Happy Birthday Brian!

Okay, so this is just one of those days that will probably never be the same for me again--at least not this year so I just wanted to quickly post--

Today is Brian's birthday.

Dare I tell how old you are, little brother? Well, of course, I'm the big (albeit older, yes I know) sister...

Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

Again, I just have to say that it's one of those days where I am reminded of how fortunate I am to even have the possible opportunity to annoy you with this post (assuming someone tells you I did it in the first place).

We almost lost you last year. We should have--by vehicle extrication and emergency hospital standards. I remember a Christmas Eve nurse assigned to you on the trauma intensive care unit who told us she was also in the emergency room the night they brought you in. She, too, remembered thinking that she didn't expect you to make it. She also told us, as a traveling nurse who usually worked with patients with spinal cord injuries, that she'd seen many a God-given miracle that doctors just couldn't explain.

Speaking of--look at you now...alive, moving one step closer to full independence, & wholeheartedly committed, with excitement even, to the upcoming months of an intensive, grueling physical therapy quest to make some gains to what you have lost.

I thank God for having you here with us, Brian. For inspiring me not only in your determination but in being a daily living example that our God is a loving God who does, in His perfect timing, answer prayers.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

We love you so much and are so strongly reminded, as we were when He spared you on December 14th, 2008, that as you continue to commit this journey to Jesus Christ, He will bless you & He will keep you.

So, little brother, Happy Birthday...

A Few Words from Brian

A GREAT article, Keeter Time, by Dave Pond is a featured story this month on ncsu.edu website. Please be sure to check it out.

Also, some of you may have received the below message from Brian in an email. We thought those not on his contact list might like to hear from him too so we've posted it below:

Hey Everybody!

I want again to thank everyone that has & continues to reach out to me following my accident. I continue to be amazed by the tremendous amount of support I receive from family & friends.

Unable to be proactive in my recovery has been very tough both mentally & physically. I am extremely excited that I have finally recovered from secondary issues that have prevented me from taking a very aggressive & proactive route in my recovery. I am ready to get started & confident that nobody will work harder then me at the therapies I am about to begin!

October is going to be a busy & exciting month. I will be moving about 25 miles or so north of Charlotte to be close to the Race to Walk therapy gym in Mooresville. At Race to Walk, I plan on building strength working with therapists & on my own 4-5 days a week. I hope to build up as much strength as I can & make as many gains as possible to maximize the time spent at my next stop at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The Shepherd Center has a wonderfully renowned outpatient therapy program, Beyond Therapy, which helps people with injuries like mine attempt to recover function. They have many success stories from people with injuries similar to mine. My father got me admitted & on the waiting list shortly after getting injured. He also toured the facility a few months ago. There was an eight month wait when I signed up & I anticipate beginning there in early 2010.

As most of you know, NC State has offered to help raise money to cover the tremendous out-of-pocket expenses associated with spinal cord injury therapy & recoveries that are not covered by insurance. I invite & encourage everyone to attend the Red Rally this Friday, October 16th. I definitely plan to come out in support of NC State family & hope also to see many of you there.

With the Red Rally coming up, I thought I should address one concern. Some people inquiring about donating to NTAF on my behalf have expressed some confusion regarding where the monies go. Just to be clear, approximately 98% of tax-deductible donations received in my honor go into my personal NTAF account to be used towards paying for progressive therapies such as Race to Walk & Shepherd Center, modifications to a vehicle so that I can begin driving again, & other vital expenses that insurance does not cover (The other 2% goes towards administrative costs & salaried patient fund coordinators.).

I appreciate everyone that has donated & please know that every little bit helps so much. I know times are tough for a lot of people but I cannot tell you how the small donations from many add up to be such a tremendous help to my family & me.

Again, I look forward to seeing you all at Reynolds Coliseum this Friday!

Sincerely,
Brian Keeter

As always, thank you so much to all the family, friends, & supporters who continue to encourage & assist Brian & our family through this! Please also be sure to check out Kermit's blog--he's been able to post some GREAT news as to how Brian is doing.

NCSU Red Rally @ Reynolds

Come out in support of NC State Athletics & Brian--We'll see you there!