Day Thirty Five - Another Great Day

Today was a great day for a number of reasons. He started out with a nice walk half way around the unit this morning. He is going further every day. Dick felt well enough today to have his baby brother give him a trim too. Jer cleaned up his mustache and shaved-- just a little of the scraggly looking beard Dick has decided keep.

He also had his trach removed!!! Yeah! They came in and removed it this afternoon and then they placed a gauze pad over the incision and told him that it would heal in about 2 weeks. He sounds the same but if he wants to speak a little louder he just has to hold his fingers over the pad and his voice will be stronger.

He is now on antibiotics for his bladder infection so hopefully that will be gone soon and he will again be rid of the cath. And speaking of things he is rid of... he is finished with his speech therapist. Not that we won't miss Kristin, she was one of our favorites. She has done all that she can do for him here. He had an oral test today where she asked him some questions on 'what he would do' scenarios and he did well. Again, she said that he has done remarkably well in the short time that he has been here and she is impressed with his progress.

He may be headed back to Peoria and St. Francis Hospital by the end of the week or at the beginning of next so if you have plans to visit here you may want to check with Amy or Mike to see where he is. He is anxious to get back to the Peoria area to be closer to his friends and family. Although, he did have a couple of visitor's today other than me and Jer. His cousin Susie and her husband Hawk, and Don Able his riding buddy came to see him.

One thing that we're encouraging Dick to do is to eat more. He is only eating about 25% of his food on his tray per meal and they would like to see him eat at least 50% to get the calories in to increase his strength and stamina. Jer and I left Dick in Susie and Hawk's care while we went to eat and Susie said she would be sure to get him to eat his diner. Now you all know that Dick thinks I pick on him and you know that I would have made him eat...but when I got back he actually told me that I couldn't hold a candle to Susie. I knew I had left him in good hands. The report back on his meal was that he had eaten 75%. Way to go Sue!

So you see, today was a great day. Walking farther, getting a trim, no more trach, no more speech therapist, eating better, and wonderful visitor's. With the prospect of coming to the home turf he feels like he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every now and then I go back to the beginning and read the blog and am amazed just how far he has come and how blessed we all are.

NEW PROGRESS/NEW CHALLENGES

This is my first writing "blogging experience", so hopefully I can help share a little bit of what went on yesterday, Monday, March 30th,---one day short of being five weeks since Dick's accident. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm Cheryl, Dick's favorite sister---oops, I forgot, my other two sisters are reading this! Sorry sisters JoElla & Kim---Dick & I were trying to keep the "favorite" thing a secret! Anyway, Amy & I arrived at Dick's room at 10:00 a.m.---2 1/2 hours after leaving Morton. Dick always looks at the clock when we arrive to make sure we are getting our full visiting hours in with him! Soon after we arrived, he had to go for a CT scan of his lungs, which we went with him. We weren't able to get the results of that yesterday but hopefully today. The lung doctor told us both of his lungs were badly hurt in the accident and he wanted to make sure everything was good before they removed his trach. He is totally breathing on his own without any oxygen and doing very well. All day yesterday his oxygen level was running at 100%---can't beat that!

The speech therapist was in today with some writing "tests" for Dick. He said to Amy & I, "Oh good, you know how good I am about taking tests!" These were tests to see how well he could identify and match "like" things, follow directions, remember story details, etc. He really did very well. One test was a bunch of squares only made out of 4 dots and he had to draw four lines in each box and make each one different. There were probably a dozen boxes---quite challenging for anyone! He knew a few of them were the same but he concentrated very hard and gave a good effort! Amy & I were glad we weren't doing the test---not sure if we would have done as well. She tested for about 20 minutes and said she'd come back the next day to finish because he was getting too tired. She did tell us privately that he was doing very well!

Amy & I noticed early on that this was going to be a challenging day for him. He had another restless night---as they all seem to be---and he was extra tired and simply not feeling well. He started running a temperature by afternoon and had been complaining of his bladder feeling too full. His catheter had just come out the day before and he ended up with a urinary tract infection. This has slowed his progress down but he is still determined to do his physical therapy so he can be transferred closer to home. When the physical therapists came, he was able to walk about 140-150 feet with only one rest in between. We were very proud of him!

Jerry & Judi will be up with him on Tuesday & Wednesday and Amy & I will return on Thursday & Friday. If you're up in the Des Plaines area, stop in for a visit---he does like seeing family & friends. Thanks again for all the cards and prayers. He loves when he gets mail and we sit and read all of them to him. Please keep those prayers coming---they are a major reason for all his progress. Our family is so thankful for everyone remembering him. I don't think he even realized how many friends he has and how much they care about him. He is loved!

Sorry this is so long but we love to share with all of you so you can be a part of his healing.
Peace and thanks for being a part of our family journal, Cheryl

Ditto What I Said For Saturday

Hi Everybody, this is Mike again. Sunday was another slow day. Although there was some good news. The feeding tube has been turned off. The only nourishment he gets now is from the meals he eats. Dr. A was in again this morning and said she thinks the trach will come completely out by mid-week. He's pretty excited about that. Probably b/c he knows that means he's really close to be going home! She told him once again how impressed she is with the progress he has made in the last 2 weeks. The average stay here is about 1 month so it appears he's going to beat that by a substantial amount. He has overachieved since the beginning so it shouldn't surprise us that he's doing it again. We are so very proud of him.

Well, sorry for another short blog, but the weekends just seem to be quiet. It's about 6:30 and I'm getting ready to head back to Morton. Lucky for you guys Amy will be back up tomorrow so you'll get a better blog! Have a great night!

Day Thirty-Two- Another Good Day

Good evening everyone. This is Mike and I'll be providing you your nightly update this evening. Today, like most weekends, was a little slow. Since they don't do therapy on the weekends, things tend to be a little exciting as compared to weekdays. The good news is Dad was breathing 100% on his own again today with no problems. Dr. A(I won't even attempt to spell her last name) came in and said there's a good chance he will be completely done with the trach mid-week. And it wouldn't be long after that and he will be able to move into the next phase of his recovery: intense physical rehab. Being the exerciser that dad is, he told me tonight he can't wait to start that process to begin. Of course, his excitement might also have something to do with the fact it will take place in Peoria.

I will try to write more tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for reading and following dad's progress. He really appreciates everyone's concern for him. Have a great night!

Day Thirty-One - Walk the Line

Today has been a really good day. Dick has been busy today he has had breakfast, lunch, and diner. He has eaten well which is really good because the better he eats the sooner he is able to get his feeding tube out. Today for lunch he had cubes of chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, cooked carrots, lemon sherbet, ice tea and juice and for diner he had baked potatoes, pork (cubes), cream of broccoli, roll w/butter, cake and juice. He has been getting quite the meals. He doesn't eat it all, but he eats quite a bit and it usually tastes good to him. So with that in mind the removal of the feeding tube could be any day now.

He also had to walk the line today! I think he was out to set a record. He walked 45 feet yesterday and today he walked 120 feet. He only sat down two times once on the way down the hall and once on the way back. He had a cheering section of his nurses and RT team along with Amy and I. His PT asked if he wanted to sit once he got closer to the door but he didn't want to... he wanted to go all the way back into his room. Quite an accomplishment for only his second walk in the hall!

More good news is that he has been completely on room air today. Between the room air and the feedings the trach may be removed by the end of next week. Yipee!

He is getting quite a reputation up here now. The same reputation he had at Morton Caterpillar, and Miami FL, Elko NV, IN, SC, CA, Mexico and probably a few I have missed. That reputation of being a good guy, someone easy to get along with, likable....that's our Uncle Dick. His staff here is impressed with his hard work and his determination as well as his sense of humor. But all of us in the Hasty Family can add dependable, generous, kind hearted and a pain in the a**! But we love him.

SQUIRT!

Hi guys! So today was a much better day than yesterday. Aunt Cheryl and I arrived a little early this morning, which Dad was thrilled with. First thing he said was, "Today I get my Squirt!" He has been waiting for this day for an entire week. He has been so thirsty that he has not stopped talking about getting his soda! He watched the clock for two and a half hours until Kristin arrived with his lunch. She sat him up on the side of the bed and pulled up the table with his lunch and his Squirt. I opened his plate of food and his face was priceless! He looked at the food and said what the H--- is that? I said "that is your lunch", and he said "I am not eating that I just want my drink." He did eat the food and to his surprise it wasn't that bad. He started drinking so fast Kristin came out of her chair and said" SLOW DOWN!" She told him he was drinking way too fast. He gasped for air and said" that was the best squirt ever!" He did pretty well and soon after he ate Occupational Therapy came in and did his exercises.

Before he ate Physical Therapy came in and they actually got him up and walking down the hall. He had a walker and a wheelchair right behind him to sit when he was tired. He did so well. A bunch of the nurses and Pct's that Dad has had in the past week were standing in the hallway cheering him on. When he finally sat down to take a breath he said "I feel like an exhibit!" They all started laughing and said "we are so proud of you!" He didn't mind the attention, I think it made him try even harder! He did great and he will get up and walk a little more tomorrow. They even said they were going to upgrade him to two times a day for Physical Therapy.

Aunt Cheryl and I had a good couple of days with dad. There were times we were emotional, anxious, and so tired we couldn't stop laughing. He loved having his little sister there for all of her loving support. I loved having her there as well! For those of you who know Aunt Cheryl you know what an amazing person she is. I couldn't have gotten through any of this without her and her amazing amount of love! So, thank you Aunt Cheryl for everything!

Tomorrow I will be traveling with Aunt Judi to the windy city. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I have to leave all of you with the funniest quote of my dad for the day. Today was full of activity for dad, so he was moved a lot and turned and really all over the place. He is starting to be very concerned about his gown being open and who see's what. After the fifteenth time of them moving him all around today and changing his sheets he called me over very seriously. He said "Sis come here." I went over of course very concerned. I leaned down and said "what do you need?" He said " why don't you go out in the hallway and ask the nurses which one hasn't seen my a@! today!!!!!!!!!" I started laughing so hard it made him break out into laughter. He said "seriously this is humiliating." I told him not to worry they had seen it all before. I had to share this with you. It was so nice to see him laughing again! It was truly music to my ears!

Have a great night and hopefully I can talk Aunt Judi into doing the blog tomorrow. I seem to get really long winded! Love you all, Amy

Keep the Food Coming!

Good Evening everyone! Your stuck with me Amy again! Today was yet another good day. Dad had a breakfast tray this morning, which consisted of eggs, cream of wheat, and two types of juice! He was thrilled with the juice. Bless his heart, he is just so thirsty. We brought him up a Squirt today and put it on the window, he told me to hide it so he didn't have to look at it. It just made him more thirsty to see it. When Kristin came in she told me that he would be getting lunch tomorrow and he could have his soda then! He was thrilled! After lunch tomorrow he will be starting on three meals a day. This is great news! They will still have the feeding tube hooked up at night from 8 p.m.-8 a.m. I think only for a short time though.


Dad was very nervous today. He is just so aware of everything now, that he gets himself all worked up. He is so sweet and just keeps apologizing for everything and thanking all of us for being there with him. I told him today that he might not remember the worst of this but we do and it may not seem to him like he is making progress but he is. I told him that he has already overcome the most difficult challenge and that is making it through the first couple of weeks. He said" I know honey I just hate sitting here like this and being helpless." I assured him that it wasn't forever and that is why we are here so we can help him! This seemed to satisfy him for a while. He definitely likes having family around him to reassure him and take care of him so he doesn't have to ask the nurses for much. He much prefers bossing us around!

The best part of today was he was down sized again to a size 4 trach, which is the smallest he can get. They capped it off and he was just on regular oxygen today. He did great with this. He is put back on the vent at night but they are slowly weining him off of this as well. He needs to be on regular oxygen for 48 hours and when he completes this they will take the trach out!!!!!!!!! I can't wait and neither can he!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is doing awesome and I want to thank everyone again, and again for all of the support and prayers! Love to all, Amy

Day Twenty-Eight - Just Say Graham Crackers

Today Dick hit another graduation. He had a cap put on his trach replacing his extra tubing that brought in his moist air and held his voice device. Now the one small cap holds his voice device and he now has a regular oxygen tube that goes over his ears and into his nostrils. Although, we think they are a pain when we are sick, this is a great improvement for him and much more comfortable. He will be going back and forth from the old device to the cap for a while until he tolerates it well ....but it has been in from 10a this morning and it is now after 5p so I think he is tolerating it pretty well.

Dick also had a swallow test today that he past with flying colors. He was given pudding, liquid and some graham crackers to eat while being x-rayed to see how his swallowing mechanisms were doing. He did so well he will get to have some meat tomorrow. This will also be a test for him and they will be adding the blue dye. If he passes this test he could be on to solid foods and the end of the tube feedings. I am sure he will pass this with flying colors too. Funny thing is he is really looking forward to a Diet Squirt of all things. He is worried about not having a fridge in his room to keep them in. He must be really thirsty....but who wouldn't be after this long.

Jeremy stopped by tonight to see Uncle Dick (Jeremy is working in the Chicago area). Uncle Dick was excited to see him. He helped Uncle Dick once or twice with pillows and to move his legs but the one thing that Jeremy learned is that you don't stand in front of Dick's fan. We had a chuckle when Jeremy adjusted Dick's pillow and then he said that's good but your blocking my fan.

I know we talk about how well Dick is doing... and he is, but I want to tell you a little about what he goes through and how hard some things are for him. His days right now are based on time. When you get there the first thing he usually ask is what time you are leaving. He needs to have a basis for how much time he has with you. He may ask you that same question a couple of times in the day, I think it's just for reassurance. Today, his nurse told him that they would come for him between 10a and 12p for his test. They didn't show up until 2p. I know things happen and they can't always stay on schedule but for him right now he only thinks of things in blocks of time. Between 10 and noon we had to reassure him that they would still come and get him for the test. Then by time they finally came after him he was so nervous and worked up with anxiety they almost had to cancel it and reschedule. Luckily, his speech therapist showed up and moved him to a larger, cooler room and one where Jer and I could both be with him. This calmed him down and he was able to continue with the test which like I said he passed with flying colors. He works hard at his OT, his PT, and his speech therapy and it is so hard to see him go through times like these. He is always apologetic and appreciative of anyone being with him- but we keep telling him that we know he would be doing it for any of us. We love him and we wouldn't be any place else. Today was the first day that I have actually cried while I was with him, because I can't do more. He is trying so hard and I pray everyday that God heals him quickly.

Visitor Hotel Information

For anyone wishing to stay overnight while visiting Dick we have made special rate arrangements at the Country Inn and Suites about 4 miles from Holy Family. It is very clean and close. Country Inn and Suites, 2200 S. Elmhurst Road, Mount Prospect, IL 60056 (847)290-0909. Special Rate is $59.00. Please be sure to tell them that you are with the Hasty Family when making your reservations.

Day Twenty-Seven - Ummm Food

Another milestone - today Dick had the first taste of real food, albeit it was baby food it was still real food. He did great. He got two teaspoons of blue water and two teaspoons of blue apple sauce. (They add the blue food coloring so they can suction his windpipe afterward to be sure the food is going down the right place - No blue in the windpipe, he passed the test) I asked him if it tasted good and if he was full he said "ya, I'm stuffed." Tomorrow they will do it again but take x-rays while he swallows. (note to the kids: Paw Paw/Uncle Dick has a blue tongue!)

The other thing they did today was an EEG. They had attached 22 probes to his head with some terribly sticky gel. The test took 30 minutes and he did a great job, even with coughing once or twice. When they were finished they removed the probes but left the gel so I scrubbed his head for him, it was itching and he wouldn't get it washed until morning. I wish I could share the comment he made.


When we arrived this morning he already had a visitor with him, his friend Wally Swanson. They had been having a nice conversation. Dick just talks up a storm now with his new voice device. He is ready to take visitors but it would be good to check with Amy or Mike and see who is going up so he does not have too many visitors on one day. Dick said he may be asleep or he may be awake, visitors just have to take their chances. But anymore he is mostly awake. He has made so much progress from a week ago it is just unbelievable.

He definitely had that spunk today--when Jer and I got back from supper he was watching a basketball game. He told Jer he didn't have to watch the game, he didn't care what he watched. Jer told him "That's ok buddy we can watch this, I don't care what we watch either". So I told them, if neither of you care what you watch then I'll change it to the Food Network. Dick pointed at me and said, "I told Jer he could watch what he wanted". Both of them knew that I just said that to get a rise out of Dick and it worked. The bad thing was we had a few laughs today with our banter back and forth and we kept setting his monitor's off. They kept coming in and telling him he was having way too much fun. We will try to keep out of trouble tomorrow. We hate to be banned on our first visit! But Dick is such an instigator....

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Hi Everybody. This is Mike. Just got home from Chicago after my visit with dad. He had another good day. He was off the vent from the time I got there at 10am until I left him at 7pm. So he seems to be making a lot of progress in his quest to get the trach out. The speaking valve was in all day and it's amazing how much stronger and clearer his voice has become in just a few short days. I could understand him so much better as compared to Friday. I was so impressed!

Here's another thing I can say about my dad: he still knows his sports. We watched basketball for a good portion of the day and he was very in tune to what was going on in the game. He was even able to make a couple wise cracks about the referees when they made some questionable calls. At one point, he asked me about the Cardinals pitching staff. I was very relieved to hear this question. I was afraid he might come out of this a cub fan. Falling on your head can do strange things to people. The fact he is still a Cardinal fan tells me there was in fact no permanent damage done to his head!

My only disappointment of the day was that there is no physical or speech therapy today. I was hoping to see the progress he has made since last Tuesday. Although, I did have him working on his grip strength and some simple leg exercises the therapist had him do last time I was there. You can tell he still likes to exercise. He definitely puts all he's got into those exercise.

That is all for tonight folks. I imagine you will be hearing from Aunt Judi the next couple of nights. Thanks to everyone for all the love, prayers and support you have shown my dad and us. We really appreciate it and I know he does also. Have a great night!

Visitors!

Good morning! So yesterday from what I hear was another great day. Uncle Darryl and Aunt Jan headed up to see Dad in the morning. I talked to Aunt Jan when they left and she said he was doing really good. She said it was a little hard to hear him and understand him at times but they got through it. Aunt Jan said that at one point she was holding dad's hand and he readjusted his hold and held on so tight that she didn't know how long she could stand it! We laughed and she told me she was glad to know he still had his strength. I think they left between 4 and 4 thirty or so and to my surprise after they left he had another guest. Todd decided to drive up in the afternoon and have a visit with his Uncle. I was so happy to hear this. Mike called and said you can stop worrying about dad being alone for to long because Todd is going up this afternoon! What a relief! I just cant stand the thought of him there for to long without someone with him. When he doesn't have any visitors they do have to put restraints on his arms for his safety. They don't want him pulling on any of the things he is hooked up to. Especially the traech. He has made it perfectly clear he does not like this. So back to his visit with Todd, they talked for a while and then watched some basketball. I guess he asked Todd what time Mike would be there tomorrow? The sooner the better he said so I can get these things off my arms! Todd told him Mike would be up around 10 or so. I think Todd stayed until 7 thirty or so. Thank you Todd, Uncle Darryl, and Aunt Jan for taking the time to go see Dad. I know he appreciated it! Mike and I appreciate it as well! Okay so that is it for now but hopefully Mike will have some energy left when he gets home to write the blog for today! Aunt Judi and Uncle Jer will be heading up Monday and Tuesday so she will be doing the blog those two days I am sure. Thanks! Amy
By the way, do any of you medical people who read the blog know the correct way to spell traech? I really don't have a clue, I am just guessing! Someone help!

Sara and Amy's Day!

Hi everyone! Okay so I am going to apologize but I am extremely tired so this blog is going to be short and sweet! Today when Sara and I arrived Dad was already up and sitting in a chair. We walked into a bright eyed man who is looking more and more like himself everyday! He greeted us both with lots of kisses. He was very excited to see his Rah-Rah. For those of you who don't know, this is what all of my kids called Sara when they were younger. Well, actually Brock and Carson still call her that and my dad has never stopped calling her that since Braden was a baby. Anyway, shortly after we arrived Kristin( the speech therapist) came in to place the speaking valve back on. He said hi to all of us. She said to him "so this is the famous Rah-Rah!" He proceeded to tell Kristin that he could tell her some Rah-Rah stories but only if she was off work and had a cold one in her hand! For those of you who know Sara you know this is very true! He ended up having the valve in for the whole day. He talked to B, Avery , Mike, and Carson on the phone today. He told each of them he loved and missed them very much. It was truly touching for Sara and I to watch. Later on in the day he had physical therapy which he did the usual exercises and then they had him stand for maybe about a minute. He didn't want to sit down but they told him they didn't want him to overwhelm himself and that he shouldn't push it to far. This really wore him out and when they got him back in bed his heart rate went up quite a bit. They gave him something to relax him and he then was able to sleep for a couple of hours. When Sara and I got ready to leave he actually gave us each a hug! This was the first time for actual hugs with both arms around us. We each said a tearful goodbye and I told him I wasn't crying for any reason other than I was so proud of him and that he was getting so much better. He held my hands and said "honey this is just something we have to do. I will be okay." The best part was when he looked me straight in the eyes and said " I'm not going anywhere!" I knew he didn't mean literally, he meant he was going to be around for a long time!

Well, this wasn't as short of a blog as I had intended but that is all I have for tonight. Uncle Darryl and Aunt Jan will be spending the day with dad tomorrow so I will try to get a full report and share something with all of you tomorrow. Keep the prayers coming. They are working! Good night everyone, Love, Amy

He's Back!!!!!!!!

Good evening everyone! Today was another milestone day. When Mary(my mother-in-law) and I arrived this morning Dad was getting an eye examine. The doctor said he was just checking his eyes especially the left one to make sure everything looked okay. He dialated them and then took a light to look inside of each eye. He said they looked pretty good and he didnt think there was any permant damage to either eye. What a relief! About an hour later the speech therapy girl ( kristin) came in and put in the valve to let him start speaking! She had him say hello everyone and say his name which he did very well. His voice is obviously very weak and sounds a little different but she said that will get better with time. Aunt Cheryl and Jen came in at this time and the fun began! He playfully gave Jen a hard time and wouldnt say her name. He kept calling her Sarah just to get a rise out of her. He then said you are Heidi's sister. Which Heidi loved by the way! I asked him if he knew me and he said " I dont recognize you at all!" He smiled and said you are my daughter. The relief I felt just hearing his voice was almost overwhelming. I knew he was in there and I finally had my Dad back! I called Mike and let Dad say hi to him. He said " Hi buddy I love you and tell the kids I love them and miss them." It brought tears to all of our eyes. Rich- I told him what you had said on your comment about using the Cub towel on his head. I said what do you think about that and he said tell him "I do still have a brain!" This sent us all into tears of laughter! It was such a great day for all of us there to hear his voice after almost four weeks. He only had the valve in for about 45 minutes and they had to give him a breathing treatment. The speech therapist said since it was only the first day they should give him a break and she would be back early morning to place it back in for the day.
I cant tell you how exciting this is for us and him to be able to communicate with words! I can't wait for tomorrow to see what he comes up with.

When they gave him the breathing treatment his heart rate went up and he started shaking. The doctor came in and said she has noticed that this starts mostly with the breathing treatments. She said that they would change the medicine in the treatments and only give them from now on as needed. The shaking and the increased heart rate are both side affects of the medicine in the treatments. He was having a reaction to them and they would cut back on them. Thank God because this was a very hard thing to watch. He said he wasnt in any pain but to watch him you could tell he was obviously having some sort of strange reaction. Mary and I left shortly after this so I could get home to spend some much needed time with my family. Aunt Cheryl and Sarah I mean Jen, JK, stayed with him until about 730. They explained they would be leaving but he would be in good hands and Sarah and I would return in the morning . Jen said that her and Aunt Cheryl tearfully said goodbye and he peacefully waved goodbye to them. Overall this was another great day and I hope there will be many more to come! Love you all, Amy

Another eventful day!

Hi everyone! You are all stuck with Amy tonight. I really stink at this so please bear with me. Okay here goes, so this morning my wonderful mother-in-law took me to Chicago to see Dad. She dropped me off and went looking for hotels at reasonable rates! She is the best! Anyway, while she did that I sat with Dad. He greeted me with a smile and a kiss and then he immediately began physical therapy. He did a set of leg bends and leg lifts. Then they sat him up on the bed for about 15 minutes or so, which he did really well. His eyes were open the whole time. The therapist asked him if he wanted to stand and he said yes right away. She said he stood very well and was pretty impressed with his strength. That really wore him out so he took a five minute nap and the Occupational Therapist came in and tried to do several things. He did mostly everything she asked but he was pretty wore out! She said she would try to give him more of a break in between sessions next time!



He decided to take a nap for a while and so I decided to read my book. While I was reading my book I felt something hit me. When I looked up it was his washcloth I had on his head. I looked over at him and was looking at me with the most rotten looking smile on his face! I said I take it you want this wet again and he lifted his hands like " get off your butt and do your job!" He definitely hasn't lost his playful side!



Next the Speech Therapist came in and asked him lots of questions. Like who is the president, what happened to you, where are you, etc. He passed with flying colors. Although he answered most of them correctly it is very hard to communicate with out being able to talk. Hopefully tomorrow they will place the valve over the traech and he can start trying to talk a little! I cant wait! My heart was pounding today when she was quizzing him. Inside I was screaming you can do it! Every time he answered a question right I felt so proud!! Tomorrow is a new day and I cant wait to see what it brings! Love you all! Keep praying! Even though Dad is doing great he still has a long and tough road ahead of him!

First Full Day In The Windy City

Hello Everyone. This is Mike and I've been nominated(IE forced) to write the blog tonight. Just kidding. Happy to spread the good news to everybody. Dad had an awesome first day in Chicago. I arrived to his room at 10am(start of visiting hours). Those nuns at the front desk are sticklers on the visiting hours. Anyway, within about 15 minutes of my arrival, the occupational(upper body, everyday type of movements) therapist showed up and worked with him for about 20 minutes. He did great. Dad was able to do every move she asked and when she asked him to provide resistance when she tried to move him a certain way he showed pretty good strength. She said for all he had been through he was still pretty strong. After she left, the physical therapy(lower body movement) team showed up about 10 minutes later. They moved his legs around in all different directions and he showed good range of motion and no pain. After that, they sat him on the edge of his bed and had him do leg lifts and ankle movements. To their surprise, he was able to most of the reps on his own. They were in there about 30 minutes. After that, he had about a 15 minute break until the speech therapist arrived. She asked him a series of questions and he passed the test with flying colors. They also practiced really enunciating his words. That will help when he begins to talk again. Which brings me to some great news. The speech therapist thinks tomorrow they will be able to put add a piece to his trache that will allow him to speak! Of course, at first, his voice will probably be weak, but what a relief it will be for him to be able to communicate verbally again. So as you can see, they really worked him over today which is good. He needs to be pushed. I'm so happy I was there to help motivate him. The tables have turned now. It's payback time for all the years he coached and "motivated" me in wrestling! Just kidding. Actually, I'm not. He's gonna pay! Lastly, Amy and I were able to leave tonight on a high note. About 30 minutes before we had to leave, dad opened his eyes wider and for longer than anytime I've seen him since the accident. It was amazing. I'll leave you with a description of what we saw dad doing on our way out: laying in bed, eyes wide open, tv remote control in hand, channel surfing and happily waving good-bye to us. It was a beautiful sight...

DAY TWENTY - On the Wings of Love

Today has been a very, very good day. Mike took his dad back to Illinois! Mike arrived at the hospital this morning at 8:00a to get all the paperwork in order. Dealing with insurance companies is always fun, right Mike. Once the insurance company was satisfied then the airbus company filed the schedule and the ball got rolling. We were given a time of 2:00p and it was a short morning. The Air Transport team came in and they made short work of switching his IV's and tubing's from the hospital equipment to their transport equipment. They ask him if he was in any pain and he said no, he knew exactly what was going on and was prepared for the ride. They told him that he was to give them a thumbs down if he was in any distress on the trip and when asked to show what that was he immediately showed them that he could do the thumbs down if needed. He was bundled up in his bed sheet like a little papoose and whisked away to the ambulance for his ride to the Tampa Airport. From their he and Mike took a nice ride to the Chicago Executive airport where they arrived safely at 5:50P tonight. He has earned his wings and he has definitely made this trip on wings of love from all the wonderful support of his friends and family. You can send your cards to Dick at Holy Family Medical Center, 100 N River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016. A big thanks go to the medical staff at Tampa General Hospital for all you have done.

Day Nineteen - Awaiting the Move

Alright folks, you are reading history today. The first male Hasty to write the blog. You're stuck with Mike tonight. I'm sure I won't be as good as Aunt Judi, Jen or Amy, but I'll do my best. Today was another good day. Quiet, but good. I think b/c dad had such a busy day yesterday, he wasn't quite as energetic today. Although he did find the time to write several more sentences for us today. Sadly, I think his writing might be better now as compared to when he's 100% healthy. Dad has never been known for his penmanship. I also got to experience something with dad today that hasn't happened for a while: we watched some sports together. He was able to keep his eyes open for 15-20 minutes at a time as we watched some college basketball on TV. We were all very impressed. We also got him to do some hand exercises today. For about 10 minutes, he used one of those grip strength improvers. He would do 15 repetitions or so on one hand and then switch it over to another and do 15 more reps. We had hoped he could maybe do 10 reps on each hand and be done so he far exceeded our expectations. My favorite part of the day was when him and Aunt Judi were doing their usual sparring. Even injured, dad loves to give Aunt Judi a hard time. She told him to stop trying to push her away. He then responded by taking his hand, putting it up to her face and playfully pushing her away. The best part was he had a big smile on his face the whole time. It was good to see the mischievous side of dad is still going strong. Have a good night everybody. You know, I kind of feel like Doogie Howser when he used to write on his computer at the end of every show...

Day Eighteen - Good Communication

Jerry and I got here late last night, we visited Dick for about and hour and a half and he was pretty tired and slept most of the time. But today is a different story. He has been awake most of the day and he has been opening his eyes often and is asking a lot of questions.

His doctor came in this morning and explained what changes they have seen in his progress that will allow him to be moved to Illinois. First he is no longer considered a neuro patient which is the best news. Next he needs to be off the ventilator which he has been off of and has only been getting pressure support to just help fill the lungs. He has actually been breathing on his own for the biggest part of t0day and has been doing well. And the last thing they want to be sure of is that he is coughing good to keep the pneumonia that he does have from getting worse and that is going well too. His doctor actually said that he was one of their success stories. Way to go Uncle Dick!

They have been rolling him from side to side to give his backside a rest and he is letting them know when he is ready to lay on his back again. He actually sat up enough this morning that he was looking out the window. Jer and I keep telling him he needs to work at keeping his eyes open and he is doing his best, although sometimes he has to hold his eyes open with his hands he is working hard at getting the challenge met.


He has been writing notes to us - he has asked if we have talked to Mike and he was concerned if Mike was getting all the right information. We assured him that Mike and Amy have done a wonderful job of taking care of everything and that he would be very proud of them. He has asked if we have seen the orders for his move to Chicago and he has asked what day this is and how long he has been here. It is difficult at times to read his writing and decipher his hand signals but we are getting better. He sometimes gets frustrated with us and scratches through his writing and has to start all over again trying a different approach to his thought. This is such a giant leap forward and is very exciting.

Tonight while he was on his side he noticed the buttons on the rail of his bed. I thought he was asking if he could lower the rail and he was actually asking how to lower the bed. He pointed at the buttons and then motioned down. I showed him which button lowered his head and raised it and which lowered his feet and raised them. He started testing them out. He raised his head and lowered it and he raised his feet and lowered them. I asked him if he felt like he was in control now and he gave me a big smile.

After our conversations today I can tell that he is ready for some serious physical therapy and he is ready to head to Illinois. Cold as it may be there he will be warming many hearts.

One last note. I showed Dick a slide show of his kids & his grandkids tonight ....talk about a happy heart! I have never seen him smile so big.

Day Seventeen -- Big News

Today was a day to be shocked and stunned and excited and nervous! Cheryl met with the social worker to discuss the next step -- moving Dick to a long term care facility. While he still needs medical care, he is no longer in need of the care provided by Trauma ICU. He now needs a place that can continue to wean him off the ventilator, do the care involved with his tracheotomy, and give him the therapy he will need to recover from his injuries. While this is good news, the really exciting news was the possibility that we could move him to a facility in Illinois!! Cheryl spent the day working out the details, phoning Mike and Amy, and trying to believe it was all really happening.



When she talked to Dick about the possiblity of going to Illinois, he nodded his head yes:) Several times during the day, he pointed out of the room. Mom tried to guess several things he wanted/needed....then the nurse came in and asked if he was telling them he wanted to go home -- he nodded YES! While he isn't exactly going home, heading to Illinois is a pretty big step!



Mike will be flying into Tampa on Saturday morning to finalize all of the details. Jerry and Judi left today to drive there -- they will be helping Mike with decisions, as well as cleaning out the apartment. Plans are for Mike to fly home on the "air ambulance" with his dad and accompany him to the long term care facility. We will get you more details when we have them!



Thanks again for all of the prayers -- they are being answered slowly, but surely...just like the turtle! My kids and I will be making bracelets this weekend with turtles on them -- if you would like one to wear or tie on your steering wheel or hang from your mirror, let me know and we will see what we can do!!

Day Sixteen - Holding Steady

Cheryl's report for Dick today is that he has had a good day. He did not have a temperature today and he is responding to her by squeezing her hand. He has been taken off of the vent a couple of hours and then put back on to give him a rest since he has to work so hard those couple of hours. They say he is doing good and he is making good progress. Cheryl will be coming home tomorrow and Jer and I will be heading back on Friday. Mike will be returning to his dad's bedside on Saturday. Changing of the guard so to speak. I will continue the blog from the hospital again next week. I want to thank Jen for keeping up the blog while she was there, I know it is both difficult to write and theraputic at the same time. Keep those prayers coming.

Day Fifteen --A Rough Day

Today was a rough day in many ways. I (Jen) had to come home and care for my children, while Mom (cheryl) stayed behind to continue to care for Uncle Dick. It was difficult to leave them both, and I know it was difficult for mom to head to the hospital alone.


When she arrived at the hospital, it was obvious it was going to be a rough day all around. The physical therapist came in and wanted to work with Uncle Dick on his exercises. Although he squeezed her hand, he just barely lifted his leg. Last Friday, he had lifted his legs, pushed his feet, etc for his exercises. He just wasn't up to it today, and he couldnt stay awake. They tried to get him up into a chair, but he couldnt wake up and stay awake for that either. He did manage to get to a sitting position on the end of the bed, but that was as far as they got. They ended up adjusting his bed so he was "sitting" in bed, but he didnt make it to the chair.


Please understand that when we tell you he is "up in a chair," he didnt get up out of bed and walk over to the chair without help. This is a very involved process that involves at least a couple of people. It is still progress, but we have a long way to go.


Another rough point of the day was that Uncle Dick developed a fever. At this point, the medical team is not sure where the fever is coming from/why he has it. He was sweating profusely most of the day and was uncomfortable. However, when Mom went back to the hospital tonight, she said he seemed better. The fever was down some, and she was putting a cool cloth on his head...which was doing wonders for calming both of them down and helping them relax.


As far as communication, he did squeeze hands and open his eyes a little today. Mom said that when she returned to his room this evening after shift change, he immediately opened his eyes and reached for her, even before she had spoken to him. She took his hand, and he closed his eyes again, knowing he was in good hands with his little sister.


A positive step: they took him off the respirator for one hour tonight. Amy and Aunt Judi saw this last week, but it hadnt happened since Friday I believe. They disconnect the tubes from the trach in his throat, hooking up "humidified oxygen" for him to breathe. They watch him for an hour, checking his stats often; after an hour, they will hook him back up to the respirator so that he can rest comfortably for the night and not get too worn out.


One little step at a time.....one of his medical team members reminded us that he is going to have good days, "nothing happened" days, and bad days. He warned us not to get too caught up in one day -- a good day doesnt mean he is magically better and a bad day doesnt mean he wont get better. It is a journey, a long-distance event, and he will be "racing" at a turtle's pace. But, just like the fable of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race. Someone sent a card yesterday with a bandaged turtle on it -- the inside read something like "It's not the speed, it's the recovery." Just as the angel is our symbol for Aunt Marianne and a found penny is our symbol for Uncle Denny, I believe the turtle is now our symbol for Uncle Dick. It wont be easy, it wont be fast, but I know and believe with all of my heart that he will get there. One day at a time...one step at a time....one breath at a time.....let's all try and pray for him at each step of the journey....for patience, for perserverance, and for peace.

Day Fourteen -- Slow but sure

It's difficult for me to wait until the end of the day to blog -- I have to rack my brain to think of everything that has happened!! I will probably start doing two a day to help me remember...

Today has been pretty uneventful...in a good way! He has been resting comfortably most of the day; he still has some coughing, but Bruce the Respiratory Therapist said that coughing is good and he wants his patients to cough. They reworked his vent tube and neck brace so they arent aggravating each other any more -- that has also helped with the cough.

Before we arrived this morning, they had checked his eyes and dilated them. The eye report was good -- it is still bleeding a little, but the dr thinks that there isnt any damage. They think the bleeding is just because it is irritated inside, and it really has bled less today than yesterday. The swelling in it has also gone down.

The Occupational Therapist came in this morning and was going to try and get him up in a chair again. However, he wouldnt open his eyes or respond. They thought it was probably becuase his eyes had been dilated and hurt in the light, but they still wanted him to respond. When he refused, the nurse pinched his finger....hard. He made a "mean" face, and I couldnt help but laugh. She apologized and said she was sorry, but if he wasnt going to respond, she had to make sure he was in there:) I think he will probably be responding from now on!!

So, they didnt end up getting him up in a chair and the OT never returned. The nurse did prop his bed up so he was "sitting" for awhile.

Around lunch time, they took him for an xray of his neck. It took four people to move his bed down the hall -- pushing the bed, pushing his vent machine, working the "oxygen bag" on his vent, and I think pushing other monitors. It was quite a process. He got a little worked up, but said he wasnt nervous and understood that he was doing fine. It must be scary when you cant talk and you cant see...even for my brave Uncle Dick.

The unofficial report of the xray was that everything looks good and the ligaments look as if they have healed. We will wait for the "official" reading tomorrow, but, if all goes well, the news will be the same and he will get the neckbrace off. At this point, we are looking for every baby step we can celebrate!!

Communication: He has responded well with us today -- squeezing hands, moving arms and legs, trying to mouth words. He got a little frustrated with us today when he was trying to motion something with his hands -- he was pointed up and moving his hands up and acting like he was writing. Mom and I played charades as best we could, but I dont think we ever really understood. At one time I said "You want to go home?" and he shook his head yes....I dont think that is what he was miming, but he agreed! I hope he didnt think I was offering to take him!! Later in the afternoon, Mom was holding his hand and he brought her hand as close as he could to his mouth and gave it several little kisses. She was very happy and felt very loved by her big brother....if only all little boys knew that, one day, they would love their sister that much!! I am sure Braden would be appalled right now!

He received several cards in the mail today -- lots of get well messages. We read some of them to him and will continue to do so. Someone even sent pictures of Grama and Grandpa Hasty (his parents, my grandparents!) and Uncle Denny (around 18 months old) in a walker. He hasnt seen them yet, but Mom told him about them and she loved them!!

OK -- I think that sums up the day. I seem to be a little more "wordy" than Aunt Judi...Uncle Dick would probably tell you that I have always had that problem!! I will leave you with Cheryl's deep train of thought this morning.....

(she was looking out the window, out at the bay, at a pelican that was swimming...) "Oh my! That bird just ate a fish. Gobbled him up. I mean, the fish was flopping around...I dont even think he had time to die....so he is just flopping....do you think he is flopping in the bird's stomach?" {if you dont find that funny, I apologize. It could just be the insanity of sitting up here all day and all the serious stuff going on....she was just so deep in thought as she wondered aloud about the fish flopping around....I just had to laugh!!}

On a serious note, mom (cheryl) wants to thank everyone that is sending prayers and good thoughts our way. While we make a little progress everyday, he still has a long way to go to get out of Trauma ICU, then regular ICU, then PT, etc. We know that God and Aunt Cis and Uncle Denny and all the other guardian angels are watching over him. We thank God that Uncle Dick is stubborn and a fighter -- everytime we mention his kids and grandkids, he moves his head or his eyebrows, so we know he is always thinking about them and fighting to come back to them and play and give hugs and kisses!!

Hospital Address

There have been many request for the hospital address. You may send your cards to:
Tampa General Hospital, Davis Island PO Box 1289, Tampa, FL 33606. Thank you.

Day Thirteen -- 2nd Shift Takes Over

As Amy and Aunt Judi left yesterday, Mom (Cheryl) and I (Jen) arrived last night. It's difficult for us to be able to compare how he "was" to how he "is," but we are doing our best to talk to doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists to help us understand.

Everyone we talk to agrees that yesterday (saturday) was a setback from his progress on Friday, but they assure us that is to be expected. "Two steps forward, one step back!" This morning he was still struggling with coughing -- you can tell he is in pain when it happens as his entire body tenses. The coughing spells decreased somewhat as the day went on; they are giving a medicine to numb the area around the ventilation tube. Although he does have pneumonia and a severly bruised right lung, the doctor believes the main cause of the coughing is that the ventilator tube is aggravating his throat. In addition to the medicine, they are going to try some different tubing and maybe some alterations to his neck brace. They are hopeful that he will get the neckbrace off soon -- they know that nothing is his neck is broken (praise the Lord!), but they believe there might be some strained ligaments. They need to reassess the damage before they can safely remove the neck brace. Each new day is a promise of a new "victory" -- one step at a time.....

As far as communication, he has been sleeping alot since we arrived Saturday night. This morning, he did squeeze our hands. I told him that Amy was home with the kids and that they loved him, and he mouthed "Tell them I love them." The rest of the day, there was little communication -- we would stand with him and hold his hand during coughing attacks, but otherwise, he was sleeping deeply. However, when we arrived at 8pm tonight, he opened BOTH of his eyes and looked at us. Unfortunately, neither one of us look too great, so he closed his eyes and decided to ignore us:) (We promise to try and look nicer tomorrow!)

The nurse told us that she had just assessed him and he had squeezed her hands, pressed her hands down with his feet, and responded to every other command she gave him. She is very pleased with how well he is breathing tonight -- they have again turned down the vent and he is breathing "on his own." He is doing most of the work -- the vent stays in to ensure that his breathing stays regular, that he doesnt choke, etc. The next step (although we dont know when!) is to remove the tubing, leaving the vent in with oxygen over it. The nurse seemed hopeful that would be happening in the next few days. We will keep you posted!

As We Leave

As we leave today Dick is sleeping but it has not been an easy day for him. He has been doing a lot of coughing and has needed to have the ventilator turned back on only slightly to relieve him of working so hard. We have been assured that this is not a step backward this is just to help him rest a bit easier today. He has had some pain from his fractured ribs today since he has been coughing so they gave him some additional pain medication as well as something to help with the cough so he has been doing a lot of sleeping. The rest is good for him and what he coughs up is also good, but for us it is difficult to see him go through any of the pain and discomfort. All of his nurses have been telling us how well he is doing and how far he has come. They still think that by the beginning of next week he should be going to the step down unit. Amy and I will be reading the blog from home as it will be updated by Jen and Aunt Cheryl since they will be here with Dick. So it will be interesting to see what kind of progress he makes while we are gone. You keep up the good work Uncle Dick. We will miss visiting you everyday but I know you will surprise us when we return.

Day Twelve - Bittersweet for Amy

Today will be a bittersweet day for Amy, she will be traveling home to be with her family for a while. It will be so hard for her to leave her dad. I have told her that I will probably need a crowbar to get her to the airport with me. I know it will be hard for both of us to leave but for her, she is just now really starting to see her dad make progress and feels this is when he needs her most. What a tug a war the heart plays at times like this. She is a very brave and strong person and she has been a healing force for Dick. Dick's sister Cheryl and neice Jen will be here tonight replacing Amy and my presence for the next week and Mike will very soon be able to return to his father's side. I know it has been hard for him not being able to be here but he talks with Amy several times a day to get updates and Amy holds the phone to Dick's ear so Mike can talk to his dad. We will continue the process of family rotation as long as needed but for Amy this day the first time leaving him in someone else's care and longing to return to see and care for her own children is so bittersweet.

The End of the Day

The end has been just as good as the beginning today. Dick has been very active. He has responded to questions like how many kids do you have, how many grandchildren, sisters, and brothers. He has answered them all by holding up the correct amount of fingers. He has shown his sense of humor by telling Amy when she asked if he would open his eye for her that he was a little busy right now and then giving her a bit of a grin. He had his leg hanging off of the bed and I told him that he needed to put it back up so he doesn't get swelling and he pointed his finger at me and when I told him not to give me any guff he actually flipped me off-- his favorite sister-in-law (sorry, Jan & Kath, author's prerogative). We are happy to see these signs of his old self. They tied a hand exerciser on his bed this afternoon and when we return from dinner at 8:00p we found out that he had been in trouble. He had used the exerciser to pull himself down to the end of his bed and was trying to get his legs off of the bed when the nurse discovered how far down in the bed he had actually scooted. We have warned them that he won't be a good patient. He wants to do everything and he wants to do everything now! They do expect that he should go to the step down floor sometime at the beginning of next week. He is doing so good so fast, I know that he and all of us will be glad when he can have the trach removed from his throat so he can talk. Although, Amy is quite good at deciphering his hand signals and reading his lips I am totally at a loss. He gets frustrated that I don't understand him. I guess that is why I am number one. But without pointing it out to him, he is number one in my book too.

Day Eleven - Historic Moment

I usually blog in the evening after a day at the hospital but I just couldn't wait. Dick has had a historic moment this morning and we had to share it with everyone immediately. Clark, the PT (Clark said PT stands for physical therapist not pain and torture) came in this morning and they got Dick up and in a chair. As I write that it sounds so easy, they got him up and got him in a chair, actually it took about 25 minutes. First came a round of exercises, 10 ankle movements, 10 leg bends at the knee, 10 leg lifts. It was amazing he did each set of 10 like he was at the gym. He heard the count, he did as he was told, he stopped when he heard Clark get to 10. The next step was to sit on the side of the bed. He was so anxious that he started moving his legs before Clark was ready for him, and Clark had to tell him to wait. When Dick finally got sat up he was exhausted but pleased. He felt so good with his accomplishment. He was off balance but when Clark asked him what he would do if he felt himself start to fall backwards he immediately leaned forward. Good answer! The next step was to stand. Clark attached a belt to Dick's chest to assist him and Amy and I were ready to move tubes and hoses out of the way. Unfortunately, there was no one to hold the gown closed, sorry Uncle Dick. Listening to everything Clark told him he helped to push himself up and to turn to be moved to the chair. His legs are very weak and he will definitely be needing extended physical therapy but what a great way to start the day! More to come later today!

Day Ten - Another Milestone Day

You can almost see Dick's room here at Tampa General Hospital.

Today we are happy to report that Dick has had his intercranial pressure monitor removed from his head. He looks so much better. The skinned nose is healing, the abrasion on his head is almost gone. He is actually growing a little hair back on the top of his head. (if you know Dick he will be thrilled it is growing back) He has also been taken off the ventilator this evening which means he is breathing on his own. Now that he has the pressure monitor removed his next hurdle is to come completely off of the ventilator. They will start taking him off of the vent little by little each day for longer periods at a time. Hope is that early next week he could be moved from ICU to a step down unit. He will still be monitored closely. We have been a little spoiled with the special individualized care here in ICU that it will feel like we are being neglected in the next unit. They have already warned us that it will be an adjustment for us. Everyone here has been so caring and they answer every question without hesitation. They know how concered we are and that this process is new for us and something we never want to go through again. It is good to know that Dick has not lost his sense of humor through all of this though. Tonight Amy had been prodding him to respond to her, she asked him if she was bothering him and he said yes, then he actually tried to laugh. We love to see that side of him coming through now and then. But it is also really tough when we see him mouth the words "I want to go home." If he only knew how much we wanted that too.

Special Note About Comments

If anyone has been having difficulty posting their comment please try again if you would like. I have changed my settings and it should be much easier. Thanks for your patience while we learn a few new things about blogging.

Day Nine - A Very Big Day

This has been a very big day. We signed the papers to rent the apartment for Amy, Mike and the other family members who will be spending time here in Florida over the next few months. We will begin moving what few things we will need in tomorrow and Amy and I will spend the the first night in the apartment on Thursday. Just a walk away from the hospital. That's it...top upper left.

Dick has been very active today. He has been reaching out and squeezing hands. When he is asked a yes or no question he nods his head appropriately. He has even motioned to try and write something. We are the ones that are now having difficulty trying to understand his hand motions and what he wants. It is frustrating for us, we just can't fathom how frustrating it is for him. When prodded by Amy he has been trying to open his good eye and he has even given a half hearted smile. One of his best moves is to give us the thumbs up! We are so proud of the strength he is showing and how hard he is working to get back to us. We just know that one of these days he will just open his eyes and start talking to us like he use to; teasing and smiling and being his sassy self. One of the night nurses even asked Amy if her dad was stubborn. She said, "Heck yes." The nurse told her that he had asked Dick to squeeze his hand and he wasn't responding and the nurse told him "Mr. Hasty, I can't tell if you are getting better if you don't respond to my commands". Dick immediately started responding. YEAH! I think that means he is getting better!

We would like to thank everyone for following our blog. It has meant a lot to the family to read your comments and to know how much concern and love there is for Dick and his recovery process. You are helping us cope and it gives us strength each day as we read each and every note. Bless you all for being there.

Day Eight - A Remarkable Day

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like you are riding a roller coaster? First you go up, then you go down, then you turn and you might even go backward. That is what today was like for Darryl, Jerry and I. We were looking for housing for Amy, Mike and other members of the family to stay in while here in Florida. I never thought finding a 2 bedroom apartment could be so difficult. We started out the day with the good news from Amy on Dick's progress, what a high that was to start the day! We headed to Tampa to check out housing that we had spent most of the early morning hours calling about and checking locations on from the computer. We checked out a few and saw one possibility. It is almost impossible to find anyone to rent on a month to month basis in Tampa. We stopped in the middle of the afternoon for a while to visit Dick. His progress is so exciting to watch. (but I will let Amy tell you about that) We then went back out and hit the streets, literally. Jer drove down neighborhoods, street by street, surrounding the hospital and each time we would see a house or an apartment that had a sign in the window Darryl or I would hop out and get the phone number and we would sit in the car and make a call. We would tell our sad story and pray that someone would take pity and make something happen for us. Everyone offered concern, some even offered their prayers but only a few offered rent month to month. Afraid to sound picky and a bit like Goldie Locks, we found 2 room apartments that were very small, and some with too big of a price. But one of the last apartments we came across had a charm about it that was perfect. It was close to the hospital, not too far out of our price range. As we got out of the car I told Uncle Darryl, "Look at that bumper sticker on that car in front of us, it's a sign". It read 'Watch Out for Motorcycles'. We went in to look at the apartment and it was just what we needed, we said we would take it. Then the roller coaster took that dive that takes your breath away. The lady with the apartment said, "I have never rented month to month before, I will have to take a couple of days to think about it." OH MY GOD! I thought we don't have a couple of days. We will need to start looking all over again. Uncle Darryl spoke up and asked her if she could please let us know soon so we would have time to find something else. This was 6:00p tonight. We picked Amy up at the hospital and headed back to Orlando. Excited about the news of Dick's progress and depressed over the possible loss of the one great apartment. 7:33p. Phone rings. It's Karen with the apartment. She has decided to rent to us! What a terrific ride this day has been today! Don't you love roller coasters!

Hi everyone! This is Amy again. I spent all day with my dad today. It was a great day. As soon as I walked in the room I went up to him and he immediately started moving around and he seemed to pick up his hand for me to hold. I kissed him and told him I loved him so much and I was so proud of him. Without ever opening his eyes he mouthed LUV U! I couldn't believe it! This was the first time all week I was starting to feel a little positive. Even though I was feeling good I was still on edge. I want him to start doing all of these things but I am nervous at the same time. I don't want him to get to excited. He still hasn't opened his eyes all of the way. I got him to open one eye just a little today for about a second. It took everything inside of him but he managed to get it half way open. I did try to give him some space today to get some rest. It was really hard to stand there and not push to get him to respond to me. He really is a fighter! I see him working so hard to get better. I wont give up on him! Amy

Amy's good news!

Hi everyone, its Amy! I am not as good at writing as my Aunt Judi so bear with me. I will try to make this short and sweet. I wanted to share some good news. It is 5:30 in the morning and I just called the hospital. My dad is breathing on his own and is following commands again! He is off all of the sedation medication and the vent is off for now. They still have it hooked up just in case they need to put him back on it which they said that is a possibility. Paul(his nurse) told me that sometimes when you are on a vent for a while you become dependent on it and when you start breathing on your own it wears you out because your not use to it. Paul also said that he squeezed both his hands and gave him the thumbs up sign! He said that he is trying really hard to open his eyes but they are pretty swollen so that will take some time. He is also reassuring dad that all of his family have been there and will be up in the morning. Before getting off the phone I asked his nurse Paul to please let him know that I am coming up there as soon as I can and I love him. I really wanted to tell him to run in there and give him a big kiss and hug but I didn't think Paul would appreciate that too much! LOL! He said he would go in and tell him at that very moment! I am overjoyed right now. This is the best news we have had in days! He is still in critical condition but I have a feeling God is working miracles!

I probably scared Mike to death when the phone rang at 4:00 his time to tell him the good news! He was thrilled as well. I know its killing him to not be here. It's killing me too! I really never realized how much I needed my big brother until he left yesterday! He has been the rock through this whole thing and I couldn't have done any of this without him.
While I am writing I would like to say that I couldn't have done this without Mike nor Aunt Judi, Uncle Jer, Uncle Darryl, and Aunt Kathy. They have all been amazing to Mike and I. This is so devastating to all of us and they still have enough strength to comfort me when I have my daily meltdowns! I cant begin to explain how grateful I am to all of them. Thank all of you as well for all of the prayers, love, and support you have given to all of us here in FL. Dad does not have any idea how much he is loved. I cant wait until I have the chance to tell him! Hopefully we will have good things to report tonight! Keep praying! Love to all!

Day Seven - Something New Has Been Added

Poor Dick, if he only knew what was going on while he slept. Today was pretty uneventful for us but for him he had a busy day. He was taken for a procedure this afternoon. He now has a feeding tube in his stomach which will replace the tube going through his nose. Although, they will still leave the tube in his nose for a few days just until they see how he tolerates the new feeding tube. If he aspirates it will come up through the nasal tube and not through his mouth lessening the chance of choking. He also had a CT scan late last night which has shown no change (two thumbs up). We are all pretty amazed at the miracles of science and medicine that we see every day. In the short time that Mike and Amy have spent in Florida most of their waking hours have been spent by their dad's bedside so they have become very versed in what each number on the monitor means and what each tube going into their father's body is for and why each fluid is returned from it. We are all very proud of the way they are holding up under the pressure. They are taking on the responsibilities that have been thrust upon them with great decorum. I know today was a very hard day for both of them as Mike had to return to Illinois and to work but hopes to be able to return soon. Amy still has family with her but having her big brother leave was very difficult, we cannot fill that void. Today has also been a day for us to seek housing. We need to find some place close to the hospital. Jerry and Darryl will be heading back to Illinois soon and I may stay behind with Amy and Kathy for a few extra days. It is unbelievable the things one must think of in a time like this. Housing, rental, deposits, utilities, transportation, all the while considering how close you want to stay to the hospital and how you can keep expenses down so you can afford to travel back and forth from Illinois. Not just us but as other family members want to come to relieve Amy so she can spend some time with her children as the months go on. We need to find someplace that will house at least 4 people. (If anyone has any suggestions we are listening) The responsibilities for Mike and Amy will get greater as the days go on and we the Hasty family will continue to hold strong and support each other. I leave you with this quote by Elbert Hubbard - "Responsibilities gravitate to the man who can shoulder them and the power to him who knows how". Dick would be very proud of both Amy and Mike.

The Story of the Teddy Bear

It's early in the morning and as many days I am having a hard time sleeping so I decided to finally get up and write you this story. I don't know how many of you remember that Marianne loved angels. Small angels, big angels, Christmas angels, cloth angels, ceramic angels, she didn't care, she just liked being surrounded by angels -- her guardian angels. The day of Dick's accident a very interesting thing happened. After all of the emergency personel left and the ambulance had left, Jerry had to leave and take Dick's bike to the fire station for safe keeping and I was left alone by the side of the road waiting for his return. There I stood across from the horrible site of the accident all alone, crying and praying, wringing my hands and pacing back and forth. I happened to look down and there was a little pink thing, little wings laying skyward, sort of dirty and discarded. For some reason it caught my eye and I took my foot and flipped it over and through my tears and without my glasses I could see clearly on its little chest the words "My Guardian Angel". There on the road was this little dirty and at the time I thought unwanted teddy bear but it meant something to me in that instant. It meant that Marianne was watching over Dick. Jer came shortly after that and we left for the hospital and forgot about that little bear until a day or two later when Amy and I were talking and I was trying to comfort her. I told her the story of the little bear and I just knew her mom was watching over her dad. Amy wanted that bear so as it would be Jer and I had to return to Lake Wales a few days later to pick up Dick's bike and we went back to the accident site and that Little Bear was just were I found him the first time. He was again laying there with his little wings skyward waiting to be found. He has been cleaned and is now sitting in Dick's hospital room guarding over him. That day I thought that little bear was there just for Dick. In hindsight, I think that little bear was very busy that day. He was a great comfort for me too when I first saw him. P.S. Thanks Aunt Cissy - We love and miss you every day.

Day Six Sunday- Going Slow

There are days when things go so slow.....today was one of them. Nothing seems to move forward. We go in Dick's room two at a time taking turns hour after hour. We talk to him and wait for a response. We hold his hand and stroke his hair. We tell him how much we miss him... his voice.... his smile.....how much we all want him back. We sit and watch as the nurses swab his mouth and clean his tubes, check his vitals and read monitors. We talk on the phone and give updates to family and friends who share our concerns and I know each of us are saying our silent prayers......and we wait. They say there will be days like this. There will be good days and there will be days that aren't so good. Days of increased temperature and high blood pressure. Days when he coughs so severely it is difficult to watch him trying so hard and you are unable to help him. Then there are days when he moves things on command and you swear he hears you and you hold the phone up to his ear so he can hear his grandchildren talk and he moves his head ever so slightly toward the phone and you know he is there with us. Waiting is all we can do. He had a good day today...as days go. He was highly medicated and rested well today. This recovery work is a hard job and this was the sabbath and so he rested.