Email update from Dad sent 1/26/2010

Before I get into today's update, I need to apologize if I made a statement that caused some concern. Michael did not permanently lose his ability to speak. The surgery to remove the object from his nose and to re-wire his jaw swelled him up and he couldn't speak but only for a couple of days. The swelling went down and his voice is back. He has a little harder time however because the jaw wiring is tighter.
Also, to catch up on some back stuff. First, you've noticed an absence of any pictures of Michael's face. When the time is right, we'll let you see him. Until then, he'll be like Wilson, the neighbor on the comedy show "Home Improvement". He'll be in the scene but his face won't be part of the picture. Second, after Erin left, we traded our hotel room with two double beds for a room with one king size bed. I offered to move everything while Roxann was at the hospital. The new room was nice and roomy. A few days later when Roxann's sister was in town, Roxann was getting ready for a trip to the temple and realized her shoes were missing. We tried to check with housekeeping to see if they had been found in the old room but we were unsuccessful in finding anyone who could check while we were at the hotel. To say the least, I felt the fool. My poor wife had to get dressed up and wear her Crocs. The shoes turned up a couple of days later but not before she needed them. I'm relieved but not totally forgiven. Third, I still love my wife and I'm pretty sure she still loves me (at least she still tolerates me). We've spent the last twenty days together 24/7 except for the few hours it took to change hotel rooms and for her to go with her sister. The days are real long and the nights are real short but I'm so glad we could both be here for this. More than once I've looked at her and remarked, "We're pushing our handcart". If you don't know what that means, find the closest Mormon and ask. If there isn't one handy or the thought of that scares you, look up the "Martin Handcart Company" on the internet. You'll get an idea of what we're comparing this to. Even as I write this update, she is sleeping peacefully waiting for that blasted alarm to go off! I'll be that way myself is just a few minutes.

OK, back to current events....

Yesterday afternoon when they came to take Michael downstairs for removal of his trach, we were scrambling to get him ready. He asked for the hand lotion and I handed him the closest tube of cream. As soon as he started putting it on, he knew something was wrong and asked me what I'd given him. I looked at his hands and it looked like he had cold cream all over them. When I looked at the label, I realized I had handed him "Thick Moisture Barrier Paste" which is used as skin protection for chronic diarrhea or diaper rash. I've no idea where it came from because he certainly isn't using it but it was on his hospital tray. As a result, not only did he not get his lotion, what he got wouldn't wash off! We finally wiped it all off but he was pretty disgusted with me. Hey, at least his hands won't chap for a while. I hope there isn't some other guy walking around with hand lotion on his butt. If there is, I'm pretty sure he's not happy either.

Enough of that...

We finally got him downstairs and the trach tube came right out of his throat. He instantly noticed his breathing was easier and he could swallow without hurting. He spent the night down there so they could monitor and make sure he was ok and came back to his same room this morning. Today, he was just fine as we redecorated with everything they made us take down yesterday. There is an open hole in his neck where the tube was removed and it's bandaged but they didn't sew it shut. We were told it would heal on its own in a few days. I told him too bad we weren't the piercing kind of family or he could have had a really wicked accessory - a stud or flashlight or even a moving red lightbar like on the old "Knight Rider" car I need to keep more of those comments to myself, he liked some of them). In order to speak he has to put his hand up and cover the gauze over the throat opening to keep the air in but he's good at that. Just for fun, we put a small dot on the bandage and labeled it with "PTT" for "Push to Talk".

Michael's supervisor from Ft. Riley is here and got a kick out of that. He brought Michael another monkey to add to the fan club.

He also brought a beautiful blue robe with the Air Force logo and Michael's name on it. The Army sergeant that had given us an Army robe with his unit's logo on it was dismayed to find Michael in his new outfit but understood the significance of keeping the lines straight.

The eye doctors came in and examined their handiwork from last Wednesday's surgery. They told us the progress is good but needs a little extra work. Early next week they'll do another procedure to "permanently" fuse his eyelids for a period of time. The procedure is reversible but they want to do it to make sure his eyelids heal straight enough for cosmetic surgery (to happen sometime down the road) and to keep the inserts in his eyes. The inserts are there to keep his eyelids the proper shape for prosthetic eyes and to keep his eye sockets from healing improperly. The doctors say if he continues to progress as they are, it is conceivable we will be heading to Palo Alto by the end of next week. That's great news as we are looking forward to him getting into rehab and learning the skills he'll need to function on his own in the real world. It's also sad for me because once he leaves here, I won't be going along with him. The military won't continue to pay for both Roxann and I to attend him. Besides that, I have to get back to work. It feels like we've been here forever even though it's only been just over three weeks - three very long weeks.

It seems the politicians are in town for the State of The Union Address. In the last two days, Michael has been visited by one of the senators and one of the congressmen from New Mexico. In addition, five other congressmen stopped by. Word of his attitude and progress has slowly spread. So has the report on the outstanding level of support the Air Force in general, and the TACP community specifically, has provided. For those of you that understand the military coin tradition, Michael has accumulated ten coins while here including one coin each from a one star, two star, three star, and four star general. The visitors continue to amaze (and to a certain extent, frustrate) the nursing staff. Oh well, pretty soon things will get quiet for them again. I know we'll be missed even if they don't want to admit it!

We continue to hear from folks all over. We've received a number of cards and letters from school children in various parts of the country. We even got one card from Australia! The well wishes and support are awesome. We also continue to give thanks for the spiritual support we've received.

Keep up the prayers, please! Thanks to each and all of you for what you've done in our behalf. I can never repay the kindness we've received because of this event. My heart is filled to the brim with love for you all. I especially want to thank my family (immediate and extended). Not to brag folks, but I have the most awesome family in the world! What you've done and continue to do for us is beyond belief. Thank you just seems so insignificant. Finally, I specifically want to thank Michael's sisters and brothers in-law. We know you're just as concerned as Roxann and I but are unable to see the progress as we are. Know that we and Michael are aware of your concern and we love you so much. Hang in there, it won't be long.