This post is from Alex.
Tia:
By now you’ve all confirmed or changed your minds to believe in miracles due to Tia’s progress… read below to solidify that.
Tia is home.
The projected outcome for Tia was that she would perhaps be able to dress herself and follow simple commands but she is now telling jokes, managing her own life, comforting her sister and in general exceeding the expectations of any child in her age group. She arrived at home and handled it very well – walking on her own the entire time. She recognized her home, room and was annoyed (again) by the family dog. Tia, physically, is almost completely recovered. She continues to have some difficulty moving quickly, making refined movements and speaking as fast as her mind works but all in all is just in a position where her body needs to catch up with her mind. She is still continuing to rely heavily on the Willis’ for physical and emotional support but is currently at a level of ability that the doctors said she’d never achieve – and she isn’t stopping! Tia is visiting at her school and playing with friends and family regularly. On a personal note – she is calling me out on bad jokes and providing me with good ones daily!
Summer:
Summer’s progress is continuing well. She has been extremely diligent about her recovery process and the physical therapy necessary to ensure it and that is very commendable. She recently had the hardware in her mouth removed and can now be comfortable when talking and eating. She has started to attend portions of her regular schooling which she sometimes enjoys but understands its importance. Her doctors have eliminated any of her requirements for a wheelchair and she is progressing towards eliminating any type of crutch for stability. One of her knees is still giving her issue but her strength and determination are consistently overcoming this hardship. Summer seems to have found some solace in Tia’s return and is both a source of strength for Tia and a dependent on her presence. It is apparent that Tia’s return is prompting great comfort for Summer. Summer is progressing very well and I see no end to the potential.
Greg:
Since the last posting Greg has been through quite a bit…
You all know Greg went back into the hospital due to an infection with his left leg. He required surgery to clean the infection and remove any dead or affected material specifically in his knee. This surgery was extremely loathed by Greg because he’s had more than enough of the hospital and the associated lethargy. His surgery did go extremely well and Greg’s stated his leg feels much better than it did before he went in for the surgery. He arrived back at home and recuperated well and as a result increased his mobility in general. Although we were all upset he had to go back into the hospital for the cleaning, it appears it was for the best because his outcome was better than prior to the infection. After surgery Greg was again visited by nausea and therefore was kept in the hospital for almost a week. This time was draining on Greg and many of his friends and family because we all, again, had to spend a few nights in the hospital. The antibiotics resulting from this most recent stay in the hospital seem to be the answer though… it appears Greg’s nausea was due to the type of antibiotics he was previously receiving and now that it’s been switched due to his new infection his gut is reacting well… for Greg is this one of the best things that could have possibly happened. Over the next week Greg has gone through continued progress dealing with the loss of Lori and Austin and has worked to grasp the reality associated with being the sole parent governing the girls. He is truly dealing with the feelings associated with their loss and the lifetime to come without their presence. Considering the elimination of Lori from Greg’s and the girl’s lives he is consciously working to understand the associated implications. Greg has gone through stages in the past couple of weeks of dismay and motivation but has always settled on the progressive mode to ensure his and the girl’s success. His direct focus on their progress has ensured they’re not stagnant and that the recovery is moving along well. Greg has gotten back into his modus operandi of business progress and management. He’s pushing me to continue progress on projects we started before the accident and ones he’s conjured up after. Today he actually showed up at the office and gave a pep talk to ALL the employees and held meetings to push us to do work on projects he’s managing. Greg is BACK! My family and I have therefore moved out of Greg’s house, into their guest house, and the Willis’ are taking the lion’s share of the Crane family management.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
A true Reunion in the near future
This post is written from Barb Willis. What a wonderful report!
Some of the “simple” things Tia “re-learned” this week are walking up and down stairs unassisted, raising both arms over her head, moving from standing to sitting on the floor to standing without help, writing sentences, swallowing un-thickened liquids without coughing or choking, and remembering to have her left hand help when writing, holding, lifting, catching. She has met most of the objectives and goals given to her by therapists. Her greatest challenge is learning to enunciate her words and speak slowly enough so that she does not have to repeat herself—not sure if this is part of the brain injury or just being 10!! Her hard work paid off as she was rewarded with two outings this week. On Thursday, she was permitted a “therapeutic community outing.” She was able to choose an activity that would reinforce the skills she’s learning in a “real world” setting. Tia, along with a therapist, one friend, Tim and I, went miniature golfing! Talk about meeting her objectives: placing items on the ground and retrieving items from the ground, walking up and down stairs, walking on a variety of different and uneven surfaces, swinging/catching/throwing an object with the upper body while standing and maintaining balance and position. She did great and we all had a fabulous time! Sunday, she was rewarded with a “therapeutic family outing” allowing her to visit her dad in the hospital, go out to eat and visit her home. Summer joined us for the day which made it even more special. The obvious question is, “When will she be released?” My best guess based on what her medical team has outlined is one week to 10 days!! After a taste this week of the simple things on the “outside world,” none of us can wait!
Summer is beginning to feel the strain of constant changes and is looking forward to Tia and Dad getting home and finding a “new normal” for their life. Saturday evening I had the privilege of spending some time just with Summer. We meandered through the Biltmore visiting her two “fav” stores—Apple and the pet store. As we looked at various menus of the restaurant choices for dinner, she talked about a place she had been with her mom. From her description, I knew exactly the restaurant to which she was referring, so off we went to Scottsdale for a wonderful dinner and conversation. Monday (today) she has an appointment with the oral surgeon. Hopefully, she will have the hardware removed from her mouth. Pray for her—she’s excited, but, naturally, nervous about this procedure. The physical therapy on her legs continues, and she is using the wheelchair less and walker more as she moves around her house. The left knee is still swollen and painful at times, but her disposition remains positive. She may begin school part-time this week and needs prayer for peace as this also brings excitement and anxiety at the same time.
Greg’s surgery on his leg to fight the infection went well. Other than the infection, the healing from the broken bones appears to be progressing as hoped. A culture to determine the type of infection he has will take 5 days to grow. Latest report is he will be hospitalized until that determination and he has received his first dose of antibiotics. If all goes well, he should be home mid- to late week.
**Per the last post, Greg was home, however the infection in his leg required hospitalization. This is a minor set back and something that the family has been prepared to deal with!
Watching, assisting, loving and caring for these three amazing individuals
Some of the “simple” things Tia “re-learned” this week are walking up and down stairs unassisted, raising both arms over her head, moving from standing to sitting on the floor to standing without help, writing sentences, swallowing un-thickened liquids without coughing or choking, and remembering to have her left hand help when writing, holding, lifting, catching. She has met most of the objectives and goals given to her by therapists. Her greatest challenge is learning to enunciate her words and speak slowly enough so that she does not have to repeat herself—not sure if this is part of the brain injury or just being 10!! Her hard work paid off as she was rewarded with two outings this week. On Thursday, she was permitted a “therapeutic community outing.” She was able to choose an activity that would reinforce the skills she’s learning in a “real world” setting. Tia, along with a therapist, one friend, Tim and I, went miniature golfing! Talk about meeting her objectives: placing items on the ground and retrieving items from the ground, walking up and down stairs, walking on a variety of different and uneven surfaces, swinging/catching/throwing an object with the upper body while standing and maintaining balance and position. She did great and we all had a fabulous time! Sunday, she was rewarded with a “therapeutic family outing” allowing her to visit her dad in the hospital, go out to eat and visit her home. Summer joined us for the day which made it even more special. The obvious question is, “When will she be released?” My best guess based on what her medical team has outlined is one week to 10 days!! After a taste this week of the simple things on the “outside world,” none of us can wait!
Summer is beginning to feel the strain of constant changes and is looking forward to Tia and Dad getting home and finding a “new normal” for their life. Saturday evening I had the privilege of spending some time just with Summer. We meandered through the Biltmore visiting her two “fav” stores—Apple and the pet store. As we looked at various menus of the restaurant choices for dinner, she talked about a place she had been with her mom. From her description, I knew exactly the restaurant to which she was referring, so off we went to Scottsdale for a wonderful dinner and conversation. Monday (today) she has an appointment with the oral surgeon. Hopefully, she will have the hardware removed from her mouth. Pray for her—she’s excited, but, naturally, nervous about this procedure. The physical therapy on her legs continues, and she is using the wheelchair less and walker more as she moves around her house. The left knee is still swollen and painful at times, but her disposition remains positive. She may begin school part-time this week and needs prayer for peace as this also brings excitement and anxiety at the same time.
Greg’s surgery on his leg to fight the infection went well. Other than the infection, the healing from the broken bones appears to be progressing as hoped. A culture to determine the type of infection he has will take 5 days to grow. Latest report is he will be hospitalized until that determination and he has received his first dose of antibiotics. If all goes well, he should be home mid- to late week.
**Per the last post, Greg was home, however the infection in his leg required hospitalization. This is a minor set back and something that the family has been prepared to deal with!
Watching, assisting, loving and caring for these three amazing individuals
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A Home Coming
Greg/Summer:
Greg is home! On Sunday of this past week Greg took a trip home to test his reaction and get setup for his permanent return. He entered the house and immediately started a tour of the home starting with Austin's room. Fortunately, Greg had received some good advice from his friend Darren and had already walked through the house in his mind and imagined what it would be like. When he arrived there he was left alone for a short period and Greg soaked in the experience. He seemed to do well and was in control as he requested to be moved throughout the house. As he'd promised, Earl Orner was in the house to accompany Greg through the house. Once Greg was done with the kid's side of the house Earl wheeled him into Greg and Lori's room. Greg and Earl spent a few minutes alone in the room and then Summer joined them. This was the first time Summer had been in this section of the house since arriving back from San Diego. Summer and Greg spent about 15 minutes alone in the room and grieved together. They came out and joined the rest of the family; Earl Orner, Jan Orner, Diane Smith, Norm Crane, Vicky Crane, Jessica Callan, Lila Callan and me. We all sat around the kitchen table and talked for a while and ate some food. It was the first time I'd seen Greg eat anything real since the ride home, he had us stop at McDonalds and get him a Big Mac, and before that it was a few calories here and there. It was obvious that Greg was homesick, perhaps not being home was what was causing the nausea (sick) issues before, and needed to be there. After being home for about 3 hours he was tired and needed to head back to the hospital to get some rest. He spent another day and a half in the hospital and was released Tuesday. Unfortunately/fortunately, I had some business I needed to attend to all of Tuesday and was unable to be there when Greg arrived for good. Wednesday nursing staff from a number of different companies arrived at the house to train Diane, Jessica and myself on Greg's feeding tube and IV requirements. This is an interesting task and pretty simple although I have to admit it is very strange to be pumping dinner into Greg's stomach and squirting IV antibiotics into his arm - after all... he is my boss. Jessica and I have primarily moved into the Crane's home to take care of Summer and him (the Orners moved back to Wickenburg last Friday) and things have been going well. Greg and I spend the morning together talking about work and he gives me tasks I must complete that day. I leave for work as Summer starts her morning exercises and Jessica ensures they're getting some nourishment. Summer is continuing to go to numerous doctor and therapy appointments each week and spend quite a bit of her time socializing with her friends on outings. She is healing very well and is now walking with a walker (although she is as stubborn as her father and isn't doing as much as she should). She is now sleeping in Greg's room with him at the house and is enjoying the comfort of a hospital bed. This week she visited school for the first time and seemed to enjoy it. She is scheduled to start half days of school on the 13th. Summer continues to see Tia a few times a week and they spend many hours together during these visits. Summer is now meeting with a specialist in helping children through the emotional hardships of these types of situations who is from the same office of the specialist seeing Greg for the same reason. Summer and Greg are spending the majority of their days together in Greg's room talking and watching TV. Rest assured Greg will soon be an expert in pop music and tween movies and television. They were recently caught up in a heated debate on who made the real song about California Girls; Beach Boys or Katie Perry...
Tia:
I saw Tia today. She looked amazing. When I arrived Tia was just walking back to her bed with just a single hand from Barb to provide a sense of stability. She lit up as Lila told her she loves Tia and Tia responded in kind. Tia took a therapy trip early this week to achieve some of her medical goals and ended up in Greg's hospital room for a while. It was his first time seeing her and he was pleased. His excitement was apparent. Tia is continuing extensive therapy at the hospital - her days are amazingly busy for anyone let alone a 10 year old. She seems to be pretty confident in handling these tasks. She's recently tested at a 12 year old cognitive level which is another miracle on her list. When we visited she was primarily focused on interaction with her cousin and was extremely entertained by Lila's goofiness. All in all Tia is looking and doing very well. We anticipate another 6 weeks of her remaining in the hospital as long as she completes the goals established.
Thank you for your patience in receiving these updates. As we settle down into a more normal schedule now that Jessica and I are taking care of both Greg and summer updates will be more forthcoming.
Greg is home! On Sunday of this past week Greg took a trip home to test his reaction and get setup for his permanent return. He entered the house and immediately started a tour of the home starting with Austin's room. Fortunately, Greg had received some good advice from his friend Darren and had already walked through the house in his mind and imagined what it would be like. When he arrived there he was left alone for a short period and Greg soaked in the experience. He seemed to do well and was in control as he requested to be moved throughout the house. As he'd promised, Earl Orner was in the house to accompany Greg through the house. Once Greg was done with the kid's side of the house Earl wheeled him into Greg and Lori's room. Greg and Earl spent a few minutes alone in the room and then Summer joined them. This was the first time Summer had been in this section of the house since arriving back from San Diego. Summer and Greg spent about 15 minutes alone in the room and grieved together. They came out and joined the rest of the family; Earl Orner, Jan Orner, Diane Smith, Norm Crane, Vicky Crane, Jessica Callan, Lila Callan and me. We all sat around the kitchen table and talked for a while and ate some food. It was the first time I'd seen Greg eat anything real since the ride home, he had us stop at McDonalds and get him a Big Mac, and before that it was a few calories here and there. It was obvious that Greg was homesick, perhaps not being home was what was causing the nausea (sick) issues before, and needed to be there. After being home for about 3 hours he was tired and needed to head back to the hospital to get some rest. He spent another day and a half in the hospital and was released Tuesday. Unfortunately/fortunately, I had some business I needed to attend to all of Tuesday and was unable to be there when Greg arrived for good. Wednesday nursing staff from a number of different companies arrived at the house to train Diane, Jessica and myself on Greg's feeding tube and IV requirements. This is an interesting task and pretty simple although I have to admit it is very strange to be pumping dinner into Greg's stomach and squirting IV antibiotics into his arm - after all... he is my boss. Jessica and I have primarily moved into the Crane's home to take care of Summer and him (the Orners moved back to Wickenburg last Friday) and things have been going well. Greg and I spend the morning together talking about work and he gives me tasks I must complete that day. I leave for work as Summer starts her morning exercises and Jessica ensures they're getting some nourishment. Summer is continuing to go to numerous doctor and therapy appointments each week and spend quite a bit of her time socializing with her friends on outings. She is healing very well and is now walking with a walker (although she is as stubborn as her father and isn't doing as much as she should). She is now sleeping in Greg's room with him at the house and is enjoying the comfort of a hospital bed. This week she visited school for the first time and seemed to enjoy it. She is scheduled to start half days of school on the 13th. Summer continues to see Tia a few times a week and they spend many hours together during these visits. Summer is now meeting with a specialist in helping children through the emotional hardships of these types of situations who is from the same office of the specialist seeing Greg for the same reason. Summer and Greg are spending the majority of their days together in Greg's room talking and watching TV. Rest assured Greg will soon be an expert in pop music and tween movies and television. They were recently caught up in a heated debate on who made the real song about California Girls; Beach Boys or Katie Perry...
Tia:
I saw Tia today. She looked amazing. When I arrived Tia was just walking back to her bed with just a single hand from Barb to provide a sense of stability. She lit up as Lila told her she loves Tia and Tia responded in kind. Tia took a therapy trip early this week to achieve some of her medical goals and ended up in Greg's hospital room for a while. It was his first time seeing her and he was pleased. His excitement was apparent. Tia is continuing extensive therapy at the hospital - her days are amazingly busy for anyone let alone a 10 year old. She seems to be pretty confident in handling these tasks. She's recently tested at a 12 year old cognitive level which is another miracle on her list. When we visited she was primarily focused on interaction with her cousin and was extremely entertained by Lila's goofiness. All in all Tia is looking and doing very well. We anticipate another 6 weeks of her remaining in the hospital as long as she completes the goals established.
Thank you for your patience in receiving these updates. As we settle down into a more normal schedule now that Jessica and I are taking care of both Greg and summer updates will be more forthcoming.
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