Email from Dad sent 1/19/2010

Girls,

Today was fairly quiet after Michael's TACP friends left. He sure enjoyed their being here. They were a big surprise to everyone here in the hospital. They came in with all their baggage and lined the stuff up against the wall. It looked like an invasion force was moving in (or out). They bought him some audio books and another monkey for his growing collection. They also brought him some slippers. Unfortunately, they didn't look in the box before they left the store and, you guessed it, they didn't match. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to embarrass someone, I accused them of picking on the blind guy and giving him mismatched slippers as a bad joke. They all recoiled at the thought and assured us it was an accident. We laughed and let them know we believed that and it was OK. Heck, Michael liked them and kept them on all day.

We walked again and took our first outside walk. There is a courtyard on top of the fourth floor. It was a nice day and he enjoyed the sun. He commented that the sun in America felt a whole lot better than the Afghanistan sun.

He got visited by an Air Force four star general who thanked him for his service and sacrifice. He also thanked us for being by Michael's side and helping to get him well. The general gave him a coin for his growing collection. He also got visited by a man who is part of a group that carves canes for servicemen. The handles look like eagles heads and are really neat. He will have one special made to include anything Michael wants on it. It will have Michael's unit, his rank, the medals he received, the unit he was with in Afghanistan, and the names of the guys that were killed on the day he was hurt. We're anxious to see it when it's done.

Tomorrow will be another big day. He will go in and get his jaw wires redone. They've been breaking and coming loose. After that, they will look and see if they can reach and remove the piece of metal in his nose. When that's done, the eye guys will work on him. They will try and close up the hole in his lower left eyelid and do some more cosmetic work on both eyes. They say the wounds on his face should heal themselves without too much scarring but he will most likely need additional eye work in three or so months.

We have decided Palo Alto is the place to send him. After tomorrow's surgery, we hope to get an idea of how soon. We will be meeting with someone from the VA tomorrow to learn more about the process. I've also asked the Air Force liaison to get me in touch with someone to discuss his pay and service information. It's time to get a handle on that too.

We read some emails and cards to him earlier and he was deeply touched by the comments he's received. He continues to be positive and upbeat and truly humble in the face of something too huge to comprehend. I am awed by the man before me and truly blessed to be at his side.

Tell everyone thanks again and keep the prayers coming. THEY WORK!

Dad