A Most Happy Birthday (and an Early Birthday Present!)

Today is Thom's birthday and tomorrow is Natalie's birthday. Thom wanted to share a couple thoughts on the happy occasion:

Well before my accident last summer I changed my Facebook settings so that I would have to personally approve every time someone mentioned me in their status update.

Because of this setting I have hundreds of status updates to approve, stretching back to the accident last year. So earlier this week I went through and read dozens and dozens of posts from my family and friends asking for prayers and sharing updates about my recovery (and setbacks) as they happened. Of course my wife did relay this activity to me at the time but I was in a different mental state then. 

Rereading them this week reminds me how blessed I am to be alive today, and how lucky I am to be able to celebrate a birthday this year. And of course, how grateful I should be (and am!) for all the prayers and assistance I have received and continue to receive from my wife, family and friends.

I can't say it any simpler and clearer than this: thank you, thank you God, for my birthday!

We have some other happy news to share -- Thom recently received his manual wheelchair! We will post a photo of him in it soon. It was somewhat ironic that the day he received it he used the chair mostly as a seat to practice standing with his therapist's assistance and spent the rest of the session working on walking! Still we are so happy he has it because this means additional mobility opportunities including more car travel. Also this is the first time he's been in a chair that's actually made to his measurements so it is much easier for him to get around in the apartment and outside -- an early birthday present.

We're both so excited to discover what good things God has in store for us this year!

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Our Grace-filled Pilgrimage

Dear family, friends, and supporters,

Our apologies for not posting an update sooner!  Since our return, we have been busy  with recovery, getting back to therapy, and preparing to host family.  We have also needed some time to pause and reflect on our whirlwind travels.  Going to Lourdes was an extraordinary and powerful experience, which stretched us to our limits and was truly unforgettable.  

Even at the outset, there was so much grace surrounding this opportunity and which helped us make the journey in the first place.  Last winter, when the Knights of Malta "interviewed" us for the trip, we were nowhere near ready to make such a voyage; Thom was far too weak, and we had no experience of traveling in our new circumstances.  But, piece by piece, as the trip approached, necessities came into place.

In the days leading up to the trip, numerous of things beyond our control went wrong.  The day before departure, Thom's new manual chair wasn't ready, despite the company promising it would be.  While we waited, they constructed a temporary chair from spare parts in their warehouse.  When the airport shuttle showed up the day of our trip, the wheelchair lift was malfunctioning and would not work.  We had to ask people passing by to kick and jump on it to make it work.  Once we arrived at the airport, all of the printers at the ticketing counter were malfunctioning.  Our group of 400+ pilgrims waited for hours while they worked to get them back online.  Once our group boarded the plane, there were mechanical difficulties, and 5 hours later, the flight crew had to cancel our departure altogether.  At 1:00 am our group was back in the terminal and needing a place to stay.  Amazingly, the Knights managed to find transportation and rooms for all of us in Baltimore.  It was a grueling ordeal -- it was after 3:30 am before we got to our hotel -- and yet all the pilgrims remained kind and patient with one another and with everyone they encountered.  It was a truly heroic display of virtue. 

The next day, our group celebrated a private anointing Mass at the Basilica in Baltimore.  It was a beautiful, uplifting experience that made everyone realize the pilgrimage had already started.  And even though we hadn't managed to yet leave Baltimore, our adventure had begun.  Travel that day went off without a hitch!  And after a couple hours of sleep on the airplane, we arrived in Lourdes.  

That week in Lourdes was extraordinary; not only by fully participating in the rich and traditional devotions of Lourdes, but by being part of this annual pilgrimage with Knights and Dames of Malta from all around the world.  Over 30,000 Knights, Dames, companions, and sick (malades) gathered in Lourdes and participated in pilgrimage with us.  

A highlight from the trip was most certainly having the experience of washing in the baths.  This opportunity alone was miraculous.  Since we arrived a day late, we unfortunately lost the reservations that had been made a year in advance for our large group.  But somehow that day, despite the overwhelming crowd huddled in the pouring rain, we both managed to gain entrance.  Other highlights include, taking part in the nightly candlelit rosary procession, the Eucharistic procession, and the massive international Mass on Sunday in the underground church.  We also visited the one-room cachot where St. Bernadette lived for a time with her family and attended Mass in the church where she was baptized.  

Every day a different Knight & Dame were assigned to care for Thom.  They pushed  his wheelchair and served in every way they could.  Truth be told, this was a sacrifice for us because we didn't have much time to ourselves to share and contemplate the experiences of each day -- were were always in motion in seemed.  There was also not much time for sleep.  The days began very early and there was a full schedule.  By God's grace, we managed to arrive at the start time every day because we did not want to miss out on any spiritual opportunities.  Thom managed to survive on about half as much sleep as he needs, but that was something to offer up as well.  To say we came back to DC exhausted, would definitely be an understatement.  

Daily meals were shared in common with our group and these events were a great chance to get to know our fellow malades and their companions, to hear their stories and pray together throughout the day.  For us, these individuals were a powerful example of hope and trust, and another reminder of the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of struggle.  It was humbling to meet so many faithful members of the Knights of Malta and to be a recipient of their endless generosity.  We had our share of difficulties that arose during the trip, inevitable consequences of such an undertaking, but through these moments and more, the Knights did their very best to care for us and see to our needs, always with patience and kindness.  We will never forget it.

While we were in Lourdes, we embraced many opportunities to remember all of YOU in prayer -- all of you who have supported us, prayed for us, and prayed with us ever since the accident last summer.  We brought a list of these names to Lourdes, and placed them on the altar at the Grotto during a private Mass offered for our group on the Saturday we were there -- almost a 1,000 names in total.  We also lit a votive candle for all of your intentions.  

Since returning home, Thom has had some of his best days of therapy!  Last Wednesday, for the first time, he was able to take a step with his right leg!  Natalie was holding the walker and got to see this leap of progress firsthand.  Needless to say, his therapists are very excited and so are we!  His occupational therapist has also been focusing more on the fingers in his right hand, which are beginning to show faint signs of recovery.  As always, all of this progress means more work and more patient effort, but we have so much to be thankful for.  Truly.  

There is more to share, but for everything that we have yet to discern, and still don't fully appreciate ourselves, we thank you for your patience and continued prayers as we continue to be open to the Lord's Will and Our Lady's intercession.  

Here are some of our favorite photos from our trip!:

Names of family, friends, and supporters left at the altar of the Grotto during our private Mass

Eucharistic procession

At the start of the candlelit rosary procession

Candlelit rosary procession, every night in Lourdes

International Sunday Mass in the underground church

Farewell dinner out in the countryside (beautiful Pyrenees mountains!)  

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Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

As Thomas and Natalie prepare for their pilgrimage to Lourdes, please join us in praying this Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for his full recovery. Please pray also for all the other pilgrims who will also make their pilgrimage! (And for their safe travels!)

NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings deign to cast upon us a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our request.

(state your request - for Thomas Peter's full recovery!)

Through gratitude for your favors, we will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share your glory. Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. You have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Follow with a daily prayer: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. 

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Novena originally posted by EWTN.
Icon written by Br. Claude Lane, OSB, of Mount Angel Abbey, OR.
Learn more about Lourdes.

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A Frustrating Setback

We've had a bumpy week.  Last Tuesday Thom woke up with a fever and was fatigued, but otherwise was feeling fine.  His temperature went down in the course of the day and we hoped he was improving.

The next morning, I got him out of bed and was putting his slippers on and all of a sudden he became like a stone.  I looked up at his face and his eyes were crossing, his speech was slurring, and he was disoriented.  I knew his blood pressure was plummeting.  I put his legs up, took his blood pressure and it was dangerously low.  I called 911.  His BP came up a bit, he could refocus and was alert once more.  I began packing up necessities while we waited for the EMS.  He still had a fever of 103, high heart rate, and low blood pressure.  We were taken to the ER where we stayed for several hours while they ran multiple tests.

The test results showed he had a serious urinary tract infection and was very dehydrated.  They said the infection had escalated and he was going into sepsis, which means the infection was spreading to other parts of his body.  He was immediately put on a course of IV antibiotics and fluids.  He was admitted later that day and began responding to the treatment.  His fever, heart rate, and blood pressure stabilized and within 24 hours his appetite started coming back.

We stayed in the hospital for two more days while Thom continued to receive IV antibiotics and they monitored his vitals.  By Sunday afternoon he was ready to be discharged but the infection left him very weak.  For the first few days home he had to use his sliding board again to do transfers.  He managed to fit in two days of therapy, but was frustrated to see how much strength he had lost.

Now, a week later, he is beginning to feel more like himself and is determined to make up for lost time.  He is scheduled for two separate days of training in the Lokomat this week and a third day of general therapy.

He is eager to be back to full strength as April is an exciting month for us: we will be celebrating our first anniversary, Easter, and gearing up for our trip to Lourdes at the end of the month.

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Safe Landing + Going "Loko"

We can hardly believe a month has passed since we wrote an update: March has been busy indeed! We've been getting a lot of questions about the status of the Lokomat and Chicago travels, which is great, because we have good news to share on both fronts!

The Chicago trip went very well! We were well prepared and knew what to expect, thanks to receiving some expert advice from fellow SCI patients and mentors. One of the benefits of traveling in a wheelchair is getting to skip the security line, but one of the drawbacks is how many transfers you have to do to get to your seat and back again. For instance, when we landed in Chicago, Thom had to transfer from his seat on the plane to a rickety chair (that fits down the plane aisle), to an airport wheelchair, to his power chair.  Fortunately, his transfers have become so much stronger that this wasn't a problem.

The conference was in the airport hotel, so we didn't have to brave Chicago winter. (We even managed to fit in a short visit with some dear friends after the welcome dinner.) The conference was informative, but re-confirmed our decision to wait on the baclofen pump. The other SCI patients were all further out from their injury and had a better idea of what they needed in terms of spasticity treatment. Overall, it was an excellent practice for our up-coming trip to France! We did take away a lot from the conference. It was an incredible experience meeting other SCIs and inspiring to hear their stories. 

Back home in DC, Thom had his first training session in the Lokomat last week!!!

The circumstances worked out perfectly. A snowstorm had prevented some of the other patients from coming in. Thom is never one to let bad weather to keep him from therapy: since Metro Access wasn't running, Thom called a handicap accessible cab instead to bring him in. When he arrived, his physical therapist told him the Lokomat was finally up and running and they had just gotten off the phone with the Lokomat's designers in Switzerland where they approved the Lokomat open for business! It took about two hours to customize the machine to Thom's dimensions and create his user profile in the system. Now customized to his profile, future sessions can pick up where he left off each time and will track the minutiae of progress. He has already noticed that the Lokomat is good for "gait training" (making strides of the proper length and coordinating the timing of the legs with each other). It is also excellent for warming his legs up and getting the muscles firing. After about 30 minutes in the Lokomat, Thom's therapist had him exit the machine and practice walking with a platform walker suspended from the ceiling in the ZeroG. Thom's left leg can now consistently take steps without assistance, the right leg is close behind.

Thom continues to make progress in other areas of PT and OT, but we will save those for the next post and hope to update these pages more frequently! Thank you for continuing on this long journey with us!

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Learning to Walk... and Fly!

This short month of February has been the story of slow, but steady progress.  We put away Thom's transfer board because he no longer needs it, he is able to do transfers by supporting his own weight!

In PT, Thom is practicing stand-pivot transfers, made possible because he is starting to be able to carry weight on his legs and push down on his feet.  Once a week Thom uses the ZeroG on top of a treadmill.  He said his steps are starting to feel more organic, which is very exciting!  As his steps improve he requires less assistance, although some is definitely still needed.  

Unofficially, Thom has been told that the Lokomat should be ready in early March!  He is so excited to begin training with this technology.  In the meantime, he has added more weight to his leg press, and has started using two new leg machines that work his hamstring and quad muscles.  But most of the exercise is focused on increasing his lumbar and lower back muscles, which need to be strong enough to support standing, and hopefully, taking steps without assistance.

Over in OT, Thom's left hand continues to get stronger and is gaining more dexterity.  We have prayed another novena to St. Francis for his stubborn right hand, which is still very slow to make any progress in recovery.  They have added several new exercises in OT to strengthen his wrists and forearms, and to increase the flexibility of his left arm and shoulder, which has been lagging behind the right side.  

We have more fun news to share.  In a couple weeks we will be flying to Chicago for an overnight trip!  With the recommendation of his doctor, Thom was invited by a medical company to participate in a research panel on spinal cord injury and muscle spasms.  This is an opportunity to share our experience, meet other individuals recovering from SCI, and also a chance to practice plane travel in advance of our pilgrimage to Lourdes in a couple months.  Please pray that our travel is a success and that the conference is fruitful.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who continues to support and pray for us on this long journey.

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Lokomat & Lourdes

Thank you to everyone who has been praying and supporting us as we attempt to rehabilitate the Lokomat.  Last week Thomas was invited to meet with the President of NRH, as well as the Head of Outpatient Rehab.  In the meeting the President promised that they will do everything they can to fix the Lokomat, including speaking with the maker of the Lokomat this week.  The President told Thom he would send him a written update within the week on how the progress is coming along.  Please pray for a speedy resolution.  

During the same meeting, the Head of Outpatient Rehab assured Thom that he would have all of the resources he needed to continue making good progress, including additional therapists to help with ZeroG training.  She is very excited about how his recovery is going.  

We will be sure to keep you up to date on the latest developments!

We also have some exciting news to share! :)

Last weekend we went to Baltimore to be interviewed by the Knights of Malta regarding their annual pilgrimage to the apparition site at Lourdes, France.  A couple days later we received the news that we had been accepted!  Thomas will go as a malade and Natalie will go as his companion to Lourdes at the end of April for a week of pilgrimage activities!  This is incredibly exciting and joyful news, but making the trip will be a serious undertaking.  The Knights of Malta have experienced nurses and doctors accompanying the group, and accommodations will be prepared in advance to suit Thomas' needs.  We continue to ask for you prayers.

We look forward to bringing your prayers and intentions with us on this pilgrimage, and God-willing, we intend to go with a spirit of thanksgiving as well as supplication. 

One of the directors of the pilgrimage said that everyone who goes to Lourdes receives a healing, it's just up to Our Lady to determine what type of healing a person needs most.  

Thank you for continuing to share this journey with us!

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Video: Thomas Peters on Fox5 Talking About the Lokomat

For two months, Thomas Peters couldn't talk, but today he's using his voice to make a difference for all SCI patients in Washington, DC. Last night Thomas was featured in a segment on DC's local Fox5 nightly news report.

They did this segment to draw attention to the problem of the broken Lokomat -- a machine that helps SCI patients learn to walk again. As Will Thomas (the reporter) says in the segment, Thomas and Natalie are "not only impressed, but grateful" for the care of the doctors and therapists at NRH, which is, indeed, a state-of-the-art facility, nationally known for their care of SCI patients. But to get the Lokomat working would be a boon for all SCI patients. They are optimistic that they can find a solution.

View the segment here: Fighting to Walk Again

Please keep this in your prayers! Thank you for your support!

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From Thomas & Natalie: 6 Month Update

Thomas has been benefiting greatly from steady and regular therapy over the last few weeks and we have seen his recovery accelerate. 

In OT, after focusing on his right hand for a few weeks, his right thumb and pinky are starting to move very slowly.  His therapist is optimistic that they can get more of the fingers to follow suit, it will just take a lot more time and effort.  His left hand continues to gain strength; they are working on isolated finger movements and he can now compress up to 15lbs (a few weeks ago he could also squeeze 3lbs). 

But it's over in PT where the really exciting work is happening.  While his left leg has been gaining movement, starting from the toes up, his right leg is waking up from the hip down!  Without getting into all of the technical distinctions and details: both legs are waking up!  Over the past couple weeks, his physical therapist has been getting really excited about this progress in his legs and they have been focusing more and more on rehabilitating both legs.  Some of the new exercises include a max-assist stand, next to the mat, where one therapist supports his knees and another therapist supports his upper body, and Thomas holds his arms on a walker.  With this support they help him stand, and he is even working on small squats and shifting weight from side to side!  Of course to stand it takes more than just leg muscles, so they have been intensely focusing on his lumbar and core muscles in tandem.  These muscles give one the strength to stand upright and shift weight from leg to leg.  There are almost a dozen different types of exercises he now does to identify new muscle groups and strengthen existing ones.  This is all very exciting, but a huge number of challenges remain and we are taking it one day at a time.

To even be able to contemplate standing and walking is worlds away from where we were six months ago in Baltimore, hoping Thomas would survive the night.  We cannot put into words how grateful we are for everything and everyone that has been a part of our story these past six months.  In a spirit of thanksgiving and joy we will be praying at a Holy Hour this evening joined by some of our close family and friends -- we will be praying for all of our friends and family, and you our dear readers, who have sacrificed so much on our behalf.  We ask that you keep us in prayer on this the six month anniversary.

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Merry Christmas from The Peters!

A message from Thom and Natalie:

In this Christmas season when we celebrate the birth of the little King, our prayers and thoughts go out to the countless priests, religious sisters, men and women who have offered up prayers, sacrifices, encouraging words and support to us this year. This year, we are so grateful for each of you! We hope you and your families enjoy a blessed Christmas season and a happy new year.  We are excited to find out what the good Lord has in store for us in the year ahead. Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

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An Update from Thomas & Natalie

Thomas and Natalie share what has been happening recently: 
We may have been quiet but things have certainly been busy these past couple weeks!

On November 25th, Thomas had an in-patient medication procedure to see if he would be a good candidate to receive a baclofen pump. The procedure consisted of Thomas receiving a lumbar puncture, where his doctor administered a small injection of baclofen medication into Thomas' spinal cord (baclofen is a medicine that treats muscle spasms, and is prescribed not only to SCIs but also patients with MS and CP). Thomas was then monitored over the course of 6 hours by his doctor and therapists.  The trial went well; Thomas responded well to the medicine and his spasms were reduced during the 6 hour period.  This procedure is only the first step.  We continue to do research into the baclofen pump to discern if it's right for him, and in the new year we will be consulting with specialists (it's a permanent implantation, with pros and cons of course).  We would appreciate your prayers as we discern this surgery.

Unfortunately, one of the common side effects of a lumbar puncture is an intense headache when sitting up. Thomas left the trial with a bad headache that persisted for several days.  He was able to get some relief by lying flat on his back.  Eventually his doctor scheduled him for a blood patch to fix the problem, but the first attempted patch was unsuccessful. Thankfully, the second patch was a success, but Thomas had missed quite a bit of therapy in the meantime.

Since then he's been making up for lost time.  He continues to gain strength and dexterity in his left hand, and his therapists are focusing on exercises for his right hand as well.  One of his exciting accomplishments this past week was doing a transfer into and out of a car completely on his own.  Just one month ago he needed all the help he could get to do this!  His physical therapist was quite impressed. :) 

Thomas is back to lifting weights in the gym and continues to gain strength. He is also doing more and more exercises with his legs, including a simulated leg press.  Now, none of this means that he can walk again, but if he does regain the ability, it will start with these little exercises!  He is also back to doing the standing frame and other activities he enjoyed while he was an inpatient.  Thomas can now do most transfers on his own and he is adding to the list of activities he can do his own, including combing his hair, brushing his teeth, and taking his jackets on and off (with some help).

Due to the impressive organizational talents of the outpatient team, Thomas will use the last of his medical benefit for outpatient appointments on December 31st.  Thomas and Natalie just found a new health insurance plan with a far greater allowance of rehabilitation services and are hopeful they can transition to the new plan by January 1st.  This would indeed be the answer to their prayers!

Over Christmas break, both of our families will be able to visit for a few days, a great blessing!  We are eagerly preparing for this much-anticipated time together.  Thomas will be in therapy even during the weeks of Christmas and New Years and is looking forward to working just as hard in the new year.

We would like to give a special shout out to the students who recently attended the Love and Fidelity Network Conference in Princeton who surprised us with dozens of get well notes and letters!  Your heart-felt messages were incredibly touching and encouraging! Thank you and God bless!

From Thomas on Catholic Vote: Gifts we Bring

When we go to meet baby Jesus in the manger this Christmas, none of us want to go empty-handed! Therefore I’d like to propose three simple gifts we can bring to the little King this year.
The gift of frankincense: the conversion of our heart. ... The gift of myrrh: the reconciliation of our relationships. ... The gift of gold: the recommitment to promoting the common good. ...

Read the whole post at Catholic Vote.

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Prayer Warrior Spotting: A Cardinal!

We think the hot pink looks smashing with red! Thanks for your prayers, Cardinal Burke!

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From Natalie: The First Week of Outpatient Rehab!

Once more we would like to express our gratitude for the incredible support and prayers we received!  The media-thon exceeded all of our expectations!  We had a great time seeing many of you at the #IStandWithThomasPeters reception here in DC.

So what's the latest?  Thomas' first full week of out-patient therapy went very well! He attends three days a week for three to four hours each day. Prior to beginning this program, he was evaluated extensively by a physical and occupational therapist; they established a baseline so that progress can be tracked and we discussed goals. Thomas now works with these therapists one-on-one each day. Thomas really likes them both, they are very creative, demanding, and passionate about what they do. They have high expectations for him and believe a lot can be accomplished with hard work and continued focus. Thomas was relieved to find out he had not lost momentum over the two weeks in between discharge and starting back to rehab -- thanks to our in-home workouts! -- he returned back to therapy even stronger! On days when he is home we continue to prioritize these exercises to keep him strong and limber. With the generous financial assistance we have received we may be adding more therapy to Thomas' rehab days.  

I had to laugh when Thomas said his physical therapist told him that he had completed the initial goals she set for him and is already exceeding her expectations! Rest assured, she is preparing new goals and challenges.

Since coming home we have been practicing daily tasks and coming up with solutions to help Thomas be as independent as possible. One of our personal goals was for him to commute to and attend rehab on his own. With lots of work, we are achieving this goal! I help him get ready for the day and packed up, but then he is off on his own! It's exciting to meet back up for dinner to discuss the day!

We have begun the process of selecting and ordering his manual wheelchair. They took his measurements and the paperwork is rolling ahead. Once our selection is made, it can take up to 3 months to build, so we're getting on it now!  

Despite the cold, we are striving to do more outings together. We had a great time attending a friend's wedding in Georgetown this past weekend (photo above) and Thomas now joins me on errands which is a lot of fun.  

We do not have much of a break for Thanksgiving week (and we don't want one!) but we are looking forward to a cozy Thanksgiving for two with a lovely duck and treats that we brought back from our honeymoon in France. We wish you and your families a very blessed and joyful Thanksgiving! We certainly feel we have much to be grateful for this year!

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Update on #IStandWithThomasPeters Day!

Dear Friends,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Last week's #IStandWithThomasPeters day was a huge success! We raised $48,491 in individual contributions. Paired with the $12,000 Catholic Vote raised through it's email campaign our current total is:

$60,491

We had hoped to raise much more than our posted goal of $25,000 for Thomas' continued recovery, but your support blew us away. We are grateful and feel so blessed to have witnessed such great love and support during our #IStandwithThomasPeters campaign. 

Here's a quick recap of the highlights of the day:

TWITTER

Over 1500 individual tweets, an estimated reach of 113,000, with countless RTs! Around lunchtime, #IStandWithThomasPeters was trending in DC — briefly even in 1st place!

Tweets were posted by prominent political figures and members of the media — including: Gov. Mike Huckabee, Michelle Malkin, Josh Duggar, Rick Santorum, Tony Perkins, Gretchen Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Katie Pavlich, and Jim Hoft. 

Members of the conservative movement and Catholic new-media tweeted throughout the day, including: Tim Carney, Ryan Anderson, Lila Rose, Tim Stanley, Kate Bryan, William Newton, and Kathryn Lopez.

But most touching of all were the hundreds of people who sent personal messages of support and prayer. Thomas and Natalie were overwhelmed with the prayers and love!

BLOGS

We have full coverage over on our PRESS page, but we wanted especially to share the beautiful piece by Kathryn Lopez: 

"I don’t pretend to know every step along the way, but I knew, unexpectedly standing behind Thomas the other day that I was in the presence of the scene of a miracle — he embodies the power of prayer, the reality of the supernatural; he and his wife are a testament to faith. Good doctors, of course, play no small role in his being alive and improving, but the hope and gratitude he and Natalie demonstrate is rooted in something eternal."

Many people throughout the Catholic blog-sphere spread the word, encouraging support and most of all prayers — special thanks go to Lisa Hendley, Deacon Greg, Catholic World Report, Pat Gohn. (If you posted about #IStandWithThomasPeters, please include the link in the comments or on the Press page, and we'll be happy to add you!)

Many people who supported #IStandwithThomasPeters on Twitter, were hit by the "twitter trolls" (people who attacked you or attacked the campaign). We're sorry you had to go through that, and we thank you for ignoring these messages and bearing them with charity. William Newton has a quick message about all that: 

"The message I hope that you take away from #IStandWithThomasPeters Day is an overwhelmingly positive one, one which you will share with others. It is a story about hope and love triumphing over suffering and sorrow, first of all, but it is also one about the powerful good that media can work in the lives of those in need. ... For everyone involved, it turned out that the fruits of this effort will not just benefit Thomas himself, but all who have witnessed what can result when people of good will are able to reach out and connect with one another."

FACEBOOK

Facebook doesn't have easy tracking but our feeds were certainly FULL with #IStandWithThomasPeters coverage, #IStandwithThomasPeters images, personal stories, and messages of support from all over the world. 

We particularly loved the photos from some of Thomas and Natalie's friends in Michigan in famous Ann Arbor settings — sending a little bit of love from their home state!

Look forward to an update from Thomas and Natalie soon. Thomas started out-patient therapy this week, and is already working hard on his own two month challenge. Meanwhile, we ask you to continue your prayers for Thomas and Natalie, and we assure you of our own prayers, and theirs, of thanksgiving! 

With Love + Thanks,

The #IStandwithThomasPeters Pit Crew

THANK YOU from #IStandWithThomasPeters

We'll post a full update on Monday, but we wanted to thank you for your incredible support of #IStandWithThomasPeters -- the day was a tremendous success!

We've already doubled our goal! 

$39,000 

came from credit-card donations

$11,000 

raised through the incredibly generous Catholic Vote email campaign

Totaling $50,000! 

(And this doesn't include those of you who sent checks, or the totals from receptions in Thomas and Natalie's home state of Michigan, and in Washington, D.C.)

We are so overwhelmed by the love and support and most of all by your prayers! Thomas and Natalie were simply blown away. We'll have a full recap next week (plus update's on Thomas' rehab!), but right now, we just wanted to say:

PRAY + SUPPORT + SHARE

PRAY + SUPPORT + SHARE :: #IStandWithThomasPeters

#IStandWithThomasPeters

Nearly four months ago, Thomas was left in critical condition after a horrific swimming accident. Read Thomas' powerful reflection on his journey thus far and on what is to come: “Reflections on my time away." You, dear blog readers and friends,  have been steadfast in your prayerful support of Thomas since that time. But today, we're asking you to do a little more!

The next TWO MONTHS of Thomas' recovery are crucial! According to Thomas' doctors, the majority of mobility/independence returns within the first six months following the injury. Well, folks... we've got two months till the six month marker. 

The day has come! It's #IStandWithThomasPeters Day! Will you join us? 

PRAY

Join us and thousands of others in prayer for Thomas' full recovery, for Thomas and Natalie's perseverance while carrying this cross, for all those with similar injuries, and in thanksgiving for all the blessings God has bestowed on Thomas and Natalie. Please, join us in prayer!

SUPPORT

On #IStandwithThomasPeters day, we hope to raise funds to help Thomas and Natalie during this new transition and for Thomas' continued recovery. The medical bills, the transition home, and Thomas' continued recovery are extremely expensive, and we want to help.

Please consider making a donation today!

Checks may be sent to Thomas Peters Recovery, c/o National Organization for Marriage, 2029 K Street NW #300, Washington, DC 20006. Write #IStandWithThomasPeters in the memo line! Make check payable to Thomas Peters.

 SHARE 

Help us spread the word by sharing on Facebook/Twitter using the hashtag #IStandWithThomasPeters! Change your profile pic! Share Thomas' story with the world!

Tweet #IStandWithThomasPeters

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Thank you for all your support of Thomas and Natalie!

PRAY + SUPPORT + SHARE

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