The End Of This Site

So, I cant help but look back to April when everyone's life was turned upside down. One of my brothers was kind enough to create this site for me to update all the extended family and friends on Richard and Christie's condition. We have choosen, until now, to keep our site filled with positive and encouraging comments. Unfortunately, people have taken it upon themselves to speak there mind about things that they are seriously uneducated about. I will no longer update this website anymore. The people who truely care about Richard and Christie I speak to constantly anyway and can receive their info that way.

Now, let me educate some of you. Fact: Richard has guardianship and custody of Christie as he did BEFORE the accident. Fact: Richard makes the decisions for Christie, same as he did BEFORE the accident. Rumor: Christie has TONS of money that Richard controls. The small amount of money in Christie's trust fund (that isnt even controlled by him, the court does!) isnt even enough to pay for her hearing impaired phone. Fact: Becky (or any of her so called concerned friends and family) hasnt visit Christie in almost 2 months. If all of you are SO worried about her well being and if she is being cared for properly, where are you? Rumor: I used Christie's trust money to add an addition to my house. I paid for that with my own money. I have never had ANY access to ANY of Christie's money. That is controlled by the courts! Fact: Becky has been fradulently receiving monthly Social Security Benefits for Christie. Cant wait to see what the government has to say about that. Fact: I did say that Becky would have to be responsible for Christie, however, it is now being used in a different context. I love how you twist my words to try and benefit you. I said that if they BOTH remained in the disabled condition they were in that I could not take care of both of them. It would not be a safe enviroment. Rumor: Katrina visits Christie weekly. She has not visited Christie in more than a month. How is that a positive influence. Fact: Christie is 2 hours from Richard, not 4. Quit exaggerating everything. Fact: Richard loves Christie with all his heart. He constantly talks about Christie, calls her, write her notes daily, and constantly tries to find ways to get her closer to him. He has, since the begining, had her best interest in mind and he will continue to do so. If you dont agree with him, too bad!

It is so sad that instead of using your time wisely to find a way to be with your daughter, you sit behind your computer and cause striff between the families. You and you alone are making things difficult for yourself. Feel free to continue in any behavoir that you so desire, that certainly is your choice. However, I dont see you getting anything positive accomplished with the way you are acting currently.

Clearing Confusion

I have been doing the finalization of guardianship legalities and as anyone knows about paperwork, it must be done properly. Christies Mother will still be able to call and visit and send items to her. There was a brief time period between the Court Guardian and I where the place Christie is at was required to keep some items sent aside for whom was the Guardian after signing for them. There was never any malice in place by anyone.
Christie is doing very well and is kept busy. She has been doing much reading on her own. I am proud of her. There are many therapies that are helping her and I would not be suprised to hear that she is walking soon.

The picture above is a wonderful reminder to all of us about Christie's spirit!

Our week with christie

Dave, Richard and I (Madge) visited Christie on Sunday morning. When we arrived there, Christie was in the hall near the nurses station and she was reading her Harry Potter book. I asked her if she liked the book and she said very emphatically that she loved it. Christie was in a very communicative mood. She communicated the whole time Richard, Dave and I were there. We went for a stroll in the park with Christie where she was so happy to feel the sun and wind on her face. It was nice to see a smile on her face but even better when she reached over and grabbed Dad's arm to pull him closer and held his hand while they walked/strolled together. She tried to vocalize a few times when she wanted to get Richard's attention. All in all it was a very great day for all.

We went on Monday at 1:45 so Richard could go with her to her doctor's appointment but she left earlier than was scheduled so we missed her. We stayed until 6:00 PM hoping to see her before we had to leave but she was late comming back. This was very dissappointing to us but we knew we would see her on Thursday for her Thanksgiving festivities.

Thursday we arrived just before she got back from another doctor's appointment. This was her hearing test. She was so glad to see us that she gave us all a big hug and lots of kisses. She talked and talked (with her letter board) so much that we had to slow her down. She told her dad about her Florida friends Courtney, Jackie, and Donella and asked him to contact them to say hello. She wrote a little note to them for Richard to send. Dave upgraded her DVD player and she asked to watch a movie. She picked a Naruto movie, took the remote and turned it on herself. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments. We all were dissappointed that she could not join the families and other patients in the dinning room for the breaking of the bread but it would not have been wise to have her in there as she can't eat and it would upset her. Hopefully soon after her swallow study she can join us. The staff agreed. Richard met with Christie's teacher to see how her studies will go. They will do her schooling in house instead of taking her to school. She has to have a thorough neuro eval prior to this so they can properly place her. Richard had to go to work the next day so we left at 7:30 but we wish we could have stayed with her longer. It takes 2 1/2 hours to get home. This was a very positive and uplifting day for everyone. Unfortunately, Angie and Philip couldnt join us. They spent the week on a WELL DESERVED vacation down in the Carribean but they were with us in spirit.

A New Toy

Hopefully soon, Christie will have a new toy that will help her communicate better. About one month ago Richard began looking into a phone system that allows Christie to type her responses. They well exceed $500 and we would need two ( one for her and one for Richard). Dave was able to contact some companies that help disabled children and there was grant money out there that helps cut the cost. It will take a little more time to work everything out with AT&T and Florida Club Care to get everything installed and working properly but we think it will help Christie better communicate. Looking forward to a conversation with her soon. Also, Richard is spending four days with Christie this week and he cant be any happier. The FCC is having a Thanksgiving day celebration this Thursday for the patients and all there family. It will be a joyous day for all of us to be together and celebrate what we are all thankful for.

Christie's New Home

Richard and I went and hung out with Christie this week. She seems to be settling into her new place. We found her in the activities room watching Harry Potter. She immediately wanted us to take her outside. Outside we went! It could not have been a more beautiful day. She played with the local cat "cookie" that hangs out there. The birds are used to being fed also so they would come right up to you. She kept mouthing 'come here birdie birdie'. We stayed outside for most of the day. She said she felt free out there. She seems to be more alert than normal. It was pleasant to see here happy. I let her use my cell phone to text page her mom. She was getting mad at the phone because she thought the I was an L so she was mispelling words but she figured it out. She will start attending school soon. They have enrolled her in a school for special needs children. They said it usually takes a couple weeks to get accepted. Then she will go by bus everyday to school. She wasnt sure what to think about that. Anyway, we are looking forward to our next visit.

New Home For Now

Just wanted to let everyone know that Christie was moved to a skilled nursing facility on Tuesday. She did well during the transition. The facility is in North Miami Beach. Chrisite has been on a waiting list for several facilities because her insurance benefits were not paying for her to remain in FINR anymore. When this facility became available, she was moved. The decision was not made by ANY family member from either side. We actually all found out about it the night before. She was transferred upon the request of the court guardian. She is still however on a waiting list for a facility much closer to Richard's home. If and when it becomes available Richard will most likely move her there. Please continue to pray that she continues to get stronger! Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for our family.

Hello Everyone

I know I havent blogged for a while and its for a reason. Richard is doing well. He is back to working full time. Although it proved to be difficult, he is overcoming the small obstacles he runs into. Christie is doing fantastic as well. Richard is not comfortable with me discussing Christie's personal health issues in a public forum for all to see. I respect that and have chosen to not talk about Christie in-depth. I will say that he enjoys the time he spends with her. She looks great and we have wonderful conversations with her! Continue to pray that they both improve daily!

Monday

Again, sorry I havent written. We have had company this week. Lee came to visit his father. He stayed for a week and hung out with Richard around his schedule. He enjoyed seeing him. I took the both of them up to see Christie and she was happy to see Lee. The look on her face was priceless. Lee wrote her a note that said 'Hi fruitcake" She immediately wrote back 'not so bro' I could tell she was happy to see him. Lee drew her pictures and she added to them. We watched and helped with her therapies. She has the other brace back on now. Her hair is almost long enough on top now to put it in a ponytail. She asked me to cut a little off. She even used her fingers to show me how much. I didnt do it though. All in all, we had a good time! Richard has returned to work and has been released from all his outpatient therapies!!!!! What an awesome blessing that is.

Mystery Solved

Sorry I havent written in a while. Things sometimes get hectic going here and going there that I fall asleep before writing a blog. We spent the day with Christie today. She looked wonderful! We had great conversation with her. She does really well with her letter board. I havent even seen her mispell a word on it. We tried to play UNO with her but she said she couldnt remember how to play. Once we explained it to her she was so tired and we knew she wouldnt be able to concentrate. Also, we heard several sounds today from her. They werent words but odd sounds. Whatever it was, we liked it. Once it was a squeek and once a loud moan. So the mystery is this...for the last two weeks or so everytime we go up there Christie tells us her shoes ran away. I show her all her shoes (i.e. slippers, boots, flip flops) and she says not those. Then she gets mad that we cant figure it out. So today shortly after we got there she wrote down...something ran away. I write...what ran away and she writes...shoes. Again I showed her all her shoes and she says...not those. I asked her...who took them. She wrote...I dont know you tell me. I wrote...when did they run away. She writes....when I was sleeping. Then she writes...have you seen my right shoe, only have the left. It finally dawned on me she was talking about her braces. She hasnt been wearing the right one because she has a pressure sore on that foot. I got her left one out of the closet and asked if thats what she is talking about about. She writes...yes, I used to have two! Now to some people this might sound silly but its hard to communicate with Christie sometimes so when we can figure something out for her its a victory!!! Thank you for your continued prayers.

Wednesday

We went and spent the day with Christie. We got there right at lunch and stayed until she was falling asleep talking to us. She had an excellent day. Her speech therapist said she said a full word today...not just a whisper...but an actual loud full word. We participated in her afternoon therapies with her. She worked really hard but started falling asleep on the bike so they let her go to bed. She was actually going like 43 RPM's but appeared sound asleep. Her blue toenails look lovely and she kept admiring them and said they looked awesome. I guess they will match her new wheelchair when it comes in! :) Christie also had a very mature conversation with us using her letter board. It was amazing to see her put together such deep thoughts. Also, when she was done with her first therapy and asked if she wanted to go back to her room, Christie typed on the computer...OK, you drive...to her therapist! :) Certainly has a sense of humor.

Saturday

We went up and visited Christie today and received an awesome surprise. She said HI when we walked in. It was very faint and it sounded like a whisper but she said it. Then for awhile we couldnt hear her. She asked why we couldnt hear her so we explained that her throat is hurt so we cant hear her...we are reading her lips. She said Oh, I see! Im sure she has been told that before but she forgets. Then later, she actually said Ball. Again it was faint but clear as a bell. So we started picking up objects and encouraging her to say it. So we HEARD her say...HI...BALL...PHONE...PEN. she tried to sat horse but some words dont come out right. I also took out my cell phone and took a picture of her. I showed it to her and she said it was a bad picture of her and to do it again. I ended up taking like 10 pictures and she didnt like any of them. Then she took the phone and asked me how to do it. I showed her and even with her unsteady hand, she took a picture of me, looked at it, then ACTUALLY laughed. I was centered in the picture and everything. She asked me to paint her toenails blue and asked her dad to buy her blue flip flops. So we got that stuff and will bring it tomorrow. She did say some repetitive odd things today. She kept saying her shoes ran away. We thought we misunderstood her but then she wrote it. She does think she is 14. We told her she is 16 and she said where did the other two years go. But when we asked her where she lived she wrote "Florida...I think" She had a sense of humor today....laughed alot. Cant wait until tomorrow!!

Future Comments:

Hello All,

As most of you know, the purpose of this forum is to communicate about the progress of Richard and Christie, and to provide uplifting support to Richard and Christie in their time of need.

There are some people who feel this is their personal forum to vent their juvenile frustrations.... Well it isn't, and I am tired of seeing  cowards verbally attacking both Richard and the rest of our family. Your soapbox time here has come to an end....go play elsewhere.

From now on, this forum's responses will be moderated. There may be a brief delay between the time you post and the time that the post appears while we sift through the trash. 

I am sure this will not be an issue to those who truly care about them. Please continue to post your positive comments as they are very important to Richard and Christie.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone!! Richard and I went up to see Christie this morning. She looks wonderful. She had her sense of humor back and was making faces at us and laughing. We are looking forward to hearing her speak. Her speech therapist said they are working hard on that but with the vocal fold paralyzed , she'll have to see the ENT doctor again. She also is moving her left arm around a little. Sometimes its big movements sometimes small but whatever it is, we'll take it. Richard is also doing great. Therapies have been extemely helpful! Keep praying for both to continue healing.

Richard posting again

I left a comment in the last post, but wanted to share that I had a chance to speak to Christie at the hospital that she was transferred to. Yesterday afternoon one of the nurses was able to take the time to give Christie the phone. It was nice to know she could hear me and was mouthing words back to me. I told her that the nurse desk told me that she was doing alot better and would be able to go back to FINR late last evening or first thing this morning. The nurse told me she was nodding also and understood what I was saying. Which is good since some medications have a confusing effect.( I'm sure anyone who has been hospitalized can attest to this comment)
I am glad she has been well cared for and will continue to make sure I do everything in my power to keep her on the road to recovery. Thank you all for helping her.
Richard

This is Richard for the first time

Christie and I have been through alot! I am very thankful to all that supported both of us. I have made enough progress healing to have the chance to go back to work. Christie has made tremendous progress and more of herself shines through on a regular basis. We were even able to play Connect 4 a couple of times.
I just wanted to thank all of you that know of the "Martel" fighting spirit and kept us in your thoughts and prayers. It will never be forgotten.

Sunday

Richard and I spent the weekend with Christie. We played tic tac toe with her and yes...she won. We watched some animae movie her friend brought to my house. We also brought Cheyenne and Christie would call her by making a kissing noise. Christie had the ever annoying hand mitt on today. She pulled out her feeding tube again so on went the mitt. We wrote notes to her about not pulling out the tube and she kept saying she didnt need it. Then she wrote when is lunch? She made several noises this weekend also but no words. Her left vocal fold is paralyzed. It might correct itself...might not. Time will tell. I also had some gum in my mouth and she was encouraging me to blow bubbles then she she would try to smack it on my face. Then I blew real bubbles from a wand and she was catching them on her hand. All in all, it was a good weekend. Richard spent some real quality time with her.

Thursday

We went up to FINR today and did all of Christie's therapies with her. She played connect 4 with Richard 5 times. The first time, he blatantly let her win. Then he realized she was actually good at it. She won the next two times and then He won the last one. When she won Richard joked with her and said that he won. She got serious and said no I did. Richard turned the board around to act like red was his color. She turned it back around and said NO, I WON!!! She even pointed at herself and then Richard and said NOT YOU!!! Then she got on the computer and did some questions but she was really tired. We really enjoyed being there, She wrote us a long note today. It took a while but she was asking where Lee was. So she remembers her brother which we thought was awesome!

WEDNESDAY

This week has been great. Richard is doing well in his outpatient therapies and has added some extracurricular things he does everyday. He spends as much time as he can with Christie which he enjoys immensly. She seems to just fight each day to improve. Richard will spend the day with her tomorrow in therapies to encourage her. We take one day at a time....thats our motto.

Saturday

Today was a wonderful day. We went up first thing this AM to see Christie. She gets so excited to have visitors. She waves here hand and mouths HI! We tried our best to get sound to come out of her mouth today. I would make a sound with my mouth and she would try to mimick me. She was trying so hard...you could see it in her eyes. We could hear air coming out so I guess thats close. We wrote notes back and forth. She also would tickle me when I turn my back from her. Then she would pretend she wasnt doing it when I turned around. I brushed her hair for quite some time because she said that it felt really good. She asked me where her hair went so I told her that they cut some at the hospital. She asked why would they do that. I told her they fixed her head and she asked what was wrong with her head. I told her she hurt it but its getting better. She said oh, I see! Her words are so cute. This week we will visit during afternoon therapy so Richard can participate with the therapy. He enjoys seeing her improve.

Thursday

Sorry I havent updated lately. Richard and I have busy with so much stuff. He has visited Christie twice this week. Both times she was awake and excited to see him. They have conversations with the magna doodle and its really cool to see her write stuff. Yesterday I told her I had big muscles and she flexed her right arm like a body builder. I didnt realize what she was doing at first. She kept doing it until I figured it out. We felt her muscle and she really was flexing it. It was getting late last night and she said she was tired and for us to leave so she can sleep. We got a kick out of that also! Richard has dramatically improved just from being home. Its a different enviroment so his brain is used more. There is no monotony of days. We make everyday different. His neuro doctor said he is doing phenomenal and he doesnt have to see her again for two months. And even that is just for a check up!!!

Sunday

Richard was able to go spend the weekend with Christie. She was writing on the magna doodle. She wrote the word 'question' and drew a flower. We wrote sentences to her and she would answer appropriately with her mouth. We watched TV with her and drew her pictures. It was fun...Saturday and Sunday. The nurses were also excited to see Richard and see how well he is doing. You would almost never know he was a patient there. This weekend, Richards hermit crab miraculously came back to life (dont ask) so we went to the pet store and got a cage set up for it. We had got rid of all the old stuff because it 'died'. It was kind of nice because Christie bought him that crab for Christmas and I was upset when it 'died' because I thought I killed it. Okay...short version...the crab apparently moltted its skin...I thought it died because I saw its 'body'....I got rid of everything....put the crab shell in my flower bed....four days later I was outside and thought I saw it crawling.....thought I was crazy and seeing things....saw it crawl again day.....picked it up.....crab still inside. So Im blonde..what can I say!!!

Friday

Today was a busy day! Richard had speech therapy eval this AM and he called Richard higher functioning and said there wasnt much to work on except strengthening his tongue so his words arent slurred. My mom and step dad are in town so we all hung out and had a great day. We ordered Chinese food and had strawberry cheesecake. It sounds silly but these are things Richard hasnt had in so long. He savors every bite. He called Christie to tell her goodnight but she had visitors so he didnt interupt. We'll go see her tomorrow.

Thursday

The last two days have been really busy. Richard is getting into his therapy program and were looking forward to him returning to work. We went out to his office the yesterday and he hung around with the guys for a little bit. He was very excited because he remembered the five digit code to get into the sheriffs office door. He has had a lot of personal victories this week. He visited Chrisite today and she enjoyed her magna doodle. My mom said she drew a smiley face and said she was writing words. Im amazed at how well she is doing. God is good!!!!!

Hello everyone

I plum wore Richard out today. I took him with me everywhere and he had two doctors appointments for therapy. Then we went shopping at Walmart tonight. It was a riot with him on that little scooter. He could have walked but I didnt want him to tire out so he drove around. We laughed pretty hard. He helps me around the house and helps me cook. Im really glad he is doing so well. He calls Christie every night and talks to her. He also bought her a magna doodle he will bring her tomorrow so they can write back and forth. You never know, maybe she will try to write. Have a good night!!!

Sunday

Today was a good day. Richard went to church with me and was excited because he remembered most everyone's name. He helped me cook all the meals today. Its funny how he has a new appreiciation for food now that he can choose what he wants to eat. Tomorrow starts all his therapies so he'll be busy this week. He called and spoke with Christie today for a while. He enjoyed that! Talk to everyone later.

Saturday

Today was interesting. Richard helped me make blueberry muffins for breakfast. He savored every bite. He also had milk for the first time. Then we went driving and he recognized most everything. We went to the storage space where his things are and he got a couple of things he wanted. We got home and cooked lunch together. Then he napped for several hours while I worked in the yard. He kept coming out to check on me because he was afraid I would overheat. Then we got in the pool. He sat on the second step and stayed there. Then we cooked dinner together. Now, its 730 and his meds have kicked in.....he is going to bed! Tomorrow he is going to church with me. I know this probably sounds like a boring day but for him it was full of fun and now he is exhausted!!! Good night!

He's Home

So, we picked up Richard this afternoon. He was really excited to come home but nervous also. The ride was fine. He slowly started to remember Port Charlotte as we drove through it. He even told us where to turn on our street and he told us which house was ours. We gave him a tour of his new place and he loves it. He was very overwhelmed so we kept it simple. He helped me make pizza for dinner. He walked me through every step and then once it was in the oven he said...Why did I just tell you how to make a pizza. He is used to being at FINR where they make him explain his every move to make sure its a safe one. We got a good laugh out of it. Now its 8pm and he is asleep. He says he gets up at 6am at FINR. I told him this wasnt FINR so he could sleep in. We'll see. Anyway, glad to have him home.

Thursday

So tommorrow is the big day. Richard is really excited about coming home. He will miss not seeing Christie everyday but he knows he needs to continue to getting stronger so he can take care of her when she is ready to leave. We will be home around 3pm so if anyone wants to stop by in the evening and say hello, feel free. We are not having a big get together when he gets home because I dont want to overwhelm him. We are however eating pizza with black olives and portabella mushrooms with salt and vinegar chips and deviled eggs because thats what he wanted!!!!!! For those of you that dont know, he is on a regular diet now and can eat whatever he wants!!!!! The blog tomorrow night will be from Richard...Yeah!

Wednesday

Sorry I havent written in a while. My computer got a virus and we couldnt get rid of it. Now I have a new one. My family was down this weekend for Christies birthday. We had a great time. She held the balloons, opened her presents (sort of) and tried really hard to blow out the candle. Richard enjoyed it immensly. Christie was really interactive at the party. She has a new wheelchair that helps her sit correctly and will be beneficial in her recovery. Also, FINR will be fitting her for her leg braces so she'll have them in a couple of weeks. Her antics are cute. When my mom typed on the computer to her that she was leaving, Christie pouted really big. Then she wrote BYE and Christie waved. This week has been a busy one with getting everything set up for Richard to come home Friday. His days will still be full with therapies and appointments. Hopefully after a couple of weeks we can get to some consistency with the routine. Ill update more soon. Have lots to do!!!!

Coming Home

Im extremely pleased to announce that Richard will be discharged from FINR August 1, 2008. Yes, this is next Friday!!!!! Im a little nervous to have that responsibility of caring for him so I need all your prayers. He still is wobbly when he walks so he cant be left alone. He still speaks very slowly and has a hard time remembering things currently and from the past. Also his diet is still soft foods so Ill have to be creative in the kitchen. But Im so happy he has progressed enough to not be under direct supervision of a doctor. Three months ago we werent sure he would live. He still will attend therapy everyday at Fawcett's outpatient sports and rehab center. Eventually (hopefully) he can wean those down to not as often. We added a room to our house for him specifically so he can feel like he has privacy but I can keep my eye on him. Luckily, Im off school for 9 days ( Im between semesters) after his discharge so I can reacclimate him back to the community. Please keep my family in your thoughts. Adjusting to full time care of a loved one is scary but I know he would do it for me. Christie will remain at FINR for awhile. Hopefully one day she will return home also.

Monday

I went up first thing this AM. Richard had just started therapy so I went and watched Christie's therapy from afar. I didnt want to distract her. She was blowing a whistle and bubbles. They worked on words and they tried to get sound to come out. Her therapist just got back from Sweden on vacation. She brought Christie back a stuffed sheep. Its really cute. When I came around the corner her eyes lighted up and she mouthed HI and smiled big. It totally warmed my heart. Then she left for a doctors appointment. I went back with Richard. He was now in PT. He was getting his shoulders worked on so I didnt interupt. I ate lunch with him and then came home. It was a great visit.

Sunday

Just a quick note. Me and little Philip went up to see them today and brought them a big surprise. We brought Cheyenne! (thats Richards dog) We walked into Richards room and his eyes just lit up. He played with her for about 30 minutes nonstop. She licked him all over and actually she was so excited to see him she busted his lip a little from jumping all over him. He didnt care though. He said it was the best day of the week. Then we took her over to see Christie. She jumped in the bed with her and licked her hands. Christie pet her on the head for a minute or so. Then when Cheyenne would walk away Christie would call her by constant kissing noises. We stayed in there for about 30 minutes. Then we went back to Richards room and he walked us to the car. We didnt stay long because we had the dog but it was worth the long drive to see them light up around Cheyenne.

Thursday

Philip and I went up today. Richard was in therapy when we got there so we didnt interupt. Then we went to lunch with him. After lunch we chilled in his room and talked. He was aggravated today because they are weaning him out of his wheelchair. He had to walk everywhere today until 2pm without his chair. He was not happy but he did it. Next week he wont be able to use it at all. He isnt looking forward to that but it really is a good thing for him. After lunch he had to walk to the other building for therapy. He did shoulder stretching. He has been wanting to learn to type again so he asked could he work on that today. So off he went to the computer room. He typed a letter to a friend, printed it, addressed the envelope, and mailed it, Then they gave him some homework to do sometime in the evening because he didnt have balance group today. It was like a word unscrammble. He was mad. He says he feels like they are trying to make him an Olympic star. Christie was not very interactive today. She did give us kisses, stuck out her tongue and answered questions by shaking her head. She is really funny with Philip. He makes faces at her and the looks she gives him are priceless. I cant go back until Sunday so Ill update then.

Tuesday

Today was Richards field trip. We left really early this morning. We first went to a zoo. Each client had a task to do because this was in place of therapy. So Richard was in charge of organizing group and individual photos. He had a camera which he was to use at his leisure but he had to include everyone in the photos. We took a group photo in front of the zoo by some blue flowers (his idea) then he took a picture of each animal we encountered. He took some candid shots of people. One of his therapists was camera shy and refused to turn around the whole trip. He told her she wouldnt like the alternative for not taking a picture. So he took a picture of her butt. After he gets them developed, he has to make a scrapbook with captions I think so He will label the butt as Sarah. I kind of encouraged him to do it because he thought he would get in trouble. Everyone got a good laugh at it. We left the zoo and went to a park to eat. After our picnic we went to a museum. We walked around and took more pictures. We got back to the facility around 2pm. We went to Christies therapy with her. The therapist was telling us of all the things she did yesterday in therapy. They gave her objects to she if she would use them appropriately. They gave her a wet washcloth, chap stick, and a tooth brush. She used them all correctly. Becky has pictures of it on her website if you need to see it to believe it. Richard was so happy for her he cried. I snuck out during her therapy today. She was kicking the ball to Richard and he was enjoying it so much!!! He keeps telling her..."I cant wait until the day we walk out of here hand in hand together!"

Monday

I spoke with Richard last night. He was watching a movie and was excited because my husband told him the shows he used to watch all the time (because he couldnt remember them) and set his remote to turn to those shows on. He said he has a hard time remembering things for himself but once you remind him he can remember everything about it. He is going on a field trip on Tuesday from 10-2pm. His PT is leaving FINR so they are taking her clients to a park for a picnic kind of as a good bye party. Im going with him.
Richard wants Chrisite's birthday party to be on Saturday the 26th. Time doesnt matter to him but since most people go to church on Sunday's he figured more people would be able to come on a Saturday. If anyone has a conflict with that please let me know. It would really warm Richards heart for some of Christie's friends from school to be there. If any of you want to go, you can ride with me or follow me there. My car seats seven...just call me. 628-6206 See you there.

Saturday

Today Philip and I went up! Richard was on the porch hanging out with his room angel. We hung outside for a while then we went with him to see Christie. She was really happy to see us. She was blowing kisses and sticking her tongue out. Then...she starting talking but with no sound. Her mouth was moving a mile a minute and we were all trying to figure out what she was saying. Some of it was obvious like Hi... I love You...Where am I...and the funniest was WHAT? Philip asked her something and she said WHAT? with the funniest look. She went on for about 1 minute speaking in clearly mouthed sentences but we didnt know what she said. We went back to Richards building and just talked for several hours. We ate dinner together then went back over to Christies room. She was moving her mouth around again and the respiratory therapist said sometimes when she moves her mouth sounds come out. As we left she was blowing us kisses!

Friday

I went up this morning right after breakfast. Richard was in with Christie. She was very interactive with him. When he tried to leave she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. And of course, she stuck her tongue out at me. Richard drank thin coffee again in therapy. He cleared his throat twice so the therapist gave him pointers on swallowing. He did crazy stuff in PT. You would have thought he was in an aerobic class. He was doing squats (for balance), lunges with his eyes closed, and riding the bike at a fast pace. We ate lunch together and just laughed together. He isnt looking forward to the weekend. Its boring to him because he is used tothe structured days of the week. I thoroughly enjoyed his visit and cant wait to see him tomorrow.

Tuesday

Gabrielle, little Philip, amd I went up this morning. We got there right after breakfast. It took a little while to find Richard. We caught up with him at his first therapy. It was speech which does memorization and such. He did excellent. Then he did swallow exercises. He drank a cup of thin coffee and she pointed out ways to swallow better. He savored every bit. Then we went back to his room real quick to show him video I made of his dog. He was amused by it. We went for his second therapy. He rode the bike for 10 minutes, did balancing on his knees, and then.....we played Twister. It was a hoot! Richard only had to play with his feet but we had to use hands and feet. It was a mangled mess. Then he had to walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes and play Blurt at the same time. Little Phil played Blurt with him and Gabby and I went with Christie. She was looking around when we came in. I asked her to blow me a kiss and she did. Then just for fun I told her to stick out her tongue at me and I demonstrated. She did it immediately. It was hilarious. So I did it back to her and she did it back to me. Then I put my thumb in her face and moving it quickly up and down...I told her to do that. I was just trying to get her to move her thumb. She went one up and me. She put her hand in my face and moved her thumb all around. Then she smiled really big. I said Oh you think your a funny guy...she stuck her tongue out at me. I went back and got Richard when he was finished because I wanted him to see. She was sleeping by the time we got back. I tried to get her to do it again but she just smiled and blew kisses at Richard. We all ate lunch together. We left after lunch! I wont be back until Friday with them. Ill update then!

Sunday

I went up this afternoon. Richard was sleeping, but I was pleasantly surprised to find my grandparents there. I played cards with them while he slept. Apparently he had a busy day prior to my arrival. One of the sheriffs's deputies came to visit, he hung out with Christie and had lunch with my grandparents. He doesnt get daily pain meds anymore...only when he asks...so he did today and got really drowsy. After he woke up, we played Skip-bo. He said he is tired of playing cards but he knows it helps his mind. We walked Memere and Wayne to their car. Then I cut Richards hair. I ate dinner with him then we went to the SMRC to hang out with Christie. She was really sleepy and not really interactive but we got kisses. We went back to his building and talked for a while. He wanted to shower so I left. I'll see him again Tuesday. This coming week he has an EEG scheduled and they might start letting him eat crunchy foods.

Happy Fourth

I visited Richard and Christie all day Thursday and the morning of Friday. Thursday was a great day. I went to all his therapies with him which he did pretty well in. Christie did good also. She did the ball kick again. And she did object recognition. Then we headed back to his building and played a mean game of scrabble. He beat me like 312 to 140. It was a massacre. And just so everyone knows, I didnt let him win. There was a huge storm that night and we lost power for about an hour. So we all sat around the common area listening to the storm because we couldnt do much else since there was no power. After dinner, we ran (me pushing him) over to the other building so he could kiss Christie goodnight. We hung out for a little bit. Richard was joking around with Christie and she made a noise that sounded like a small laugh. We were tottally excited. Richard went out to the nursing desk and told everyone. I stayed until it got dark.
Today, Phil and I only went up for the morning. All his therapies were squished into the morning because it July 4th. We got there SSSOOO early he was just finishing breakfast. He was sitting on the back lanai enjoying the morning sounds. He was astounded we were there that early so he offered us breakfast. We brought him some things from his past to try and spark his memory. It helped and he enjoyed the walk down memory lane. During his therapies, Christie was right beside him, so we got to watch everything. They did some stretching with Christies arms and legs. She didnt like it. She was giving the therapists really dirty looks. One of the therapists said if you dont like this, you can punch me in the face. Christie hit him! It was gentle but she understood. I havent blogged a lot about her because I will never put anything on here that someone told me. I have to see it for myself. Her therapists have told me of the things she does but Im a visual person and need to see it to believe it I guess. So with that said, Im really excited about what Ive seen her do this past week. For Richards therapy he had to walk around almost the whole FINR campus starting from in the gym, out the back door, around the lake, down to the basketball courts, and then back but a different way. He had to go at a 1.6 mph rate and had to maintain good posture throughout and swing his arms accordingly. Then he did balancing exercises on one knees with his eyes closed. He said he doesnt like it because the darkness makes him feel like he is falling and it scares him. I brought little presents (4th of July lollipops) for him to give to his therapists and it was cute to watch him walk around and give them out. We left at lunch because we had a church activity. I have school tomorrow so I wont see him until Sunday. So if anyone wants to keep him company, it would be great! Just be prepared to play games.

Wednesday

When we got to FINR today, we couldnt find Richard. Come to find out he has three appointments this AM so we didnt actually see him until after lunch. So we went and hung out with Christie. She really was interactive with me today. She kissed me and made a loud kissing noise. When I tried to get another one she gave me a zerbert (thats what I call them) then she shook her head no. I began to tease her about it and she smiled really big. Little Philip recorded a message for her on her computer thing. Jose came in for a while and hung out also. Paula and Aaron also showed up later in the day. I took Richard in there to meet them. We (me, little Philip, and Richard) also watched her therapy sessions. She kicked a beach ball. It only went a few inches but Richard told her to keep trying because when he first tried it it didnt go far either. Its cute to watch him encourage her.
Richard missed most of his sessions today because of his appointments but we had a date with mac n cheese. He cooked it by himself and it was really good. He said it was a bit starchy and bland but I enjoyed it. It was funny to see him in the kitchen because he kept arguing about cooking techniques. He wanted to do it one way and they wanted him to do it their way. Then while he was cooking it, he licked the spoon then realized what he did. He had such a fit of laughter he had to sit down. For speech this afternoon, he did memorization things. He did excellent. Then he taught little Philip had to play Racko. We played a whole game then 5 minutes later, he couldnt remember what we played. His memory is really strange. We enjoyed out time there today.
SPECIAL PRAYER: Some of you might know this already, but Philip (my husband) needs prayer. He was involved in a car accident on I-75 last night also. He lost control in the rain and fishtailed around multiple times before the truck finally came to rest on the bridges guardrail. He is extremely lucky to have walked away. He is just really bumped and bruised up. But now our other car is totalled. Some of you might recall, my brother was driving my car when he wrecked. Im sure our insurance company is just loving us right now. Im afraid to say what else could possibly happen!

Monday

I didnt see Richard today because Im working. However he called me tonight and we talked for about 15 minutes. He read me his journal entries today. He has to write down once an hour what he does to help work on his memory. He said they are going to let him cook mac n cheese this week and eat it. He is really excited about that. He also said that Jose (case manager) told him he could leave on the weekends on a "field trip" with family. Im not sure what that entails but if they let me bring him to my house on a Saturday, Ill let everyone know. It would be nice for people to stop by and see him to encourage him. He really needs encouragment right now. He is tired of therapies and just wants to come home. He doesnt understand that its not safe yet for him to leave. He said he has no patience and thinks he is all better. As for anyone who wants to visit him at FINR, I would call me first (941-628-6206) so I can give you directions and make sure he is there and not in therapy. Also, it takes approx. one hour to get there-FYI!

Birthday Party

Yes, we are having a party for Christies 16th birthday. It will be the weekend of July 28th. More details later if anyone wants to come. A lot of family is flying in to be there and Richard is currently planning the party. He has ideas in mind so we are going to let him do what he wants! He did mention he wants lots of balloons.

Sunday

Today was really cool. Philip brought his laptop so Richard could get on the internet. We showed him a picture of his house and he remembered that. He still doesnt remember my house though. We showed him a map of Florida so he knows where he is. He had never heard of Wauchula so he didnt know where it was in regards to Port Charlotte. Then Philip logged on to his email and Richard sent out an email to everyone at the CCSO. He was really emotional trying to put his thoughts to words. He cried the whole time he wrote it. After that we played cards for a while. We left at dinner time. He said he had visited Christie this AM and she was more alert than before. He is really excited for her to get better.

Saturday

Sorry I havent written in a while. Wednesday and Thursday I had school. Friday, I had someone here working on my house so I couldnt leave. I went up today and hung out with Richard. He was excited when I got there. He had just started a scrabble game with the RSA's so I joined in. It was really enjoyable. We were cracking jokes and arguing if words were really words. When we were done, the whole building went to the cafeteria and we all played BINGO. There was a prize table so if you won, you picked. I won twice and Richard won once. Then it was almost time dinner time. I gave Richard a 'spa' treatment which consisted of me cutting his fingernails and toenails, trim his nose hairs, his rogue eyebrow hairs, and rogue ear hairs. We laughd the whole time. I told him of things he used to do when he first starting "waking up" the really funny things. He kept saying, why did I do that? or why did I say that? He told me about his morning. Breakfast was 'okay' Lunch was pizza chopped into little pieces "pretty good" Andthe highlight of his day......... Irv Hopkins and his wife came to visit. He was totally thrilled and honored that "someone would drive that far to come see me" A group of us are going up tomorrow. We'll update then.

Tuesday

I went up first thing this morning with Philip and my friend Rene. My mom and Dave were already there. He was just finishing up speech therapy when we arrived. We went and visited Christie for a little while. She gave me a kiss. It was really cool. She looks wonderful without her trach. Both of her eyes are open and she moves her head all around. Richard came over with her also. He got up and gave her a hug and a kiss. For morning therapy he had to walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Then he had stretching of the shoulder where he singing the dhoulder song (you have to be there). Then we played kick with a beach ball for 15 minutes. By then it was lunch time. Richard did his usual, Im not hungry thing, but his therapist wasnt having it. She pushed him until he ate 1/3 of his plate. We told some jokes during lunch. He was actually laughing. It made me laugh because he was so amused with himself. After lunch we played UNO for 30 minutes in the common room. Poor Rene never won! We wheeled him over to his OT. He hates the 130 session because they stretch his shoulder and it hurts. So he has decided to call it torture instead of therapy. And instead of her being the occupational therapist, she is the occupational terrorist. We left after that therapy. He was headed to his room for an hour nap before his next therapy. We saw Christie again before we left. She was in the chair and looking all around. Its nice to see both eyes open.

Our Weekend

This is Richard's mom & Dave. We arrived Friday and spent the weekend with Richard and Christie. Let's start with Christie's update. When we arrived Friday, we went to visit Christie and was amazed at how she looked. She was more alert and moving her arm and head more than she was before. She would turn her head toward us and her mother Becky. Saturday when we went to visit Richard, he wanted to go visit Christie. We wheeled him to see her. While we were there he bent down to give her a kiss and when he did Christie actually pursed her lips and put her mouth on his cheek and actually KISSED him. This was such an exciting moment for Richard and everyone there. She kisses him whenever he gets close enough to her now. We were also privileged to get kisses from her also. Sunday she slept most of day, possibly because of having so many visitors. Monday she had a doctor's appointment and we didn't get to see her that morning. Later on that afternoon when she returned, we went to see her and discovered that the doctors had removed her trach and also her IV line from her hand. They are also feeding her through her peg tube straight into her stomach instead of a continuous IV feeding. When Richard saw her without her trach he was so excited and sat next to her on the bed and gave her a big hug and kiss. She returned the kiss and was real loud when she did it so there was no mistake about what she had done. Her Great Grandparents were there on Sunday and had a good visit with her.

Richard was in good spirits Friday when we arrived and was excited to see us both. He wanted us to join him for supper so off we went. When we got back he was really tired because he had rigorous therapy on his shoulder. He laid down and we all watched TV with him. Saturday he was still sore and was exhausted. He still wanted to go visit Christie so we wheeled him over to the SMRC building to see her. We were able to visit with Christie on the porch for a while and then it started to rain hard. Richard had to get back to the Dogwood Bldg. so I wrapped him in plastic garbage bags so he wouldn't get too wet and cold and off we went running through the rain and puddles. When we arrived at his bldg. the room assistant was ready with a towel and we dried him off and changed his clothes and got him into bed to warm up. Later on that day we played monopoly with another client and her mother. While we were playing he had a visitor. It was Cecelia and her sister. We all had a good visit and had supper. We left soon afterwards. Sunday Richard had a real bad headache and was not able to shake it. He tried so hard to keep us company but ended up sleeping most of the time. Then his grandparents came and he got up to play cards with them but had to stop after a few hands because of his headache. We put him back to bed. He pretty much stayed there most of the time. When we arrived on Monday he had already had his breakfast but was not feeling good. He was sort of out of it all day until around three o'clock. He still went to his therepies but could not put his all in it. He did however walk for his therapy all the way to the fishing pier and back and then had to go up and down the steps three times. He was really whipped after that but he managed to do it. Then we played a version of volley ball with a beach ball. We played charades at his three o'clock therapy and had a real good time. He is very animated when he wants to be. The reason why he was so tired and sore all weekend is because they have doubled the amount of therapies. We will see him and Christie in the morning for a couple of hours then we will be on our way home. Angie and Philip will be taking over that morning after we leave. Please keep Christie and Richard in your prayers. We would like to thank everyone who have helped all of us and for the many prayers and good wishes sent to them. God bless you all for your kindness.

Help If You Can

Many of you know that Richard wont be able to live on his own when he is discharged from the rehab center. He still will require outpatient rehab, must learn how to drive again, and learn to be financially repsonsible for himself. These are just to name a few. I only have a small two bedroom home that will not accomodate his needs. After much prayer (and a huge step of faith) Philip and I have decided to add an addition to our house. We are going to convert out big garage into a in-law type suite so he can have the supervision he needs however the privacy he deserves. I have a gentleman from our church who is going to oversee this for me. If anyone has any expertise in this area or knows someone that will be willing to help with time and materials please call me. (628-6206) We will be doing things such as windows, doors, running new electricity and lighting, framing walls, drywall, painting, a phone line, and running air conditioning to that area. Im sure there are more things that I dont know about. Im confident we can accomplish this before he comes home which will be approx. two months from now. Please help us bring him home!
Also I want to personally thank everyone that has helped us tremendously till this point. People came out to help us move Richard from his house. People have provided places for my family to stay.People have feed us great meals since we are constantly on the go and have no time to cook. Someone provided a storage space for Richards belongings until he needs them again. The money raised from various fundraisers will be greatly used for medical bills since they have already surpassed $1,000,000. (before insurance) Mostly thank you for your daily prayers. I know there are a lot of people feverently praying for our needs daily and Im forever thankful.
Many people have asked about pictures of Richard. I have, for quite sometime, wanted to post pictures of Richards recovery along the way. We take weekly pictures and videos so one day he will see just how far he has come. However, after discussion with my family, we feel that it would not be appropriate to post them online. His journey through this has been a constant struggle and is a very personal issue. Therefore, we choose to respect his privacy. Please continue to pray!!!

Saturday

I havent seen Richard or Christie for two days. My mom and step dad have been with him. On the weekends Richard kind of chills out because he doesnt have therapy so they have just kind of hung around. My mom did say that today they were outside and got caught in a rain storm. They covered him with a trash bag and pushed him back to his building somewhat wet. Becky is here with Christie so Im sure when she returns to SC she will update everyone on her own website. Im going up tomorrow so Ill write again then.

Thursday

I spent part of the day with Richard and Christie today. When I got there Richard was finishing up one of his therapies. He was excitied to show me his new home. So off we went to his new place. Its really nice. He showed me around. He said he loves the chef at the new building. Says the food is better there than the other building. I told him it was probably because he is eating regular food now, its better. But his Patient care Tech said she thinks it better there also. He said he had pancakes for breakfast with maple syrup and the chef cut them into little bite size pieces for him. He said the cream of wheat was bland so he got some mixed fruit pieces and mixed it together and it was good. He had an hour before his next therapy so we played cards in the common area and talked. He expressed to me that he hopes he can return to work soon. He said he enjoys his job and worked really hard to get where he was. He doesnt want to lose that. He got some mail today and was excited. He opened the two cards and read them aloud to me. If anyone wants to send mail here is the address
FINR-Dogwood FINR-SMRC
Richard Martel Christie Martel
1962 Vandolah Rd SAME AS OTHER
PO Box 1348
Wauchula, FL 33873

Just be advised that FINR reads Richards mail (at my request) before he gets it just in case they think its something that would upset him.
Christie was in the gym doing therapy when I got there. I watched for a little while. I found her later in her room. She appeared to be sleeping so I just sat with her. Her room is so decorated with stuff. It looks great.

Wednesday

I did not go to FINR today, I had to work at EMS. They did call me and tell me that they moved him to Dogwood (the step down facility). I asked his case manager how he took it and he said Richard loved his room and the TV (its a 42 inch flat screen). Jose (his case manager) asked him if he wanted to come back to the other building (as a joke) and Richard said Hell No! Apparently he likes it. He will have to adjust to the structure program over there. He isnt allowed in his room until after dinner. He has choices to occupy his time with. They do an adult education program tailored to where you are in recovery. His choices will probably be computer lab or woodworking for one hour a day. Well see how he likes it! Im going tomorrow after I get out of school.

Tuesday

Christie wasnt there today. She went to the hospital for some tests. When I got there Richard was in her room leaving her a note. It was cute, he put it on her pillow. They really pushed Richard in his therapies today. He walked 15 minutes on the treadmill and rode the bike for 10 minutes. He complained but did great. We had our monthly meeting about him. It was a good pow-wow. He has made it very far. He will move to the other building probably tomorrow. He had a sense of humor today. He kept sticking his tongue out at people. I made fun of him and he gave me the finger. He cracked a couple of jokes. And he won RummyCube and had to do a victory dance. He stood up and got his groove on. I wish I had a camera. By 4pm he was exhausted. He didnt get an afternoon nap because I shaved his head. He didnt like his hair long so I brought clippers and cut it. They also progressed his diet to soft mechanical which basically is the same food he has had but it actually looks like food not ground up puree. He might eat more now because it will look appetizing. Have a great day everyone!! Thanks for reading!

Sunday

I spent yesterday and today with Richard and Christie. Yesterday, Richard and I went for a long walk with 'Mama' and then we played Bingo. After dinner, he wanted to take a nap, so I left. It was a great visit. Christie slept, she felt really hot with a fever. The nurse said although she has a fever, her lungs sound good. Her arm isnt as swollen as its been.
Today, we got there and Richard was sleeping. We woke him up and he said he wanted to sleep for an hour. So we went with Christie. The nurse said Richard was in there earlier and Richard called Chrisite's name and she turned her head towards the noise. Then the nurse said she moved her arms around when Richard said something funny. Both of those things might have been coincidence but its cool anyway. She looked good today. Didnt feel hot. Moved her arms around when I touched them and turned her head from side to side. After Richard woke up, we went for a long walk outside. The we played UNO. When dinner came, we all ate together. He ate most of his food. As far as the green tea goes, He is allowed to drink it but I have to put the thickener in it. Richard knows he is moving to the other facility. For those of you who have never been there, its a building down the little street (walking distance from where he is now). He will have to come back throughout the day for his therapies. Its apparently very structured at the other facility. No napping. You are required to be doing something at all times. They try to simulate real life and most people are up and at it most of the day. He is a little freaked out about that. It might take some getting used to.

Friday

I didnt see either of them yesterday. I had to work. Today I had school and intended on going straight home. Richard called me Thursday night and asked me to visit and bring him a pillow and some green tea. When I spoke with him today, he remembered talking to me and asking for those specific items. I thought that was awesome because his memory is not there yet. So, I drove up after class and brought him what he wanted. Unfortunately, he had just fallen asleep. They said he was cranky all day and wanted to nap during the day but they were waxing the floors with a loud machine so he couldnt. I stayed for an hour and he never woke up. I didnt want to bother him soI left him a note and went home. I'll be there tomorrow. I got half way home and realized I didnt see Christie. Brain Fart :) I forgot she was there. Ive had a long day...forgive me!

Wednesday

I spent 8 hours at FINR today. I watched all four of Richard's therapies. He did a variety of jaw and tongue exercises with speech therapy. That goal is to strengthen the mouth and jaw to began eating solid foods. He had a baked potato for lunch and was able to chew that. His physical therapy consisted of walking alot. He went outside and walked around the building twice (its a big building) then they made him play catch with me for ten minutes. He also had to stand up in one spot and balance and play a game for 15 minutes. We played UNO. They did range of motion on his left arm and neck because those are the only two things he isnt moving properly. In the afternoon he had OT which consisted of playing a board game. They try to teach counting, patience, and endurance of his attention span. He did excellent in all of them with minor complaining. After everything was done, he wanted to walk more. Im not sure Im allowed to but I let him get up and I took him out the side door and we went quite a ways. His main goal today was to stay up all day without naping. He is trying to sleep better at night but his "crazy dreams" wake him up. We also has a long talk. His memory is starting to return and its so cool to him. He's amazed with himself when he remembers something. That memory usually sparks another one. We went on for more than hour about growing up. His short term memory still isnt there but its coming along also.
We also visited Christie three times today. Once she was sleeping and he didnt want to bother her. Once she was in the chair and he had a talk with her. Told her it was good for her to be in the chair because laying in bed all day wasnt good for her. The last time we saw her she was in the gym working out (they were doing the working out for her) and he told her to pay attention to what they were doing because soon they would make her do it on her own. :) He told her to work hard to get better like him.
The day before this Philip spent the day with him because I had school. He said they had an awesome day. That he worked hard and ate all his meals. Richard really responds to Philip being there. Its good for him. BIG NEWS: Its not final yet, but they think that Richard can move to the independent living facility next week. He have more freedom and privacy.

Monday

I spent most of the day at FINR. I got there really early and found Richard in the lobby laying on a sofa. He said he drives by it in his wheelchair all the time and always wondered if it was comfortable. I went to all his therapy sessions with him. He does very well but he is very impatient and gets distracted and frustrated easily. You have to redirect his attention to what he is working on. But he completes the tasks and usually gets them all right with a few small mistakes. For physical therapy he had to sit on a ball (balance) and play catch with me. I made him throw it with his left hand because he never uses that one. He argued and there was lots of drama but in the end he did it. His other therapies went well. I get so caught up in how well he does throughout the day when Im there. Then he takes a nap and when he wakes up he thinks its the next day and he remembers nothing...even if the nap was 10 minutes. But they said his short term memory is usually the last thing to come back.
We visited Christie twice today. She looked great. Richard hung out for a while but got emotional so we left. When I left, Christie was in the gym having therapy. It amazes me the things they do with patients even in her condition. They bring her right into the gym with everyone else and start working with her. I watched for a little while but had to leave. Her right eye is completely open now and she looks all around the room. If anyone were to see her for the first time you would probably think she looks bad, but since Ive been with her often...she really does look better than ever. Richard is so concerned with her. She was sleeping and we were in there. She was snoring and he kept asking her was she okay and asked me why she was breathing like that. I told him she was fine. If she moved a little bit he says why did she do that. I said...because she wanted to. He's like a little protective hen. I really precious!

Sunday

I havent seen Richard since Thursday. I've had school the last couple of days. I have checked on him daily by speaking with his nurse. He does seem to retain that Christie was in the accident with him. He has visited her several times in her room. The nurse said he seems to be taking it okay but he does seem depressed. They will speak to the doctor Monday about changing his medications around to fix this before it becomes a problem. He doesnt do therapy over the weekend so he just hung around. Im not sure what bed he is in now. :) I'll be with him all day tomorrow during all three therapy sessions and Ill be able to tell you how far he has come. Also next week, Richard's monthly progression meeting is coming up. Its a meeting where I sit down with everyone who has any contact directly with him from his therapists, case managers. doctors, dietician...etc. They show me where he has come and where he is now. They also show me where they think he will be by next meeting. Its a time to ask questions and share concerns. Im looking forward to that because although I know he has progressed greatly, its nice to look at it on paper and see just how far. Its encouraging for me.

Listen Up

This website was created to update everyone on Richard and Christie's progress during this horrible ordeal. It was created out of love for the both of them. I have never written anything negative or pointed fingers at anyone or anybody that is making this situation harder to deal with. Some people feel the need to take shots at me in the comment section. That is not the purpose of this website. Hundreds of people (from all ages) read this daily because they are truely concerned for their well being. Therefore, if you dont have anything nice to say about their recovery, I would appreciate you dont say it all. Let's concentrate on healing.

Thursday

I just got back from hanging with Richard. He was very confused today. Maybe they had just medicated him, I dont know. After a while he started to make sense though. We went for a chair ride. When we got away from the facility, he wanted to walk. I helped him. He went about 30 feet and back. He said, I feel manly now! When we got back to his room, he informed me he didnt like his bed anymore and wanted to find another one. He walked around and got in another bed (a clean one). I told him that wasnt his bed. He said it was more comfortable and he wasnt getting out of it. Soon he was asleep. When his therapist came to get him she said where is he. I pointed at Richard and all the nurses were laughing. But they said if that one makes him happy, he can have that one. He did great in therapy. It was math and he was mad! He kept saying, I cant do it, its too hard but he was done it in no time. When we returned to his room, he went to that other bed again and got in it. Again I told him it wasnt his bed. He Said "It is now!" and he fell asleep. That was my visit.

Wednesday

Philip spent the day with Richard. He had a dentist appointment this morning. They took the stitches out of his mouth from his jaw surgery because they were really hurting him. They also pulled that tooth that has been bothering him. Now he should be able to start eating better.He mostly behaved. Then he went back to FINR and Philip met him there. Philip said he ate good today. Richard responds great to Philip I guess because he is a guy and he doesnt want to look weak in front of him. Philip also sat down with Richard and explained to him about Christie and the fact she was also injured. We decided this was a good time for this since Christie was transferred to FINR today. We dont want him to run into her and find out that way so this was best. He was very emotional but then moved past the saddness and said he needs to hurry and get better so he can be there for her. Since we are not sure how his memory works yet, he might totally forget by tomorrow so we'll see.
Also, I will no longer be able to update anyone on Christie from here on out. Im sorry for this inconvience!

Tuesday

Okay, the dog is much better. She spent the night in the hospital but is now home. Very bruised and moves slow but otherwise okay. Ive almost moved Richard all out of his house. I have a couple of heavy items I cant move myself. Any offers? I have to do it Thursday or Friday. My mom spent Monday with Christie. She 'slept' the whole time they were there so there is nothing new to tell. I spent Monday with Richard. He is very emotional. Cries without notice. They are working on his meds to try and reduce this anxiety. Cant wait until it starts working. Its very emotionally exhausting to spend a day with him. Today he had an ultrasound of his bladder to make sure the surgery healed. Tomorrow he has a dentist appointment (down here in Port Charlotte) that Philip will meet him at. One of his fillings got knocked out in the accident and the tooth is loose. They both have a long road ahead of them. Keep all of us in your prayers.
PS-Also, a while back someone wrote that Christie had their game card or something. I think I have it. Let me know who it belongs to and what it looks like.

Moms Visit With Richard

Today was a very emotional & exciting day for Richard, Cecelia came to visit him today and he was very excited to see her. He told her that not only was she a friend but now he consided her family. She visited for about an hour. Mom and dave had to take Richard on 4 trips out side in the wheel chair so he could enjoy the sun and the the light breeze, he even had them take him on a 1 mile ride in his wheelchair through the FINR compound. Once we got back, his ribs were really hurting so he took a long deserved 90 minute nap. They still will not let him drink water unless it has been thickend like honey because he still can not drink regular water. The consistency has to be thick. He still has to learn to chew and swallow solid foods. He can walk very short distances with assistance ( a few feet). We are so proud of all the improvements he has made. Richard did talk to his Grandmother today and wished her a happy birthday which is Tomorrow. He did not want Mom and Dave to leave but when they had to, he made them promise that they would be back at 10:00 am and they had better not be late.
We moved Richard out of his house this weekend so he doesnt pay rent while he is recovering. Also....PRAYER REQUEST...Richard's dog (Cheyenne) got out of our yard today and got hit by a car. She is also in the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery. Keep her in your thoughts!!!

Christie

Sorry, I forgot to write about Christie. We weren't able to visit her today. I spent the morning getting my car fixed and the afternoon moving Richard out of his house. I'll be able to update tomorrow better on that. Now, to answer a lot of peoples question...many people have called and asked what Becky meant by Christie being 'awake'. Christie is still (by doctors standards) in a coma. She does open her right eye and look around but doesnt track or focus and thats what Becky means by being awake. When her eye is closed we consider her asleep. Im sorry if there was any confusion. Christe is still in LMH but hopefully will be transferred to FINR next week. Because she is a minor (for two more months) she had to get a special waiver from the state.

Saturday

I havent seen Richard in two days but my mom has been with him. This is relayed from her. This morning when she got there he was awake and happy to have company. They had a really long talk. He said he has to hurry back to work before he gets fired because his work must be pileing up. Also he asked specific questions about the accident. He wanted to know what hit him and was it his fault. My mom told him the other people ran off and he said that should automatically make them guilty. He still hasnt asked about Christie. He said all his medical bills must add up to a lot and wanted to know who was paying them until he got better. Then mom said he got really emotional and began crying. He said he has heard that everyone is being so nice and trying hard to make him better. And that he is deeply touched that so many people care. He said the DR told him he had brain damage and he might never be the same but he hopes he can be. Mom said he ate most of his lunch. His appetite is getting much better. Now just when you think his mind is totally back....he says, where does he live. Mom said FL. The he said where does she live...TN. Then I was on the phone with him and he asked me where I lived...FL. He doesnt understand where he is compared to everyone else. I might bring him a map with little dots where everyone lives. Maybe that will help. To top off the day...they let him drink a COKE they had thickened slightly. Mom said he was so HAPPY!!!

blog address again

Sorry, try this blog address and you can open to the current page, without clicking the links.
http://bringchristiehome.blogspot.com

Christie's Blog

Hi everyone,

A friend from church has set up a blog for Christie. I invite you to view any updates about Christie. She has included pictures for anyone who would like to see her. Please continue checking Richard and Christie's blog for updates on both of them.
Thanks,
Becky
The address is http://bringchristiehome.blogspot.com/2008/05/becky-on-way-back-to-sc.html

Christie's Mom's visit

Hello,
This is Becky. I have had so many people asking how my visit with Christie went, so I thought I would post it here for everyone. I can see now why it is so hard for Angie to visit Richard and Christie in the same day. If you don't live there, you don't realize the driving time involved.Tuesday I went to FINR to visit and see if I wanted Christie to go there. It is a great place, one I think she will benifit from greatly. I wish I could have seen Richard while I was there, but I was unable to.
After we left FINR, I went to see Christie, before going to bed. She was awake while I was there, so I talked with her and hung new pictures up in her room. Wednesday I spent all morning with her. I had to leave at 1:30 to make the drive to Tampa to the airport. We brought her a tape we made of some of her favorite songs, as well as us talking to her. While Tony went and got her a boom box to play it on, I got to spend the morning brushing and braiding her hair, I cut her toe nails and finger nails. We made a spa out of her room. We even had time to watch scooby -doo together. After she went to sleep, I snuck out. I hope I can go see her again soon.

Thursday

I visited Richard yesterday afternoon but not today (I had school). He is in this phase (they say its normal) that he doesnt want to do anything. He argues with you about everything. He wants to come home and cant understand why he has to stay there. Says he is 'good enough' to leave but when I bring up ALL the things he cant do yet, he stops arguing. Physically he is making milestones. He can dress himself, tie his shoes, and stand up and get in his wheelchair all with no assistance. He can even push himself in the chair but not for long periods (he gets tired easily). His mind however is still having problems. He doesnt remember EVERYthing from day to day. Some things though. Also things from the past are 'fuzzy' and are coming back slowly. Eating is also a chore. He eats soft foods only that dont require chewing (rice, mashed pots, pudding, oatmeal, etc). This is for two reasons (he broke his jaw and has problems chewing and a filling fell out during his stay in the ICU so it hurts to chew) They say he only eats 25% of his meal and thats with them constantly encouraging him to take "one more bite". I brought him a (1) strawberry yesterday squished up and he was so happy. He said it filled him up. He loves magic cups!!! Not sure what they are but he lights up when they bring one. The nurse says its like sherbert that stays cold but never melts at room temp. It also has 9 grams of protein so he eats several of those a day. Ill spend tomorrow with Christie so Ill update you about that tomorrow.

Tuesday

So, this morning we went down to LMH and hung out with Christie. We did not see her do anything new, however, she looks great. We watched TV with her and had a long conversation. Philip tried to get her to follow him around the room with her eyes but she didnt. Her nurse was busy so I dont know how her pneumonia is doing. Several therapists came and went doing things with her. Then we went to FINR. Richard is to this constantly wanting to do something stage. He wont sit still for two minutes, says he is bored. But he cant do all the things he thinks he can. So he gets mad when we tell him NO. His catheter is now out. He has no more tubes coming out of him! Yeah! My concern at this point is he doesnt really remember stuff from day to day. He remembers peoples names but not things he did. Like he says its nice that we visit him because no one ever does. We tell him we are here almost everyday and he says really? Also he can have a great conversation about someting current like whats on TV at the time but if you bring up something that happened like 1 year ago he doesnt remember. Baby steps...one day at a time!

I'm Back

Sorry I havent written in a while. My husband and I took a much needed break. We will be able to give you a better update tomorrow. As far as I know right now, Christie is still at LMH hopefully going soon to FINR with Richard. Richard was sent to MMH this AM. He has been complaining of a severe headache since Friday I guess. They said it could be anything 1) little dehydrated since he is just learning to eat 2) finally becoming aware enough to know things hurt now 3) problems hearing...he has been telling everyone that he cant hear himself talk. It sounds like loud noises in his head so he could have hurt his eardrum 4) or since he did fall last week and hit his head, he could have a small bleed in his brain. So off he went this AM to get a CT scan of the head. Thats all I know so far. Better update tomorrow because I will spend the morning with Christie and the afternoon with Richard.

Lee Memorial

We spent a little time with Christie this AM. The nurse says she has really bad pnuemonia they are trying to fix. She is getting breathing treatments several times a day assisted by something similiar to a ventilator. She is breathing on her own but not able to take a deep enough breath to get the meds where they need to go. She did, again, move her head from side to side (slowly). Philip and Lee were with me and saw it too so its not my imagination.
Richard again spent the night at MMH but late this afternoon was transported back to FINR. His CT of his head was okay. It was done because while he was at MMH he decided to go for a walk (or so he thought) and fell and hit his head. After that he was restrained by a posey (a shirt that ties you to the bed) which he didnt like. I havent spoke to FINR but they called me earlier and said he was on his way back to them. And MMH told me he ate his first meal last night (soft food only)!

Manatee Hospital

We picked up Lee this morning and went over to MMH to see Richard. As I said before, they took him there yesterday for a feeding tube. They chose not to do it because they would have to put him to sleep and intubate him again. Then we would be back to square one. Instead they did a CT of his head ( not sure why, but Richard said its because he fell out of bed) and a bedside swallow test last night. He passed the swallow test. He spent the night and this AM they did a endoscopic swallow study which he also passed. He did great with thick liquids but only okay with thin liquids. So when we got there, he was able to drink orange juice nectar (thick) and he did great. Now they have upgraded him to a soft food diet like applesauce, pudding, etc. He loves Morphine, asks for it all the time. We tell him no, he's fine. He actually held off for 6 hours without it. Once he got it, he fell asleep and we left. He has great conversation. However if you ask him questions about his past, he is very confused. But he is trying to remember really hard. We'll see Christie tomorrow becasue Lee is going back to Hawaii in the morning.

Tuesday

My mom spent the day with Richard and I spent it with Christie. Richard did very well with speech therapy this AM. Then this afternoon, they took him to MCH to put in his feeding tube. As as 1000 pm, he had not returned. They have choose to have him stay the night there (not sure why, maybe precautionary) and return tomorrow morning. Christie was active today (more than I have seen). She actually moved her head from left to right once. She also continued to do a lot of the same other things ( move fingers,hand and mouth). Her right eye was wide open looking around but still not focusing. The plan for her at this point is also to get her into FINR. Ill keep you posted.

Last two days

This will encompass the last two days: Sunday, Mom and Dave spent the morning with Richard. He was confused and ornary. Memere and Wayne (grandparents) also met them there. He allowed them to take pictures of him again as long as he approved of them. A patient makes a noise like a goat so he thinks there is a goat in the building. All afternoon, we all went to Faith Ranch to the wonderful fundraiser that was put on. If you missed it, it was great! Mom visited Christie in the evening. She was asleep.
Now we are up to today. We spent the morning with Richard. He had speech therapy at 10 and physical therapy at 11. He did great with speech therapy. He remembered the days of the week, the first president, and his birthday. He also answered all the questions appropriately. They even asked him what does it mean when someone says dont judge a book by its cover. His answer was there might be more to that person than we know. They took out his trach!!!!! Now he cant pull it out. :) He walked (with assistance) to the bathroom. But that is exhausting so then he takes a nap. During physical therapy, they didnt help him push the wheelchair, he moved it by walking his feet. He is really thirsty and wants to drink so he is bribeing the nurses. He is saying, I'll do one more rep if you give me a drink first. He will have surgery tonight for a permanent feeding tube.
We visited Christie tonight. She looked good. Her right eye was completely opened and was looking around the room but not at us. She moved her right arm around several times and constantly moved her fingers. They changed her trach to a smaller more comfortable one. When we left, we put the TV on FOX so she can listen to her shows.

Saturday

So, I have decided to not visit Richard or Christie for two days. Some of my family has returned and will stay with them. Its has become a little too emotionally draining for me and I need a break. Therefore, I give you my mother, who will finish this blog:

Dave asked Christie to squeeze his hand this morning and she moved her fingers. She closed her hand when he tickled her palm. We touched her lips and she pursed them and blew a small bubble. Albert, her uncle, was with us and he got a chance to talk to her and wish her well. Her nurses have been working on her breathing and congestion. They are giving her vigorous treatments to break up the stuff in her lungs. Her nurse said he had her in a chair for a while which also helps with the congestion. We kissed her goodbye and will see her again tomorrow.

After we left, we went to visit with Richard. He was very talkative in a somewhat inappropriate way today. He was constantly asking questions about how everything worked and why he had to wear it. He played ball with Albert and threw the ball across the room. His right arm is pretty strong and his left is getting better quickly. Unfortunately we had a few problems with him constantly trying to pull out his J-tube and trach. He pulled it off twice in the last 2 days. The nurses have to put mitts on his hands, but he keeps pulling them off with his teeth. They also put a body wrap around him to deter him from pulling out his J-tube. We brought him some comfortable clothes today and a few more pictures for his wall. He told us we could take a picture of him and Albert but he had to see it first to approve it. It passed inspection. By the time we all left, we were wore out but so glad we went. At this stage of the game, he will switch from the present ( adult) to the past (childlike) very quickly. We all know that these are just stages and we will help him get through them.

Fundraiser Information

I wanted to share with all of you the info about the upcoming fundraisers. The first one is Sunday May 18 at Faith Ranch 5673 Estates Dr. North Port Fl. from 12pm to 4pm. It is a Horse Sho De O with Western Horse Riding Events. Additional activities include, pony rides, bounce house, a dunk tank with Christie’s School Resource Officer, Medieval Knight Jousting for kids, face painting, a craft show, a live DJ, John Wayne, a bake sale and much more. Also local businesses have been generous in donating prizes for raffle. These wonderful prizes include a 20 person 2hr sunset River Boat Tour, a pair of gold and diamond hoop earrings, gift certificates to Portofino's Rest., Tresses Hair Salon, Neat Repeat, Crossties Farm Store, Bella Napoli, TKM Stables of North Port, K&S Feed Supply, Visani's Comedy Club, Brand new Furniture from Advance Interiors, Landscaping plants from Plants for Now, The Patio Factory Store and so much more. This event is being sponsored by the Estates Trailblazers Horse Club of North Port. These people are an amazing group of people. They put this entire event together in less than one week.The second event is the SWAT Challenge held at the Major Terry W. Branscome Training Ctr 25500 Airport Rd. Punta Gorda, fl. on May 24 and begins at 8am and goes all day. This event is open to the public and will include several SWAT Teams from across the state competing against one another. We will be manning a bake sale table, and holding hopefully another raffle. All of these events are open to the public and have received media notification. we look forward to seeing everyone there to help support Richard and Christie. We are looking for people who are willing to help provide delicious home baked (or not) yummies for either event. for more info please call Keri DeHart 258 3905 or 380 4453

Rough Day

Richard is finally in FINR for his first full day. And what a day it was. He is in the confused/agitated stage of his recovery. I wouldnt suggest visitors at this point. We wrestled him all day to 1) stay in bed because he thinks he can walk 2) he wants to pull out his trach and 3) he wants no clothes on. :) He would pull his trach and we would hold that hand, so with his other he would pull his feeding tube, then he would use his toes to try to pull out his urinary catheter. He is just confused! It was a constant struggle all day. We put him in a wheelchair and took him outside. After two minutes he said it was too hot and we went back inside. He made very sad statments all day, not easy to deal with. Then periodically he would say something right. Like he read to me "How to wash the washcloth-according to the tag on it" That was amazing, but then.....wrestling we go! After 6 hours we were whooped so when he fell asleep (thank God) we snuck out which we felt bad about. He is on a one on one. At FINR, they dont believe in restraining the patients. They want them to have their mobility. So someone has to be with him at all times. THEN, when we got home tonight, FINR called and said he pulled out his feeding tube so they were sending to Manatee Hospital to have it put back in. Its not a huge deal but still!
Mom and Dave went to see Christie also. They spent time talking with her. She moved her right eye. The RN said they will get her up again tomorrow in the chair. Mom and Dave will be there all morning. Albert is flying in for a couple of days also.

Rehab

I was notified first thing this morning that Richard got into FINR. (Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation) :) I drove down to the hospital and hung out until the ambulance got there to transport him. His new home is in Wauchula, FL. He says he's excited to go to his new home but he's not sure why its necessary because he's all better now. The family is excited about this step towards recovery. He was very confused all morning, saying bizarre things and again, Im Frank today. As he rolled down the hallway past all the nurses, he waved and was yelling "Bye everyone, I love you all!" It was cute. Once we were in the elevator, he began counting from one (thats the floor we were going to) and kept counting slowly. When they put him in the ambulance he was up to 32 and still counting. Not sure why, but atleast he knows his numbers today. Once he gets settled in to FINR, anyone is welcome to visit.
So then I went and hung with Christie. She was up in the chair and we watched Ellen together then Maury Povich. Not sure if she likes those shows. I left for a minute and when I returned she was having physical therapy. Then they put here back in bed. She seemed very tired after all that moving around so I'll let her sleep.
Hope to see everyone on Sunday at the fundraiser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quick Note

I just spoke to Richards nurse who told me he is doing good. She said he has had appropriate conversation tonight using his whole mouth. Also, he told her twice he had to use the bathroom. I know that might sound funny to everyone but he hasnt been able to know when he needs to go since the accident. His brain is remembering that now. They did not take out his trach today. Christie's nurse was busy so no update for her. :( Sorry
One more thing about the fundraiser. There is actually two of them. One this Sunday (at the horse Ranch) and one the following Saturday (however Im not sure if the second one is open to the public because its a police SWAT competition. I'll get back to you on that one). The organizer of these events needs lots of baked goods to sell at the table. If anyone is interested in baking or buying small sellable items (slim jims, granola bars, etc) please leave a comment with your number so that the organizer can contact you. Also, they are doing a raffle on Sunday for various things donated from community businesses. If anyone has any input on that leave your number as well. Any help is greatly appreciated by the whole family! Thanks for your support.

Sorry So Late

Today is Wednesday. I had school all day and was unable to visit them. I called to check on them this AM but everyone was too busy to talk to me. Now lets back up to yesterday. I was there most of the day. I didnt get home from the hospital until midnight and I was exhausted so I went to bed and forgot to blog. Christie rested comfortably. I think they got her up and put her in a chair. Its good for the lungs. She is still on the purple cushion which, now that I talked to Becky, isnt such a bad color. Its pink she hates! I was in and out of her room most of the day. Her right eye is almost completely open at times, but she isnt focusing or moving her eyeball around. I actually thought she moved both of her legs around and I was excited. Then I realized that it was just the compression hose blowing up under the sheets. It bursted my bubble! :(
Richard slept most of the day. He awoke in the evening and opened his mouth wide open. Philip noticed it and I summoned the nurse who told me they unwired his jaw today (Tuesday). His speech was very confused all night. He wasnt making much sense. Most of our other comversations were about 80% sensable and about 20% weird. Tuesday it was the opposite. He kept calling everyone Frank. He thinks I work at the hospital and Philip also. I thinks thats because we are wearing gowns/masks. He still tries to talk like his mouth is wired shut. We told him he could move his mouth and even demonstrated some words. He would then speak clearly a couple of times and revert back to talking with his mouth shut. We constantly had to remind him. He said it was nice to have visitors because noone had visited yet. I told him Ive been there everyday and he said he's never seen me before. He again was fascinated with the red nurse button. He said he always presses it and noone comes to help (kind of concerned me) but I explained that he presses so much they think he is playing so noone comes. During this conversation he pressed it atleast 4 times. He doesnt understand the concept so they took it from him (again concerns me). We stayed really late because evertime we tried to leave, he said please dont go. We finally convinced him to go to bed. I called Mom so she could tell him goodnight and he kept calling her Frank also. He said I'll see you Friday Frank (thats when she is coming). Still no word on rehab centers yet. Also they planned on removing Richards trach today (wednesday) but I dont know if they did yet.
Also, Im sorry I dont write as much about Christie. There has been not much change to report whereas with Richard there is. Thats why. :)

Update

I wasnt at the hospital long today. I went to HealthSouth rehab this AM and FINR this afternoon. These are the two places I am looking at for rehab. They are both very nice although I prefer FINR. Christie was in bed when I arrived. She was on a bright purple egg crate mattress. I was thinking that she wouldnt appreciate the color since it was girly. Richard went down and had a swallow eval today to see if he could swallow liquids. I guess their thought is they could let him drink liquids while his jaw is healing. Anyway, he failed it. He had white chalky stuff all over his mouth from the test. I told him he failed the test because he couldnt swallow the barium. He laughed at me and said it tasted like s@*^! I had to leave so thats about all I know from today. But Ill be there all day tomorrow.

A New Day

Christie was moved out of the ICU, last night I believe. She is now down on the same floor as Richard. They are a couple of rooms apart. We visited her first this afternoon. She is breathing just fine off the vent. We brought her some shoes because the nurses told Becky her toes might start to curl under if she doesnt wear them. I washed her face and she opened her right eye ever so slightly. She still continues to move her hand around. Baby steps! One day at a time!
Richard was asleep also when we arrived. He woke after a short while and began to have a conversation with us. Its too much to get in to but his mind is child like so you can imagine the conversation. He knows me today. Yesterday he didnt but by the end of today he said I was Angie. He is starting to remember more and more. Although he said he wasnt in a car accident. He said he fell down and hurt himself. I told him he was in the hospital and a helicopter had brought him here. He said "Do you think they will take me for a ride when Im better?" Those are the types of things he says. Its nice to hear how many people read this everyday. I hope that everyone would continue to pray for a full recovery for both of them. It is certainly my prayer!

Fundraiser

A fundraiser is being organized for Richard and Christie. There will be more info to come but as far as I know now, its May 18th from 1200-400pm at Faith Ranch in North Port. I will get the info out as it comes in. Come enjoy a fun day outside! I will be there, as well as my mom, step dad and younger brother. Tell everyone!!!!!!! Maybe get the school to announce it!

Great News

I visited Christie first thing this morning. They had her out of bed and in a chair. She looked so comfy. It wasnt until several minutes later that I realized the VENT wasnt in the room. She in totally off the vent. She has a trach collar like Richard. They have a little bit of humidified oxygen hooked up to it. Thats all. I washed her face and she didnt like that. She moved her eyes around and scrunched her face up. When I came back to visit her later, she was back in bed and sleeping soundly. Now lets talk about Richard. I hung out in his room for several hours but he was asleep. So guess what I did. For those of you who know me well, I cleaned his room. I organized all his stuff, picked up some trash in the floor, changed his trash, then used baby wipes to wipe down all the surfaces. What can I say, I was bored. Then the coolest thing happened. The respiratory nurse came in and said she was going to "plug" his trach so he'll learn to breath through his nose. I told her I would leave so she could do her job. She said wait one minute, you'll love this. She plugged his trach and told him to say HI...and he did! He can talk with it plugged. I got so emotional I had to leave. I went to lunch to give him time to adjust to the new thing. When I returned my heart immediatley broke. I walked in the room and he plain as day said to me "Where is Christie, can I talk to her?" I told him she was sleeping right now. I was caught off guard and didnt know what to say. I changed the subject (thats what the RN said to do) and showed him pictures of the whole family. I pointed out each person individually and asked him who they were. He said he knew them but couldnt think of their names. Not even me. He pointed to my picture, then pointed at me but said he didnt know my name. Now this is funny...he pointed at my husband and said...thats Philip. Philip is the only one he recognizes. :) he again asked me if Christie could talk like him now. I said she is sleeping upstairs. Then he said Im tired, can I sleep too? I stayed until he fell asleep, then I came home. What a blessing that he can talk. I pray God gives me the wisdom to answer his questions appropriately.