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November 9, 2004
I
just returned from yet another rewarding several days of visiting John and Stephanie. And, again, I have very exciting news
to report. John's expected discharge from rehab is now November 12th. Yes, as in this Friday. There is even a notice on the
wall in his room with the words "Discharge Date: November 12th".
All things considered, he
is doing very well. He gets around on crutches with minimal support from the PT nurses. The actual motions required to get
up and out of the bed are still very challenging but once up, he gets around fairly well.
The last 3 weeks of PT focused on building strength in his upper body and left leg.
There is also a focus on flexibility and balance. All the movements required
toget him home. He still has an estimated 5 weeks before he is able to put any weight on his right leg. The hard work is far
from over.
Once at home, he will have home care assistance a few days a week, but the bulk of the work will
rest on the shoulders of he and Stephanie. Once he is bearing weight on the right
leg and foot, he will likely be retuning to full time rehabilitation. This stage
will include daily outpatient visits to rebuild strength and flexibility in the leg and foot. Also within the next few weeks
he’ll be retuning to the hospital for at least a couple of reconstructive surgeries on his damaged organs. We currently do not know his surgery schedule and whether or not he will be an outpatient. So as you can
see, there is still a long road ahead.
I had the opportunity to
be with John and Stephanie at least once during each step of the process through the hospital. Each visit was exponentially
better than the previous, with rehab obviously the best. In rehab, he is surrounded by people with different stories. All
had been down extremely difficult roads. The environment there lent itself to meeting and getting to know each other. There was a lot of encouragement back and forth between the patients. Personally I
was very moved and inspired by seeing so much hard work and determination by everyone to fight for things I take for granted
everyday. Of course, in my biased opinion, John was the most determined and hardest
worker in there.
The transition to home is
not without mixed emotions for both John and Stephanie. I recall similar, but different, feelings from John prior to moving
to rehab. He knows it’s going to be a lot of work and there isn’t
going be the 24/7 care he’s been used to for the last 2-1/2 months. For Steph, it’s obviously going to be a huge
workload increase. They are both very much looking forward to it, but neither one can really predict what the adjustments
will feel like. I do know, for a fact, that the dogs will have absolutely no hesitation in expressing their excitement for
having him home.
Finally, the Nate Torrence
show went off without a hitch. Click here to read the details and see photos.
That’s about it for
now. I will be sure to keep you all posted on his progress from home. Or maybe that will be his job now that he’ll have
some time on his hands. Thank you for all of your wonderful support.
| John enjoying a healthy breakfast |
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| Click on the photo to enlarge |
October 22, 2004
Today there is very exciting news to report. John
has moved to a full time physical therapy unit of the hospital. Technically speaking he was discharged from the hospital yesterday
and then admitted to the rehabilitation unit. I talked to him over the phone after his move
and he said he was “very excited to be there and is ready to roll with the PT”. Of course there was some apprehension
in his voice just knowing the amount of pain, sweat and tears that lay ahead. Today will be mostly evaluations and the development
of his rehabilitation program. As with every step of his recovery, it is unclear how long he will be in rehab, but it sounds
like it might be up to 4 weeks.
He is currently free of any bags and lines attached
to his arm. One of the last to go was his Personal Controlled Analgesia (PCA), which was a device that helped him manage his
own pain medication. As the doctors experimented with pills and patches to replace the PCA, John endured several days of incredible
discomfort and pain. By Tuesday of this week, John and the doctors were able to manage the
pain and eventually break him free of the PCA. That was a huge sigh of relief for us all.
We are very excited to see John progress into
this next phase of his recovery. September 1st seems like years ago. For many of us this will be considered the
longest 51 days of our lives. Stephanie is still being incredibly strong. Her days are incredibly long since she is working
but also spending quality time with John. Her mom, Kathie, will return to Kansas City today. She has been a wonderful support
to John, Stephanie and our expanded families. This has been her second trip,
this time since John came out of ICU. Thank you Kathie! And thank you Steve (her husband) who was back in KC holding down
the fort on his own.
John is allowed visitors in rehab, so please feel
free to contact Stephanie to see when would be best. I know he is very happy to see people and is very thankful and appreciative
of all the support he is receiving.
Now for a fun quiz.
What’s the number one question asked of John while in the hospital?
(Click here for the answer)
October 12, 2004
I just got back from a weekend visiting John and Stephanie.
It truly was a great visit for me.
John’s surgery last week went as
well as can be expected. They successfully reset the broken bones in his leg. As it turned out, his ankle had no broken
bones but rather severely damaged ligaments and nerves. It may be up to a year before the full extent of recovery in that
ankle is known. Following the surgery, he experienced several days of extreme pain. The day I arrived, Saturday, he seemed
to be having one of his worst days yet. On top of all the pain, the pain medications were making him sick to his stomach.
It was literally heartbreaking to witness him in this condition after all that he's been through. I could tell it was heartbreaking
for him too. By mid day, Stephanie was consulting with the doctors and nurses to reconsider the drug concentrations and dosages.
Changes were made by that evening. We left that night feeling awful for what he was experiencing. We returned the next day
to see that the changes were in effect and exactly the right ones to make. He was happy and pain free. It was a whole new
day for John. I visited with him until almost midnight that night as we talked, watch movies and even enjoyed some In &
Out burgers. I will cherish that day for years to come.
Physical Therapy started just days after
his surgery. Initially the team had him moving to the side of the bed and sitting up. Eventually, they had him standing up
with a body on each side and then with just a walker. He is able to put all his weight on this left leg, but none on his right
yet. As of Monday he was able to stand up, make a couple of small hops on his left leg and sit down in a chair. His biggest
reward of PT thus far is being able to look at Stephanie in the eyes and kiss her while standing. A potential goal for this
week will be getting into a wheelchair and being able to go outside. If all goes well, Steph can even bring the dogs by to
see him. The exit team will be talking to him soon to begin planning his next step in recovery. There may be some light at
the end of the tunnel regarding when he can get out of the hospital.
He is now taking visitors every day. As
a matter of fact, I just called his room and wasn't able to talk to him because he was entertaining friends. There are so
many amazing stories to be told. Last week Lou Greig and Julie Rogers came to visit him. Lou was the resident on Mandelville
Canyon Road who called 911 and Julie was the first cyclist to stop and help him. They are two of the many heroes in why John
is alive. On Sunday the wife of a doctor who stopped to help Lou and Julie at the scene visited John. She is a nurse at UCLA
medical. When she saw John she couldn't hold back the tears. She has never met John but told us she's been thinking about
him everyday. People who know first hand the extent of John's accident are now true believers in miracles.
John and Steph are very thankful for all
that everyone is doing to support them through prayers, letters, cards, contributions, etc. On behalf of my Mom, his two sisters,
his other brother and myself, we also thank you for your support of us and them.
I will keep posting updates as progress
is made.
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October 6, 2004
John is scheduled for his second surgery on October 7th. The orthopedic team
will be working on resetting his right leg. Updates will be coming soon.
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