"I'm Alive, Well and Awake!"

Friday 16 November 2001

12;20 pm  BRIAN WENT FOR A RIDE IN A WHEELCHAIR THIS MORNING. Marshall and Kellie were with him, so Dave and I did not go along, but we were in the Waiting Room when Brian was wheeled down the hall. Brian saw us and broke into a HUGE grin. We walked up to him and he reached to each of us in turn, taking a hand and giving us kisses on our lips. 
(Although Brian had been out in the Cadillac Chair, this was his first outing in a regular wheelchair)
Dr. Foster is certain the infection is localized and the blood that was expelled was old. He and Dr. Martin saw Brian this morning. If this is true, Brian could move to Providence on Monday or Tuesday.
Dr. Foster also told Dave and I that he was on his way to an interview with a reporter named Kevin from KOBI TV. Apparently Marshall had already talked to the reporter. We explained to Dr. Foster that Marshall and Kellie were not communicating with us, including concerning this news report. Foster called back later for my full  name and our phone number.
(This news feature aired without anyone talking to us. Kellie was referred to as "Brian's mother" and we were not mentioned at all. I was hurt and furious. Later, I obtained a copy of the feature, and we did one of our own with the same reporter. If possible, I will load them on to this site. Otherwise, if you are close enough, I can show it to you sometime in person.)
When we went into Brian's room, he was back in bed and kind of tired. Dr. Ordahl came in to see him (in place of Dr. Fennel); Dave held out his hand  to the doctor and said, "I'm Dave", and Brian held out his hand to shake right afterwards and said, "I'm Brian." Ordahl was amazed; he hasn't seen Brian in two weeks.
Brian is no longer getting his "green eggs and ham"/"soylent green" food, because he is eating so much real food! But the PEG tube has to stay in a while longer. 
Brian's nurse today is Tom.
We all looked at wedding photos, and talked about Brian being taller than Jesse. He didn't believe it at first. Dave helped by pointing to photos from 1997 where he was standing on a box in order to be as tall as Jesse, then to wedding photos of Brian and Jesse together. We explained to Brian we had been staying across the street at the Cheney House so we could be close to Brian, and he thanked us with a big smile and said, "I appreciate that." When we told him we were going home tomorrow for the day and overnight, he looked worried and asked, "You're coming back?" and we assured him we were.
Brian was scheduled for PT, then OT, then they wanted him to rest for two hours, so he would be ready for the afternoon. We are due back at 1 pm. Brian slept well last night, but awoke at 4:30 am.
9:45 pm  Dave and I returned to Brian at 1 pm. Brian ate lunch and asked questions about being in the coma and waking up. We used the October calendar on the white board, and the big November calendar, and circled special dates in October: when he started opening his eyes, when he smiled, when he got the trach. he is still confused about length of time; sometimes he was in the coma three days, sometimes 15 months. We continue to work on this.
I told him what happened the day he went down ("passed out", "went to sleep", "went into the coma" he says), as best I could. He wanted to know what friends were there, so I told him. I said they saved his life, and he agreed he had "great friends". 
OT Karen worked with Brian after lunch. They looked at wedding pictures, with Brian telling her who people were. he did well with the most familiar people. Karen also asked Brian where he was (in Eugene, at "Grandma and Grandpa's"), and they used the calendar to figure out the day and date. 
The speech therapist, Berl, gave Brian a folder with pages of letters to copy, and Brian did nearly the whole thing (through O), while he was "resting". He is working on making the letters bigger, and while doing so also changed their "personalities", depending on the "mood" he was in. (I no longer recall what this meant)
David the PT worked with Brian again, and said in 6 years of doing this, he has never seen someone progress so rapidly. He had Brian sit up and stick out his chest (posture) and Brian asked, "Like a manly man?"
After PT, Brian got to go for ANOTHER ride. This time, Dave and I went along. We went downstairs to the main lobby, out the doors briefly, then into the corridor looking into the Japanese garden, and back out through the corridor of the maternity ward. In that corridor is a photo of Jesse taken by Chris Briscoe and used for promotional materials. We stopped and showed Brian, who thought it was him. (Chris is a well-known Ashland photographer who was just getting started when Jesse was little. He photographed Jesse's birth - his first - and did others of Jesse when he was a year old and later. The photo at the hospital was of Jesse at a year old. It is one of my favorites.)
Brian wanted to visit ALL the rooms we passed on our trip through the hospital.
Back upstairs, Brian got to sit in his doorway. He thought we were going to leave him "alone in this dull room" and he didn't want that. The three of us sat together while he finished his smoothie, and we sang another smoothie song. This one was about the smoothie that went around the hospital (he had it with him).
Alana, Randy, Max and Chris showed up, and while I went to talk to them, Brian and Nurse Tom had a hilarious exchange: "Brian, you're wiggling a lot. Do you have to go to the bathroom?" "No" "Brian, you're wiggling around a lot. Do you have to go to the bathroom?" "No" "Are you sure?" "Yes" "Are you sure?" "YES!" Then Tom turned and started walking away, and Brian said, with head bent forward, eyebrows raised, very serious, "Tom?" and Tom returned. "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" "No" "Are you sure?" "Yes" "Sure?" "Yes"  (This is one of our all-time favorite stories, and we use it in various circumstances with Brian still)
The Quote of the Day, spoken while sitting tall in bed, big voice, "I'm Alive, Well and Awake! And that's the last time I'm gonna say it!" (This is another favorite, and one of my most treasured memories of Brian's return)
Nurse Tom let Dave wheel Brian out to the Waiting Area to visit with Alana and the boys! So they all sat in a corner by a window while Dave and I sat nearby, so we could monitor Brian's safety and fatigue. He was THRILLED, as were the kids, and they had a great visit. Jessica Erickson, Jessica Daly, Vanessa, Ahsa, Mare, and two other girls showed up at around 5 (Brian was out there from around 4), after Marshall arrived at 4:45 pm. Chris, Max and Randy left at that point. Marshall did not sit separately when he arrived, but went right over to where the kids were. When the others arrived, Marshall decided visiting was over and wheeled Brian back to his room.
Dr. Foster got to see Brian with his friends and was pleased.
Randy's dad Wayne called, and told me his friend Joy, who is doing the trail ride, connected randy with KOBI. Max told me he had been interviewed, and that "Brian's mom" had suggested the reporter talk to him. I told Max that I had heard nothing about it until this morning, by chance.
Kate Lewis called. She'll be here Tuesday or Wednesday.
Today was the first day of nearly constant rain.
There will be a concert by Out with Andy and others on December 7th at the Unitarian Center.
Brian was off all monitors during the day.
This evening Dave and I visited with Brian as usual. We all sang "White Rabbit" together, and Dave and I sang the love song "Today" to Brian, who really liked it. He kept looking at us, back and forth, realizing we meant the words for HIM. (Songs from "Surrealistic Pillow" by Jefferson Airplane)
I read 1 1/2 chapters of Alice in Wonderland, and Brian fell asleep. Dave sat with him with the lights out, just to be sure. Possible Providence check-in: Monday at 1 pm. I'll be going in the transport with Brian.