A Long-Overdue Update

The Gascon Family

Friends,

It has been a little more than a year now since Juan Carlos had his accident.  Things continue to go well as the family has adjusted to a different kind of lifestyle.

Juan and Connie have a nurse who comes in several times a week to help Juan Carlos do the things he needs to do each day.  This also allows Connie to run errands and do work outside the home from time to time.  Juan is still making slow progress  – he can use his left arm and hand very well, and has some use of his right arm.

The boys continue in school.  They have taken on a lot of responsibility in the last year, and they’ve matured a lot because of it.  Jonathan went with the Kenbridge Baptist team on a mission trip to Mexico last summer, and JC will go with the team this summer (July 4-11).

Among their greatest concerns in the last few months has been their finances, as you might expect.  While their expenses for medical care and equipment have been mostly covered by medicare and insurances, their family income has been limited by the restrictions on social security and disability payments.

This is where the Gascon Fund has come in.  So many of you have contributed, and money still comes in from time to time.  All told, the Fund has gathered more than $40,000 to help the Gascons, and nearly half of that amount is still left and reserved for their needs.  The fund has been used to help with the purchase of a wheelchair, van, and other necessary equipment.  It is also used to meet their monthly expenses when the need arises.

Another important step in the last few months has been the renovation of their bathroom!  The bathroom in the parsonage at Jonesboro was adequate for a family without special needs.  But with Juan Carlos’ condition it was nearly impossible to use.  The space was cramped and completely inaccessible by wheelchair.  To bathe Juan Carlos, the Gascons would either have to use cloths and sponges, or carry him to houses of friends who had accessible bathrooms.

Thanks to the work of many individuals and the Department of Rehabilitative Services, their bathroom has been renovated and outfitted for Juan’s use.  J.C. sent an update recently, along with pictures of the old and new bathrooms.  I’ll quote his message:

The Old Bathroom

Dear Friends,

Greetings, from the Gascon Family. As y’all may see below a picture of our new roll in shower bathroom, which was completed March 11th.  There is also a picture of the bathroom before the renovation. In all it cost $15,000 which Dept. of Rehabilitation paid for.  Two men from Hanover came and worked on it [for about] a month. In the meantime we’ve been going to different places to shower – the hispanic church (Anastasis), and the homes of our wonderful neighbors ( The Williams’ & The Woods). We really are thankful to have such close and nice neighbors.

The New Bathroom!

March 11th was the 365th day since the accident, and all those days we have felt God’s Blessings and all your prayers.
Thanks for all your prayers, love and support. May God Bless Y’all MUCHO!!!

Our Love,
The Gascon Family:):)
<–eL UniC0 JC

The family has constantly expressed to me how much they appreciate all your prayers and support.  They remain in good spirits, and constantly praise God for the work he’s doing in their lives and in their church.

I haven’t been good about updating this site, as you’ve noticed!  If you have a question at any time about what’s going on with the Gascons, please feel free to email me (jon AT kenbridgebaptist DOT org) and I’ll see what I can find out.

A New Van and Other Happenings

The Gascons' new van

Just wanted to share some of the recent happenings with all of you who are keeping up with Juan Carlos and family.  After searching for about a month, they found a wheelchair-accessible van last week and Juan Carlos is elated to finally be able to get out and about.  Before this, he was limited to the house unless a friend with a wheelchair van took him somewhere, which was rare.  Hopefully, this will boost his spirits, which have gotten low of late.  (To the right is a small picture, which came from JC’s phone)

The loaner wheelchair Juan Carlos has been using is starting to have problems, so the time has come to order his new wheelchair.  They hope to have it ready in the next 60-90 days.

In the meantime, donations are still coming in for the Gascon Fund.  To date, almost $40,000 has been raised, and about $15,000 has been used to help pay for home health equipment and the van.  Further needs include the wheelchair and an expansion to their bathroom, which is currently too small for the wheelchair.

I know this is just a brief update.  As I get more news I will pass it along.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Blessings to you all!

Praise Update!

Friends,

Anastasis church had a worship service at Jonesboro Baptist yesterday (June 29).  They held service there so that Juan Carlos and Connie could attend (it’s right next door to their house).  Leroy Bradshaw, the pastor at Jonesboro, left this comment about the worship service:

Jon: I felt I needed to comment on June 29 update with Juan Carlos: At Worship, Juan moved his right forearm and shoulder, for the first time for me. I was so excited. He does something new for me almost weekly. I don’t think the family notices these little changes, since they are with him 24/7. JC asked him to move his arm in Spanish, and he willingly moved his shoulder, and his whole forearm. This means that innervation is re-establishing itself as time passes. I don’t know if this will lead to total control, but he is now able to move the left foot, and right shoulder and arm. PRAISE GOD!

Gascon Reception

Friends,

I’m so bad at getting news out in time.  Forgive me!

I just wanted to give you a brief report on the reception held for Juan Carlos, Connie and the boys last week.  They had a wonderful time seeing several friends for the first time since the accident, and so many people brought and/or sent gifts.

According to Sylvia Bradshaw, at least 125 people came – probably more.  Two large tables were packed high with gifts, groceries, and supplies.  A money tree at one end of the table was full of sizeable bills.  It was a time of laughter, catching up… and good tamales and other food!

Here are a few pictures from the recption:

A Long Overdue Update

Friends,

First off, my sincere apologies that it’s been so long since the last update!  If any of you have visited any of my other blogs/sites, you know it’s not just this one that has suffered in the busyness of the last month!

Another reason for the slow updates is the simple fact that, now that Juan Carlos is home, things are changing less rapidly than before.  In those first weeks, the situation was changing on a daily basis – medical conditions, hospital rooms, staying places for the boys… everything moved rapidly there for a while, and the future was very uncertain. As much as it was to report, you can imagine how stressful this was on the family.

Needless to say, they are glad to be HOME (they made the move, as expected, on May 16).  In fact, in a recent visit with them, that’s the thing that Juan Carlos seemed to stress most often – he is so glad to be home.  It’s quiet, peaceful, and not nearly as hectic as the hospital, his home for more than two months.  He was calm and at ease, and seems to be adjusting to the changes as well as any of us could expect.

So here, in a very long update, is some recent information about what’s going on with the Gascons.  I am keeping somewhat regular contact these days, but my summer schedule means I will be out of pocket a bit.  If any of you visit with

First, you saw the photo above, with Juan Carlos and Connie at home (that’s my daughter Abigail with them).  Juan Carlos is still using a “loaner” wheelchair, but now has a bed and lift at home, among other things, that make it easier to meet his needs.

To the left and below are two photos of the new ramp that made it possible for Juan to even return home.  MANY THANKS to those who worked to make this ramp and other changes at the house, including (but not limited to): Mike Clay, Bob Smith, Jack Roberts and Kenbridge Construction, Luther Reynolds.

While some of the doors have been widened to allow access with the wheelchair, some challenges still remain.  The biggest is probably the bathroom, which needs to be extended so that they can use it to care for Juan Carlos – at the moment, his chair is not even able to fit in the bathroom.

These changes and supplies have been made possible by many of you, who have donated generously to the Gascon Fun in the last six weeks.  To date, the Gascon Fund has received more than $33,000 – and more checks are coming each day.  Praise God for his provision!  And thanks to so many of you who continue to give.

Besides hopefully purchasing a new wheelchair, a portion of these funds may also be used to purchase a van that can carry Juan Carlos and his wheelchair.  More information on this will be available soon.

I know it’s late notice if you aren’t in our association, but a special reception and old-fashioned “pounding” will be held this Sunday, June 22, from 3:00-5:00 pm.  The reception will be held at (and sponsored by) Jonesboro Baptist Church, which has provided faithful support to the Gascons since they arrived nearly 10 years ago.  A list of suggested items to bring can be obtained by contacting your church office (if you’re an SBA church), or at the Association office itself (434-696-2252).  You can find a map to the church by clicking this link.

As far as prayers go, please do not give up!  Here are some needs to pray about:

• First, offer continual thanks to God.  He has done so much already!  Among many things, he’s spared Juan Carlos’ life, given him mobility, saved Jonathan from all but a few scratches, moved people to pray and give on the family’s behalf, and provided more physical needs (big and small) than any of us can count.
• Give thanks that God has given this family remarkable strength to persevere in the midst of this crisis, and pray that he would give them even more strength.
• Pray for Anastasis Church and for the Southside Association, as we look to the future of ministry to Hispanics in our area.  Juan Carlos hopes and plans to return to his ministry, but right now, no one knows what shape that ministry will take.
• Pray for the Gascons, and those working closely with them, as they try (with little or no map) to navigate the turbulent waters of social services, disability, and insurance.

As always, thanks to God, and to all of you again for all you have done.  If you have any updates or questions, please let me know by email (jon AT kenbridgebaptist DOT org) or by phone (434-676-2455 at the church).

Blessings,

Jon