Monday-Wednesday, January 28th-30th, 2008

Some video from the past three days!

David has had an amazing few days.

Monday, January 28th. David had a ENT appt. to find out if there was any damage to his trachea before speech works with him on his voice. (Today we heard that there is some separation that causes an airy sound, and makes him tire easily when he talks. This is fixable though.) In the afternoon, the dr. gave us permission to take David to San Francisco for dinner. What a blast to get him out of the hospital, out of the city, and by ourselves with him. We went to the Blue Mermaid Chowdar Bar for some great food. We ran out of time to see some of the sights, and will have to return again.

Tuesday, January 29th. (Happy 2nd Birthday to Brea, who is now a proud big sister). Aquatic Therapy was exciting and fun, as you can see on the video. David walked all the way to Optometry, in Building Five, for an eye appointment. His vision has changed and may need glasses, but we will try some eye exercises first. He is getting very confident while walking with his quad cane. Sometimes, he picks the cane up while walking several steps, and laughs! He finds it very funny to scare me to death. In the evening we came over to the Fisher House and made some cookies together. We are really starting to work on independence. OT assured us that David should be getting dressed totally by himself, even if it takes 45 minutes to start with. They also want him walking everywhere now with his cane. The wheelchair is just about out the door.

Wednesday, January 30th. Awhile ago, David and I made a guess at when he would be walking by himself. One of our predictions was the end of January! Today, he walked many steps without anyone holding on, and without a cane! What an amazing moment. We also practiced walking with his cane, on grass (and was it soggy!), up and down hills/ramps, and up and down stairs. Se (PT) thinks David is ready for a regular cane since he only puts the front legs down anyways. I was learning how to walk with David on the stairs, when he fell on his butt. It was a scary moment, but he was fine. It really showed us that he is still needing someone with him. We were also gettting too confident about his mobility.

This afternoon, we had a chance to meet with several of the guys in the Polytrauma Rehab Program, which is one of the places we are considering for David. It looks like he will finish this phase of rehab in March. Then he will be have a 30 day convalescent time at home. After that he will return to a Transitional Living Program either here in Palo Alto VA, or Casa Colina in Pomona. It was exciting to hear about the program and what the guys liked about their program. Tomorrow, Steve and I meet with some of the staff to discuss their program. Please keep this in prayer, as we plan for the next step in his rehab. Thanks, Patty

Saturday and Sunday, January 26th and 27th, 2008

Saturday David worked more on his legs and arm/hand with PT and OT, and since those were his only therapies, we went out in our own car (for the first time) to see some local sights. Our first 'sight' was the Verizon store, where David upgraded his phone. His old phone was shutting off whenever it felt that the conversation was getting good. He walked in with his 'four legged' cane, and I was behind him, just in case. Then we walked into In-N-Out, and ate lunch. When we got to Mervyn's we decided it was time to break out the wheelchair. Do you realize how close the rows are in these stores. Not wheelchair friendly at all. He got a couple pairs of jeans, and we were good to go. It was real fun getting out on our own for the first time.

On Sunday David's only therapy was PT, and Chris stretched and exercised David's legs before he had him walk a lot. He was trying to perfect David's 'gait', and would say things like, "take smaller steps, keep your feet wider, keep your feet wider". It will take a lot of sessions like today, but I know that he will get the walking thing down, and soon will be walking without needing someone to 'spot' him .

After therapy six of us, including Rebecca the rec therapist and David, all went to the movies and saw "The Bucket List". It was nice getting out again, and the movie was good. The fact that Justin and David are both 'patients' and itching to get out of the hospital, like the characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman was sort of strange. I would recommend the movie.

Please continue to pray for David's recovery, and for wisdom in deciding where he should go next for his rehab.

Steve

Friday, January 25th, 2008

David was stretched and pushed and pulled by Se and Carrie all morning, until they let him kick the soccer ball around. They were trying to strengthen his ‘trunk’ and leg muscles in order to improve his balance, walking and posture. If he wouldn’t talk so much maybe they could actually get him to break a sweat. He was asking them about the good movies that are out right now, and as they were going on about the good ones, the bad ones and the ugly ones that they’ve seen, David was just ‘coasting’ along. He seems sort of innocent, but he is a sly one.

He also met with Georgette, OT, who made a new brace to straighten his left wrist more, and recreation and speech therapy. His sergeant from Travis AFB came by to help with some military matters. We went to the Fisher House for a free Mexican food lunch, and had Mexican food for dinner, provided by recreational therapy. I’ve always thought that there is no way to have too much Mexican food, so all is good.

Steve

Wednesday and Thursday, January 23rd and 24th, 2008

Yesterday David walked a ton with Se using the 'four legged cane'. We went all over the hospital as well as outdoors, where we walked up and down ramps and stairs. It was a very good workout, and David did quite well.

With rec therapy we went on an 'outing' to the Stanford Art Museum, and saw some very interesting art and sculpture, including "The Thinker".

Today David had "aquatic therapy" for the first time, and I was real impressed with the workout. Lots of stretching, exercising and aerobics.

We finally got a 'military' power of attorney done, so that he can get the rest of his 'stuff'' shipped from Incirlik AFB in Turkey to Travis AFB, California. He has a computer, TV, snowboard and surfboard, and who knows what else over there.

Steve

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

We thought today was an exceptional day. David started PT with a new therapist (Debbie) and they stood between the parallel bars while I rolled a soccer ball at him and he kicked it back with either his left or right leg. The right was stronger, but the left was working. I think that she was there to ‘spot’ him if he lost his balance, but several times she walked away and left him standing there with just his right hand on the bar. It was cool to see him just standing and ‘chilling’.

She then had him walk with a ‘regular’ walker, unlike the ‘other’ regular walker that had a raised support for his left arm. This required that he hold on with his left as well as right hands. He did it very well, with the therapist mainly there to ‘spot’ him if needed.

Then, spurred on by his mastery of the ‘walker’, she had him try a cane that had four little legs on it. These are much more stable than a ‘normal’ cane, and David was walking all over the place with it. Pretty darn exciting! He still had the therapist right there beside him, but I bet that it won’t be long until he’s ‘cruising’ the halls on his own. Then it will be the ‘normal’ cane, and then I’m sure he’ll be walking unassisted. It is an awesome thought, and I have no idea how long this will take, but I believe that it will happen.

During OT, Georgette worked on his left shoulder and wrist. She had ‘heat’ on his shoulder, and stretched his wrist. During Recreational Therapy, Richard had David doing activities that forced him to move his left shoulder, arm and hand more than ever. He was picking up a small ball with his left hand off of the floor (he was sitting in a wheelchair), and transferring it to his right hand, he was passing Richard candy with his left hand, (Richard made out pretty good), and when therapy was over David ‘high fived’ him with his left hand (sort of). I was impressed with his progress, and realized that his left hand will become an important ‘tool’ again.
Then, right before dinner, a doctor announced that they were going to pull out David’s stomach feeding tube, or ‘peg’ as they call it. They gave David two pills to relax him, and yanked it out of his stomach. I really expected something more, but the Doctor just strained, grunted, and the tube just popped right out, flinging ‘who knows what’ around David’s room. They laid the tube on a sterile, absorbent pad next to David, so he picked it up and more ‘whatever’ got all over his shirt. Then the doctor and nurse walked out and left everything lying there. It’s cool! The best thing is that the last ‘thing’ is out of him, and he is ‘untethered’. It was a very exceptional day!

Steve

Sunday and Monday, January 20th and 21st, 2008

Happy Birthday Laura and Dad! Welcome to our new grandbaby Bryn (17th of Jan.)

Sunday was laid back, David still had 4 women visitors to hang out with, and his only therapy was PT in the afternoon. They played 'Mancala', a game that they bought David. David was able to beat Ashley a couple times, but Jerra beat David, so I guess that makes Jerra the Ultimate Mancala Warrior of All Time. But she didn't win anything, so who cares? Every so often David would think of something different that happened in Tijuana, and Jerra would deny it, and Mardi would get more 'upset' at all of them. We would all laugh at David's seemingly 'selective' memory. If he tries to use his 'Memory Loss' from his TBI as an excuse, don't buy it. He's milking it for all it's worth! He asked if Kelli's birthday was after his accident, and then said " oh good, I have an excuse for not getting her anything". Ashley, Jerra, Mardi and Lisa stayed until PT, so they could watch David in action. He was stretched by Mitch, practiced balancing while standing between the parallel bars, and finally walked with the 'cool' walker. At first Mitch tied stretchy bands to David's feet, which pulled his feet outward slightly to compensate for his tendency to 'scissor' walk, but the last half of his walk was without any aid, except the walker.

Today was totally quiet, with no therapies, so David spent most of the day hangin with me in the Fisher House. He spent most of his time on the computer, catching up with some friends on his
MySpace, texting, and calling. It was almost like the old days at home before he went into the service.

Steve

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

Another great day. We had visitors from Riverside, David's old friends, Jerra and Ashley, along with their mom's, Marti and Lisa. David enjoyed hanging out with them all and reminiscing. He even got Jerra in trouble with her mom when he brought up some stuff that took place in Tijuana. We all laughed a lot and the hospital might not be the same for a while.

David walked in PT, and got a new brace for his left wrist in OT.

I've added some photos and videos of David's visitors since the accident. We didn't have photos of some of you, (sorry), and some of you wouldn't pay our 'blackmail' demands so we've posted your 'incriminating' videos. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time and expense to travel long distances to see David. I want to know if the General was also Santa Claus.

Steve

Thursday and Friday, January 17th and 18th, 2008

Thursday David came to the Fisher House (across the street from David’s building, where Patty and I live) for the first time. It was a training exercise with PT and Otto teach us to help David transfer himself from his wheelchair to the couch, chairs, bed, toilet or whatever. We all passed, which means that David can come over here and hang out after his therapies.

David was also taken off ‘constant observation’ status. He no longer has a nurse posted in or outside his room, so if he needs anything he has to use the call button. It is working good so far, but the danger can be that he might be so confident that he would try to get up by himself and fall.

David is now on the ‘regular’ diet, so he actually gets a choice of what he wants to eat, and it won’t be pureed, chopped, diced or thickened.

David has been kicking butt at BINGO, winning 25 books Wednesday night and 8 more on Thursday. He has amassed 57 $1 coupon books that he can use to purchase things at the VA. That cold buy 38 muffins from the canteen, or…?

David helped Rebeca (one of the Recreational Therapists) plan and order the pizza for the Friday Night Family Food Frenzy. I guess, since he used to deliver it, he was as much of an expert as any one.
David is so fun to talk to now, and it is great to hang out with him. His sense of humor is amazing, but he has his share of deep thoughts as well. Tonight I am praying that he sleeps through the night because he has been waking up in the wee hours of the morning and can’t go back to sleep. If you have received a phone call or text message at 3 AM then you know what I am talking about. I think that I mentioned that David got to talk to a couple of Air Force friends from Turkey a few days ago, and that really made his day. Thanks guys!

Steve

P.S. Sometimes you have to look back to appreciate how far you have come.

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

David walked a lot in a new fangled walker. This is the apparatus that he has used with the treadmill, but this time they took it on the open road, where he supplied all of the power. We went out to lunch, yes David got to leave the hospital in a car for the very first time, with Richard, the recreational therapist, to a good Mexican restaurant. David had to order, figure out the tax and tip, and pay by himself, so it was a re-learning experience as well as fun. Georgette worked with his left hand, and we are seeing much improvement. And he smiled all day long.

Steve

Monday and Tuesday, January 14th and 15th, 2008

David walked on the treadmill yesterday and today, for 15 and 22 minutes. I think that a few days ago he walked for 10 minutes.

Yesterday David got botox (spelling?) shots in his left arm and leg. He gets a tummy tuck tomorrow. Actually, the botox is to relax the muscles on one side of his arm (bicep) and leg, so that the other side (triceps) can be exercised to the point of being equal. I’m sure I’ve totally screwed up the translation of this procedure. This will hopefully regain movement in his left arm and hand, and improve the strength of his left leg. David said that the 13 shots didn’t hurt too badly; mainly it was when they squirted the botox into his leg that it was painful. If this helps, there will be periodic injections to continue the treatment.

Last week, Laura, his Neuro-Psych doctor gave him a test. She said that she would come by this week and, if he remembered to ask, she would give him the results. I missed their meeting, but David told me that he asked, and she said that he did average. He told me that he was real disappointed, because he wanted to do better. Then she explained that there was no ‘curve’ in the results for TBI patients, that he scored average for the "general population"! Imagine how he will do when he recovers fully!

After David’s vision therapy, we were just hangin’ in the lunchroom, waiting for the lunch delivery, and David started to talk to some other guys who were waiting also. They were ‘patients’ in the ‘PTRIP’ unit. Military men who have been through what David is going through now, and are now in this more advance ‘transitional’ program. There is another Air Force guy in that unit, so David felt a little ‘camaraderie’ thing. He was stationed in Italy, as a fire fighter before his accident, and had big hopes of returning to the service and continuing his job. I think he probably was crushed when he was told that that might not happen, unless he could pass all of the stringent tests again. He seemed to have a good outlook though, and thought that maybe he would use his ‘free’ education and become a physical therapist. David also met an Army guy who suffered an IED blast in Iraq, and now lives in an apartment with his wife and 4-month-old daughter. He said that one ‘good’ thing about his injury was that he was able to see his daughter be born. It helps me to picture David a few months down the road, and I know that it gives David hope. He just wants to be ‘normal’ again.

It’s been a good couple of days, but Christa and her two girls, Bella and Tobey, left today, so we miss them immensely. Also, Laura has not had Baby Bryn yet! For sure on Thursday, if not Wednesday. Can't wait. :-)

Please pray that the botox shots work, that David regains control of his left arm, and for his left leg to get stronger.

Steve

Sunday, January 13th, 2008

Today was relaxed and quiet as Sundays typically are here. We went to church, ate lunch, and David's only therapy was PT in the afternoon. David then had the rest of the day to do anything he wanted to, provided it was in the hospital, and on his list of approved food and beverage items.

During PT he rode the stationary bicycle that can measure how much power it is getting from the left or right legs. They have taken the straps off of his right foot (so he can't pull up with it) to allow the left leg to work harder as it pushes down, and do it's share. He was getting up into the 70% range with his left foot, which is really great. Then they had David walking with his 'regular' walker all over the place.

Some things that were an issue a few days ago we don't really think about now. He is eating so good, and swallows perfectly. He is no longer drowsy during the day, and the therapists don't have to wake him as he falls asleep in the middle of pedaling a bike.

We have a lot of fun talking with David, about serious things like his accident, recovery, friends and relationships, but also we joke with him a lot. Not all of the jokes are at his expense. He got me a few times today, and really got Christa. We are not going to share the gist of those jokes with y'all at this time though.

David did not like his dinner tonight, so I asked what was worse, Turkish food (sorry to David's Turkish friends!) or the hospital food, and he said that this made Turkish food taste like a #10. Then he added that Turkish food would be like a 'platter from Heaven' in comparison. He smiles all of the time now, and is generally in a great mood. I know that he is enjoying having his sister Christa, and Bella and Tobey here to hang out with.

Steve

Saturday, January12th, 2008

Wow! It was hard to recover from the big blow-out bash that we threw for Patty's birthday yesterday. To start with we had a Baskin Robins ice cream pie (mint n' chip) and then...oh yeah, I guess that was all. But between Christa (4 months pregnant) and her two girls, Patty, David and myself we polished that whole thing off easy! We had a lot of fun until the wee hours, 10PM or so. But by the time you get the grand kids settled in to their hotel, edit video, and blog, (I still don't know what that means!), it's about 1AM when you're actually in bed.

But today was good, David called and woke us up at 7AM to say that he was going to breakfast in the 'lunchroom' and could we meet him. I said, "sure, we'll catch up with you later". For a Saturday, David's therapy started off early. He started with PT where he peddled the stationary bike and worked out his left leg.

Georgette (OT) worked on his left hand a lot, (stretching and exercising), and was real excited to notice movement in his fingers and hand. I had noticed slight movement a few days ago, and David and I prayed immediately that God would continue to heal and restore movement to his arm and hand. Georgette recommended some exercises that David can do in his spare time to strengthen these. More exciting stuff!

David said today, "Everyone is commenting on my smile, what did it look like before?". It really is a 'Day and Night' difference, before it was crooked and fake looking, now it is 'David'.

PT worked with David later in the day for an hour, and he walked all over the halls several times, and even walked on his own (no assistance) with his 'walker". It won't be long until he can take off by himself.

A massage therapist came by this evening and worked on David's left shoulder and arm. He is also a licenced chiropractor, and we are hoping that this will help that left arm 'come alive' even faster.

David called Christa as she was driving back to her hotel tonight. He just wanted to talk some more! We love how he is initiating so many things on his own, as this is often a hard thing for TBI patients.

Thanks for all your prayers. God really is moving in David's life.

Steve

January 11th, 2008

The best birthday I've ever had was today! David walked (with help) to me, gave me a huge hug, laughed at a funny situation (remembering the hug/choke hold he gave Steve after church when Steve passed out in the corridor), showed his sense of humor by refusing to tell me he loved me, and WROTE a card during Speech Therapy (legibly, he WROTE: the date, "Happy Birthday Mom" , "Love, David", and drew some balloons)! This guy is getting funnier every minute. During dinner he was smiling the whole time. He was flirting with the Recreation Therapist and asking her how he could get on her rotation! Then asked someone if she was married..... Of course he said he like Kelli on a much deeper level than that!
Christa, Bella, and Tobey drove up on a whim this afternoon and surprised David. He is much more awake and alive then ever. It is so great to see them all again. I could write a whole other blog on how funny (3 yr. old) Bella is too! Tobey is just starting to walk too. We are looking forward to being outside with David and the kids tomorrow and just hanging out. Again David told Christa that his motivation for improvement is to return to Turkey and his unit. His friends there are constantly coming up in his conversations. He can't wait to talk to you all there!
Paul, the Vision Therapist, showed David how to use a program on the computer to enlarge the text on documents. David manipulated the computer and was able to move around in people's My Space, READ his My Space comments, the Blog guestbook and comments from here, and couldn't seem to get enough. I sat with him until 11 pm and then said we should continue tomorrow.
Earlier, the Neuropsychologist, Dr. Laura Howe, was asking David some intelligence questions this afternoon. David was able to answer analogies, puzzles, mental math problems like, "What is 13x?"! We will find out next week how he scored, but it sounded great to me!
Thanks for your prayers. The mom I told you about yesterday came in crying today that her house had been broken into and everything that could be pawned was stolen. Continue praying for them. Patty

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Our God is an awesome God! David continues to blow our minds and the staff at the hospital. Today he actually tried to run in the parallel bars! He walked with a walker and barely used it! He held onto the PT and my arms and walked 6 feet! Oh, and he walked up five steps, turned around, came down and went up several more times! Then he decided he didn't want to step up with his right foot and bring the left to the same step, so he told the PT, Se, that he wanted to step on each step with a different foot. She said not yet, and he did it anyways! He is soooooooo excited about his progress.
Sgt. Anderson, from Travis AFB, came by today and David was jazzed to see someone from the AF. He wants so much to continue with the AF. He misses his friends from Turkey really bad! We looked at the pictures on his camera tonight and he remembers the trip now and can give us details about where they stayed and what they did. He doesn't remember the accident, which is fine! We watched the video with Sgt. Anderson and it makes David just light up to see everyone. Thanks Daniel again for making it. I wish you could see his face when he sees the groups from Turkey! Sgt. Anderson reiterated the need for David to follow orders from the therapists. It would be a shame for David to have a set back because of a careless injury like falling at this point in his progress.
Back to progress: David played Solitare today with some minor help. He played Bingo Wed. and Thursday nights and can do it 90% by himself! (Remember he couldn't find the numbers a few weeks ago, and perseverated on the game pieces?) An AF "sister" tonight went on and on about the improvement she saw since Christmas. Last time his head hung down, he drooled, and needed 90% help!
The Optomotrist tested him some more today and said he is focusing closer up, and his vision has really improved. He continues running into objects (sometimes sharp) on the left side of his wheelchair.
In 'N Out is sure happy with David's recovery. He has a shake every other day it seems like. But, today the "test" for Speech, was if he could eat a Double Double or a Cheeseburger. Sure enough, David passed. He passed the thin liquids test also. His meds are being changed to pills and capsules, so maybe in a week or so, he can get rid of the tube feeding in his stomach.:-)
Steve and I are so excited to see David's progress. However, it is hard to see these other men here who are not progressing. I talked to a lady last night whose husband was injured the same time as David and is still not able to respond with a thumbs up, nod, blink, or anything. She has 2 teenagers and doesn't know if or how much her husband will progress. There are many others with the same story. A young mom with preschoolers, and the 27 year old dad is in bad shape. Our hearts break for them and their families. We have said at every stage that David has progressed through, that we were excited he was alive and with us. We would have been happy just to have him, anywhere along the healing process. Each day brings more joy for us as he progresses. Pray with us for these other families and their dads, brothers, and sons too. We feel so blessed and excited that God chooses to heal David, but don't understand why David gets so much and they don't. We're not complaining! Just feeling almost guilty.???
Tonight when Steve left, David told him that he doesn't like it when we leave him at night, alone in the room with the nurse. He prayed with David for peace and safety, and also for his left arm that is really bothering him. Thanks for your prayers too. We give God all the glory for David's progress!
Patty

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

Here are some highlights from another outstanding day. David received a lot of work on his left arm, (including the wrist, hand and fingers) again. In fact it seemed like almost all of the therapists worked on it, at least a little. It is not moving on it’s own yet, but we are really praying that it won’t be long.

David walked a lot (more than ever) today with his ‘cool’ walker, and he still looked real good doing it.

He ate enough at all three meals to not have to have his supplemental tube feeding. If he keeps this up for a while he will get the feeding tube taken out of his stomach. Then he will have no more tubes, hoses, monitors or needles coming out of his body!

Tonight we spent a lot of time just hanging out with David. We talked about him, his accident and his recovery. He had lots of questions, and we realized how bad his post accident memory is. He thought that maybe he had been in two accidents, possibly because we have mentioned that he was at Walter Read Army Hospital and Palo Alto VA Hospital. We watched the DVD that his Air Force friends sent him again, and each time we watch it he gives us more details about his time in Turkey, and the friends that he made there. I’m sure that it is good for his memory. He said that he has been praying that he will get to return to the Air Force and to his Incirlik, Turkey base, as well as his friends there. I told him that if it were that important to him, I would also start to pray for that. He also called Daniel Wooten in Turkey, (and woke him up), and they talked for a while. It was the first time that he has talked to a friend from the Air Force. He also talked to his girl friend, Kelli.

As we were leaving, Patty said that she loved him, and waited for him to respond appropriately. Since he has never said (unless he was heavily drugged), “I love you” back, Patty really wasn’t expecting much, but he got this “real” smile on his face as he tried to keep from saying it. He has this fake smile that he gives us when we take pictures, but this was his old “real” smile, and it was exciting to see his face muscles working in a ‘new’ way, that we thought was lost.

Steve

Sunday and Monday, January 6th and 7th, 2008

Sunday started with PT taking David to the gym before we could take him to church. You know what they say about the ‘early bird’, so Patty and I watched David work out and then walk two lengths of the hallway with the ‘cool’ walker. That was a lot of walking and again David was moving his left leg totally on his own. He looks smoother and surer of himself everyday.

David ate enough, (over 75%); so that he did not have to have the liquid supplement that they usually tube feed him.

Last night we sat in his room and watched a movie until the laptop battery died. Once again we do not know how it ended. Maybe Bruce Willis died, or maybe they will make “Die Hard 13”. It was fun just hanging out and relaxing.

Today Occupational Therapy, Mark, taught David to stretch his left hand and wrist. It curls up quite strongly, and is painful when it gets stretched, but it still needs to be done. Mark asked David to lead the way from the lunchroom to the gym without directions, and he would be timed. This was a tough chore, as David had to make his way between the chairs and obstacles. With his ‘left sided weakness’ he tends to hit things on that side of him. At the ‘crossroads’ David chose the left instead of the right, and Mark had to eventually tell him that he chose the wrong hall. But once David caught the scent he was off like a flash.

David had vision therapy next and they worked more on getting David to turn his head farther to the sides, and to pay special attention to his left side. This seems to really help David.

David refused him meds last night and at lunch today. Both times the nurse explained what the meds were for and why David needed them, and David finally conceded. We think that it is great that he is aware enough to question the medication.

David was stretched and exercised by Chris during PT. Then he walked between the parallel bars, and was stronger than ever with his left leg! David had another great day.

We are continually reminded how blessed David has been in his recovery. Christa’s brother in law, Dr. John Allen an intern at Loma Linda Hospital, asked (after seeing the video of David walking) what David’s original diagnosis was. When he was told that it was ‘diffused axonal brain injury with intraventricular left basal ganglia hemorrhage and posterior subdural hematoma’, (not to mention the fractured nose, rib, pelvis, the collaped lungs and multiple lacerations and contusions)he said that David shouldn’t ever be walking. David’s PT, Mitch, said that David was making AMAZING progress, and asked David if he had a lot of people praying for him? David said yes, and Mitch said, “I hope you have thanked them!” God truly has blessed David, by his ‘Healing Touch’ as well as by surrounding him with awesome physicians and therapists. Thanks for all of those prayers.

Steve

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

David was working between the parallel bars with PT (Chris) when we found him this morning. Maggie, April and Katie accompanied Patty and me. We watched as Chris helped David stand and rock back and forth, strengthening the trunk muscles as well as the legs, neck, etc. When David seemed balanced, Chris let go and David stood unassisted. They did this lots of times, and got up to 30 seconds of standing alone. This seemed great to us, as it was one more step towards being able to walk. After a brief rest Chris had David walk between the parallel bars. David’s right hand was on the rail and Chris was maybe supporting his balance some, but David was moving both feet by himself. He was really walking! I get the feeling that at this rate we could see David walking down the hallways of “D” wing unassisted, only holding on to the railing, before you know it. It was a real answer to prayer today.

His mood seems more positive as he is seeing progress. I pray that this just snowballs into an even greater determination on his part. It is exciting to experience his victories with him, and fun to relate them to you all.

Steve

P.S. Happy Birthday to Kelli, who reached the ripe old age of 20 today!

Friday, Januray 4th, 2008 (My brother Gary's b'day)

David ate breakfast like it was his last meal, and then he ate lunch the same way. His sergeant came by from Travis AFB and brought him a vanilla shake. Wow, that only happens in the Air Force.

Richard, from Recreational Therapy, worked with David on reading, and David struggled to see some of the words. Then they played a fun basketball game, which worked on David’s eye hand coordination, manual dexterity, and as an excuse to test David’s memory with lots of sports questions.

Se came by late today to grab David for PT, and even though he had been dozing he was ready to go. He wheeled himself out of the room and down to the gym without waiting for anybody. He walked farther than usual with his ‘cool’ walker, and looked good doing it. His gait was smoother, steadier and faster. As he blew past people in the hallway they were stunned.

The Recreational Therapy staff put on their weekly ‘Friday Free Food and Friends Feast’ tonight. It was KFC night, and David chowed down on the chicken (cut into smaller chunks) the mashed potatoes and biscuits. He finished off the last half of his vanilla shake (courtesy of his sergeant), and ate a cookie or two. He seems to have his appetite back! After we ate we watched Spiderman I, (in the same lunchroom/multipurpose room that we ate in) and David watched almost all of it before he said that he was ready to go back to his room and sleep. Now I don’t know if Spiderman lives or dies!

I think that we have mentioned that David talks in a monotone voice, and it's kind of quiet, but a really cool thing happened tonight when David was talking to the nurses. He said something that sounded so much like our 'old' David that it really hit me. There was more inflection in his voice, he used some words that he hasn’t used lately, and it was louder and more authoritative. It gave me hope that our 'old' David is still lurking inside, just waiting to come out.

We have had some problems with the ‘household’ (sprinklers, water leaks, pool problems, dogs), and our neighbors, friends and family have been awesome in responding to our needs in our time of trial. Thanks guys ‘n gals, we really appreciate the support on the home front. I know that God has put it on your hearts to help, and as hard as it is for my pride to accept help sometimes, I truly appreciate it, and thank you. I think that this is a growing time for me and I pray that God is working in your hearts as well. I know that serving our Lord, even in the lowest ways, (cleaning a pool, caring for a dog, watching a house) has rich rewards, and I pray for God’s blessings on all of you.

I close with much love for you all, and a content heart, knowing that all things are working out for His glory.

Steve

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008

Christa had to leave us this morning, so we went over early to see David, so she could say goodbye. Patty took her to the San Jose airport while I hung out with David through his therapies.

Se, his physical therapist, stretched his legs out and then had him lift his left leg (bad one) from a lying position, and I was amazed at how high he was raising it. She made him repeat it 15 times, and on the last one she made him hold it for a period of time. He did really well. I was exited because I felt like if he had the strength to do that then he would definitely be able to walk on his own. Then she had him repeat a standing and sitting type of exercise that really worked out his ‘quads’ and will help him to stand up by himself. It was a pretty hard work out, but David was focused and pushed himself until the end. I have to hand it to Se; she is very encouraging, sweet, nice, understanding, and a tough ‘coach’.

I’m of course concerned about David’s left arm and hand, which show almost no movement. Bill, our caseworker, told me that they had a guy with similar symptoms to David’s, and now he has full use of his ‘bad’ arm. Sometimes you just need to hear stories like that to give you faith. I know that our God is bigger than David’s arm problems. He made David’s arm so he can surely heal it.

Our friends Maggie (I think she is Patty’s twin from a former life) and April, and her daughter, (and David’s friend), Katie, arrived tonight. We ate with David (kinda) and visited afterwards. We watched the video that David’s Air Force co-workers made again, and each time we learn new things about his ‘Turkey’ friends. David was sleepy, but we had fun, and we (not David) continued our fun at the Fisher House, as we played games until all hours of the night.

We learned from the ‘vision’ people that David’s field of vision is improving, and that we need to encourage him to turn his head from left to right to really see everything. His mind wants to ignore the left side especially, so we need to train it to “pay attention”.

Doctor Scott met with us informally over dinner (with our friends) and informed us that another drug was being removed from David’s ‘arsenal’ of drugs. In a day or two its effects should be out of his system, and we might notice some difference in his alertness. Hopefully it will be a positive step. That leaves only one drug that ‘sedates’, but it is not very powerful.

As always, we love your concern and prayers.

Steve

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Christa made David French toast this morning, and he ate more of hers than he did of mine. I guess she earned a new job.

I got a call on my cell phone this afternoon and I was shocked to hear David say “Dad?” He asked the nurse if he could call me to ask if I would come over to see him. He asked if I knew what hospital he was in, and I said that I was already in his hallway, almost entering his room. It was fun to have him call me like that!

We had fun hanging out with David as he ate dinner, joking and playing around. Out of the blue he said, “Mom, how about if you go up to ‘Jack in the Box’ and get me a vanilla shake”? It’s hard to say no sometimes and Patty drove away on an errand of mercy.

David got on his ‘My Space’ and Christa read him some messages from his friends. He thought about posting a blog (or whatever it's called) but decided that he wasn’t quite ready to tell everyone about hospital life, and the long rehab awaiting him. It must seem very depressing to him.

Now that David is less medicated, I am afraid that he might need as much prayer for his emotions as for his physical healing. Luckily we serve a big God.

Steve

January 1, 2008

This morning when I (Christa) walked into David's room he was sitting in his wheel chair all dressed and ready to go. I said, "Well, hello handsome!" and he gave me the biggest smile!! I just about melted right there! He said hello and good morning right back. We talked for a bit and then we went to the rec room to play on the computer. I showed him the blog and read my entry from yesterday. When I read him the part about how he thought Kelli was "hot" he smiled again really big! I read him all of your recent comments from right before Christmas and he really seemed to enjoy hearing from everyone. I explained to him how everyone reads this blog just to see how he's doing and how much you all have invested in his recovery. He said he understood and was very appreciative of your support and prayers. After the blog he wanted to play solitaire on the computer but he wanted to just tell me where to move the cards and have me control the mouse. Which was actually really cool because it forced him to talk more and I was really able to see his thought process and also where some of his visual problems are. He could always see the right side of the computer screen but the deck of cards were on the left side and he could rarely see those cards correctly. I'm not sure what he sees or doesn't see or if its just really jumbled up. But it was interesting nontheless. He did extremely well considering between him and myself we couldn't manage to win a single hand!!

After computer time we all ate breakfast at the table together (mom, dad, me and David)and had some delicious french toast my dad made. It was so cool to just eat and talk all together as a family again. Then we took David outside to the basketball court and kicked around a soccer ball with him. He started to really get into it and even would kick with his left foot! He did really good at wheeling himself around to go after the ball (Lord knows with me and my parents, there were a lot of stray balls for him to go after!). Then we went inside and he took a nap.

When we went back later in the afternoon my dad and him went to the rec room and watched some football together for a bit until we looked over and David had fallen asleep in his chair! So we took him back to his room but we made him eat a late lunch. He ate more spinach raviolis from yesterday and polished them off really good. Then I asked him if we could watch the DVD that his friends/co-workers/bosses in Turkey put together. He agreed even with the stipulation that he had to give me some background on each person. He said no problem. We watched the video and paused after each person wished him good luck in his recovery and even joked around with him. He gave me all the "dirt" on each one of you guys!!! Just kidding! But he did give a lot of details about fun times he had with each person. He talked about the Turkish food, the go-carts, working in the office and his responsibilities that he had and the fun times "working" there! He talked about who was naughty and who was nice!! Haha!! It was great getting to see you guys from Turkey and that video really was cool! Thanks guys for doing that for him. He was pretty tired and went to bed pretty early tonight. I guess that's good because he'll have a full day's work tomorrow in therapy. Today was a fun day with David and he showed a lot of progress with his smiling, kicking and moving his left leg, playing solitaire, eating real food and talking a lot. Thank you all for your prayers and faith that God is just getting started with healing David. It is going to be a great year full of miracles!! Love you all,
Christa

December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!!! I, Christa, just flew in today an will stay until Thursday. I am very excited to see David and my parents again. David looked great! I haven't seen him in a month so a lot has changed. He doesn't have the trache anymore. He's not agitated and fidgety like he was a month ago. He is very calm and kinda just "chill". Which was a welcome sight! He doesn't fixate and do certain things repetitively. He is definitely more like "David"!! I watched him during PT and he is walking so much better than when I left. Last time he could walk maybe 10 feet along the parallel bars and repeat the walk after a small sitting break. Today he was on his feet for almost an entire hour!! At the end of his session he walked back towards his room with the "cool walker" and the therapists said that David had improved a lot just today. He is moving his left foot so much better, still needing some assistance, but definitely improving. He sat on the edge of the bed while mom put his shoes on and was sitting up so good, even with his feet sticking straight out. He is so much easier to maneuver from bed to chair, etc. because he is strong enough to carry most of his weight and needs a lot less assistance.

Today was the first day that he ate 3 full, "REAL" meals!! He ate pancakes for breakfast, spinach raviolis from Spaghetti factory we brought in for him, along with his vanilla shake and apple juice. For dinner he ate some stew, bread and butter with some more shake and a yogurt drink. He had very little supplement with the feeding tube today - only early this morning and a little tonight. He's getting even closer to getting the feeding tube out!! He also talked so clearly. When I was here last time he was just starting to talk and we had to put our ear right up to his lips to hear what he was trying to say and even then it was sometimes a guessing game. Today I was reminded of his amazing progress in this area. He communicated exactly what he wanted and did it audibly. He asked me to ask the therapists to only ask him yes/no questions. They were proud of him for initiating that and did just as he asked. He talked to Kelli on the phone tonight and it sounded like it was a pretty good conversation. David asked her some good questions and made some pretty funny comments in return to her stories. From my end of the conversation I heard David respond with, "That's nasty." "That's awesome." "You passed. That's good.""Tell everyone I said 'Hi'." "Tell everyone 'Happy New Year'." When he got off the phone dad asked what was so nasty. David repeated the story just as Kelli must have told it (which really was nasty, so I'll spare you!) and we all laughed. I told David how funny I think Kelli can be and he agreed. He said, "yeah, that's one reason why I like her." I asked what the other reasons were and he said, "and she's hot." We laughed. Dad said, "yeah, that never hurts!" He also said because she's smart and tries hard in school, she's athletic and she loves God. He said that's really important to him! My brother is one smart puppy and is really coming around. It was fun just talking and hanging out with him tonight. It was almost as if nothing had changed (minus the hospital room!) as we sat and talked and watched TV. I loved every minute! My dad also told us that he got some really encouraging news today from Dr. Ted. Apparently the dr. is expecting some even more drastic improvements with David now that he is slowly getting off the meds. He says that this might mark a turning point in David's progress and that we might start noticing change faster!!!! Can you believe it???! I am so encouraged, as should you all! Keep praying and thanking God for David's healing. God is truly doing miracles every day in our lives through David's recovery. I am so thankful and my faith has been renewed!

Thank you Lord that you care so much for David and that you WANT to heal him. We give you ALL the glory for every small detail of his healing. You are The creator, and with the same hands that put the stars in their place, you can and will heal my brother. Nothing is too big or hard for you, Lord. Thank you that only YOU can do the impossible! AMEN!!

Love you all, Christa