News from the Denver Outpost August 24, 2007

Dear Friends,

The numbers of family are reduced again in Denver. Britanie returned to Omaha this morning to pack and move on to Boston on Tuesday. She has a solid week of orientation before beginning school in earnest on September 4^th. While we were a little emotional over her leaving, it was time for her to move forward. We will miss her, but she is still only a phone call away.

Rachel had her skin graft on her arm yesterday and is pretty sore where they harvested the donor skin. But, she progress a little farther today, even asking this evening to get out of bed and into her wheelchair to eat sitting up at a table. This is her first out of bed sitting dinner in 20 days. She studied the physics of her little walker tool and has since been improving on her pirouetting skills daily. She can now move much easier between focal points as she shifts her weight from her foot to her hand and walker.

She also was scolded for not using her lung improvement tool enough. The docs wanted to start weaning her off her oxygen today, but found out inadvertently that she wasn’t quite ready. Her Physical Therapist had hooked her to a portable oxygen tank and then saw her blood oxygen percentage dropping like a rock. She left to get a nurse and when they came back I asked if the tank was properly hooked up and on. She adjusted the hookup and the oxygen level started up immediately. So the docs didn’t get to do any weaning today.

We enter another weekend tomorrow with a lighter PT and OT schedule, but at least I know Rachel will get up and try the chair and potty on her own initiative. She can wash her hair (using camping procedures), brush her teeth, and put in earrings all on her own. So she must be getting set to go home.

Britanie and I went east yesterday and found a really nice Italian ristorante with pizza and pastas and all things Italian about a mile from the hospital. It was great food, and just a good walking distance with a nice break at the halfway point. So I will have to go that way more often and bring back some takeout for Rachel at some point. Today I went North by myself and found a little park I was told was close. (about 13 blocks) Unfortunately, I didn’t see any birds except pigeons, so the park is not my type of place. It would be great for soccer or baseball, but not birding.

Jay, Renee, Britanie, Zach and Leah’s Dad