Happy Easter!

Easter is very much about renewal, new life, and hope and those lessons have become much more real to us this year. On Friday, April 3rd Victor was released from St. Joseph Hospital after being there for 51 days. Fifty-one. It was a lifetime. No one who loves Victor is the same person today as they were 51 days ago. I hope we will all learn from this to speak softer, forgive faster, laugh longer, and love better.

The physical therapy staff feels that Victor has made sufficient progress to continue treatment as an outpatient. He continues to put on weight, his hair now covers most of the scarring, and he moves about unassisted. His speech, predictably, is lagging behind the rest of his gains. He’s patient and gracious with our efforts to understand him. Today he was finger-spelling. He continues his barrage of physical, occupational, and speech therapies all week. Still, he's happy to be home and working on the new “normal” family routine.

Victor, we love you. To all the family and friends who support Victor and us, we love you too. Happy Easter and God bless you.

Burger King

Victor continues to get stronger and stronger. He is trying to speak now. His voice is very soft and most of his words are not easily recognizable. This distresses him and may be the reason he is reluctant to speak, but we encourage him and are happy that he tries.

His appetite is returning, however he is still on swallow alert. He needs to eat more in order to get stronger. The other night he said "Burger King" (we think) and was treated to a hamburger from Burger King.

His morning and afternoon therapies are going great. They keep him busy with a variety of exercises to keep him interested. The therapists and nurses encouraged him to walk more to strengthen his legs and improve his balance.

Body and Soul

Victor has settled into his new surroundings. The room is larger than before. He's been assigned an occupational therapist, physical therapist, and speech therapist. They meet with him on a regular basis to help him through recovery.

In the past week Victor has progressively improved his depth perception, his eye to hand coordination, sitting and standing balance, and fine motor skills. Watching his body awaken, little by little, forces one to ponder the truly wondrous nature of the body and the drive in every part and particle to live. It's amazing to see it in his eyes and feel the presence of his eternal spirit. He is so alive, willing and eager. The body and spirit together are truly an eternal blessing and gift.

Victor has not spoken yet, but at times seems anxious to speak. He hears adequately and answers simple written yes or no questions. On occasion he responds with head nodding. Falling is still a major concern so we continue to watch him 24/7.

Lately, Victor's curiosity has gotten the better of him and he has been taking wheel chair trips out of his room. We push him around or sometimes he pushes himself. He often points the way he wants to go. He'll even attempt to open doors and go into areas that are "staff and doctor only."

We all Love you Victor!

Move to Rehab

Victor slept pretty well last night. He woke up in the middle of the night to look at himself in the mirror, then immediately returned to his bed and went back to sleep. He woke up at 5 am and was active until about 11 am. He didn't like what he was given for breakfast and slept through lunch. Victor took a walk at about 9 am and then Dr Morgan came to visit him. She observed him and removed the neck collar. She is genuinely happy for him and the progress he has made. She said that it's truly a miracle. We are so appreciative of the hard work and respect shown to Victor and to us from all the doctors and nurses.

At about 3 pm this afternoon the nurse announced that it was time to move Victor to another part of the hospital where he will receive therapy until he is able to function sufficiently. We packed up his stuff, the nurse removed his IV and placed him in a wheel chair, and off we went to his new unit. We are so glad to see him move on to the next step in this journey. His progress has been astounding.

Sleepy Time

Today Victor ate his first hospital meal at about noon: mashed potatoes, gravy, applesauce and apple cider. Although he didn't eat much, it must have been very satisfying because he fell asleep in the middle of the meal.

Victor was moved out of the ICU last night and has shown great improvement. He's doing more little things on his own.

Heading the Right Way

Victor's bone flap was reinstalled successfully! This is huge for him. We are all so happy. Keep up the good work Victor.

The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Victor is currently in surgery having his bone flap (the bone that was removed from his skull!) reinstalled. This morning before the surgery he looked good -- really good. The nurse tried to suction out his mouth and he gave her a glare of disdain and growled at her. He really hates that. It was funny and very much our Victor.

The past few days have been a mixture of good and bad. We've watched him rest and shared in his time of pain and restlessness. We've thoroughly enjoyed the moments when he is able to engage us with his eyes and when he touches and holds our hands.

About mid-day yesterday they finally remove the ventilator and feeding tubes in his throat. Some of us had tried to guess what day that would happen but no one guessed Tuesday because of the scheduled Wednesday morning surgery. His mom also had them remove the "other" tubes except for the one in his nose (side bar: I heard a rumor that a tube sticking out of your nose is the newest fashion statement). With the tubes removed we were anxious to hear him speak and of course late last night Victor came through! He said "ahhhuummmvvss." I think that's how you spell that.

Victor - we are all here, your family and friends, with the highest of hopes for you and praying constantly for your health to return and especially for God's blessings upon you. We LOVE you.

Second Birth

The events of the past two days have been nothing short of miraculous. It's truly been like watching a new born baby. We all get so excited whenever Victor moves his arm, squeezes your hand, or opens his eyes. We speak to him and wonder if he can hear us; does he understand? We all hold and touch him hoping for some sign that he knows we are here.

Five days after being taken off the medications Victor's mind has awakened! His doctor had his nurses lift him out of his bed into a chair! Better than that I understand that he was playing a game with his brother Roman, all this while still connected to the ventilator.

The "FORCE IS STRONG IN THIS ONE", we look forward to continued improvement from him. We sincerely thank the Lord for his blessings.

Go Skywalker.

Aloha Ke Akua

Yesterday, Victor showed us what God's love and his healing power is all about. At about 9 am the doctor came into the room and started testing Victor. First with verbal commands, where Victor's response seemed weak, then asked him to specifically move his thumb, and fingers... which he did! She pinched his legs and he responded by moving them away from the pinching. Lastly she pinched his right side under his arm and he moved his arm above the mid line. The doctor was ecstatic! She said given the severity of the injuries, she would have never guessed a response like this from him.

We are so very thankful to all of you who have petitioned in prayer for God's help. We truly have seen a miracle. We are humbled and overjoyed by this blessing in our lives.

Out of the Dark

The doctors turned off Victors' paralytic drugs at about 11 am in response to low blood pressure issues. As of the writing of this post, he is doing fine. His vital signs look great. And, because he is off these medications we have seen him move his arms and open his eyes. We are not sure how aware he is of what is happening, but we are very excited to see him trying to move. If all goes well tonight (and they don't have to turn the medications back on) the effects of these medications should be completely gone by morning. We are anxiously looking forward to tomorrow and to Victors' continued recovery.

We are so thankful for the many prayers that have been offered on Victors' behalf, please continue to pray for him because there is still a long way for him. We are especially thankful and grateful, and give all credit to our Heavenly Father for the blessing he has bestowed on Victor, what a miracle!

Keep fighting Victor and may Gods continued blessings be upon you.

Day 11

The last two days have been better for Victor. He is still running a fever and his heart rate has been above normal, however the rest of his vital signs are pretty good. The doctor turned off the cranial drip earlier today and decreased his dosage of vecronium (the paralytic), it seems to have had little effect on his readings which is wonderful. The nursing staff has been wonderful too. They are truly concerned for Victor's well being.

We understand that the doctors want to operate early this week. They want to remove the tubes going down the throat and perform a trecheotomy. We are told this is a procedure that will be done in your room.

Sunny Day

It's almost midnight and you look marvelous. You had another CAT scan today and we understand that the doctors' found nothing there (I could have told them that!) You've been fighting a fever again. They've put your cooling blanket under you and they have it turned on, brrrrr. Your Mom has been keeping your stats'. I think she's going to give you an "A".

The sun was shinning very brightly today, we all miss you.

Good Morning

Victor you're doing great! You look better and better everyday. You had a great Wednesday night, especially compared to a week ago. Your ICP started out at around 20, then it went up briefly to around 30 and then slowly went back down again below 20. By early morning the reading was below 10! Yeeozer!!

Then as usual, your nurse just really had to move and reposition your body, and suck out stuff in your mouth, which by the way is really gross. They also did an x-ray on your chest. All of this movement caused your heart rate, blood pressure and ICP to sky rocketed. Oh yea and then you vomited.

What a great way to say hello in the morning!

Keep fighting.

Funny Times

Victor, you're a funny guy. Please get well soon. We all love you.

A Day of Prayer

Victor's condition remains basically the same. Although his ICP is below 20 now, he is still in critical condition. The goal was to keep his ICP below 20 durning the first 72-96 hours after the accident. The severity of the injuries made this very difficult. There were extended periods of time when the readings exceeded 40 which is way too high.

The next step seems simple enough: wait for the swelling to subside to a point where he can be taken off the medications. This time frame is unknown, however the doctors seem to agree that it will be at least weeks before we see this. Victor's body needs time to heal and we need to allow him that time.

Generally speaking, he is much better. Most of the swelling has subsided. He has a low temperature fever, which is not unusual for his condition. We cautiously move forward with renewed hope. We send our love and appreciation for all the prayers and support.

We know that God loves Victor and that he has a plan for him. God has placed a blessing upon him and continues to bless him every minute. We reverently accept his blessings and thank him dearly for another day with Victor.

We love you Victor. Keep fighting.

Happy Valentine

Victor,

We've been keeping your room dark during the day to keep from stimulating any brain functions. The sun is shining brightly outside and the temperture is unusually warm for a February day. The doctor visited you this morning and re-ordered a CAT scan. For some reason your ICP was extremely high. We are not sure why but after returning to your room it came down to around the mid-twenties. The doctor said that the scan revealed nothing new. We feel that this is good news; at least you don't have any added issues. The doctor reminded us that your condition is still very serious and that healing will take time.

We love you very much and are constantly praying for you. Happy Valentine's Day.

Late Report

It's 1:20 AM. Victor's scheduled CAT scan for around 3:00 AM this morning has been cancelled by the doctor. I'm not sure why, his vitals have not changed since earlier this evening. The blood pressure monitor is malfunctioning and the nurse is having trouble fixing the problem. Victor looks very relaxed. God bless you Victor and we love you.

United

The third night of Victors' ordeal has fallen and his condition has not improved (his condition still remains critical.) We were told and are anticipating a continued very difficult road for him in the next several days. Go Victor!

We feel your love and support. We appreciate the support of the many friends of Victor (we've seen you in the main lobby and outside the hospital.) We have observed your youthful play, your laugher and friendship. It is not hard to imagine why Victor liked to be with you; it's not hard to imagine his laughter and his playful manners united with yours.

We are asking for your united positive thoughts and your prayers' asking for God's grace and blessings on Victor. We all love you Victor, keep up the fight.

Serious Injury

On February 11th Victor was in a skateboarding accident and sustained serious head injuries. He is in ICU at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma. The doctors’ emphasis at this point is to relieve the pressure in his skull. The injuries are causing his brain to swell so they have removed a section of the skull to allow this to happen without causing damage. With the bandages on his head, he looks a little like this photo. He is in an induced a coma to keep him still and to minimize brain activity while he heals and rests. We expect the swelling to begin to subside in the next 24 hours or so.

Thank you to all the family and friends who have expressed love and concern for Victor and for the many offers of tangible support. Victor is being well cared for and the family’s needs are taken care of for now. The medical staff tells us that “miracles happen every day” and we are praying for one for Victor. He is young, strong, and stubborn – all qualities we believe will work in his favor.

Please use this blog to post your good wishes for Victor. We treasure your friendship and continued prayers as he recovers.