Capt. McGrue...Home and Doing Well

I received word on Tuesday that Capt. McGrue was released from the hospital and is doing well. He has lost weight and will probably be losing a lot more since he is going to have his jawwired shut for about 30 more days. Ursula said she is surrounded with family and friends who have been bringing her and the girls meals and giving her a ton of support. She is going to school a couple of days a week and has friends that sit with Capt. McGrue while she attends class.

Ursula was upbeat and very positive. "It won't be easy, but I'll survive." Please continue to keep the McGrue family in your thoughts and prayers.

Capt McGrue Update

I heard from Ursula on Saturday and McGrue had surgery on Thursday to repair his jaw which was broken down the middle and had fractures on both sides. It was quite painful and seems like it hit him the hardest.

Ursula is getting the hospital bed and a wheelchair at the house and they are hoping he gets out of the hospital on Tuesday night or Wednesday. It is going to be a long and hard recovery and I know that continued prayers would be appreciated.

Prayer Request

It has been a while since I posted but I felt everyone should be aware of one of our guys that is in need of some prayers. I received an email from Ursula McGrue yesterday regarding a terrible motorcycle that involved Capt. McGrue. The McGrue's got orders to Guam shortly after returning from Iraq.

Hello Everyone,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. Our family is truly blessed.

McGrue had an accident Friday (6 Feb 09) morning (Thursday night for y'all in the states) on his motorcycle, CBR1000. He was on his way to work. A truck headed north made a left turn in front of McGrue, headed south, and cut him off. He hit his brakes and flew over his handle bars. He flipped twice in the air (head over foot), hit the truck and then hit the ground. The only thing he remembers is flipping and then being put in the ambulance. Lucky for McGrue he is a stickler on wearing all of his gear (i.e. leather jacket, leather gloves, motorcycle boots and helmet) in this 90 degree heat.

He is going to live but he will never forget this. His head has many bruises, knots, a concussion and his jaw is broken in 2 places. On his left side his collar bone is no longer connected to his sterum. On his right side he has a broken collar bone. His upper arm is broken in 2 places and his shoulder is broken. He has also snapped the tendon in his hips, therefore both hips move freely (not good).

He was in surgery Friday for 6 hours to repair his arm. On Monday he was in surgery for 5 hours to repair his hips. Tuesday he was in surgery for 7 hours to repair both collar bones and his shoulder. I believe on Friday his jaw will be wired closed.

He should be home by this weekend. He sat up for at least 2 hours today. He was not happy. Sitting up wore him out. I don't see him coming home this weekend but the doctors say he will walk a little and sit up before they send him home. He will use a wheelchair for about 2 or 3 months. The military will install the things I need to get him in and out of the shower and bed. As most of y'all know McGrue is 6'2" 250 so I'm going to need as much help as I can get. In a few weeks the 250lbs will change.

So what can I say, I went from FRG Leader to nurse. I am just very thankful that he is alive. When I saw him I kissed him and said, "so we selling it for parts". He just grunted. But earlier this week he told me that he will not get back on his bike. I think he realize that he was only a crack or a twist away from leaving his family.

I'm fine. Y'all know me. I'm just not looking forward to my nursing job that will be starting in the next 2 or 3 days. I hope it is only a 2 or 3 month job. The girls are fine. Just pray that his recovery is fast and that there are no long term problems. The doctors told me he will have artheries in his elbow and maybe his shoulder but everything else should be fine. They have told me that all of his surger have been textbook. No surprises!! They did notice that his wrist doesn't move like it should so they took more x-rays today.

I'm just thankful I am planning for installation of a shower chairs and not a funeral.

Peace, Love and Sanity
Ursula L. McGrue

As most of you will remember, Capt. McGrue received a Purple Heart shortly after being deployed to Iraq. Yesterday when I called Chris with the news and was telling him what a horrible accident it was and how lucky Capt. McGrue was he responded...it's Gru Mom!

Please pray for the McGrue family as they will have many challenges ahead of them. I also praise God that the accident did not take his life. As I told Ursula...God just isn't ready for him! Please post your comments, prayers, and notes to the family and I will make sure they see them. Please encourage others to share in prayers. I will post more information when available.