Progress is Continuing!

Mom and Bill are really happy to be sharing a room in Westport, which is 1 million times nicer than the dreary rehab at MCV. They are so grateful for all of the cards, visits and support that has been pouring in. Mom passed her swallowing test at St. Marys this past Thursday and is now starting to eat some soft foods. This is a HUGE step in the right direction, and most importantly, she is one step closer to being able to share Bill's love for Whoppers instead of just smelling them. They both say the physical therapy at Westport is much tougher than at MCV, but for the better. They are really making progress in terms of becoming as mobile as possible given their injuries. All in all, things are really looking up!

Good News!

Those of you following the blog may have noticed the drop off in posts. This is good news because it means things are starting to stabilize. It is still a long road to recovery and we know both Mom and Bill will need their friends and family cheering them on.

Mom has moved to Westport as well, and she and Bill are in the same room! The contact information is:

Westport Health Care Center
7300 Forest Avenue
Richmond, VA
23226
Room 217
Phone (804) 287-8714

They both look great and are hard at work in PT, OT and Speech Therapy. Mom's nose tube is out, and we hope she will be eating soon. She also got her neck brace off and she looks 100% better. Bill is continuing to look great and is anxious to get his heel healed.

Please call or visit whenever you can. They are usually in therapy in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoons. Westport has 24/7 visitation and you can bring your pets as well.

Take care!

Bill's moved to Westport!!

Bill successfully moved to Westport this morning. He is in room 208 in the Monarch II wing. His telephone number is 288-7583. He looks great but he misses Mom so he would love some company! Westport is very easy to find. It is right near the corner of Forest Hill and Skipworth diagonal from Henrico Doctors Hospital. Best of all, there is no parking deck, the food is pretty good and visitors can eat in the dining room for $4.25. If you have a chance, stop by and say hi. Meanwhile, here is a picture of Bill that Mitzi Humphrey sent me today. I think it must have been taken around cocktail hour :-)

Thanks and happy holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!

We took full advantage of the beautiful day and ate outside on the hospital patio. Gary and Karen brought in some delicious Turkey Day food and I snuck in some wine. We pulled a table outside and had one of the best Thanksgivings ever. Mom and Bill looked fantastic (whether they think so or not) and it was so great to sit down to a real meal with them. We are so, so grateful they are here with us and the progress, even with the ups and downs, has been truly amazing. We talked about how sometimes it takes situations like this to really make you see what is important in life and how lucky we all are to be here. Sounds corny, but it's true!

Bill is moving to Westport tomorrow. I don't have any specific information yet, but Westport is right on the Forest Avenue diagonal from Henrico Doctors. As soon as we have his room and phone number we will post it. It is a big step forward and he is packed and ready to go!

Mom should not be too far behind. She will need to get a stomach tube before she can go, but it is really not too big of a deal (easy for me to say). She will get localized anaesthesia and it is only temporary. She is doing such a great job with the liquids she does take, we think as soon as the nose tube is out, she will feel so much better and her throat will have a chance to heal.

Happy holidays to everyone. Be safe on the roads and we hope to see you soon. Take care.

Saturday Afternoon Update

Hello All,

Apologies for the delays in postings, I've gone back to work and Karen, Jennifer and John are busy taking care of Mom and Bill and the rehab center.

We are getting close to the next "phase" of their recovery. Upon discharge from MCV, they will be going to another skilled rehab center. We've visited a few, and settled on Westport for 3 main reasons. 1) Dr. Shaia is the orthopedist for the center, and Mom and Bill have used him for previous injuries (the infamous broken leg in Cancun last year). 2) Henry can come and visit at any time. 3) They have "cocktail hour" 3 nights a week, with wine and cheese served to everyone. The place was pretty cheery, and it is right next to Henrico Doctors Hospital so it will be much easier for everyone to visit.

Bill is doing wonderfully and they would like to discharge him as early as the day after Thanksgiving. Mom ended up not having true surgery on her wrist on Friday, but they did reset the bone again and put on a smaller cast. She is still having some complications as she has not passed her swallowing test, so we are wrangling through decisions regarding her feeding tube. Westport will not allow nose tubes, but they will allow stomach tubes. However this does mean an additional surgery. We'd really like to see her have another chance at a swallowing test since she did do better the last time.

Thanks again for all of your support and visits. They definitely enjoy seeing people for short periods of time. And it will be much easier in a few weeks when you don't have to tromp all the way down to MCV. Mitzi Humphrey sent me a wonderful picture of my mom that I really wanted to share with everyone. It was taken this summer at the river. I know she will get back to her old self soon. We love her and Bill so very much!

Wednesday update

There is not much to report other than Mom unfortunately did not pass her swallowing test today, so the feeding tube will stay in for now. They are going to allow her to start on some thick liquids. We've also asked for the orthopedic surgeon to consider fixing her clavicle at the same time as her wrist. It doesn't appear to have set well and it is causing her significant pain. We've not heard back, but the surgery is this Friday.

I wish I had better news to report!

Muriel Anderson Concert this Sunday

We wanted to remind everyone of the Muriel Anderson concert that Bill had been organizing prior to the accident. Muriel is a wonderful artist, and Mom and Bill had her CDs playing constantly the entire time they were in ICU.

The concert begins at 7 pm, and will be held at the Church of the Holy Comforter on 4819 Monument Avenue. Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Plan 9 in Carytown and on Midlothian Turnpike.

You may also purchase tickets at Muriel's website. The link is http://www.murielanderson.com/pages/showTickets.html

Martha Ann Jones, the Musical Director for the Holy Comforter, has been wonderful in stepping in to pick up Bill's responsibilities for promoting the concert. You can find her email and information on the link for the Church of the Holy Comforter: hoco.org

Mom and Bill will be there in spirit, and Muriel has graciously agreed to come to the hospital prior to the show to visit. We know they will be very excited.

Tuesday Evening Update

Hello all,

We wanted to give everyone an update on Mom and Bill's progress. It feels like a bit of a broken record to say I think we are all experiencing many ups and downs, but we are so grateful they are with us and they continue to progress. As anyone who has experienced an illness or trauma knows, lots of days feel like 3 steps forward, 1 step back. We just keep focusing on the 3 steps forward.

Bill is doing very well, and has actually hopped around on one leg a bit with the help of parallel bars. He looks great and had a Whopper and some fries this weekend. He also gets lots of sweets from his granddaughter Erica.

Mom has a big day tomorrow so please keep your fingers crossed. She will have another swallowing test and we are all praying for her to pass. If she passes, she will be that much closer to being off the feeding tube. We found out today that she will need additional surgery on her wrist this Friday. The bones have not set as expected, so the orthopedic surgeon will put a plate with some screws to stablilize the fracture. The good news is she will have a smaller cast and potentially a shorter recovery time for her wrist.

Keep the prayers coming!

Saturday Evening Update

Hello All,

Apologies for the delays in updating the blog. Mom and Bill have completed their transition to the spinal rehab unit, and they are both hard at work! As promised, they are working really hard doing all different kinds of therapy Monday through Friday 9-4. Mom has been working a lot of her speech therapy to help her swallowing. She takes another swallow test on next Wednesday. If she passes, she will be able to eat mostly solid foods. Bill is looking great! He is so svelte, we are considering sneaking him in Whoppers on a daily basis.

We had some initial concerns about the rehab center towards the end of the week, but we think we've been able to work through them and the staff seems very attentive now. The social worker, Amber, is really helping us to decipher all the Medicare, supplemental insurance and long term care insurance, as well as next steps. They should have a projected discharge date this Monday, although it may be somewhat fluid.

They are definitely ready for visitors too! Especially on Saturday afternoons and Sunday when they don't have any schedule therapy. During the week, visiting hours don't begin until 5:30 pm and they are pretty worn out, but short visits would be nice. They are in the North Hospital on the 1st floor in the Rehab Center in room 41.

I know they would really appreciate visits, and they will let you know if they get overwhelmed. They still get tired pretty easily so the short visits are the best.

Thanks so much for all of the lovely cards, we have them posted in the room.

Wonderful News!!!!!!!!!!!

After just a couple of days on the step-down unit, Mom and Bill are being admitted into the Spinal Cord Rehab program at MCV this afternoon. They will both be under the care of Dr. Bill Mckinley who has been truly wonderful throughout this whole process.

Even though it appears that Bill's spinal injuries are much less severe than originally thought, and Mom's are not quite as severe, the program has accepted them. They will have a whole team of therapists for PT, OT, Recreational Therapists, Psychologists and Speech Therapists. Their days will be packed with therapy from 9-4, and then classes and group therapy from 7-9 every night except on weekends. They will long for the days of laying around in their beds!

Once we have more info on visiting hours and telephone numbers, I'll get that posted. Thanks!!

Sunday Evening Update

Good news! Both Mom and Bill have been moved out of the trauma ICU into a stepdown unit. This is a really big validation of how much progress they have made. They are still in the main hospital at MCV on the 9th floor. Mom is in room 212 and Bill is in room 246. I'll have the phone numbers posted as soon as possible.

They both look great! They don't even realize how good they look. They are both extremely determined to start with PT and OT on a regular basis. We are hoping that this unit will provide them with more opportunities (daily would be great) to get that going. Those activities help them feel the progress that we see, so they are very important.

Mom is still on the feeding tube as she has not passed her swallowing tests yet. She is afraid she may be talking too much and using up strength better reserved for her exercises. She wants to see and talk to everyone, but conserving her energy for chest exercises is her #1 priority. She would just really like to be done with the feeding tube. So please don't be offended if she will be a bit slower to start visiting with all of her friends. I know she is sick of all of us for company!

Bill is off his feeding tube completely, but I am not sure he has taken his usual appetite to the hospital food yet. We are going to test out my ipod for audio-books and podcasts tomorrow, and if it works, that may be his early birthday present.

As always, thank for all of your support!

Address to Send Cards

If you'd like to send Anne and Bill a card, the address is:

4307 Cutshaw Avenue
Richmond, VA
23230

Saturday Evening Update

Hello all,

Our apologies for the delay in updating. We had a couple of rough days but things seem to be smoothing out a bit, just another step in a long process.

Physically, both Mom and Bill are progressing well. They are working very hard at their exercises and we are really proud of them. There is a good chance that they will be moved to a step down unit in the next couple of days. The only issue is bed space. The good news is they will get a change of scenery (much needed!) and we think will have more access to PT and OT. They both seem to feel much better after working out.

We will be hoping to ask you to visit soon to lift their spirits and keep them encouraged. They are faced with a tough challenge over the next few months, maybe tougher than what they've been through so far. They will need their friends and family to keep them pepped up and ready to face that challenge.

If possible, I am going to try to figure out how to add some type of calendar to the blog so that when they are ready to really see folks, we can coordinate with everyone to make sure they get a good flow of visitors with spaces to rest in between, not too many people at once, etc... I don't think they realize how popular they are!

Thanks for all the wonderful cards. We can't wait for you to be able to visit them.

Oh and one last thing. To add to the complications of daily life, I took in a stray dog today that I found hiding in the bushes near their house. She is a very sweet, young, but far too skinny and timid mix that may have a bit of pit bull in her. She looks as though she has been on the road a while. But once she warms up to you, she won't leave your side and is very playful! I will be looking for a home for her (my dogs aren't crazy about sharing affection or food), so if you or anyone you know is interested in a really cutie who is need of help, please shout out.

Take care.

October 31 Updates... Happy Halloween!

Thanks for everyone's phone calls, letters, cards, and prayers. Miracles do happen. Dad and Mom are doing better every day. Anne has been able to keep her breathing tube out and she is getting stronger all the time. She keeps asking for Physical Therapy to come do exercises with her! She was up in the chair for two hours today and had alot of activity. A speech therapist is supposed to come tomorrow to study her swallowing and see if she is ready to try liquids and maybe a little food. She is ready for food, exercise, and for things to progress a little faster than they are going. Dad is also doing alot better. He was up in the chair today for a couple of hours, but he had quite a bit of pain with his back brace. Their wonderful nurse, Julie, called to see if his brace could be re-fitted. Dad is getting really bored...and I think he's ready for a few visitors from his many wonderful friends. He has orders to be moved to the step-down floor from the ICU, but we're unsure when that will happen. The MCV staff have been wonderful to us and many nurses and doctors and therapists pop their heads in to visit with Bill and Anne and always remark what a miracle they are.They can't believe how well they're doing after such terrible injuries. Dad and Anne asked about the Muriel concert today and I told them both that tickets were selling and that everyone was looking forward to the event.
Please keep praying and thank you to everyone's thoughts, calls, cards, and visits.
Karen

Tuesday October 30th

Today was an even better day!

Bill requested and received tomato soup for lunch. He gets to eat real food now all day long, but not yet in the evening. He got his brace put on, and even though he doesn't seem to like it very much, it is huge progress towards getting him sitting up and moving around (not weight bearing). Best news? He comes out of ICU either today or tomorrow to a "step-down" unit!

Mom was extubated for the 2nd time, and it looks like this time will be a success. She struggled a bit at first, but then started doing wonderfully. After she came off the breathing tube, she sat in a chair for almost an hour and a half and was completely patient while we all fussed over her. After a pep talk, she is now wanting to know when she gets to start PT and working out. It might be a while before that, but there is a whole lot of fight there. We keep telling her she has to keep up with Bill and get out of ICU too.

They are both AMAZING! A doctor that worked with them the first night stopped by to see how they were doing and was floored by how great they look. We are so excited and happy, it is truly incredible. Thanks to everyone who has been following their progress and praying for them, we cannot express how much we appreciate it!