Do you ever feel that a 24-hour period seems to take a whole lot longer than that? I must admit that it has only been 5 1/2 days since the accident and yet there are times that I feel like it transpired 5 1/2 months ago. The power of faith is so vitally important in our lives and I have been constantly reflecting over the last few days how faith precedes the MIRACLE! Why does it have to be like that? In the case of our sweet daughter Makenzie I would have to say that if we didnt have faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then the small miracles that happen each day would be remembered only as something that happened by chance. Nothing could be further from the truth--not in medicine, and not in life either. Makenzie had a fabulous day in the Neuro ICU today. She has been blessed with some of the most amazing nurses and physicians in the world. We are eternally grateful to each and every one of them. I posted a short video of her session with the physical therapist earlier this evening. From the video it is obvious that she is in a seated position. However, that does not mean she is completely awake and conversant. She remains intubated with a Glasgow Coma Score of 11 on a scale of 3-15 (15 means the individual is awake and alert and fully functional). She does not respond, but by her ability to folllow certain commands she has demonstrated that she is no longer in a coma. She hears and processes commands. It is still very slow, and it could take weeks to months to regain, but we are so proud of her fighting spirit! She made great strides in therapy today and we look forward to more aggressive therapy tomorrow. Makenzies ventilator settings have been decreased to minimal support and we are hopeful that soon she will be able to demonstrate her ability to protect her own airway so that they can extubate her and take out the breathing tube. Avoiding a tracheostomy would be a big accomplishment, and my baby girl is putting forth her best effort to do so. Makenzie spiked another fever last PM so she was started on 2 antibiotics to treat any possible infection in her lungs as a result of being on the ventilator. She has been tolerant of the tube feeds, and her heart rate and blood pressure have increased as she appears to be fighting to emerge from her long nap. There is no timetable as to when we would expect her to be awake. It could as early as a few days to as long as a couple of weeks--or even longer! I pray that our united faith will shorten the expected time to recovery. The true family test began today as Heather and I parted last night to assume our unique new roles. I have the assistance of wonderful parents, as well as the love and support of a ward, stake, hospital and entire community here in St. George. The number of friends and visitors has been incredible, and I am so grateful for those that have, and will, take care of my sweet children. Heather has the love of all of her brothers and sisters, as well as brothers and sisters-in-law, and what seems like hundreds of friends in the SLC area. Her parents arrive back in SLC on Thursday afternoon from their mission in Hong Kong and they will be a HUGE help to my sweet wife. Fight On Makenzie Ann!! We love you more than ANYTHING!! With Love, Ryan and Heather
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 06:09:46 +0000
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