Spring Break at PCMC!!

We hadn't heard much about Hannah this week since she moved out of the ICU and into the NTU (Neuroscience Trauma Unit) so my stomach was tied in knots as we drove to SLC yesterday to see her. We found Billy in the cafeteria and she reported some great news...that Hannah had been to physical therapy earlier that day to brush up on her bowling game and had even tried to stand up when Billie was helping her back into the wheelchair. We were so excited so we headed up to the room. As we rounded the corner we saw that her nurse was snuggled up next to her on the bed and they were watching a movie. Hannah immediately recognized us and got all excited trying to sit up and get to us. I couldn't believe it! It took her a minute to calm down and then she started waving at us with her splinted arm. It was so amazing to see her react like that compared to what she was like the previous weekend and even just the day before.

I took the nurse's place beside Hannah and talked to her and told her what was going on at school and how proud we are of her. I held her left hand and she would squeeze it to answer "yes" to questions. She had just gotten a voice thingy hooked up to her trach that morning and had surprised herself when she heard herself cough. It felt so good to snuggle with her and talk to her. People kept coming to her room and she would wave to each one of them. Her eyes were clear and she was watching everyone. She could move her left arm and leg on command, which is such a relief because the damage is on the right side of her brain which controls movements on the left side of her body.

Lindsey took my place and snuggled with Hannah and although her face is still expressionless I could tell she was happy to have her buddy next to her. It was so sweet.

We got to go to physical therapy with her and saw her bowl...she would hold and then release a big bouncy ball down a foam wedge to knock over the pins. Seems pretty simple but this is a big deal for a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patient who wasn't doing anything two days prior. She then did a puzzle by picking up the pieces with her left hand and then pointing to the space to show the therapist where a certain puzzle piece goes. It was truly amazing to watch her take these steps to rehabilitation.
This is Hannah and her cousin, Luka, holding hands. We all got so excited when she would squeeze our hands. Before we left the hospital yesterday we asked her if she wanted us to come back and she squeezed!

Hannah, Lindsey and Luka have always been the 3 Musketeers so when Lindsey and Luka walked into the physical therapy room today she was totally distracted from the puzzle she was doing. Everyone told the two girls to leave and as they were walking out Hannah got so upset they told the cousins to come back. They moved on to a different exercise where Lindsey and Luka could be involved and Hannah accomplished the task. The cousins all wanted to push her back to her room so we stopped to take a picture.

The therapist helped Hannah find the Easter egg that's on her lap so we took her to the playroom and she picked out a toy from a basket full of stuff...another accomplishment! It's been a busy, productive, exciting couple of days for Hannah and we're so proud of her. She was probably glad to see us go so she could finally get some rest. Not...I know she wanted to come with us.

Oh yeah...she did something else today...she said "Hi", "Mom" and "Thanks"!!!!

Out of ICU

Today was Hannah's second day in her new room in the Neuroscience Trauma Unit and she's getting used to her new surroundings...she has a window now! She's still working on coming out of the coma which takes some time. She's awake for awhile and then falls back to sleep for awhile. Her grandma Knott went to see her today and Hannah focused on her when Dave told her that grandma's here.

She's getting pretty tired of laying on her back so they moved her into a wheelchair and she was able to sleep soundly being in a different position. When Hannah's not napping she spends her time listening to music, watching a little TV and having books and get well cards read to her.

Ever since Hannah's accident two weeks ago, kids in the neighborhood, ward and school have wanted to do something to help. They have wanted to organize and hold some kind of fundraiser to help Hannah with her recovery and they've decided to do a really fun fundraiser at Creekview Elementary next week. The children are usually prohibited from wearing hats to school but next Friday, April 13 we'll be having "Hats ON for Hannah" day. Kids will be able to wear a hat to school that day if they bring $1 which will go to help Hannah get the therapy she's going to need to have a successful recovery. If you have a child at Creekview, have them bring their money any day next week and they can wear a hat to school on Friday.

I'll have some pics to post tomorrow, hopefully.

Baby Steps...

With Hannah's severe brain trauma she is truly like a newborn baby right now and any little sign of advancement is cause for celebration and usually results in a big sigh of relief from me when I get good news.

After talking with Dave last night it sounds like Hannah had a good day yesterday. When I was there on Sat. she did open her eyes but it was very disheartening because it didn't look like it was voluntary or in response to our voices. However, after we left the hospital (of course) she opened her eyes for a longer period of time than she has over the last week. The nurse saw this and called for the doctor. He came in and said, "Hannah, can you open your eyes?" And she did! He came back Sun morning and said, "Hannah, can you move your fingers?" And she did that, too!

Her parents also said that she had opened her eyes for several minutes at a time most of the day yesterday and because of the neck brace prohibiting any movement of her head and neck she was following sounds with her eyes. She also swallowed on her own which she wasn't doing on Sat and which had Eve and I quite worried. The doctor was encouraged by what he saw and said that reflexes like swallowing usually follow shortly after brain trauma patients open their eyes. So that put a smile on our faces yesterday. Go Hannah! Keep fighting!

Saturday/Sunday

I took my girls up to PCMC yesterday for the first time since the accident. Jaxy was so excited to give them the tour of the hospital and Hannah's room and he discussed with them what each tube and monitor was like an old pro. I think he should be a doctor. He wants to be a paleontologist.

Hannah looks really beautiful. Her hair is braided, the tubes are out of her mouth and she had a beautiful lip gloss on. I was surprised to see how few computers, monitors and tubes she has now. She's passed the critical stage and currently has the IV, the trach, a feeding tube and some monitors on her chest. That seems so minimal compared to the 20 different tubes and lines she was hooked up to last week.

They are slowly weaning her off the sedation meds and pain killers...just a little bit everyday. She still sleeps alot and I can see that she's healing on the outside. Her eye has returned to its normal size and the bruise is almost totally gone. The swelling on the side of her head has gone down and the nurse assured us the brain swelling has gone down a little.

We had good news this morning as the doctor came for a visit. She responded to his command to move her fingers! That's very encouraging because we haven't seen much progress for the last couple of days.

I want to thank the ER staff at Castleview Hospital for stabilizing Hannah and taking such good care of her in those first crucial hours and for the prayers they have offered everyday since then. Thank you.

Car Wash/Raffle Fundraiser

Today was another sleepy day for Hannah although she did open her eyes a couple of times. They have her on Xanax (sp), an anti-anxiety drug, so she won't thrash around so much and it seems to work pretty well.

I think I've mentioned before the overwhelming support and love shown by so many people. Everywhere I go people stop me and inquire about Hannah, Billie and Dave. It's also so touching when kids ask about her. If I go to the school or a church event, there are always a few children who ask me how Hannah is doing. I think it's so awesome that so many kids are caring and compassionate and almost two weeks after the accident they haven't forgotten about her.

A car wash fundraiser will be held tomorrow (Sat) at the Taco Time parking lot from 11am -3pm. They will be raffling off some really great items like a Browning X-Bolt 300 Win Caliber rifle donated by Sportman's Corner, gas cards, Winger's gift cards, oil changes and much more. If you're in Price, please come down and get your car washed and pass the word along to all your friends! :)

Pinewood Derby

Hannah's surgery went well yesterday and they loaded her up with pain meds which have totally knocked her out. They decided to be nice today and just let her sleep. She's been sleeping so soundly that the physical therapists even decided to leave her alone.

That's about all there is to report on Hannah's condition for the day. So while she's been sleeping and healing, Jaxton's had a busy afternoon and evening. We invited his best friend over to play and wow, is it different having to keep track of two really busy boys! For those of you who don't know us, we have three girls and our neighborhood is 90% girls so that's all I really know. Jaxton and Jacob were in a different spot, playing a different game about every 3 minutes. I'm exhausted!

This evening we were able to take Jaxton to his Pinewood Derby race. Dave came down and really enjoyed being able to spend the evening with Jaxy and watch his awesome car race. Jaxton's car took 2nd place in his Bear group and won the prize for the Most Realistic. Dave did an great job making the car...it's one of the coolest cars I've ever seen. It wasn't totally finished when the accident happened last week, so his friend, Steve, finished Jaxy's car and a car for Hannah.






Hannah's car was reallycool. Purple and pink with flames on the hood...it beat the overall winner every time down the track!! We'll show her the pics and video when she's more coherent.

Hannah's 1st Surgery

Here are a few pictures from my visit with Hannah today with some pictures of items around Primary Children's Hospital.

When I arrived just after lunch, Hannah was being prepped for her first surgery. At first the doctors were planning on wiring her jaw shut to help the jaw heal, which is fractured; however after reviewing the procedures and risks of damaging her permanent teeth not yet in they decided to insert a metal plate. The metal plate acts like a bandaid bracing the fracture together and will be in place for about 6 weeks at which time the doctors will remove the plate.

Other than this major step, Hannah looked really good. Her swelling continues to decrease. Her bruise on her eye and check are healing (slowly). Because of the surgery she continues to have breathing assistance, but as she gets stronger she will rely less and less on the machine.

Another step taken today was the removal of the breathing tube in her throat and the implementation of a trach. The trach was inserted for safety and possible emergency situations that may arise in the future.

Overall Hannah continues to make positive baby steps...stay tuned for more...by Mark J.