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...

April 16, 6:30p update

Moving on up.....!

A couple of very exciting things have happened since my last update:

First, Linda's trach tube was removed Wednesday afternoon! She's been doing such a great job of breathing on her own and strengthening the muscles she uses to swallow and cough, that her doctors felt it was time to get that thing out of there! The hole in her neck had already closed by Thursday (yesterday) and will be completely healed within the coming week.

And second, she's improved enough to be moved from her room on the 2nd floor up to the 3rd floor at Promise (Salt Lake Regional Medical Center). The 2nd floor is where they treat the more critical patients and, thankfully, Linda's condition has now improved beyond this level.

On Wednesday she also had her first taste of solid food (applesauce) and drink (Diet Coke of course) in over five weeks. She's had a few ice chips over the last few days, but this was the first thing of any substance. Today she was able to drink a full Diet Coke along with some peaches and vanilla pudding. Hmmm...hmmm...good. :-)

She continues to work hard in her physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions. She takes trips to the gym where she walks with the aid of parallel bars, sits in her chair for up to two hours at a time, exercises her arms and legs, brushes her teeth and combs her own hair. And now, with the trach tube removed, she's beginning to make more and more sound each time she attempts to talk.

Each new day seems to bring a little more strength and a little more optimism that her recovery will be full and complete.

Linda's making great progress and she's truly been blessed by the love and support from each one of you. Lynn and her family are very grateful for your faith and the many prayers offered in Linda's behalf.

More to follow...

My brother Dave typically writes the medical updates but I hope he won't mind me sharing a couple of thoughts.

A couple of weeks ago when I was visiting Linda--I looked through all of the cards sent to her by all of her family and friends. As she slept, I read the sentiments in each card and on each picture drawn and could not help but be in awe of how many people love my big sister. How grateful I am for all of you who have given service in any way. I know that it is your prayers, thoughts and service to Linda's family and the love of her own family and extended family that are helping her heal so quickly.

Thanks also, to the staff at LDS Hospital and at the Promise Unit who have shown so much compassion as they have taken care of Linda. You guys are awesome!

April 12, 1:00p update

It's now been five weeks since Linda was admitted to the hospital. Since my last update one week ago (my apologies for the length of time that has passed), she's made some amazing strides in her recovery.

Over the last four or five days, Linda's been breathing completely on her own, without any assistance from the ventilator. All of her IVs have been removed, leaving only her abdominal feeding tube. Her trach tube is still in place, but she's been working hard each day to strengthen the muscles needed to swallow and cough. This, along with her ability to breath on her own, has her therapists hopeful that she will be able to have the trach tube removed sometime in the upcoming week.

She works daily with her speech, occupational and physical therapists. They exercise pretty much every part of her body, including her mind, while using all kinds of different activities; sitting in her chair, standing, taking a shower, etc. The occupational therapist, Rob, was just here and had her sitting in her chair and using a 3/4-full water bottle as a dumbbell. She was able to do several sets (20 reps each) with both arms, transferring the bottle from one hand to the other between sets. She exercised her arms, lungs and heart using a table-top rowing machine for two sets of two minutes each. She was also able to hold a cup of ice chips with one hand and feed herself with the other. Amazing. From the look on her face, ice chips never tasted so good. :-)

Linda tries to do everything she's asked to do, no matter how difficult or painful it must be to her. And she does it most of the time with a smile on her face. It's incredible to see the progress she's making.

Pink toenails alert! Brooke's custom pedicure service paid her a visit last Thursday and gave her a complete makeover. She's now sporting a cute new shade of pink on her toes. :-)

Linda's abdominal incision remains healthy and continues to heal as expected. The sores/wounds on her bottom however are significant and are causing her pain and discomfort. Her doctors/nurses are monitoring them closely and doing what they can to accelerate the healing process.

Over the next couple of weeks she will continue to work on regaining her strength during her stay here at Promise. Once she's strong enough, she will then be transfered to a facility (most likely Intermountain Medical Center on 53rd and I-15) where she can undergo intensive physical rehabilitation for a couple of weeks before returning home. It will continue to be a long and steady process.

Considering all of this, Linda remains strong and determined in her recovery. She's very aware of her surroundings and her fun personality continues to shine through. She even enjoyed being able to listen to a little Josh Groban on my iPod this morning. Her family appreciates the incredible amount of love and support Linda's received over the last five weeks. Thank you.

April 5, 2:00p update

Wow...where did the last couple of days go? Here's the latest update:

Linda continues to improve a little each day. She's adjusting well to her new surroundings and the many new faces at Promise (Salt Lake Regional Medical Center). She has a large room with a big south-facing window that provides a lot of sunlight. Her walls are covered with colorings from her granddaughters and "Get Well" cards from many of you.

Linda had lots of visits from her family this weekend. I'm pretty sure, however, that her favorites were from her granddaughters! They were finally able to visit her and she was able to greet each of them with a wave of her hand and a big smile. Awesome.

She's been working each day (except Sunday) with her occupational and physical therapists. This morning they worked on exercising and stretching her legs. Linda's able to do everything they ask of her. After her exercise session, they helped her out of her bed and into the bathroom for a shower. Since moving to Promise, she's been able to do this almost daily. I think most of us know from experience how good that feels when you've been in bed for an extended period of time. She's resting now from all of her morning of activity.

Diet Coke alert! Linda's feeding tube gets clogged every so often. When it does (which it did just now) they use a little shot of Diet Coke to clean it out. Those of you who know Linda well will appreciate this little factoid. We've always joked together that we would love a Diet Coke IV. Be careful what you wish for. :-)

Thanks to each of you again for your continued love and support during the past month. Her family appreciates it very much.