Liam's First Post

Hey everyone! I've been home since June 7. Although my activities are limited I am trying to make the best of it. My daily life has included hanging out with my good friends and mostly going to the beach, enjoying life. After being in the hospital with everyone for a while we have all bonded. I have come back to visit Julia and Hayley a few times and I have to say that has been the highlight of my summer seeing how much better they are doing. Thank you so much to all who have kept Julia, Hayley and me in their hopes and prayers.

HAYLEY'S FIRST TRIP OUTDOORS

Today marks four weeks since the Saturday morning in El Fuerte. A lifetime has passed and a month has disappeared.

From the first 2-3 weeks holding our breath and just hoping for the best, this week has shown so much growth and promise! Each day brings positive news. 

Hayley's temperature has been normal for 72 hrs+, so spinal surgery is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday July 3 (same day as Julia's, so July 3 is now officially HB Day in the surgical suites of San Diego). 

FIRST TRIP OUTSIDE

Julia's First Post!

Hello all! I'm quite excited to write my first post, and I'd like to start by thanking everyone who has Hayley, Liam, and I in their thoughts and prayers. It has definitely been a journey, but all the support I've received from family, friends, and the whole Liga community has kept my spirits high throughout the entire process.

I want to start by sharing a short bit about my personal experience as I arrived home in the States, and then want to end with a quick update of what's to come.

As I arrived at Scripps La Jolla I believed I would stay for a night or so, and then be able to go home. My injuries, however, we found were much more extensive than those that were  known about in Mexico. What I thought to be an overkill of radiation and documentation proved to be an invaluable second look at what we were really dealing with.

After a level five spinal fusion and a reconstruction of the orbital bone under my right eye, my most pressing injuries had been addressed. The next day a sling to support my broken clavicle, a special boot to protect my broken left foot, and a massive brace to support my torn ACL arrived to contribute to my esnemble that is completed with what my mom calls, my "turtle shell" back brace. The doctors also discovered my spleen had been lacerated, but by the time I arrived in the States, it was not in critical condition.

Fast forward about two weeks to today (6/28/12), and I'm able to walk around 100 feet by myself with the aid of a crutch under my left arm. As I continue to improve, the days of pain after surgery begin to melt together and serve as a reference point of how much I have to be thankful for.

I'm so incredibly grateful to be able to type this post, and can't believe I will be able to return home this Saturday (6/30/12). I am planning on visiting my best friend, Hayley, this Monday and can't begin to express the  buiilding excitment and complete joy I feel as it gets closer to when I get to see her!!! I'm scheduled for clavicle surgery on Tuesday, July 3 and will then continue with my recovery process while going to outpatient rehab. A little later down the road I will have an ACL reconstruction surgery, but need to wait until I recover from my back and clavicle surgeries before I'm ready for the required pre and post-surgery rehab.

Wow, that was so long! I hope it wasn't boring and thank you again for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. It means more than you know, and I truly believe your love and concern has had a positive effect.

Lots of love and thankfulness,
Julia

HAYLEY BETTER EVERY DAY

We are so excited with how well Hayley is doing, and how fast she is recovering. Every day the changes accelerate. She is more alert and focused, writes her questions and responses on a white board (usually signed "Love, Hayley" ... with a heart or smiley face). 


Short-term memory, focus, eye-hand coordination, cognitive processing, orientation all really good!  Below, she is saying "hi" and "thank you" to everyone who has been praying for her and sending good wishes, and hopes that everyone else is doing well. We think that Julia can visit Hayley for the first time on Monday!


Speech Therapy is unable to help Hayley talk with her trach yet because of vocal cord injury, but that will come. Hayley is patient with her physio and speech therapy, and works hard. Such strength and determination! 


We are hoping her temp stays down so she can have her spinal surgery early next week, then we can begin strengthening exercises, remove her tracheotomy, and off to Rehab for the finishing touches. I am reading her the messages that you are sending, and she is grateful to everyone for their kindness and prayers.

Hayley Thursday June 28

Sent by my good friend Tim Brown: "I beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without ever noticing it, live your way into the answer…" - Rainer Maria Rilke 

Yesterday, Hayley was asked to write her name: she picked up the pen and wrote this.

Today she wrote to her good friend Gracie, without prompting: "Thanks for coming to see me. I love you. Hayley" THEN she was asked if there was anything she wanted: She wrote "When can you wash my hair?" and then she was asked "Is there anything else you'd like?" She wrote" "Be quiet." Everybody is always yapping at her with great intentions, but it must be annoying .....lol.

She waved to her doctor and gave him a heart sign, she points things out accurately, is doing most physio exercises on her own. Her attention and focus are good, eye hand coordination excellent, communicates clearly, orientation intact. We are so excited for how well she is doing. 

"Doctors give the diagnosis, God gives the prognosis."

Although her fever is slightly elevated, they think they know where it's coming from, so chances are that will be under control. Sutures came out, incisions healing well. Her catheter was removed yesterday, and she is doing well on her own. She has still a couple of open wounds with dressings, her boot is on her fractured ankle, and she wears her brace awaiting a spinal fusion L1-2.

If you are reading this, could you possibly write back in the comments section on this blog instead of sending me emails, then we can save your comments. I promise I will read your messages to Hayley, it encourages and supports her to hear them. Please write.

Hospitals are filled with good people working in extremely complex systems, and stuff gets lost. To keep everything straight, we developed a daily Care Card which keeps track of everyone and everything that needs to happen. 

Also, I could not find anything written on what patients with head trauma should be doing in the first few weeks, so we made this up, feel free to use it if you have a family member with TBI. On one side are exercises and activities we think are important, and on the back are daily notes and requests. 

Much love and gratitude from the whole family

Hayley and her dad

Fishermen's Fund News

You might have heard that two of the young men who helped save our kids from the river, Sam Bell and Andrés Armenta, were in an auto accident June 18 in El Fuerte. They were leaving school on a motor bike, were hit by another vehicle without insurance and brought to Los Mochis in an ambulance. Andrés was released, but Sam was hospitalized with a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula.  

When Robert Hatch, a Liga volunteer living in Los Mochis entered Sam’s hospital room, his first question was how Hayley, Julia, and Liam were doing.  

There has been over $4,500 collected so far, and I believe the intent of the three teens would be to help out now. Although Sam's medical expenses appear partially covered, the outcome of his surgery is unknown, and we think it would help him, at least psychologically, to know that there were some extra funds to help with school. 

So as soon as possible, if we are all in agreement, a Liga volunteer in El Fuerte will give Sam $1,500 (one-third of amount collected so far) to help toward his school expenses and anything else he needs. It sounds as though he is a reliable and responsible young man, and will use the funds well. Andrés also has minor medical expenses. We can begin to disburse funds to Andrés and his father too - they appear to have little, if any, resources.

Here is a letter we just received from an uncle in Texas:

Dear Dr. Lapp,

Thank you for your e-mail and concern for Sam. I have spoken to him and he is doing well so far. I should know soon whether or not he was released from the hospital. He has a long recovery ahead of him and I am hoping he will be patient and do as he is told by his doctors.

With regard to the fund that has been collected for Sam and the Armentas, it is a wonderful idea to designate this money for education. Sam attends university in El Fuerte and is a very good student. He receives a stipend from his father's estate, managed by  the CPA in Texas you mentioned, quarterly to help with school and living expenses. His father, my deceased brother, did not have medical insurance on Sam and his Social Security benefits are at an end. The CPA in Texas has been able to cover his medical expenses so far. My wife and I help Sam from time to time as well.

I feel it would be best to honor the original intent for which the donations were made by designating that they be used for Sam's continuing education.  He always has concerns about making his tuition payments, buying books and supplies, as well as general living expenses.  

I feel the best way to deliver the donation to Sam would be to have one of your organization members visit him in El Fuerte and explain what your group wishes to do for him and deliver the funds to him in person. Sam is a very responsible and honorable young adult and I know he will honor your donor's wishes. His family here in the U.S. was very proud of him before the plane crash and even more so now. We are so saddened that the pilot did not survive but that all the young people did.

I understand and appreciate the good work your group does in Mexico. I was personally involved in the Austin Plastic Surgery Foundation program called Austin Smiles. I was a volunteer pilot who ferried doctors and nurses to different parts of Mexico for their work. It is a gratifying experience and I applaud all who are involved.

Thank you and your organization for your good wishes and desire to do something special for Sam. It is greatly appreciated by his whole family.

Sincerely,

Harvey Bell

Hayley

For now, Hayley is still on a challenging course. Her several infections that have become difficult to track and treat prevent her from having surgery on her spine. She is responding to her environment to some degree and we hope that this will continue to improve.

At times I get confused and angry. Hayley is completely incapacitated and helpless, when this should have been the happiest summer of her life. She had a great summer job, was looking forward to NSA leadership, her work with the turtles in Costa Rica, and Cal Poly in the fall. Julia is struggling with rehab, filled with pain, and needs two more surgeries.

One day the meaning might be revealed, and spending time on what I can't control isn't a good use of energy. We are living one hour at a time.

Por ahora, Hayley todavía está sobre un camino desafiante.  Las diferentes infecciones que ha sufrido que han sido difíciles de rastrear y tratar le impiden que se someta a una cirugía en su columna vertebral.  Está respondiendo a su entorno hasta cierto punto, y esperamos que esto siga mejorando.

A veces me confundo y me enojo.  Hayley está completamente incapacitada e indefensa, cuando éste debería haber sido el verano más feliz de su vida.  Tenía un fabuloso trabajo de verano, estaba esperando el liderazgo de NSA, su trabajo con las tortugas en Costa Rica y Cal Poly en el otoño.  Julia está luchando con la rehabilitación, llena de dolor, y necesita dos cirugías más.

Un día el significado podrá ser revelado, pasar el tiempo en lo que no puedo controlar no es un buen uso de la energía.  Vivimos una hora a la vez. 

HAYLEY

Hayley keeps making progress, it is sometimes slow and uneven ... but we are told that she is doing well. About half the time, she can recognize, point to, calculate; she knows where she is. These are all excellent signs. Her custom made but-not-terribly-attractive brace was delivered and she sat up for the first time today!

We are three-weeks post-accident and signs are now good. Although her temp spikes occasionally, we think she will still have spinal surgery to fuse L1-2 on Monday as planned. When stable post-op, she will be able to transfer to a facility closer to home and continue the road to recovery.

We're all overwhelmed with the kindness of family, friends and neighbors, and of those who have been in traumatic accidents, fully recovered and who are sharing their stories with us. Soon, Hayley will be able to share her story of her remarkable fight for life and her complete recovery from an unspeakable accident.

This is a poster we made for the wall of her hospital room so the whole team will keep on believing and finish off the rest of her miracle.

SABADO, 23 DE JUNIO DE, 2012

Hayley continúa mejorando, a veces de manera lenta y desigual... pero nos dicen que  está yendo bien.  Casi la mitad del tiempo, ella puede reconocer, señalar, calcular; sabe donde se encuentra  Todas estas son excelentes señales.  Su aparato ortopédico hecho a la medida aunque no terriblemente atractivo fue entregado y ¡ella se sentó por primera vez hoy!

Han pasado tres semanas de la fecha del accidente y los indicios ahora son buenos.  A pesar de que su temperatura sube ocasionalmente, pensamos que aun se someterá a una cirugía de la columna vertebral para fusionarL1-2 el lunes como se planeó.  Después de la operación cuando su estado este estacionario, podrá trasladarse a una institución más cercana a casa y continuar por el camino a la recuperación.  Todos estamos abrumados por la amabilidad de la familia, amigos y vecinos, y de aquellos que han estado involucrados en accidentes traumáticos que se han recuperado por completo y que están compartiendo sus historias con nosotros. Pronto Hayley podrá compartir la historia de su increíble lucha por la vida y de su completa recuperación de un inexplicable accidente.  Este es un cartel que hicimos para la pared de su habitación en el hospital, así todo el equipo continuará creyendo y terminará el resto de su milagro. 

This morning, Hayley mouthed her name. She made the cut off sign we make in scuba diving (she's a diver) when she wanted the music turned off. And she held a photo of herself and her friends, looked at it, and handed it back. She follows with her eyes again.

Please keep believing and praying that our miracle will complete with Hayley's complete recovery so all three teens can go on and live the amazing lives for which they were preparing.

We are collecting good news stories for a Positive News Network to give families hope when the medical people give none. Please send your good news of those who have thrived after trauma.

Sam Bell was one of the fishermen who saved the lives of Liam, Julia and Hayley on June 2 in the Rio Fuerte. On June 18, Sam Bell (in blue shirt, left) and his friend Andrés Armenta Jr. were leaving school on a motor bike and were hit by another vehicle without insurance. They were brought to Los Mochis in an ambulance; Andrés is fine and has returned home but Sam is in the hospital with a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula and has pins and metal from his knee to his ankle.


We will do everything we can for Sam and his family. And pray for guidance and understanding on how these terrible things keep happening to such good people.

Usted puede haber escuchado que dos de los jóvenes que ayudaron a salvar a nuestros hijos del río, Sam Bell y Andrés Armenta,estuvieron en un accidente automovilístico el 18 de junio en El Fuerte.  Ellos estaban saliendo de la escuela en una moto, fueron golpeados por otro vehículo sin seguro y transportados en ambulancia a Los Mochis.  Andrés fue dado de alta, pero Sam fue hospitalizado con una fractura conjunta de la tibia y el peroné. 

Cuando Robert Hatch, un voluntario de la liga que vive en Los Mochis entró a la habitación de Sam en el hospital, su primera pregunta fue cómo estaban Hayley,Julia y Liam.