Dr. Gary Parrett, professor of Educational Ministries and Worship at Gordon-Conwell, has been unconscious since Saturday

1. Dr Gary Parrett is still in a coma
   
2. Has been air ambulanced back to Boston (from Seoul SK)
   
3. Wife and daughter are in transit (return from Seoul)
   His CaringBridge journal (maintained by his daughter) : http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garyparrett/journal

As many of you know, Gary had a major breakthrough this past week where he not only spoke several short sentences (including “Praise the Lord,” “Amen,” “Yes, please” when one of the visitors offered to read portions of the scriptures, and “My name is Gary Parrett” to a new doctor who came by to examine him.), he actually read from one of the songs that he wrote in the past when Holly had the song in front of his eyes! He even tried to sing…

It has been nearly five months since the accident, and in many ways all of those moments of fear and anxiety, grief and pain have been blurred and dulled by time and Gary’s “miraculous recovery”. Our lives have become somewhat normal—though we are still at the hospital, Gary and I are able to spend our time talking, reading, and praying together. With Alisa joining us, it feels even more complete and like old times. The other day, without any prompting, we broke out into three part harmony of a song just like we always had, and I was reminded of my prayer from four months ago for Gary to wake up and sing with us. God has answered that prayer and we are singing in three part harmony all the time.

There have been other milestones and answers to prayers over the last few weeks. Gary finally got his feeding tube out and is eating very well. His memory and speech are improving at a rapid speed that shocks everyone. Most of the restraints that were put on him because of his agitation and impusiveness have now been taken away. Most importantly, I am finally allowed to transfer him to and from bed and bathroom. This has been liberating for both Gary and me, since we don’t have to depend on the nursing staff for very personal needs.

Each day, Gary is able to do things that he wasn’t able to do the day before. He is now using his cell phone to call and leave voicemails—he even texted Alisa. He is enjoying reading, and he is now reading through his most recent book, Grounded in the Gospel, which was published only a little while before his accident. He discusses the content with his attending doctor, who also has been reading the book. He still has moments of impulsiveness, though, and loses his memory and speech, especially when anxious or tired. He is still having trouble with the mobility of his right side, so he is still wheel chair bound except during therapy. Today, he lost balance and had a bad fall during physical therapy. He is okay, though all of us are a bit shaken, and we covet continued prayers for protection and healing.

Aside from all of these milestones, I am most grateful for the fact that slowly but surely, Gary is emerging. His dry wit and jokes are back. He laughs a lot and make others laugh with him. His pastoral heart, showing concern and kindness for other patients on the ward, is also back. Gary and I go around meeting other patients and families and we pray for and with them. He prays for everyone who visits with such simple clarity and gentleness that every person who is prayed for is touched. The other day, as I was wheeling him down to one of his therapy sessions, one of the therapists (not Gary’s) passed by and said “there goes the friendliest patient at Spaulding.” I think that’s a quite a title to have, and a wonderful testimony to God’s goodness and power.

With the season of Thanksgiving upon us and as I look back at the last five months, my heart is filled with praise and gratitude. God surely has been good to Gary, Alisa and me. All three of us have been shaken and moved out of our comfort zones by God in order to be led to “the rock that is higher than we are.” It has been a difficult journey, but not a “bad” one. We have witnessed and experienced how faithful our God and His people can be, and how even in the midst of the most severe storm, God is our shelter.

From the beginning, I have seen the footprints of God, walking with us. All these Christian doctors who come into Gary’s hospital room not simply to treat him but also to pray for him… Miraculous and amazing provision through travel insurances and worker’s compensation insurance that we didn’t even know existed… Wonderful friends who made his transfer to the US possible… In so many practical ways, God has used His people to let us know that we were not alone.

In Korea, friends and family filled the small refrigerator in our boarding room with fresh fruits and vegetables and drinks… Hundreds came to visit and bought us meals and rice cakes, aspirin, toothpaste, tooth brushes and notebooks. From all the prayers and remarks on this blog, to the letters and cards sent to us, to the financial support we received, to care packages and meals prepared by friends from the Seminary and Highrock church, to the Seminary physical plant and grounds crew coming to take care of our house and yard, to church friends and Randy (Gary’s brother) working to winterize and fix things around the house… And, most importantly, your love and prayers for Gary.

I cannot list all the help and love we have received thus far nor can I express sufficiently the gratitude I feel toward all of you, except to say “Thank you and God Bless you.” With our God who walks with us and carries us through our trials, and thousands of saints, loving us through prayers, we simply cannot lose. Blessed Be the Name of the LORD!

For a long time, we had been hoping that Gary would be out of the hospital in time for Christmas, but recently it looked like we would only be able to have him at home for a couple days around the holiday before having to return to Spaulding. In a quick turn of events, though, we were able to get the ball rolling on his discharge and it turns out that he will be coming home for good, Lord willing, on the morning of Christmas eve! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind with the quick decision, upcoming holidays, and wintry weather, but the hospital staff has been working in order to make sure that this Friday’s discharge can happen. Gary’s attending physician, Dr. Chae (who has been a continual blessing to all of us), has even volunteered to drive him home from the hospital.

We are very excited to go home and be together, but we are also scared about all the unknowns and whether or not we will be able to transition well. Tonight, all three of us are staying at the functional living apartment in the hospital to see how we will do without help from the nursing or medical staff. There will be a lot of changes to deal with, including home care and therapy. The home therapy that we are trying to set up for Gary will not be available until mid-January, so until then, Gary will be commuting back to Spaulding three times a week to receive outpatient therapy. Gary will have somebody to drive him back and forth from Boston, paid for by insurance.

Please pray with us as we transition to the house. This is the beginning of a new phase in Gary’s recovery process, and it is by no means the end of the journey. Even so, this is a moment that we have dreamed and prayed about, but we had often despaired, doubting that it could actually happen so soon. We are so thankful for God’s provision and, although we are apprehensive about the changes that are in store, we are so thankful for this Christmas blessing of being able to bring Gary home.

Much love from the Parrett family in this Christmas season! We pray that God will pour out his richest blessings upon you and yours through the rest of this year and the coming new one!