Let's get Blake rollin'

I met Dana at work and quickly grew to love her heart. She is so giving of her time and love and we all knew she was one of those special people. We learned about her and Blake's story and wanted to help raise some money to get them a van so he can get around. Currently, Dana has a small car that is unable to transport Blake and his wheelchair. This leaves them trying to find transportation for doctor appointments, but not much for socializing with friends or family. A van would be life-changing for them with so many possibilities for Blake to get out and around. I asked Dana to share their story, so it is below. Please consider giving to this amazing family so we can help get Blake rollin'

Any donation, big or small would be greatly appreciated.

Dana and Blake's Story

Blake and I had been married since November 2012 and were enjoying our life – active in church, both working, lots of friends and nothing really out of the ordinary. That changed in 2019 when Blake began to experience headaches and sudden weakness on one side. The Drs wrote it up as migraines and tried medication. The situation did not improve, he got worse – the weakness led to falls, a change in his gait and a wife desperate for answers. Test after test, appointment after appointment, it was just diagnosed as a migraine. Finally, after the last scan showed no reason for the weakness and falls, I begged his doctor to watch him walk. She then saw the change and further imaging was ordered in early June 2020. By the time Blake had the scans, he was walking with a cane and out of work. The scans were done on Tuesday and Friday, we were meeting with a neurosurgeon hearing that immediate surgery was needed and that if he fell again, he could be paralyzed. He was diagnosed with severe central spinal stenosis from T4 to L1.

Blake and I are people of faith, we love Jesus with all we are and asked for the weekend so we could pray, call family/friends and get to church. That weekend, I cooked Blake’s favorite foods, hung out with friends, got ready for family and went to church. There are times from that weekend that stick out to me, getting his bag ready, laughing at his stupid movie, crying with friends as we prayed, sleeping beside him and holding his hand as we walked into the hospital on Monday morning.

My sister and brother-in-law drove us to the hospital, and we checked in. The morning passed with paperwork, surgery prep and waiting. He was taken back to surgery, and I left to go get something to eat and wait for word. I was told it was going to be about a 6-to-8-hour surgery and I would get regular updates. About 2 hours in, the first call came, and all was well. The next call did not go so well – signal was lost to his lower limbs and had not returned – did I want to go on with the surgery? I wish providers would not ask those types of questions, I understand they need answers, but in that instance, I barely knew my name, much less if I wanted them to continue. I told the surgeon to continue and got friends/family praying. I remember sitting numb as I called his parents, our pastors and family.

The next call came, and the surgeon stated she was stopping the surgery. She said she was not able to do as much in the operation as she wanted to, but he had been in for almost 10 hours and there was nothing else she could do. She began to describe what happened, that she had decompressed one vertebra and was going to the next one when his body jumped and his “spinal cord popped off the bone”. I asked when I could see him, she stated he was in recovery, and that I could see him soon and stay with him that night. When I saw him, my heart broke, he was intubated, fighting the tube, and just restless. That night was horrible, I didn’t sleep, had praise and worship playing and stayed by him all night long praying for him to stay calm and rest.

The Dr came in the next morning – her first words to me were asking if I slept. I said no and proceeded to tell her why. She then asked if I had told Blake, and again I said no. She went over to his bedside; the tube was removed, and she leaned over and told him what happened. The first words he said were “It’s ok doc, God has this, and God has me...” I broke at that time and had to go out into the hallway to cry. I stayed with him all that day, trying to sleep, answering calls/texts and just praying.

Blake was hospitalized from July 27th to October 9th. He was moved from the hospital in Tupelo Mississippi to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The week we moved is a blur, honestly leading up to the move is a blur – packing, selling, saying goodbye, tying up loose ends and still trying to care for Blake. There is no way we could have done anything without the help and support of our family and friends – they stepped in, going above and beyond to help make a difficult time easier.

It has been 3 years since our world flipped upside down. Our life looks different now, but it is still a full life. Blake spends his days in a chair, depending on others for help with basic daily tasks. He does as much as he can and will help with his bathing, dressing and stuff around the house. His paralysis affects T8 (beginning around his rib cage) and below – he has an ostomy bag, as well as a suprapubic catheter. There have been some huge answers to prayers – he can wiggle his toes, move one of his legs, feel when someone is touching a leg, and has retained good muscle tone in his legs. He would say that more important than that is he has grown in his faith, we both have. He has had times of sadness, we both have, but we don’t stay in them, or let them linger. We hold on to our faith, knowing that despite what we see, God is still good and in control.

Before this happened, Blake was an extremely outgoing person – active with friends, family, and church. That has changed a little – it is difficult for him to get out and go places without medical transport or renting a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. There is a transportation service in our county, but that only runs during the week and is limited to county limits. I know he misses being with others, being able to go to church, the store and just out and about. A wheelchair-accessible vehicle would be a God send for us.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Dana and Blake Farmer