Home sweet home! The Final Post

My apologies for not updating the blog in the last few days…  This will be the final post in this blog and I’m so relieved at the note we’re leaving on!  Richard came home from the hospital last Tuesday evening (August 13th) to the surprise and delight of ALL of us!  I’m sure part of it is that there’s an amazing spirit in my Old Man full of fight and tenacity that’s helped him through; however, I KNOW that the faith, prayers, and fasting of family and friends more than tipped the balances.  It’s truly a miracle that Dad has come through this the way he has and in the condition he has!

 

            Mom and the family still have a few hills to climb with dad needing physical therapy to strengthen his left side.  Dad will have some mild short term memory issues for a while as well as a bit of flat affect personality.  Flat or Blunt Affect is a condition where the individual isn’t as emotionally expressive and doesn’t initiate conversation as readily.  All of these are very temporary and are vanishing as the days go by. 

 

            Please feel free to call or come by the home and visit for the latest and greatest news!  Your company would be most welcome! 

Every Sunday my Mom makes Sunday dinner and anyone who can make it is invited. And knowing my mom, that really does mean anyone.  :)

This Sunday we kept up the tradition, just at a different location!

It started off with hugs in the hospital bed.  My dad is up to his usual tickling.  They loved it.

Then a few climbed aboard my dad's wheelchair and Nikolas drove.  He did a great job and only ran into one bush during our adventure.  

We dined at the hospital cafeteria, and yes, some of us are heathens and purchased our food.  Just for the record, my mom brought hers and didn't spend a dime.  

Sometimes 8-year-olds forget how to feed themselves.  Especially when surrounded by goofy, cute cousins.  

Then it was off to see the waterfall.  We decided not to stay too long.  Do you see Ryan there?  He has a fondness for hospital ponds.  He swam in the McKay pond just last week.  

We continued our walk and found some shade.  Nikolas let my dad borrow his hat.  Doesn't everybody know scars shouldn't see sunlight?  And those of you who know my grandpa Harold, isn't there a likeness?

The children ran around a maze.  Someone really smart put that in.  It kept them entertained for a good hour while my dad watched.  

And then we had to take a few minutes for a parent/daughter photo op.  Good grief I am enormous.  

We returned a very tired grandpa to his room and found a can of root beer on his table.  Some wonderful person left it while we were gone.  The grandchildren insisted that it be opened and a few had to taste it to make sure it was good.  It was!

We all agreed that was the most fun we had had in a while.  So grateful to have had it with you, Dad!

     I came home from the hospital to find the yard festooned with pink ribbons the significance of which brought tears to my eyes. Thank you secret sneak. He will see it all soon.

     Mother took great care that I never missed a day of school through grade school, junior high and high school so that I could get that 100% attendance certificate at the end of each school year. I am sure that I spread every communicable disease that a child could impart to her fellows in the accomplishment of that attendance. Weekends and summer vacations were the times for flu, measles and so forth.  True to form, Mother has got to be behind this.

     Richard will come home Wednesday, and school begins Thursday. My children and friends will be tending my dear husband for a few weeks on the days when I am working while he gets stronger and becomes independent.
    
     The rapidity of his homecoming and recuperation is a miracle. We have been carried on your prayers. They have been tangibly helping us through the shock, trauma, and now his miraculous recovery. I feel very deeply and have since the beginning of the blog, that there are those who are reading this who will feel the spirit, gain a testimony of the power of prayer, and come to know our Savior better because of all of this. Maybe it is just that we needed to, but dear readers, maybe it is you.

     Richard enjoys your calls. Thank you for your friendship. We will all be changed for the better.

Two Weeks Later....

Well... while the hospital is entertaining

and all... he is ready to be done.

In fact, as of this weekend or possibly as

'late' as Monday, he will be!

It is rather astonishing to me!!

The man just had brain surgery for heavens

sake! He says he is terribly bored and wants out!

He is doing amazingly well!

His memory seems to be bouncing back every day.

Though he has told a few people that he was

admitted for a four wheeler accident, some get

"I think I was having seizures" or "I'm not sure but I

want to get out of here."
Therapy is going extremely well!

He has physical, cognitive and speech and he is doing great things in each of them!

He has a gnarly scar on his head and supposedly

all 65 staples get to come out any day now.

until his hair grows back - bald is beautiful.

Think of Sting, Bono, Bruce Willis..... um Sting......

We are just so so so grateful!

We love Daddy ever so much and he truly is

a bit of a miracle!

I am so grateful that we get to keep him and that

he is going to recover!

Thank you so much for your prayers and your calls!

Thank you for visiting him and taking care of my mom!

We are surrounded by the bestest people and it has been amazing to see the love and concern that so many of you have shown for our family!

Thank you so much for helping us through this!

Today my dad got to move to the Murray IHC hospital for rehab.  My mom was able to transport him and it seems that at some point during their conversation he was finally able to tell her that he knew he had been in a four wheeler accident.  Maybe what we thought was cloudy thinking is really just a way for him to keep his four wheelers. He's in denial! 

My mom said the facility is beautiful and is one of the best for rehab.  There is even an indoor track.  Go Dad, go!  He is on the twelfth floor and has a beautiful view of the Salt Lake valley.  

We are so grateful for all of those who came to visit him at McKay.  He loved being with you, even if he couldn't remember the visit later.  We know it will be more difficult to visit him during the 5-10 days he is in Murray, but we know he would love a phone call (if he will pick up).  His direct number is 801-507-1219.  Also, he won't be able to visit until after 4:00.  He is a busy boy now! 

We love you all!  Thank you for your prayers on his behalf!

Day #12

Sunday, August 4

It is hard to think back on the last week and a half and not be humbled by the outpouring of love, prayers, and blessings. Thank you. To see what Richard is able to do today, what he looks like, and how he talks is nothing short of miraculous. I have a testimony of the power of priesthood blessings, the power of fasting, and the knowledge that the Lord knows best. We go to rehab tomorrow. He may be home in 5 to 10 days!



Day #11

"E.T. - phone home."

It can be hard to not keep glancing at the very bright and

cheerful glow on the tip of his finger. Today we thought we

would document it for him.

Daddy had some visitors today, and it meant so very very much! I just have to share one bit of a conversation that was had....

Chuck, good friend of Dad's, came. He asked Dad, "So Rich, (I am going to paraphrase here) how did this happen? Do you know why you are here?"

Dad pondered for a moment and then replied, 

"It has not yet been revealed to me."

We giggled about that for awhile, and then became rather sober.

We kind of took the day and ran with it. We were all feeling a bit like emotional whoopee cushions ready to pop at a given moment. So, Mom and Char visited with Daddy in the morning and told him what we were about and that we would see him in the evening.

We spent the day in Park City playing so we could unwind a little.

It was much needed!

Mom, Char and I (with my three littles) went to see him in the evening and as we were about to enter his room, his nurse caught us and said, "Oh, he has been asking where you are!" (to mom).

We went in and gave hugs and smooches and Dad immediately took Mom's hand and said, "When can I go home?"

Oh heart!

There is some confusion and again memory recall that we are working on. He is doing so very well! He is rather fuzzy on details. He forgets why he is there.

Mom said, "Who came to visit today?"

"Nobody."

"What about Craig?"

"Oh yes, he came!"

"Yes, and who came with him?"

"Blake."

So it is there, he just needs a few gentle hints.

He ate dinner and talked to the kiddos.

Char and I got him to laugh really hard and it felt really good to see him so happy! He was even teasing us and when he overheard Mom talking to his sister and mentioning how 'near death' he had been he said, "Geez, Ma... I'm right here." We had a good laugh.

He is just a sweet and gentle giant and is making leaps and  bounds every day! The nurse said he would probably be fuzzy for awhile and that it is normal.

Meanwhile, it is hard to leave him there.

He is so loved and we are so very grateful for the visits he had today! He needs his family and friends!



Day #10

Well - Daddy used a walker and was

able to get himself around on his own a bit

today. He got a shave for the right side of his

head and looks absolutely brilliant!! His left

eye is mostly open and he is doing fantastic!!!

The raspiness of his throat is gone, though he doesn't

have his usual BOOM of a voice. Rather soft spoken just now. He got to see his grand kids today and

the look on his face when he held my youngest was just priceless!! He is eating and doing fantastic!

There are a few memory glitches, but even the ones from

yesterday are back. Meaning he forgot a few names. But today, he knew them all! We aren't worried!

He has gotten rid of a few more tubes and we got

some smiles out of him.

Still extremely tired, but compared to even a few days ago he is something of a miracle!!

I am so very grateful, because we need him desperately!

So come on over and see him!

Visitors approved!

If you wouldn't mind, just keep your visits short.

Even to just five or ten minutes. He gets

pretty tired really fast!!

Just be warned that Monday, he will be moving. Possibly to another facility. We are hoping that he will get to stay. The problem being that they don't have a bed available in the rehabilitation section until Wednesday. They have already approved him to move on he is doing so well!

You can't keep a good man down!!!

Thank you for being so understanding about the visits!

He will be so excited to see some new faces!
Again, just keep it short.

We are so grateful for all the thoughts and prayers!

Richard with his sister Lorna

Two steps forward, one step back, and so on.  I was in a business meeting this morning and I got a call from the hospital.  I took the call and heard Richard's voice, "Shaye, how are you?"  It was a shock.  Michelle helped him call all his children today which was awesome.  Today Richard was doing well enough to stand up and walk down the hall with the assistance of 2 aids. He was bearing his own weight and initiating the steps. He pulled out two more tubes.  Yes, again.  This time he pulled out his feeding tube and his oxygen line.  Again, both self improvements proved timely.  They decided to see how he did without them and he did well. With the ventilator out, the other tubes out, and marked physical improvement, he was moved from the ICU to a medium care room.   He had a great big breakfast (first meal in over a week), then he had a nice lunch.

He has been very kind and easy going.  He rarely complains about pain and always says he is doing good. He got to see some of his grand kids today for the first time which he liked.  He has been asking about them. We brought a video that was made for his 60th birthday which is about 40 minutes of pictures from his life.  He watched the whole thing and seemed to enjoy it. He also got to talk with his sister Lorna on the phone today which you could tell he enjoyed.

He is still a bit cloudy and having a hard time remembering or putting things together.  He isn't sure why he is in the hospital, he doesn't recall the accident, he tried calling his mother who is passed away, and a few things like that.  But he also remembers many things from past and present. He recalls several names, past events, circumstances, names of songs and the like.  But it is just a little fuzzy for him at the moment and he is a bit confused. He asked me about 4 times today, "What's the plan here?" So I tried to explain that we are going to do this hospital thing for awhile and then he can go home.

He had a beanie on his head to cover his surgery, but he won't allow it. So the nurses just gave up and took it off.  He told us today that he doesn't think he looks good in a white beanie. He has about 70-75 staples on the left side of his head and quite a scar.  I showed him a picture of himself (of the non scar side) and he said, "handsome." Whoever shaved his head for the surgery would be fired if he/she was a barber.  They basically shaved 2/3 of his head and left the rest. Given the emergency nature of the surgery, I'm sure they were not thinking about his vanity.  I brought some clippers and am going to finish the job in the morning with the nurses help. BTW, he has a nice head for being bald.

The no visitor rule is unfortunately still in play.  He mostly needs his wife and children around him and lots of rest. Thank you for prayers, kindness, and support.  Michelle is holding together well but is also in need of some private time and rest.  If you would like to say something to him, comment on this post or send a text and we will read it to him during one of his more awake times.  Thanks again, Shaye

John 5:8 "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."

 I believe in God.  I know that He exists, and I am a witness that He hears and answers prayers.  A day ago my father was on a ventilator with a touch of pneumonia in his left lung in the ICU.  He was responding hit and miss with positive signs (hand squeezes, nods of the head, etc.), but 90% of the time simply asleep.  The doctors were planning for days more in the ICU and contemplating a tracheotomy if my father’s dependence on the ventilator continued.

                Friends and family have been praying and sending their love.  My mother asked our family and anyone who would care to join to fast on behalf of my Dad.  Almost immediately my father ripped out his ventilator and remained stable (See last post), and began speaking!  Last night my sister Andrea and I were giving him little sponge tastes of orange juice (lots of coughing at first but after a while his swallowing improved and the hoarseness in his voice improved as well!).

                This morning he took my mother’s hand in his and kissed it in greeting.  He also ripped out his N-Tube (nasal feeding tube) on his own (that took some guts!), and begged for juice, melon, and anything else he could think of!  Luckily he passed his swallow test first thing so that he could imbibe!  During his first physical therapy session they asked if he could get out of bed.  When he responded “Yes” they put a belt on him and with a physical therapist on both sides of him he WALKED DOWN THE HALL AND BACK!!!  This is the same man who 24 hours beforehand needed the help of 4 physical therapists just to stand like a wet noodle and immediately be put back in bed.  He’s still a little weak on his left side, but WOW! 

                My father recognizes everyone by name.  He is lucid.  He is stable, and he’s going to be moved out of the ICU once the doctors make their rounds today!

                It was one week ago today that my father had his surgery and was admitted to the ICU.  At that point the physicians were bracing us for the very worst.  One week later my father is walking (albeit not on his own), sitting up in the hospital recliner, and conniving for juice and food stuffs - all this with no apparent permanent damage to his mental or physical abilities.   Within the last 24 hours we have been witnesses to an absolute miracle. 

                My family and I are keenly aware that more righteous, faithful, and deserving men and women have been called home to their Father in Heaven in similar circumstances.  The mysteries of God are great and I don’t pretend to understand them.  I do know that I’ve witnessed a miracle and that my family and I are grateful for the outcome. 

My father should be strong enough VERY soon to accommodate visits and phone calls (I’m so happy to say!).  We’ll announce that time with bells and whistles when it does!  Thank you for your continued prayers, thoughts, love and patience!  It’s made ALL of the difference!   I’m in awe of the capacity for love and compassion that I’ve witnessed among all of you that my family and I are proud to call friends.