Day 26

Well, both Carolyn and Mike are settled into their new surroundings.

Mike is doing really well. He can now feed himself by holding the utensils in his hand (without the hand strap). He still needs assistance to walk but is getting stronger. A hand surgeon will be evaluating him soon. They are concerned that his left hand is not progressing as quickly as they thought it would. His doctors want to make sure that he does not need any further surgery. The best estimate we have is that Mike will be at the HealthSouth facility for about 4-5 weeks (as long as he doesn't need any other surgeries).

Carolyn is at LifeCare Hospital in the medical center. It is located on Floyd Curl. The visiting hours are 9am-9pm. I know she has had several visitors already. I think that is great. The more familiar voices we can have the better. They have changed her status from "coma" to "unresponsive". This is because she is moving so much. She can lift her arms, turn her head and open her eyes. None of these are by command yet, but since she is moving they can't say she is still in a coma. She has also developed a blood clot in her leg. This is something that can be common in people that are immobile for a long period of time. They have begun treatment and hopefully it will be resolved quickly. As much as we would like for the doctors to give us an indication of her prognosis, they just aren't able to at this time. They say it can take up to a year or so to start making any "guesses". So, we still need every one's prayers for a miracle.

We have really appreciated all the donations that have been made to Mike and Carolyn. We have already had to pay for Carolyn's transport and this is just the beginning of the mountain of bills that are soon to follow. This is not even taking into account all the "regular" bills that they are receiving (with no income to keep up). This looks like it will be an even longer road than any of us anticipated so any and all of the help is GREATLY appreciated. We have also had several people inquire about Carolyn's business. We are in the process of making some really difficult decisions about this and will let everyone know when the decisions have been made. I (Melanie) will continue to keep this blog updated with all the information that my sister (Lara) is passing along to me. Thank you again for every one's prayers and support.