Day 36 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a very bad day, and a very good day.

Regina arrived at the hospital this morning to a very self righteous case manager who was definitely not like the rest of the staff. Regina was told in no uncertain terms that, "Grayson is not appropriate for this facility and must be moved." She went on to say that she was the expert in this matter, and she would not listen to anything that Regina had to say. Until he was moved, she stated that we would have to stay with him around the clock. Nice way to start the day.

Fortunately for us, the physicians are in charge of patient care. Grayson's managing physician assured Regina that he would not be moved until it was appropriate to do so. This was some consolation to a morning of shattered hopes. After all, we have only been there since Thursday night, and to have this sort of greeting first thing Monday morning was highly disturbing.

As is typical of these silly humans, perhaps we forgot about the person we are all there to help – the patient! It is not the comfort of the staff or the maintenance of the status quo that they should be interested in. As Regina worked within the system to try and make the best of things, I took the opportunity to have a very nice chat with the administrative director of the facility. I believe that he and I came to an understanding about patient care and goals. He thanked me for bringing it to his attention so it could be worked – another teaching moment for management. For the record - both Regina and I are home tonight.

Speaking of the patient, Grayson continues to make remarkable progress. The physical therapists were back today. First thing, they got Grayson in a chair, and he was rolled all over the hospital, and outside into the parking lot, He reached out and touched things, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He said, "Hi" today – his first word since the incident.

Tonight, since his sitter is a big dude, the PT staff allowed us to put Grayson in the chair and roll him around the hospital. We put him in the chair at 5:00, and when I left at midnight, he was still in it. He was being pushed all around the hospital. He reached out to every staff member he encountered, he loved watching and touching things. Since he has stockings on his feet, the floor where he has traveled is spotless. However every dust bunny in the place is now in his bed!

His facial expressions are very animated, but we are still trying to figure out what he as telling us. One thing I know for sure – he would do just about anything for a drink of water or a taste of real food! Now we have to eat and drink out of sight, or we risk the pained expression and open mouth that will break your heart. If you had told me a week ago that Grayson would be doing these things, I would have considered you loco.

So now you can see why it was such a very good and very bad day. Fortunately, they are all God's days and He continues to shower us with his blessings.

Pax!

Brant and Regina