Daniel Conner Updates

Reception - Part 1

2009-08-30T18:42:00.001-07:00

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The following pictures are an amateur attempt at sharing with you scenes from Daniel and Christine's wedding reception. A professional photographer was present to cover the event. No doubt once those pictures are available, the happy couple will post them somewhere for all to view. At that time, we will provide a link to the professional photos from Daniel and Christine's wedding and reception -- along with a link to Geoff and Kelsey's wedding/reception.

Click on any picture to view a larger image.

- The Editing Staff

Everything is set and ready for the guests to arrive

The Wedding Cake

The Bride and Groom have arrived

Prince Charming and Cinderella welcome their guests

Well you have to admit, she does look like a beautiful Cinderella

Reception - Part 2

2009-08-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Guests are treated to a delicious full meal prepared by Karen's (Christine's Mom) professional catering staff

The siblings (minus Stephen who was unable to leave Tennessee)

Aubrey actually appears relaxed!

Daniel and Christine mingle with their guests

Evening approaches as everyone enjoys the great food

Reception - Part 3

2009-08-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

View of the reception venue from outside

Sunset with the Utah State Capitol in the background

The first dance by Mr. and Mrs. Conner

Celebrating continues well into the night

Christine and Daniel depart amidst a shower of sparklers

Reception Video

2009-08-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Note from Editor:

This little video was taken from my inexpensive still camera and not a video camera. Though grainy and jumpy, it captures the feel of the reception.

The Wedding - Part 2

2009-08-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Together Forever: T Bob and The Girl Who Stood By Him Thru It All

With Christine's Parents, Jeff and Karen

Bride and Groom with Aubrey and Mendy

Geoff and Kelsey hug their new sister-in-law

The Wedding - Part 1

2009-08-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday 29 August, 4:30 pm MST

Note from the editor:

Five months ago, when I photographed a night view from Daniel's hospital room, the Salt Lake Temple (where Daniel and Christine were married today) and the Utah State Capitol (near where they will have their reception this evening) were barely distinguishable points of light in the night sky. That evening (March 31st) as Daniel lay in a hospital bed with a ventilator tube inserted in his throat, Daniel and Christine's wedding seemed as distant and unreachable as those two tiny lights far away in the darkness. Today we saw a miracle happen as two happy and healthy young people became husband and wife. It is no small tribute to the countless prayers of family and friends, to the trauma team and nurses who worked so hard to provide Daniel with expert care -- and especially to the One who made Daniel whole again.

The Salt Lake Temple where Daniel and Christine were married this morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Conner

Christine's bouquet was designed by Aubrey

Day 152 -- Wedding Day!

2009-08-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday 29 August 2009, 8:30 AM MST

Daniel and Christine will be married this morning at 10 AM.

We are taking our camera and will follow up with pictures and commentary as soon as possible.

We also plan to post pictures from Geoff and Kelsey's wedding as soon as they are available from the professional photographer who covered their wedding.

Day 140 -- Great News

2009-08-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

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Monday 17 August -- Letter from Aubrey

Dear Bill,

A wonderful thing happened last week. Daniel went in for his long awaited visit and hopefully, final check up with his trauma team. Since he had so many CT scans throughout his hospital stays, they decided against exposing him to more radiation. Upon close examination and review of all of his vitals, they all concurred that Daniel showed no signs of infection or abscess in his liver, and should be released on a "to be seen, as needed" basis.

Having been by his side throughout 4 1/2 months of moment-to-moment critical procedures, setbacks, and "Let's wait and see" prognoses, they all stood and gave him a standing ovation.

He now only has (2) more surgeries...the removal of the hardware in his arm, and the hernia repair; neither of which is critical.

On Saturday, we celebrated with Geoff and Kelsey, their wedding. It was a beautiful day, ceremony, and reception. We are so happy for them.

In less than 2 weeks, Daniel and Christine will be married, and all of our lives will change yet again. Change is said to be "good". We feel so very blessed to have our boys healthy, safe, and happy, and are going to collapse after all of this excitement has passed. As well, I think Alex and Stephen will welcome a little more attention directed their way. They have been so supportive throughout this whole ordeal.

Please convey to everyone how grateful we are for their enduring support. Through your blog site, we have all been able to witness, experience, and participate in this miracle. It has been a God send for all of us.

Love,

Aub

Editor's Note: When Aubrey called us (just after Daniel returned from his check up with the trauma team) and described their standing ovation for Daniel, Aubrey's voice choked with emotion. This has truly been an immense ordeal for Daniel and his entire family -- and an even more immense miracle that he has recovered so well and is able to move on with his life and marriage plans.

Geoffrey's wedding last Saturday evening was a delightful and festive gathering of two families on a beautiful summer evening -- with great food, awesome dancing and an overall wonderful event . Thank you to Kelsey's parents (if you happen to read this blog) for creating such a perfect and memorable occasion. We all feel fortunate to be a part of your extended family.

Day 120 -- Surgery Results

2009-07-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

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Tuesday 28 July 2009

The surgery to remove the stent from Daniel's liver went forward as planned yesterday. The doctors determined the infection in Daniel's throat was not mono or strep, but rather pockets of puss from cold sores (hope you aren't eating breakfast while reading this) and did not present a significant risk of infection during the surgery.

The stent in Daniel's liver was removed successfully and he was feeling good after coming out of recovery. The next surgery will be to remove the hardware in Daniel's arm. This will happen in a couple of weeks.

Day 118 Update

2009-07-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

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Sunday 26 July 2008

We promised updates whenever there is something to report. And today is the first significant development since the last blog entry.

For the past couple of weeks Daniel was improving. He has even been able to do normal stuff like going to the movies (Public Enemies was his favorite). Recently he began getting white blisters in his throat and now he has been put back on a new set of antibiotics to combat the infection.

The doctors had previously scheduled a laparoscopic surgery for tomorrow morning. They plan on going through Daniel's throat into his liver to remove the stint. However we aren't sure if the surgery will be postponed when Daniel arrives at the hospital tomorrow with an infected throat. Something about passing the surgical instrument through an infected throat area into his liver doesn't sound quite prudent to Daniel (or to us). We will keep you updated.

Day 100

2009-07-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

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8 July 2009

Day 100.... A Milestone

Congratulations to you Daniel for toughing out 100 days of shattered bones, ruptured organs, intubation's, eleven surgeries, numerous hospital stays, days when you had to endure the pain with no pain meds, many setbacks and some disappointments. You've had enough tubes inserted in you to plumb a small house and parts of you are now titanium. But you have never given up and you have fought hard to remain strong, with faith and courage.

We won't dub you Saint Daniel just yet (there were those couple of times you got a little grumpy after all). But "Daniel the Lionhearted" (dictionary definition: extraordinarily courageous) and "Daniel the Determined" both fit well we believe. And of course there will always be the endearing "Trauma Bobsled".

So happy 100th Daniel! We love you and we know there are hundreds of people out there who follow your progress and who are praying for your complete and expeditious recovery.

This picture, taken on day 2, perfectly represents Daniel's positive attitude from the start

Day 99: T Bob Home from Hospital.... Yet Again

2009-07-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

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Tuesday 7 July, 7:15 pm MST

Trauma Bobsled (if this reference doesn't make sense, read the earliest blog entries) was allowed to return home from the University Hospital today after one of many stays there since his accident. The hospital stays may not be over yet, but as Mendy said when we called her for this update, "we'll take whatever comes; we're just glad to still have him... most days" (nice to know she has been able to maintain her sense of humor through all of this).

Daniel is sick right now, but happy to be home again. The doctors have put him on two new IV antibiotics. The home health nurses arrived to help him learn how to use them as we were on the phone getting this update.

Basically things are in a wait-and -see mode. The doctors still aren't positive what is causing the temperature spikes that Daniel has been experiencing. But for now, they have chosen to fight the infection in his liver with antibiotics instead of surgery. If Daniel's temperature returns to 102 degrees, he will be re-admitted. The good news is, the University Hospital is only 5 minutes from his home, so it doesn't take Daniel long to return to his room with a view (and lots of tubes and machines that make beeping sounds). At this rate, they may decide to name a wing after him.

We are committed to keeping the blog going until Daniel and Christine's wedding (yes, we will post lots of pictures of that happy day), and beyond if necessary. In the interim, we will post a blog entry any day that there is new news of Daniel's condition. So if some days go by without a blog update, you can rest assured that no news is good news. But we will also report the good news when it happens.
And we even have a couple of surprise blog entries planned for the near future. So check back soon.

Day 98 -- Evening Update

2009-07-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

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Monday 6 July, 5:30 pm MST

The doctors are not allowing Daniel to be given any food or liquid right now, which indicates to Aubrey that they may still be considering the possibility of surgery. For now Daniel remains in the University Hospital and we will update the blog if anything changes.

Daniel and Christine (taken two days ago)

to see more pictures scroll down

Day 98 Afternoon Update -- Surgery Abandoned

2009-07-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

When Daniel went in for surgery this morning, the doctors did some exploratory work first. The surgeon injected a needle into the abscess in Daniel's liver and attempted to withdraw the toxic fluid, but it was too thick to come out. Based on that discovery, the doctors determined that inserting another tube to drain the abscess would not work, so the surgery was abandoned.

Looking over all the CT scans, the doctors reviewed the progress of the liver abscess from just after the accident until now. Over time the abscess has reduced from approximately the size of two fists to the size of a golf ball. Daniel was admitted to the hospital yesterday because of high fevers and it was assumed this was a result of infection from toxic fluid leaking out of the liver abscess. But after reviewing everything, the doctors now believe the high fevers were caused by the dead liver tissue being absorbed into the body.

The doctors believe the dead liver tissue will continue to liquefy and be absorbed into the body. The healing process for the liver is slow, but this latest prognosis from the doctors is good news. They are going to keep Daniel in the hospital for 24 hours to make sure the high fevers do not return. Aubrey sounded very relieved when he called to update us on Daniel's condition.

Day 98 Morning Update -- Daniel Currently in Surgery

2009-07-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

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Monday 6 July, 9:00 am MST

Aubrey just called to say Daniel is in surgery now. We will update the blog as soon as Daniel is out of surgery and the surgeon has given the family his report. Aubrey said this is Daniel's twelfth surgical procedure since the accident.

Day 97 -- Daniel Back in University Hospital

2009-07-05T12:13:00.001-07:00

Sunday 5 July, 12:30 pm MST

After spending the 4th of July with Christine and his family at Aunt Karen's (where he even felt good enough to stand in the pool), Daniel was readmitted today to the University Hospital. His temperature is 103 and the infection in his liver has again become severe. His white blood count is so elevated that anyone entering his room is required to wear a mask (including the doctors). At this time it has been advised that Daniel should not have visitors (we will update you when that changes).

The infection in Daniel's liver originates from the liver abscess, which stopped draining days ago. The doctors were attempting to manage the abscess with IV antibiotics, but that is no longer working. The surgeons considered operating to surgically remove the damaged part of Daniel's liver, but that is an option of last resort. After a couple of CT scans from different angles, the doctors have determined that the fluid in the liver abscess has liquefied again, so they have decided to reinsert a tube (or tubes, we aren't sure how many at this point) back into Daniel's liver to attempt to drain the abscess.

Daniel has been through so much that it has to be discouraging to face more surgery and more time in the hospital, but he never gives up. He and his family are so very grateful for everyone's prayers and support which have sustained them through this continuing ordeal. As always, you are welcome to share any thoughts for Daniel or his family in the comments section of this blog. We will update the blog as soon as the surgery to re-insert the liver tube(s) has been completed.

On a lighter note, we are including pictures below of Daniel from Aunt Karen's 4th of July pool party.

Karen and Roger's pool is a great place for family to spend fun in the sun together (this is a pool view from Karen's deck)

The volleyball games can become pretty competitive

(if you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will recognize Alex at the very back of the pool behind his cousin Christopher)

Burgers and relaxing in the shade

Chicks dig scars

Daniel and Christine enjoy some pool time

New Update from Aubrey

2009-07-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

This e-mail was sent by Aubrey on 3 July at 4pm MST

Bill and Claudia,

I apologize for not updating the blog for a while. Daniel has made great progress, but has encountered several serious and discouraging set backs as well. Geoff commented the other day that he hadn't realized how sick Daniel really is. When Geoff took him out for a drive, Daniel wasn't even able to slide our screen door open. Granted it needed some lubrication, but still it was an indicator of his lack of strength. The day I brought him home from the hospital (from his most recent stay there) he looked pretty pitiful. He stood outside the hospital, in one of their lovely gowns, tied at the back...unshaven, hair disheveled, a bit jaundiced, and very emaciated, trying to maneuver with his pick line and portable IV's. The doctors feared he probably had C-dif so he was placed on (3) different antibiotics to clear things up. He remained very sick and has had periods of great pain to deal with. Since that time, they removed the last drainage tube, even though the abscess is still in his liver. The tube had quit draining, so they now are hoping with the IV antibiotics, it will clear up on its own. IHC (Intermountain Health Care) brings his antibiotics in a cooler once a week. His elbow seems to be healing nicely. We reviewed his x-rays and it is amazing how they pieced everything back together with long plates and screws. Out of all those shattered fragments of bone, they only had 3 pieces that they couldn't fit back into the puzzle, so those just got thrown away. They are hoping to remove all of the hardware within a couple of weeks. Interestingly, I hadn't seen his elbow since the surgery and didn't realize that it was a bit deformed, but hopefully all of that can be re-constructed. He has started having intense pains again, in both his kidneys as well as his liver. The pain comes and goes. He becomes very tired and light headed after exerting his energy, but he has actually started working his muscles on Alex's home gym. Yesterday, he decided to start back to work. We'll see how that goes.

He and Christine are moving ahead with their wedding plans, so when you actually get an invitation to the reception, don't be surprised if you only have a couple of days notice. Everything is pretty rushed and crazy at this point, but I'm certain it will all turn out well. Their wedding and reception will be Saturday, Aug.1st.

A week or so ago, I took Alex on an impromptu trip to Tennessee. He has been so patient and cooperative throughout this whole ordeal, so I decided it would be great for him to spend some time with his friends. I broke down and rented a 2010 red, Mustang convertible. That was probably the biggest display of a mid-life crisis for me. Of course, I didn't wear a hat so my head was red for a couple of days. I purposely made no plans so that I could be at Alex's disposal, and didn't even call the office for an entire week. June and Pam were kind enough to lend Alex, Auntie Letha's station wagon, so I was on my own to relax and have some fun. I had many great visits with family, ate a lot of great food, even made a fresh peach pie, as well as a key lime pie, played a lot of Rook, and managed to fit in a round of golf w/my good friend John Cunningham, and might I add...in the most intense heat I have felt in a long time. He has become so obsessed with golf that I am surprised he even considered playing with me, even though I am however the one who introduced him to the senseless game. I even got a new set of PING golf clubs. Hopefully I will be able to see some improvement in my game. Anyway, we had a great time.

Everyone was so gracious to us during our visit. The most relaxing time was spent with Charles and Harrianne at their home on the Hiwassee River, eating some of the best smoked barbecue I had ever experienced. Alex and I had a country breakfast with Susan at her "Tom Thumb" restaurant, which was a real treat. The most fun I had was playing cards at Scott and Angela's house. We laughed until we cried. Angela just couldn't get in the rhythm of playing 5-handed Rook and nothing was making any sense to her. Of course, we started making fun of her and it went downhill from there. She started noticing a bad smell in the house and kept complaining until she decided it must be coming from the basement trash cans that hadn't been picked up. After Scott determined it wasn't the garbage cans, Angela threw her hands over her face and screamed, "Oh no, I think the freezer has quit working and the dog has thawed out." This was their 3rd dog that had died and the extra freezer was proving to be a convenient place to keep them until they had time to accommodate proper burials. Matthew, Andrew, and Hannah were just keeping them too busy, and of course the ground was too hard in the winter, so everything was able to be placed on hold... well, at least they thought it had.

Love,

Aub

Editor's note: Kelsey (Geoff's fiancee) and Christine (Daniel's fiancee) had their combined bridal shower at Aunt Karen's house yesterday (Friday). So despite health challenges, the Conner family is moving forward. Though blog entries have been less frequent of late, we will continue to post updates of Daniel's recovery process and of the continuing adventures of the Conner family.

2009-06-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all: This is Claudia again. I just came from Daniel's house to get the latest. I apologize that you are receiving this a bit after the fact, but Bill and I were out of town for a week.

To update everyone, Daniel came home from another hospital stay today. Last Thursday afternoon, Daniel had a scheduled appointment with his trauma team at the hospital. The doctors took one of his drainage tubes out, leaving Daniel with only one tube left. The doctors were hoping to wean him off of the remaining tube, which would be removed after another two weeks.

By 9 p.m. that same Thursday night, Daniel began running a fever. He was up all night with diarrhea and chills. Early Friday morning his parents called his doctor, who said Daniel should be taken directly to the ER. Blood tests revealed that Daniel's white blood count was quite high, indicating continued infection in his liver. Daniel was put on IV antibiotics, and the doctors said he should remain in the hospital until his fever and diarrhea were taken care of. (Okay, let me just say I am using the descriptive 'd' word to give folks an idea of his medical condition. I hope it does not come across as TMI -- too much information!)

Daniel finally began feeling better early Monday morning. He came home today, Tuesday, about 4 p.m. He is still on IV antibiotics at home. A home health care nurse will be coming in periodically to check his vital signs and make sure he is doing okay.

As most of you know from reading the blog, Daniel has had great difficulty tolerating the pain meds given to him, and so he found taking ibuprofen helped his pain as well as, if not better than, anything else. However, his bloodwork at the hospital revealed some beginning danger signs of his kidneys being negatively affected by so much ibuprofen, so he can no longer take that to relieve his pain. He is on a different pain med, but Mendy said it is not nearly as effective as the ibuprofen was.

Please continue to keep Daniel in your prayers. His latest unexpected hospital stay reminds us that even though Daniel is an amazing young man who has been greatly blessed through this ordeal, much still lies ahead of him in terms of recovery. We continue to pray that Daniel and his family will experience strength and comfort as Daniel's body continues to heal.

Day 66 - Daniel is home again

2009-06-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone -- Claudia here. I spoke with Aubrey and Mendy on the phone this morning, and they informed us that Daniel was released from the hospital yesterday about 4. He came home to a visit with friends and a home-cooked meal.

The doctors sent him home with two of the four drainage tubes still in place. Daniel still has pain, but it is tolerable, as long as he is very careful in his movement.

The plan is for Daniel to continue to recuperate at home. He will see the doctors again next week, around Thursday, and at that time a scan and x-ray will be done to be sure everything (the drainage tubes and the new stint) are working as they should.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Daniel usually sleeps until noon, so if anyone wants to visit or call, please wait until later in the day. You may also post messages to Daniel and his family here.

Day 63 - Post Surgery Update

2009-06-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Monday 1 June, 9:15 pm MST

Aubrey called just a few minutes ago to report that the endoscopic surgery has been completed successfully. The surgical team replaced the stint in Daniel's liver and also performed some exploratory procedures. They discovered his liver is leaking again, but said these types of leaks usually heal.

Daniel is still experiencing a lot of nausea and pain and isn't talking at this point. The doctors said tonight that the remaining tubes will need to stay in his liver for 8 more weeks.

Daniel has been optimistic and strong for over two months now, and he still has a couple of months to go before he doesn't have tubes coming out of him, plus several more months of healing after that. He will endure this and some day, hopefully soon, the surgeries will all be over (he still has a couple more to go). But this much pain and trauma, not to mention all the surgeries, take their toll on a person's strength and spirit. Please continue to pray that Daniel will have the strength to endure all he has to go through. And thanks to everyone who has helped in so many ways. Your faith and prayers have helped Daniel and his family more than you will ever know.

Update from Aubrey -- Another Surgery Scheduled for 5pm Today

2009-06-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Monday 1 June, 4:45 pm MST

Dear Bill,

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to the hospital to take Daniel to church. The hospital has a chapel and provides a short service for the patients if they want to attend. Daniel was in a lot of pain when I showed up, so much that he just mumbled a few words to me. His eyes were glossy and his lip was quivering, so I sat with him and rubbed his feet until he fell asleep. Then, I stood guard outside his door and wouldn't even let the nurses in to check on him. I hadn't seen him sleep for a long time so I wasn't about to let anyone wake him. He had previously quit taking any narcotics because they made him sick, so he had been surviving on Tylenol and Ibuprofen for the past 2 days.

Yesterday, they prescribed Tramadol, which helped him relax and seemed to take the sharp edge off of his pain. Later, he perked up when his friends came for a visit and I actually talked him into letting me go find something for him to eat. I came back with some cheese raviolis (that were actually pretty tasty) and he ate them all. Christine and I both reacted to his first huge bite and told him that one bite amounted to more than he had eaten in a week. After I left, the doctors came in and removed all of his staples and one of his drainage tubes. He was not prepared for the pain caused by the removal of the tube. He said it hurt worse than anything so far. When I came back later in the evening, Christine put some latex gloves on and pulled the tube from the trash can to show to me. It was over 2 ft. long and had an additional 8" flat strip attached to the end. I can imagine that the liver tissue must have tightened against the tube and caused some intense friction when they pulled it out.

Today he is at the Huntsman Center, just about ready to go in for another surgery. They are replacing the stint from his liver to his large intestine because it was starting to move out of the liver. Over the past few days, bile has been coming out of one of his drainage tubes rather than traveling through the stint. This will be the 9th surgery they have performed on him. They will go through his throat and perform the surgery endoscopically. They are considering taking out another one of the (4) drainage tubes during the surgery as well. Daniel told them he wouldn't allow them to remove any more of the tubes unless they put him to sleep first. You know it must hurt for him to say that. In the past, whenever they removed the other chest tubes, he didn't even flinch.

His spirits aren't too high right now, which is to be expected. He has been extraordinarily courageous and positive through this whole ordeal, and so has Christine. I'll let you know how the surgery went, as soon as he's out of recovery.

Love,

Aubrey

Day 61 - Saturday Evening Update

2009-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Mendy was kind to call Saturday evening after a long day at the hospital with Daniel and give us an update on his progress. Following is her report:

Daniel is still in a lot of pain from having his organs handled and cleaned during the emergency surgery after the liver abscess ruptured. And also from the surgical incision itself, which required cutting through his muscles. He told Aubrey he feels like someone stuck a sword in him. The pain medications are causing severe nausea, so Daniel has stopped taking them. Due to pain, nausea, and weakness he doesn't speak much and when he does, he is barely audible. He hasn't eaten since Aunt Karen's pool party on Memorial Day.

There are no good veins left in Daniel's left arm for a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line and his right arm is the injured one, so the doctors have inserted a line directly into the jugular vein in his neck. From this line he receives two broad spectrum antibiotics to fight off any potential infection caused by the ruptured abscess.

The latest surgery exposed the extent of the injuries Daniel received from the accident. The worst injuries were internal and could not be seen. It now appears fairly certain the doctors will also have to perform another endoscopic surgery to replace the stint in Daniel's liver, which has stopped working.

Please keep Daniel in your prayers. We will continue to update everyone on his condition here on the blog.

Day 60

2009-05-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Friday 29 May

Hard to believe it has been sixty days since that March morning when Daniel's life took such an unexpected detour. This post will be rather short, as not a lot has changed since yesterday.

Daniel is still at the University Hospital. He is doing well, all things considered. He had physical therapy on his arm today. And he was able to get in and out of bed more easily -- which we are assuming means some reduction in pain and maybe a bit of energy returning after Tuesday's surgery.

The doctors are debating whether or not to perform the endoscopic surgery to replace the stint in Daniel's liver.

We hope you all have a nice weekend.

Day 59

2009-05-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. This is Claudia again. I spoke on the phone with Mendy today. She said Daniel is hanging in there. He has some pain, but it is manageable. He now has a laptop at the hospital, so that helps him (and Mendy!) pass the time.

The doctors did say the stint in his liver is not draining the bile as effectively as it should -- this is the stint that was put in during his first hospital stay. The doctors may have to go in and fix that, but this specific operation is done endoscopically, so it is not nearly as invasive a procedure as what was done two days ago to put the four drainage tubes in. We will post an update regarding the 'stint work' as soon as the doctors decide it needs to be done.

Otherwise, pending any new posts, please know that Daniel is waiting and resting in the hospital as he should. He could be in the hospital for anywhere from 1-2 weeks. We will post an update as soon as we know of any changes in his condition. Warmly, Claudia

Day 58 - Aubrey Fills In The One-Month Gap

2009-05-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

a
May 27, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

I somewhat regret shutting down Daniel's blog site so soon. As he has continued to make progress and also as he has experienced discouraging set backs, the blog could have continued to communicate these happenings to our friends and family. I naively thought when he came home that things would go back to normal, with a simple prescription of rest, friends, and no motorcycles, rock climbing, or swimming...at least for the summer.

I recall the second Sunday he was home, he walked into church assisted by only his cane. His arm couldn't fit through his white shirt so he put on one of his plaid ones. Of course, he hadn't shaved, and he had put on a pair of badly wrinkled pants from his laundry basket, with coordinating sandals and no socks...a sight for an OCD dad to behold. But, as you might expect, tears ran down my face as I watched him sit quietly on the bench. As people would ask how he was, I would point him out in the congregation and they would quickly run over and embrace him. All our wonderful friends who had come to the hospital, prayed for him, and had extended great kindnesses to us, were experiencing, seeing, touching, and feeling the boy they loved.

Within days of his coming home, Daniel had started walking up and down our street with Christine and his personalized sidekick, the cane. He wanted a cane that was a bit distinguished from the utilitarian ones that home health offered. I knew if I sent him to Shapirro's that he at least wouldn't come back with one that had a concealed knife or a flask. Within a few days he had tossed that to the side as well. He found mom's leather chair and ottoman more comfortable than anything else, so he abandoned his hospital bed. Alex quit sleeping in his own room and quickly grew attached to his new "adjustable" lounging cot (the hospital bed), and then one day that was gone as well.

Daniel continued to have issues with his liver. At first, the tube in his side was draining and then it subsided...usually a sign that everything was going as it should. Again, upon examination, one of the trauma team decided something didn't seem quite right, so he ordered another CT scan, which revealed yet another abscess in Daniel's liver. He continued to flush out his liver with a saline solution, three times a day, but soon it quit eliminating the fluid. Daniel insisted that the bag was malfunctioning, so they re-installed a new bag, but it still didn't work. They then discovered that the 3-way valve had a crack in it which caused it to lose its suction.

In the mean time, the insurance company called and insisted that we change hospitals, as well as doctors, because the University Hospital was out of their network. Mendy dug in her heels and said that we could not cooperate under the circumstances. She reviewed the details of his case with them and expressed that the medical care related to each of his injuries was ongoing and insisted that an interruption of the care from all of his medical teams could prove to be disastrous. Daniel's doctors have taken such an interest in his critical care and have watched over him with great expertise. We have observed the teams of doctors, nurses, and interns work together to develop great insight into how to treat the complexity of his multiple, compounded injuries. They have been remarkable and have instinctively searched for and discovered critical developments in his organs that could have otherwise been easily overlooked, had another group of doctors taken over his case. For the moment, we have qualified our concerns to the insurance company and Daniel's doctors as well are offering whatever assistance they can to persuade them to allow his care to continue with his established medical teams, without interruption.

Yesterday, at a scheduled appointment with the trauma team, they decided to make one last conservative step to drain his liver (to avoid an invasive procedure) by injecting something into his liver to break up the dead tissue and thin the infectious fluids. Apparently the dead parts of the liver actually dissolve and create fluid that must be drained from the body. Even though his tube was discovered to have been perfectly placed, the fluids and particles were just too thick to filter through. When the medication was injected into the abscess, the abscess or cyst burst and all of the infectious, sludge, puss, and fluid spilled out, into the abdomen cavity. Quickly Peritonitis set in and bad things started to happen. Then fever, nausea, and intense pain, as well as constant chills took their turns. He had been picked so many times that they couldn't find an open vein, so they decided to wait until he had been sedated and insert a central line through his jugular. We began to imagine what could have happened if Daniel had been alone at home, when the abscess burst.

They wanted to get him immediately into surgery, but there was no operatory available. The doctor had also assumed that Daniel had eaten breakfast or lunch and would be at too great of a risk if they were to begin the surgery immediately. Within a half hour an operating room became available and Daniel opened his eyes to tell us that because he hadn't felt well the day before, he had not eaten anything since midnight. They began immediately to prep him for surgery. Coincidentally (or not) Dr. Morris, who had previously performed operations on Daniel, and had continually monitored and overseen his care from the beginning, was on the last leg of a 5 day rotation. He performed the operation. He expressed that he was baffled as to why the abscess burst, after having been developed there for so long, but also expressed his gratitude that Daniel was still alive and that he was glad to be the one who would perform the surgery. He said that ordinarily he would expect the liver to be fused to the abdomen wall because of scar tissue, but that the scar tissue had softened, which allowed him to peel the liver gently from the abdomen. As he did that, the abscess was exposed enough to address the surgery with greater accuracy.

Everything fell into place as well as possible and Dr. Morris completed the expected 2+ hr. surgery within 50 minutes. Daniel said he told him that he washed everything (14) times. He inserted (4) separate drainage tubes into the liver cavity and plans to remove them one at a time, as the liver completes its healing process. Approximately 1/3 of the dead portion of Daniel's liver has already regenerated. Dr. Morris expects him to have a 1-2 week hospital stay and assured us that they would watch him like a hawk. Even though his elbow is being held together by a long metal plate and lots of screws, they expect that over time he could possibly regain up to 95% of it's capacity. His pelvis looks great. His lungs are working perfectly. His knee has healed beautifully. His kidneys are functioning well. His ribs are not hurting as badly, and his mobility is incredible.

Daniel has (3) more surgeries to go, totaling (10); however, they just discovered yesterday that the stint in his liver has begun to move into his large intestine, and if it continues moving, he won't have to have it surgically removed, thus narrowing the surgeries to only (2). The reconstructive surgery on his arm is still pending, as well as the repair of the hernia in his bowel. Apparently the impacted force of his body being projected into the car, caused his large intestine to push through it's cavity and partially wrap around his spine, which created a hernia. Compared to his other injuries, this was considered incidental and can be repaired after things have settled down a bit.

Mendy has finally admitted that she is ready to have her own little breakdown. When I arrived at the hospital, she was bright red and very unsettled. A few weeks ago, while Alex was rock climbing with Geoff, he slipped and fell about 30 ft. from the side of the mountain, but since his rope was tied in, he felt the swing was kind of exhilarating. Then, last week I discovered 17 messages on my cell phone from our family in Tennessee trying to reach us to let us know that Stephen was undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Of course, I couldn't be reached because I was out of range all day, and Mendy unknowingly had turned her phone off. Add to that, all of the hospital stays, treatments, scans, middle of the night scares, lack of sleep, and dealing with ME, she has definitely qualified for a melt down. We are all just kind of numb right now.

Christine has been amazingly stalwart and calm throughout this entire experience. What a way to begin a marriage. She just landed her first CNA job, at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and will work on the Oncology admitting floor where patients begin their chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I'm sure these months of taking care of Daniel will prove to be invaluable to her as she begins her nursing career. She has now transferred from BYU to the U of U and has applied to their nursing program.

Daniel is truly a miracle boy. Many doctors and nurses, who never expected him to survive, are now smiling with relief and comfort, having seen his great progress. I can only imagine how they must feel when they lose a patient and then in contrast, how they must feel at times like this, when after working so very hard to keep a patient alive, with God's help, they experience success. Surely nothing else can compare.

Again, our love and appreciation to everyone. We continue to be amazed at how many people genuinely care for our family. The world is so very vast and there are so many troubling situations that people face almost daily, yet in spite of it all, the human spirit proves superior and most people continue to rise above their own problems to reach out and come to the aid of those of us in need.

Love,

Aubrey and Mendy

Day 58 - Morning After Daniel's Liver/Abdominal Surgery

2009-05-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

27 May

Hi everyone. This is Claudia. Aubrey will be sending us a much more detailed update later to post, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I visited with Daniel and his parents at the hospital this morning. Daniel was resting in his bed, and his pain meds seem to be taking the edge off. We had a nice converstation about the benefits of owning a PC or MAC, and Daniel discussed future travel plans, so he is obviously in better spirits than when he came out of surgery last night - but then who wouldn't be??

He is one brave young man! The four drainage tubes that were inserted last night appear to be doing their job.

Aubrey and Mendy were able to go home last night and get some much needed rest before returning to the hospital this morning. Thank you for all of your continued prayers - they are appreciated greatly.

Day 57 - Post Surgery Update

2009-05-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

26 May, 9:15 pm MST

Daniel is one very sick and very fortunate young man. His surgeon said he is lucky to be alive. Here is the latest:

Daniel should be coming out of recovery any minute. The surgery went well. It was supposed to last approximately two hours, but ended up only taking around 45 minutes, because everything went so smoothly. The surgeon made an incision from Daniel's sternum to his mid section. He was able to separate the liver from the abdomen by peeling it away, rather than having to cut them apart.

Daniel's abdomen was full of puss and dead liver tissue from the ruptured abscess, but the surgeon was able to clean everything up. He cleaned out the liver and inserted four drains with tubes that will allow any further infected fluid to drain from Daniel's liver to a receptacle outside his body. The poison had already spread to the point where Daniel's intestines were inflamed.

Daniel's situation is critical (due to the infection) and he will be in the hospital for up to two weeks. He will be in a lot of pain and will be nauseated for a while. However the scenario could not have gone better. The surgeon told Aubrey and Mendy that the abscess had been leaking for a week before it ruptured. That is why Daniel has been feeling sick and in pain for the past week. The injection today (that was given to try and unclog the liver tube) ruptured the abscess while Daniel was at the hospital. Then the operating room miraculously opened up at 5 pm today (which is very unusual) and because Daniel had not felt like eating since yesterday (and thus had no undigested food in his stomach) he was able to be taken immediately to surgery.

The surgeon was Dr. Morris, who has been one of the two team leaders of Daniel's trauma team from the beginning. This was the last day of his five day rotation and he was pleased he was available to perform the surgery, since he has been invested in Daniel's care and recovery from the beginning. He knows the history of the accident and is completely familiar with Daniel's medical care and progress since the accident.

The relief in Aubrey's voice was obvious when he called to report on how the surgery went. We are all very grateful Daniel was able to be taken to surgery so quickly and that it all turned out well. Thank you all so much for your faith and prayers.

Daniel has 3 or 4 less extensive surgeries ahead of him (that had already been planned), but those have been postponed until he recovers from this emergency surgery. We will continue to report on Daniel's progress on the blog.

Day 57 - Daniel To Undergo Emergency Surgery This Evening

2009-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

26 May 2009, 4:10 pm MST

We were hoping the blog had served its purpose and that there would be no more entries -- which would mean Daniel is getting better every day and moving forward with his life. Daniel has indeed moved forward with his life and plans for the future, but it appears his body is not quite ready to catch up.

Yesterday, Aubrey's sister Karen had a Memorial Day pool party at her house for the entire family. Daniel and Christine were there along with Daniel's immediate family, lots of cousins, aunts and uncles and Grandma. It was a fun time. Daniel had been doing great, but wasn't feeling as well yesterday and mentioned that his liver tube was no longer draining like it should. He of course did not get in the pool, due to the liver tube, but spent the afternoon visiting with everyone.

Today the tube was still not draining, so Daniel went to see his doctors to have it checked out. They injected something (we don't know what) into the liver tube to try and dissolve whatever was preventing it from draining. During this procedure, the abscess in Daniel's liver ruptured and spread poison into his abdomen. This resulted in peritonitis.

The doctors have given Daniel antibiotics and he will undergo surgery sometime in the next few hours at the University Hospital. Aubrey and Mendy are of course concerned and asked that we all pray for Daniel. It is possible this latest problem with Daniel's liver may require extensive surgery, and Aubrey and Mendy are hoping the surgeons will be able to clean up the liver and infected areas with the least invasive means possible. If you read this, please let Daniel's friends and loved ones know that he is in need of everyone's prayers. We will update the blog as soon as Daniel is out of surgery, and will probably keep the blog active for a while until Daniel is past this latest challenge.

5:20 pm Update:

Aubrey called to report that the doctors discovered Daniel has not eaten since before midnight last night and an operating room just opened up, so Daniel is being taken to surgery immediately. It is a very good thing that Daniel was already at the hospital when the rupture occurred. The surgeon said he will be opening Daniel "from stem to stern". This will be the most extensive surgery Daniel has undergone so far.

A Final Letter from Aubrey

2009-05-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,

Daniel is making remarkable progress. He is taking care of himself, including flushing out his liver (3) times a day which he chose to take care of rather than having a nurse come in daily. He has some pretty intense physical therapy for his leg and arm, but he is determined to regain his strength. The orthopedic team won't decide on whether or not he will need reconstructive surgery on his elbow for another 3-4 weeks. Apparently a couple of bones were missing from his elbow when he arrived at the hospital.

Our family cannot even begin to thank everyone for all the generous acts of kindness that have been offered in our behalf... the wonderful meals, the thoughtful cards and phone messages, creating the incredible blog site, the individual blog responses, prayers, thoughts, and concerns... the visits, the kind and thoughtful deeds... and most of all, the outpouring of your personal LOVE. It was and is overwhelming.

Daniel and Christine will be married on August 1st, and all of this will be behind them. They will begin their journey together with a sobering comprehension and appreciation of life, and a changed and more mature perspective of what living, nurturing, and giving is all about. We only feel continual gratitude for all the blessings we have received. Miracle, after miracle has been manifest throughout this entire experience and I know without a doubt that everyone's contributions have made it happen. Coming together in a unified effort in someone's behalf is overwhelmingly powerful.

During the past week or so, as the blog updates have languished, I have had so many people tell me that they look forward to checking it daily and following Daniel's progress. As it comes to an end, it almost seems like the TRUMAN SHOW, where everyone watches daily to see what will happen next. With that thought in mind our dear friends, as Truman said, "If I don't see ya, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night..."

We will NEVER FORGET the outpouring of love we have felt from all of you throughout this experience, and we continue to feel it.

Most Sincerely,

Aubrey, Mendy, Geoff, Stephen, Alex, Christine, and especially DANIEL.

Day 30 - Letter from Daniel

2009-04-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

hey uncle bill, dad said you want me to update you on some current events regarding my progress and such. well, things are going great. I feel great and am walking and getting around pretty good. physical therapy on my arm is quite painful but the progress is fairly noticeable.

Christine's been coming over every day for about half the day. i may be boring her but i more than enjoy her company. she's been amazingly wonderful throughout this whole ordeal, by my side daily and i believe she's very happy now that i am able to put my arm around her and that she can hug me without me wincing in pain. oh, and for the record Ben, i did not get in this accident just to make sure Christine was the right girl or to test her, I've always known how incredible she is.

for those who don't know, Christine and I met my senior year of high school when i moved out to salt lake from Tennessee. we swam together and i was really good friends with her older sister Danielle who was one of the captains on the swim team. i first noticed how beautiful Christine was at her 16th birthday party. her dad, Jeff, has a printing company and he made all these giant posters of her and put them all over their house. it was a bit much but looking at all those gorgeous pictures of Christine sure left an impression on me. I was star struck for her for quite a while after that but never acted on it for some reason. we continued to be friends up until i left on my mission and after that we didn't really keep in touch.

upon my return from Russia two years later, i just so happened to be at a party where i was graced with her presence. she was more beautiful than ever. we engaged in a long conversation on my friend stein's back porch and along with a few other friends, peter, stein and Paul, we sort of formed a new group of friends for the summer and began hiking, climbing and camping alot. a quite ironic foreshadowing of Christine's and my engagement occurred on a camping trip in august up little cottonwood canyon. as we passed a beautiful Toyota Tacoma i stated "oh i love Tacoma's, their my favorite car!"(or something similar to that) after which, Christine agreeingly stated that the Tacoma was her favorite car as well. Paul told us that we should just get married and buy a Tacoma together, we laughed and said ok (we were not dating at all at this point). later on the trip, once we were at our camping site at lisa falls, we decided to take some pictures together in front of the river. well we all got shots together, in twos and threes. after looking at them all, someone, maybe peter, pointed out that the pictures of Christine and me had turned out the best and continuing with the joke made earlier about marriage, suggested we use that picture as our engagement photo. neither of us thought twice about this comment but a few weeks later we were climbing and she impressed me so much with how well she climbed that i decided it was time to ask her out. I did that night and two nights later we went out and 4 and a half months later we were engaged and 4 months after that i got in this accident. we are getting married august 1st now and are much more anxious than we should be for having 3 more months ahead of us. we are completely in love and can't wait to get married, so we've decided to go to Vegas this week to speed up the process.

well, other than being engaged to the most beautiful girl in the world, my injuries are healing, slowly but surely. I'm walking great, my spirits are up and the only big thing I'm struggling with is sleep. thank you all for your prayers and love, it's much appreciated and the many miracles of my recovery are quite apparent. I love you all.

-Daniel-

Home Again

2009-04-26T22:49:00.001-07:00

Sunday Evening, 26 April

After making the transition to oral antibiotics, Daniel was released from the hospital late this afternoon.

When we arrived at Daniel's home this evening, everyone was in the family room watching a movie. Imagine the reality check when we walked in and saw Mendy lying in the hospital bed, Daniel and Christine sitting in chairs, and Grandma Nan on the couch. That alone shows just how far Daniel has come. He is no longer stuck in the hospital bed 24/7.

Alex relaxing in Daniel's hospital bed.

Daniel and Christine enjoying his liberation from the hospital bed

-

The knee is healing well.
-

Daniel flushes out his liver with saline solution 3 times daily.

He says he can feel it go in because it is cold, and then it feels kind of bizarre when it gushes back out.
-

Alex playing his new piano

(which his parents bought him before Daniel's accident, but didn't get a chance to have delivered until last week)

Day 27 - Letter from Aubrey

2009-04-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday 26 April

Aubrey wrote the letter below very late Saturday night and emailed it this morning, but one of us (we won't point fingers) overlooked checking his inbox. When we were at Aub and Mendy's house tonight Aubrey said, "did you get the e-mail I sent this morning?" Belatedly, here it is:

written Saturday 25 April, around Midnight

---

Dear Bill,

Daniel had his first shower today...they put Saran-wrap over his drainage tube. I can only imagine what he felt, after almost a month of not being able to shower.

He called me and ordered a pizza, as only he can. Of all the places to order from, he wanted Papa Johns. The last thing I wanted to do after being out all day, was to drive downtown for an underrated pizza, but I decided indulging him was probably a good thing. He ate piece after piece until he almost polished off the whole thing. Now his stomach aches will be considered self-induced. Hopefully the suffering will be worth it, since it was his idea.

"This pizza looks fabulous. I believe I could eat the whole thing."

"In fact, I think I will eat the whole thing. Here goes!"

Christine smiles contentedly while T-Bob chows down.

He looks great. Our Daniel is back with us. As I left the hospital tonight, I stopped outside the elevator and looked around. It suddenly hit me and a few tears welled up in my eyes. We came so close to loosing him and I'm just now allowing myself to realize it. Our kids are precious gifts to us. Life is a precious gift to us. We are all a bit weary, but I drove home with a new perspective. It is sobering. I think this concludes another chapter of a long book, and you know how I hate to read. I usually fall asleep during the first few pages, but this one has captured my attention.

We love everyone who has cared for us and who have stood ready to help in any way that we needed. I came outside yesterday evening to see a freshly cut lawn, by a loving neighbor who has more needs than any of us could imagine. It was his way of showing us he cared. It showed me again that often it is the ones that have the least to give (money, time, energy, talents), that truly give the most. It's ironic that when we are downtrodden or weary and feel we have nothing left to give, we can actually be renewed and uplifted by giving even more. It works every time.

Aubrey

Day 26 Update

2009-04-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday 25 April

Daniel remains in the hospital today. The doctors have switched to an oral antibiotic to fight the infection in his liver. Aubrey says he is looking much better.

Day 25 Update

2009-04-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Friday 24 April, 6:30 pm MST

There was some speculation among the nurses today that T-Bob would be getting his walking papers and heading back home this evening. But the doctors are still trying to isolate the infectious bacteria in his liver, so for now he gets to retain his accommodations at the University Hospital. Currently Daniel is receiving three broad spectrum antibiotics intravenously. Once the bacteria is isolated, the regimen can be reduced to one oral antibiotic. When that happens he can go home.

But in order to reduce Daniel's separation anxiety from the trauma team, they are sending him home with a souvenir. He gets to keep the drainage tube in his liver for a couple more weeks. The tube exits through his rib cage (yes, the broken ones) and out his side, and Daniel told Aubrey today, "I thought I knew what pain was." Still, Aubrey says he looks much better and has better color.

Daniel also walked down the hall and back today without his crutch. The orthopedic surgeon told him he can now put as much weight on his leg as he can tolerate. He has to take baby steps, but he is walking.

Day 24 Update

2009-04-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Thursday 23 April

The e-mail below from Aubrey was sent today at 11:19 am MST

Dear Bill,

Just got an update from the doctor. They are keeping Daniel in the hospital at least until tomorrow. The infectious fluid (gunk) that is draining from the liver has so many unidentifiable bacteria in it that they now have him on 3 antibiotics. They are concerned that one of them could be staph and seem to be taking it very seriously. His liver is continuing to drain a lot, and his white count has dropped from 12 to 6 overnight, so his body seems like it's glad to get rid of the stuff. Other than being nauseated, he feels so much better. "Better" of course is relative. He's still in pain, but each improvement reduces his overall discomfort. One step at a time.

I am remembering the country-western song a few years back, where the lyrics said, "...I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel, but Lord I hope it's not a train."

Mendy is exhausted, so it's nice to have had Grandma Wadsworth here and now Grandma Nan. Mendy has been able to slip in to work for a few hours every few days, so at least she feels somewhat under control there.

Please let everyone know how much we have enjoyed and appreciated their meals, letters, emails, visits, thoughts, and prayers. We are blessed to have so many who care.

Aubrey

Editor's note: Aubrey's reference to song lyrics brings back memories of another great country-western song: "Drop Kick Me Jesus Through The Goal Posts of Life." I've always loved the title of that song and have fantasized about how nice it would be to get drop kicked above all the problems and challenges of life -- flying non-stop to that great touchdown in the sky. However, since this life is all about gaining experience and growing, somehow I don't think just sailing through without any worries or cares was ever part of the plan. But certainly Daniel has had lots of help every step along the way of this particularly challenging journey. He went into it strong and he will come out the other side even stronger. To echo Aubrey's words above, thanks so much for everyone's faith, prayers and the assistance you have given and continue to give Daniel and his family.

Day 23 Morning Update: Surgery Completed

2009-04-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

22 April, 11:30 am MST

Daniel is out of surgery now. The surgery went well. The abscess was in the dying part of Daniel's liver. The surgeon went through Daniel's rib cage and inserted a different type of tube into his liver than they have used in the past. The poisonous fluid is now draining out the tube.

Daniel is very fortunate that one of the doctors just happened to think of doing a CT scan yesterday (which is how they found the liver abscess). If the abscess had burst and flooded toxic fluid into Daniel's body, he would be back in the ICU right now.

Daniel will remain in the hospital today and we do not yet know whether he will stay in the hospital overnight or when he will be released. But as usual, we will update his condition and release information on the blog as soon as Aubrey and Mendy know.

Day 22 - Daniel Readmitted to Hospital

2009-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 21 April, 5:30 pm MST

Aubrey just called with an unexpected development. Exactly three weeks from the date of Daniel's motorcycle accident, he has been readmitted to the University Hospital and will undergo surgery tomorrow.

Daniel has been in a lot of pain the past couple of days and his stomach is distended again. Mendy took him to the University Hospital this morning so that the trauma team could evaluate his condition. The tests began at 7:30 am and continued all day. Around 5:00 pm the doctors analyzed the results of a new CT scan that one of the doctors had recommended during the course of evaluation today. Daniel has an abscess in his liver the size of two fists.

The stent that is still in Daniel's liver is not draining off the fluid from the abscess, so tomorrow the surgeon will insert another drainage tube to drain the abscess. We do not yet know what time the surgery will take place, but will update the blog as soon as there is more information.

On a positive note, the doctors also checked Daniel's lungs today and they are clear. In addition, they removed the stitches from his arm and leg.

Please continue to keep Daniel in your prayers. Although he does not look as much like a critically injured accident victim, Daniel still has a lot of healing to do. His worst injuries are internal. And the external injuries are covered by an arm cast and a leg brace, or are hidden under his clothing (remember the hip picture?), so sometimes we look at him and think he has recovered. But for now, his battle continues.

Day 20 Update

2009-04-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday 19 April

Among Daniel's steady flow of visitors, Aubrey's brother Ben and his wife Mattie have driven down from Boise with their three active-yet-adorable kids for a visit with T-Bob.

Daniel's cousins enjoy a visit.

(The ribbon in the middle of the pic is from Daniel's floating

"Get Well" balloon)

Josh (left) and Ryan (right) comfortable in Daniel's hospital bed.

Even Brady does his part so Daniel can live at home.

(Note: Brady doesn't live in the cage. He's just kind enough to stay here at times when there are lots of guests.)

Aubrey will write a post later today to update everyone on Daniel's last couple of days, but we wanted to go ahead and publish the pictures from our visit today. As you all know, Daniel is living at home now, in a hospital bed in the family room.

6:00 pm MST

And now it has arrived... Aubrey's letter:

Dear Bill,

I went to church today for the first time since Daniel's accident. I tried to slip in late so that I wouldn't have to be asked to give an update on Daniel's condition. You know me better than most. I tend to shy away from crowds and retreat into a quiet corner, even though I am only surrounded by people who love our family. I felt numb throughout the meetings, although it was really nice to see everyone again. I finally took time to read through the blog site and was amazed at all the detail I had either forgotten or pushed to the back of my already crowded mind.

Daniel continues to slowly improve, even though one pain just gets traded for another. I panicked the other night and called on a doctor friend to come evaluate Daniel to see if he needed to be rushed to the hospital, and she quietly and calmly checked Daniel and gave us a little more clarity as to what was happening. Apparently, Daniel's philosophy of "No Pain, No Gain" has taken it's toll on his body. At the time of his discharge he was not told that even the slightest move in the wrong direction could cause his liver to start bleeding again, so he had been trying to move around more and hobble with his crutch. The workout agitated his stint and caused his abdomen to harden, swelling to begin, and jaundice coloration to his skin. After Daniel became aware of this, he took to his bed and has stayed there for the past 3 days. He hates his hospital bed and can't seem to get comfortable in any position, but he is also grateful to be home.

Alex carefully helped him to his wheelchair and out to the car for an hour at Donner Park. While the short trip wore him out, he loved being outside. He loves the out of doors, as do I. I remember a while back, driving up Parley's Canyon to Park City, just as Spring was fully settling in. I started making sounds that expressed my feelings of being in the middle of the gorgeous surroundings, and Mendy said, "Why are you making those noises? I replied, "Don't you get excited when you smell the fresh pine, feel the breeze, and experience all of this beauty?" She said, "No." So, I guess it's just another one of those creative things that only I and a few other soul mates experience, Daniel being one of them.

Mom has been such a great help to us and now Grandma Nan will be arriving tomorrow to help with Daniel's care. As I sat in church today, I reflected on a visit I made last week to a young friend that was on the same floor as Daniel. He had just been diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer, that literally dissolves his bones. He has already lost 4" in his height. He is only in his 20's and has been married for about a year. Another close friend has a terminally ill child at home, who has required a 24-7 vigil of care for several years now...nurses in their living space throughout the day, never allowing any privacy or quiet family time with their other children. I think of our dear friend, affectionately called by our boys, "Grandma Dorothy", having had to care for her son Frankie for over 60 years, who as a child had been hit by a car and then later developed some type of virus that blinded him and left him mentally challenged. At 96 she still continues to pay for his medical bills... and yet, another close friend our age, who has been bed-ridden now for over 15 years, whose husband has to come home from work each day at lunch time to give her an injection for pain.

As trying as this has been, our situation with Daniel pales in comparison to so many others. It just makes me more aware of those who courageously and quietly suffer through their challenges. We all have friends or know of people who endure these circumstances, and now we too find ourselves among them, but somehow ours just doesn't seem to be that bad. We love everyone's emails, blog comments, and letters. I have gained 5 lbs. since the accident, with all of the wonderful food that has been brought to us. We continue to feel everyone's support and LOVE......we are amazed at how many care so deeply for Daniel and our family. He is an amazing boy. I love you very much.

Aubrey

Day 17

2009-04-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

16 April

Below is a correspondence between Aubrey and (Tennessee) cousin Harrianne. Her thoughts seem to mirror those of so many others. Aubrey's response gives an update on Daniel:

Dear Aubrey and family, thank you so much for the blog on Daniel, I have kept up with it daily and the thought of him going home is unbelievable. Miracles do still happen and he is the living proof. How can anyone not believe in God. I felt your panic at the thought of taking him home. I refused to take Charlie one time and it worked for one day but insurance was a little more lax at that time. I have tears in my eyes looking at his pictures and then I see the smile on Norma's face and know that feeling too. Give our love to him and now the hard work begins. I haven't any doubt that this time next year it will all be a horrible and thankful memory. We love you guys and it is a shame that we can't see each other more often and it takes something like this to even keep in touch. Our love to the whole family and daily prayers for Daniel's recovery and for his pain to lessen each day. Love, Harrianne and Charles

Dear Harrianne,

Thank you so much for your personal message. I really have never been able to take the time to read the blog site. Bill has done so much to relieve the time that it takes to respond to phone calls, a deluge of emails, letters, etc. Everyone is so kind and we want to speak with them all, but you know all too well that it is impossible to maintain and balance everything...so, you have to choose where your energy is focused. Daniel had a rough night, with a lot of pain and distention in his upper left quadrant (as the doctor put it). He continues to be a bit jaundiced. It is impossible for him to exercise because one side of his body is broken and he cannot place any weight on his leg and hip, and the other side has the shattered elbow. When he hops with his crutch and one leg, he has to compensate to balance and that begins to compromise the healing of his liver. We have a close friend who is a doctor who came to our aid last night and again this morning; otherwise, I would not have known what to do or how to react. Friends and family continue to be our support, in every small and large way. I too, feel a desire to be closer to each other and am grateful that these situations, at the very least help us to gain perspective of how important it is to nurture our relationships with family and friends.

I was just sitting down to email Bill so that he could post an updated report for Daniel, so now that I have written to you, I realize I just did it.

We love and miss you very much,

Aubrey and Mendy

Day 16 Update

2009-04-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Below is a new letter from Aubrey, written today, Wednesday 15 April, 8:24 am MST:

Daniel's being at home has not been as comfortable as Daniel anticipated. Yesterday, he heard his pelvis crack as he was maneuvering the stairs. We're scheduling another X-ray this morning. In spite of his discomfort, he is managing to carefully go up and down the stairs. Either Grandma Wadsworth, Christine, or his mom has been by his side 24-7, ready and willing to care for his needs. He barks out the orders, but always says "thanks". His physical therapists showed up at 10:00am, but I haven't heard their report. I failed to mention that his Easter dinner request was to have my enchiladas and chocolate chip cookies. He said the enchiladas were the best I had ever made, but we must remember that he hadn't eaten for 12 days. The cookies got a "thumbs up", but his lack of verbal expression told me that they weren't quite up to par. When his aunt Cindy was visiting last year for his homecoming from Russia, I made my famed cookies at a friend's cabin we were staying at. Her comment was, "these are almost as good as Pepperidge Farms". I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that one. Last night Mendy made her wonderful pork chop casserole. I wish there was another word for casserole, because it was anything but that. I've grown up with too many trying memories of "Relief Society" casseroles.

I came across this quote, which conveys our thoughts to wards all those who have, and continue to exercise their concern, faith, prayers, energy, kindness, and love toward our family, and especially in behalf of Daniel. We have witnessed the miraculous results of these combined efforts and are the blessed beneficiaries.

Angelic Mortals

"I have spoken . . . of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are (sent) from(Heaven)... Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods... Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind."

Jeffrey R. Holland

With much love and gratitude for bringing our boy home, whole and back to himself again.

The road to recovery will continue for a long time. Please continue your prayers and concern in his behalf.

Sincerely,

Aubrey and Mendy

Pictures from Aubrey

2009-04-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Daniel Is Home

2009-04-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Below is an update from Aubrey. He describes Daniel's progress better than we ever could.

Thank you for your many prayers and support for Daniel and his family. We are out of town and unable to get reliable internet access, so you may not see any updates for a few days. In the interim, it is possible for Aubrey or Mendy (or even Daniel himself perhaps) to update you by adding comments to this entry. Perhaps they will do that.

And now for Aubrey's update.

___________________________________________________________

(written Tuesday 14 April, 8:04 am MST)

Bill,

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from Mendy saying a determined "trauma bobsled" had defied all of his doctors expectations of an extended stay in a rehab center, and was returning home...today! "Is it possible to stop what you are doing and go pick him up...now?" My first response was complete shock and then, "are they crazy?" One of Mendy's good friends brought her cleaning lady to the house and she and Mendy went from top to bottom, while I frantically tried to stop the hospital dismissal of Daniel. Quickly realizing the avalanche was gaining momentum, I had Stephanie from my office arrange for a hospital bed to be delivered to the house, while I hurriedly called "Dogmode", our favorite boarding kennel and booked a room for Brady...only to discover he was overdue 3 of his vaccinations and they wouldn't let him come. It was 5:00 when I reached the Vet, and he told me to come right down and he would facilitate the shots. I called Geoff and of course he told me to "chill" and I told him he had 15 minutes to get Brady to the vet and then to the kennel. Geoff called Mendy and offered to keep Brady @ Kelsey's and wanted to know why I was so stressed out. Mendy told him to just do whatever I wanted. In the mean time, I am talking to any doctor who will listen to me and trying to convince them to re-evaluate Daniel and send him to a rehab center for a transitional period. After all, he just had his last chest tube removed YESTERDAY! He had gone up and down throughout Sunday. In the morning he had felt a lot of pain and was slipping into a hopeless depression. He didn't even feel like having his physical therapy...something that he has always insisted on each day. He finally fell asleep, after some good drugs kicked in and we decided to keep visitors away for the afternoon. Within a couple of hours he was wondering where his physical therapists were. He was ready to walk the halls....and, he did just that. He man aged the entire hallway of the unit, through the double security doors, down the public hallway, around the bank of elevators, through another hallway, and then managed the return trip as well. I kept telling him that however far he traveled one way, he would have to travel the same distance back, but he just kept walking; of course, with his little entourage of nurses...me supporting his arm, one carrying his portable chest tube suctioning machine, and another nurse "spotting" him to stop his likely fall. Not long after he returned to bed, they took him for his daily chest X ray. After discovering the fluid around his lungs had diminished to an acceptable level, they actually removed his chest tube. Mendy and I decided it was time for him to try a night by himself with reassurance from the nurses that they would keep a close watch. Grandma took the next shift at 6:45am and then things started to happen. Apparently, against all odds, he started walking to the bathroom, by himself...with of course, his nurses and therapists keeping a close watch. The therapists allow him to continue to walk by himself and then introduce him to the portable stair steps, for the ultimate challenge. He continues to persist until he has mastered the stairs. The trauma team comes in and evaluates him and makes a decision to send him to rehab. A therapist from the rehab center comes to give him an evaluation and tells him that there really isn't a need for him to go to rehab, because he has surpassed what they could do for him. Within an hour I was getting a call to come pick him up. Needless to say, my efforts (and you know my determination) were failing and I found myself leaving my office to go to the hospital and pick up our son, to bring him home.

I stopped at the top of "hospital row" (Primary Children's, UofU, Huntsman Cancer Research, and the Moran Eye Center) and took a few pictures of a gorgeous sunset. The reality of it all started to settle in. Daniel looked around and said, "it's so beautiful". We drove the 2.5 miles home and in to the driveway. I opened the door of the car for Daniel to get out, only to realize again that he had a cast arm, a braced leg from top to bottom, a frail, skinny body, and no crutches. I left him leaning against the car while I ran upstairs to retrieve my crutches, only to find them gone. After a couple times scratching our heads, Mendy remembered that we had loaned them to Geoff. Before Geoff could get to the house, Daniel reminded me that I also had a walking cane, so I retrieved it and he, by himself conquered the incline of the sidewalk and stepped over the threshold into the kitchen, took the walk to the living room, waited for 10 minutes for Geoff to show up with the crutches and then took on the challenge of maneuvering the stairs to the family room, where he would now take up residence. Within minutes, we turned to see Christine walking up the stairs with a big smile on her face. Then, the friends started coming in. So much for Dad's sanity. I walked up the remaining stairs, shut my door and went to bed, realizing my defeat. I now wake up realizing Daniel's victory.

Thanks for all you have done for us.

Aubrey and Mendy

Day 13: Evening Update

2009-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday 12 April, 9:55pm MST

Only Aubrey's kids get Easter baskets with live flowers growing in them.

Today has had its ups and downs for Daniel, which is not uncommon for patients who have been critically injured. But the highs outweigh the lows, so we'll focus on the highs. Daniel's lung x-rays revealed that the fluid in his chest cavity and lungs has drained, so the lung tube was removed today. This is the second time a lung tube has needed to be inserted and removed and we are hoping it is the last.

Daniel also took two long walks with his crutch today. Since he no longer has the lung pump trailing him everywhere he goes, he was able to walk without his usual entourage and only needed a couple of people beside him just in case. The nurse even gave T-Bob a sling, so he doesn't need to walk with that big block of foam cheddar cheese on his arm any more (though he still uses it the rest of the time).

The doctors will be evaluating Daniel's progress tomorrow to determine where he goes from here. We will post an update tomorrow evening after all of the assessments have been reported.

Day 13: Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday 12 April, 12:30 pm MST

We had planned a visit with Daniel after church this morning, but his pain is back in full force. Daniel did not eat breakfast and when Aubrey arrived at the hospital this morning, T-Bob was pretty much out of it. Finally the nurses "knocked him out" (in Aubrey's words).

We hope to be able to go to the hospital and check on Daniel later today. Aubrey spent a lot of time cooking Easter dinner for Daniel and fixing Easter baskets for Daniel and Alex (sorry Stephen and Geoffrey, but when you move away from home, some of the percs evaporate). So, we may not be able to take pictures of Daniel eating his Easter dinner, but after all that work on Aubrey's part, there WILL be a picture of the Easter basket.

Happy Easter.

We Debated About Whether To Post This One

2009-04-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

but ultimately we thought Daniel deserved some visual acknowledgement for all the trauma he has endured. This is the least dramatic of the hip photos we took. If it looks this bad on the outside, you can only imagine how his liver and spleen and lungs looked after such a severe impact. So with Daniel's permission (he's trusting us to keep it decent because he does not have access to a computer to view his blog), we are posting this pic of his bruised thigh and hip -- taken Saturday 11 April.

Close up photo of Daniel's bruised thigh and hip

(viewed from right side)

Day 12: More Progress

2009-04-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Aubrey breaks out his toiletry arsenal:

Daniel can finally be moved to the bathroom for a haircut.

and a shave

Walking with Aubrey and Craig (his nurse)
The lung pump has to travel with him.

Relieved to be Cleaned Up

Saturday 11 April, 6:00 pm MST

Day 12: One Day After Lung Tube Insertion

2009-04-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

This tube was inserted to drain the fluid from Daniel's chest cavity.

The red fluid drainage (left) is thick and lumpy -- almost like clotted jello.

Breathing exercises build up Daniel's lung capacity.

Arm bruise (you should see his hip)

After another rough start this morning, Daniel is feeling better this afternoon.

Saturday 11 April 2:00 pm MST

Day 11 Evening Update -- What A Day

2009-04-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

Friday 10 April, 9:30 pm MST

Aubrey just called with the latest. Not long after Daniel returned from surgery this morning, he began to experience incredible pain. It was determined that the pain was due to a fully collapsed lung. The fluid that had built up in Daniel's chest cavity had been cushioning the collapsed lung. Once the surgeons drained off the fluid this morning, the cushion was no longer there.

Fortunately Daniel's nurse worked with him to re-inflate his lung (through different exercises). This evening Daniel is feeling more himself than he has since the accident. He was talking in full voice and eating. He wanted a shower. Aubrey said it was great to see him like this, when for days he could barely talk.

Daniel has decided he is ready to go home tomorrow! Though that is unlikely (he will probably spend a few more days in the hospital and then most likely go to a rehab center), the fact that he is feeling so much better has lifted everyone's spirits.

Day 11: Post Surgery Update: T-Bob Doing Well

2009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Friday 10 April

Mendy called from the surgery waiting room at 9:45 MST this morning. Dr. Morris, the lead physician on the trauma team, had just given her a post surgery report on Daniel.

Dr. Morris said that between what came out when they opened Daniel up and what they removed from his chest cavity, the surgeons were able to remove one liter of fluid from Daniel's lungs. They expect the remaining fluid will drain off in the next couple of days, via the chest tube that was inserted during surgery.

Dr. Morris emphasized that though there have been setbacks, Daniel's recovery has "exceeded his expectations", considering how critically his liver was injured.

Mendy said, "even though it's hard for us to see him go back into surgery and have to have procedures, he is doing very well. And we'll just keep plugging along."

Daniel was still in recovery at the time that Mendy called.

Editor's Note: It is impossible to put a price on the value of all the many prayers that have been offered for Daniel, other than to say your prayers and support have been "priceless". Thank you all so much for your support of Daniel and his family. There will undoubtedly be more peaks and valleys on Daniel's road to recovery, but the overall trend has been UP, with a more rapid ascent than the doctors could have predicted.

How To Post Your Comments

2009-04-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

We have heard from several readers of Daniel's blog who want to post a comment for Daniel and his family, but can not get their comment to post. Following are some instructions:

1. First, write your comments in the box just below "post a comment" (see illustration)

Comment as:

2. Once you have typed your comment, click on the down arrow below the box (see above, where it says "Select Profile"). When you click on the down arrow, a pop up menu will appear. Scroll to the bottom and click on "Anonymous".

3. Next click on the "Post Comment" bar.

4. A new window will pop up that asks you to type in a word that is in the pop up. This procedure is to verify that you are an actual human and not a computer (see illustration below):

Word verification

Type the word you see (it will be a wavy or squiggly word) into the box. Once you have typed the word, click the "Finish" bar and your comment will be posted.

Note: if you read the wavy word wrong or type it wrong, when you click "Finish", your comment will not post. Instead a new word will appear. Once you type a verification word correctly and click "Finish", your comment will post.

We have noticed that occasionally the comment will not post after clicking "Finish". This is some kind of glitch in the blogspot software. Just click "Finish" again and it should post.

Day 11: Daniel Is Currently In Surgery

2009-04-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Friday 10 April

We just received the text below from Mendy. It was sent at 8:40 am MST.

"He's back in o.r. to have chest tube put in again. Right lung partially collapsed. Fluid build up again. Still, he is stronger. Ate some real food yesterday."

We will update you as soon as the surgery is over.

Day 10: Evening Update

2009-04-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

Aubrey said Daniel was sweating a lot tonight, so the nurse checked him and discovered he has a partially collapsed lung -- due to the pressure in his chest cavity. She sedated him so he can get some sleep before his surgery tomorrow.

Day 10: Daniel Slated for Another Surgery

2009-04-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday 9 April, 6:30 pm MST

First the good news. The doctors ordered another CT scan and Daniel's organs look good. The bile and blood that had collected in his abdomen have been absorbed. Daniel's liver enzymes also look good. With all of the above in mind, the doctors anticipate being able to remove the bile drainage tube from Daniel's side tomorrow. Also in the "good news" category, he walked again today -- even further (down the hall and back). AND Aubrey says the nurses on the 6th floor (orthopedics unit) are "incredible".

Now for the not so great news. Daniel had a light fever last night. He has been experiencing difficulty breathing and rattling in his lungs (but Aubrey says it is not pneumonia) . His white blood count is back up. The CT scan showed heavy fluid in his chest and the lower part of his lungs. That means Daniel will be going back in for surgery tomorrow to put chest tubes back in to drain his lungs. The surgery can't be scheduled for a specific time because it is an "add on" to the hospital's surgery schedule. But it could happen as soon as 10:00 or 11:00 tomorrow morning. We'll let you know when the surgery happens and provide a post surgery update as soon as the surgeon reports the surgery results to Aubrey and Mendy.

Considering the fact that tomorrow will be the 5th time Daniel has gone in and out of anesthesia for surgery, we know Daniel and his family are greatly comforted to know so many people are out there praying for him. Please don't be shy about sending your best wishes and words of encouragement in the comments section. You may be reluctant to write if you have commented previously, but we don't believe there is any such thing as offering too much encouragement (under the circumstances), or letting Daniel know you are thinking of him. So if you feel inclined to write a message, please don't hesitate to do so.

We also want to thank Christine and Grandma, who have stayed with Daniel during the day so Mendy can get some much needed rest and Aubrey can work. And many thanks to all of Daniel's friends and family who continue to send care packages and help in many other ways.

Can't Keep A Good Man Down

2009-04-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Daniel walks 40 feet with the assistance of the physical therapists
(taken on Mendy's cell phone)

Thanks Karrie for getting us the picture!

Day 9: Evening Mini-Update

2009-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 8 April, 9:30 pm MST

Just spoke with Aubrey. He is at the hospital with Daniel. Aubrey says, "Daniel may not realize it, but he is feeling a little better tonight." Aubrey can tell from little things he observes that Daniel is not in quite as much pain tonight. But Daniel still only talks in whispers because he is so "wiped out".

We didn't put this in the earlier post, but Daniel's supervising physician told him this morning that if he is not able to eat in the next day or so, they will put him on a feeding tube. The doctor was not getting on Daniel's case. In fact he said it was natural for Daniel not to have an appetite at this point. However, throughout the day things have been disappearing from Daniel's room. First there was a few sips of Insure. Then a few slices of banana. Then a half cup of orange juice. And then a couple of crackers that Aubrey had left by Daniel's bed, just in case. So either there is a hamster loose in the Ortho Wing or T-Bob is beginning to nibble.

We didn't receive the pictures yet (we're guessing getting them off Mendy's cell phone has presented a problem), but we promise there will be some tomorrow. In fact we plan to go take some new ones also -- this time no scenery pics :)

Thank you all for you support and prayers and all of your wonderful comments.

Day 9: Afternoon Update

2009-04-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 8 April, 2 pm MST

Mendy just got home from the hospital and called with an update of Daniel's medical progress. Mendy was at the hospital with Daniel all night and now she is at home this afternoon cleaning. How does she keep up that pace? I would be in fetal position in bed by now (this is not Claudia writing by the way).

The new x-ray results have not yet been confirmed by a physician, but it looks like Daniel's pelvis will heal without requiring surgery. Daniel walked 40 feet today -- twice the distance he walked yesterday. Mendy said, "he is no pansy when it comes to pain". The walk made him light headed, but he did it.

The doctor told Daniel, "you got all the way to the bottom, and now you are barely starting up the hill." At least the direction is now UP. The doctor said Daniel is not out of the woods yet, but his prognosis is looking better. He will probably have to keep the drainage tube (for the bile leakage from the liver) in his side for some time.

Daniel still doesn't have an appetite, but he was able to drink some Insure this afternoon. There isn't an official game plan for when T-Bob will be able to leave the hospital, but it could be as soon as Saturday. At the point he is ready to be discharged, the doctors will determine whether he will be transferred to a skilled nursing home or a rehab center. There is even a possibility he may be able to transfer directly home.

Well, that's all we know for now. Mendy took a picture on her cell phone of Daniel taking steps with the help of the physical therapist. As soon as Geoff is able to send the pic in an e-mail, we will post it on the blog for you to see.

Day 9: Morning Update

2009-04-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 8 April, 10:30 am MST

The letter below from Aubrey will update everyone on Daniel's condition. Mendy spent the night with Daniel last night and we hope to get a medical update from her later today. We do know that Daniel's pelvis did not shift after the 20 steps he took yesterday -- which is a very good sign.

In the letter below, Aubrey mentions cutting Daniel's fingernails for him. What Aubrey does not mention in his letter is that Daniel would have had them trimmed a day earlier, but Aubrey accidentally dropped the fingernail clippers down the hospital elevator shaft. He said he could hear them ping as they bounced off different objects on their way down.

Wednesday, April 8

Again, I cannot begin to express how grateful we are for the blog site you have created. Many comment that they enjoy reading about Daniel's progress. Every day seems to melt into the next. Monday, a new team of nurses attended Daniel, and Mendy and I stood back to watch what would happen if we backed away a bit from his one-on-one care. Daniel was worn out after his surgery and was not being patient with the nurses. After 5 unacceptable attempts to get him situated in the bed, his nurse said, "you know 'Danny Boy', it would be nice if we could get a "please". Mendy and I just sat there in silence and observed, as the negotiations took place between Daniel and his nurses. He made an obvious attitude adjustment and the response from his nurse was one we had hoped for.

I had really reached my limits the night before when there was only one petite, young, and in-experienced aid on the floor and Daniel's nurse, as well seemed helpless at times. I finally asked, "What would you do if we were not here?" At times his nursing care is fantastic, yet other times, the standard of care simply doesn't measure up to my expectations. Then, does anything?

Late, yesterday afternoon, they moved Daniel to the 6th (Orthopedics) floor. I didn't feel he was ready to leave ICU, but his orthopedic doctors wanted him closer to them. He now shares a room with a really nice, quiet young man whom we hope to get acquainted with today. Daniel is so exhausted and barely utters his words. He isn't able to take care of any of his personal needs which is very discouraging to him. He cannot seem to tolerate any noise (see, he is more like me that we thought) and has expressed that he really isn't up to visits right now. Focusing on managing his pain is where all of his energy goes, but the nursing team is very caring and try their best to make him comfortable.

His chest tube was removed yesterday, as well as the web of monitors. I noticed too that several of the pic lines, etc. had been removed from his arm. The liver continues to be the main concern so please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I clipped his finger nails for him last night and he would love for me to cut his hair. Maybe someday soon he can actually take a shower. I feel that as the misery begins to fade, it will be replaced with gratitude. We are certainly blessed. Our friends continue to pour out their love and concern and that is what continues to sustains us.

Aubrey

Day 8 Update

2009-04-07T14:04:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone: This is Claudia again. I spoke with Mendy earlier this afternoon, and here is what she shared with me:

Daniel has actually been mobile today. He walked 20 feet with support. I should say he was made to walk 20 feet with support. The doctors want to see how his pelvic fractures will hold up with his using it somewhat. He is to go in for more X-rays later this afternoon so the doctors can evaluate how his breaks fared. (I know, sounds weird, making him walk with a broken pelvis, but I'm just the messenger here ... of course the other half of this blogging duo will tell you that I sometimes get details mixed up, but I promise I wrote down the details as Mendy was giving them to me. Granted Mendy had had practically no sleep all night long, so I'm sure Bill will follow this post with any needed corrections).

We are hopeful that there won't have to be any more surgeries. Daniel ate a bit this morning -- cream of wheat and some juice. The doctors also cast his broken right wrist - say that three times fast - by extending the cast from his repaired elbow. The wrist was broken in such a manner that it did not need to be re-set, just cast so that it can heal.

Mendy also said they took the splint off of Daniel's leg and changed the dressing on his leg wound. If you will remember, he suffered a deep gash near his kneecap. The gash is about 5 inches long, which should give Daniel a scar to rival the other males in the family who have had assorted accidents (you know who you are!). The wound looked healthy with no signs of infection. This is good news!

Finally, the doctors have switched Daniel's pain meds to some that seem to work tolerably well and do not give Daniel hallucinations anymore. With what that poor boy has been through, it's about time he can have some relief.

We continue to hope that Daniel is done with assorted surgeries and can now begin his recovery in earnest. The nurses say he is young and strong, and now that he appears more stable, we may see an acceleration in his improvement -- but nothing is certain. Your prayers and support are appreciated more than you can know. Please keep them coming. We are so amazed at Daniel's strength and what he has had to endure -- not to mention his family, as well. His life, like all of ours, is truly a miracle and we are so grateful that he has made it this far.

Warmly, Claudia

PS -- We hope to post some pics by later in the evening, after Bill gets off work.

Day 7: Post Recovery Update

2009-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Monday 6 April, 9:45 pm MST

Daniel is back in his room now. He returned with even more tubes and monitor leads attached to him. A team was required in the recovery room to get Daniel all put back together. He came out of the anesthesia disoriented, and he is still dizzy and weak.

He's also irritable, but you would be too if you'd gone through four surgeries in seven days. Any kind of normal body process (think about it) is a major production and very painful and difficult -- especially when you are all wired up with monitor leads, IVs and PIC lines and even a transfusion all at the same time. Add to that, his pelvis is broken completely through, his ribs are broken, his elbow is broken, his wrist is broken, his knee is wrenched, his liver is still leaking bile, his spleen is lacerated, and an IV or PIC line usually gets pulled out every time Daniel has to move around. On top of ALL of that, he still has a drainage tube in his lung and another in his side. This kid has really been through a LOT. It is a miracle he is alive, but now the miracle he needs is a few days without a surgery and some relief from the suffering. So when you pray, please pray for that.

Mendy will be with Daniel through the night. We'll let you know how he does tonight in our morning update.

Day 7: Post Surgery Update

2009-04-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Monday 6 April, 8:30 pm MST

Daniel is in recovery now and should be back in his room in the Intermediate Intensive Care Unit soon. Aubrey and Mendy have not yet had an opportunity to talk with the surgeon directly, but the nurse said the surgeon is pleased with how things went and that the stint was placed successfully.

There should be a more detailed report from the surgeon and we will post that as soon as Aubrey and Mendy have been updated.

Day 7: Surgery Update

2009-04-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

6 April 5:00 pm MST

Daniel is in surgery right now.

Day 7: Afternoon Update

2009-04-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Monday 6 April, 3:00 pm MST

This e-mail just arrived from Claudia:

I just spoke with Mendy, and she is still waiting for the surgery. They will probably do it at the Huntsman Center (she didn't say why -- I'm assuming maybe the rooms are full at the University Hospital?). Daniel had just fallen asleep, so she couldn't talk long.

She did say they have discovered another injury to Daniel - his wrist is broken (on the same side as his broken elbow). She wasn't sure how they will treat it.

We will update the blog as soon as we know more.

Day 7: Morning Update

2009-04-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

Monday 6 April, 11:45 am MST

It is difficult to believe this is already Day 7. A lot has happened since last Tuesday morning when Aubrey called to say Daniel had been in an accident and we all rushed to the hospital.

As you know, when something like this happens, the demands of life don't stop. Aubrey and Mendy are both scrambling this morning to take care of their jobs, as well as be there for Daniel. There has been lots of support from friends and family and it will all work out, but all the things that have to be coordinated at a time like this can make life complicated, to say the least.

The endoscopic surgery will happen sometime today, but Daniel is on a wait list because the OR was already scheduled today for other surgeries. We will let you know when Daniel's surgery is happening and will of course give you a post surgery update.

Yesterday afternoon and evening were a mixed bag for Daniel. He was talking in complete sentences, without the labored breathing between words that has been the pattern before now. But he also had quite a rough afternoon and evening. Undoubtedly that is to be expected with as many serious injuries as Daniel's body has sustained.

Day 6: Afternoon Update

2009-04-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday 5 April, 1:45 pm MST

Mendy says Daniel is feeling much better today, now that the pressure from the fluid build-up has been reduced. When she walked into his hospital room this morning, Daniel said, "Hi Mom" and sounded like his pre-accident self.

Day 6: Morning Update

2009-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday 5 April, 11:15 am MST

Sunday Mid-Morning; Mountains Above Daniel's Home in Salt Lake City

The sun, which is shining brightly in Salt Lake City this morning, has evaporated the snowy mists of the past few days. The atmosphere is still crisp, but clear. The weather seems to be mirroring Daniel's recovery process.

Sunday mid-morning; view of east mountains and Mt. Olympus

Sugarhouse park (above) is behind the high school where Daniel graduated, and where he swam for the Highland High swim team with his now fiance Christine.

Aubrey took the all-night shift at the hospital last night. He called this morning to say Daniel had a pretty good night. Daniel asked Aubrey to talk to him and tell him stories, which Daniel said helps distract him from the pain. Aubrey did this for hours. The pain is still intense, but sometime during the night, the nurse gave Daniel a sedative and he slept for 2.5 hours. Later he slept for another hour.

The respiratory therapist visited and said Daniel's respiration is good. Daniel is able to move a little more now and do some things for himself. He is finally being allowed to drink water again, in small amounts (this has to be a huge relief to Daniel, who has been constantly thirsty). Aubrey provided more details about what comes next. If you are interested, they are included below the next picture.

Saturday evening; view of east mountains from the hospital

Apparently the laparoscopic surgery Saturday evening to install the drainage tubes was a temporary fix. The results have been good and 3/4 liter of dark red fluid was drained from the cavity behind Daniel's lungs. Also, there were 4 liters of fluid in Daniel's bladder bag this morning. Previously it was filled with blood, but now it is the appropriate color -- yellow.

The part of Daniel's liver that was not destroyed will heal, slowly. Currently, the liver is still leaking bile, so the doctors plan to perform some type of endoscopic procedure tomorrow, entering through Daniel's throat, to install a stint between his liver and his bowel. This will allow the bile from the ruptured liver to leak into the bowel instead of leaking into Daniel's abdomen and lung cavity. Beyond that, Aubrey says it is "wait and see". If the stint does not solve the problem with the bile build-up, then the surgeons will open Daniel's abdomen and perform a more major surgery (but we are learning that the doctors tend to prepare the family for the worst case scenario, and T-Bob is definitely not a worst case type of patient).

Speaking of doctors, Aubrey says the "quarterback" of the trauma team, Dr. Morris, and the attending physician, Dr. Adams, are excellent physicians, as is the head of the orthopedic surgery team, who repaired Daniel's orthopedic injuries. Aubrey keeps talking about all the teams of doctors who are helping with Daniel's care. Last night's nurse and aid were very attentive and gave Daniel great care, and the same is the case with the nursing shift today.

We hope all of this information helps everyone feel connected. It sounds like this is a day for Daniel to rest up after yesterday's surgery. We are in frequent contact with Aubrey and Mendy and will provide another Day 5 update if anything changes. Otherwise you can assume that everything is stable.

Addendum: Claudia tells me it is time to "cool it" with the scenery pictures, and I concur. But at least those of you who are far away have had an opportunity to visualize what Daniel and his family can see from the hospital, and that it isn't all staring at brick walls and stats monitors. We will continue to include pictures of Daniel and his family as his recovery progresses (and for the less squeamish, maybe even a pic of what is left of the motorcycle).

Day 5: Midnight Edition

2009-04-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken outside the hospital while Daniel was in surgery. In the left of frame you can see one of the "Life Flight" helicopters on the hospital roof landing pad.

This view is also from outside the hospital, looking west at the Great Salt Lake (which lies shimmering at sunset, with Antelope Island in the background). Inside the hospital Daniel's surgeons are performing the laparoscopic surgery to insert the tubes and drain the bile and other fluids that have built up in Daniel's abdomen and around his lungs. This surgery went well and if it continues to accomplish what is necessary, a major surgery to open Daniel's abdomen will be avoided. The shadowed dome in the center of the picture is the Utah State Capitol.

(Note: You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger image.)

A happy dad and fiance with Daniel, who still does not have well-managed pain, but he says, "I have learned to deal with it and I breathe through it". However once his blood hematocrit levels are more normal (they are at 2/3 right now), the trauma team can change the pain medication to something that is more effective. Daniel said the morphine managed the pain at first, but is not working now. Aubrey and Christine are smiling because Daniel's surgery went so well.

Daniel is back to not being allowed to drink fluids, but he can gargle water and then suction it out of his mouth. Christine assists.

Trauma Bobsled finally closes his eyes after a long day of internal bleeding and fluid leakage, distended abdomen, emergency surgery and LOTS of pain. But his spirits are amazingly good. All things considered, we think T Bob has come through like a true stud. As they say in rural Utah, he knows how to cowboy up.
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Aubrey shared with us a long list of medical assessments tonight that we don't dare attempt to translate to the blog at this time. But Aubrey will write a letter and explain in more detail what shape Daniel's body is in. For now, we will tell you that we had no idea just how traumatic the collision impact was to Daniel's body. The fact that he is alive, that he did not incur serious brain damage, and that he did not have a significant spinal cord injury (only one chipped vertebrae) is truly a miracle. One of Daniel's doctors said, given the force of the impact and the damage to the internal organs, he is amazed Daniel survived the crash. Daniel will get through this and heal and be whole again, and THAT is an incredible miracle.

Day 5: Post Surgery Update

2009-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all: this is Claudia, Bill's wife. Bill usually writes the entries here, so this post may not be quite as prosaic as usual.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Daniel's surgery went well. The surgeon left in two drainage tubes which should alleviate the fluid build-up Daniel was experiencing in his abdomen. There is a chance the doctors may need to do more to take care of the excess bile and fluids, but they will monitor him closely over the next two days to see if more needs to be done.

Thank you again for your prayers and faith. Bill will post another entry later when he gets home from the hospital. He is staying up there for awhile tonight with his family. Warmly, Claudia

Day 5: Letter from Aubrey

2009-04-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

We just discovered this e-mail (below) from Aubrey, which was sent this morning:

Sent: Sat 4/04/09 10:59 AM

When we have a quiet moment, and have access to one of the world's 8 wonders, "The Computer", I really enjoy reading all of the messages of support and encouragement.

Daniel finally got his first "Jamba Juice" last night. Someone had brought one to him the other night, but with his ventilator tube, he wasn't quite able to maneuver his lips around the straw, so Alex stood next to him and drank it. Brothers can be cruel. Of course, during those few days, even though he begged for water by writing in the palm of his nurses hands, he was refused. Two minutes after one of his nurses' gentle refusals, she said, "Oh...would you like a cold bottle of water?" His head started an excited nod, and then she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I meant your dad" That was a sad moment.

Anyway, last night, before he took a sip of the long awaited Jamba Juice, he had a shot of wheat grass. His friend said, "do you actually like that stuff?" and Daniel said, "No, I hate it, but it will help me get well." I was in the room when they removed his one-inch chest tube and he didn't even flinch. He ran a low grade fever all night and was in a significant amount of pain in his lower right abdomen. The doctor explained that there was a cavity located in that spot that is called a "????? Trough" where the blood from his damaged liver, spleen, and kidney will collect. It will eventually dissipate or it will have to be drained.

They are running another CT scan this morning, to monitor the damage to his liver...that remains to be their biggest concern, as well as infection. They are also taking more X-rays of his broken pelvis. He asked for his breathing exercise devise last night and worked so hard that his heart rate raised to 165. I can see the determination in his eyes. He is constantly coughing to clear his lungs because he knows what will happen if he doesn't.

This morning he took his first two steps to see if his broken pelvis could support the weight of his body. For the first time, Mendy saw his back and said that the bruised areas were huge. He's just so broken up, but refuses to give in to the pain. Because it hurts for him to get even a few words out, he doesn't talk a lot, but aside from re-assuring us that he loves Christine (and he does include us as well), he seems to spend his energy asking the nurses if all of his tubes and monitors are working correctly. He doesn't miss a thing.

Even though he doesn't express it, I know he hears the doctors discussing the extent of his damages, his risk of infections, and his long recovery time...I can see his quiet determination to prove them wrong.

Your blog site for Daniel is a big hit and a perfect solution for providing the much desired information to friends and family everywhere. The world of technology is amazing, but more amazing are our friends.We love each of you so very, very much and want to express our gratitude to you and more especially to God. His tender mercies continue to be manifest to us and the quiet peace fills our souls. Thank you, again.

Aubrey, Mendy, Geoff, Stephen, Alex, and most of all, Daniel

Day 5: Critical Update

2009-04-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday 4 April, 4:55 pm MST

Daniel is being prepped for surgery right now and will be taken to the operating room in about 10 minutes.

The surgeons will attempt to drain the bile and fluids laparoscopically (using a small incision which is much less invasive) and insert a tube to drain the bile. At the same time, they will insert another tube in Daniel's chest cavity to relieve the pressure that is building up around his lungs.

If laparoscopy is unsuccessful, the surgeons will open Daniel's abdomen. If that occurs, the trauma team will move Daniel back to the surgical ICU and put him back on a ventilator.

We know everyone is praying for Daniel. He needs it right now. Aubrey told me Mendy's brother called from Florida and the family there is also fasting for Daniel. All of your faith and prayers continue to be so greatly appreciated.

At least one of us will be at the hospital with Aubrey and Mendy while Daniel is having surgery and we will give you a post surgery update as soon as the doctor reports to the family.

PS.... Mendy just called to invite any family or friends who are able to join in the family fast for Daniel.

Day 5: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2009-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday 4 April, 4:30 pm MST

Daniel isn't doing so well right now. He is turning "green" (in Aubrey's words), so the doctors have determined that he is filling up internally with bile (due to the liver damage from his accident). He is in a LOT of pain. The plan is to take Daniel back in for another surgery today, but they are waiting for an operating room to become available. Sorry this is all so sketchy, but Aubrey will call back with more specific details after talking with the doctor again.

Aubrey said to tell everyone that these kinds of setbacks are to be expected and that the trauma doctors warned them up front not to get too caught up in the minute by minute of Daniel's recovery, but to look at his progress as a whole.

Since all of the people checking this blog site are Daniel's family and friends, we have tried to give you a picture of what is going on (as soon as we know ourselves) as if you were here in the waiting room or on the phone with Aubrey or Mendy. In that spirit, we will share with you a brief incident that just occurred. One of the nurses who is in charge of Daniel's care today missed the fact that Daniel's morphine had run out. Also, when Aubrey noticed that Daniel was turning green, he pointed this out to the nurse, who said, "Oh that is just the florescent lights." In both cases the nurses were wrong. So Aubrey, out of concern for Daniel getting appropriate and timely care, whipped out his list of professional friends and said to Daniel, "I'm calling a doctor." To which Daniel replied, "A doctor nothing.... Call the Lawyers!!!" (there are two lawyers on Aubrey's list). Daniel obviously still has a lot of spunk left in him.

We will update the blog regarding the impending surgery and Daniel's condition just as soon as Aubrey calls with the details. We know everyone is concerned, and we will keep you in the loop to the best of our ability.

Day 5: Morning Update

2009-04-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday 4 April, 10:15 am MST

Mendy called this morning with the report from the trauma team. Considering Daniel's injuries, they are pleased with his progress so far. However he was running a low grade fever yesterday, which then spiked to 102. The doctor (or doctors, we don't know how many) have managed to get the fever down to 101 and are conducing further tests to determine if there is a source of infection.

Daniel is being kept in the Intermediate Intensive Care Unit for now. We will update his condition throughout the day. It is snowing in Salt Lake City right now. Maybe looking out his window at all that snow will cool Daniel off. Never fear.... he is in good hands - in many ways.

By the way, the physical therapist visited Daniel today and got him up out of bed. He took two steps with support!

Day 4: Post Recovery Update

2009-04-03T16:02:00.001-07:00

Daniel is out of Recovery and back in his room in the Intermediate Intensive Care Unit. The pain block worked.

Day 4: Post Surgery Update

2009-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Friday 3 April, 3:00 pm MST

Aubrey just called to say that Daniel is being kept in Recovery for another 45 minutes. The pain from the surgery is pretty intense, so they are applying a pain block.

Day 4: What We've All Been Waiting For

2009-04-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Friday 3 April, 2:30 pm MST

We were going to be cautiously optimistic when writing this post (because the doctors are telling his parents that Daniel still has "a long road ahead of him" and that they are still concerned about infection, etc.) , but we find ourselves unable to restrain the great optimism we feel after hearing the relief in Aubrey's voice as he called with the news from Daniel's surgery. In Aubrey's words, "He did really well."

During this operation, the surgeons worked on six pieces of elbow and cartilage. They discarded one piece and repaired the others. A metal plate and six screws were inserted at the fracture site. The metal plate will probably eventually be removed to give Daniel more range of motion. The surgeons also sutured the lacerations on Daniel's leg. It does not look like any further orthopedic surgery will be needed for Daniel's leg and pelvis. In the surgeon's words, "they will heal themselves." This is incredible news, as we had previously thought more surgeries would be required.

Daniel is in Recovery right now (coming out of the anesthesia). He should be out of Recovery in another half hour. Daniel has still been in a lot of pain and is exhausted, so when you come to visit at the hospital, please remember to do your visiting with the family in the waiting room. As we reported in an earlier post, you will probably not be able to go to Daniel's room this evening as he will need time to rest and recover from the surgery. And with the risk of infection still high, the trauma doctors are trying to protect Daniel's strength.

In his telephone report, Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief and said, "one more thing under our belt."

It is amazing how many doctors and independent teams are involved in Daniel's care and Aubrey and Mendy are so grateful Daniel is in a facility where he can get such superb medical attention. But the greatest strength and hope continues to come from a source more powerful than any this world has to offer. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.

Now EVERYONE can Comment

2009-04-03T10:32:00.001-07:00

We just discovered that the "comments" control on this blog was automatically set to only allow comments from registered users. We have now corrected this problem and anyone who wants to comment should now be able to do so.

If you don't have a user profile, no problem. Just select "Anonymous" in the "Comment as:" selection box. Remember to type your name after your comment, so Daniel and his family will know who the comment is from.

Day 4: New Letter from Aubrey

2009-04-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Bill, Mendy and I are both very touched by your and Claudia's developing the blog site for us, and Daniel. People constantly ask how they can help and there is not usually a way, but your blog site was something that is of great value to our family.

A doctor offered Mendy his parking pass, right by the doors and that as well was welcomed. Another doctor reads and reviews Daniel's stats daily. Another friend is the director of the nursing school and visits and evaluates his condition and care daily. Another works in the hospital and her good friend will be Daniel's physical therapy nurse. Another is fasting and yet another has said she is great at managing the nursing care and "cracking the whip". Baskets of fruit, reading material, snacks, health bars, and even tooth paste and brushes for each of us have been brought to us. Food and thoughtful gifts of love are left at our doorstep, to come home to. Two have offered their legal help, and many, many have offered to stay by Daniel's bedside throughout the night. Groups of family have gathered in homes to pray and encourage us. I have replayed phone messages that have been very touching and comforting to me personally.

To this point I have totally trusted in the doctors' advice and approach to his care; however, several have shared their personal perspectives of their past experiences with medical attention, which is helping me be more responsible with our decisions and influencing my need to pay closer attention to scrutiny.

Expressed prayers, faith, and words of comfort and understanding are very impressionable. Attention to our boys and their needs, offers of beds for our out of town relatives, and on and on. These are the things that will be of most value to us, and we cannot thank everyone enough. We cannot overemphasize how we feel about each of your expressions of love, kindness, genuine care, and helpful attentions to our family. Everyone...everyone, is interested in helping.

We love you very much, and would welcome a much needed ROOK game, ANYTIME you are up to it. It does a great deal to divert my anxiety. You know me as well as anyone and understand that I can become overwhelmed with a lot of noise and people all gathered together in one room. I become reclusive and need my space, so I find an empty room to collect my thoughts and decompress. People seem to be very sensitive to that and seem to know at just the right time, when to show up and what to say. We are overwhelmed with love.

Aubrey

Editor's note: Among our extended family, Rook is the ultimate panacea for stress during difficult times, and is a favorite form of recreation and camaraderie. Aubrey's anxiety was diverted by a Rook game last night at the hospital primarily because he defeated his opponents (this editor included) .... overwhelmingly.

Day 4: Morning Update

2009-04-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

More good news! The liver enzyme level results are back and Daniel's liver appears to be improving at doing its job.

The arm/elbow surgery is still on for around 10:30 this morning. We will of course provide you with an update after the surgery, as soon as the surgeons give their report to the family. The surgery is expected to take approximately 2 hours.

We continue to hear reports from people all over the country who are praying for Daniel. Daniel's family wants to express their profound gratitude for your faith and prayers that are sustaining Daniel and the entire family through this difficult ordeal.

Day 3: Late Night Edition

2009-04-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

The pic above is a view of the city lights from the window in Daniel's hospital room. If you use your imagination, the white light 35 degrees right and up from the center blue light is the location of the Salt Lake Temple, where Daniel and Christine will be married. To the extreme right and out of the frame is the Utah State Capitol, near where they will have their reception. Mendy pointed these out to Daniel today (when it was still daylight) as he was trying to focus on something besides pain.

A Visit from Alex (Thursday 9 pm)

If Daniel looks a little out of it in this picture, that's because he is. He has had an exhausting day. The pain in his stomach has increased and the doctors will be monitoring him closely throughout the night for signs of more internal bleeding. His arm/elbow surgery is scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow (Friday) morning -- but that is tentative.

We don't want to alarm anyone, but Daniel needs lots of rest and quiet right now. So when you come to visit with the family at the hospital, PLEASE check with Aubrey or Mendy to see if it is advisable to see Daniel. His condition is still not stable, and his medical needs should of course come first. His condition can change from moment to moment, so please be sensitive to this. The hospital and Daniel's family have asked that ALL visitors stay in the waiting room until you have an opportunity to check with Aubrey or Mendy to see if it is a good idea for Daniel to have a visitor. Chances are, his visits tomorrow will be limited to immediate family. Thank you in advance for your consideration regarding personal visits with Daniel.

We'll be in touch with Mendy or Aubrey throughout the day tomorrow and will keep you updated on Daniel's condition and any other developments.

Hang in there Trauma Bobsled. We're all pulling for you.

Day 3 Evening Update: T Bobsled Gets An Upgrade

2009-04-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Good news! Daniel, or "T Bob" as he is now affectionately known among the editorial staff, has improved enough to be moved to the IMCU -- Intermediate Intensive Care Unit. For those of you who live close enough to visit, the IMCU is located on the Fifth Floor of the University of Utah Hospital. Daniel is in room 15. The same rules apply. No one is allowed to visit Daniel's room unless accompanied by Aubrey or Mendy. There is a waiting room outside the IMCU where friends and family members can visit.

Daniel is being given morphine now, but is still in a lot of pain. He can now feel all of the areas of his body that were injured -- especially his stomach area where the internal damage is the worst. Tomorrow the doctors will test liver enzymes to assess the damage to Daniel's liver. Elbow surgery is also scheduled for tomorrow. The bones connected to Daniel's elbow were "exposed" (we think that is a less gruesome term the doctors use for "poking through the skin") as a result of the accident and the cartilage was torn out. The doctors will install hardware to get the new titanium Daniel working properly again.

We understand Daniel now has a great view of the Salt Lake valley out the window of his new room. As soon as he is able to turn his head, he will be able to see it. In the interim, we will send our photo crew to Daniel's new accommodations so those of you who are checking his progress from far away can feel a little closer.

Day 3: Morning Update

2009-04-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

(Thursday 2 April) Daniel had a rough night last night and currently he is in considerable pain. The doctors are keeping him in the Intensive Care Unit for now. At present, he is not allowed any visitors other than his immediate family.

When we spoke with Mendy at 11:00 am (MST) she did not know the latest information from the trauma doctors regarding Daniel's internal bleeding, but she is with him in the ICU and we will keep you updated. Please continue to keep Daniel in your prayers.

Day 2: No more tube for "Trauma Bobsled"

2009-04-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

Thumb's Up

"I'm OK

Wednesday (Day 2) began with Daniel getting an upgrade in technology -- a pencil and paper to communicate instead of palm writing (while the rest of us think we can not live without our laptops).

By the end of Day 2 Daniel and his family get an even bigger (surprise) upgrade -- no more ventilator tube! Daniel can talk now, albeit it very quietly.

The removal of the tube means less pain meds (to insure proper lung inflation), but "Trauma Bobsled" continues to be tough and resolute.

Day 2 also marked the "official" end of Daniel's code name, Trauma Bobsled. When Daniel was admitted to the ER on Day 1, the hospital gave him a code name to protect his identity while he was in such critical condition. No one was allowed to see him or get an update from the hospital without this code. By the end of Day 2, Daniel had progressed enough that the hospital removed the code. But we (the editors of this blog) think the name Trauma Bobsled is sorta cool and kind of fits our rock climbing, "former" Bullet bike wielding nephew. So you will undoubtedly see the name Trauma Bobsled resurface again on this blog site.

Incidentally, if you happen to observe a fairly hip looking late-middle-aged lady roaming the halls of the ICU in the middle of the night -- that would be Daniel's grandmother (Norma), who has taken up residence at the hospital. One of Daniel's greatest cravings is for water. He is not allowed to drink (due to the lung issues) and can only have very limited lip moistening. At last report, Grandma had promised to come to Daniel's room every half hour throughout the night to swab his lips.

Daniel still has a long road (and several surgeries) ahead of him and the critical nature of his condition is not over. There is a risk of infection and blood clots. His liver, which is extremely fragile, could begin bleeding again from just a sudden movement. But Daniel and his family feel peace and are sustained by (in Uncle Larry's words) "the best Dr. in the universe -- GOD -- the great Doctor". They are very grateful to everyone for your continued faith and prayers, and for your kind messages.

We will continue to update you with Daniel's progress on this blog site.

PS -- Please leave your comments for Daniel or Aubrey and Mendy by clicking on the word "comments" at the end of any update entry. Daniel and his family love reading your greetings, your words of support and encouragement, and anything else you want to share with them.

Day 2: Visiting Information

2009-04-01T18:52:00.001-07:00

Dear friends: We wanted to let you know that no one will be able to visit in Daniel's room for now. His lungs are so fragile that any infection could be devastating. The trauma team is trying to get him strong enough and stable enough to continue with the necessary operations. They decided against taking him off of the ventilator because he has large blood blisters on his lung and they are afraid that they will collapse.

Also, if anyone even has a slight cold, though we appreciate your support, please do not come to the hospital so that we won't get sick. If we pick up any illness, then we wouldn't be able to be with him.

Thanks for everything. Aubrey

Day 1: Daniel Crash Tests His New Motorcycle Helmet

2009-04-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

When a bike (motor or human powered) comes up against 2.5 tons of Detroit steel, the object with the greater mass is always going to win. At least one other family member has also tested this theorem and proven it accurate.

On his way to work Tuesday morning, Daniel Conner and his motorcycle met up with a car that was turning into a gas station. After some split second braking maneuvers, Daniel became air born and encountered the car with only his body. This did not go well for Daniel.

A partial injury list includes: severely damaged liver, injured spleen, punctures in both lungs, broken pelvis, broken leg, shattered arm and elbow, and lacerations (among other things).

Mendy was still at home when she received a call that began, "Are you the mother of Daniel Conner?" Mendy arrived at the scene of the accident (which was only two blocks from their house) in time to see Daniel before the ambulance drove away. Daniel told her, "I'll be OK Mom."

Daniel was taken to the University of Utah Hospital where he has received excellent care. Daniel is a very popular guy. Throughout the day Tuesday, many friends and family members arrived at the hospital to offer up their support, along with large quantities of food.

Daniel's first day at the hospital was rough to say the least. Because his blood pressure was low, he could not be given adequate pain medication for many hours. Due to the internal bleeding from his liver and spleen, he needed blood transfusions. And the lung damage required Daniel to be put on a respirator.

Though the transfusions improved Daniel's blood count, his blood pressure remained low, so he stayed in the ICU for most of the day while the trauma doctors worked to stabilize him. Finally, Tuesday evening a team of surgeons was able to perform the first surgeries to relieve the pressure from his lungs and clean up the fracture sites enough to reduce the risk of infection. After surgery, Daniel's blood pressure improved to the point where he could be given pain medication.

With a tube from the respirator inserted in his throat, Daniel could not speak, but he quickly adapted. After being intebated, his first communications were to his fiancé, Christine, and Mendy. With his index finger he spelled out "I love you" on their palms. Later Daniel stayed up till 3AM talking with Aubrey using his palm writing method. The nurses finally had to order Aubrey to go home so Daniel would rest.

Throughout the first day it became obvious that Daniel is one tough kid. He remained calm and cooperative even though he was in pain. He has taken great care of his body and that will help him as he begins the recovery process. There are more surgeries ahead for Daniel and we will keep you updated of his progress on this site. Also, pictures to come.

The family thanks everyone for the many prayers offered for Daniel, and for all of your concern and support.

Please leave your thoughts for Daniel by clicking on "comments" below.

A Letter From Aubrey

2009-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Dear Friends,

Some of you already know this, so forgive the repetition, but here is his condition. Daniel was in a terrible motorcycle accident that has changed our lives, for the moment. Everything is in the "wait and see" status. His liver has the most damage and continues to bleed, but less and less. One of his kidneys has a couple of lacerations but will probably heal without surgery. His spleen may have to come out. One of his lungs is severely bruised and both lungs have collected fluid and leaked air into the chest cavity. He has a lot of blood in his stomach, which with the bruised lung has placed undue pressure on his diaphragm which necessitated a respirator. His blood pressure has been too low to operate or give him adequate pain meds or sedation. He has 2 broken ribs and several breaks in his pelvis...but, no brain damage. He is strapped to his bed, has a neck brace, even though they don't think he has any spinal damage. He suffered additional injury to his neck, but nothing he cannot recover from. They are considering placing an umbrella type filter below his heart to stop any clots from entering the heart. Even though the trauma doctors didn't want to release him for an operation, they had to allow a lung drainage tube to be placed, so the orthopedic doctors went in and wired his elbow together and cleaned all of his broken bones to risk likely infection. They will put things back together in a couple of days. He is a trooper and has not complained at all, and has been completely cooperative, patient, and calm...even, when they are cleaning out his respirator tubes and suctioning his throat. Even though his eyes are closed, he constantly communicates by writing in my hand. He spells everything out and I repeat the letters to him to make certain I understand. He wants me to tell him stories and read to him, so I do...all night long. He wanted to know all of the details of his accident and all of the damage and prognosis, since he has almost completed his EMT certification. He writes to the nurses and tells them, "It's cool to hear the consulting between the doctors and nurses, and that the girl nurses are smarter than the boy nurses"...they loved that! I recalled to him how the police re-created and determined the details of the accident and he told me that their assessment was close in accuracy and he would give me the full details when he could speak. Even though they have given him some type of amnesia drug, he continues to remember every detail of every conversation, etc. He is in a lot of pain and simply needs your prayers and faith. I feel completely calm and reassured that all will be well, eventually.

All of our phones have rung constantly and we either haven't been able to return calls or aren't quite ready to talk about everything. We are still processing all of this and then there are the emotional moments, and constant doctor visits that require all of our attention and energy. We feel your love and support immensely and become emotional as we listen to your kind messages. There really isn't anything that anyone can do right now, but we know well that we could call on any of you at any time to help us.

Please forward this information to anyone you feel might want to know.

We dearly love and appreciate each of you.

Aubrey and Mendy