Our first week home!

I'm sorry we haven't posted anything since last Friday. Life is very full these days with Doctor's appointments and therapy appointments.

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you all did too! What a miracle it was. Our usual traditions had to be put on hold this year, but we are so thankful to have our little family all together. We had fun decorating our Christmas tree Christmas Eve, and Santa arrived sometime that night with some fun things for the kids - (they're never too old!)

Ryan started therapy Tuesday and will have this company - Rehab Without Walls - visit him daily for physical, occupational, recreational, speech and neuropsychology. The nice thing is that they come here or will take him into the community (as he becomes ready for this) to work with him and get him back to himself. This is a program designed for people with a higher level of ability and will help him get to where he wants to go more quickly because it is designed specifically for him.

No word yet on when they will put the bone flap back, but we have an appointment with Dr. Beamer, his neuro-surgeon in just over a week.

Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have all done. Your prayers, words of encouragment, gifts, offers to run errands, and emotional support have meant everything to us. You have lifted and carried us. Please keep the prayers coming as we work through this healing process. We are told an injured brain is slow to heal, and we have no doubt we will make it through to the other end with complete healing.

God bless you all in the coming year!
Much love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron, and Ryan!

Friday, December 23 - 12:30 pm

****WE'RE HOME!!!

Ryan was released at 11:30 this morning and we're home! He is happy to be out of the hospital and happy to be home for Christmas.

Please give us a call 858-484-7805 and come by to see him when you're able.

Our entire family wish you all - our special angels - a Very Merry Christmas.

Much much love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron, and ... RYAN

December 19, 2005

It's Monday! Can't believe this is day three at Palomar Hospital Rehab. Ryan is gaining his balance, memory, and is much less confused AND more present. His head is still causing him a lot of pain. The doctor here is working on getting the right combination of pain medicine so that his pain is tolerable. The doctor and staff here are amazed at Ryan's high functional level considering what he's been through and that it's been such a relatively short time. We know it's all your love and prayers... AND God's healing touch that have made the difference.

It's time for visitors! He has a total of three hours of therapies between approximately 9am and 3pm each day. This happens even if he has guests. Guests are invited to follow the therapy session if they choose and Ryan is agreeable. Otherwise, mid to late afternoon and evenings are best. If you are concerned about the timing of your visit please feel free to call Debi at (858) 335-3457.

Ryan is looking forward to seeing you soon, either at the hospital or at home in PQ in about a week. (hopefully before Christmas)

Much love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron ... and Ryan!

Friday/Saturday - December 16,17

Ryan is doing very well in his new surroundings. He had evaluations by all three therapists: occupational, physical, and speech. His doctor and therapists gave us a game plan and anticipate that Ryan will be discharged to home in about a week!

We all appreciate your shared excitement in Ryan's progress and your understanding of his need to recover without much added confusion. We look forward to inviting you to visit and hope this will be very soon.

Ryan is less confused each day... and is becoming the humorous and intelligent Ryan we all know. He is coming back. Ryan claims he does not have a fun personality but we know better.

Do you remember the scene in It's a Wonderful Life where all the townspeople pray for George Bailey? The scene shows the angels in heaven hearing hundreds of prayers sent up on George's behalf. That's what we imagine happened for Ryan because of all of you. Your prayers saved our family. You helped bring God's healing hand and the angels to watch over Ryan. Thank you.

Love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron... and RYAN

Friday Morning December 16 - 4:30 am

Yesterday was such a big day I didn't get a chance to let you all know what was happening.

The biggest news is - Ryan was moved last night at 8pm from Western Medical Center, Santa Ana to Palomar Hospital's Acute Rehab facility in Escondido. When I left Ryan (and Eric) last night they were getting settled in for the night. Ryan will begin more intensive therapy tomorrow and if all goes well, will only be there about a week. After that he'll be released to come home and have his therapy on an outpatient basis. The hospital has asked us to stay with Ryan around the clock for his own protection. That is why Eric stayed with him last night.

When we arrived at the Western Med. yesterday Ryan was sitting on the edge of his bed (no helmet) and when I asked "What are you doing?" he said I" just want to get out of here and thought I'd go over to the phone out there and call to get someone to pick me up." Because there is no bone protecting the left side of his head, he MUST wear his protective helmet any time he's sitting up or out of bed. We were pretty shook up to see him like that and glad we got there when we did.

Ryan did well on his physical therapy yesterday. His was more cognative in his speech/brain therapy, he stood at the sink - brushed his teeth and washed his face and changed and tied his hospital gown during occupational therapy, and he walked down his hallway - past the nurses station in CCU and on into ICU and back around again for physical therapy. He had to take it slow and the therapist held on to him for stability but it was great to see him moving again. We still have challenges where making sense is concerned, but he seemed a little less confused yesterday than the day before.

When I got home around 11pm last night, Cameron and Maureen (a wonderful friend who has been taking care of the dogs and our home) had our Christmas lights on outside and the house was tidy and clean. What a nice present. I know some of our angels here in San Diego had a lot to do with that. Thank you so much.

Because Ryan will have a fairly full schedule in his new surroundings, please wait to visit until I can see just how things will go for him there. He may be too tired for the first few days after all the therapy. I'll let you know when it will be best.

Christmas is just around the corner and it looks as though our Christmas wish just may come true - having Ryan home for Christmas.

Now I feel we can say it - Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for your incredible support and love. As I write this I feel such a wave of gratitude, and hope you all know what your messages, prayers and encouragement have meant to all of us.

Love,
Debi, Eric, Lauren, Cameron, ... and Ryan!

Wednesday, December 14 - 10:30pm

The end of another long day...

We had a good day as far as therapy goes today. He had speech therapy first. She gave him some thought puzzles or concentration puzzles. He did ok on those. His occupational therapist had him get up out of bed, walk (with assistance) to the sink, brush his teeth and wash his face. Then she had him sit in a chair and gave him some warm cloths to clean his torso. After he dressed in a new hospital gown, she had him sit in the chair for 15 more minutes. He was not pleased about this at all and was difficult to keep in the chair. We did everything we could think of to distract him so he'd forget about wanting to get back to bed. Finally the 15 minutes were up and he was so happy. He took a short nap, then it was time for physical therapy. She had him walk outside his room and down almost to the nurses station and back. This was very good and he did fairly well, didn't have to lean on her too much.

It was a tough day because Ryan seems to be more confused today than ever. Very little of what he talks about makes sense. His mind is searching to fill in blanks and the filler is nonsense.

We're having a hard time getting him to eat. He's just not interested in food at all. We've brought him food from outside he won't touch, he refuses the hospital food and really is only interested in liquids. I've forced him to take bites, but it takes a lot of coaxing.

We know this process is a long one and we're thankful for every small step Ryan makes.

Because there are no beds available upstairs, Ryan remains in CCU. They are working with our insurance to determine where they will move him for Acute Rehab. Looks like that may happen as early as Friday.

We've said it before - we thank you all for your love, support, prayers and encouragement.
You are all our angels on earth.

Love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron,...and Ryan

Tuesday, December 13, 10:00pm

Ryan has stayed in basically the same state today. He is awake, talking, sometimes able to make a joke or get a joke, he feeds himself but doesn't eat much, can put his contacts in and take them out, and brushed his teeth. At brief times he is very present and can carry on a minimal conversation, while at other times he is confused, rambles on and on about nonsense and it's difficult to follow.
This is what we believe is the beginning of the marathon. This process in Ryan's healing, we have been told, will take a long long time and we have to be prepared for that. It's so hard to see Ryan looking so good - so normal, but not actually talking with the Ryan we all know and enjoy so much.

Today Physical therapy had him walk about 15 steps - he was very unsteady on his feet and scared us because the ladies working with him are bitty and if Ryan started to fall - we were afraid he'd take them right with him. Speech therapy had him recount his morning starting from the moment he woke up. He was able to follow the sequence to some extent, but got confused about some basic things too. He was also asked to write his name and address. He did this very well. Then, Occupational therapy had him brush his teeth, wash his face and talked with him about doing basic personal care. He was exhausted when all this was over and took a long nap. He complains of constant head pain in spite of pain medication. They tell us he is doing well. Dr. Beemer had written orders for him to be moved upstairs where the nursing care is 3 to 1 rather than the 2 to 1 he's had in CCU, but there were no beds available. Maybe tomorrow. Once they've moved him up, they will assign us a case worker who will counsel us on what will happen next. It's probable that he will be moved to a rehab facility and we will request one close to home in San Diego. We're told there is a great facility attached to Scripp's. Hope this can happen very soon.

Please keep your prayers coming for Ryan's complete recovery. We are in it for the long haul and hope you all will continue with us. We have so appreciated your love and support and will need it as this longer part of the journey unfolds.

With so much love and gratitude,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron, and ... Ryan!

Ryan's Feeling Pretty Good - Monday Morning 12/12

What a miracle!! No more tubes, sedatives, ventilators etc. etc. Just a fancy ear clip monitoring his 02 levels.

Monday Night, December 12 - 11:00pm

Hello everyone,
Sorry this is getting posted so late. It's been a full day.

Ryan has had a very busy day. He had speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy today. He tried to rest between each, but was not able to rest as well as he should. He ate a little lunch and a little dinner. He is having headaches and the Tylenol doesn't take care of it so they gave him half tablet of Vicadin which he didn't tolerate and threw-up. They've now given him a small shot of morphine which seems to have helped.

As far as his memory etc., he seems to remember things in the immediate past (last 10 minutes or so), but greater general knowledge he isn't doing as well with (i.e., what holiday do we celebrate in November when the family gets together and we eat turkey and lots of other good food) . He just couldn't quite come up with answers like these. The doctors say this will all come back with time. When he doesn't remember something, he comes up with whatever he can fabricate in his mind to fill in the blanks. Sometimes it's comical and we have a hard time not laughing. Other times we just listen and try to help him with the right information. He is quite talkative.

The nurse shoo'd us out of his room this afternoon so he'd take a nap and be ready for his therapy - so - we took a break and went to the movies. That was a hard thing to do without feeling guilty. I'm sorry if we missed anyone who came to see us this afternoon. The nurse says this schedule of therapy and naps with be the norm for the next several days. We are also told he may move up to the 4th floor tomorrow - but that's up to the docs.

We are feeling so much better and have much lighter hearts. What a miracle God has performed. We still have a long road ahead, but we are confident Ryan will be his ol' self again. If I haven't said it enough, thank you, thank you again and again for your prayers and support.
Much love,
Debi, Eric, Lauren, Cameron ... and RYAN

Sunday December 11, 2:30 pm

It's a great day!!! It's graduation day. They have weened Ryan off the sedatives, taken out the ventilator tube and had him eat a little. He is talking (quietly because of the tube having been down his throat) and says he's feeling "pretty good". We are so ecstatic! Ryan is confused about what has happened to him and takes bits and pieces from what we are saying to him and fabricating his own story about what happened. He said some guys at Disneyland did this to him and that's why he's here. He understands things for a short time and then needs it repeated - but that's ok - we're so relieved to hear his voice and have him back to the extent we have him. It will only get better from here. His movement is slow and he's had trouble touching things to his face - i.e., putting a spoon to his mouth, or touching his nose. We will have to help him eat and drink for a bit. His ability to feed himself will come with time.

We thank you so much for your prayers and your love and care. Ryan has no idea yet how well he is loved! We are so appreciative of everyone's support.

Much love,
The Lindroth's

Saturday, December 10, 8:15

We made a little progress today. Dr. Beemer removed the probe from his head. They felt comfortable enough with the pressure readings. Yeh! He's still running between a 100 and 102 degree temperature, but they are keeping a close eye on that. His blood pressure and heart rate have been a bit high. His blood sugar is high but they are giving him insulin to regulate it. He is slowly being weened off the sedation and the ventilator. If all goes well, they will remove the ventilator tube. Don't know if that will happen tomorrow but we are so anxious for that to be accomplished.

It is so great to see those of you who are able to come visit. It really lifts our spirits. Thank you.

Please please keep your prayers going. They are what have made the difference.

Love,

Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron and Ryan!

Saturday Morning 12/10

So many of you have asked what the hospital address is and the address for the Embassy Suites where we are staying.

Ryan is at Western Medical Center - Santa Ana
1001 North Tustin Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705-3502
He is in CCU Bed #12

We are staying at the Embassy Suites
1325 E. Dyer Road
Santa Ana, CA 92705
We are in Room #811

For those of you planning to stop by this weekend, we have been congregating in the Lab Waiting room just down the hall from CCU.

Much love, the Lindroths

Friday, December 9, 10:30pm

We are finally back at our hotel and able to let you know how today went. It has been a long day. Ryan's day today was much like yesterday except that he was more sedated to keep him more quiet. It was a very uneventful day. His ICP was a bit higher today, they are giving him blood pressure medication because that was elevated, he gets insulin because of the nutrition given him through the tube is high in sugar, and they keep his room refrigerator cold and have a fan running because his temperature is still high. I have had a tough day - wanted to see improvement - even if it's slight. Everyone keeps reminding me that this is going to take a long long time. I know that mentally, but emotionally...

Ryan will have a CT Scan in the morning that may tell us how things are progressing. I'll get online as quickly as I can to let you know.

As Ryan begins to be more wakeful the nurses have told us it is best for him to have family only visiting in his room. If we do not adhere to this advise, Ryan may become confused, agitated and slow his healing. We do not want to hurt anyone's feelings. We hope you will understand this is to help Ryan.

Thank you everyone for your generosity. You have provided snacks, reading materials, Starbucks cards, - so many goodies I could go on and on - and so much love. It has been amazing and again we feel so blessed by all the support from all of you. It helps us get through these long days. We so appreciate each and every one of you.

Love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron ... and Ryan!

Thursday, Dec. 8, 7:00pm

Hope the picture isn't too shocking. It's difficult to see your child in such a condition, and yet so many of you who have visited said it was comforting to see him - it didn't look as bad as imagined so I thought this picture might put some of you at ease.

Today was an excellent day. Ryan slowly, half opened his eyes, gave us a thumbs up and moved his legs when asked. His response time is slow and takes much effort but we are encouraged. His nurse put a pen in his hand to see if he could write us what he isn't able to say and he wasn't able to move his right hand. Hopefully that will come soon. His grandma visited and was joking with him saying "Ryan, I'm waiting for you to get out of here so you can come put my Christmas lights up". Ryan gave his grandma a big smile. What a great moment - to see him so sick and yet able to smile! Because he is still disoriented, they have to keep his wrists tied down. He could injure himself or pull a tube or the ventilator out. They have said he responds well when his family is here, so Lauren, Cameron, Eric and I try to be with him as much as possible. We are encouraged to see each baby step taken and they tell us each tiny step is monumental and will lead to a positive outcome. They say it takes a long long time for the brain to heal. We have prepared ourselves for that and will try to be here until we can bring him home.

So many of you have responded to this blog and visited and emailed and sent cards. Your love and generosity overwhelms us - we are so blessed to have you as friends.

Much much love,
Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron & ... Ryan!

This is a picture of Ryan sleeping. He looks so peaceful. Hopefully some of these tubes will be out soon. :-) It is comforting just watching him rest.

Thursday, Dec. 8 - 8:00 AM

Dr Beemer called this morning. Ryan had a CT Scan and he said everything looks good. Everything they look for is showing up the way it's supposed to. He said "You need to smile more."

Big thank you to Mark at Embassy Suites-Santa Ana for giving us free internet access. Now I can post in the mornings and evenings - much easier!

Have a great day everyone!
Love,
Debi

Wednesday, December 7, 7pm

Praise God! - Ryan had a great day! He had his usual sleepy morning, but this afternoon he was responsive to our voices. Eric was on one side of the bed and I was on the other and he would turn his head as though looking at us when we talked to him. He squeezed his dad's hand when asked and tried so hard to open his eyes every time we asked - pretty remarkable because he's still on sedatives and on pain killers. He's wanting to be with us! His nurse said he wiggled his toes when she asked also. What an amazing day. He was so responsive even though his eyes were closed most of the time. We have such hope for an excellent outcome.
Today Ryan's ICP (inner cranial pressure) was 1 to 4! Excellent! His blood pressure was a little high - his nurse gave him some pain medication and his blood pressure went down a bit. He's still running a bit of a fever, but they are giving him some strong antibiotics to help combat any infection that might be causing the fever. We are anxious for the next step, but are learning patience and trusting the doctor's and most importanly God's timing.

It is so great to hear from you all. Some of you live so far away - we haven't seen you in some time and yet we still feel so close to you. Our friends in San Diego have just been incredible - feeding the dogs, taking care of things there and asking how else they can help. And my friends from the kids playgroup in Costa Mesa (from the time Lauren was about a year old) have been so wonderful. There is no way we can ever begin to convey how much we appreciate everything you've all done!

Again we say - Thank you for all your love and support.

Eric, Debi, Lauren, Cameron --- and RYAN!!

Tuesday, Dec. 6 9:30pm

Hi everyone,

Today has been a good day. When we arrived at the hospital at 8:15 this morning Ryan's ICP numbers were nice and low - between 5 and 10! His blood pressure has been pretty good and he seems to be resting well. Eric and I stayed with him for an hour or two and left to get Cameron who had spent the night at his cousins house. When we returned, his nurse was a bit concerned because his temperature was high again, so she had a fan going, ice packs behind his neck and in both armpits trying to cool him down. It seemed to work - she got him back under 100 degrees.

Eric and Cameron left the hospital around 12:30 to go home and get some clean clothes and other essentials. They also went to Cameron's Water Polo Banquet this evening. I'm sure it was difficult for both of them. This afternoon, Ryan was less sedated so he was slightly wakeful. Not enough to cause difficulty for himself (pulling on tubes etc.) but enough that he was able to respond a little to me when I talked to him. His nurse pulled his eyelids open and said - "Ryan, can you look at your Mom?" Very slowly Ryan's eyes moved from looking up then over to me. He looked me straight in the eye. Can't tell you how great that felt. He responds to me when I ask him to put his hand down or relax and stop trying to move his legs. His movements are very slow, but deliberate - stretching, moving his hand up trying to wiggle out of the restraints which keep him from pulling his tubes. It even seems he moves his left leg in an effort to get out of bed. They still want to see him stay quiet so the brain can heal - that and keeping the ventilator in to help him get enough oxygen to the body are why they are keeping him sedated.

Dr. Beemer came by this evening when Lauren and I were about to say goodnight to Ryan. He said "I thought I told you to go home and get some rest". I told him I as on my way. He said there was improvement in this mornings CT Scan. Yeh! For the last two days, the scans have shown less swelling!!!!

I haven't read your comments for today, but look forward to it. Eric and I are bathed in love and support as we read your kind words. What a blessing you have all been to us. Thank you for caring and love for Ryan.

With much love and gratitude,
Debi and Eric, Lauren and Cameron, and especially Ryan!

December 5 - 10:30pm UPDATE

Sorry for the quicky earlier, but I'd been waiting all day for Ryan to wake up and of course he decided to when I finally went to get lunch at 4pm.

When we arrived at the hospital this morning his nurse told us the doctor wanted her to slowly ween him off the medication keeping him sedated. We knew it would take a while, but it took all day - which actually is not a bad thing. She said Ryan's movements and responses are good and she doesn't see any of the posturing type moves people with brain damage might show. Then late this afternoon, Dr Beemer came in and told me to go home and get a good nights sleep. He said Ryan's CT Scan showed less swelling and things were looking good. I said "thank you for saving my son" and he said "you're welcome." Then I asked if I could give him and hug and he said sure. Sounds dumb, but it was the only way I could thank him for what he's done for us!

Well, Ryan was still sleepy around dinner time and we had some friends arrive, so we went out to the waiting room and visited and I made some much needed phone calls. Later when we went back to Ryan's room, his nurse said he'd awakened fully, sat straight up in bed and leaned forward and tried to pull the ventilator tube out of his throat again. (his wrists are tied down so he can't reach the tubes when lying down.) She talked with the doctor and asked if he wanted Ryan that alert, and of course he didn't, so they put him back on the "sleep medication". We're back to watching him sleep and watching the numbers. His ICP numbers (InnerCranialPressure)have been excellent all day today - between 8 and 14. His blood pressure has been pretty good too. The thing they're concerned about is his temperature. It's been over 100 and up to 102 and they want to get it down below 100. They say it's not good for brain injured patients to run a fever - it just cooks their brain so they've kept his room like a meat locker and have been putting ice packs behind his neck and under his arms to cool him down.

Please pray for a day with temps under 100 and continued healing and more lessening of swelling. Your prayers are working. We just can't believe the love and support posted to this site and messages on our cell phones and everything else that has been done for us. We are completely overwhelmed. Thank you, thank you. We'll have a big party when Ryan is recovered and can come home.

Our love and thanks to you all,
Debi and Eric and
Lauren and Cameron
and of course RYAN

December 5, 4:15pm

This will be a fast update. Eric just called and said Ryan is waking up and I don't want to miss it!

Dr. Beemer wants to assess how he's doing neurologicaly so he's ordered them to take Ryan off all the medication that kept him asleep. The CT Scan taken this morning shows the swelling has decrease a tiny bit - we're thanking God for small miracles.

I made an error yesterday in saying those who wanted to come by could. Please understand you will not be able to see Ryan as he is still critical and only family can go in - and that's two at a time so it's been difficult. What I was conveying is that we love to have you visit us and we're happy to let you know what's going on up to that moment. We have been so blessed to have so many of you come visit and give us support in that way. Thank you so much.

I'm gonna run see Ryan now. God bless you all!
Debi

Today's Update -Sunday 12/4 4:30pm

Today has been a day of status quo. Ryan has had a relatively good day. The pressure in his head has remained within reasonable numbers - between 8 and 15 without medication. He has developed what may be a bit of pneumonia - but we were expecting this due to the time on the ventilator. The swelling on his brain stem has remained the same - we're thankful it's not worse, but look forward to the day when they tell us it's less. Dr. Beemer has indicated it will take a long long time for this swelling to go down, and will take weeks and weeks before they can consider replacing the bone flap in his skull. He said "the crisis is over (long pause) for now."
He is still critical and in very delicate condition and has his own nurse monitoring him 24/7.

We so appreciate the beautiful thoughts and support, love and prayers you are sending our way. Thank you to all for your willingness to take care of any needs we may have. It has really taken a load off our minds knowing we can call on you when needed.

With much much love and gratitude,
The Lindroth's

Sunday 12/4

For family and friends who plan to visit Ryan today or in the days ahead, Ryan has been moved to the CCU unit (right next to ICU), bed 12, at the Western Medical Center. He now has a private room that helps him get the quiet rest he needs. For those visiting this evening, the family is gathering in the lab waiting room just right of ICU.

Photos of Ryan

12/3/05

I apologize for not letting you know yesterday what is going on with Ryan. Yesterday was a very bad day. I received a phone call yesterday-Friday at 4:30 AM from his neuro surgeon. He told me Ryan had stopped breathing again so they had to sedate him and put him back on the ventilator. Fortunately I had decided to stay at my sister-in-laws in Irvine, so I was able to be at the hospital right away. Eric and Cameron had gone home to San Diego and Lauren to her home in Dana Point. It would be awhile before they could get here. When I came into his room, they had a new machine with a probe running into his brain -just under the skull giving them a reading on the pressure the swelling in his brain was causing. The reading then was 20. Most people have a reading of about 6 to 12. Dr. Beemer - his neuro surgeon came in and checked on him and wasn't pleased with that number. They said if it didn't go down they were going to have to do a craniotomy -removing part of the skull to release the pressure his swelling brain was causing. If they didn't, he wouldn't survive the day. Dr Beemer left for only about 20 - 30 minutes and when he returned, Ryan's number was up to 24. He told the nurse "we're going to have to do an immediate craniotomy - call down to O.R. and tell them to set up an emergency operating room - we've got to get this taken care of now!"

Ryan has had a portion of his left skull (over the ear - but within the hairline) taken out so his brain has a place to go while it's in this swollen state. Shortly after the surgery Dr. Beemer came in with a big grin on his face and said his number was down to 2! We all rejoiced! He said this was a better response than he had anticipated and was pleased Ryan was responding so well. Throughout the remainder of the day and last night, Ryan fluctuated between about 8 and 30. When it gets that high, they give him medication to take the swelling down. Apparently when Ryan first had his injury, there must have been a time when he didn't get enough oxygen to his brain which is what is causing apoptosis - meaning lack of oxygen to the cell - which causes cell death. In Ryan's case, because this seems to have happened and we don't know for how long, it's a wait and see as far as how many cells die. As the cells die, the brain swells. If too many cells die - well you can imagine what that means.

Ryan at this moment (I'm writing you Saturday morning at 9 AM ) is in stable but guarded condition. He is extremely critical and we need your prayers. His pressure number is 11 - which is good. The doctors tell me it's not a day to day - it's an hour to hour wait and see. This is the hardest part - waiting on God's timing to heal.

The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone for your calls, emails, cards, and visits. We love you so much and our hearts are overflowing.

Love, Debi

Sent 12/1/05

WOW! How do I begin to email everyone about today! It has been an exhausting, emotional roller coaster ride! Eric stayed in San Diego to try to get something accomplished at work and Cameron and I drove up to Santa Ana. When we got to the hospital this morning, Ryan was still complaining of the pain in his head and neck. His night nurse had been given orders to change his pain medication and it seemed to be helping, so the day nurse continued with it. As the morning progressed, Ryan was still making crazy statements but was not complaining as often about his neck and head. He seemed to be ever so slightly better than yesterday and I thought, well, ok if it's just a tiny improvement each day - I'll take that.

Cameron, Lauren and I went to get a quick bite for lunch. I got a call on my cell phone from the hospital that Ryan had taken a turn for the worse and had stopped breathing. They had to put him back on the ventilator. I made a couple quick calls - most importantly to Eric who left San Diego immediately, and rushed back to the hospital. We found Ryan back in the drug induced coma with the ventilator tubes and all the other stuff that goes with it. It was awful because we felt we'd gone all the way back to square one. They did another CT Scan to see what caused him to stop breathing.

After the scans were read, which didn't show much except that he still has a swollen brain, his poor nurse was getting instructions from the trauma doctor, another doctor working on Ryan's case, and the Neurosurgeon. Two wanted him on the ventilator so his body could rest the night and then take it out tomorrow. His Neurosurgeon wanted him taken off the respirator this afternoon because it masks what may be going on with him neurologically. Anyway, this went on for quite a while and finally it was decided they'd take him off the ventilator. So now we have to stop the coma inducing drug and take out the ventilator. The first time we did this was VERY difficult on Ryan and we were not looking forward to another episode of fighting Ryan to keep him from pulling all the tubes out as he "came to". His nurse and doctors this afternoon were wonderful and this time was much less traumatic. But as he came out of the coma, he was relaxed - so much so that the doctor on the opposite side of the bed didn't watch Ryan's hand and missed the fact that Ryan broke the restraint and reached up and pulled the ventilator tube out himself. We were all trying to stop him and before we could even reach to stop him it was done. Strong bugger!

He was dozy after that experience so while he was resting we snuck out for dinner. After dinner Eric and I went in to say good night to him and he was asking us all kinds of questions and responding appropriately! I asked him how old he is today and he knows he's 21. He remembered everything that seemed to be missing when we asked him before. This morning he thought he was 20 years old and didn't remember having a 21st birthday. Tonight he knows he's 21, remembers going to the Eagles Concert a few weeks ago and remembers other details of the past few weeks. What a relief!!! He doesn't remember the accident, but I'll take what I can get!

Sorry this is so wordy, but as you can tell, it was a terribly emotional roller coaster day and we are so relieved to have it end on such a high note.

Thank you again for all your prayers and kind thoughts. We love you all and appreciate all the offers to help. Please pray for continued improvement. I think we're going to have a great day tomorrow!

Love to all,Debi

Email sent 11/30/05

It's Wednesday night - the end of the second full day in the hospital. Seems like it's been a week already! Today was status quo. We were hoping for a better day, but the timing for his healing is not up to us.The swelling in Ryan's brain has not increased, but hasn't gone down yet so he's still disoriented, answers questions with funny answers and goes in and out of sleep - probably due to the pain medication. He was in a lot of pain today - especially in his neck, so they sent him for an MRI. The results were good - just swelling of the neck muscles - like whip lash. No problems with the bones or the spinal column - thank you Lord! We're just having to be patient while Ryan's body heals. It's not fun though and as most of you know - you'd take the pain on yourself if you could give your child relief.

We are overwhelmed with all the love, prayers and kind wishes you have sent Ryan's way. Thank you. Please keep praying - we know it's helping him.

Much love,
Debi

First Email sent 11/29/'05

Dearest Family and Friends,

Thank you, thank you for all your prayers and beautiful thoughts and offers of support as we've hit this bump in the road. Ryan is resting reasonably peaceful tonight and all the reports show he has every expectation for an excellent recovery. Today was a long and eventful day. We went from Ryan sedated and having a ventilator to weaning him off the sedation which then allowed them to take out the ventilator. Due to the swelling in his head, he is not himself and was combative and hard to handle as he became more and more awake from the sedation. Boy is he strong! His nurse, dad and I were exhausted after only a short time with him. He had several other tubes and dev ices removed which made him much more comfortable and has allowed him to settle down and rest. He still has swelling on his brain and we are told he needs to remain as still as possible. The skull fracture will take a month or two to heal and we don't know how long he'll be in the hospital before he'll be allowed to come home. Our best guess is a week. As you can imagine, Eric and I are exhausted and Lauren and Cameron have been very supportive of their brother.

Please keep up the prayers, we can feel them and know they are working. We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful community of love and care supporting us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
Debi