April 30, 1:00p update

I can't believe it but it's been two weeks since my last update. I apologize to those of you checking in during this time.

The good news is that Linda is still moving in the right direction with her recovery. She's still on the third floor at Promise (Salt Lake Regional Medical Center) and working hard every day with her therapists. She's gaining a little more strength each day but it's proving to be a very long and difficult process.

Although she's been able to eat some chocolate pudding and sip on a Diet Coke once in awhile, she's still being fed through a tube directly into her stomach. She's having to learn how to swallow again and tolerate solid food, which has been difficult. She loves chewing on crushed ice and, thankfully, Promise has the very best kind. :-)

Linda's been in the hospital for almost eight weeks now and is struggling with a few things that come from being in bed that long like bed sores and a couple of different infections. She's had a few difficult days over the past week where she's been nauseated and has had difficulty keeping anything down.

Through it all, however, Linda has managed to keep a positive attitude. I know there have been days where she wonders if she will ever recover to the point where she can leave the hospital and go home, but overall, she has been amazingly upbeat.

Even when she's resting with her eyes closed, she's still paying attention. Lynn and I learned this a few nights ago when we were sitting by the side of her bed and sharing a few funny stories together while we thought she was sleeping. During one point in our conversation, Linda opened her eyes and, with a smile on her face, delivered the punch line to our story. We laughed until we had tears running down our faces. Linda is amazing and I love her very much.

Last Tuesday, Linda had a visit from my wife Brooke and our daughter Jennie. They spent the day giving her a complete manicure and pedicure. She enjoyed her private spa treatments very much and is now looking fabulous and ready to hit the town! A big thanks to the spa girls. :-)

Over the past couple of weeks while Lynn has been back at work, Linda's benefitted greatly from her dear friends that have spent time with her during the day. It's been very important to Lynn to have someone there with her when he can't be. Thank you for your kindness.

As soon as Linda is strong enough, she will move to a rehab facility (at this point it looks like it will be Health South in Sandy) that will work with her to prepare her for her trip back home. I will keep you posted with those details as we know them.

Thanks again to each of you for your continued love and support. It has meant a great deal to Lynn and Linda and they love and appreciate each of you very much.

More to follow...