From Chicago..

Well, I'll be pretty far from what's happening in California for the next week (plus I've already cancelled the internet for my apt!), so when I do have access to internet I'll just be adding my mom's email updates. Just a head's up!

And for those of you who are friends and coworkers of mine in Chicago, if you haven't heard I'll be leaving Chi-town to move home for at least a year to be with my mom and dad. It'll be nice to be close to them and help out through my dad's recovery. Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Hi All,

Tom had a pretty good weekend. He is certainly in the right place thanks to everyone who helped (Kim…thanks), and the efforts of Dr. Dudley (neurologist at Los Robles). I can’t thank him enough for his help and have a new appreciation for families navigating through the health care system, now just need to find a cheaper gas station!!

They continue to wean him from the ventilator, still has pneumonia, fever…all to be expected.

Yes, we are seeing small…sometimes imperceptible changes, but the neuro team there are his best cheerleaders. Today he is having a specialized PET scan to look at brain metabolism. No seizure activity noted on his continuous EEG. Every day is different…no more “toe wiggling”…however we really feel he is more and more aware.

Allie is in Chicago this week getting her apartment cleaned out and settled. Then she will drive back to Simi and will stay here with me for the next year or so. I’m so grateful she is able to do that. Grant leaves for Lesotho next Tuesday for a 27 month Peace Corps stint. A very tough decision for him, but he knows Tom would want him to go. Ben is back in Virginia, working at the vineyard…but plans to try to get back sometime this summer. Looking forward to visits from Tom’s brothers and my sister and nephew.

Please keep up with Allie’s blog…she does such a good job of expressing our feelings (link below…again). She will start up again when she gets back next week.

Thanks again for everyone’s support, love, prayer’s and well wishes…please continue to keep Tom in your thoughts.

As George would say…we are now “Bruckeyes”??....(Go Bruins…!).

A shout out to my brother Bill who is also in the hospital….doing better I hear…keep up the good work bro..!...talk to you soon.

Thanks All

Anne

Go Bruins!

Good evening all!

Ok this one's going to be short, because I'm pretty tired and leaving for Chicago early tomorrow, but we've successfully moved my dad to the Neuro ICU at UCLA Medical Center. Even after visiting for a short time this evening after his transfer, we are already feeling this was a good move. He is a very large, private room, with constant care from a wide variety of staff, all specifically trained to care for patients with neurologic conditions. One thing we find particularly reassuring is that he is being monitored continuously by an EEG machine to keep an eye out for seizure activity (so far, so good).

His activity today was minimal, but he was given meds to prevent seizures during the transfer which subdued him somewhat (oh but he did stick his tongue out at my mom, and moved his toe for Paula). Plus, if I'm tired, think how he must feel...

We are really excited about this move and are extremely interested to hear what his new neurologist has to say about his condition and prognosis (up to this point there hasn't really been any). Although we are aware that this might not mean a huge change in treatment, we are much more comfortable knowing he'll be getting the best care for his condition possible. If the situation were reversed and one of us was sick, I know he wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll keep you posted!

"Can you hear me?"

Well, to answer my Uncle George's question, the picture at the top of this blog is one of my favorites of me and my dad. It was taken at a beer and blues festival (naturally) in Mammoth about a year ago. Over 60 of the state's best microbreweries and unlimited tastings (many repeat trips to the Green Flash tent), so to make a long story short, we all end up passing out in lawn chairs and missing most of the music...nonetheless one of the best weekends we've all had in recent memory.

But on to the big news of the day: I think my dad can hear us! I've been saying it all along, "Oh yeah, I know he's in there. I know he can hear us and he's going to wake up and remember all of this...etc." But I can honestly say now that I was LYING. And the reason I'm comfortable admitting this is that now I actually do think he can hear us. While I was reading to him this morning, I thought I saw his foot move. So naturally I said, "Do that again, Dad. Move your toe." And I swear, he did it again. And then twice more on command!

So he's still not breathing entirely on his own, his hemaglobin is low, still running a low grade fever, and not all of his movements are purposeful (some still cause for concern), but nevertheless I left the hospital this afternoon with...dare I say...a good feeling. Without going overboard, I can say I'm getting a little more comfortable now with the optimism my mom has maintained from day one.

"Turn your face to the sun, and let the shadows fall behind you." -Maori Proverb

One day at a time!

Welcome to Tom's update! In hopes of keeping everyone well informed, I decided a blog would be the best way to share my dad's progress through this difficult time with friends and family. For the many of you reading this with medical backgrounds (because there are quite a few) please bear with me! Please just post a note or send me an email if there are any glaring errors or something needs clarification.

To fill in those who might not be familiar with my dad's recent accident, here's a brief synopsis:

Thursday May 6th, while at his morning swim workout, my dad suffered a heart attack and full arrest while in the water. He was only under water for 15-20 seconds, thanks to the speedy efforts of his teammates, coaches and the lifeguards that pulled him out. Unfortunately, however, he still managed to inhale a decent amount of water and was without a pulse and was not breathing for an undetermined amount of time. He was quickly transported to Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, where he is currently in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) still in critical condition. His condition, however, has much improved from when he was first brought in! In the past two weeks, he is being aggressively weened off the ventilator and is doing well (except for a mild case of pneumonia, which is to be expected); he is tolerating his feedings very well and his digestive tract has returned to normal; his heart (believe it or not) is virtually undamaged, thanks to some pretty impressive collateral circulation around the blocked arteries.

As my mom likes to say, this is going to be his new "triathalon" (ie cardiac, pulmonary, and neuro). Because his brain was without oxygen for an extended amount of time, the neurological repercussions of this accident are still unknown and are of the greatest concern. But like the title of this post says, we are taking it one day at a time. So far, each day, we are heading in the right direction! No matter how slow the progress, it's still progress. After all, my dad certainly is a notorious procrastinator!

Thanks for following his progress, most definitely for all the love and support!