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.
6/20/2012
ReplyDeleteMy brother Tom's wife has been following your story with special interest and she has decided to share her story.
"My name is Tracy Howard. I am sister-in-law to Jennifer Tomassetti, Aunt of Tori Tomassetti a close friend of Hayley and Julia’s.
I had a brain hemorrhage at age 24. After life saving surgery, the doctor found that I had an Arterial Venous Malformation the size of my fist in my brain. When my husband and mother met with the doctors they gave an 80% morbidity rate. I would surely die before 40 years of age. They would not work on me due the size of the lesion. They then referred me out to an incredible doctor at UCSD. He put me in a medically induced coma and did a 17 hour surgery to remove the AVM. I am now 45 and have had several Angio-Gram’s to verify NO AVM has recurred in my brain.
Although the circumstances are very different from Hayley’s situation than mine, one thing is the same and that is her/your positive outlook on her recovery. That is what got me through my hospitalization and recovery. You and she are the one’s who know her best, not the doctors.
The doctors told me/my family there was a good chance that I would never walk or talk again. After 1 year of recovery time, I went back to work. I refer to my hemorrhage/surgery as the “best time of my life”. It is a pretty interesting take on what most people would see as a terrible memory. I guess I am like Hayley, Julia and their supporters more of the glass half full types. I know that she and Julia will recover seeing all of the positive support of their families.
Take Care and know that we are all praying for her as well as Julia."
Tracy Howard
Construction Project Administrator
University Of California Santa Barbara
tracy.howard@dcs.ucsb.edu
805-893-4941
Tracy, thank you for sharing your amazing story. We are holding it, and you, close to our hearts. As one of our Flying Doctors family said "Just really great news that Hayley is NOT following doctors orders."
DeleteBy the way, Julia is still planning on entering UCSB pre-med studies in the fall.
There is so much I would like to share with you from my perspective on what Tracy went through, what my brother went through (at the time they had just gotten engaged) and what we all went through 21 years ago...I did share a tiny bit with Susan last week. It wasn't easy and at the beginning it was scary and there was so much that was unknown. But what I tried to express to Susan was that as dark a time as it was for a period, we got through it together and that although her odds did not look good and we had no idea what capabilities she might lose, she DID get through it and she recovered. If you get to recover with some or most of your abilities you will find a way to make it work. We are all hoping and praying for the best outcome for our beautiful Hayley and it sounds like she is moving in that direction!
ReplyDeleteTracy and Tom got married on the 1 year anniversary of her surgery and it was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara. She was not supposed to have children...they have a darling 10 year old daughter, named Julia :o)