more liquids for Mikey

Mikey continues to improve. Thanks to visitors Justin, Tristo, Alex, Todd/Ginger, Dan, Laura and those I missed. He devoured a Strawberry milkshake yesterday, and today we tried a Starbucks strawberry/banana smoothie. The nurses said he was tired today because he was up most of the night singing (don't ask what song because I have never heard this song, but Mikey sounds like he is imitating the guitar riffs). Vinnie came yesterday and helped me get Mikey to the park for some sunshine, then we went to the cafeteria for a Mountain Dew. According to the nurses, Mikey will only be fed through the tube at night, and during the daytime he will continue to get "full liquids" which includes soups, puddings, icecream, sherbert, tea, milk/milkshakes, etc.....I finally took a picture of Mikey that I will share but its still in my camera. I promise I will upload it sometime this week. Its really the first picture that he would approve of. Our hope is that this week he will be headed to rehabilitation at www.winterhavenhospital.com/facilities/rehabilitation-services/joy-fuller/ . We have 21 days approved through our health insurance. Until next time, Les/Momma

Yay

Today Mikey passed his swallow evaluation and has been advanced to "full liquids" (pudding, soup/broth, sweet tea, milk........). Mikey continues to love talking on the phone. We try to call at least one person each visit. He walked to the door of the room with the physical therapists help. He said something I cannot post here to his roommate (also a head injury) who was giving the nurses a hard time. Let just say it was colorful and appropriate-- just not too politically correct. :) That's my Mikey!! We will be working over the weekend on some exercises that the physical therapists showed me. I imagine the Trauma team will be reevaluating him on Monday. A special thanks goes out to regular visitors Todd, Ginger, Alex, Justin, Tristo, Ben, Laura, Dan and more.

Mobile Mikey

Mikey likes to talk on the mobile phone. Apparently the doctors say that some things come very naturally, like video game controllers, cell phones etc...I hand him the phone and he puts it straight to his ear and has a little conversation with whoever.....usually it starts with "hey, what up?", and ends with "ok I will talk to you later, bye".

Mikey is mobile on another level too. Today we got him into a wheelchair and went down to the parking garage. Ben was there at just the right time too. We met Kati and Sabrina on the way, and I sent Brian to get Morgan from Brooke's so Morgan got to see Mikey for the first time. That pretty much wore him out, so I took him back to his room and he was snoozing when I left.

Meanwhile Tommy was at Target getting Mikey some Converse high tops. He is supposed to wear shoes (in bed!! LOL) and for physical therapy. Its supposed to help avoid "drop foot".

Happy Thanksgiving to you all--I am overwhelmed with gratitude this year. Nuff said. , Les/Momma

Wink wink

Les/Momma here...........
Mikey had a very good day. He winked at me yesterday after prompting him and demonstrating to him how I wink--it took maybe 5 minutes, but out came a wink, and then a big smile. Today I walked in and said Hi and he says "hey whats up?". Today we tried another wink, and he could do it right away. I told him his sister can only wink one eye and its ok if he cannot do the other eye anyway, and he smiled again and told me to "tell her" meaning tell Morgan. Just as I was leaving a site manager came in and said hello, again Mikey says "hey whats up" and she gave her name and title, asking him how he is, clear as a bell he replied "not too bad, how are you?" (!!!!) The trauma doc says Friday after Turkey Day they are going to have a team meeting, and if its appropriate, Mikey will be graduating to brain rehab in Winter Haven hospital (7th floor) at the Joy Fuller Center perhaps early next week.

When all else fails, read the directions. Dad writes again.

Greetings Family and Friends:

Tom here. It has been almost two weeks since Mikey's accident and as you may have surmised by my prolonged silence, he is not recovering at the rate that I anticipated at the beginning of this ordeal. My previous assessment of Mikey's head injury and prognosis for recovery painted a very rosy picture and time has proven that I missed the mark by a considerable margin. Why would I project false optimism, fabricating what amounted to no more than fantastic whoppers, in spite of all evidence to the contrary? There is a reason so please cut me some slack. Thanks.
The Lourdes Phenomenon- The reference is to the town in France (Lourdes) where miraculous cures of illness are reputed to take place. There are many who firmly believe that some "miracle" will occur after brain injury and return their loved one to normalcy (recovery). Until very recently, I was one of them. There is no shame in following blind faith in a merciful and loving Higher Authority who we call God in my household, but premival animal instinct to protect offspring lead me to forget one of the basic tenets of stepping out on faith; namely, Thy will be done, not mine.

Opinions on Mikey's condition and prospect for recovery vary among family members and in the interest of preserving unity, I will refrain from sharing my current views on this matter. I will say that regardless of the gravity of his condition, I know in my heart that everything is going to be ok in the long run. We are passengers going on a very long and difficult journey. Only He knows our final destination. I trust our pilot and I am not afraid. It's all good!

Day 13: A Complete 180

After the feeding fiasco of the weekend, Mikey seems to be doing much better. He is alert, eyes open, makes good eye contact, and still stumbles around his words. He seems to have this infatuation with numbers, he was rattling off several different dollar amounts during our visit. "200 for the computer" was one of the things I picked out. I noticed an improvement in his speech, though it is still garbled I can discern more actual words than before. The nurses said that earlier he was talking about the accident and that he got very emotional; what ever that means. He is still concerned about his Rent-To-Own flatscreen that he recently purchased but I assured him that Dad payed his bill. I wore a pair of sunglasses that belonged to him and he recognized them, took them from my face and put them directly on his. One of the things I try to do with Mikey when we visit is look at pictures and identify the people. I grabbed a picture off of the corkboard from about ten years ago and started asking him if he remembers any of the people. Instead he said "we did this yesterday," which we did! In one moment of clarity he seemed to make the connection that I was one of the people in the picture and it was as if a light bulb went off inside his head and he finally realized who this odd stranger is that visits him every day. It was so relieving. Morgan called while I was visiting and though cellphone usage is not allowed because it "interferes" with the equipment I answered. How can cellphones interfere with medical equipment within the trauma ward but not a mere 5 feet outside the locked doors? I handed Mikey the phone and he had a short conversation. [Mikey's side of the conversation.] "Hello" "Hey whatsup" "Can you hear me" "Can you hear me now?" "Oh, okay well now I have your number" Morgan was so relieved to talk to her big brother whom she has been unable to visit in the last 2 weeks. (Hospital has rules prohibiting visits from anyone under 18--swine flu precautions)

Additionally, we asked the nurse if Mikey was able to go for a walk (interpret-a stroll around the hospital in a wheelchair). She said that it should be fine so our plan is to get Mikey a wheelchair and take him outside for some fresh air. Maybe seeing something besides the innards of a stale hospital room will help him jog his memory. Also, this would mean that Morgan will finally be able to visit with Mikey!

I was wrong. When I went to the hospital yesterday before I left I was assured that after 8 hours Mikey would be getting nutrition through his PEG. This morning, not knowing that Brian had been up there and raising the roof, I called and asked how his feeding went, they said he HADNT been fed, that they were waiting for a dietician. I told the nurse that this was completely unacceptable, that he hadnt had any nutrition since the NG tube came out (Mikey did it again), and that if they were not going to feed him via PEG then they needed to get him something via TPN. I told her how we have all noticed a regression in his interaction, eye contact etc...Then she tells me that the PICC line is blocked and heparin is contrainicated in head injury patients. I asked her to talk with the doctor who was reviewing the chart and call me, or get something going, however it needed to be done. That was at 9 am. By 11 when I called they said they had started feeding him through the PEG. I just was up there,(1pm) and its like someone flipped a switch. Mikey looks bright eyed, he is talking much much more, making GREAT eye contact, listening etc........ We looked at a motorcycle magazine together and took turns talking. He still struggles to find the words, and I assured him that I understood that it must be frustrating and scary for him but I am sure that he is get better, one day at a time. I have to remember, bad days and good days--I remain grateful that we have ANY days with him. I told him I loved him, and he said love you (a little slurred but I know what he said). More later. xoxoxoxo Les

Days 10 11 and 12

I have neglected writing here for a few days; mainly out of fear of what is inevitably staring us in the face. Mikey was making solid progress up to a few days ago; where it appears that he has been stuck for a few days. Traumatic Brain Injury patients have good and bad days, and sometimes even regress during recovery. At times we feel that he is displaying more progress, remembering the name and breed of Vinny's new puppy; "Cooter Brown" the baby Boston Terrier. Mikey also remembers us talking about the car that we just bought, a Saturn from a man at the hospital for $3500. The next day he asked about it and muttered something about "35k." Amidst all of the memory and recollection Mikey is still extremely confused and there is a large gap between us, blocking our communications. When we ask him to put up only one finger it is five mintues before he does it and acknowledges it. Sometimes during visitiation he blankly stares right through us at the television; completely captivted by that magic box whether it is on or off. He removed his nasal gastric tube sometime Friday night and Sunday he went into surgery for a PEG tube that goes directly to his stomach, yet he has not been fed with it yet. Seeing your little baby brother laying hopelessly in a hospital bed is difficult as is; but knowing that he had not been fed in 2 days was even more difficult. Here is a poor guy that has no way to fight for himself, no way to express his anger or hunger yet the medical professionals wave it off as no big deal, stating that the piccline was blocked. I asked the nurse, "What do you do if you want to make toast and the toaster is broken?" She gave me a blank stare before I reply "You make it in the oven." Simply not feeding Mikey because of a malfunctioning pickline is not legitimate reasoning, and is completely counter-intuitive to the entire healing process which is fueled by new growth and nutrition. I can only wonder if Mikey's blank stares, short attention span, and bad attitude have anything to do with his lack of nutrition. Sunday night Mikey was fed some electrolytes through an IV on his hand and the PEG tube is supposed to be ready to be used on Monday.

[Note: mom says "We are all glad he is getting adequate nutrition..." however the rest of us feel that quite the opposite is going on. We were outraged, disgusted, and worried at the state of Mikeys physical condition on Saturday and Sunday; he looked like he came straight out of Auschwitz. Only after I thoroughly embarassed myself by making a scene in the trauma unit Sunday evening did the nurses finally feed Mikey for the first time in two days. Our optimism and prayers fuel our hope that Mikey is able to keep progressing.]

one more picture

Mikey had a busy day today finally getting a PEG tube for feeding. We are all glad that he is getting adequate nutrition, which is critical for his healing. Keep on visiting the blog and please keep on visiting him if you can. The doctors say that he needs people talking to him, stimulating (but not overstimulating him). More to follow, stay tuned. xxoxoxo Les

Momma here

Ok here goes. I am Mikey's mom, and nowhere near as eloquent at writing as my son and dear Tommy, but I am going to make a go of this, no rough drafts, no turning back now!! No parent wants to get the phone call I got Tues night, early Wed morning. The lump in my throat, grew until I was choking, and driving to LRMC, the longest trip ever. I couldnt see, I couldnt breathe, I couldnt think. Mikey is my BABY, he always will be even if he has grown to be a fine young man. I cant even begin to thank everyone, from every facet of my life here in Florida, NC, Va, Calif, and beyond for all the prayers of support. The angels at my work, at the hospital, at the gym, and everywhere I turn I have love support and prayers. Mikey has so many friends and they visit him regularly. Thanks everyone, keep coming and visiting. We all need you and want you near. Mikey is making great progress. If you could see the car (I did) you would be amazed that anyone could survive such a crash. I took pictures, because I know Mikey would be royally pissed at me if I didnt, and also to remind all of us how things can turn in a split second. He had his seat belt on. I put a label on his dashboard that said "fasten your seatbelt", I guess that one ticket he got helped remind him too. :) The crash investigator said that the seat belt saved his life. I know that his size saved his life too. There was just one little pocket of unpulverized car. If you really want to see the picture email me, and I will send it. Anyway, this trauma has had a profound affect (effect, whichever--never could get that right) on all of us. I know that we will never be the same, that we will all hug our kids a little tighter tonight, and I know without a doubt that there is One who watches over us all, and that is an AWESOME feeling. Something like this has a way of putting things into perspective. I struggle to keep my feet, butt and head in the same place--in the present moment. I am attaching some of my favorite pictures. Mikey is a scrapper, very feisty and he is going to be just fine, just not quick enough--I am impatient!! --God has a plan and healing is in His time not mine.

Day 9: Coming out of the fog

After a few days of solid rest Mikey seemed calmer and more relaxed today. He was conscious, alert and calm while we chatted for nearly an hour and a half. He is still murmuring and mumbling under his breath but I can only imagine what 9 days of intravenous morphine does to your speech abilities. Some words come out loud and clear, others under his breath. In the middle of our visit the physical therapist came and Mikey stood up twice with only minimal support at the elbow. The physical therapist said he only helped 25%, Mikey was the other 75%.When you tell Mikey that someone is in to see him he casually responds "hey whatsup." After his therapy the doc asked if Mikey knew who I was and he was confused and could not come up with anything, but after the doc left he said "It was Brian wasn't it."

Under His wing for protection in the storm; post by Mikey's dad Tom

Greetings!

My name is Tom and I am Mikey's dad. I am gravely concerned about Mikey and I'm hurting badly, but I also know that his mind is going to heal so everything will be ok in the long run. I dont know exactly what I'm supposed to write here so I will keep it light. If humor in times of strife suggests callousness, please know that it is with specific intent to let all know that I'm hanging, and that my faith has not wavered.

I'm not down with all the new stuff on the computer like Mikey and Brian and this is my first post of any kind on the Internet. When Brian invited me to go blogging, I eagerly rushed to find my water shoes. The only MySpace I know is the workshop where I tinker with old machines. When someone mentions FaceBook, I think of the wall at the post office where they post pictures of the FBI's most wanted criminals. I still think that AOL is the bomb and I will never switch e-mail providers.

At last writing, Friday almost a week ago, Mikey's speedy recovery was nothing short of a miracle. He was communicating clearly and very alert, if only for moments here and there throughout the day. Anticipating even more improvement on Saturday, I was rudely enlightened on the curious nature of brain injury. He spoke in unintelligible forced utterances for much of the day, and he did not appear to be taking in most of what we said to him. He did have his moments though. For example, Mikey works for me spraying weeds in ponds and waterways and no job is more dreaded than monthly spraying the 0.7 mile long storm water conveyance ditch in one of our contracted residential communities.

"Hey Mikey, are you ready to get back on that ATV and kill some weeds?" He mumbles something in response.
"Hey Mikey, you gonna be on the gun today?" More mumbling.
"Hey Mikey, you think we should go blow out the ditch at Such and Such Estates?"
Clear as a bell he shot back," F--- it!"

From Sunday through Wednesday he slept for most of the time and hospital staff calls these days of rest. Sleep a euphemism for prolonged state of unconsciousness. Sleeping for eight hours is normal. Sleeping for four days is abnormal. Then again, since head injuries lead to abnormal behaviors, sleeping for four days is completely normal under the circumstances.

Head injuries are scary. His first two words on Friday were "Dad, Brian" , yet on Sunday, he woke up with a start, looked at me, and asked, "Who are you?" His brain is impaired, but he is not infantile. He has his same sense of humor, and he smiles at the things that older guys talk about.

His buddies visit him every single day. His mom Leslie is a permanent fixture in the hospital and there is no awkwardness in banding together for the welfare of our youngest son. Alternatively known as my ex, Dr. Rosegger, or the plaintiff, Leslie and I have been tight since we were toddlers and we get along much better now than we ever did when we were married. I dont know why they call divorce a broken home because it sure fixed mine! Kidding aside, she's a fantastic mother and a trusted friend-very cool. Dont ask me about her talent in the kitchen though.

Visiting Mikey rips my heart wide open and I am forced to concede that there is no chance he will be flying to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. Aim for the stars, land on the moon. Aim for the chimney, land in the gutter.

He does not shelter us from the storms. The storms will come. He spreads his wing and shelters us in the storms so that no burden is too great to bear. I'm hanging. Thanks Mike L.!

I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge my wonderful wife Lynne whose love and support for both me and Mikey is unwavering. She is my rock. She is my navigator. She is the light in my day and my warmth at night. I am truly blessed to have her by my side and I have so much to be thankful for.

Day 8: Mikey Laughs

For most of the day Mikey was resting but toward the end of the day we had productive interaction for nearly a half hour. His medication schedule is in the process of changing; they are now giving him Percocet instead of the Morphine when his pain allows them to do so. Mikey did not make a whole lot of sense today; he muttered lots of things under his breath but we caught a few things that indicated that he seems to be coming out of the fog. He mentioned "45" and "S-curve" which are both things that described his accident. (45 was the speed limit and he was going around an S curve when the accident occurred.) At one point during his babble talk we told him that we could not understand him, but it was okay. He replied to this by letting out a short chuckle and a glowing smile illuminated his face. After the nurse told him that he had such a nice smile he responded nonchalantly "I know." Toward the end of our visit he began to wiggle around in his bed, at times writhing like he was in pain but when we asked him if he was hurting anywhere he said "Nope." Shortly thereafter he was given some Morphine and he promptly fell into a deep sleep. Keeping Mikey medicated reduces our time to interact, but it allows him to rest which ultimately helps him heal. Room 467A is now filling up with "Get Well Soon" balloons that sing Bob Marley upon request, countless cards, and pictures of Mikey. I showed him one picture that Mom printed up to put on his bulletin board and he responded "Picture, P-C-T-R." For some reason I cannot explain Mikey left out all of the vowels, yet he is still determined to show us that he is going to be just fine.

Day 7: Sleepyhead

Mikey seemed to be well rested today. No combative and agitated fits. The physical therapist came for a short visit and we saw Mikey standing, with a little help of course! He is currently being medicated with Morphine and Ativan which seem to be doing an excellent job at allowing him to rest. Alex came to visit today and Mikey greeted him, saying "Whatsup man?" He finally has came to terms with the padded mittens they have him wearing to prevent injury to himself; he no longer tries to escape from them. Mikey's rest came at one cost; we did not get the chance to talk to him very much today. While Dad was visiting his cellphone rang and Mikey's left hand shot up in the air as if to say "I got it."

Brain Damage vs. Brain Injury

In the vastly unfamiliar world that is the medical community there is a distinct difference between brain damage and a brain injury. We thought for sure that something that has been injured is damaged; however this is not the case. The doctors said he sustained a brain injury which will take time to heal, which to us sounded like a nice way of saying that he had brain damage. The doctor later clarified on this issue by explaining that brain damage occurs only when there is a lack of oxygen supply to the brain. Brain damage is also irreversible; brain injuries heal! Mikey was breathing even while he was unconscious so he did NOT sustain any brain damage. Instead, his brain was bruised which means that once the swelling subsides he should (and will) be able to make a full recovery. What a relief! Doctors additionally said that brain injuries are unpredictable; they take time. Some patients demonstrate miraculous progress overnight while others take baby steps daily. All we can really do is take it one day at a time.

Days 5 and 6

Though Mikey's condition has not changed much in these few days he has been in the process of gradually being weaned off of the medications and being evaluated to determine if he is able to swallow foods. The doctors have told us that he will have good and bad days; these days were more bad than good. He was "overstimulated" as the doctors call it, which leads to him being restless, combative, and agitated. His heart rate increases as he struggles against the restraints that keep him from pulling out any tubes. His brow is dotted with beads of sweat as he angrily fights against the restraints until he can take it no more and he relaxes before falling back to sleep. His speech does still not make complete sense and this was kind of discouraging; however he has been talking a lot more in comparison to the first few days. He now has a condom catheter (it's exactly what it sounds like) and though it surely does not irritate him as much as the previous one, he still seems to be determined to remove it. We talked with him about a speech pathologist coming in to evaluate him to determine if he is able to eat and told him that we were going to be bringing him a milkshake in the near future. Not five minutes later the nurse came in to take his temperature and when she put the thermometer in his mouth he wrapped his lips around it and tried to suck on it like a straw. Mom frequently applies chap stick to his lips and he readily accepts this by puckering up his lips and then purses them together once applied; afterward he says "thanks Mom." Killean came to visit and asked him when they were going to go back to the gun range to shoot their shotguns and Mikey said "twenty bucks." Mom said "Now Mikey you paid a lot for that gun, don't you think you should get more money out of it?" He replied "ten bucks." Despite the extent of his injury, the confusion, and medication he still seems to have his wits about him. Once he was transferred out of the Trauma Intensive Care Unit to another wing of the hospital he received a "sitter," which is a skilled person that sits with Mikey at all times to make sure he is not doing anything he is not supposed to do. They succeeded at getting him to sit up in his bed for a short period of time before he got lightheaded and laid back down. Though I was not there to see it I heard from the nurses that he actually stood up with a little help, though he was a little wobbly. Hopefully the speech pathologist will be able to assess his swallowing ability so he can eat some solid foods. His nasal-gastric tube has been replaced and he is receiving nutrition, but he often opens his mouth wide and sticks out his tongue like he is trying to take a bite out of something.

Day 4: Mikey the Ramblin' Man

Today was an especially productive day as Mikey demonstrated to us in more than one way that he was understanding what we were trying to communicate to him. By this time he had tried to remove the ventilator, successfully removed nasal gastric tube, and his catheter was next. Though he could no longer scoot his body down to rip that wretched tube from his urethra he could scoot his butt from side to side to get it closer to his hands. We caught him trying to pull at it and told him to hold his hands to his sides. Instead of going after his catheter from the front the sneaky little rascal decided to try to get to it from the back. As he was reaching around under his butt mom asked him "Does your butt itch?" He nodded his head to say yes and the nurse was thoroughly impressed so she came over to assist him. Next he exclaimed "something under there." At the precise moment when the nurse lifted him up on his side he let out a 4 day fart and relaxed. He eventually succeeded at the removal of his catheter; don't worry ladies he will still be fully functional! While talking to me and Dad he said "here boy" and attempted to whistle but his dry, chapped lips only allowed the sound of air to come out. Dad asked him what he thought about spraying the ditch at Carillon Lakes with herbicides and he said "F--- it." At one point mom said he told her that he is "not gonna be bad any more." One of the nurses said he mumbled "Lakeland Regional Medical Center" when she asked him if he knew where he was. He talks about trying to catch the snake; he caught a huge one while at work a few days before the accident. He is trying to get out of his bed despite being tied down by his wrists. He succeeds at scooting his body down and draping his legs off the side of the bed. We bent him at the knees, put his feet on the board at the foot of the bed and told him to push by saying "make your legs strong." He pushed with all of his might and got himself back into his upright position. Though his speech is not his strong suit, his motor functions are powerful and strong which indicates that he may not need much physical therapy.

Day 3: Mikey Speaks

Though Mikey remained combative and restless for the majority of the day he finally relaxed, opened his eyes and attempted to make conversation. Upon opening his eyes and realizing where he was and who was there with him he lightheartedly muttered "Damn." Most of his talking is mumbled, garbled, and confusing; he does not make a lot of sense. In his mind he is making perfect sense, however the swelling of his brain has required his thoughts to take an alternate route through the highly complex network of neurons in his brain. He has earned a reputation as being quite the rascal. He is constantly finding new ways to get out of whatever restraints the nurses can concoct. They fitted him with a vest that keeps his body up toward the top of the bed so he can no longer scoot his body down to reach his hands to his face. As he struggled in an attempt to scratch his nose I reached out and scratched it for him, leading him to mutter "that's my big brother." He conversed for twenty or thirty minutes, most of it his rambling jibber-jabber but we didn't care; we just nodded our heads and said yes. This frustrates him immensely because he is legitimately trying to communicate with us and he does not understand why we don't respond to the things he says. At times he winces which does not indicate pain, but rather his facial reaction to our attempt to repeat some of the things he says; this is his way of saying "you did not understand what I said, but thats ok."

Days 1 and 2

Once Mikey started emerging from the coma he began to breathe over the ventilator. Though his eyes remained closed he responded to our voices by squeezing our hands and twitching his legs. Countless friends and family came to visit him and provided him with words of encouragement and prayer. The bandage on his head was oozing through with blood and pus; however the rest of his body was virtually unscathed, apart from minor cuts and nicks. On the second day he opened his eyes for brief periods of time, darting his eyes around the room. Though his pupils were heavily dilated as a result of the Fentinol that was being administered intravenously, both eyes moved in unison and appeared to be focusing on people or things in his room. During these first few days he was very agitated, restless, and combative. His hands were tied down at his side to prevent any injury to himself; he seemed to be determined to pull out his ventilator, nasal-gastric (feeding) tube, and his catheter (OUCH!). Demonstrating amazing cognitive thought abilities Mikey realized that his hands could not reach his face to pull out his ventilator so instead he scooted his body down and attempted to rip the tubes from his mouth. Upon realization that Mikey was breathing over the ventilator it was promptly removed. During these first few days he was heavily sedated via intravenous Fentinol and Morphine.

How did this happen?

On Wednesday November 11th at approximately 12:00 midnight Mikey was traveling westbound on Rock Ridge road in route to Dade City when he lost control of his 1999 Toyota Corolla and swerved into the path of an oncoming truck, taking a significant impact on the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle was relatively unharmed; he had minor cuts. Luckily he was wearing his seat-belt; highway patrolmen said that if he had not been wearing his belt he would have not survived the impact. Mikey was rushed to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he received several pints of blood that he lost as a result to a large cut on his head. Though he was not conscious, he continued breathing which ultimately has saved him from sustaining any brain damage. He was put into a medically induced coma in order to keep him calm and stable. During this time he was also put on a ventilator to assist him with his breathing. Those first few hours in the ER were harrowing, not knowing whether or not he would make it but after several hours we received word that he had stabilized and was stable but still in critical condition.