I cannot describe the satisfaction and sense of relief I have experienced the past few days of being with my father. What a difference a few weeks make! He has made such tremendous progress since I last saw him over Christmas. The past two days he has been able to stay awake the entire visit, has interacted and conversed with us, has been able to sit upright in his wheelchair the entire day, used a walker to get to the bathroom, and has eaten complete meals (albeit pureed food and liquids, but so what?!?!). I am so proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point in his recovery. He has no idea how happy he has made everyone.

Carrie and I were also able to go with mom to visit two rehab facilities in the area to determine where dad would thrive and continue to make improvements. He will likely be discharging from the hospital in the next or so, so we need to have things in place in order for the transition to be smooth for him. I think there is some hesitation and trepidation on his part about what the next step will look like, but he has shown he is a fighter and will continue to challenge himself and his limitations.

Carrie and I have enjoyed spending time with dad the past few days, and we have tried to help him recall all that has happened to him the past three months. He does not remember the accident, or all that he has been through while at St. Mary's, which is probably a good thing! We have shown him some photos from when he was in ICU, as well as the stepdown unit, and he is truly flabbergasted at what he looked like and how serious this whole experience has been. We keep telling him that he is our miracle...

We are so fortunate to have him here and for him to be doing as well as he is. We can only hope that he will continue to make improvements, but if this is his ceiling, we are so lucky he has come this far:) We will take him and keep him any way he is!

I love you dad with all my heart. You are such an amazing and special person. You have shown such strength and courage throughout this experience. You are someone we should all aspire to be.

Love you,
Tracy