Shawn's Recovery Journey....
Shawn began his treatment at Grant Medical Hospital's ICU in downtown Columbus after his accident on 4/22/12...
*Update 4/26: Shawn is no longer on paralytic medication, he is still sedated and is heading in for minor surgery to install a filter to prevent blood clots. He currently has pneumonia which is common.
*Update 4/27: Filter installed, still sedated. Shawn is experiencing acute respiratory distress, the respiratory team is trying to work out what is best for him now.
*Update 4/28: Shawn is back on paralytic medication. He was fighting to breathe which was damaging his recovery. Hoping the antibiotics fight the pneumonia quickly, but it will be at least another day before he will be back to just sedation medication and discussion about medication reduction/weening off of the ventilator. Last CAT scan showed that the bruising on his brain is healing.
*Update 4/29 (From Al & Dianne): Shawn's white blood count doubled overnight. They did a broncoscopy this morning and that helped him somewhat. Tomorrow they will insert a drainage tube through his side into his right lung and maybe left lung also. His blood gases are better this evening. He will be in the paralytic med state another day or two. Oxygen levels have improved. BP is down which was a problem during the night.
*Update 4/30 (From Al & Dianne) They inserted suction/drainage tubes into the space between each lung and its lining to remove more fluid. He remained rather stable until around 5 or so when his oxygen level dropped, his pulse, blood pressure, and sugar raised, along with having a fever. Saw more cards, etc. from his friends today. He's a fortunate guy to have so many care so much for him. Hope all you bicyclists are wearing your helmets - always! (From Heather) Shawn is in a new rotational bed to help assist clearing his lungs and circulation, did not go well last night. Not sure if they are going to continue this approach.
*Update 5/1 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn is now listed in Critical condition and considered Unstable. Put in a Rotoprone bed last night. This bed holds him securely so staff can turn him in the bed to his stomach, back or either side. His temperature rose to 104.3, but was down to 100 by the time we left at 5pm today. His lungs are now in Respiratory Failure. His pulse is 100+ but he had some tachycardia at times today where his pulse went as high as 250 lasting a few seconds each time. His oxygen levels are much too low. His body is producing fluid faster than they can remove it. His other organs are not compromised. They told us it is a "waiting game." (From Joy, 9pm) It looks like the swelling in his limbs is dramatically reduced from two days ago and the nurse said he isn't even on medication for fluid reduction any more, I'm hoping that's due to the Roto bed helping his circulation. Blood gases much better than earlier, carbon went from 80s down to 67 and oxygen up to 57. (That's what to look for carbon down & oxygen up!). Blood pressure looked ok, between 130s-140s over 60s, although his peep level was at 12 (peep is the pressure at which they are pushing oxygen into your lungs from the ventilator, two days ago it was at 14.) Ideally no peep is best. Fighting off a some infections with a mix of antibiotics.
*Update 5/2 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn had two procedures done today and tolerated those well. They inserted 2 additional tubes into his right lung for drainage. His stats were much more stable today. His oxygen level is up, both on the monitor and in the blood (both close to 100%). His white blood count is down which is good. BP is good. Pulse is better. Still in paralytic state. Tolerating Rotoprone bed much better and they were able to "flip" him from his back to what they call "upside down" (on his stomach). They were able to move him back and forth in a swing type motion very slowly to help dislodge congestion. Antibiotics they started him on seem to be really helping. We are encouraged. Thanks soooooo much for everything! We are SO grateful,
*Update 5/3 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn needed to go on dialysis today. His kidneys failed, his right lung collapsed again, his heart is irritated and had a rapid pulse which they think could be heading to atrial fibulation, "gut" not working, and numbers all goofy again. While we were in the Consultation Room, Shawn's heart stopped and they had to do CPR which worked and his heart began beating again. They got him somewhat stabilized again and did do the dialysis procedure. Obviously, he is in great need of prayer. Thanks again for everything! (From Joy 9:30pm) Peep is up to 17, oxygen and blood pressure looking ok. Higher pressure from the ventilator can cause a lung to collapse since it is exhausting the weaker right lung. New breathing tube was supposed to be set up to ventilate each lung separately but since Shawn wasn't doing well enough at present hopefully that will be set up soon.
*Update 5/4: Dialysis running smoothly, doing better being rotated on the bed. Peep back down to 14 which is good, but new breathing tube not set up yet. Definitely better than Thursday! Blood pressure was a bit high later in the evening but today is going good, thanks again to everyone for the support!
*Update 5/5 (From Al & Dianne): Shawn essentially is the same with some heart issues, respiratory and kidney failure, on dialysis all the time, on 90% oxygen, on ventilator, heavily sedated, medically paralyzed, and still in Rotoprone bed. He was able to tolerate lying on his back for an hour this afternoon - up from 40 minutes this morning. They want him to get to the point where he can lay on his back 2 hours and on his stomach 2 hours. His lungs just "don't like" having him on his back and they "want" to collapse. We consider this a good day - no major issues!!!! Please continue to pray!!! You are fantastic friends to Shawn and the food schedule is amazing! Hope next Saturday is a huge success! Thanks again!
*Update 5/6 (From Al & Dianne): Good, good day today!!!!! Beautiful Sunday and fantastic day for Shawn. Obviously, it can still be a roller coaster; however, Shawn tolerated a lot of activity (two procedures, tube replacements, being cleaned up, etc.) and was lying on his back for 5 hours by the time we left at 4:30. Didn't have a good night, so we were concerned, but absolutely thrilled to see him do so well today! Thanks again, guys! Heather brought a CD player and we took a couple of soothing music CDs so he was "jammin'" soothingly (is that a word?) when we left! His nurse was smiling and we were too!
*Update 5/7 (From Al & Dianne): This is the kind of message we never get tired of sending!!! Shawn had another good day! How exciting is that!!!!! Still sedated, etc., but he remained stable today with no minor or major blips in the day no matter what was done. Long, long way to go and he's still "asleep" and in the Rotoprone bed, but these couple of days with no emergencies are really helping his body to concentrate on resting and healing.
*Update 5/8 (From Al & Dianne) Today was pretty good. He had a "blip" last night and they needed to back up a step, but he's doing better now and his condition is progressing. He has amazing medical help. Small steps forward and small steps backward for sure, but they are the nature of these types of injuries. Again, an extremely long recovery ahead with lots of therapy, etc., but he's strong and his body is able to stabilize much faster now than it was a week ago - or even a few days ago. The swelling in his face has really lessened. He's still heavily sedated, in the medically induced paralytic state, on the ventilator, dialysis continuously, and his lungs are better than they were, but they are definitely not good yet. He remains in Critical condition. Please continue praying and passing along his story to others for prayer and tips to other cyclists.
*Update 5/9 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had a rather rough night last night again, but today was better. They replaced 1 lung tubes, his body wouldn't tolerate being on his left side again, they scoped his lungs again and his lungs aren't producing as much "gunk" as they were, and they are going to attempt to wean him off some of the high oxygen levels, etc. again. Just a very slow process. One thing we've noticed is that when his body doesn't "like" something they do and his numbers fluctuate where they don't like them, the medical staff is able to return him to a more stabilized condition faster than before. We are encouraged by that.
*Update 5/10 (Al & Dianne): During the night they had some issues with Shawn's right lung again, but he was doing better today. They removed one tube from his right lung this afternoon and he tolerated that well. They've increased the feeding they're giving him. They've worked with lowering the oxygen level and pressure on his lungs which worked for a while but they had to raise those again. His vital signs otherwise are pretty steady. Not much else has changed yet.
*Update 5/11 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has been stable these past 24 hours. It's been a good day. He tolerated everything pretty well. The paralytic medication was removed today and he's done fine with that. We are, once again, encouraged at this step in the right direction.Until tomorrow evening when we hope to give you another really good report. Really hope the community garden event goes well tomorrow. Shawn would love to hop out of that bed and be right there directing and instructing exactly how to set the whole thing up, we're sure! Have great fun! Thanks for being such great friends to Shawn.
*Update 5/12 (Al & Dianne): Today was a day of ups and downs. Ups: Shawn was very stable for a very long time. He was removed from the Rotoprone bed and is now in a regular hospital bed. Downs: He was 60 minutes away from having tubes removed from his throat and a trach done and a feeding tube placed when he became somewhat unstable again. Consequently, they postponed this procedure and hope to do it tomorrow.
*Update 5/13 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is much more comfortable now. He had both procedures done today - trach and feeding tube. Consequently, he no longer has any tubes in his nose or mouth. Wonderful to see his face clear of everything. All of the medical staff were very pleased that he tolerated the procedures so well. It was a strenuous day for him everytihing considered, so the nurse was really letting him just rest and recuperate. Before we left, I told him that he looked like he was lying on the Kauai beach soaking up the sun. What a great Mother's Day present! Continue to pray, please. He is still considered Critical but is better than he was a week ago. We have much to be thankful for tonight and are very pleased with today's results.
*Update 5/14 (Al & Dianne): Today was another encouraging day with just a few short-lived blips this morning. The afternoon was good. All of Shawn's stats remained very stable and they are decreasing (very slowly) his sedation meds. He's responding well.
*Update 5/15 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another stable day. He is slowly, slowly progressing. When you are thinking about Shawn or praying for him, please remember:
*Update 5/16 (Al & Dianne):
Shawn "crashed" two times today - about 5 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. His pulse, breathing, BP and oxygen levels became unstable and it took a while to stabilize him. The dialysis tube in his groin had become clogged with blood clots so they replaced it this morning and that one also became clogged. He has many tubes in his right lung in an attempt to remove the air that has been collecting between the lining and the lung. After they stabilized him this afternoon, they took him to OR and inserted a catheter in his neck for the dialysis. Later they returned him to the OR and inserted a very tiny tube into his right lung. The only function of this tube is to suction air. We arrived at 11 immediately after his difficulties began and remained at the hospital until about 7 p.m. Both the catheter and the tube seemed to be working quite well and Shawn's stats were better. His condition remains Critical. He is being weaned off the sedation medications. His eyes are somewhat open (not a deliberate action on his part) and his hands respond to pain (pressure pain). He is beginning to "wake up"; however, he has a lot of medication in his system and it will take days for him to actually be awake.
We were very happy for our "neighbors", Tod and Tom (the cyclist from the First Baptist prayer list), who both graduated today to the step-down unit. They, and their families, would appreciate your prayers, we're sure. With Tod's departure, that leaves Shawn as being the patient with the current longest stay in ICU. We pray he doesn't carry that distinction much longer. It's been a long day. One of the blessings that occurred to us today is that Shawn's left lung has remained quite strong throughout this ordeal with the right one. God is good! Until tomorrow...
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!
*Update 5/17 (Al & Dianne): Hello Friends, Shawn had a fairly good day today. He was given a unit of blood because hemoglobin is produced by the kidneys. The dialysis machine is able to filter the blood, but cannot produce hemoglobin; consequently, this is a common need for people on dialysis. He seemed comfortable and his stats were good. His right lung is doing better since the insertion of the latest tube yesterday. They needed to raise a couple of his meds which postpones a little more them being able to begin evaluating him neurologically. He is not awake yet, but is less sedated. We'll see what tomorrow brings. This weather should be great for the Community Garden. Such beautiful sunshine!!! Thanks again for everything!
*Update 5/18 (Al & Dianne): Today and tonight were very good for Shawn. His numbers were very consistent even though a wee bit higher than they wanted, but still within acceptable ranges. He's still something sedated so is sleeping. The nurse was just letting him rest tonight. No procedures today. This is short, but sweet and we'll take it! Love these days with no emergencies!
*Update 5/19 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another stable day today. His BP continues to be a bit of an issue, but the meds are helpful. He is no longer on dialysis 24/7, but is receiving hemadialysis (a few times a week for just a few hours each time). It is such a blessing to be able to give an update on Shawn in just 3 good sentences! Terrific!!!!
*Update 5/20 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another very stable day. We never get tired of saying that! He was under sedation while we were there. We were told that he now is no longer the "sickest patient in ICU." His condition is still Critical. Today was a day of rest for him - appropriate for a Sunday, huh? BP was the only issue again and that was being controlled rather well. All good progress! Great conversation with a doctor, technician, and 2 nurses talking about the miracles that happen. They were all smiling and talking about personally seeing miracles. We believe that Shawn is already a miracle in that he has survived these past 4 weeks. In many ways, he really shouldn't have. Be back tomorrow night with another update. Please continue praying as you have been. He has a long, long way to go!
*Update 5/21 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was very stable again today ~ things are coming right along. This morning they removed the final sedation medication. He continues on pain meds. He's on the hemadialysis still and doing so well with that. He's still on the ventilator; however, he's actually breathing on his own and they are giving him very little oxygen. He looks good!!!!! His lungs still have congestion that they are suctioning out. He is going to receive an MRI scan of his head and neck either tonight or tomorrow. With all the medications that he's received over the past 4 weeks, it will take a while for all of that to come out of his system before he can be fully conscious and responsive. One of the doctors who works with Shawn a lot mentioned today praying for Shawn. One of the nurses wanted the website address so she could continue to follow Shawn's progress once he's out of ICU. It's really makes us all feel so good to see how the medical staff has become very attached to him. We're so thankful and blessed to have them treating Shawn. At the same time, it's thrilling to see how God has placed His healing hands on Shawn and is bringing him to this stable condition. God is so good! Just feel His protective, merciful arms around us constantly! Until tomorrow's update...
*Update 5/22 (Al & Dianne):
Shawn had a really good, but tiring day today. He went for an MRI and a CT scan this afternoon. That took about 2 hours total, so he was quite the worn-out puppy when he returned to his room. He has some pneumonia still and a sinus infection. He was purposefully opening his eyes and looking toward people when they spoke to him. He mouthed a few words. He doesn't like his teeth cleaned so he purposefully clenches his teeth when the nurse tells him to open his mouth. In a few seconds, he responds, however, and the dreaded task is accomplished. Things are heading in the right direction and he is doing well.
*Update 5/23 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was sound asleep while we were there today. He's still very tired from yesterday's activities. Today they removed one of the three tubes in his right lung. They were able to remove the neck brace as the MRI showed no tendon, muscle or ligament issues in his neck. The MRI turned out well as far as his brain is concerned also. He had dialysis today and that also went well. Another good day.
(From Joy) Stopped by later in the evening and Shawn was making attempts to talk, he would briefly open his eyes and was moving his head when he was trying to communicate. I made sure he knew that I recognized his frustration but I wasn't expecting him to talk and that I just wanted to fill him in on day-to-day stuff. Pretty amazing to see him get to this point after what he went through. He's definitely not "out of the woods" in terms of recovery, but it finally feels like he's out of danger and Shawn is back.
*Update 5/24 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's day was fantastic! He's awake, smiled when he saw us, told us he loves us (mouthed the words - can't make sound yet due to trach), answered questions, responded appropriately to comments, following us with his eyes, looking so great, and smiling at various comments. Just lying there communicating is very tiring for him. He is still in ICU and his condition continues to be listed as Critical. This was an amazing day, however, and the most wonderful feeling in the world to be able to make eye contact, talk to him and have him respond. We are so thrilled! Like we keep saying, Shawn's got a long way to go yet, but today was definitely a Red Letter Day and one to remember always! We are so grateful to God for creating the millions of parts in his body that worked together for healing bringing him to this plateau in his recovery. The skill and care the medical staff is giving is phenomenal and so comforting for us to know that when we're not there, he's well cared for.
Shawn graduates from the ICU and is moved upstairs in Grant Medical...
*Update 5/25 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had an extremely tiring day today, but he was "promoted." Totally he was in 3 rooms - his ICU original room, a new ICU room "with a view" since he's more alert, and "promoted" to another floor (also with a window). Along with all those confusing tiring changes for him, he received hemadialysis which always exhausts him, and he was bronched again which required sedating him somewhat. Consequently, he was not only physically tired from everything, mentally confused due to all the changes and only being conscious for a 3rd day, but more sedation and pain medication were added to his system. He had an extremely difficult time staying awake and alert for any length of time. This is all moving him forward for which we're so thankful. Being parents, we're concerned about him having all these changes and nothing nor anyone familiar being there tonight, but like Al says, we'll trust God to take care of him when we can't be there. (Just like we have been.) As Shawn's recovery progresses, he will have many days like today when it will be difficult to stay awake and focused because of therapy, procedures and the hard work all of that will require. Good quality rest will be vital to his recovery and especially to the speed of that recovery.
*Update 5/26 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had his first physical and occupational therapy assessment today. It was totally exhausting for him and he tried extremely hard to do what they asked. It was good to see him sitting up on the side of the bed (with assistance). He was already tired from all the activity yesterday. He still coughs a lot from his lung congestion. Moving around more will help that clear up. He was awake and responding to questions prior to therapy, but after that, all he wanted to do was sleep. He was glad to see us, smiling at us, said he loves us and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Since Shawn's condition is steadily improving, we will be sending emails two times a week (Saturdays and Wednesdays).
*Memorial Weekend Update 5/28 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is to have a surgical procedure on his right lung tomorrow afternoon. There is a pneumothorax (air in the area between the lung and its outer lining) that has not gotten better with the tubes they've inserted. Consequently, his right lung is still partially collapsed. They believe this will help him greatly in his recovery It is considered high risk for several reasons; one being that during the procedure, his left lung (which has also had issues including collapse) will have to do all the work. We talked to his nurses, dialysis nurse, nurse practitioner, resident pulmonologist, kidney doctor, anesthesiologist, and physical therapist today; all of whom said he is doing GREAT. He is off the ventilator which is such an answer to prayer. He is on one pain medication and an antibiotic, but not any sedation. He was extremely tired today, but he "talked" to us, smiled at us, and was laughing so hard with us at one point that his shoulders were shaking (just smiling; not open-mouthed laughter). It was wonderful. He responded most of the time immediately and gave more answers than just nods of the head and/mouthng "yes" or "no." We are extremely encouraged.
*Update 5/29 (Al & Dianne): Shawn tolerated his surgery well and was awake enough afterward to interact a little with Heather and us when he got back to his room. He is back on the ventilator just to help him temporarily ater his lung surgery - maybe just for tonight. Even though it, too, is somewhat damaged, his left lung handled everything for his body very well and his vital signs were steady throughout. The surgeon removed scar tissue from Shawn's right lung and a large amount of pus. His right lung is not in very good shape and basically the left lung is doing the job for his body. This doctor also believes it's amazing he's holding up as well as he is considering all he's gone through in the past 5 1/2 weeks. The next update (from Al & Dianne, other accounts of Shawn's daily condition may be added to this site...) will be on Saturday (6/2).
*Update 5/30 (Joy): Hadn't seen Shawn since Thursday before Memorial Weekend and he has lost a lot of weight which makes sense after the bloating of poor circulation and recent lung surgery (and a feeding tube diet). He woke up when I stopped by after work and smiled at me when I gave him a hard time. I couldn't help but make a joke from the movie The Devil Wears Prada and tell Shawn that I knew he wanted to slim down a bit and he was "only one stomach flu away from his goal weight", he seemed to think that was funny. He is still on the ventilator after his surgery. He opens his eyes wider than normal with the effort of focusing on what's going on, but it seems his humor and personality haven't changed at all. He was pretty alert and managed to pull the tube for his trach off twice (I tired to talk him out of it, but it would be anyone's instinct to remove something that's an annoyance). The nurses popped the tube back into place and put a pillow over his arms rather than restraining him (although this wasn't much of a road block for Shawn who tends to be too strong for his own good).
*Update 5/31 (Joy): Stopped in to see Shawn for a few minutes this afternoon and he seemed a bit improved in just a day (Al & Dianne, I think I missed you by a couple minutes!). He is still sleeping the bulk of the day but when he woke up for a minute and noticed I was there he seemed to have a somewhat easier time focusing on my face. Small steps every day. It will be exciting when he eventually starts physical therapy and he regains a little weight, right now he's exhausted healing himself and that's a good start.
*Update 6/2 (Al & Dianne): HUGE day for Shawn! His pain med has been cut from 6 times a day to 4 and what a change! He was so wide awake and alert. He's moving all limbs, trying to talk, tried to write what he wanted to tell us, laughed, squeezing our hands, motioning to us about what he wanted, pointing, scratching his nose, and when we left, he was suctioning his own trach. He even wanted us to sit him up on the side of the bed (which we weren't allowed to do). He waved good-bye to us. What an amazing day! Don't ya just love to watch God at work! Considering all that has transpired with him over the past 6 weeks, he is coming around miraculously! The medical staff is so thrilled and talking about what an enormous difference they're seeing in him. Please keep praying. Shawn has so much hard work ahead, but he sure seems eager to get started! We'll send another update on Wednesday.
*Update 6/4 (Joy): Today was the first time I felt like I was just hanging out with Shawn. It is an abrupt transition after such a long period of time under some sort of sedation and medication. I went to say hello with Amber. Nurses have attached gloves to stop him from pulling out any tube he can reach; Amber said she would take the gloves off if he promised not to pull on anything and he made a "cross-my-heart" motion. You can see how frusterating it is not being able to talk, but Shawn is trying to be patient with us as we try to identify hand signals and expressions. I think we did ok considering, but it will be nice when his grip is comfortable enough to allow him to write I'll stop by during my lunch break on Tuesday and post another update. It's nice to see him responding normally, laughing and able to communicate what he wants for the most part (even if we're not allowed to do some things like sit him up in bed because of his chest tube). He gave us a thumbs up, wagged his hand for "sort of" and would wrinkle his nose for "no", which was pretty cool.
*Update 6/5 (Joy): Ran into Al & Dianne for a few minutes on my lunch break while visiting. Shawn has been doing some therapy and is able to hold onto his knees to sit up for 30 seconds without assistance. (Yesterday he couldn't sit up without help.) The nurse showed him a trick with his trach and we were able to hear his voice for a moment. His limbs get stronger every day and was able to motion for me to stay (which looked more effortless than one day prior) when I asked if he wanted me to wait outside while they discussed therapy. I am constantly impressed by how quickly he is healing, it's awesome!
*Update 6/6 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has nothing but good news right now! Since last Saturday, he's progressed in his therapy, has had all chest tubes removed, and has actually spoken in the past couple of days (so good to hear his voice again). The pneumothorax which remained after his surgery has all but disappeared. The surgeons did not think that would happen, but it did! Tomorrow he is scheduled for a promotion to a new location where he will recover more medically and receive more therapy in preparation for promotion to a rehab facility He looks great, is gaining strength every day, is working excessively hard in therapy and we are thrilled. We know that God has brought Shawn to this point. At least three doctors told us to "pray" because they were doing all they knew to do and weren't sure if any of it would work. One commented to us, "everything that could go wrong did go wrong" and yet Shawn is alert, awake, getting stronger, and being healed. We are so thankful!
Shawn is moved to Select Specialy Hospital...
*Update 6/9 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was moved from the hospital to recovery facility where he spent the first night in their Trauma Care Unit. On Friday morning he received dialysis and was moved to a room where he will remain until he is "promoted" again to Rehab. He is coming along so well. He's saying full sentences at times even without a valve on the trach. His chest x-ray is stable. His kidneys are functioning better. With the assistance of his nurse, he even called Heather on the telephone in his room last night. Such a fantastic blessing to be able to report such positively good news. Shawn has been through so much and the miracles just keep a'comin' ~ thrills us to pieces!!! Thanks again for your prayers.
*Update 6/11 (Joy): I dropped by after work and somehow there were six of us to visit Shawn! We waited for him to finish up dialysis and surprise him when he got back to his room. He was pretty wiped out so no one stayed very long but you can see the improvement over just a couple of days. Slow but steady strength coming back to his limbs, very responsive to questions (you could see he wanted to hang out but was too sleepy). You may hear about this stage of recovery for a bit longer until he starts physical therapy; at which point there will be huge steps toward recovery (lifting heavier items, working on his leg strength, etc). Stay tuned, between Al & Dianne and other visitors I will try to update the site every other day (or every two days at most).
Thanks for all the support!
*Update 6/13 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is working extremely hard these days. Between physical, occupational and speech therapy, dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week, breathing treatments, doctors, nurses, technicians and respiratory therapists attention and treatments, personal care, noise from other rooms and the hallways, CT scans and x-rays, plus daily family and friend visitations, there are times when Shawn's greatest need is rest. He's not sleeping exceptionally well at night; however, his lungs are healing nicely which means his coughing is subsiding making sleep easier. Much of the time he says he's very tired. He has the valve in the trach constantly now and the tube has been reduced to 6 mm which is the smallest they have. This makes it much easier for him to talk and swallow. He ate a bit of applesauce 2 days ago which was the first "real" food in 7 1/2 weeks. He looked like he'd never tasted anything any better! Again, doctors, nurses and other staff are simply amazed at how well he is doing. The way his mind is does not correspond with the written reports on what happened to him. Medical science does not have answers for how good he's functioning ~ should not be the case. As a matter of fact, in many respects, he should not have survived medically, but he did.
*Update 6/14 (Quick text from Mel): Our Shawn is coming along. Graduated to ice chips! He's at half a cup twice a day limit but mmmm ice chips. He is worrying about the cat and his place...told him not to worry but to get rest and get stronger!
*Update 6/16 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's getting so much better. His trach has been capped which is the final step before it's removed completely. He's able to drink water, eat ice chips, applesauce and pureed foods. His chest x-ray is looking very good. His dialysis is going well. His sense of humor is totally back! His memory is getting so much better. His physical therapy is going well. Shawn is beginning to understand what his body has been through. We've heard "Wow!" lots of times when he hears about the miracles that have happened to him. Just like at Grant, he is the "favorite patient" of many of the staff. He is humbled to find out just how much everyone cares about him. People continue to be so kind and generous to Shawn. He is extremely grateful! Thanks to each and every one of you for your prayers, thoughts, visits, concern and offers of help.
*Update 6/17 (Joy): Stopped by Sunday evening to say hello and saw Heather and Kim there. After awhile of not visiting the improvement is like night and day. He's having full conversations with only minor difficulty; whereas a week ago one sentence was taking a lot of effort. He was having a hard time getting comfortable last night but having staples in your side would make anyone uncomfortable (especially if you're trying not to take pain medication unless you really need it). His hands were pretty shaky but he is able to shift himself with effort (and usually after someone raises the head of the bed). The balls of his feet are in some pain but he is able to point and flatten his feet pretty easily without pain which was nice to see after I got spooked reading about drop-foot online (he's healing far too well for that). He wants people around as often as possible but the hospital has a two visitor limit. Hopefully with some coordinating between the hospital, family, friends, and of course Shawn we will be able to post his location on here sooner than later but not sure when that will be, keep checking back! He didn't want Heather and I to leave last night even though he says the staff has been fantastic but he is getting really antsy about getting out of the hospital and I can't say that I blame him.
*Update 6/20 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is improving by leaps and bounds. His trach was removed yesterday. His diet is somewhat restricted due to dialysis; however, he can have all types of food from thin liquids to solid food. He's glad to be away from pureed items. His voice is strong. His lungs are doing great. He's getting to his feet with the assistance of therapists, sits in an upright position for hours in a "cart" chair which is on wheels which makes it possible for him to be wheeled out of his room for a change of scenery. He's working extremely hard and gaining strength. Everyone at the hospital is very pleased with his progress. The news is all good and very encouraging.
*Update 6/24 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has had a terrific week. Nothing but steps forward. All diet restrictions have been removed. He is full of enthusiasm and eager for the rigorous routine of therapies. He rarely coughs anymore as his lungs have almost completely cleared up. He's been promoted to a wheelchair. His dialysis will end shortly as his labs are so good now. We are all ready - especially Shawn - to move on in preparation for independence. Today marked his 9th week since his accident. Please pray specifically that, once Shawn is moved, he will be encouraged every day with the things he's able to accomplish in therapy even though he will be extremely worn out from those rigorous treatments. Please adjust your visiting - both in frequency and duration - by his stamina. Rest continues to be one of the things he needs the most and even now when he's not working quite so hard, he is really "whipped" after visits at times. As much as he absolutely is thrilled to see people, the excitement and stimulation of those visits is pretty exhausting. We know you will be especially sensitive to this as we can see that each one of you is wanting only the best for Shawn and in no way want to hinder his progress.
Shawn is moved to Dodd Hall at OSU Medical for aggressive physical therapy...
*Update 6/27 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's last few days have included more life-changing events. Sunday his dialysis pic line was removed as his kidneys are functioning once again. His aggressive therapies began Tuesday. He walked with a walker for the first time quite a distance and then up and down four steps in addition to other therapies - all of which he sailed through with flying colors. This also has been quite an emotional journey for Shawn as he is realizing just how miraculous his recovery is and how very blessed he is. He is beginning to understand how much he is loved and he is so thankful to God for being healed after such a devastating accident and resulting complications. He's very excited about the events of the past few days and so encouraged at his progress toward independence once again. He is thoroughly enjoying his therapies even though they are so strenuous and really make him tired. Once again, the medical staff is amazing. Another huge blessing!
*Update 7/1 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is doing very well in all therapies, gaining strength, and working lots and lots of muscles! His appetite is coming back. He's still weak, but it's exciting to watch him progress so rapidly. The only "mistake" he made this week was asking for EXTRA physical therapy. The therapists were more than willing to oblige, so he got an extra 30 minutes Friday. So sore, but it's helping and he's sleeping extremely well. If you would like to visit Shawn, his room number is 3111 at Dodd Hall, OSU. We suggest visits after 3:00 p.m. weekdays, if at all possible, due to his rigorous therapies 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (no therapies on the weekends). Visiting hours are 10-10. Today we took him to the food court for lunch in the parking garage across from Dodd. We had a wonderful time and he thoroughly enjoyed himself, but he was bummed that he missed 2 friends who had come to visit. This was his first time out of a hospital since Saturday, 4/21 - except for ambulance trips on "promotion" days to Select and Dodd. Thanks again for your prayers. Please continue to pray for healing, perseverance, returning strength, encouragement, joy, and peace. Please know that he is SO grateful and feels very blessed for his healing thus far. He's blown away by all the prayers said on his behalf, everyone who has entered into this journey with him, all of his family and friends. He believes, with us, that his healing and survival are indeed miracles.
*Update 7/4 (Al & Dianne):Happy 4th of July, Everyone (aka "the morning after the 4th greeting"), Shawn's therapies continue to go well, his medical condition continues to improve, and his eating is picking up a little. We are having lots of laughs with him and fun visits - as those of you who have also gone to see him know very well. He is very anxious for his release from Dodd and is very tired of hospital beds - although they certainly feel good after his vigorous workouts. Please continue praying for Shawn; in particular, for the tenacity it takes anyone in a long recovery. For someone like Shawn, who is accustomed to setting lofty goals and meeting them rapidly, this process seems very arduous. He is making great strides and will continue to do so, but, as we've needed to do from the beginning, you've got to look beyond the past day or so for improvement and look at improvements on a weekly basis. Shawn is very grateful and thankful, but would love for things to move faster.
(Joy): Got a call from Shawn at Dodd Hall and sounds like he is doing fantastic. He's walking quite a bit and is able to get around for the most part. He admitted that stairs "aren't easy" right now but that's the closest thing I've heard to any kind of negativity. His spirits always seem high and he's so positive! Thanks to everyone for the amazing support, Shawn's awesome, we know it, and the community response has been incredible! Looks like he will be returning home around the 13th so I will be sending out an email soon with official dates for folks who signed up to make a meal (if you haven't signed up and would like to, see the contact form under the calendar below and feel free to lend your support!). The schedule may have a day off here and there to avoid too many leftovers. Thank you thank you thank you!
*Update 7/11 (Joy): Went to see Shawn in the evening and he looks fantastic. He's moving around with less effort, more purpose and more quickly than just a few days ago. He said he's been working on stairs and that his release date for 7/13 is the same. He will be doing out-patient therapy, will have someone with him 24/7 for awhile and may stay at Al & Dianne's off and on for awhile as well. He misses his cat and his apartment which has changed as some plants are being babysat elsewhere, his broken refridgerator was replaced post-blackout, clothes were washed and more. I've tried to tell him what to expect but I still hope it's not too much of a shock. He said he went to Luck Brothers Coffee House (www.luckbroscoffeehouse.com/) and saw the full donation jar with his name on it and was completely overwhelmed. He had no idea how important he was to his family, friends, and whole community so thank you everyone who has offered dontations, volunteer time, and support!!! If you are hosting a fundraiser please let me know so that I can post it on the site! [email protected]
*Update 7/12 (Al & Dianne): Hi Everyone, No medical reports on Shawn this time! That's a marvelous, miraculous first!!! Couldn't be happier about that! Sunday we took him to Rusty Bucket for lunch and then took a short walk. We had an absolutely wonderful time and he enjoyed himself immensely. Such a great day with him! Tuesday was his 43rd birthday and it was a very busy, full day of normal therapies and celebrating with family and friends. This morning Al and I went with Shawn, other patients, family members and therapists on a Mainstream Columbus therapy to the Columbus Art Museum. Great time! Tomorrow we pick Shawn up at 11 a.m. and he will come to our home for the weekend. Monday will probably find him at his apartment. The journal of emails and replies since April 21 are a real testament to God's healing power, love, grace, blessings and goodness. So, so, so many have prayed for Shawn and there aren't words to describe the strength we have received because of that. Your words of encouragement have been extremely comforting and helped us immeasurably. We love you and are so thankful you are in our lives and Shawn's. We will begin sending weekly updates at this point. Shawn still has a long journey ahead of him, but his progress has been terrific. His address is 3319 N. High St., Apt. 6, Columbus, OH 43202 if you would like to send him a card. Thanks again for everything! We are all so grateful, Al and Dianne
*Update 7/25 (Al & Dianne): We haven't sent an update since the 12th, so thought you might like some "Shawn news." Shawn was released from Dodd Hall on Friday, 7/13, and came home with us. He has been at our place the majority of the time. Once last week for a day and a half and today and tonight he is in his apartment (with friends who have been able to be with him). He has only had one medical appointment thus far and no therapy sessions, so he has not been released to be on his own yet. When he left Dodd, the instructions were that he needed to have someone with him 24/7. As they put it, "just someone else in the house." He is doing fantastic and getting stronger each day. He is anxious to be back on his own. He's doing lots of stairs, some eating out, going to church with us on Sundays, visiting his grandmother, and spending time with some friends and his cat, Lucky. The news is all good and he remains extremely thankful. Shawn continues to meet people who have known his story and have been praying for him since his accident which really touches him emotionally. He is grateful and looking forward to being back to an independent life with a new appreciation, outlook and excitement about where the future will lead him. Hope this update finds all of you well and enjoying your summer. As things progress, we will send updates periodically. Love to all of you and ask that you continue to pray for Shawn as he is in another new phase of his recovery. Al and Dianne
*Update 8/9 (Joy): I wanted to write a quick blurb about what Shawn has been doing since the updates have been less frequent and I know folks are still wondering! He is back in Centerburg with his family for now and still has to have someone with him 24/7 since his out-patient therapy has not started. After therapy starts physicians will decide whether or not Shawn is capable of being on his own. Occasionally Shawn has been back in his apartment (almost half of the week for the last round) with family member or friend staying with him. He gets stronger every time I see him; although he has a hard time seeing the progress because it is slow.
The first stay back in his apartment he was weak and had a hard time crossing the street or navigating stairs with confidence (although it was high street in clintonville and about 20 steep consecutive steps in the apartment). On this most recent apartment stay his legs are looking stronger, he didn't have to hold the hand rail for the stairs and crossing the street may have taken some mental preparation but physically he seemed much more comfortable. Right now his appetite is for about half of a cup of food at a time but that should change and may be due to some of his medications. I have a feeling when therapy starts he will be allowed to do a lot more on his own. He has said that his time with family has been wonderful but would like to get back to a routine that is familiar.
p.s.As soon as he is back in his apartment full time we can start the schedule for folks who have volunteered to make him a meal, I will email those of you who have volunteered, thank you in advance for your support!
*Update 8/18/12 (Al & Dianne): Hi Everyone, It's been a long time since the last update, but thought those of you who haven't heard the latest might be wondering just how "that boy" is doing! He is doing amazingly well!!! OSU Rehab has evaluated him and determined that he is rapidly progressing to the point that he can skip therapy 3 times a week, even can skip therapy 2 times a week. Consequently, he goes to therapy each Monday ~ only one day a week. He currently has physical, occupational and speech therapies; however, he may be released from occupational very shortly. This past Monday they released him to be totally on his own at his apartment or our house for 5 hours, checking in midway through. He has been weaned off most of his medications. He is healing extremely well from his surgery. Shawn greatly enjoys being both places - his apartment and our house. He likes the combo of city/country living. We've been having lots of great conversations, tons of laughs, watched some really good movies, found some great - and some not so great - places to eat, and all in all loving this opportunity to spend so much time together. All this to say, things are great. God has answered everyone's prayers in astonishing ways - thank all of you for your consistently praying for Shawn and all of us. We don't have the words to properly say thanks. So, so many of you responded to our updates over and over again - your love, encouragement, support and offers to help mean so much. (It's easy to get gushy talking about all this - we are all so blown away by the initial weeks of tragedy and the continuing weeks of healing and blessings.
Love you guys!
Thanks soooo much!!
Al and Dianne
*Update 9/13/12 (Joy): Thank you all who attended Betty's fundraiser on Sept 11th! Shawn is home most of the time now and doing amazingly well, keep checking back for news from Shawn himself and to join his upcoming bicycle law awareness organization!
Shawn began his treatment at Grant Medical Hospital's ICU in downtown Columbus after his accident on 4/22/12...
*Update 4/26: Shawn is no longer on paralytic medication, he is still sedated and is heading in for minor surgery to install a filter to prevent blood clots. He currently has pneumonia which is common.
*Update 4/27: Filter installed, still sedated. Shawn is experiencing acute respiratory distress, the respiratory team is trying to work out what is best for him now.
*Update 4/28: Shawn is back on paralytic medication. He was fighting to breathe which was damaging his recovery. Hoping the antibiotics fight the pneumonia quickly, but it will be at least another day before he will be back to just sedation medication and discussion about medication reduction/weening off of the ventilator. Last CAT scan showed that the bruising on his brain is healing.
*Update 4/29 (From Al & Dianne): Shawn's white blood count doubled overnight. They did a broncoscopy this morning and that helped him somewhat. Tomorrow they will insert a drainage tube through his side into his right lung and maybe left lung also. His blood gases are better this evening. He will be in the paralytic med state another day or two. Oxygen levels have improved. BP is down which was a problem during the night.
*Update 4/30 (From Al & Dianne) They inserted suction/drainage tubes into the space between each lung and its lining to remove more fluid. He remained rather stable until around 5 or so when his oxygen level dropped, his pulse, blood pressure, and sugar raised, along with having a fever. Saw more cards, etc. from his friends today. He's a fortunate guy to have so many care so much for him. Hope all you bicyclists are wearing your helmets - always! (From Heather) Shawn is in a new rotational bed to help assist clearing his lungs and circulation, did not go well last night. Not sure if they are going to continue this approach.
*Update 5/1 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn is now listed in Critical condition and considered Unstable. Put in a Rotoprone bed last night. This bed holds him securely so staff can turn him in the bed to his stomach, back or either side. His temperature rose to 104.3, but was down to 100 by the time we left at 5pm today. His lungs are now in Respiratory Failure. His pulse is 100+ but he had some tachycardia at times today where his pulse went as high as 250 lasting a few seconds each time. His oxygen levels are much too low. His body is producing fluid faster than they can remove it. His other organs are not compromised. They told us it is a "waiting game." (From Joy, 9pm) It looks like the swelling in his limbs is dramatically reduced from two days ago and the nurse said he isn't even on medication for fluid reduction any more, I'm hoping that's due to the Roto bed helping his circulation. Blood gases much better than earlier, carbon went from 80s down to 67 and oxygen up to 57. (That's what to look for carbon down & oxygen up!). Blood pressure looked ok, between 130s-140s over 60s, although his peep level was at 12 (peep is the pressure at which they are pushing oxygen into your lungs from the ventilator, two days ago it was at 14.) Ideally no peep is best. Fighting off a some infections with a mix of antibiotics.
*Update 5/2 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn had two procedures done today and tolerated those well. They inserted 2 additional tubes into his right lung for drainage. His stats were much more stable today. His oxygen level is up, both on the monitor and in the blood (both close to 100%). His white blood count is down which is good. BP is good. Pulse is better. Still in paralytic state. Tolerating Rotoprone bed much better and they were able to "flip" him from his back to what they call "upside down" (on his stomach). They were able to move him back and forth in a swing type motion very slowly to help dislodge congestion. Antibiotics they started him on seem to be really helping. We are encouraged. Thanks soooooo much for everything! We are SO grateful,
*Update 5/3 (From Al & Dianne) Shawn needed to go on dialysis today. His kidneys failed, his right lung collapsed again, his heart is irritated and had a rapid pulse which they think could be heading to atrial fibulation, "gut" not working, and numbers all goofy again. While we were in the Consultation Room, Shawn's heart stopped and they had to do CPR which worked and his heart began beating again. They got him somewhat stabilized again and did do the dialysis procedure. Obviously, he is in great need of prayer. Thanks again for everything! (From Joy 9:30pm) Peep is up to 17, oxygen and blood pressure looking ok. Higher pressure from the ventilator can cause a lung to collapse since it is exhausting the weaker right lung. New breathing tube was supposed to be set up to ventilate each lung separately but since Shawn wasn't doing well enough at present hopefully that will be set up soon.
*Update 5/4: Dialysis running smoothly, doing better being rotated on the bed. Peep back down to 14 which is good, but new breathing tube not set up yet. Definitely better than Thursday! Blood pressure was a bit high later in the evening but today is going good, thanks again to everyone for the support!
*Update 5/5 (From Al & Dianne): Shawn essentially is the same with some heart issues, respiratory and kidney failure, on dialysis all the time, on 90% oxygen, on ventilator, heavily sedated, medically paralyzed, and still in Rotoprone bed. He was able to tolerate lying on his back for an hour this afternoon - up from 40 minutes this morning. They want him to get to the point where he can lay on his back 2 hours and on his stomach 2 hours. His lungs just "don't like" having him on his back and they "want" to collapse. We consider this a good day - no major issues!!!! Please continue to pray!!! You are fantastic friends to Shawn and the food schedule is amazing! Hope next Saturday is a huge success! Thanks again!
*Update 5/6 (From Al & Dianne): Good, good day today!!!!! Beautiful Sunday and fantastic day for Shawn. Obviously, it can still be a roller coaster; however, Shawn tolerated a lot of activity (two procedures, tube replacements, being cleaned up, etc.) and was lying on his back for 5 hours by the time we left at 4:30. Didn't have a good night, so we were concerned, but absolutely thrilled to see him do so well today! Thanks again, guys! Heather brought a CD player and we took a couple of soothing music CDs so he was "jammin'" soothingly (is that a word?) when we left! His nurse was smiling and we were too!
*Update 5/7 (From Al & Dianne): This is the kind of message we never get tired of sending!!! Shawn had another good day! How exciting is that!!!!! Still sedated, etc., but he remained stable today with no minor or major blips in the day no matter what was done. Long, long way to go and he's still "asleep" and in the Rotoprone bed, but these couple of days with no emergencies are really helping his body to concentrate on resting and healing.
*Update 5/8 (From Al & Dianne) Today was pretty good. He had a "blip" last night and they needed to back up a step, but he's doing better now and his condition is progressing. He has amazing medical help. Small steps forward and small steps backward for sure, but they are the nature of these types of injuries. Again, an extremely long recovery ahead with lots of therapy, etc., but he's strong and his body is able to stabilize much faster now than it was a week ago - or even a few days ago. The swelling in his face has really lessened. He's still heavily sedated, in the medically induced paralytic state, on the ventilator, dialysis continuously, and his lungs are better than they were, but they are definitely not good yet. He remains in Critical condition. Please continue praying and passing along his story to others for prayer and tips to other cyclists.
*Update 5/9 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had a rather rough night last night again, but today was better. They replaced 1 lung tubes, his body wouldn't tolerate being on his left side again, they scoped his lungs again and his lungs aren't producing as much "gunk" as they were, and they are going to attempt to wean him off some of the high oxygen levels, etc. again. Just a very slow process. One thing we've noticed is that when his body doesn't "like" something they do and his numbers fluctuate where they don't like them, the medical staff is able to return him to a more stabilized condition faster than before. We are encouraged by that.
*Update 5/10 (Al & Dianne): During the night they had some issues with Shawn's right lung again, but he was doing better today. They removed one tube from his right lung this afternoon and he tolerated that well. They've increased the feeding they're giving him. They've worked with lowering the oxygen level and pressure on his lungs which worked for a while but they had to raise those again. His vital signs otherwise are pretty steady. Not much else has changed yet.
*Update 5/11 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has been stable these past 24 hours. It's been a good day. He tolerated everything pretty well. The paralytic medication was removed today and he's done fine with that. We are, once again, encouraged at this step in the right direction.Until tomorrow evening when we hope to give you another really good report. Really hope the community garden event goes well tomorrow. Shawn would love to hop out of that bed and be right there directing and instructing exactly how to set the whole thing up, we're sure! Have great fun! Thanks for being such great friends to Shawn.
*Update 5/12 (Al & Dianne): Today was a day of ups and downs. Ups: Shawn was very stable for a very long time. He was removed from the Rotoprone bed and is now in a regular hospital bed. Downs: He was 60 minutes away from having tubes removed from his throat and a trach done and a feeding tube placed when he became somewhat unstable again. Consequently, they postponed this procedure and hope to do it tomorrow.
*Update 5/13 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is much more comfortable now. He had both procedures done today - trach and feeding tube. Consequently, he no longer has any tubes in his nose or mouth. Wonderful to see his face clear of everything. All of the medical staff were very pleased that he tolerated the procedures so well. It was a strenuous day for him everytihing considered, so the nurse was really letting him just rest and recuperate. Before we left, I told him that he looked like he was lying on the Kauai beach soaking up the sun. What a great Mother's Day present! Continue to pray, please. He is still considered Critical but is better than he was a week ago. We have much to be thankful for tonight and are very pleased with today's results.
*Update 5/14 (Al & Dianne): Today was another encouraging day with just a few short-lived blips this morning. The afternoon was good. All of Shawn's stats remained very stable and they are decreasing (very slowly) his sedation meds. He's responding well.
*Update 5/15 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another stable day. He is slowly, slowly progressing. When you are thinking about Shawn or praying for him, please remember:
- His lungs and the healing that needs to take place yet
- His kidneys and being able to discontinue the 24/7 dialysis
- That any remaining infections would heal, and
- That he would be able to open his eyes in a few days
*Update 5/16 (Al & Dianne):
Shawn "crashed" two times today - about 5 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. His pulse, breathing, BP and oxygen levels became unstable and it took a while to stabilize him. The dialysis tube in his groin had become clogged with blood clots so they replaced it this morning and that one also became clogged. He has many tubes in his right lung in an attempt to remove the air that has been collecting between the lining and the lung. After they stabilized him this afternoon, they took him to OR and inserted a catheter in his neck for the dialysis. Later they returned him to the OR and inserted a very tiny tube into his right lung. The only function of this tube is to suction air. We arrived at 11 immediately after his difficulties began and remained at the hospital until about 7 p.m. Both the catheter and the tube seemed to be working quite well and Shawn's stats were better. His condition remains Critical. He is being weaned off the sedation medications. His eyes are somewhat open (not a deliberate action on his part) and his hands respond to pain (pressure pain). He is beginning to "wake up"; however, he has a lot of medication in his system and it will take days for him to actually be awake.
We were very happy for our "neighbors", Tod and Tom (the cyclist from the First Baptist prayer list), who both graduated today to the step-down unit. They, and their families, would appreciate your prayers, we're sure. With Tod's departure, that leaves Shawn as being the patient with the current longest stay in ICU. We pray he doesn't carry that distinction much longer. It's been a long day. One of the blessings that occurred to us today is that Shawn's left lung has remained quite strong throughout this ordeal with the right one. God is good! Until tomorrow...
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!
*Update 5/17 (Al & Dianne): Hello Friends, Shawn had a fairly good day today. He was given a unit of blood because hemoglobin is produced by the kidneys. The dialysis machine is able to filter the blood, but cannot produce hemoglobin; consequently, this is a common need for people on dialysis. He seemed comfortable and his stats were good. His right lung is doing better since the insertion of the latest tube yesterday. They needed to raise a couple of his meds which postpones a little more them being able to begin evaluating him neurologically. He is not awake yet, but is less sedated. We'll see what tomorrow brings. This weather should be great for the Community Garden. Such beautiful sunshine!!! Thanks again for everything!
*Update 5/18 (Al & Dianne): Today and tonight were very good for Shawn. His numbers were very consistent even though a wee bit higher than they wanted, but still within acceptable ranges. He's still something sedated so is sleeping. The nurse was just letting him rest tonight. No procedures today. This is short, but sweet and we'll take it! Love these days with no emergencies!
*Update 5/19 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another stable day today. His BP continues to be a bit of an issue, but the meds are helpful. He is no longer on dialysis 24/7, but is receiving hemadialysis (a few times a week for just a few hours each time). It is such a blessing to be able to give an update on Shawn in just 3 good sentences! Terrific!!!!
*Update 5/20 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had another very stable day. We never get tired of saying that! He was under sedation while we were there. We were told that he now is no longer the "sickest patient in ICU." His condition is still Critical. Today was a day of rest for him - appropriate for a Sunday, huh? BP was the only issue again and that was being controlled rather well. All good progress! Great conversation with a doctor, technician, and 2 nurses talking about the miracles that happen. They were all smiling and talking about personally seeing miracles. We believe that Shawn is already a miracle in that he has survived these past 4 weeks. In many ways, he really shouldn't have. Be back tomorrow night with another update. Please continue praying as you have been. He has a long, long way to go!
*Update 5/21 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was very stable again today ~ things are coming right along. This morning they removed the final sedation medication. He continues on pain meds. He's on the hemadialysis still and doing so well with that. He's still on the ventilator; however, he's actually breathing on his own and they are giving him very little oxygen. He looks good!!!!! His lungs still have congestion that they are suctioning out. He is going to receive an MRI scan of his head and neck either tonight or tomorrow. With all the medications that he's received over the past 4 weeks, it will take a while for all of that to come out of his system before he can be fully conscious and responsive. One of the doctors who works with Shawn a lot mentioned today praying for Shawn. One of the nurses wanted the website address so she could continue to follow Shawn's progress once he's out of ICU. It's really makes us all feel so good to see how the medical staff has become very attached to him. We're so thankful and blessed to have them treating Shawn. At the same time, it's thrilling to see how God has placed His healing hands on Shawn and is bringing him to this stable condition. God is so good! Just feel His protective, merciful arms around us constantly! Until tomorrow's update...
*Update 5/22 (Al & Dianne):
Shawn had a really good, but tiring day today. He went for an MRI and a CT scan this afternoon. That took about 2 hours total, so he was quite the worn-out puppy when he returned to his room. He has some pneumonia still and a sinus infection. He was purposefully opening his eyes and looking toward people when they spoke to him. He mouthed a few words. He doesn't like his teeth cleaned so he purposefully clenches his teeth when the nurse tells him to open his mouth. In a few seconds, he responds, however, and the dreaded task is accomplished. Things are heading in the right direction and he is doing well.
*Update 5/23 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was sound asleep while we were there today. He's still very tired from yesterday's activities. Today they removed one of the three tubes in his right lung. They were able to remove the neck brace as the MRI showed no tendon, muscle or ligament issues in his neck. The MRI turned out well as far as his brain is concerned also. He had dialysis today and that also went well. Another good day.
(From Joy) Stopped by later in the evening and Shawn was making attempts to talk, he would briefly open his eyes and was moving his head when he was trying to communicate. I made sure he knew that I recognized his frustration but I wasn't expecting him to talk and that I just wanted to fill him in on day-to-day stuff. Pretty amazing to see him get to this point after what he went through. He's definitely not "out of the woods" in terms of recovery, but it finally feels like he's out of danger and Shawn is back.
*Update 5/24 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's day was fantastic! He's awake, smiled when he saw us, told us he loves us (mouthed the words - can't make sound yet due to trach), answered questions, responded appropriately to comments, following us with his eyes, looking so great, and smiling at various comments. Just lying there communicating is very tiring for him. He is still in ICU and his condition continues to be listed as Critical. This was an amazing day, however, and the most wonderful feeling in the world to be able to make eye contact, talk to him and have him respond. We are so thrilled! Like we keep saying, Shawn's got a long way to go yet, but today was definitely a Red Letter Day and one to remember always! We are so grateful to God for creating the millions of parts in his body that worked together for healing bringing him to this plateau in his recovery. The skill and care the medical staff is giving is phenomenal and so comforting for us to know that when we're not there, he's well cared for.
Shawn graduates from the ICU and is moved upstairs in Grant Medical...
*Update 5/25 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had an extremely tiring day today, but he was "promoted." Totally he was in 3 rooms - his ICU original room, a new ICU room "with a view" since he's more alert, and "promoted" to another floor (also with a window). Along with all those confusing tiring changes for him, he received hemadialysis which always exhausts him, and he was bronched again which required sedating him somewhat. Consequently, he was not only physically tired from everything, mentally confused due to all the changes and only being conscious for a 3rd day, but more sedation and pain medication were added to his system. He had an extremely difficult time staying awake and alert for any length of time. This is all moving him forward for which we're so thankful. Being parents, we're concerned about him having all these changes and nothing nor anyone familiar being there tonight, but like Al says, we'll trust God to take care of him when we can't be there. (Just like we have been.) As Shawn's recovery progresses, he will have many days like today when it will be difficult to stay awake and focused because of therapy, procedures and the hard work all of that will require. Good quality rest will be vital to his recovery and especially to the speed of that recovery.
*Update 5/26 (Al & Dianne): Shawn had his first physical and occupational therapy assessment today. It was totally exhausting for him and he tried extremely hard to do what they asked. It was good to see him sitting up on the side of the bed (with assistance). He was already tired from all the activity yesterday. He still coughs a lot from his lung congestion. Moving around more will help that clear up. He was awake and responding to questions prior to therapy, but after that, all he wanted to do was sleep. He was glad to see us, smiling at us, said he loves us and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Since Shawn's condition is steadily improving, we will be sending emails two times a week (Saturdays and Wednesdays).
*Memorial Weekend Update 5/28 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is to have a surgical procedure on his right lung tomorrow afternoon. There is a pneumothorax (air in the area between the lung and its outer lining) that has not gotten better with the tubes they've inserted. Consequently, his right lung is still partially collapsed. They believe this will help him greatly in his recovery It is considered high risk for several reasons; one being that during the procedure, his left lung (which has also had issues including collapse) will have to do all the work. We talked to his nurses, dialysis nurse, nurse practitioner, resident pulmonologist, kidney doctor, anesthesiologist, and physical therapist today; all of whom said he is doing GREAT. He is off the ventilator which is such an answer to prayer. He is on one pain medication and an antibiotic, but not any sedation. He was extremely tired today, but he "talked" to us, smiled at us, and was laughing so hard with us at one point that his shoulders were shaking (just smiling; not open-mouthed laughter). It was wonderful. He responded most of the time immediately and gave more answers than just nods of the head and/mouthng "yes" or "no." We are extremely encouraged.
*Update 5/29 (Al & Dianne): Shawn tolerated his surgery well and was awake enough afterward to interact a little with Heather and us when he got back to his room. He is back on the ventilator just to help him temporarily ater his lung surgery - maybe just for tonight. Even though it, too, is somewhat damaged, his left lung handled everything for his body very well and his vital signs were steady throughout. The surgeon removed scar tissue from Shawn's right lung and a large amount of pus. His right lung is not in very good shape and basically the left lung is doing the job for his body. This doctor also believes it's amazing he's holding up as well as he is considering all he's gone through in the past 5 1/2 weeks. The next update (from Al & Dianne, other accounts of Shawn's daily condition may be added to this site...) will be on Saturday (6/2).
*Update 5/30 (Joy): Hadn't seen Shawn since Thursday before Memorial Weekend and he has lost a lot of weight which makes sense after the bloating of poor circulation and recent lung surgery (and a feeding tube diet). He woke up when I stopped by after work and smiled at me when I gave him a hard time. I couldn't help but make a joke from the movie The Devil Wears Prada and tell Shawn that I knew he wanted to slim down a bit and he was "only one stomach flu away from his goal weight", he seemed to think that was funny. He is still on the ventilator after his surgery. He opens his eyes wider than normal with the effort of focusing on what's going on, but it seems his humor and personality haven't changed at all. He was pretty alert and managed to pull the tube for his trach off twice (I tired to talk him out of it, but it would be anyone's instinct to remove something that's an annoyance). The nurses popped the tube back into place and put a pillow over his arms rather than restraining him (although this wasn't much of a road block for Shawn who tends to be too strong for his own good).
*Update 5/31 (Joy): Stopped in to see Shawn for a few minutes this afternoon and he seemed a bit improved in just a day (Al & Dianne, I think I missed you by a couple minutes!). He is still sleeping the bulk of the day but when he woke up for a minute and noticed I was there he seemed to have a somewhat easier time focusing on my face. Small steps every day. It will be exciting when he eventually starts physical therapy and he regains a little weight, right now he's exhausted healing himself and that's a good start.
*Update 6/2 (Al & Dianne): HUGE day for Shawn! His pain med has been cut from 6 times a day to 4 and what a change! He was so wide awake and alert. He's moving all limbs, trying to talk, tried to write what he wanted to tell us, laughed, squeezing our hands, motioning to us about what he wanted, pointing, scratching his nose, and when we left, he was suctioning his own trach. He even wanted us to sit him up on the side of the bed (which we weren't allowed to do). He waved good-bye to us. What an amazing day! Don't ya just love to watch God at work! Considering all that has transpired with him over the past 6 weeks, he is coming around miraculously! The medical staff is so thrilled and talking about what an enormous difference they're seeing in him. Please keep praying. Shawn has so much hard work ahead, but he sure seems eager to get started! We'll send another update on Wednesday.
*Update 6/4 (Joy): Today was the first time I felt like I was just hanging out with Shawn. It is an abrupt transition after such a long period of time under some sort of sedation and medication. I went to say hello with Amber. Nurses have attached gloves to stop him from pulling out any tube he can reach; Amber said she would take the gloves off if he promised not to pull on anything and he made a "cross-my-heart" motion. You can see how frusterating it is not being able to talk, but Shawn is trying to be patient with us as we try to identify hand signals and expressions. I think we did ok considering, but it will be nice when his grip is comfortable enough to allow him to write I'll stop by during my lunch break on Tuesday and post another update. It's nice to see him responding normally, laughing and able to communicate what he wants for the most part (even if we're not allowed to do some things like sit him up in bed because of his chest tube). He gave us a thumbs up, wagged his hand for "sort of" and would wrinkle his nose for "no", which was pretty cool.
*Update 6/5 (Joy): Ran into Al & Dianne for a few minutes on my lunch break while visiting. Shawn has been doing some therapy and is able to hold onto his knees to sit up for 30 seconds without assistance. (Yesterday he couldn't sit up without help.) The nurse showed him a trick with his trach and we were able to hear his voice for a moment. His limbs get stronger every day and was able to motion for me to stay (which looked more effortless than one day prior) when I asked if he wanted me to wait outside while they discussed therapy. I am constantly impressed by how quickly he is healing, it's awesome!
*Update 6/6 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has nothing but good news right now! Since last Saturday, he's progressed in his therapy, has had all chest tubes removed, and has actually spoken in the past couple of days (so good to hear his voice again). The pneumothorax which remained after his surgery has all but disappeared. The surgeons did not think that would happen, but it did! Tomorrow he is scheduled for a promotion to a new location where he will recover more medically and receive more therapy in preparation for promotion to a rehab facility He looks great, is gaining strength every day, is working excessively hard in therapy and we are thrilled. We know that God has brought Shawn to this point. At least three doctors told us to "pray" because they were doing all they knew to do and weren't sure if any of it would work. One commented to us, "everything that could go wrong did go wrong" and yet Shawn is alert, awake, getting stronger, and being healed. We are so thankful!
Shawn is moved to Select Specialy Hospital...
*Update 6/9 (Al & Dianne): Shawn was moved from the hospital to recovery facility where he spent the first night in their Trauma Care Unit. On Friday morning he received dialysis and was moved to a room where he will remain until he is "promoted" again to Rehab. He is coming along so well. He's saying full sentences at times even without a valve on the trach. His chest x-ray is stable. His kidneys are functioning better. With the assistance of his nurse, he even called Heather on the telephone in his room last night. Such a fantastic blessing to be able to report such positively good news. Shawn has been through so much and the miracles just keep a'comin' ~ thrills us to pieces!!! Thanks again for your prayers.
*Update 6/11 (Joy): I dropped by after work and somehow there were six of us to visit Shawn! We waited for him to finish up dialysis and surprise him when he got back to his room. He was pretty wiped out so no one stayed very long but you can see the improvement over just a couple of days. Slow but steady strength coming back to his limbs, very responsive to questions (you could see he wanted to hang out but was too sleepy). You may hear about this stage of recovery for a bit longer until he starts physical therapy; at which point there will be huge steps toward recovery (lifting heavier items, working on his leg strength, etc). Stay tuned, between Al & Dianne and other visitors I will try to update the site every other day (or every two days at most).
Thanks for all the support!
*Update 6/13 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is working extremely hard these days. Between physical, occupational and speech therapy, dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week, breathing treatments, doctors, nurses, technicians and respiratory therapists attention and treatments, personal care, noise from other rooms and the hallways, CT scans and x-rays, plus daily family and friend visitations, there are times when Shawn's greatest need is rest. He's not sleeping exceptionally well at night; however, his lungs are healing nicely which means his coughing is subsiding making sleep easier. Much of the time he says he's very tired. He has the valve in the trach constantly now and the tube has been reduced to 6 mm which is the smallest they have. This makes it much easier for him to talk and swallow. He ate a bit of applesauce 2 days ago which was the first "real" food in 7 1/2 weeks. He looked like he'd never tasted anything any better! Again, doctors, nurses and other staff are simply amazed at how well he is doing. The way his mind is does not correspond with the written reports on what happened to him. Medical science does not have answers for how good he's functioning ~ should not be the case. As a matter of fact, in many respects, he should not have survived medically, but he did.
*Update 6/14 (Quick text from Mel): Our Shawn is coming along. Graduated to ice chips! He's at half a cup twice a day limit but mmmm ice chips. He is worrying about the cat and his place...told him not to worry but to get rest and get stronger!
*Update 6/16 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's getting so much better. His trach has been capped which is the final step before it's removed completely. He's able to drink water, eat ice chips, applesauce and pureed foods. His chest x-ray is looking very good. His dialysis is going well. His sense of humor is totally back! His memory is getting so much better. His physical therapy is going well. Shawn is beginning to understand what his body has been through. We've heard "Wow!" lots of times when he hears about the miracles that have happened to him. Just like at Grant, he is the "favorite patient" of many of the staff. He is humbled to find out just how much everyone cares about him. People continue to be so kind and generous to Shawn. He is extremely grateful! Thanks to each and every one of you for your prayers, thoughts, visits, concern and offers of help.
*Update 6/17 (Joy): Stopped by Sunday evening to say hello and saw Heather and Kim there. After awhile of not visiting the improvement is like night and day. He's having full conversations with only minor difficulty; whereas a week ago one sentence was taking a lot of effort. He was having a hard time getting comfortable last night but having staples in your side would make anyone uncomfortable (especially if you're trying not to take pain medication unless you really need it). His hands were pretty shaky but he is able to shift himself with effort (and usually after someone raises the head of the bed). The balls of his feet are in some pain but he is able to point and flatten his feet pretty easily without pain which was nice to see after I got spooked reading about drop-foot online (he's healing far too well for that). He wants people around as often as possible but the hospital has a two visitor limit. Hopefully with some coordinating between the hospital, family, friends, and of course Shawn we will be able to post his location on here sooner than later but not sure when that will be, keep checking back! He didn't want Heather and I to leave last night even though he says the staff has been fantastic but he is getting really antsy about getting out of the hospital and I can't say that I blame him.
*Update 6/20 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is improving by leaps and bounds. His trach was removed yesterday. His diet is somewhat restricted due to dialysis; however, he can have all types of food from thin liquids to solid food. He's glad to be away from pureed items. His voice is strong. His lungs are doing great. He's getting to his feet with the assistance of therapists, sits in an upright position for hours in a "cart" chair which is on wheels which makes it possible for him to be wheeled out of his room for a change of scenery. He's working extremely hard and gaining strength. Everyone at the hospital is very pleased with his progress. The news is all good and very encouraging.
*Update 6/24 (Al & Dianne): Shawn has had a terrific week. Nothing but steps forward. All diet restrictions have been removed. He is full of enthusiasm and eager for the rigorous routine of therapies. He rarely coughs anymore as his lungs have almost completely cleared up. He's been promoted to a wheelchair. His dialysis will end shortly as his labs are so good now. We are all ready - especially Shawn - to move on in preparation for independence. Today marked his 9th week since his accident. Please pray specifically that, once Shawn is moved, he will be encouraged every day with the things he's able to accomplish in therapy even though he will be extremely worn out from those rigorous treatments. Please adjust your visiting - both in frequency and duration - by his stamina. Rest continues to be one of the things he needs the most and even now when he's not working quite so hard, he is really "whipped" after visits at times. As much as he absolutely is thrilled to see people, the excitement and stimulation of those visits is pretty exhausting. We know you will be especially sensitive to this as we can see that each one of you is wanting only the best for Shawn and in no way want to hinder his progress.
Shawn is moved to Dodd Hall at OSU Medical for aggressive physical therapy...
*Update 6/27 (Al & Dianne): Shawn's last few days have included more life-changing events. Sunday his dialysis pic line was removed as his kidneys are functioning once again. His aggressive therapies began Tuesday. He walked with a walker for the first time quite a distance and then up and down four steps in addition to other therapies - all of which he sailed through with flying colors. This also has been quite an emotional journey for Shawn as he is realizing just how miraculous his recovery is and how very blessed he is. He is beginning to understand how much he is loved and he is so thankful to God for being healed after such a devastating accident and resulting complications. He's very excited about the events of the past few days and so encouraged at his progress toward independence once again. He is thoroughly enjoying his therapies even though they are so strenuous and really make him tired. Once again, the medical staff is amazing. Another huge blessing!
*Update 7/1 (Al & Dianne): Shawn is doing very well in all therapies, gaining strength, and working lots and lots of muscles! His appetite is coming back. He's still weak, but it's exciting to watch him progress so rapidly. The only "mistake" he made this week was asking for EXTRA physical therapy. The therapists were more than willing to oblige, so he got an extra 30 minutes Friday. So sore, but it's helping and he's sleeping extremely well. If you would like to visit Shawn, his room number is 3111 at Dodd Hall, OSU. We suggest visits after 3:00 p.m. weekdays, if at all possible, due to his rigorous therapies 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (no therapies on the weekends). Visiting hours are 10-10. Today we took him to the food court for lunch in the parking garage across from Dodd. We had a wonderful time and he thoroughly enjoyed himself, but he was bummed that he missed 2 friends who had come to visit. This was his first time out of a hospital since Saturday, 4/21 - except for ambulance trips on "promotion" days to Select and Dodd. Thanks again for your prayers. Please continue to pray for healing, perseverance, returning strength, encouragement, joy, and peace. Please know that he is SO grateful and feels very blessed for his healing thus far. He's blown away by all the prayers said on his behalf, everyone who has entered into this journey with him, all of his family and friends. He believes, with us, that his healing and survival are indeed miracles.
*Update 7/4 (Al & Dianne):Happy 4th of July, Everyone (aka "the morning after the 4th greeting"), Shawn's therapies continue to go well, his medical condition continues to improve, and his eating is picking up a little. We are having lots of laughs with him and fun visits - as those of you who have also gone to see him know very well. He is very anxious for his release from Dodd and is very tired of hospital beds - although they certainly feel good after his vigorous workouts. Please continue praying for Shawn; in particular, for the tenacity it takes anyone in a long recovery. For someone like Shawn, who is accustomed to setting lofty goals and meeting them rapidly, this process seems very arduous. He is making great strides and will continue to do so, but, as we've needed to do from the beginning, you've got to look beyond the past day or so for improvement and look at improvements on a weekly basis. Shawn is very grateful and thankful, but would love for things to move faster.
(Joy): Got a call from Shawn at Dodd Hall and sounds like he is doing fantastic. He's walking quite a bit and is able to get around for the most part. He admitted that stairs "aren't easy" right now but that's the closest thing I've heard to any kind of negativity. His spirits always seem high and he's so positive! Thanks to everyone for the amazing support, Shawn's awesome, we know it, and the community response has been incredible! Looks like he will be returning home around the 13th so I will be sending out an email soon with official dates for folks who signed up to make a meal (if you haven't signed up and would like to, see the contact form under the calendar below and feel free to lend your support!). The schedule may have a day off here and there to avoid too many leftovers. Thank you thank you thank you!
*Update 7/11 (Joy): Went to see Shawn in the evening and he looks fantastic. He's moving around with less effort, more purpose and more quickly than just a few days ago. He said he's been working on stairs and that his release date for 7/13 is the same. He will be doing out-patient therapy, will have someone with him 24/7 for awhile and may stay at Al & Dianne's off and on for awhile as well. He misses his cat and his apartment which has changed as some plants are being babysat elsewhere, his broken refridgerator was replaced post-blackout, clothes were washed and more. I've tried to tell him what to expect but I still hope it's not too much of a shock. He said he went to Luck Brothers Coffee House (www.luckbroscoffeehouse.com/) and saw the full donation jar with his name on it and was completely overwhelmed. He had no idea how important he was to his family, friends, and whole community so thank you everyone who has offered dontations, volunteer time, and support!!! If you are hosting a fundraiser please let me know so that I can post it on the site! [email protected]
*Update 7/12 (Al & Dianne): Hi Everyone, No medical reports on Shawn this time! That's a marvelous, miraculous first!!! Couldn't be happier about that! Sunday we took him to Rusty Bucket for lunch and then took a short walk. We had an absolutely wonderful time and he enjoyed himself immensely. Such a great day with him! Tuesday was his 43rd birthday and it was a very busy, full day of normal therapies and celebrating with family and friends. This morning Al and I went with Shawn, other patients, family members and therapists on a Mainstream Columbus therapy to the Columbus Art Museum. Great time! Tomorrow we pick Shawn up at 11 a.m. and he will come to our home for the weekend. Monday will probably find him at his apartment. The journal of emails and replies since April 21 are a real testament to God's healing power, love, grace, blessings and goodness. So, so, so many have prayed for Shawn and there aren't words to describe the strength we have received because of that. Your words of encouragement have been extremely comforting and helped us immeasurably. We love you and are so thankful you are in our lives and Shawn's. We will begin sending weekly updates at this point. Shawn still has a long journey ahead of him, but his progress has been terrific. His address is 3319 N. High St., Apt. 6, Columbus, OH 43202 if you would like to send him a card. Thanks again for everything! We are all so grateful, Al and Dianne
*Update 7/25 (Al & Dianne): We haven't sent an update since the 12th, so thought you might like some "Shawn news." Shawn was released from Dodd Hall on Friday, 7/13, and came home with us. He has been at our place the majority of the time. Once last week for a day and a half and today and tonight he is in his apartment (with friends who have been able to be with him). He has only had one medical appointment thus far and no therapy sessions, so he has not been released to be on his own yet. When he left Dodd, the instructions were that he needed to have someone with him 24/7. As they put it, "just someone else in the house." He is doing fantastic and getting stronger each day. He is anxious to be back on his own. He's doing lots of stairs, some eating out, going to church with us on Sundays, visiting his grandmother, and spending time with some friends and his cat, Lucky. The news is all good and he remains extremely thankful. Shawn continues to meet people who have known his story and have been praying for him since his accident which really touches him emotionally. He is grateful and looking forward to being back to an independent life with a new appreciation, outlook and excitement about where the future will lead him. Hope this update finds all of you well and enjoying your summer. As things progress, we will send updates periodically. Love to all of you and ask that you continue to pray for Shawn as he is in another new phase of his recovery. Al and Dianne
*Update 8/9 (Joy): I wanted to write a quick blurb about what Shawn has been doing since the updates have been less frequent and I know folks are still wondering! He is back in Centerburg with his family for now and still has to have someone with him 24/7 since his out-patient therapy has not started. After therapy starts physicians will decide whether or not Shawn is capable of being on his own. Occasionally Shawn has been back in his apartment (almost half of the week for the last round) with family member or friend staying with him. He gets stronger every time I see him; although he has a hard time seeing the progress because it is slow.
The first stay back in his apartment he was weak and had a hard time crossing the street or navigating stairs with confidence (although it was high street in clintonville and about 20 steep consecutive steps in the apartment). On this most recent apartment stay his legs are looking stronger, he didn't have to hold the hand rail for the stairs and crossing the street may have taken some mental preparation but physically he seemed much more comfortable. Right now his appetite is for about half of a cup of food at a time but that should change and may be due to some of his medications. I have a feeling when therapy starts he will be allowed to do a lot more on his own. He has said that his time with family has been wonderful but would like to get back to a routine that is familiar.
p.s.As soon as he is back in his apartment full time we can start the schedule for folks who have volunteered to make him a meal, I will email those of you who have volunteered, thank you in advance for your support!
*Update 8/18/12 (Al & Dianne): Hi Everyone, It's been a long time since the last update, but thought those of you who haven't heard the latest might be wondering just how "that boy" is doing! He is doing amazingly well!!! OSU Rehab has evaluated him and determined that he is rapidly progressing to the point that he can skip therapy 3 times a week, even can skip therapy 2 times a week. Consequently, he goes to therapy each Monday ~ only one day a week. He currently has physical, occupational and speech therapies; however, he may be released from occupational very shortly. This past Monday they released him to be totally on his own at his apartment or our house for 5 hours, checking in midway through. He has been weaned off most of his medications. He is healing extremely well from his surgery. Shawn greatly enjoys being both places - his apartment and our house. He likes the combo of city/country living. We've been having lots of great conversations, tons of laughs, watched some really good movies, found some great - and some not so great - places to eat, and all in all loving this opportunity to spend so much time together. All this to say, things are great. God has answered everyone's prayers in astonishing ways - thank all of you for your consistently praying for Shawn and all of us. We don't have the words to properly say thanks. So, so many of you responded to our updates over and over again - your love, encouragement, support and offers to help mean so much. (It's easy to get gushy talking about all this - we are all so blown away by the initial weeks of tragedy and the continuing weeks of healing and blessings.
Love you guys!
Thanks soooo much!!
Al and Dianne
*Update 9/13/12 (Joy): Thank you all who attended Betty's fundraiser on Sept 11th! Shawn is home most of the time now and doing amazingly well, keep checking back for news from Shawn himself and to join his upcoming bicycle law awareness organization!