My New Happy: Thoughts For Todd

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Thoughts For Todd


I have been struggling with how to write this post - or whether to even write it at all.  None of you know my friend Todd, shown here with his lovely wife Tammi and their three children.

But I hope you will continue reading, because Todd needs a million positive thoughts and prayers sent his way.

Todd is a long time friend of our family.  He is one of the nicest, most positive men you could ever meet, with a wonderful sense of humor.  His daughter graduated from high school in June and the family took a trip to Hawaii to celebrate.

In a freak accident, Todd was severely injured while body surfing in Maui on July 3rd.  A large wave picked him up and slammed him head first into the sand. 

The wave receded, and Todd was left paralyzed from the neck down.  He was stabilized and flown to Honolulu where he has remained in ICU.  His neck is not broken, but a narrow part of his upper spine is pinching his spinal cord.  Luckily he has been able to breathe on his own since the accident, and doctors are waiting for his blood pressure to regulate so that he can be medevaced to Seattle to continue treatment.



Although Todd's prognosis is very uncertain, there have been encouraging signs in the past few days.  He was able to wiggle both big toes, and has had increased sensation behind his knee. Through it all Todd has remained upbeat and positive and assures everyone that he will walk again.

My request from all of my wonderful blogging friends is that you will say a prayer for Todd's continued healing and recovery.   If you don't pray, a positive thought would also be appreciated.

This terrible accident has reminded me of three very important life lessons that I give lip service to all the time, but don't follow on a daily basis.

Live every day like it is your last.  Todd's life literally changed in an instant.  All the petty things that bother me seem so unimportant in light of Todd's fight.

Appreciate your body and what it does for you.  Naturally, we all complain about how we look or feel.  But our amazing bodies move and support us through our day.  Give it some credit!

A positive attitude will carry you through.  Nobody's life is perfect, and we all have burdens to bear.  Going through each day with a smile rather than a frown makes everything better.  If nothing else, fake it till you make it.



This is the beginning of Todd's story, but it is certainly not the end.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read.  I believe there is great value in the power of prayer and positive thoughts.  I promise to keep you posted on how he is doing.

44 comments:

  1. Wow that is devastating. I am sending along healing thoughts to Todd and his family.

    It is true that you never know just how good you have it until it is taken away.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. Thanks Suzanne! It's so important to be thankful for what we have!

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  2. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and will be praying for Todd. ~Ann
    Tarnished Royalty

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  3. When I read that he said he would walk again, I knew he would. He will. God bless him and I will hold him in the light. Prayer gets through!

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    1. Carol, I can't tell you how positive I felt reading your comment. I will be passing it on to Todd. Thank you!

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  4. I will be thinking about Todd for awhile, and have chatted with God as well. You are a lovely friend for writing this.

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  5. I'm so sorry to hear this and I'm sending lots of good vibes Todd's way.

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    1. Lisa, thank you, thank you! So glad we've met :)

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  6. I am praying for him right now! Thanks for sharing his story...

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    1. Thank you Pam. I appreciate you reading and praying.

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  7. This is devastating! Praying for a full recovery!

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    1. Thank you so much! A full recovery would be amazing!

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  8. So sorry to hear this. I will pray for Todd and his family!

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  9. Sending out love and light and healing energy.

    We can heal our hurts if we keep choosing it over and over again. Though he has a long road ahead of him, it sounds like Tom is choosing to find his personal road to recovery, a path that includes all of his friends and their friends.

    The Five Facets of Healing motto is this: "We are neighbors in grief and allies in healing."

    We are beside you, Tom!!

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    1. Thank you so much for the helpful words! I will be passing them along.

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  10. Thanks for sharing this, Lana. I hope Todd recovers fully--with friends like you, he's a lucky man.

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    1. Thank you Karen. Todd has SO many friends, because he's that kind of person.

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  11. What a terrible twist of fate. I am amazed by the strength of Todd and his family, which is evident in the photos. I hope his recovery is complete, and thank you Lana, for the reminder of these life lessons.

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    1. Thank you so much Susan. Todd and his family are one of the strongest I know - if anyone can get through this, they can.

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  12. So sorry to hear about Todd's accident. Thinking of Todd and his family and friends during this scary time.

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    1. Thank you Adrienne! I appreciate you reading and sending positive thoughts!

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  13. Praying for strength for Todd and his family. Thank you for sharing about him and for keeping us informed about his progress.

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    1. Pam, thank you so much. I will definitely do an update on his progress.

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  14. Sending out lots of healing thoughts to Todd. And your reminders about those important life lessons were perfect, for his situation and all of ours. Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Devastating. Prayers will go out to that precious family. Susan

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  16. Definitely sending out prayers and positive thoughts on Todd's behalf, Lana! We've just had the thirteen-year-old son of people in our church congregation suffer a similar accident, but on a bicycle. He still has no feeling from the shoulders down. We pray for him every day. We'll pray for Todd!

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    1. So sorry to hear about this young man - I will be praying for him as well. Thank you for adding Todd to your prayer list!

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  17. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
    Nora
    www.jacketsociety.com

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  18. I said a prayer for him. Just love how his attitude is so great. He has such a bright light to shine. Praying for a full recovery for him.

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    1. Thank you so much! He really does have the most positive attitude, which I know will help him to heal!

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  19. Saying prayers and sending hope also. It is scary sometimes how your life can be changed in an instant.

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    1. Thank you Rena for the prayers and hope! Todd will appreciate it.

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  20. I am so, so sorry. It's true, life can change in an instant. I'll be saying a prayer for Todd and his family.

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  21. Oh my I'm so sorry for Todd and his family. I will definitely include them in my prayers Lana!

    Rebecca
    www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

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  22. With God nothing is impossible. When my husband was 17 years old, he was in a toboggan accident and broke his neck. He was in full body traction and told he would never walk upright again, if he ever walked at all. The docs scheduled him for surgery to fuse his spine in hopes that he would be able to walk (hunched over but there was a glimmer of hope). Hubby applied the faith he learned as a child and to make a very long story short, he was instantly and miraculously healed. He tore the traction off and went running down the halls of the hospital, trying to find his mom to tell her. He never needed surgery and was 100%. The full story is in my memoir and if you want to encourage Todd with it, please do.

    Carol at Battered Hope

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    1. What a wonderful story! I will definitely share this with Todd. Thank you so much!

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