Really Awesome Weekend!

Well, I think it's about time to bring this blog to a close. Chase is just doing so well that I think it's ok to wrap things up. And today is a good day to do it. As I said, he's back in school doing half days (unsure if he'll go full days before the end of the year or not, we'll see), he's doing well in therapy, he's rid of his braces (both neck and back) and he's healing remarkably well! I'd like to finish by letting everyone know about our weekend. Yesterday we took the kids out for the first time as a family since before Chase's accident. We went to lunch and then to a movie (Inkheart, great show!). It was a really great day!

Today at about 12:20 or so, we had the pleasure of having a couple of visitors. The boy who was driving the car that hit Chase and his parents came for a visit. His name is Matt. I had met his mother, Pam, after Chase's accident (I talked about that in a previous entry). I was very impressed with them all, such wonderful people! It was very good for Chase to get to meet them and he was glad he had the chance. It took us awhile to get the boys together, but we finally did. I think it was a good thing for them both. They and we were able to see that they both are doing ok. Pam gave Chase a big hug when they left. I also gave a big hug to Matt. It made for a great day. :)

I would like to close this blog by thanking everyone who has been following it. I so appreciate the many prayers that have gone out over the past couple of months in Chase's behalf and in our family's. This has been quite a journey and one I will never forget! I hope I never have to go on one like it again. It's been amazing though, watching Chase through all of this and witnessing the many miracles that have happened. I am a changed person for it. None of our lives will ever be the same. I'm grateful to God for getting us through all of this and for helping Chase to recover and move forward. Again, my thanks and gratitude to all of you who have helped us in so many ways. Thank you!

Love,

Michelle

Great week!

Chase went back to school yesterday (half days) for the first time since his accident. I took him to school in the morning. His friends were so excited to see him. I had a hard time after I left him there. I walked in with him and went to the office to make sure they knew he was there and got things situated for him. Then we met with the Principal for a few minutes. When I got back to the car is when I kind of broke down a little. Taking him to school was harder than I thought it was going to be. I was still crying when I got to work. But after a little bit and hugs from my boss, Tonia, Connie and Dr. Andersen I was ok. I texted Chase when he got out of school and asked how it went. He said it was fun and he was happy to be back and see his friends again. By the end of the day he was wiped out though because he had therapy in the afternoon too. They work him pretty good there and he's usually pretty sore and tired afterwards. He'll have 3 hours of it after school tomorrow too.

Today we took Chase to see his spine doctor (Dr. Warner) and he said his spine had healed enough that we could start weaning him off of the neck brace too. So he is just wearing it at night now for a little while and then he won't have to wear it at all. He doesn't wear the back brace (TLSO) at all anymore either. He'll see the doctor again in 4 weeks.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. He's healing remarkably well and quickly. It's been 2 months now and it is still just incredible to me and everyone else how far he has come. I'm not going to have much to write about in the near future so this blog may be coming to an end soon. But that's ok... it's a good thing! :)

Love,
Michelle

Going back to school

Chase's home and hospital teacher called earlier today and also came over tonight. She said that everything they need is in place so he can go back to school tomorrow. He's very excited! Jeff and I are happy for him too but we're also nervous. The last time he was at school was when he was hit by a car. But mostly we just worry about him getting hurt. I know they'll look out for him and he'll probably be just fine. It feels like the first day of Kindergarten all over again. He will be going to school for 2 periods and also having home and hospital come once a week. This way he'll get credit fot this term. The school has been very good to work with us and accomodate Chase. I'm glad they have these programs.

It's funny that Chase is going to school tomorrow and Breanna & Justin are staying home sick (again). It's been the other way around for the past 2 months (8 weeks tomorrow). Hopefully they'll be on the mend and all 3 will be back in no time.

Well, that's it for today. Short and sweet. I'll try to post again soon to let everyone know how school went and therapy tomorrow too.

Love,
Michelle

Good Reports

I first need to apologize for not posting on here sooner. Life has been so crazy busy with trying to get back into work mode and juggle schedules, therapy, appointments and everything else. Chase's appointment with the Neuro-psychologist went well. She was very impressed with Chase and how far he has come since leaving the hospital. She didn't expect him to be doing so well. She had told him in the hospital that he likely would not be going back to school this year (until maybe next Fall). But she is agreeing with his speech therapist that he is ready to start going back half days. They want to ease him into it and not over-load him. They are working with the doctors and the school to get him back as soon as possible. He will have to have some special accomodations, extra time for things and rest breaks as needed. He'll also have someone available to help him get to class and anything else he might need. He will have the home and hospital teacher come again on Monday evening for more testing and hopefully to leave him some assignments too. He did well with it last time. :)

Therapy is also coming along. He is getting more mobility and better range of motion in his left arm. It keeps getting better each time. Physical therapy was tough on him. His back was hurting enough to need pain medication and heat afterwards. But by bed-time he was ok. Speech therapy also went well. He was given some "homework" to do by next Tuesday when he goes back. the therapist, Kim, gave him a report to type and some Spanish words to learn. So he's busy working on that. I think he enjoys having some type of school work to do again. He's really looking forward to going back to school.

This Wednesday he will see his spine doctor again. We're hoping that he might be able to give us some idea of how much longer Chase will need the neck brace. He doesn't wear the back brace much at all anymore. He likes not having to wear it. The break in his neck was much worse than the ones in his back though so it may still be awhile.

I continue to thank my Father in Heaven every day that I get to hug my son and tell him that I love him. I'm so very grateful to still have him here and to get to be witness to the miracle of his recovery and be part of it. My life, as I'm sure are others, is forever changed.

Love,
Michelle

Home and Hospital

Chase has his first session with home and hospital Monday evening. A teacher from Taylorsville High School was assigned to him. She came over and brought a packet with her for Chase to complete. He did some various problems and math. I think he did pretty well. She spent 2 hours here at our house and Chase finished the packet. When the teacher left (her name escapes me) she said that she was impressed with how well he did. She said he exceeded her expectations by far. She didn't think he would do as well as he did from the information she had about him with his brain injury and such. Chase mentioned that he wants to go back to school when the term starts (Monday the 30th). She said if she could clear it with the doctor and therapists as well as get things set up at the school he might be able to go back half days (2 periods). That just blows my mind to think of that happening (by then just 8 weeks after the accident) so soon. I guess we'll see what happens.

He had therapy today but I was not able to go as I had to be at work. Jeff was there for part of it. Chase said it went well but they worked him really hard in physical and occupational therapy. He said he was sweating by the time physical therapy was over and hurting when occupational therapy was over. But it's good for him. He did well in speech therapy and she is thinking he should be going back to school soon also. He's excited about that. He's anxious to try to go back to a semi-normal routine.

Tomorrow he is seeing the neuro-psychologist that evaluated him when he moved up to the 12th (rehab) floor. I'll be interested to see what she has to say. So more good things happening.

Love,
Michelle

Good Times

It's hard to believe that Chase has been home for 3 weeks. He's made tremendous progress in that amount of time. Actually he's made miraculous progress in 6½ weeks! It continues to amaze me how far he has come in such a short time. Thursday he went to therapy again. They are still working on getting better range of motion and flexibility in his left arm. It's still pretty limited but getting much better. Each week it gets better. We work with him daily at home on balance, strength and range of motion, not only in his arm but other areas as well. In physical therapy they worked with strength in his legs and with balance. He's doing pretty well there too. In Speech/Cognitive therapy she gave him problems to solve and letters to unscramble forming words. He would do pretty well and then after about 15 minutes his thought process would slow and he would take much longer to figure things out. So that would mean a break was needed. After a 5-10 minute break he could get back on task. It's interesting to me to watch all of this. I learn a lot each time we go.

Taylorsville High has assigned a teacher to Chase for Home and Hospital schooling. She will be coming out to our house to start him on that Monday evening. I think it will be good for him to start that and get him working toward going back to school. That's his goal. He wants to get back to his normal routine as much as possible. We'll see how things go over the next 2 weeks and go from there. Jeff talked to Chase's school counselor about him graduating with his class next year (yep, he's going to be a Senior). She said that we could do some Summer credits if needed and even if he ended up being a little short to graduate, he could still graduate with his class and finish up the credits during the Summer after. So that was great news!

I apologize for not posting on the blog as much as I used to but I just don't have as much to write about. And that's a very good thing! I will, however, continue to post as I know a lot of people still want to keep up with his progress and recovery. He's an amazing kid! I'm so proud of him and all the progress he's making. He is doing everything the doctors and therapists are asking him to do. That's what it takes!

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers, love and support!

Love,
Michelle

Six weeks ago today

Chase's accident was 6 weeks ago today. It's hard to believe how far he's come in that amount of time. It's only been 6 weeks but it sure feels a lot longer than that to me. It feels more like 6 months! He is a remarkable kid that's for sure. I marvel every day at the progress he has made in such a short amount of time. His therapists feel the same way. I honestly do attribute much of this to the blessings and prayer he has had in his behalf. Justin told him that he has a definite purpose here and he thinks it's to do something great. I would have to agree. I do believe that God spared him for a reason. I'm so thankful for that.

It looks like Chase will be starting the home and hospital schooling at home this week. We're very excited about that. I know he's anxious to get back to school and for things to be more normal. This is a great step in the right direction. I was unable to go to his therapy yesterday but Jeff was able to be there. He said he did very well and they worked his arm a lot. They work on mobility and stretching (range of motion) in Occupational therapy. Then they worked more on that and strength in physical therapy. Jeff worked it pretty well today too. But it's good. He needs to get that mobility back in his arm. It hurts him to do the therapy but it kind of has to. That's how we know he's making progress. He just pushes through it though. Our neighbor, Matt, says he has a few names for the therapists like Physical Terrorists. Chase loved that one! It made him laugh. So we joke about it now. We won't tell his therapists about it. :)

Well, that's about it for today. Stay tuned until next time. Thanks everyone!

Love,
Michelle

Missing my boy!

Chase is at his father's house so I am missing him! He went with his brother, Justin, yesterday and will be home tomorrow night. Friday Jeff's parents came for the weekend so they were able to spend some time with the boys then. It was good for them to see Chase more himself and up and about a bit. He enjoyed having them here too. He had kind of a rough time Friday evening for awhile. He broke down a little as did his girlfriend. But after she left Jeff talked with him for a little while and then I went in to talk too. We just keep reminding him of the miracle that he is. We remind him that he's here, he's alive and recovering, he's not going to have much in the way of lasting problems from this (those will be minimal if any). I think he's knows this but it's hard because he wants to be back to normal now. He is working hard to get better though. He's doing what the doctors tell him to do and that's good. He works hard at therapy at home as well as at the rehabilation center. I'm very proud of him and try to remember to tell him that. He gets encouragement from Justin and Breanna also. They try to do what they can to help too. We all love him so much and tell him often. The picture that's on this post is of Chase at home taking a nap with our cat and Jeff (ignore the messy room).

Thanks for still following my blog and still praying for Chase. He's doing well but the prayers and such are still much in need.

Love,
Michelle

Two weeks at home

Well it's been 2 weeks ago today that we brought Chase home. He's made a lot of progress in that amount of time. He doesn't have to wear his TLSO brace for his back during the day anymore. He can walk around pretty well on his own for the most part except for stairs and when he first gets up (due to being a little light-headed). His therapy is going very well. We're in the process of getting the "home and hospital" set up for his schooling to work on getting him back on track there as well. So considering the accident was just over 5 weeks ago and we were told he shouldn't have survived, he's recovering extremely well. It's truly a miraculous thing.

Therapy went well today. He had occupational therapy first where they worked more with getting mobility and strength back in his arm. We've also been working on that at home a couple times a day. He's got a way to go but is coming along and making progress. Speech therapy was working with organizing, focusing, paying attention to detail and things like that. They're still working with the school to get things moving along to eventually get him back to school. In Physical therapy they worked with strengthing his back and also had him walk on the treadmill for 23 minutes. So he's definitely progressing.

Next week I'll be going back to work but not full-time. I'll work when I can and be off when I need to be to take care of Chase. The people I work for are so wonderful to help me and work with me during this time. I'm very blessed to work for a good company and with such wonderful people. Justin and Breanna are settled back into their routine and doing well also.

Last night some boys that are in our church and their leader came by the house and visited with Chase. I think they boys enjoyed the visit and I know Chase did. We enjoyed having them here as well. It was a good positive atmosphere.

I apologize for not posting on here for a few days but honestly didn't have much to post about. I guess that's a good thing. Just remember that fewer posts is the same as "no news is good news". Keep checking in though as we continue with Chase's recovery and progress.

Love,
Michelle

What a day!

Chase had a good but long day today. We left home this morning at about 9:40 AM. He had an appointment with Dr. Butterfield (his orthopedic surgeon) at 10:15. We were there until noon. He had some x-rays done of his leg and arm to see how things were healing. The doctor said that things are looking good but that we need to work on mobility and stretching the muscles out more. We've been working on it but Chase said he'd work harder. He'll follow up with Dr. Butterfield in 6 weeks to see how it's going.

After that appointment we had some lunch and then it was off to see Dr. Warner (his spine doctor, also in orthopedics) at 1:15. He had some x-rays done as well. We got good news on his back. He doesn't have to wear his TLSO brace on his back all the time anymore. So that is awesome! He still has to be very careful though not to do any lifting or bending and twisting his back. He will have to continue to wear the neck collar all the time for now. He'll be going back to see him in 3 weeks.

From that doctor appointment we went straight to therapy from 2:00 to 5:00. He had occupational therapy first where they really worked with range of motion and stretching out his arm. Then he had speech therapy where she talked about making sure he takes 5 minutes "rests" each hour from about 10:00 to 3:00. We also discussed staying on task. Then he had physical therapy to finish off the day. They worked on strength in his legs and balance. By the time we got home at 5:30 he was pretty wiped out. We had him lie down and rest while we fixed something to eat. So he had a really good day but a really long day. We're hoping to get him started on some Home and Hospital schooling soon and work towards getting him back to school (at least for the last month or two).

We sure do appreciate that so many people are still praying for Chase and his recovery. They really do help a lot.

Love,
Michelle

Visitors and shopping

Chase has had a few visitors yesterday and today. My brother and his family along with my sister and her family came for a visit yesterday. They hadn't seen Chase since he was in ICU in a coma. They were very happy to see him up and about. We're happy about that as well. His girlfriend and best friend since 2nd grade stopped by and visited yesterday for awhile too and had dinner over. It was so nice for Chase to get to spend some time with family and a few friends. His personality is coming back quite well too. He's more and more like his old self again.

Today we took the kids to get shoes as they all needed them. Justin and Breanna wore their's out and Chase's were lost in the accident. Chase was a little worried that people would stare at him but we told him if they did it's only because they were curious about what happened to him. He did pretty well and I think it did him some good to get out. A very nice man was sitting next to him on the bench when we were looking for shoes and made the comment that Chase looked like he had a stiff neck. :) Chase told him what happened to him and the man talked with him for a little while. It made Chase feel at ease. He commented on how nice the man was later on. Isn't it wonderful to have such kind and considerate people out there?

This afternoon another of Chase's friends stopped in a for a visit. He's enjoyed being able to have a few of his friends come by. He's pretty worn out by the end of the day though. We're doing some therapy at home with him and also just enjoying spending time with him and having him here.

That's it for today. It's late and I need to go set my clocks ahead before I go to bed.

Love,
Michelle

What a difference a day makes!

Chase started feeling better last night. He had a couple of his friends stop by and play a game with him so that really cheered him up. He enjoyed that. He also slept well last night. He went to bed around 9:45 PM and slept until almost 5:00 AM. That was nice. I got up and gave him something light to eat and some pain medication and then he went right back to sleep. So I took advantage of that and did the same.

Today had actually had a pretty good day. He's having to take less medication and he's not sick anymore. His doctor had started him on some ritalin and was going to combine it with an antidepressant but then thought that was what was likely making him sick. So he had us take him off of it and see how he did. Well as I said, yesterday and today we didn't give it to him and he's no longer nausiated. So I think we found the culprit. :) We're also not having to give him pain medication as often either so that's great! He was eating better and drinking more as well as being in better spirits.

He had speech and physical therapy this afternoon and it went quite well. In physical therapy they worked with balance and coordination. Then in speech they worked with more problem solving skills, staying on task (attention & staying focused), some math and organizing thoughts. All in all it was a little slow but he did pretty good.

Now we're back home and he's pretty wiped out so he's resting. Stay tuned for next time.

Love,
Michelle

Rough couple of days

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but Chase has been pretty sick and I've not had much time to do anything but take care of him. I would like to post about his therapy on Monday afternoon though. He had "Speech" and Occupational therapy. Occupational therapy went well. He had to do some puzzles and pinching/squeezing measurements with his hands. She also worked with movement and range of motion in his arm. During speech therapy he did some math, memory exercises, problem solving, word finds and things like that. The speech therapist wants to contact the school and see about setting up some home hospital schooling for him soon to try to get him back on track there. We want him to be able to graduate with his class next year so we'll work on that.

Yesterday he wasn't feeling well most of the day and by later afternoon was quite ill. He's had horrible nausia and been vomiting. I feel awful for him but unfortunately there isn't much we can do. I'm hoping that he'll start feeling better soon and be able to hold down food and liquids. He's a little better this morning but not much. His spirits were better Sunday evening and Monday but getting sick has brought him back down again. We're praying for him to start feeling better soon.

Please keep those prayers coming Chase's way. He sure could use them. Thanks so much!

Love,
Michelle

A good night

Chase came back from his Dad's house about 5:00PM last night. He was in good spirits when he got here. His girlfriend, Jessica, was here when he came home and that made him happy. We played some games together and had a nice dinner provided by a close friend of mine. And by the way, thank you to all of you have brought dinner in to us. It has been a big help! All in all it was a good evening.

Breanna and I went to Sacrament meeting yesterday and both bore our testimonies. We both felt that we needed to do that and express gratitude. It was so nice to see our ward family. We've missed them all very much. Jeff was unable to attend because he had the flu. He seems to be doing ok today so luckily it looks like it was a 24 hour thing.

Chase woke up this morning in pain and upset. I got him some breakfast and pain medication and now he is sleeping again. I hope we can keep his spirits up. We'll give it our best. It makes him happy to know that he has so many people routing for him and praying for him. He is very grateful for that and expresses it to us.

Today he will have occupational and speech therapy in the afternoon. I'm sure that will go well. He's doing a remarkable job with everything.

Thanks so much everyone!
Love,
Michelle

Second Day home

Chase is doing pretty well at home. Tonight he is at his Dad's house with Justin spending the night. Vince wanted to take them over night. It's good to give him a sense of normalcy I think as they would ordinarily have gone there this weekend. Chase is coming along well with things although he's struggling with some depression. That seems like a pretty normal response considering everything he has been through. He cries occasionally when he is hurting or when he starts thinking about what's happening. He hates his back brace and neck brace and is hoping that he doesn't have to wear it too long. That would be nice. But we'll see what the doctor says on the 9th of March.

Physical therapy went well yesterday and the exercises we're doing with him at home are going well also. We keep reminding him of the wonderful progress he's making and how far he has come. We also remind him of how blessed he is to be here and to be able to recover. We're blessed to have him here and so very grateful. He's amazed at the number of people who are praying for him and supporting of him and our family. He simply says "Wow" when I tell him about it. It's wonderful and a huge part of his recovery.

Chase's 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Glade, stopped by to see him and brought him some taffy (her husband is president of Taffy Town). He loved seeing her and I think it meant a lot to him. Thanks to all who have so generously offered prayers and love and support in various ways. We're very grateful for it!

Love,
Michelle

Chase comes home!

Good Morning everyone!
Chase got to come home yesterday afternoon. He had a full day of therapy before that and did very well. He will be going to physical therapy this afternoon and then to occupational and speech on Monday. After that we'll find out when we're there Monday. He was so excited to come home. He kept asking yesterday at the hospital "Can we go now?" :) Finally we got to take him to the van and bring him home. I asked him on the way if he was happy to be out and he said "Oh yeah!" Our little dog went bolistic when we got him home. I've never seen her so happy. The same went for our cat. They both slept in his room while he was gone.

This is going to be a learning experience for us as well as Chase. We'll be doing some exercises and things with him to help him along with is progress here at home. We've made a few changes to the shower/tub to accomadate him and otherwise haven't had to make too many more. He had a few moments where he was struggling because he wants things to be normal like they used to be. We assured him that we would be here the whole way to help him get back to that. That made him feel a little better. He still feels like it's all a bad dream that he would like to wake up from. If only it were that easy.

We got to have dinner together last night at the table. That was really nice and he enjoyed it a lot. He asked us at the table if he could say something to the whole family. Then he said "I love you all!" It's truly awesome to have him home!

Love,
Michelle

Great News!

We got word last night that Chase gets to come home tomorrow. We're so happy to get to bring him home. He's just thrilled. He's been asking to go home since he's been in rehab. When I left tonight I told him it was the last night that we had to leave him there. He liked that.

We'll be taking him to out-patient rehab now about 3 times a week I think. Then we'll also be working with him at home ourselves. The therapists should talk with us tomorrow along with the doctors to make sure we know what we're supposed to do once we get Chase home (at least I hope they do).

It's amazing to me how far he's come in just a little over 3 weeks. He truly is a miracle! I've always believed in the power of prayer but now I'm a solid believer in it as I've seen what it can do with my own eyes. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for Chase because the prayers are working. I hope that you'll continue to pray for him as he continues to recover. I'll continue with the blog too so that you can all keep up on his recovery.

Thanks so much!
Love,
Michelle

Good Day

Today was a good day. I didn't post yesterday because I didn't have a lot to add and was too tired anyway. But today I have things to write about. Yesterday Chase had an MRI on his spine but we didn't have a chance to talk with the spine doctor yet (Dr. Warner). We did find out that it looks like he just has a couple of fractures. We're not sure how long he will have to wear his neck and back braces. We're hoping they can tell us more maybe tomorrow. We'll also be talking with his orthopedic surgeon about his arm. He has some calcium building up in the muscle making it kind of hard and painful too. It's affecting his mobility some as well. This may or may not require surgery down the road 6 or 8 months.

His therapy went very well today also. Jeff was there for the morning sessions. His speech went very well. The therapist said that he no longer has PTA (post traumatic amnesia- affecting short term memory). He still has a little trouble with memory and other things but he's coming along well. I was there for the 2nd physical therapy and occupational therapy. During physical therapy we took him outside but it was cold so he didn't want to be out there. We walked a little outside and then wheeled him inside. From there we walked to the gift shop where he asked for a candy bar. Vince was with us and bought him one. He enjoyed that. Then we took the elevator back upstairs to his room. For occupational therapy we went in to another room and played "rock band" (on the Wii) with another patient. Chase liked the guitar the best. He did pretty well. We all played on "easy mode". He tried the drums too and even sang. Jeff and I both tried the drums and sang too. It was actually pretty fun. The girl that was in with us had a lot of fun also.

The doctor and the social worker talked with us and said that Chase can come home in a couple of days. We were surprised! I was not expecting it to be this soon. We were figuring on another week at least. But the therapists and the doctor got together today and discussed things and feel that he's ready for outpatient therapy at this point. So now we're scrambling to get things ready at home for him. I know he's going to be so happy to be home. I'm excited to have him coming home too but a little nervous at the same time.

Most likely school will be out of the picture for some time (maybe the rest of the school year). We'll be talking with his couselor about what our options will be at this point.

Whew! I think that's about it. So good things are happening and he's coming along with his recovery nicely. It's hard to believe the accident was 3 weeks ago today. He's come a long way, but still has a ways to go.

Thanks to everyone for the continued love and support and for all the many prayers going out in our behalf. We truly appreciate it!

Love,
Michelle

Rest day

Chase didn't have to have physical therapy today. He only had a half hour each of speech and occupational therapy. They kind of take it easier on the patients on Sunday. So he was able to mostly relax today. He seemed more like his old self than he has. It was so nice to see that. Jeff wanted to fix dinner at home and bring it to the hospital so we could have family dinner together. Chase loved it but said that it made him want to go home even more.

There wasn't much new going on today but that's kind of nice sometimes. He needed a relaxed day. When we left for the night he didn't want us to go. When we were leaving he started to cry. So I went back and cried with him and hugged & kissed him. I miss him. We'll all be glad when he can come home.

Love,
Michelle

Good and Bad

Chase started out having a rough day today. Jeff was there in the morning for his therapy's while I did a few things that needed to be done here at home (unfortunately life doesn't stop for us). He said Chase didn't want to do his therapy and yelled a lot (swore too) and got pretty agitated. I was there for most of the therapy today. The second session of physical therapy wasn't so good. He didn't want to do it at all. He kept saying he wanted to go home and even cried a little. He would yell really loud and smack things, throw the ball away, etc. We told him it was like school. He has to go to school and learn the things he needs to know, just like here. He said if he was in school he could just drop out and go home. ;) But then Vince told him he wouldn't want to do that. He was in some pain and frustrated. I had a hard time seeing him that way too. It truly breaks my heart. I wish I could do this for him. As a Mom I always want to take away my children's pain, sickness, sadness and trials. But I can't do that. I hate feeling so helpless that way.

During speech therapy he did a little better. He still got a little frustrated but not as much. They mostly worked with memory today. I think he did pretty well. In occupational therapy he had to do an hour but he played with a Wii. He actually enjoyed that. He played tennis against Breanna and Justin. Then he played bowling against Justin and Jeff. He kicked their butts and laughed a few times too. It was nice to see him smile. Then he played a round of golf against Jeff. He got a little agitated a couple times but not bad. After that he got a break and ate some dinner and watched a movie.

He had an x-ray on his arm to make sure things were looking good there. All seems to be good so far. His CNA gave him ice cream for doing such a good job in x-ray. He loved that.

So things started out on a tough note but ended on a good one. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I was proud of his progress today and made sure to tell him that.

Love,
Michelle

Two steps forward, one step back

Today was a little bit tougher day for Chase. He was tired, in pain and didn't want to do his rehab stuff. But he did it anyway. He got upset and frustrated but made it. He's a trooper. I am able to be there in the afternoons during the week so I get to do the second physical therapy and usually get in on some speech therapy or occupational therapy. They're really cool about scheduling some so I can be there. He struggled a little in physical therapy this afternoon. He was hurting and upset. It broke my heart and I had to really try to hold back my emotions for his sake. It wasn't easy. A couple of times I had to turn away so he wouldn't see me upset. I don't want to upset him. He was more agitated today than he's been since he has been in the rehab center. Once he got settled down, had something for pain, something to eat and a little nap, he did better. I know when the time comes he'll be so glad to come home. We'll be glad too when he's ready.

I add pictures sometimes after the posts so be sure to check them out.

Love,
Michelle

Day #2 in Rehab

It's hard to be at work during the morning (until 1:00) when I want to see Chase but in a way it's good too. It gives me a sense of normalcy. I think we all need that. About 7:30 AM I got a phone call (was getting ready to leave for work) from the Intermountain Medical Center (hospital). I was worried at first wondering what happened. Turns out it was Chase calling me from his room with the help of the CNA that was sitting with him. I answered the phone and he said "Hi Mom". I was pleasantly surprised. He called because he wanted to see me and asked if I was coming to visit him. I told him that I would as soon as I got off work. He said ok and I assured him that Jeff was on his way. What a fun way to start off my day. He still calls me Mommy most of the time right now. He hasn't called me that since he was like 4. I kind of like it. :)

His rehab went well today. I miss the morning stuff but Jeff has been there for it. He says he's doing well and is good to call me at work and let me know how things are going. I was there for physical therapy and speech therapy in the afternoon. During physical therapy they had him stand and bounce a ball to him to see if he could catch it and bounce it back. He did well with that. He also had to walk down the hall a little way. He didn't want to but finally did. The therapist had him stand and sit slowly. She wanted him to do it 5 times and he said no. So she said 4? No. 3? No. So she asked him how many times he would do it and he said 1. ;) She talked him into 2. During speech therapy they worked on memory and reading. He did well with that. He was supposed to do some math too but struggled a little with it. All in all, a good day though.

Chase is also eating better and is able to drink regular liquids today. He likes that. He wanted Dr. Pepper and water (also had some chocolate milk).

The rest of us are doing pretty well considering everything. I always say that when Chase has a good day, I have a good day. Today was a good day.

Love,
Michelle

First Day of Rehab

I went back to work today. I am working from about 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM or so until Chase comes home from the hospital. Then I'll probably take some time off to stay home with him as he'll need 24 hour care for awhile. I was happy to get up to the hospital to see Chase when I got off work. I missed him so much! I missed the morning rehab and the first afternoon (Physical therapy) session. I was kind of bummed about that but I did get to be there for the 3:30 Occupational therapy. Jeff and Vince were there for the rest of the stuff and said he did very well. They wore him out so hopefully he'll sleep well tonight. During the Occupational therapy they had him do different types of puzzles, which made him really have to think. He did pretty well with that. He got to wear a t-shirt and pajama pants today so he's not in a hospital gown anymore. That's better too. The therapy team said they would make his physical therapy a little later so that I could be there for it. That made me happy. :) He's eating better and fed himself today. I think they'll be able to leave the IV out since he's drinking fluids (even though they're thick).

It was so nice to see Chase a little more like his normal self today. It did my heart good! I have missed him. He loves to have his feet and hands massaged so we get to do that a lot. We like it though. He's supposed to get a massage tomorrow in addition to the rehab stuff. He'll love it!

Our Bishop and Mike Hansen came by and gave Chase a blessing tonight. It was wonderful! Chase liked seeing them. I think they were glad to see him too.

Well, I'm tired so it's time to end for today. I look forward to tomorrow and seeing how he progresses. We have been given a miracle in our boy, Chase. He is proof that they exist and that prayers work. Thanks to all of you out there praying for him. I am so grateful to you all!

Love,
Michelle

Movin on up

Today was an eventful day. Chase was sitting up when I got to the hospital. He was getting his hair brushed. He also was able to go into the bathroom 3 times today with help and use of a walker. He is able to use his right leg some now but still not his left arm as it has only been 5 days since the surgery on it. He was smiling big cheesy grins at us earlier. It was pretty cute and made us all laugh. He had a really good first half of the day. The second half of the day he was pretty agitated and upset. We're told this is all normal and will get better with time.

He had pulled his feeding tube and IV out last night so they did a swallow test on him to see if they needed to put the feeding tube back in. They decided to leave it out. So today he was able to eat some actual food and have some thick liquids to drink (like nectar). He was happy to get something to eat and drink.

The best part of the day is that he finally got moved up to the 12th floor for rehab (key in theme song for the Jeffersons)! We are so glad he's up there now and can start making even more progress. He is still not able to have visitors though. They want to limit it to just a few family members. We were told the visitors are distracting and cause too much stimulation. So for now it will still be only family. He will start the rehabilitation tomorrow. Yeah! :)

I am going back to work tomorrow working half days until Chase is out of the hospital so as not to use up all my PTO time. This way I will be able to have some left so that I can stay home for a bit with him when he gets home. The doctor said he will require someone to be there with him for 24 hours for awhile.

So, onward and upward (literally). Keep the prayers coming please. He's coming along but still needs your prayers. Thanks so very much!

Love,

Michelle

President's Day

Chase did pretty well today. They took the catheter (I hope that's how you spell it) out, but he has had difficulty peeing. Jeff finally was able to get him relaxed enough to do it by having him close his eyes and listen to him slowly pour water from a pitcher into a cup. It worked! He has been very agitated off and on throughout the day mostly because it's his way of letting people know that he's in pain or that he's uncomfortable. Unfortunately with that comes a lot of swearing and other things. We know that's not normally how Chase would be and we're told it's all normal for people with head trauma. He is making progress though and has already come a long way. We still have a long road ahead.

Hopefully he'll be able to move to the rehabilitation center soon and continue with even more progress.

Justin and Breanna are handling things quite well also. They really struggled the first week but since he woke up they've both done much better. They went back to school last week and are doing well.

There has been such an outpouring of prayer and love and support from so many people. We are overwhelmed by it all. An example is that a dear friend of mine (Gil) flew here from Texas to see us and offer support for us and for Chase. I met Gil and his wife Alli through a company I do fitness coaching through. Alli is my coach. When they heard that Chase woke up last Monday, Gil said he wanted to fly out here to show support to me and to Chase. I was surprised by his visit along with another mutual friend that I've been trying to meet in person who lives here in Salt lake (Jay). They showed up together at the hospital last Thursday and took us to lunch today. There are many examples of love and support coming from many, many people! Thanks so much to everyone! Please keep praying for Chase. The prayers are working. He's truly our miracle boy.

Love,
Michelle

I'm going to live

Chase had a pretty good day today. He was awake for quite a bit of it. He's able to have water from a small sponge on a stick now in addition to the ice chips. He really likes the pink sponges because they're flavored like bubblegum/mint. He wanted to watch Animal Planet on the television for awhile. There were giraffes on with a baby that he really wanted to pet. He also liked watching about puppies and kittens. He still is a bit demanding in wanting things right now! We still get to hear him swear and talk a bit inappropriately but we're told this is all very normal for head trauma patients. I'm sure learning a lot that's for sure.

He had some physical therapy today and she had him stand for a little bit with help. He is not able to put any weight on the right leg or left arm yet though as they are the ones he had surgery on. But one of the times he stood, he was asked to watch the clock for 30 seconds and was able to stay that long (barely). The other times he wasn't as cooperative. It wears him out and he usually sleeps for awhile after.

He had some x-rays on his spine to check to make sure there were no more fractures than originally thought and they did not see any more. We were glad to hear that. He had an ultrasound on his arm because it is still so swollen. It did show some superficial small blood clots near his wrist but they said the body should absorb them. He now has a bracelet on that says not to use the left arm for anything (blood pressure, injections, blood draws, etc). He is being given some blood thinner to help prevent the blood from clotting and he has these braces on his legs that squeeze when they inflate and then release to keep the blood moving. This also helps with clotting.

The reason for the title of this entry "I'm going to live" is that earlier today Chase looked at us and said "I'm going to live". I said to him "Yes Chase, you are." He then said that he knows he's going to live. What a sweet thing to hear from him. He said he has good friends and good foot rubbers and water givers too. We've been rubbing his feet and feeding the ice chips and water sponge.

Thanks to all for the constant prayers and love coming our way. It's helping so much so please keep them coming.

Love,
Michelle

Day #12

Chase had a pretty decent day today. He was swallowing better, his lungs sound pretty good and the therapy he had went well. He wished me a Happy Valentine's Day when he found out it was today. It was my turn for the hug when he had physical therapy. I loved that!
He was pretty "with it" today for the most part, but is still easily confused and sometimes doesn't make much sense. He's been calling me "Mommy" quite a bit too. I keep hearing all of this is normal but it doesn't make it easier to see him this way. I miss my Chase. I can't wait to have him back. I am very grateful that he's here though and thank the Lord every day for sparing him.

He will be evaluated by the Physical therapy team on Monday and then they'll let us know when he will be moving to the 12th floor (Rehabilitation Center). We're thinking it will be on Tuesday, but don't know for sure yet. At that point he'll be in his permanent place there until it's time to go home.

Well, that's it for today. Another day down and closer to recovery.

Love,
Michelle

Friday the 13th

Chase has moved to a new room now. He has 24 hour supervision as he is still so easily agitated and tries to move around too much. He has to be strapped down to keep him from trying to sit up and to keep him from pulling his tubes out and hurting himself. He's pretty confused still but we do get glimpses of the old Chase. Most of the time he doesn't really sound much like him though. Although he does answer the questions they ask him pretty well. He knows who we all are and he knows he's in the hospital.

When the physical therapist was in with him today he had him just sit on the edge of the bed with help. He leaned over to Jeff and put his head on his shoulder and patted his back (first hug). Jeff and I both started to cry. When I was sitting on the couch in front of the window, the therapist asked Chase to look out the window and tell him what he saw. His response was "Mom". :) He continually asks for water but can't have it yet as they are working with swallowing and are worried about him aspirating it into his lungs thus resulting in possible pneumonia. The therapist told him this when he was asking for it. Then Chase asked again. When he asked him if he remembered why he couldn't have it Chase swore at him and told him he was mean. But then shortly after he did repeat the reason correctly. He reminds me of a small child right now (except for the swearing part).

Some days I deal with things fairly well and some days I don't. Today I didn't. I just really struggled with everything. I cried quite a bit... I have days like that (too often).

Well, time for bed because once again, I'm exhausted! At least we're moving forward now. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. We couldn't do this without all of you!

Love,
Michelle

Another surgery

Chase had another surgery on his arm/shoulder this morning. The surgery was 3½ hours and a lot of work for the surgeon but it went well. He now has about 14 screws and some plates in his left arm. I guess he's going to need some kind of medical card explaining this if he ever wants to fly anywhere. He isn't in as much pain now that they have mended his arm, so that makes me happy. Now we can move on to healing.

They tried to do an MRI today to better view his injuries to the spine and head but he wouldn't hold still for them to do it. The last one they did wasn't very good either for the same reason... too much movement. Maybe they'll try again tomorrow. I doubt they'll have any more luck though. Chase is pretty easily agitated and moves around a lot.

Well that's about it for today. Nothing else has changed much so I'll leave it at that.

Love,
Michelle

Day #9

Chase had an ok day today. He got over-stimulated with too much going on and too much visiting. His girlfriend, Jessica, was there and spent quite a bit of time with him. He also had Jeff and I and his dad with one visit from Grandma. By later in the afternoon he was pretty agitated and we had to back off and give him some rest. The nurses told us that the only people allowed to see him for the rest of the day was his 3 parents.

Not even his girlfriend was allowed to see him again. They told us that they really don't want anyone but family back there anymore until he is out of ICU and even then his visits will be very limited. He has some pretty good head trauma to recover from although he is coming along well. He just can't be stimulated too much and needs a lot of rest.

He was asked questions like "Who is the President of the United States?", "What year is it?", "What is your full name?", "Do you have brothers or sisters and what are their names?", etc. He passed with flying colors so that was great.

I had a hard time today with the fact that sometimes he's great and seems normal and sometimes he's just angry or doesn't make much sense or says very inappropriate things (like swearing a lot). The nurses and doctors tell us it's all normal but it's still difficult and takes a toll on me.

He'll be having surgery on his arm/shoulder tomorrow morning. They'll be putting in some pins and plates from what I understand. It will be the same doctor who repaired his leg that will do his shoulder.

Well, I'm exhausted and ready to drop so I'm going to call it a night. Keep the prayers coming... we feel the power of them and feel of your love.

Love,
Michelle

Day #2 of consciousness

Today was a good but exhausting day. Chase is awake but gets really agitated and is a bit demanding. When he wants something he wants it NOW! We're trying to be acommodating. :) I got to hear him say he loved me a few times today again. Once he even was the first to say it to me. That was so cool!

We asked him if he remembered what happened to him and he shook his head "no". Then he asked me what happened. I told him and he asked when. I said "It was a week ago today. You've been in the hospital for a week." He just said "Wow".

The doctors took x-rays of his left arm/shoulder this afternoon and we got the results of them back tonight. They showed us the x-rays and his shoulder is broken. It's very obvious on the x-ray. They will have to do surgery on it to repair it. (sigh, another surgery) I think they may do it tomorrow. We were told in the beginning that this might happen... finding more injuries once he woke up. Now he can tell us where it hurts.

So keep those prayers coming please! He still has such a long road of recovery ahead. We need all the help we can get.

Love,
Michelle

Good News!

Well after going through a living nightmare for a week, we got some good news today. Chase woke up!!! He's out of his coma! It was so awesome! We were getting ready to go to the hospital when I got a text from Vince (Chase's dad) saying that he was waking up. So we hurried to the hospital to see him. When we got there he was just waking up. The trauma doctors were all there and there were smiles all around. Jeff, Vince, the nurse and I all hugged each other. I was crying tears of joy! He was kind of in and out today. He'd be awake and then get worn out and go back to sleep (but not unconsciousness). He was asking for water because he was very thirsty. I was able to moisten his mouth with a little sponge but that's about it. He kept saying "More". But the doctor said even that was too much as he could aspirate it. So then when he asked for water I said the doctor said he couldn't have it. He just kept saying "Water... Please mom!" (whispers) It broke my heart to not be able to give it to him. Vince asked him to open his eyes for me and he shook his head no. Earlier this morning he gave his nurse the "one finger salute" again. She asked him if he was flipping her off and he shook his head yes. But the doctors said they look for head trauma patients to flip "the bird" and cross their legs. He was doing both. :)

Chase slept most of the afternoon because he wore himself out. Then tonight when we went back after our "break", he was awake again. The nurse was cleaning him up (sponge bath and hair washing) so he asked us to help. I loved helping as I've felt so helpless. That woke him up pretty good. He was more alert tonight. He started asking me for water again. He would just beg me saying "water, please mom". I so wanted to give it to him but told him he couldn't have it. He asked me why and I said that it makes him choke. He shook his head no. I also got him to look at me and told him I loved him. He said "I love you too Mom". Wow! I was elated! His back doctor was trying to get him to move his arms though and his lef arm was giving him some trouble. It was painful so they will have to investigate further what's going on there. He said it's common to find other things after they wake up. He finally fell asleep after a bit and we had to come home. I literally had to drag myself away.

All of the many, many people praying for Chase is working! I can't thank you enough for the prayers and love and support. Please keep them coming as we still have a long way to go. But at least he's conscious!

Love,
Michelle

Sure doesn't feel like Sunday

Today Chase was moving around more, but he wasn't thrashing like he was on Friday. He was coughing a lot and the nurse kept having to suction out his airway. He is still on the ventilator but most of the breathing is being done by him. He squeezed my hand tonight when he was coughing and having a hard time breathing. When I would try to let go he would hold on tighter. I guess he needed me there. This morning the Trauma doctor said that they had found by looking at the MRI further what looks like more little spots of bleeding in his brain. He said that is probably why he's not waking up or responding very well other than to some stimulus. But he also said that he still feels Chase will wake up but likely not for awhile. Looks like it might be awhile before I get to look at those baby blues for more than a quick flutter. He has had a fever for a couple of days now so they keep a fan on him and give him tylenol on occasion. His outer wounds that are visible are healing and are looking better.

I met the mother of the young man who hit Chase today. It was a very emotional meeting to say the least. She simply wanted to meet me "mother to mother" and express how sorry she and her family were. She wanted us to know that they are praying for Chase. I know her son is going through a very difficult time as well.

Keep the prayers coming. I know they are helping. Thank you all!

Love,
Michelle

Day #5 of our Living Nightmare

Today was quite a bit calmer than yesterday. Chase hasn't woken up yet. He didn't have any tests done so that was nice. He wasn't moving around very much. I guess he was exhausted from yesterday and all the moving and thrashing he did. I know I was! He was pretty quiet most of the day. The doctor told Chase's dad that the MRI looked like there might have been further damage to his back after all. He still thinks that for now he should just need the brace, which was placed on him this morning. He had a pretty high fever tonight and his blood pressure was elevated. His breathing was more rapid also. That scares me. I was holding his hand earlier and whenever I would try to let go he would grab it again. So that was good and it sure made me feel good too!

Another day down, don't know how many more to go. I'll check back in later. Right now it's time for bed.

Love,
Michelle

Update for Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

Feb. 6, 2009 update-

When I got up this morning I called the hospital to see how Chase had done over night. I talked with his nurse and he told me that Chase was stable during the night. He also said that he didn't think Chase likes it there much. He said when they tried to move him he resisted because it was hurting him. He then told me that Chase gave him "the one finger salute". :) It made my day actually.

On that note, the day was difficult. He had an MRI that was a long and lengthy procedure for him as they had to unhook him from his machines and change anything that had metal in it. The MRI took forever! Well, it seemed like it to me. They found no further injury in his back but did find another injury in his brain. They found some "shearing" (I think that's what it's called). That means that there was some tearing causing the nerves to be stretched or even severed. They weren't sure exactly what part of the brain it would affect. They can't tell me what kind of issues it will cause either or how it will affect him. They did say that whatever it does cause if it stays with him for a year then it will likely be a permanent problem. Not really what I want to hear.

He also tried to wake up today a little. He was thrashing around a lot and moving a lot. He was very agitated for a good part of the day. By the end of the day (just before 10:00) we were trying to go see him to say good-bye and the doctor told us that they had just gotten him settled down and we were not allowed to touch him, talk to him or go too close to him. Like I said, it was a tough and long day. He went through a great deal today. I hope tomorrow is better. He will be put in a brace that's kind of like a tortoise shell to keep him from further injuring his back tomorrow. He gets over stimulated easily so we have to be careful about that.

Well, I'm exhausted and it's late so I guess this is it for today. Thanks for all of your prayers in Chase's behalf and for our family. Keep them coming!

Love,Michelle

The Nightmare Continues

It's another day and Chase is still in critical condition and will likely be in ICU for awhile. They are monitoring him closely. He was in surgery for 3 hours the first evening getting his leg repaired. The orthopedic surgeon had to run a rod from his knee down to his ankle in the center of the larger of the 2 bones in the lower leg.

He has some bleeding on his brain/head trauma that they are watching, the broken leg (both bones) on the right, 3 fractured vertibrae, fractured pelvis, severe bruising on both lungs, one partially collapsed lung and lots of road rash and stitches (his right arm has stitches from mid upper arm clear down to his wrist). The orthopedic surgeon had to open up both sides of his lower leg to try to control the swelling so that he doesn't lose his leg.

The paramedics on the scene who brought him into trauma said they're surprised he's even alive due to the amount of damage to the car that hit him. His organs are working well though so that's good. The doctors and surgeons have been wonderful and are hopeful. This was mostly day 1. Day 2 started out badly for me. I had a bit of a melt down in the morning, but I guess that's to be expected. Chase is still in a coma. He has not regained consciousness at all. He does move around a bit when he's hurting but with the medications he's on and all of that, he stayed still for most of the day today. This morning they were able to take him back into surgery and close up both of the incisions on his leg. So far the leg seems to be in pretty good shape. He had another cat scan this evening because he's not responding like the doctors had hoped (thus resulting in another little melt down for Mom).

The CT scan showed nothing worse or better than yesterdays so I guess that's good that it was at least the same. He did move a little bit tonight briefly. The doctor is re-evaluating his pelvis to make sure they don't need to do surgery on that. The spinal doctor will be evaluating his back as well to determine what needs to be done with those fractures.

He will be having an MRI in the morning to better tell what needs to be done there. He's been on a ventilator that they have been able to switch to a CPAP setting during the day, which means that he is doing most of the breathing on his own with a little assistance from the machines. Last night he did have to have a blood transfusion as his blood count was very low. And tonight he's back on the ventilor until tomorrow morning. At that point they'll try to get him back to CPAP mode.

I know this all sounds kind of jumbled and my thoughts are very unorganized. Please just bear with me since I'm typing things as they come to me. I thank you all for your prayers and for your friendship, love and concern for Chase and for my family. It means so much to us! I will try to keep this updated as often as I can.

Love, Michelle

Taylorsville High student hit by car, critical

The Salt Lake Tribune

By Steve Gehrke

Posted: 02/03/2009 06:47:00 PM MST

A Taylorsville High School student was taken to a hospital in critical condition Tuesday morning after he was struck by a car while crossing a busy street.

The 17-year-old boy was crossing 5400 South at 1500 West at 10:47 a.m. Police believe he was on his way from the school to lunch during his break.

Taylorsville Detective Shannon Bennett said witnesses reported the teen was in a crosswalk at the time and was part of a group of three teens crossing the intersection. The first two crossed, and the third boy was trying to catch up when an eastbound car struck him just in front of the Iceberg Drive Inn.

Bennett said both witnesses and the driver told police the car had the right of way and proceeded through a green light.

"The pedestrian just didn't look when he entered the roadway and was struck by the motorist," Bennett said, adding that police had not yet determined whether any citation would be issued or who could be cited.

The speed limit in the area is 45 mph, Bennett said.

The car's driver, also 17, suffered a cut across his head. Bennett did not know whether he was a student at Taylorsville High.

The victim was transported to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition. The driver sought medical treatment on his own, Bennett said.

"The motorist who hit the pedestrian stopped, got out and tried to help the victim," Bennett said. "He tried to provide emergency medical service, he called 911, got the victim a blanket -- he was very concerned about him."