Larisa Hertz

Small Investment Great Reward

I just want to share with you a little joy that our dear Larisa gave to me. She’s currently lying on a special “air bed” that helps to heal the donor sites on her back. She has expressed much discomfort with her back so while she was on her passy-muir valve I asked her if she wanted me to massage her back a little. She said ok, so with the nurses approval I ran my hands under the mattress bedding so she’d have a little cushion between my hands and her back and started working on her lower back and upward. She immediately said “Dad, that feels sooooo good!” After a little while she started running her right hand through my hair and scratching my shoulder where she could reach so I could experience a little of what she was receiving! This girl amazes me to no end! She’s a giver and cares so much about others! I need to learn more of that kind of a spirit.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that little tidbit with you. I better get off of here so I can get back there as it’s about time for another back rub! Hope you’re all having a great day! Jeff

Friday 7:00 am - 8 weeks

Good morning,

Larisa had a very good night. After the “party”, Larisa settled down, and spent four hours sleeping with the trach shield in place (no ventilator support). Patty said that it was almost harder for her to go back on the ventilator than to stay on the trach shield, which is usually what happens during a patient’s progression to ventilator independence! So, good steps in the breathing department. Patty is replacing some magnesium this morning - I guess Larisa needs to eat more spinach! All of her other labs and vital signs look great. I think that Larisa’s schedule today will be very similar to yesterday - physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. She is settling into a routine, which is good.

Sheldon stabilized through the night. I still haven’t heard if they have identified the problem. We love this family, and unfortunately understand exactly what they are going through. Thank you for remembering them also.

Over the past few days, I have noticed how “familiar” Larisa has become with her trach tube and all of the “accessories” that go along with it - the cuff, the shield, the valve, etc. This IS her source of life, and she is not only familiar with how it works, but pretty protective of the whole system. Her eyes are attentive to each move around her trach, and her hands are familiar with the connections, the deep suctioning, really everything related to the trach. Larisa is not “casually familiar” with her trach. How “familiar” am I with my source of life? I John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…” We are individually responsible for being familiar with the Word, and more importantly, the author of the Word.

Have a wonderful day!

David for TWR

Thursday 9:30 pm

Sorry this is so late. Larisa went off the vent and on the Passy-Muir at 8 pm, so I waited until after that time. She has had a good day. Got all of her therapy, physical, speech, occupational, - did her “crunches”, got a nap this afternoon. She had some special requests for Mom today - Gatorade and pears! So, Monica is freezing some Gatorade and turning it into “ice chips”, and will puree some pears tonight for her “pudding” tomorrow.

Debbie and Emily went in at 8 pm - they kicked momma Debbie out after a while for some “girl talk”. Jacob’s mom (Veronica) and sister (Ashley) came in, and the girl talk continued! Larisa is in some pain tonight, and Patty is getting her some pain medication.

This afternoon, the social worker (Tanya) gave Larisa a “mental test”. She nailed it! She asked Larisa to write a sentence, any sentence. So Larisa wrote “The girls went to the mall!” I would say recovery is progressing nicely!

All for tonight!

David for TWR

PS Sheldon is having a very rough evening. He stopped breathing a little after 8 pm. He is on the ventilator now, and the doctors are concerned about a blood clot to his lung. Remember him…

Thursday 7 am

Good morning,

Larisa had a better night. Sharon said that Larisa slept a lot, and when she wasn’t sleeping, she was resting. Maybe the new meds are doing the trick. They have also changed her pain medications (decreasing the scheduled dosing), but still making them available to her as she needs them. All of her vital signs look good. I have seen her pulse in the 110-120 range over the last couple of days. It hasn’t been below 120 for weeks (Cara says it was once, but she didn’t take a picture of the monitor!). The plan now really centers around gaining strength and mobility, and getting off of the ventilator. All of this requires rest. Hopefully Larisa will have a great day with her therapists, and get to spend some quality time off of the ventilator.

Jeff sent me a text last night that I must share. They had gone back to the hospital after meeting, and when Larisa went to sleep they headed “home”. As they were leaving, Jeff bent down and got real close to her face to say goodnight. After a few seconds, he whispered “I wish I knew what you were thinking inside there”. Quick as a whip, she said “that you’re weird”. As Jeff pointed out, that is my girl getting better. All parents would have to agree with you, Jeff!

Have a wonderful day.

David for TWR

Wednesday 6:15 pm

Good evening,

I stopped by the hospital to visit Larisa on my way home. She was asleep, but woke up as I was visiting with the nurses in the hall. She was worn out after a big day with Occupational and Physical Therapy. She has been on trach shield and Passy-Muir for a couple of hours today. She also hit the exercise table and did her squats. She is so weak and wears out so fast. The ventilator provides help with her breathing and lets her get some rest. They did change some of her pain medications and are going to try a new medication tonight to see if see can get longer and better rest. She was tired but in a good mood. Sheldon was just rolling into his room as I left - he spent the afternoon in surgery for some re-grafting and touch ups. Looked like he did well.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Meeting is at our place tonight. I think Jeff and Monica will come if Larisa is resting well.

David for TWR

Wednesday 7 am

Good morning,

Larisa had another restless night. It is just hard for her to get continuous sleep, which I think is not uncommon for ICU patients. Dr. Devine is trying to work with her pain meds to help with this problem. Larisa is also on a medication that should specifically help with “thought processing” issues that occur commonly in ICU patient. Other than that, Larisa had a good night. All of her vital signs and morning lab numbers look good, other than needing a little magnesium. She was eating some ice chips, according to Ecstasy.

This morning, Larisa told Ecstasy that she is missing someone. Ecstasy finally figured out it was “Tim”. I explained that Tim is her brother that lives and works in San Antonio. Tim, come home! I think Tim is planning to be here for Thanksgiving.

We will be having Thanksgiving at the hospital. Several of the family (Hertz and Grainger/Smith) will be coming. We are looking forward to seeing everyone. There were likely be plenty of food, so stop on by!

Thanks again for all of your concern for Larisa, Sheldon, Jayne, Clay, and all those with struggles. Real concern for others is a wonderful quality to have in your life. Have a great day.

David for TWR

Tuesday 7:35 pm

Good evening,

Larisa is hungry, grumpy, and made her first cell phone call to her mom! Jacob dialed for her, and she pushed “Send”. She was calling her mom for some crackers. When they got back to her room, Jeff talked to the nurses about crackers and they explained that she can’t really swallow them yet. So Jeff explained it to Larisa, and she wasn’t happy with it - “Why, will I die?” I didn’t get to experience all of the “fun” today, but is was all good according to Jacob, Monica, and Jeff.

She has had a very good day, really, and we think that all of the “moodiness” late in the afternoon is a great thing. She was very happy until she got hungry and tired. She is back on the vent and sleeping now. She tried to nap while on the Passy-Muir, but just couldn’t get comfortable. We will see how she is at 8 pm when we can see her again.

She had speech therapy today, and did very well. They tried some pudding today, which she really didn’t like. They may try some yogurt tomorrow. She had PT and OT today, and they had her on the exercise table today…she deserves to be tired.

All for tonight…I think we are making progress! Thanks for checking in!

David for TWR

Tuesday 7 am

Good morning,

Ecstasy, Larisa’s night nurse, said that Larisa had a pretty good night. She had given her some medication to help her rest, and it worked for most of the night. They are going to tweak her pain medications and medications for rest a little bit today. Ecstasy was impressed with Larisa’s “cough”, meaning her ability to cough up these secretions that are in her lungs. A frequent request from Larisa is for her nurses to perform “deep suctioning” - where a suction catheter is advanced deep into her lungs through her trach tube. Larisa is getting better at coughing up these secretions on her own. Her vitals were stable through the night, and her kidney function numbers look even better this morning. They are replacing some potassium and other electrolytes this morning. No huge plans for today - more of yesterdays “action” I suspect.

Larisa is very weak. Burn patients expend huge amounts of energy healing, along with having a very high metabolic rate. Their basal metabolic rate stays high for months, maybe even the first year or more after the burn. This high metabolic rate along with inactivity results in muscle wasting, and even some loss of calcium from bone. Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy are working hard to get her more active and stronger. It is a slow process, but we hope to see steady progress in her strength this week.

Sheldon is doing better. I stick my head in each day to say hello. Kim is with him now, and Mike is back in Hays. His brothers (Clay, Taylor, and Jorden) visit on the weekends when they can. Emily has adopted Jorden as her younger brother (or maybe it was the other way around, hard to tell ). Sheldon is learning patience, just like the rest of us.

All for this morning. Hope you have a wonderful day.

David for TWR

Monday 7:45 pm

A very good evening to you!

I love writing “great news” posts. Larisa has had a BIG but GREAT day. I walked into her room about 2:30 this afternoon and found a happy crowd of nurses, occupational therapists, and speech therapists! When I got to the door, I got a wave and a “Hi, Dave!” She was off of the ventilator and on the Passy-Muir valve. Her swallowing test went great. She can have ice chips and sips of water now. She also had physical therapy, and they had her sitting on the edge of her bed again today. After she got settled back in, she wanted me to call her mom (in the waiting room) and get her glasses and phone. I wasn’t aware she had a new phone yet, but called out for her glasses (she had to give me Monica’s cell number!). After the glasses were on, she beamed and said “I can talk, and I can see!” She was visited by Sharon, Roanne, and Virginia this afternoon. She got her new phone this evening, and Emily had loaded some pictures for her. Larisa poked around on the phone for a bit, but wore out and went to sleep. She is back on the ventilator to rest. It is visiting hours again, so we will see how she is feeling. Latest word - Emily and Larisa are having “thumb wars”!

Hopefully tomorrow will be another day of progress! Enjoy your evening.

David for TWR

Monday 6:20 am

Good morning,

I just visited with Pat, Larisa’s night nurse, and Larisa had a wonderful night. She got lots of needed rest, and is starting to boss people around. Jacob had spent the night in the waiting room, and last evening when he was in the ICU she pointed her finger at him and sent him to bed! She told the surgery resident (Dr. Devine) this morning that she wanted to “walk in the hall”! She also wants a “plane ticket home”. Her vital signs were great all night, and her renal function numbers are normal this morning. It is so encouraging to see the “feisty” girl showing up again. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a week of real progress. Larisa never ceases to amaze and uplift me. We will update you later on her progress.

Thank you again for all of your help. It means so much to the family and to all of us in the waiting room. Thanks for all of your visits, all of the food, and all of the care that comes to us from afar. We can never repay the debt.

David for TWR

Sunday evening 7:45

Larisa had a steady day physically and mentally. Jennifer watched over her carefully. Larisa was awake and alert for most of her late afternoon visitors. For” visits” with Larisa, it is a HUGE benefit if you are good at reading lips! I think she is going to get a good nights rest. Her vital signs have stayed about the same today. Her pulse is about 130, blood pressure fine, respirations from 20-30 (depending on how active she is), temperature about 100, and outputs are good. We will see how her morning labs look. We are hopeful that tomorrow will bring some trach shield time, and maybe even some Passy-Muir valve time. I am sure Physical and Occupational therapy will be spending time with her tomorrow also. I feel like the clock was “reset” back by a week or two for Larisa- but forward we go! She is willing and able.

All for this evening, hope you had a wonderful day.

David for TWR

Sunday morning 7 am

Good morning,

We hoped for a peaceful night and according to Becky, her nurse, that is what we got. Larisa had a very good night, lots of good rest, with some steps in the right direction. She was breathing on her own quite a bit last night, with no ventilator assistance, and did very well. Her chest x-ray has shown no change (for better or worse, so still treading water there). Her renal function numbers improved sightly again today, so that is headed in the right direction. Her blood gasses look great today. We are anxious for more positive steps today!

I read the book of Esther this week. To be honest, I was attracted to read it again because I know the ending! Reading this book gives me courage to trust in experiences that I don’t know the ending yet. This time I found a beautiful gospel story in the 8th chapter. A king, an intercessor, people living under a sentence of death, a “message of good news” carried to every corner of the kingdom, and redemption and victory. We are so thankful today for that One that paid the price for us, knows us so well, and intercedes for us. We are so glad for those that are willing to carry this message into every corner of the world today, at great personal cost. Just like it was for the people in this chapter, there are conditions that we have to meet to have personal redemption, peace, and victory in our lives. I want those conditions in my life.

Have a wonderful Sunday, wherever you are. Thank you for remembering Larisa.

David for TWR

Saturday 8:15 pm

Good evening,

Well, Larisa had a stable day. Her renal function numbers improved today, and her urine output has been spectacular. She has also rested better today, after such a restless night. We have had several nice “visits” today - she is still very tired. Her oxygen requirements have come down (50%), and her blood pressure remains stable. She is much less swollen today. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for much more. We are hoping she will have a peaceful night, and maybe we will see more progress tomorrow.

We hope that you are having a restful evening, preparing for a great day tomorrow. Thank you as always for every thought and prayer that goes Larisa’s way. They are most beneficial.

David for TWR

Saturday 7 am

Good morning,

Not a lot to report this morning, good or bad. “Treading water”, as Jill her nurse said to me. Larisa did not sleep well last night, and is still mainly having trouble with respirations. Her blood gasses look much better this morning, so maybe Respiratory Therapy can “tweak” the ventilator so that her breathing won’t feel so labored. Her temperature is staying down, her urine outputs up, and blood pressure is fine, so that is all good. Hopefully Larisa can get some much needed rest today, both physically and mentally.

I won’t lie to you, this setback is hard not only for Larisa, but for all of us that are with her on this journey. It is hard on the doctors, nurses, all of her caregivers, family, and of course the waiting room(s). But we are patient - one day at a time. Treading water is better than sinking. It is hard work for Larisa, though, and we pray she has the strength to fight on and win this last (hopefully) big battle.

David for TWR

PS Today is my Dad’s 85th birthday (no “code” for this one!) Happy Birthday, Dad! Thanks for being such a great friend and a great example through the years!

Friday 4:45 pm

Larisa is doing better this afternoon. She is still quite sedated, but her respirations are at 20, blood pressure is fine, pulse is 120, and her urine outputs are improving. They have been about 200cc per hour for the last 3 hours. Dr. Ross saw her a few minutes ago and is happy with the improvements. No CRRT (dialysis) at this time.

The CT scans showed a chronic sinus infection, some residual pneumonia, some fluid in the abdomen, but no masses or abscess formation. This is good news. The chronic sinus infection will have to be addressed at some time. It is unclear how much this may be affecting her current condition. They will likely have an ENT (ear nose and throat) doc take a look at her.

She is on two antibiotics treating two different infections - a urinary tract infection and blood infection (sepsis). The bugs are sensitive to the antibiotics that she is receiving (but the bug in her urine is resistant to vancomyicin). Bacteria adapt quickly (acquire resistance to antibiotics) - Larisa was on Vancomycin for a couple of weeks. She is “well covered” with her current antibiotic regimen. The nickname of one of her antibiotics is “gorillacillin”!

Right now, she is stable. We miss our pleasant visits with Larisa, but hopefully they will return soon. All for now,

David for TWr

Friday 1:10 pm

Just a quick update. Larisa has been to CT for the “abscess” work up. We have partial results - no infection in sinus or head. We are waiting for results of chest and abdomen. Her urine outputs are a little better. Even so, they have doubled her diuretic. She is very sleepy. More to follow as we know. Thanks for checking in on her.

David for TWR

Friday 6:45 am

Good morning,

The “bump” may be a “hill”. Larisa’s night was more restless, and her urine outputs are still quite low (around 20 cc per hour). Her kidney function numbers are headed in the wrong direction this morning, so I am sure Dr. Ross (nephrologist) will be by to see her (again). Maybe he has some magic that will “tickle” her kidneys…if not, we may be looking at Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) again. If you recall, CRRT is an “artificial kidney” that is placed beside her bed. It was very helpful last time when she was septic (blood infection, like now). Larisa’s temp is between 101 - 102, her blood pressure is fine, but her breathing is fairly fast even when she is asleep. We will keep you posted through the day.

Today is the 7 week anniversary of Larisa’s accident. I am sorry again this morning that she is having to go through so much. Any of us would gladly trade places with her, taking the whole burden, or even a part of the burden. We can’t do this. What we can do is stand by, hold her hand, comfort her, pray for and with her, pray for her caregivers, be thankful for all of you, and hold on. Thanks again,

David for TWR

Thursday 6:30 pm

Good evening,

Larisa has had a long day. She was sad early this morning when I was with her, and a little confused. Debbie came up this morning to be with Jeff and Monica. Larisa’s blood cultures and urine cultures came back positive, so she is back on two antibiotics. They will be changing out her PICC line (it could be a source of infection - the cultures were obtained through this line). Her temperature is 102.4 now, and her breathing is pretty labored. She is on the ventilator - she is not requiring much pressure at all (6) but is on 40% O2. Her blood pressure looks fine. But her urine output is decreasing (it was pretty good during the day). Melissa has decided that her kidneys have “sundowners” - they stop working at sunset! We are hopeful that with fluids, protein, and diuretics they can get her kidneys going. Her kidney function numbers all look OK at this time. No choice, we just have to be patient and make it through another “bump” in the road.

Hope you all are having a wonderful evening.

David for TWR

PS Tomorrow is Debbie’s birthday - you can send her a card or note at dgrainger@cox.net or text her at 316-650-0854. She will be %@ years young!

Thursday 7:20 am

Good morning,

When I say I will update you “later”, it might be the next day! Sorry about that. Larisa had a good evening and night. She always seems to struggle with her blood pressure after surgery. She did get 6 units of blood yesterday before, during, and after surgery. But this morning, her blood pressure is fine, her temperature is down, and the only minor struggle is her urine output. Sarah said that Larisa woke up worried in the night - she was worried that she hadn’t been to “church” in a while. They had a quiet 5 minutes together, and Larisa went back to sleep. This is probably the ONLY thing that Larisa doesn’t need to worry about. We are so thankful for the kind, considerate care that is being provided to Larisa.

The service for Aunt Jeanie was very special. About 300 folks gathered at Lakeview for the visitation and service. I will share one thing that we heard from James 4:14. Our lives are like a vapor, here only for a brief period of time, then fading away. BUT vapor, under the right conditions, will re-form, it will condense into something of substance. What do we do now (what are the conditions) so that our lives will not just fade away and be forgotten, but that they will re-form into something of substance in eternity? It has everything to do with the seed, planted in our hearts, growing into a harvest, that when the sickle (death) comes, there is an eternal reward (Mark 4:26-29). Aunt Jeanie’s life would give us confidence that the seed that was growing in her life, and the investments she was making (dying to self, living for others) will result in a bountiful reward.

Have a wonderful day!

David for TWR

Wednesday 3:30 pm - post op

Good afternoon,

Dr. Bingaman just came by the waiting room. Her procedure took a little longer than they expected, but everything went very well. They worked on the back of her shoulders, her upper chest, left arm, left hand, right ankle, right cheek, and a little bit on her right ear. Lot’s of “touch-up” work, but he was happy with the results. He thinks it should be the last surgery for the burn team. Further surgeries will be performed by Dr. Sprole, the plastic surgeon. Dr. Sprole has talked to Jeff and Monica about needing to add a little more skin to the eyelids, and is planning to do this before her discharge to the rehab hospital. They think she can be in rehab in a couple of weeks!

Aunt Jeanie’s service is at 7 pm tonight at Lakeview Cemetery (K96 at 13th Street). In the waiting room now are Loren, John, Virginia, Roanne and Sharon. Melissa is nearby. George Peterson will be coming up from Oklahoma to help with the service. Ron is at conventions in the Caribbean.

We will update you later tonight on Larisa and the service.

David for TWR

Wednesday 6:20 am

Good morning,

I just visited with Kelsie about Larisa’s night. It was pretty good, as she managed to get some much needed rest. Larisa did tell Kelsie that “I want to get up and walk!” Not quite yet girl, but I love the attitude. Her temp did get back up to 104 briefly during the night, but her white blood count (a marker for infection) is still normal this morning. She is still scheduled for surgery at 12:30 today. This will be the first surgery that she will actually be “awake” at the beginning. I promised her I would put on my “green pajamas” and be with her when she went to sleep. She seemed OK with that idea! Emily got to spend about an hour last night with Larisa. It was hard to leave - I think they both wanted to curl up in bed together, and fight for the covers.

We will update you after surgery. Thanks again for all of your care and concern. It means a lot to Larisa, her family, my family, to me personally, and I think it means a lot to God.

Have a good day,

David for TWR

Tuesday 8 pm

Good evening to all,

Sheldon came through a very long procedure with flying colors. Mike said that 98% of his burns are grafted at this time. He will spend a few days recovering, and probably go back the first of next week to finish up the grafting and touch-ups.

Larisa has had a tiring day. I was lucky enough to walk in the room around noon when they were sitting her up on the side of the bed! It was exciting to sit beside her for a few minutes. Jeff and Monica were there also. Dr. Sprole came by today and took out some stitches around her eyes. She is very pleased with the results so far. She instructed Larisa on face muscle exercises, and exercises for her eyes. Larisa is very attentive. At three this afternoon, she sent Monica out for the nurse (she was gesturing towards her face), When the nurse came in, they figured out it was time for her face mask! 3 to 6 is what Brandon impressed on her this morning, and she remembered!

She is still fighting her fever. It is above 103 right now. Blood cultures and urine cultures are still pending. Her chest x-ray was normal. It is kind of miserable for her, though. Jeff and Monica just came out of the room, and Emily and I are going back for a bit (after we finish reviewing for a Chemistry exam!).

Larisa is on the surgery schedule for 12:30 tomorrow afternoon. Keep her in your thoughts.

Hope you all have a good evening. We will talk in the morning.

David for TWR

Tuesday 6:45 am

Good morning,

Larisa had a relatively good night. Carmella said she was tearful for a bit, worrying about her “appointments” today (Physical and Occupational therapy). She is anxious to put something “good” in her mouth. They played with the solutions that they dip the oral swabs in again last night - the winner? Ice water! She stayed on the ventilator last night, but will probably be coming off for a bit this morning.

Larisa also had issues with her temperature last night, spiking briefly to 105, but responding to tylenol, motrin, and the cooling blanket. They may be looking for another source of infection today. We will have to see what Dr. B thinks when he makes rounds.

Thank you again for thinking of Larisa. She was a little melancholy when I left last night. I told her about you, and all that you were doing for her…and she beamed. I can’t help but think about all of the wakeful time that Larisa has, and all of the thoughts that must be going through her mind. She needs lots of support right now, from both near and far. She is getting “near”support from Mom and Dad, Jaclyn, Nathan, Emily, Debbie, Christy, Jacob, Martin, Sharon and Melissa, all of us here that can visit, and especially her nurses, doctors, and therapists. But EVERYONE realizes that there is something else going on “out there”. Thank you for providing such constant, unwavering intercession on our behalf.

David for TWR

Monday 8 pm

Larisa had a big day. When I got here this morning, she was off of the ventilator on the Passy-Muir valve. When I walked in, she said “My voice is stronger today!” And indeed it was. We had a nice visit, but she wore out fast. Then back on the ventilator for some rest. This afternoon, she was visited by Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. She dangled her legs from the bed today. Speech therapy is helping with her swallowing, and they will be back tomorrow to do a swallowing test. She is worn out, and is sleeping now.

Matt, her nurse for the day, came out to visit the family before going home. He reported that Larisa does have a fever of 104. So, more tylenol, motrin, and cooling blankets. It seems to be related to her bath tonight. Burn patients do get “microbial showers” when they are bathed. Bacteria or toxins get into the blood stream and cause brief (but high) temperature elevations. Carmella is on the job tonight, and will get the temperature down. They will try to give her some time (maybe an hour or two) off of the ventilator later tonight.

Sheldon heads to surgery tomorrow, Larisa probably on Wednesday. Keep them both in your thoughts.

Aunt Jeanie Grainger’s funeral service will be at Lakeview Cemetery Wednesday evening (7 pm), visitation from 5-7pm. Her burial will be Thursday 11 am at Gypsum Cemetery.

Thank you…

David for TWR

Monday 6:45 am

Good morning,

I just visited with Carmella about Larisa’s night. It was very restful, for the most part. Around midnight, she had about a 30 minute period where she was quite tearful. They experimented with different kinds of solutions for her oral swabs, but decided water was the best. She eventually went back to sleep. After the big “party” last night, she was exhausted, and went back on the ventilator. She is on the vent now, but will likely be back on the trach shield and Passy-Muir valve today. Uncle Martin is in visiting her now.

Last night, Larisa asked to come off of the ventilator and use the valve. For about an hour, we celebrated with her in her room. Her voice on the valve is not her usual voice - it is soft, kind of like whispering out loud. She was in a good mood. When she got anxious, and at her request, we would thin the crowd in the room (it was Emily, Monica, Jeff, Debbie, Christy, Uncle Martin and myself). Lots of coming and going in the room, smiling and laughing. When Monica started to rub Larisa’s feet, she began to moan - Monica and I both thought it was hurting. But then Larisa said in her little squeaky voice “I will pay you to do that”. Cara had given her a pedicure, and we were complimenting the new look. She said “I need binoculars to see my feet”! It brings up the question of glasses/corrective lenses. We are not sure how the doctors will address this. We are hoping that she will be getting out of bed this week. A lot depends on how she tolerates time off of the ventilator. She is certainly willing to try. She hates to be rolled from side to side, and offered to “stand by the bed” for the nurses yesterday while they changed her sheets. She is an absolute sweetheart…

Thanks again for rejoicing with us! It should be a week of steady progress for Larisa. All the best,

David for TWR

Sunday 8 pm

Good evening,

Larisa has had a good day. She is resting right now. She has been back on her ventilator for some breathing assistance this afternoon. The plan is to go back off of the ventilator and on to the Passy-Muir valve soon. We are just not sure when “soon” is. All in all, she has had a great day.

This morning Dr. Bingaman was visiting with Larisa about getting her on the surgery schedule early this week. He was telling her about her left hand and the right side of her face that needed some touch up work. She reminded him about the back of her head! He agreed - that needs to be fixed also. She is very aware of what is going on around her. I think that she may be on the surgery schedule for Tuesday.

We don’t know the arrangements for Aunt Jeanie’s service. Uncle is thinking about Wedesday. We will know more tomorrow noon.

All for tonight. Sleep tight!

David for TWR

Resting

Larisa is resting comfortably.

Aunt Jeanie is resting at last - 2:13 pm

David for both waiting rooms

Sunday morning 6:45 am

Psalm 33:1 “Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.”

I spoke with Jill just now and she told me “Prayers have been answered. This is the best night I have had in 11 years of nursing.” Sweet words of comfort! Larisa has had an awesome night. She has been off of the ventilator since 10 last evening. She has been on the Passy-Muir valve since 4:30 this morning. She has been visiting with Jill about the ventilator “strategy”. When she understood what the Passy-Muir valve was intended to accomplish, she said “Let’s just leave it on for good”. Jill explained that there will be times that she can’t be on the valve (showers, breathing treatments). When Jill was sending the nursing student out for some oral swabs, Larisa said “They are in the top drawer”! Such progress…thank you, Jill…

I am on my way to the hospital to see Larisa, Sheldon, and Aunt Jeanie before meeting this morning. This news should be shared across the world. Rejoice and give thanks. Thank you for your prayers. Let our lives praise His wonderful name.

David for TWR

PS Our last hymn this morning: “Ever He walketh beside me, brightly His sunshine appears, Spreading a beautiful rainbow, over the valley of tears.” Amen

Better picture :)

Saturday 7 pm

Bubble gum blowing contest

Good evening,

Larisa gave us a little scare today, but all seems to be well this evening. Shortly after her second chest tube was removed this morning, her temperature spiked to 104.5. She received her usual tylenol and motrin, a cooling blanket, and a chest x-ray. Her chest x-ray looked fine. Her temperature is back to normal now (100), and there doesn’t seem to be any other issues. She is awake, alert, and “conversant”. She has been writing on her white board. Today, she wrote “can I take a stand up my shower?” She is TIRED of the shower table. Alas, no stand up showers today. When she gets off of the ventilator, there is a “hot tub” waiting for her! Cara has taken exceptional care of Larisa today. Cara just came by the waiting room on her way home. In her words about Larisa’s day - “I broke it (the high fever), but I fixed it!”.

Jackson went home this morning. Sheldon is having a better day today. He is off of his ventilator. He did have a blood clot go to his lung, and is on medication for that. Aunt Jeanie is getting weaker. I am not sure she will live through the night. Bill, Phyllis, and Nevin McConnell are here from Colorado. There is a “TWO piece” bubble gum blowing contest in progress in TWR!

I hope all of you are having a restful evening. We are looking forward to meeting at Stitt’s tomorrow. We will have eight extras, Doug.

Goodnight!

David for TWR

Back row: Martin, Jaclyn, Rebecca, Emily, Nevin
Front row: Shirley, Monica, Debbie, Phyllis