Day 77 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

It was a very nice weekend with Grayson. We got to spend a lot of time with him in his new environment. We watched him prepare a meal with some assistance, do dishes, play cards, read some National Geographic's, and get off campus for a few outings like shopping for some groceries and clothes.

Today we went to church with Grayson. We visited a wonderful small Lutheran church in town, and were welcomed with open arms, even though we sat in someone else's "regular" pew. My home church has a lot to learn about hospitality and welcoming from these folks! We were surprised and pleased that Grayson started singing along with some of the hymns during the service. After services, we passed on the pot luck luncheon and annual meeting and instead we went to lunch at Panda Express – Grayson's first meal out in 11 weeks!

Thank you for all of the comments and emails about Grayson's short video from yesterday. We shared several of them with Grayson before we made the trek home today, and he was very pleased to hear from you. Our parting was bittersweet, as we will probably not be back for a week or two. He is continuing to improve, and we are thrilled at his progress. God is blessing us richly!

Pax!

Brant

Day 76 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Tonight I have a special message from Grayson to all of you.

I believe that there is little that I can add tonight.

Pax!

Brant

Day 75 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Road trip!

Today we got to visit Grayson in his apartment. He had already made dinner with some assistance. Tonight he had chicken and rice with fresh broccoli and salad. By the time we arrived, he had already cleaned and put away the dishes.

He has a weekly allotment of $25 for activities. He chose to spend about half at the billiard parlor yesterday, and he has several opportunities to choose from for the next few days.

After not seeing him for two days, we were pleased at the increased clarity of his speech. Instead of having him repeat everything several times for understanding, we could generally make out what he was saying on the first pass. Everything was faster – his walk, his speech, his understanding, his responses.

Grayson was so glad to see us! He gave us big hugs and was excited to tell us what he had been doing. We delivered mail from home, family pictures to put on his bulletin board, and National Geographic magazines to read. He was thrilled with the new "stuff".

This is a wonderful facility, and after only a few days, Grayson is showing rapid signs of growth. We are blessed to have the opportunity to be here.

Pax!

Brant

Day 74 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today we spent the entire day 100 miles away from Grayson – that was a weird feeling after so long being with him in the hospital. I called to talk to him tonight, and discovered that he was on a field trip – out playing pool! They piled on the bus and went out to a local place to play pool. I am most interested to talk with Grayson to see what he thought of it. Unfortunately, I don't know how much he will remember.

It was fun to talk with Grayson on the phone last night after we got home. First, it is fun to talk with him on the phone! Last week, he couldn't carry on much of a conversation. Now, if you work at it, you can actually understand much of what he is trying to say.

When I talked to him last night, I found out that he had just gotten back from the rec center where they watched the new Michael Jackson movie, "This is It". This was after he had already made dinner, and cleaned up and put away his dishes.

As you can tell, there is lots of activity to keep these guys occupied. I say "guys" because there are women, but not many – only 1 of 7 of the patients is female. Women are just less likely to engage in high risk behavior that is one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI). After observing the patients at the center, and seeing just how many are recovering from TBI, I have a new found respect for, and additional reason to wear, appropriate protective gear when engaging in certain activities. While certainly not the cause of Grayson's current difficulty, we tried to do our best to control our risk factors. From our ski trip in January 2009, here is an unintentional advertisement for ski helmets from the Reed family. Protect your head!

Pax!

Brant

Day 73 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Regina and I spent another day at the facility finalizing details and observing Grayson in his new environment. As I mentioned a few days ago, there is the residential campus where the patients live and a clinic where they work. There is a fleet of special busses that transport the patients between the facilities, roughly a 20 minute ride. These busses go back and forth hourly.

Grayson's first full day of work consisted of a full battery of therapies. As he is a new patient, the first few weeks are going to be focused on getting baseline information down to the minutest detail so that development plans can be created.

When Grayson arrived, a staff member guided him to the posted schedule, had him locate his name, and determine where he should go that hour. First stop was occupational therapy (OT). Grayson was interviewed, had his eyes examined for visual acuity at a gross level and he did some activities to test his fine motor skills. The therapist then guided Grayson to the schedule again so that he could determine where he needed to go next.

Next up was physical therapy (PT). Grayson had his blood pressure and heart rate checked, then hit the treadmill for a workout.

Can we pause here for just a moment? Treadmill? Less than a month ago Grayson could barely walk with two people holding him and someone walking behind with a wheelchair. Wow!

Ok, so back to my story. The therapist fired up the machine at 1.7 MPH and 0% incline. On 3 minute intervals, he moved the incline to 5%, then 10%, then he increased the speed to 2.5 MPH and 12% incline for the final 3 minutes. Grayson didn't miss a beat, or a step I should say. Afterward, he had to sit while his blood pressure and heart rate was checked over time to see how he recovered. He did very well. He concluded his PT hour with range of motion tests before being led to the lunch area.

After lunch, the lunchtime supervisor led Grayson to the schedule so he could determine where he needed to go – cognitive rehabilitation (CR). In CR, Grayson was tested on his ability to put bits and facts together and observations together. I likened it to testing the processor, not the memory. We already know that his long term memory is in pretty good shape. As the concepts got harder he had difficulty putting all of the test pieces together.

His final session of the day was another OT session with yet a different therapist. She took an immediate liking to Grayson, because she is a fellow Trojan! Here Grayson was tested on his fine motor skills. This is an area where Grayson will need a lot of work. His hands, though steady at rest, shake when the brain directs them to do something.

Throughout the day, Grayson was trying to go to sleep. He slept well the previous night, but it is a constant struggle to keep him awake and focused. At this point it could be a med problem, a neuro problem, or just another sign of healing. Whatever the cause, when Grayson is able to focus, he does much better than when he is head down on the table. This is an area that the staff and the medical staff will focus on over the next few weeks.

After we said our good-byes, we watched Grayson get on the bus for the trip to the residential campus, and we hopped in the car for the 100+ mile drive home. The time we spent here was good for us. As parents, we needed to see firsthand the caring and loving actions of the staff with Grayson. We needed to see how they adjusted to his frustration when he was unable to communicate his desires, or when he wanted to do something unsafe. Based on our observations, I know that God has led us to the right place. Why should I be surprised?

Pax!

Brant

Day 72 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was the first full day out of the hospital!

Grayson had a big day. It started as he got out of bed, showered and got himself ready, made breakfast and did his dishes. Then, he made the mistake of lying down. He went to sleep, and no one could get him up for a few hours! He missed the first two busses to the clinic, but was brought by around 11:00 AM.

The first part of the day was BORING for Grayson, as he had to sign all of the admitting forms, with me as the witness. Then he had a nursing evaluation. The day started to improve with lunch, because food is always good, even in pureed form!

The afternoon was a lot more fun.

Cognitive rehabilitation was Grayson's first therapy. Here they deal with speech, learning, and eating. Today after an hour proving that he could do it with supervision, Grayson was cleared to drink all liquids and eat solid food!

Next was physical therapy. Today the entire session was establishing baselines. Grayson showed through his testing that he was doing pretty well with most of his basic balance, walking and stairs. He does show some capability limitation in some balance areas, and that is what they will start working on tomorrow.

At the end of his day, Grayson took the patient bus back to the residence campus. He prepared his dinner with some help, then cleaned and put away his dishes. We were pleased at the way things were going at his apartment. We spent some time talking with Grayson and the staff before playing a game of Kings in the Corner. It was a nice visit, and we left with a comfortable feeling about his new home.

Tomorrow we will make a final pass by the clinic to complete some final details, then we will observe Grayson in occupational therapy before heading home.

So today I feel a bit like celebrating. Here is another clip from "My Fair Lady" – this time Grayson is singing, "Get Me to the Church on Time". Enjoy!

Pax!

Brant

Day 71 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a big day!

Road trip!

After 10 weeks in the hospital, Grayson has been discharged. With much fanfare, and a big farewell from the staff at the hospital, Grayson was wheeled out the door. He was wearing a t-shirt that all the staff had signed, and he promised to come back and visit them. It is hard to believe that he had been at this facility almost 5 weeks!

Today we moved him to his new place – a residential post acute rehab facility. We had a lovely drive over the Grapevine through the snow. Grayson didn't sleep a wink and enjoyed looking at the surrounding countryside. If you know Grayson, on a long drive (greater than 10 minutes) he always fell asleep, so this was unusual.

The facility consists of a residential campus, and a clinic located at a separate site. Last evening we got him settled into his new residence – an apartment that he shares with 2 other young men – and several staff members that watch over them.

The focus at the residential campus is activities of daily living, or ADL as they call it here. The residents are encouraged to do as much for themselves as they are able, including getting ready in the morning, preparing meals, doing dishes, shopping for food, homework, laundry, etc. The staff will do as much, or as little as needed to help them accomplish their tasks. Grayson helped prepare his dinner, helped unpack his belongings, and got himself ready for bed. When we left last night, he was curled up in his bed ready to go to sleep. It had been a big day.

Tomorrow we will go to the clinic to complete the check-in process, and see him at work there. The facility consists of a therapeutic pool, a physical therapy area, an occupational therapy area, a speech therapy area, a nursing area, and a counseling area. I'll share more about it in tomorrow's blog.

Tonight is a bit scary for Mom and Dad, as we are leaving him in the care of new people once again. This time, we have to trust the staff to make sure that they keep him safe. I'm sure that they will, as he is hardly their first patient, but that doesn't reduce our anxiety. Once again, we place Grayson in God's hands for more healing and growth.

Pax!

Brant

Breaking News – 25 January

We just got a call that Grayson is being discharged today, not tomorrow as originally expected. It is exactly 10 weeks since his incident. We will be heading over the Grapevine in a few hours with Grayson in our car as we head to long term rehab, and the next step in our journey. More details in the blog tonight!

Pax!

Brant

Day 70 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Day 70? Wow – 10 weeks in the hospital.

Today was a good day.

Grayson is now chatting up a storm, though he needs constant encouragement to use his consonants so he can be understood. Almost everything has to be repeated to be understood. Tonight, he worked with Regina on some pretty advanced vocabulary, and then he started to read articles to her out of National Geographic. Yep, there is a lot going on in there. Lest I paint a false picture, he has a long way to go before he sounds as good as Dick Clark sounds now after his stroke.

Today we went for a walk outside in the garden area. In the garden area there is a koi pond that we stared at for some time. Grayson thought it quite humorous that the fish came over whenever you put your hand over the water (Pavlov's catfish!) Also in the garden area is a labyrinth that Grayson enjoyed navigating. He did quite well, and it was good for him both mentally and physically. Finally, when we left, we decided to take the outside stairs to the first floor – 24 steps and a landing. He did very well navigating the stairs with little supervision. Great news!

Every night before we leave, we show the sitter our phone numbers over the bed, and tell them to call us if they need anything. As we left tonight, Grayson said, "I'll call if anything happens." I asked him the number, and he rattled it right off!

God continues to show us the way. Tomorrow is likely the final day here before we head off to a new facility on Tuesday!

Pax!

Brant

Day 69 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a great day!

Grayson was as verbal as he has been since the incident. He was also speaking more clearly than he has since he started speaking again. He was reading words and reading sentences out loud. He actually kept talking most of the day. A couple of my favorite, or at least most memorable, lines of the day: "It doesn't hurt. It just annoys the h*** out of me!" (In reference to the band that holds his feeding tube.) "Oh c*** - I've lost a year and a half!" (This when he found out it is now 2010.)

Today was also the first day that we have been able to ask Grayson questions and to find out what he remembers in much greater depth, as he could respond understandably. It also gave us the first clue as to his suspected short term memory deficit. He was able to quickly tell me what the square root of 9 is. As expected, he had no clue where he was. We explained that he was in a hospital, that he had been there 2 months, and we told him the name and the city. A few minutes later we asked him where he was, and he said, "Australia". We explained again where he was, and he repeated it back. A few minutes later we asked again, and he said, "Hawaii". This also held for the date. He couldn't remember the year for the life of him, but he did locate the calendar and was able to look it up. He generally started with 1985 (his birth year) when asked the year. This is exactly what he was like for a week with his first incident in 2004. We get to start working the short term memory issues again, now that we can communicate with him. This part is just as scary as it was in 2004.

The wonderful parade of visitors continues. Today aunts and uncles visited – two of each! This evening we played Kings in the Corner for some time. This was also the first day that Grayson picked up a National Geographic and started reading it. In fact, he wouldn't go to bed until it was sitting on the chair next to him!

In our spare time, we are shopping for new reduced-size clothing for our version 2.0 svelte son. At 5o pounds lighter, none of his clothes fit. He needs at least a weeks worth at the new facility, so we are pulling them together. Regina brought in samples, and Grayson dutifully tried everything on. The returns are going back tomorrow, now that we know what fits!

God continues to lead us gently to new capability, and to new locations. All seem to arrive at precisely the correct time. There is a plan!

Pax!

Brant

Day 68 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another good day.

But first, I forgot to mention that Grayson had a haircut yesterday! His cousin who is in the business, came by to sheer his growing locks. The last haircut he had was just prior to his incident in November, so he was overdue! Here is a post haircut portrait of Grayson and his stylist.

Grayson continues to speak more clearly, but he is markedly better in the morning than he is in the evening. By nightfall, he is just too tired to put in the effort. In a related note, as speech therapy is also the gateway to all things administered orally, Grayson is now taking his medications in pill form orally. This is a huge step, and means that we can now remove the feeding tube before moving him to post-acute rehab next week.

We have had a pile of visitors this week – relatives from both sides of the family, friends from USC and Flintridge Prep, Scout friends, church friends and other friends. Tonight his brother and his girlfriend came by to visit. We played Kings in the Corner and afterward we watched, "The Matrix".

In response to numerous requests for food pictures, here is our attempt. Regina got to the hospital too late to capture the entire presentation, but here is a picture of a partially demolished plate with the pureed peas still left. Note the pureed peas have been molded into a pea-like shape. Grayson helped himself, so there wasn't much left to photograph. This is so cool!

We are very close to our next move. The final touches and negotiations are underway between the insurance company and the facility. Assuming we can get an agreement in place Monday, we could move as early as Tuesday. This is yet again an exciting time as we prepare to close one more chapter and open another. God is leading us in a wonderful direction!

Pax!

Brant

Day 67 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another good day!

Regina arrived at the hospital this morning in time to feed Grayson his breakfast. As I mentioned in previous postings, he is on solid, but pureed, food now. Regina remarked to me tonight what a wonderful job they do with the pureed food. They try to make it look like the real thing by forming the puree into shapes that represent the food. For example, the pureed carrots were formed into carrot looking shapes; the pureed pancake was formed into a pancake shape, and syrup was poured over it; the pureed sausage was formed into patty shapes – wonderful presentation for pre-chewed food! Bless the kitchen staff for their efforts – they are appreciated.

For Grayson, today was a fine motor skill day. He spent a lot of time working with his fingers, and using his speaking voice. He worked at threading a shoelace through small holes, he played cards with this therapist, he worked on writing capital letters – lots of things that sound simple, but to him require massive concentration and focus. At the end of his therapy today, he slept for three hours!

Tonight Grayson had more visitors. One of them is an old friend from church that also went with Grayson and I to the 2001 National Scout Jamboree. Here is a picture of our 2001 Jamboree Troop in front of our gateway at Ft A P Hill in Virginia. (Grayson is standing next to me in the back row.) This old Scout buddy and his sister brought pudding for Grayson – what an added treat!

God has blessed us with special treats from the hospital kitchen, a caring staff that rejoices with every step forward that Grayson makes, and even insurance specialists that are trying to make the choice for our next facility work. All things are possible!

Pax!

Brant

Day 66 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a good day.

Regina arrived at the hospital tonight in time to give Grayson his dinner. As I mentioned yesterday, as long as Grayson eats half of his pureed food tray, he will not have any more tube feeding. That moves us a step closer to getting rid of the feeding tube – the last vestige of ICU, except for the living and breathing part! Grayson needs to be fed in order to be sure that he doesn't aspirate his food. Given the shakiness of his hands, a spoon would be a difficult thing right now anyway. He is supposed to say something between bites so that we know that the food is out of his mouth and not stuck in his throat. When asked if he wanted another bite of something today, he responded, "Yes, please." Score extra upbringing points for Mom!

As I watched him climb into bed and pull the covers up to snuggle in for the night, I was struck by the change over the past four weeks since we arrived here at this facility. When we arrived, he was unable to sleep through the night, he thrashed about, and a blanket was the last thing he would have on top of him. Now, he sleeps calmly, and the only thing that the sitter needs to worry about is helping him if he should jump up to go to the restroom. Things are sure different than a month ago!

Now we are just days away from another move – the next steps on our journey. This will be a 3 to 6 month chapter, as he learns how to start integrating back in to society. We'll pass on more information as we get closer to the move. God continues to lead us in a wonderful direction!

Pax!

Brant

Day 65 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another in a continuing series of good days!

Food is good!! No more tube feeding for Grayson – he is eating! "Eating" is a relative term, but it is solid and it is getting into his stomach through his mouth without the shortcut of the tube, and without bypassing his taste buds! The food is all pureed, but as long as he eats half of his tray at each meal, he is done with the tube. So far, it hasn't been much of a challenge, but did you doubt it?

We now are seeing a string of visitors come by in the evenings. The impending move to a much more distant location is likely spurring the traffic. One of the nurses remarked yesterday, "Isn't it great to see all of these kids?" Lots of college age young adults and recent graduates have been seen on the floor visiting Grayson, and they are on average 20 to 30 years younger than the typical visitor – mostly children visiting aging parents. They do bring the energy level and the noise level up, but it is joyful noise – one that shouts life and hope. Bless you all for coming by to see my boy. You lift the spirits of all around you!

Many of you know that I am an only child, and I never had the blessings of siblings (one of the reasons we decided to have more than one child!) The closest thing I have to siblings are the cousins from my mother's side of the family. One of those wonderful, adopted sisters came by tonight, and it was a joy to see her and her husband. Grayson recognized them, and was intently listening to our conversation tonight – laughing at our funny stories, and joining in as he could. Here is a picture from a few years ago with our boys and two of theirs escaping from the old folks into a hot tub at a family gathering on Boxing Day in 2005. Grayson is in the lower right, in case you missed the clean shaven face!

It really is a joy to see Grayson increasing his capabilities day by day. While he may never get back to where he was prior to the incident, he is making great progress. My prayer now is for God to kindle the fire of motivation in him, then to fan those flames when the going gets tough – and it will get tough. There is no easy way out of this – no pill – no quick fix – just old fashioned hard work to continue up the ladder of capability. That requires strength of will and commitment. I pray for Grayson to find and keep that strength.

Pax!

Brant

Day 64 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a busy day.

Regina went to the hospital to set dynamite under Grayson so that he wouldn't miss any more therapy by sleeping in. It took her a full hour to get him alert, but unlike the staff, she wouldn't take, "No" for an answer! He was showered, dressed, and ready to go when speech therapy arrived. He answered increasingly more complex questions for the therapist, and she was impressed with his progress. The coup de grace was when he was allowed to eat. Today he ate applesauce and drank thickened orange juice. What a treat!! Today we were trained, and we are now allowed to feed him a few select items to help him develop the swallow reflexes and to make sure that he does not aspirate his food. This evening Regina got him some vanilla custard. When I asked him what he was eating, he said, "Crème brulée!" You know, after all this time, that custard cup probably did have the taste of the finest food ever prepared. The fact that he called it crème brulée, tells me that he still has a lot of good things banging around in that head of his!

During physical therapy, Grayson was heading down the elevator with his therapist to some undetermined location. Regina took this moment to take her leave so she could join me on our field trip to the other rehab facility this afternoon. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what adventures they had.

This evening, Grayson's brother and a four of Grayson's other friends and former co-workers from USC's Bovard Auditorium paid a visit. He was again thrilled to have so much attention. Tonight he actually mumbled some understandable phrases in his conversation. My favorite was, "You guys have no idea what I'm saying." All of us laughed loudly, including Grayson, and we applauded his continued efforts to speak clearly.

As I mentioned earlier, we visited the other rehab facility today. It too is a fine facility with a good reputation and track record. It also has the distinct advantage of being "in network", offering an order of magnitude lower cost over the projected stay. We still have more questions to get answered, more prayers to offer, and more soul searching before we can choose, but we will need to make a decision within a few days.

Can you believe that it has been 9 weeks since the incident? Amazing progress has been made, and that wonderful progress has put us in our current facility dilemma. God has blessed us richly to allow us to enter into this conversation that we were never sure would come! It has been a while since I sent a picture, so tonight I give you one of Grayson and his brother taken at the hospital this past weekend.

Pax!

Brant

Day 63 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a mellow day.

Grayson got up around 8:30, with the help of his aide he showered and dressed, then participated in physical therapy. After working there, then walking around for quite a while, he retreated to bed at 1:30 for a 3 hour nap. We woke him at 4:30 so we would be sure he slept the night!

He had several visitors this evening, but he was pretty low energy when they were around. He never really perked up after his nap, and was back in bed before 8:00.

Tomorrow, Regina and I will visit the second residential facility to see for ourselves if we feel it appropriate for Grayson. We pray that the rain falling now is not a bad omen! God has done a good job leading us so far. Let's assume he will continue to do so!

Pax!

Brant

Day 62 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a fun day!

Grayson had a great deal of rest and was refreshed sufficiently to enjoy a long day. When he awoke at the crack of 10:00, he washed, shaved, dressed and walked and walked. By 1:00 he was pooped and laid down for a 2 hour nap. He got up at 3:00 and had occupational therapy. Today he had a special treat in OT – he played Black Jack! He was given quarters, dimes and nickels, and told how much to bet on each hand. This was a great game! He had to be able to pick up and hold his cards, be able to add the numbers up so he didn't go bust, determine what coins to put down to bet "15 cents", then actually pick up coins from the table and put them in the pot. His first hand he was delt an Ace and a 10, and he just beamed. (Note to self – have him work on his poker face before traveling to Vegas.) Good news is that without explanation, he was doing the math. Picking things up was way more of a struggle with his shaky hands and uncooperative fingers.

In Physical therapy today Grayson also had a good day. He threw and caught a large ball today. While in a standing position, he also kicked a ball rolled to him with his closest foot – focus on balance and decision making. Then he did the stairs for the first time. Without instruction, he just went from the bottom to the top, scaring the daylights out of the PT folks. He went up and down three times before that was old hat. He finished PT today with an obstacle course – cones to go around, a step to step on, and something to step over. All in all a great PT day.

Regina and I, along with Grayson's brother, and brother's girlfriend then took Grayson outside for the first time since arriving. We put him in a wheelchair, then went down the elevator to the garden level and went into the garden and koi pond. We were outside for about 45 minutes. He enjoyed watching the fish, but then started getting cold. I told him that he would warm up if he walked a bit, so he got up and walked around for a while. We came to a staircase, and he decided to go up it. I went along, and when he got to the top, he had gone up 24 steps. He turned around and came back down, then plopped back in the wheel chair. He was tired, so we headed back up to his floor.

We went straight to the family area, and Grayson picked out a movie for us to watch. He chose "Casino Royale" and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So did Grayson, because he stayed awake the whole time! Another friend came by and watched the end of the movie with us, then Grayson was done. Off to bed for the night.

So today we were blessed with new activity, new challenges conquered, good friends and lots of love. God again blesses us with His abundance!

Pax!

Brant

Day 61 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a good day!

What a difference a week makes – or in this case, 5 days. I returned from St Louis to see Grayson without a tracheostomy, his beard shaven (except for the goatee and moustache), and standing, sitting and walking on his own with little problem. Wow!

Grayson slept poorly last night, so he was pretty low energy all day. He didn't wake up for speech therapy, and that was too bad for him because custard was on the menu! His next opportunity to eat real food won't be until Monday.

This evening we were visited by his brother and several of Grayson's friends. It was quite lively in the family room as all of us were in there chatting, batting a balloon around, playing games and generally having a good time. Grayson was having a jolly good time, several times listening to the conversation and breaking out into laughter. He also joined in on the conversation at several points and we all listened to him intently, however we had no idea what he was saying. A smile was on his face most of the evening. After about 90 minutes, the energy level of the group became too much for our tired dude, and he retreated to his room – still smiling, I might add!

After shift change, Grayson's nurse for the night came in to take vitals, and thought that she recognized us – well Regina specifically. After talking with her for a bit, it turns out that her full time nursing job is in the Neuro Telemetry Unit of the original hospital Grayson was brought to. She only works one day a week at this hospital, and tonight was her night. She couldn't believe that Grayson was the same thrashing boy that she saw 5 weeks ago in her unit. She was so excited to go back and tell everyone that she too had seen his miraculous progress. Apparently, between Regina talking to the ICU when dropping off the sweets for New Year's Eve, and the visit by one of their respiratory therapists just to check up on him, word has been spreading at the original hospital.

God blesses abundantly one more day!

Pax!

Brant

Day 60 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends,

Grayson's sleep pattern continues to improve and he managed another day of relative clarity. (Even though we couldn't wake him up this morning for speech therapy.)This new calm allows him to be more responsive to trying new things.

Today he started his day with a real shower – not a simple, hospital-type sponge bath but a real, stand and let the water rush over you kind of shower. Ahhhhh.

He battled his therapist in Wii bowling for several frames today and beat her!

His gait has improved so much that we rarely have to support him (unless he's tired). It seems now that he likes strolling around much more than riding in the wheel chair.

Communicating is still a major challenge. He's trying hard but speaks barely at a whisper. We sat together this evening and practiced increasing his volume. At one point I had him join me in do-ra-mi… an attempt to have him modulate his pitch. He joined right in with the words but the pitch remained the same. The real success was that he tried. It's easy to pile on praise when someone tries so hard, isn't it?

We got permission to use one of the computer terminals today. Grayson sat down and started typing away and moving the mouse. The underdeveloped fine motor skills inhibited much success and he quickly gave up but he sure enjoyed this first try. I promised to bring in his laptop so he could explore a more familiar format. These last few days his gross motor skills have steadily improved so that he's not just batting at things anymore even though his hands still shake.

Since the beginning of this journey Grayson has been surrounded by many of God's angels here on earth. Not just really good medical care but people who care about him personally. Grayson has become a real favorite of the nursing and sitter staff. His ready smile and unexpected progress have them all oohing and ahhing each time he passes by the various nursing stations on his walks. They literally stop whatever they're doing and cheer him on.

Several of the repeat "sitters" have become quite fond of him. Yesterday afternoon I came in his room and found him asleep wearing someone's watch. His sitter let him borrow it. Another bought him a bottle of "real" shampoo so that he wouldn't have to use hospital soap. They spend so much time with him, that he has developed real bonds with them. He hugs them, pats them on the head, and shakes hands when they leave after a 12 hour shift. They marvel at his improvements and call it a miracle. Even the housekeeping staff comes in and checks on his progress. Some call him "my boy". What impresses me the most is how many of them pray for him. What an army of love surrounds him.

It is a community of saints that is not afraid to let their light shine. What great examples to all of us.

Grace and peace to you this night. Good night, my friends.

Regina

Day 59 – Grayson’s Condition

Our dear family and friends,

What a wonderful day! In actuality they are all wonderful aren't they?

Grayson was the most alert and responsive that I have seen in eight weeks.

He slept well last night with no additional sleeping aids and the fever has not returned. The color is returned to his cheeks and the antibiotics seem to be winning over the infection. A great way to start the day.

In speech therapy Grayson was treated with applesauce, orange juice and the hospital favorite – red Jello for breakfast. Since he was much more alert this morning than yesterday, his swallow reflex showed improvement. Tomorrow – custard.

In physical therapy he enjoyed a Wii game that worked on core balance. He was actually able to improve his score by several points with the positive feedback the game provides. Three cheers for creative therapists who listened to our input about his love of computers. He still tries to reach for the keyboard at the nurse's charting stations on his walks.

Another first was that he was able to actively participate in two consecutive hours of various therapies this morning and about an hour and a half this afternoon. This is an important milestone that will help improve his progress in the coming months (years).

Early this evening we watched America's Funniest Videos together in the family lounge and he was actually belly laughing at the physical humor for the full half hour show.

When I told him that three friends were coming to visit him this evening, he smiled broadly at their names, put on clean clothes, brushed his teeth, insisted on shaving again and proudly donned his Indiana Jones hat. He stood up to greet them on arrival and walked right up to them with a big grin on his face. He even flashed them the USC "Victory" sign when they played the familiar tune on some kind of puzzle or game. These three friends stayed a good long time, sharing games they'd brought, making balloon animals out of examination gloves (batting them back and forth), and generally being silly. He thoroughly enjoyed the visit though he was visibly fatigued at the end.

During his friends' visit he leaned over and tried to whisper in my ear. Subtle body language made his message clear what his words did not and we retreated for a few minutes to the loo.

Just as Grayson was getting ready to retire, another dear friend of his arrived. Grayson was clearly moved and gave this longtime, well loved friend a big hug. The promise to return this weekend to read one of Grayson's favorite books brought an enthusiastic smile and a thumbs up.

As you can see, it was a day filled with progress, improved physical and cognitive health, and the joy of love freely given and received. A day that even worrisome news of insurance limitations couldn't dampen.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Regina

Day 58 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

What a wonderful day.

This morning the trachesotomy was easily removed and Grayson is now much more comfortable. Not only is his oxygen saturation actually higher but he is able to speak a tiny bit more loudly.

The bonus is that he was able to have apple sauce and thickened apple juice today!! He was able to use his new favorite word "more" several times. His swallow response is still a little slow so the plan is for the speech therapist to continue this delightful treat for him for the next week until she is sure he is no longer at risk of aspiration. Since he is unlikely able to sit still enough for a proper swallow test (and x-rays), this slow approach is the safest.

His other therapy progress was again muted today due to the as yet unidentified infection. It is absolutely true that the longer you stay in the hospital the greater your chance of infection. It is likely the return of the MRSA infection and so he is back on antibiotics. Culture results are checked daily for 5 days so we are still waiting on confirmation.

Wednesday morning an evaluation team for another sub-acute rehab facility will spend a couple of hours with Grayson. This one is located in Pomona. Brant and I agree that as wonderful as the facility in Bakersfield is, we must have something to compare it to. I have a field trip to Pomona scheduled for later this week.

I was informed today that the goal is to have Grayson discharged from his current facility by Wednesday of next week. While this is obviously wonderful news, reflecting his amazing progress, it makes the reality of him moving farther away right around the corner. We have a lot of hard work of therapy to do for the next seven days – if for no other reason than to make me feel more secure when we aren't there to insure his daily care.

Each day is such a blessing and a treasure. There is no way I can describe how overwhelming it is to walk into his room, wrap my arms around him, and feel him hug me back. Something so simple that I will never take for granted again.

Give someone an extra hug today and thank God that you can.

Grace and peace.

Regina

Day 57 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends,

Grayson did not sleep well again last night and as a result it took a fair amount of cheerleader-like enthusiasm to keep him energized and engaged today.

Our current overarching goal is working on stamina – both in terms of physical stamina and the ability to mentally concentrate and stay with an activity for longer periods.

Today's therapies included significant efforts in the following areas:

Grayson bathed and dressed himself, brushed his teeth and SHAVED!! (Yes, he still has his mustache and goatee.)

There was lots of walking, bending (for balance) and balloon and ball tossing with progressively more heavy balls to strengthen his arms.

The whole team is working to encourage Grayson to speak more – and my personal goal is having him discover how to increase his volume (all those years of singing must pay some dividend now).

Grayson spent more time writing today, can say the alphabet and count to 10 (though barely audible). Written word and number matches are getting much easier as he breezes through the exercises. We know they will get progressively more difficult.

Afternoon therapy sessions were interrupted when the pesky afternoon fever spiked again. Concentration quickly faded as the fever rose and yet sleep still eluded him. As a result, the late afternoon was filled with another series of cultures, x-rays, and about six blood tests. Results tomorrow.

The highlight of the day for me was when the doctor authorized the removal of the tracheostomy. After eagerly waiting all day, we received word that the doctor couldn't fit the removal into his schedule. It is now planned for Tuesday morning.

The highlight of the day for Grayson was when the speech therapist gave him several spoons of water. He learned quickly to say "more". What she doesn't realize is that each time he brushes his teeth when she isn't there, he scoops water with his hands to his mouth and enjoys the sweet taste we take so much for granted.

I pray for healing sleep for Grayson tonight and that no serious infection prevents the trach from being removed tomorrow.

I give thanks for a loving husband who is such a good father and I even give thanks for the job that takes him to St. Louis this week. I miss him.

God's grace and peace to each of you this night.

Regina

P.S. Yes, Grayson does know that Pete Carroll is leaving USC. You should have seen the shock on his face. Something was definitely not right in the world.

Day 56 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a quiet day.

Grayson did not sleep well last night, and as a result he was low energy all day. He spent a fair amount of time walking with us, but he was tired. He wanted to sleep most of the day, but his body was not cooperating. He started to run a fever again late today, and we hit it with Tylenol to bring it down. I suspect this is what contributed to his general discomfort and inability to sleep. The tracheostomy continues to bug him, and I hope we can get it out this week.

He is continuing to get steadier by the day on his feet. I now feel comfortable to take him on his "laps" around the wing by myself, and he can stand on his own with little outside help, although he still makes all a bit nervous!

I'll leave you tonight with an image of a furry Grayson from yesterday as he gives the USC "V for victory" sign. I'm pretty confident that he has no idea that Pete Carroll is leaving us!

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 55 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a good day. So was yesterday! I apologize again about not getting a posting out yesterday.

The last two days have seen Grayson continue to improve. His color has returned as whatever bug that has had him in its grip is waning. His energy has returned, and he is smiling more than ever. Yesterday he worked with Regina for a long time relearning how to make consonant sounds. He would watch her intently as Regina would exaggerate the consonants. Some of that paid off today when I tried to stop him from doing something, and he said, "Hurts". I was then able to pinpoint the problem and solve it. How much we take the simplest form of communication for granted.

Today we did some puzzle building, some number matching, and lots and lots of walking. The highlight for me today was when I returned to his room after stepping away for a few minutes. He was lying on his bed with his hands behind his head with a big grin on his face. I was perplexed for a minute until I realized that he was wearing my favorite USC sweatshirt that I had left on the couch. He was cracking himself up, and I couldn't help but laugh right along with him. Yes he is still playful and has a great sense of humor.

The tracheostomy is still bugging the heck out of him, and I hope that we don't go too far into next week before that offending piece of gear can be removed.

Grayson's progress can only be described as miraculous. His sitter today was last with him about 10 days ago. He was stunned by his progress. Today I have no fear taking him for a walk by myself. A few days ago, I would only be comfortable if we had one person on either side with someone with a wheelchair right behind.

I still wonder how much is possible to recover with an anoxic brain event of this duration. It has been difficult as parents as we discovered more about the events surrounding his cardiac incident. We are now able to review the records from his ICD and determine that he was down almost 12 minutes with no circulation. His cardiologist said to me that it is a miracle that Grayson is with us at all, and that few of us could tolerate that much time without oxygen. For the record, the paramedics were dispatched as 11:23, and arrived at 11:28. They performed CPR for 2 minutes before administering defibrillation, and it took two shocks to get him back to a normal heartbeat. By my calculation he went down at 11:18 AM PT, 16 November 2009. This is the second time he has been pulled back from the brink, but this time he has been left in a pretty compromised condition. Perhaps, God is not quite done with Grayson yet. I sure hope not!

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 54 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was – woops – I forgot to post the blog!

Well, Friday was a busy day at work, Regina and I visited Grayson after work until about 9:00 PM, then we went out to a rare dinner by ourselves (not at the hospital cafeteria!), then I prepared to teach a class at church, and then I went to bed and completely forgot to make my post last night. I'm so sorry, but I now have to go teach that class, so news will have to wait!

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 53 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a great day!

Regina and I spent Thursday on the road visiting a post-acute neurological residential facility in the lower San Joaquin Valley. Wow – what a place! It is a wonderful therapeutic facility with areas for physical, occupational and speech therapy. They also have a wonderful residential program focused on the skills required to reintegrate back into society. Each apartment houses 2 to 4 residents in private bedrooms with a common living, dining and kitchen area. One or more staff members are in the apartment whenever a resident is home. Some apartments are for wheel chair users, the rest are for the ambulatory. Each has been completely remodeled for the specific purpose of housing individuals recovering from various brain injuries. But most importantly, the facility has a philosophy that is aligned with ours – to get as much capability as possible back to the individuals suffering with brain injury.

We are still a week or more away from a move, but the work being done now is to assure that there is insurance coverage available for this. I hope and pray that there is, as Grayson can really benefit from a program such as this one.

As a result of being away most of the day, we missed all of Grayson's therapy today. He was very happy to see us when we arrived at the hospital tonight, and had big hugs and smiles for us both. He also looked us in the eye and started telling us a story, but we were unable to understand him. At one point he was actually laughing and telling us something. I sure wish I knew what it was!

So as we turn in to bed for the night, we are hopeful that this new facility will be as good a fit for Grayson as we think, and that it will be covered by our insurance. It is still a week or so away, but it is almost like moving him back to college – without the beer, of course! God keeps leading us to such wonderful places. While we check out His recommendations, He is pretty good at making a good match for us – our personal health yenta but without the gossip!

Shalom! ("Pax" in Hebrew)

Brant and Regina

Day 52 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was a full and busy day.

And, unfortunately, Grayson seems to be back in the grips of some bug. His temperature is on the rise again, he has a lot of gunk in his lungs, and he remains pretty listless between periods of activity. He is sleeping a lot these days, and we are sleeping a lot more than we were as a result!

For Regina, most of today was spent talking with an evaluator and a liaison for a world class neurological residential rehab facility. It was quite an education for her, and they seemed to enjoy getting to know us as well. Tomorrow Regina and I will pile in the car for a 2 hour road trip to the San Joaquin Valley to see if this facility is as wonderful as it seems. Tune in tomorrow for a report!

Today, in spite of his bug, Grayson continued to impress his evaluator and us with his ability to follow directions, his walking and balance, his ability to recognize and match shapes, colors, objects, to point to things on command – an entire range of cognitive ability. While these may seem simple, they are huge in his eventual ability to regain capability. And gaining maximum capability before the insurance gives up is paramount. The greater the capability he regains, the better his overall quality of life in the future.

Today is January 6^th, the Western Christian Feast of the Epiphany – the celebration of the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. We live in Glendale, and there is a significant Orthodox Christian population living here. Today is the day that they celebrate Christmas with the exchange of gifts. (Rather appropriate, don't you think?) We celebrate today in grateful thanks for all the gifts we have been given, for the gift of Grayson returned to us bit by bit, and for all of your love and support.

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 51 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another lethargic day, but still good!

Grayson was drowsy all day, and by evening his fever was starting to return. People get sick in hospitals! His infection had all but cleared up, but something else was starting to chew on him by evening. In spite of his non-neurological illness, he continues to improve.

Today, Grayson was picking up cones by color as directed off of the floor from a standing position. This requires good balance control, the ability to distinguish color, and follow direction. For the most part, he was too pooped to do too much, but he has impressed the staff as to his improvement and his abilities.

Because Grayson has improved so quickly, he is rapidly moving beyond acute rehab. After only two weeks in acute rehab, we will be touring all of the Southern California Residential Neurological Rehab facilities within two hours of our home – both of them. There is another one outside of San Diego, but it appears that we have wonderful choices closer – just not that close! The facility we are considering as the front runner has had patients from 44 states and 10 countries. I truly appreciate just how lucky we are to have such wonderful facilities so close as compared to many who need to fly just to visit a loved one.

I was rereading some of my blog posts from just two weeks ago, and I am amazed how far Grayson has come. I am also amazed by all of the wonderful comments that you all have left on the site. I apologize that I have not responded to your offers of help or your words of kindness and encouragement. You are all amazing – even those of you who remain anonymous. Please remember that if you want us to know who you are, you need to put your name in the posting, and remember that there are a lot of "Bob's" out there! In spite of all of that, I am raised up by your prayers, my burden is lightened, and you help to put a bit more spring in my step. I know that Regina feels the same also. God bless you all for staying with us through all of this.

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 50 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another low energy day.

Grayson was hard to rouse this morning, and we spoke with the physicians again. Another med was dropped from his list. It is a fine line, but we may cross back over to sleepless nights again! Later in the afternoon, Grayson appeared confused for a bit, sort of bouncing every minute or so from sitting in the chair, laying down and getting up again to head somewhere. Later he walked for a bit, then rode around in a chair until he fell asleep around 8:30 PM. Stay tuned tomorrow to see how he did overnight.

Today Grayson was able to demonstrate pointing to several objects when asked where they were. He was able to see words on a paper (ladder, belt, ear hammer, etc.) and was then able to point to a picture of that object. (Yes he can read words!) The big thing today when he was able to write his name in both cursive and print – not very neatly, but his penmanship wasn't that good before!

Grayson's tracheostomy was capped today to see if he could tolerate the change. He didn't even flinch. With luck, we should be able to have this annoying item removed this week. Once we can prove that he doesn't aspirate it, he will finally be able to take solid food and water.

It has now been seven weeks since the incident. Every day this past two weeks we have seen a little awakening. As Regina so aptly put, God is giving us Grayson back a little bit at a time. He is a kind and loving God. How much of Grayson can we dare to hope to get back? We'll just have to let the Great Physician write that chapter as he sees that we are ready for it.

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 49 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was yet another low energy day.

Regina spoke with the physicians and a decision was made to cut back on some of his meds. We'll see how that goes over the next few days.

It's Sunday, but they still have a reduced PT staff here on duty at the hospital. Today he rode the stationary bike for the first time. He also spent a lot of time batting a balloon around. He also practiced sitting and standing from a low bench, and he also walked a bunch.

Grayson's ability to get up and get around is, as I said yesterday, scaring the daylights out of us. He goes from bed to out the door in about 2 seconds, like you would expect of a 24 year old. If you blink, you will find yourself chasing him down the hall to "help" him, or keep him out of someone else's room. He also now goes to bed head first, to the chagrin of his PT folks. They are used to working with folks of more advanced age, and think that the way to go to bed is sit on the edge, then lay down. Grayson thinks like it is more of a landing of a fighter jet.

This is all making me smile. God is blessing us daily, and we can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 48 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Today was another low energy day.

Grayson had physical and occupational therapy today, and did well, but he was tired all day – that after sleeping all night. Perhaps he needs a bit of adjustment in his meds. Things are changing so fast in him now that I always feel that we are playing catch-up. This is a good thing!

Today he did some new things. The first was to play a few hands of "Uno". He got most parts of the game right away, but had some difficulty holding the cards. (His therapist held them for him.) We also did a simple puzzle, and he was doing quite well. Unfortunately he loses interest very quickly in most of these "sitting" activities. He also reached for and picked up cones by color as instructed, and was also following commands to do so using his right or left hand. He continues to walk like a champ, and now wants to get up and go right from the bed whenever he wants, scaring the daylights out of us and the staff. Independence is good, but safety is paramount!

Today Grayson received a visit from a respiratory therapist that cared for him in the ICU when he first was admitted to the hospital. He was thrilled that Grayson was up and walking, and got to witness some of his PT. Grayson has come so far from where he was in the ICU, it is almost not believable. I forgot to mention in my blog posting on New Year's Eve that Regina had visited the ICU where Grayson spent his first 22 days after his incident and much of the team was there to see her. She left them a gift of sweets, and they were thrilled to hear of Grayson's progress. The love that they have for him was evident.

God continues to reveal his plan to us – and not so slowly anymore. As I posted in my Facebook status yesterday, I am "at the hospital watching miracles occur daily!"

Pax!

Brant and Regina

Day 47 – Grayson’s Condition

Dear family and friends

Happy New Year!

The first day of 2010 was a calm one.

Grayson was subdued and quiet all day. He did some walking, but for the most part he was very low energy all day. This was a good day to be low energy, as all of the therapy staff is off for New Year's Day. Tomorrow a partial crew will be back in, and he will need to work!

Regina and I spent most of the day with him today. Next week I'll be back to work, and will try to come by during lunchtime to participate in some of his therapy. The closeness of the hospital makes this possible, and I am so grateful we are not in Pomona where we originally thought that we would be.

Blessings from our family to yours on this New Year's Day!

Pax!

Brant and Regina