Wow, where to begin? The day started out with the doctor saying that Kelsi's feeding tube can be removed! They didn't have to tell her twice! She grabbed a hold and pulled it out as fast as she could. She was so excited to finally be totally tube free. She is eating and drinking well enough on her own now.
She was able to have a "ride pass" today. We felt like we were checking a book out of the library. Kelsi chose to go to Temple Square. It was a beautiful day. She said the sun was very bright. The thought hadn't even crossed our minds that she had been in for over 5 weeks. We should have brought her some sunglasses. She wanted to touch the temple and to see the Christus. We also walked around to see the gardens. She enjoyed it very much and said it was nice to get out. She tired quite easily so we didn't stay too long.
She had many visitors this evening. She enjoyed it so much and was so excited. She used her voice more tonight than she has yet. By the end of the evening she was back to whispering because she was so tired. She wanted to sleep but she told me it is rude to sleep when there are visitors and also that it would be embarrassing because she is a loud sleeper. I told her I didn't think she was a loud sleeper anymore because I haven't heard a peep out of her and I am there a lot when she is sleeping.
She had fun trying to figure out her cell phone again. She could pull up the contact she wanted to text and then she would ask us to text what she said. She's anxious to get her fingers working well enough so she can do it on her own. It will come. She's getting mover coordinated and stronger every day.
She is really excited for tomorrow. She gets another ride pass and she chose to attend her own sacrament meeting. I don't know if she will make it through the entire meeting. We will see! Thank you for your continued support!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
September 7, 2007
Another great day! Kelsi is still becoming stronger each day! She is standing quite well now all by herself. She tried climbing out of her bed by herself today and I asked where she was going. She said, "to grandpa's". I told her I didn't think so because it was too far away to walk. She told me that is the first thing she is going to do when she gets home. Kristi and some friends came to visit this evening. Kristi sat in Kelsi's wheelchair and said, "I like your chair Kelsi, it's really comfortable." Kelsi said, "You can keep it. Just pick it up and take it with you because I'm walking out of here." Knowing her, she probably will be walking out when it's time to go home. She is so determined. It was so much fun to see the way Kristi and Kelsi were with each other tonight. It was just like old times to listen to them talk to each other, sarcasm and all. Kelsi was totally herself with Kristi. Her personality is coming through stronger each day.
She loves visiting with each of you who have come up. Thank you for your support and love for her. Keep the prayers coming her way!! Thanks!
She loves visiting with each of you who have come up. Thank you for your support and love for her. Keep the prayers coming her way!! Thanks!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
September 6, 2007
Kelsi had a good day today. We were told that she is between a 6 and 7 on the rancho scale now. That is exciting! The highlight for today was when the nurse and I were helping Kelsi get ready for bed the nurse turned to me and said, "She is incredible, it just doesn't happen this fast. When someone has a brain injury as severe as Kelsi's they just don't heal this quick!" I then had the opportunity to share with her how amazing fasting and prayer is. I told her that Kelsi's brother is serving a mission and his mission president had all the missionaries hold a mission wide fast for her, again. And there are so many other people around the world who are fasting and praying for her recovery. Is she a member of the church? I had no idea but felt I should share that with her. Later I found out from Randy that she is not a member. He happened to have an experience with her a couple nights ago when Kelsi had asked for a priesthood blessing. It's amazing what our Heavenly Father can do when we ask and have faith! Thank you for all of your continued prayers! We all love all of you!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
September 5, 2007
Kelsi's getting stronger every day! She didn't have a lot to say today. In fact, she was pretty sober. She did excellent in therapy and was able to eat enough calories and liquid to fill the required amount for the day. Tomorrow the doctors will decide how many days in a row she must do this to have her feeding tube removed. Her favorite thing was a milkshake.
Mom came home a little early today to attend a court of honor and young women. When she got home she was talking to Kelsi on the phone and Kelsi sang, "I am a child of God" to her. Every last word! She was so excited to actually hear every word.
We as a family want to testify to each of you that our Heavenly Father hears and answers your prayers! Thank you for remembering Kelsi in your prayers!
Mom came home a little early today to attend a court of honor and young women. When she got home she was talking to Kelsi on the phone and Kelsi sang, "I am a child of God" to her. Every last word! She was so excited to actually hear every word.
We as a family want to testify to each of you that our Heavenly Father hears and answers your prayers! Thank you for remembering Kelsi in your prayers!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
September 4, 2007
Today Kelsi passed her hearing test with flying colors. She also passed her swallow test for liquids. That means she can start drinking liquids orally. As soon as she can drink enough each day, she will be able to get rid of her last tube! Yep, her feeding tube. Right now they are pretty much only giving her water in her feeding tube because she is eating her meals now.
We were told that she is now a level 6 on the rancho scale. That was good news. We thought she was but it was good to hear it from the medical staff.
She is asking lots of questions which shows she is thinking. The most interesting question today was when she asked, "What does Kristi think?" I asked her ,"What does Kristi think about what?" She then said, "about the tree." I asked her if she meant the tree she fell out of, and she shook her head yes. We then had a nice little talk about the tree and Kristi's feelings. One other thing that was interesting was she had a nightmare last night about bears. The bed she is in is called a posey bed. The nurses call it a tent bed. Last night she was asleep when it was zipped close. She must have heard the zippers and thought she was at camp. There were many girls who were worried about bears at camp. It was surprising to us that Kelsi was afraid of bears last night. She asked her dad for a blessing. This morning when she woke up she said, "the bears lost." One last thing I got a kick out of today, she told me that she had a monkey bed. I asked her why it was a monkey bed. She said that it was like the one on Tarzan with the netting on the sides to keep the bugs out. I hadn't even thought of that one. She is doing amazing! We are so excited about the progress she is making! Thank you to everyone! And, thank you to whoever you are who came over and picked and canned peaches for me today!
We were told that she is now a level 6 on the rancho scale. That was good news. We thought she was but it was good to hear it from the medical staff.
She is asking lots of questions which shows she is thinking. The most interesting question today was when she asked, "What does Kristi think?" I asked her ,"What does Kristi think about what?" She then said, "about the tree." I asked her if she meant the tree she fell out of, and she shook her head yes. We then had a nice little talk about the tree and Kristi's feelings. One other thing that was interesting was she had a nightmare last night about bears. The bed she is in is called a posey bed. The nurses call it a tent bed. Last night she was asleep when it was zipped close. She must have heard the zippers and thought she was at camp. There were many girls who were worried about bears at camp. It was surprising to us that Kelsi was afraid of bears last night. She asked her dad for a blessing. This morning when she woke up she said, "the bears lost." One last thing I got a kick out of today, she told me that she had a monkey bed. I asked her why it was a monkey bed. She said that it was like the one on Tarzan with the netting on the sides to keep the bugs out. I hadn't even thought of that one. She is doing amazing! We are so excited about the progress she is making! Thank you to everyone! And, thank you to whoever you are who came over and picked and canned peaches for me today!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Monday September 3, 2007
Kelsi's day began well before the crack of dawn at roughly 5:00 a.m. She was awakened by a crying child in an adjacent room. My first impulse was to calm her back to sleep, but she had something on her mind and was determined to tell me. She asked where Top was. I told her he went back to Taiwan a few weeks ago. She asked if he had come to visit her. I told her he had, but that he could not come in because she was in critical care and only immediate family was allowed in there. She asked what he did. I told her that he stayed in the waiting room. She said, "I'm sorry he had to wait there." She is so concerned about everyone else.
She was hungry. I asked the nurse what time the food service opened. She told us that it opened at 7:00 a.m. Kelsi said, "That's a long time." I asked if she would like chocolate pudding to hold her over. She replied, "Yes" with her great big beautiful smile. She inhaled two servings of pudding followed by two servings of applesauce to hold her over.
There was still an hour to go before breakfast, so I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She did. We went back to her old stomping (not much stomping really happens there) grounds at the UofU Med Center - NCC (neuro critical care). The doctors were on rounds and she got to meet the neuro surgeons that treated her brain injury. It was a treat for them to be able to see the product of their efforts and gave her the chance to thank them personally. We went next door to 3N. There was one person there that had cared for her. She told him thanks too. These are people that she never saw, but who had critical parts in caring for her at her most critical moments.
Throughout the day she has had many visitors. She wanted to sit up and talk to them. When we told her she was getting very tired and needed to lay down she said, "Mom, there's people here!" Our social butterfly has come out of her cocoon. Nothing changed in that department. She has said so many humorous things that we can't possibly remember them all.
The most amazing thing is that she not only has her long term memory, but she has her short term memory. She remembers what happened this last week and she remembers the faith walk the night before her fall. She remembers EFY the week before and all the names of the people she met there. The medical people are baffled. To make this rapid of a comeback after such a long time in a coma is a real miracle.
She told us today that she sees 2 of everything. This is because her eyes are not quite aligned. This should correct itself over time. Right now she compensates by closing one eye when needed.
All of your prayers and faith have been heard by the Lord. At this time we would like to ask all of you to pray also for another child who had an accident yesterday and who is in about the same condition Kelsi was when she fell. This child has a lot in common with Kelsi and needs your faith and prayers more than ever. Due to her need for privacy, details about her cannot be given here, but Heavenly Father will know who you mean if you pray for the child that had a brain injury yesterday.
She was hungry. I asked the nurse what time the food service opened. She told us that it opened at 7:00 a.m. Kelsi said, "That's a long time." I asked if she would like chocolate pudding to hold her over. She replied, "Yes" with her great big beautiful smile. She inhaled two servings of pudding followed by two servings of applesauce to hold her over.
There was still an hour to go before breakfast, so I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She did. We went back to her old stomping (not much stomping really happens there) grounds at the UofU Med Center - NCC (neuro critical care). The doctors were on rounds and she got to meet the neuro surgeons that treated her brain injury. It was a treat for them to be able to see the product of their efforts and gave her the chance to thank them personally. We went next door to 3N. There was one person there that had cared for her. She told him thanks too. These are people that she never saw, but who had critical parts in caring for her at her most critical moments.
Throughout the day she has had many visitors. She wanted to sit up and talk to them. When we told her she was getting very tired and needed to lay down she said, "Mom, there's people here!" Our social butterfly has come out of her cocoon. Nothing changed in that department. She has said so many humorous things that we can't possibly remember them all.
The most amazing thing is that she not only has her long term memory, but she has her short term memory. She remembers what happened this last week and she remembers the faith walk the night before her fall. She remembers EFY the week before and all the names of the people she met there. The medical people are baffled. To make this rapid of a comeback after such a long time in a coma is a real miracle.
She told us today that she sees 2 of everything. This is because her eyes are not quite aligned. This should correct itself over time. Right now she compensates by closing one eye when needed.
All of your prayers and faith have been heard by the Lord. At this time we would like to ask all of you to pray also for another child who had an accident yesterday and who is in about the same condition Kelsi was when she fell. This child has a lot in common with Kelsi and needs your faith and prayers more than ever. Due to her need for privacy, details about her cannot be given here, but Heavenly Father will know who you mean if you pray for the child that had a brain injury yesterday.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Sunday September 2, 2007
Today is fast Sunday. Many fasted and prayed specifically for Kelsi. How quick was the answer to this prayer of faith? Is immediate quick enough? While the fasting was still going on, the healing accelerated in leaps and bounds. Kelsi's family went to Orem to attend the blessing of her newest nephew. A family friend volunteered to be with her while her parents were away. Kelsi tried and tried to talk. Between the friend and a nurse they were able to determine that she was asking, "Where is Mom?" They told her where Mom was and she said, "I should be there." She also managed to tell them she wanted to go home. She was outside, so they asked if she meant to her room. She said, "No, HOME HOME".
After the baby blessing, some of her family returned to be with her. She told her mother, "I missed you SOOO MUCH!". At that point everything she said was mouthed. No voice, only a little whispering at times.
Her Mom told her that the white bear in her room was given to her by [CL] (initials only for his privacy). She said, "Tell [CL] thank you". Kelsi's manners are totally intact. When asked if [CL] should come to visit her, she very excitedly answered, "Tell [CL] to come and visit me 'FAST'!" So, [CL], if you read this blog, she wants to see you very soon and she most definitely has not forgotten you!
Her oldest nephew was there with her oldest brother. He is a little over a year and a half old and is very busy. They tried to let her hold him, but he refused. This made her feel bad. Her older brother tried to explain that he was that way with everyone except his Dad right now. Kelsi put her hand over her mouth and to her sister's ear and whispered "Whatever". This same nephew's noise prompted her to say, "[child] interrupts me every time I try to say anything." The literature on brain injuries warns that she would not be able to filter out the background noise at this point of her recovery, and that it would frustrate her.
Dad found that by pressing on her abdomen as she attempted to speak helped to increase the volume and made it easier to hear. After a short time she was able to mimic the pressure without Dad pressing. This made her words much clearer.
She asked if she could go home with Mom when Mom went home. Mom explained that she needed to get better first. She said, "I feel much better." We explained that she needed to be able to do many things better than she is currently able to do. She wanted to know exactly what she had to do and was determined to do all of them right now so she could go home. For a long time her focus was on doing what is needed to get to go home.
Her Dad pointed at each person in the room and asked if she knew who they were. She named each one as they were pointed out. Her oldest brother said, "She remembers my name!" Kelsi replied, "How could I forget you? You are my family!"
Dad handed her a cell phone and she immediately began to try text messaging. She knew exactly what she was doing, but could not hold the phone very well or hit the right keys when someone held it for her. This frustrated her, but she got over it real quick because she knew that talking was working pretty good. Later she told us that she wanted to text but her hands are too shaky. Clearly there are some things that a teenager will not forget!
During all the conversations it seems she is thinking on the same cognitive level as she was before the accident and that as she gains more control over the physical part of her speech, the conversations will be much more involved. Right now, speech totally exhaust her.
The nurse came in to see her. They looked at each other face-to-face and Kelsi whispered quietly to her, "I feel so much like The Little Mermaid." The nurse looked at Dad with the most puzzled look. What did she mean by that? Dad explained that The Little Mermaid lost her voice. Later in conversation she told Dad, "The Little Mermaid got her voice back. So does Kelsi."
Mom began to discuss dinner plans. She didn't like the selections on the menu and said "I want a salad." Puree salad isn't on the menu for obvious reasons. She then told her Mom, "Spinach is gross." Where did that comment come from? Spinach wasn't mentioned and isn't on the menu. Her old likes and dislikes seem to be intact! She said, "I want a Popsicle." Her Mom told her that she can't eat a Popsicle yet because her body isn't ready for it. She indicated that her 3 year old brother gets to have them, why can't she?
She held her hands to her forehead and said, "My head feels weird."
As her day was winding down, she found that by laying on her front she could speak normally. At that point she had a lot to say and everyone could hear what she was saying. Too bad it took until she was very tired to discover this. She was so worn out that she laid her head down on the pillow and fell asleep until dinner came. When dinner came she was so hungry that her total focus was on eating.
For all who are still fasting and praying for Kelsi, thanks. Your faith is making her whole again.
After the baby blessing, some of her family returned to be with her. She told her mother, "I missed you SOOO MUCH!". At that point everything she said was mouthed. No voice, only a little whispering at times.
Her Mom told her that the white bear in her room was given to her by [CL] (initials only for his privacy). She said, "Tell [CL] thank you". Kelsi's manners are totally intact. When asked if [CL] should come to visit her, she very excitedly answered, "Tell [CL] to come and visit me 'FAST'!" So, [CL], if you read this blog, she wants to see you very soon and she most definitely has not forgotten you!
Her oldest nephew was there with her oldest brother. He is a little over a year and a half old and is very busy. They tried to let her hold him, but he refused. This made her feel bad. Her older brother tried to explain that he was that way with everyone except his Dad right now. Kelsi put her hand over her mouth and to her sister's ear and whispered "Whatever". This same nephew's noise prompted her to say, "[child] interrupts me every time I try to say anything." The literature on brain injuries warns that she would not be able to filter out the background noise at this point of her recovery, and that it would frustrate her.
Dad found that by pressing on her abdomen as she attempted to speak helped to increase the volume and made it easier to hear. After a short time she was able to mimic the pressure without Dad pressing. This made her words much clearer.
She asked if she could go home with Mom when Mom went home. Mom explained that she needed to get better first. She said, "I feel much better." We explained that she needed to be able to do many things better than she is currently able to do. She wanted to know exactly what she had to do and was determined to do all of them right now so she could go home. For a long time her focus was on doing what is needed to get to go home.
Her Dad pointed at each person in the room and asked if she knew who they were. She named each one as they were pointed out. Her oldest brother said, "She remembers my name!" Kelsi replied, "How could I forget you? You are my family!"
Dad handed her a cell phone and she immediately began to try text messaging. She knew exactly what she was doing, but could not hold the phone very well or hit the right keys when someone held it for her. This frustrated her, but she got over it real quick because she knew that talking was working pretty good. Later she told us that she wanted to text but her hands are too shaky. Clearly there are some things that a teenager will not forget!
During all the conversations it seems she is thinking on the same cognitive level as she was before the accident and that as she gains more control over the physical part of her speech, the conversations will be much more involved. Right now, speech totally exhaust her.
The nurse came in to see her. They looked at each other face-to-face and Kelsi whispered quietly to her, "I feel so much like The Little Mermaid." The nurse looked at Dad with the most puzzled look. What did she mean by that? Dad explained that The Little Mermaid lost her voice. Later in conversation she told Dad, "The Little Mermaid got her voice back. So does Kelsi."
Mom began to discuss dinner plans. She didn't like the selections on the menu and said "I want a salad." Puree salad isn't on the menu for obvious reasons. She then told her Mom, "Spinach is gross." Where did that comment come from? Spinach wasn't mentioned and isn't on the menu. Her old likes and dislikes seem to be intact! She said, "I want a Popsicle." Her Mom told her that she can't eat a Popsicle yet because her body isn't ready for it. She indicated that her 3 year old brother gets to have them, why can't she?
She held her hands to her forehead and said, "My head feels weird."
As her day was winding down, she found that by laying on her front she could speak normally. At that point she had a lot to say and everyone could hear what she was saying. Too bad it took until she was very tired to discover this. She was so worn out that she laid her head down on the pillow and fell asleep until dinner came. When dinner came she was so hungry that her total focus was on eating.
For all who are still fasting and praying for Kelsi, thanks. Your faith is making her whole again.
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