from the flyer for a new fundraiser.

Many people continue to ask for ways that they can help financially. There is a new fundraiser that has been planned that is coming VERY soon - May 13th! This fundraiser will be in Grandview, MO (south of Kansas City) at Gail's Harley Davidson, at the corner of Hwy 71 and Hwy 150, with high visibility. Four Thrivent chapters and Thrivent Agent, Bob Boone will be working at the day's activities.

Here's the schedule for the day:
8:30 a.m. Poker Run with Harley drivers (best run wins a prize)
8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Bake Sale (items coming from Sedalia, Lee Summit, etc.)
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Silent Auction
12:30 - 2:00 p.m - grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, etc. - free will offering
Live Band and Dance starts at 2:00 p.m.

Now, you're probably wondering how this came about. Somehow, the word about Matthew and Andrew's accident got to some Harley officiandos and they wanted to help. To make a long story short, they asked Bob Boone and a family member to come speak to them about Matthew's situation. It was guessed that there would be about 10 people show up for the meeting and instead 110 people gathered to hear Matthew's story. There was a gentleman there in a wheelchair named George. I don't know his story, but he stood up out of the wheelchair with effort and the Harley fans said they want to help Matthew "on the road" working toward being able to stand like that! They also said they have Matthew on their prayer list!

Four Thrivent chapters with which Bob Boone is associated heard about the great need for assistance and joined in with the Harley Davidson group to put on this fundraiser. Here's how you can help: the Bake Sale needs more items, especially about 100 dozen cookies. Mailing baked goods is not a good thing, so if you could send $5-$10 towards the bake sale that would be greatly appreciate. Mail your check (made out to: Thrivent) to the address below and put on the memo line: bake sale.

Bob Boone
7220 W. 98th Terrace, Suite 230
Overland Park, KS 66212

It would also be very helpful to have more contributions for the silent auction. Contact Bob Boone at 816-590-9064 to offer items. Of course, cash donations of any amount are always welcome.

Please help get the word out by passing out or displaying the flyers for this event. Contact Robert.Boone@Thrivent.com for a copy of the flyer.

Update - 5/3/06

Matthew is doing quite well since his return to Rusk and he's recovered from surgery. He was re-admitted to Rusk on Monday and settled back into the therapy routine on Tuesday. His dad was with him on Tuesday and he enjoyed seeing Matthew's major accomplishment! The therapist was working on Matthew's legs, massaging muscles and bending joints. Matthew's left leg was able to bend at almost a 90 degree angle!!!!! This is a HUGE improvement from the stiff left leg that would hardly move before. Matthew sat in the wheelchair with that left leg bent and he was sitting almost like normal (and even without much complaining on Matthew's part). The pump with the medication for relaxing Matthew's muscles is doing what it's suppose to do! There's still some resistence with Matthew's muscles, but there is great improvement and we are so thankful.

The wound on Matthew's foot is healing well. They re-bandage it four times a day and it is looking much better.

Matthew hasn't been forming words of late, but Erich noticed that Matthew doesn't seem so "foggy". He is clear and directed in his responses (when given a command or request). Since he doesn't speak words, he responds with actions or "grunts".

Last night there was a Fine Arts Dinner at the Cole Camp High School. Matthew received the Top Art Award for Seniors entitled "The Leonardo da Vinci Award". Brenda and Andrew were there to receive the award for Matthew. Andrew received recognition for letting in speech. We're proud of both boys!

Please check back Thursday morning - there will be details regarding a new fundraiser.

Blessings to you!

Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother