Hello!
Here are some great pics from the last few days, we have been busy with holiday stuff and visiting with my dad.
The first one is from yesterday when I took my dad OUTSIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2 MONTHS!!!! I wheeled him in a wheelchair for a half hour out in the courtyard to get some sun and breathe some fresh air; I think he really enjoyed it. There is a bitter sweetness to all of these firsts since my dad is doing something he hasn't done since the accident and he realizes how his life has changed and how weak he is. I know he misses his old life and independence, but I am confident it will be back after a lot of hard work. I visited with my dad yesterday on my own since my mom was sick so we got to really hang out. he sat in the chair for most of the visit and was awake the whole time which is a first since he started rehab. He is still trying to get his days and nights back to normal. It is really common for patients who go through ICU to get them mixed up since they never stop over there and it takes a while to get back on schedule, but the therapy in rehab during the day is starting to get him on track.
I am here until the 1st so I have a few more days with my dad and then back to reality. I can't wait to come back soon and see the difference that will happen now that he is getting stronger and stronger!
-Carrie

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!It has been such a pleasure to come back to Florida and visit with my father after not seeing him for over two weeks. The last time I saw him he was still in ICU, which is drastically different than how he is now. When I first arrived to the hospital and went to his room in the rehabilitation wing and saw him smile at me with that funny, little boy grin, I was so elated and thought "this is the best present one could ask for this holiday season". The past three days have provided me with such hope and reassurance that my father will do well in his recovery and be with us for some time to come. He even said "this Christmas is kind of a wash, but I am still alive". And we could not have made it this far without all the love and support of our friends and family, so thank you for providing us with strength, positive energy and healing prayers.

Today my dad was more alert, despite the three hours of therapy he had this morning. He had 5 women visitig his today, which may have something to do with how awake he was...my dad rarely misses an opportunity to be the charmer that he is!
He was so happy to see his family, as well as my Aunt Jinny and cousin Alyson who is visiting us for a few nights. Carrie and I bought him a new fancy electric razor because the other day when we arrived, he was sitting in his wheelchair at the sink trying to shave himself!! The razor he was using was kind of outdated, so we decided to splurge and get him the new pivot head Norelco and what a good idea that was. He was able to use it today and felt much better after getting off the scratchy hair that he has been complaining about. He also told us a funny story about three nurses trying to get his pants on him this morning. He said what a job that was and that it was a funny sight! So overall he has made some major improvements since I saw him last and I could not be happier right now. He is definintely on the road to recovery and making strides every day.

It has been a strange and interesting holiday season not having my dad at home to decorate the tree with, or play bad holiday music and disagree about the volume, or to have my dad spray that awful pine tree in a can smell so that the fake tree somehow appears real, or to open our presents with the funny name tags that my mom gets a kick out of writing and laughs at herself about. But in actuality it has been the best holiday ever because my wish did come true...my dad is back.
Love, Tracy

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!

Well Dad is slowly getting settled into rehab. It is very different than the hospital which is great but is also a big adjustment for everyone. I am sure the nurses think we are a little crazy but, we are the Pollacks after all so I am sure they are right!

Here is a picture from today, my mom was opening a present my dad had ordered before his accident and had stashed in his office which my mom had found when she began to go through some of his stuff in the beginning of this ordeal. My dad has actually mentioned it twice to me to make sure she got it which I think is a very encouraging sign that he remembered it and he actually told me what was inside of it before so I knew what it was. He ordered her a pug handbag which she loved.

Notice in the picture that although my dad was in bed, he was fully dressed because he had already had 3 hours of rehab before we arrived! This is his second day in rehab and he has been pretty tired. When he first arrived they told us that the first few days were going to be pretty rough for him since he hasn't even really gotten out of bed in almost 2 months! So to start right away with 3 hours of therapy tires him out and he will adjust to it in time. So, he meets with a speech therapist which helps him with talking and swallowing, then occupational therapy which helps him with getting dressed, hygiene, etc. and physical therapy which is working with his body. I think I would be tired too! Yesterday my sister arrived and he was happy to see her. We were able to wheel him around in a wheel chair and go on an adventure in the hospital for a change of scenery. So, the rehab updates will continue!

Hoping everyone has a great and safe holiday! Thanks for all of your continuous support, it has been a pretty strange holiday season for us but I am really thankful that my dad is getting better everyday!

xo
Carrie, Tracy, Linda and Hal

Dear Family and Friends,

Well Hooray! HAL WENT TO REHAB today.
Not without problems though. The minute he got there he had more "catheter/urology" problems. Trying to find the right one when it comes to emergency re-catheterization can turn into a huge, painful and timely problem...and it did. Many changes and many tries, and about 4 hours later they finally solved the problems. Needless to say, the Urologist is consulting first thing tomorrow morning.
Thank Goodness Carrie was with me, so we suffered through this together, knowing how he was suffering.
So, I have a feeling his first full day tomorrow in Rehab will be a little easier than it might have been. BUT,I am looking forward to reporting to all of you when he starts walking, and improvements with speech therapy, and sitting by himself, etc. He is already keeping his eyes open and holding his head on his own.
I always knew it would be "baby steps", and I am so grateful to see the improvements taking place.

I thank all of you over and over again, for your care and concern. My hope is great and i just know we will be bring him home someday in the future..and that is enough for me.

Carrie and Tracy join me in wishing all of you wonderful holidays.

With love,
Linda

Hello everyone...Carrie here.

Well, my Dad was not quite ready to go to rehab today and although we are anxious to get him going we also don't want to move him unless he is absolutely ready. The nurses are taking great care of him and if they have decided he needs a few more days of rest then that is ok.

We have a few more things we need to get in order before he is in the best shape to begin working out in rehab. They did some blood tests today and we are going to find out some results tonight. We think he has become anemic and so when his blood levels go down in this area then he gets really sleepy so they we will see if that is the case. He is also having some problems with his catheter and that is making him uncomfortable, I mean come on, of course it would! He has had a catheter in for 7 weeks now and it is just irritating him and he is not quiet ready to have it out so they are having a urologist look at him tomorrow. In my mind these are all things that have been happening since he entered into the hospital but when you are in ICU they are dealing with the most pressing issues first so now that those issues are ok they are now working on the next stuff.

We will keep you posted, my mom had really hoped to see him moved today and she is a little down but I think this is part of the healing process, one step forward and one step back, some days are good and some days are not so good. The important thing is he is moving in the right direction so keep being positive, I am doing my best!

Hello All, Carrie here to report on todays events in the step down clinic...
Here is a pic of my dad sitting on the edge of the bed right before he stood up and made it to the chair for some more upright sitting, something I have not seen since before the surgeries!
It was tiring but he wanted to do it and then did it, of course with some help from his physical therapist Margarhete. Also of note he is really moving his left arm better and was squeezing her hand and rotating his wrist, we told him he has to get ready for some tennis soon! This has been his weak side so to see the movement coming back is great. Another thing was that when he grabbed Margarhete's ID badge (because he likes to joke with the nurses) he began to look at it so we asked him if he could read her last name and he did! Alverz he says...My dad has not been able to read and when we have given him things to read or look at he gets a puzzled look on his face so, this is a BIG deal! His brain is slowly coming back and remembering things. There are still time when he seems confused but I think that it is just taking time for his brain to put things back together. He was also able to tell me what time it was and knew when it was getting closer to 5pm because that is when visiting hours are over.

Dad has been in better spirits these days and I can see his sense of humor shining though in almost everything which is great. Today when I talked to him about the new feeding tube in his stomach which allows him to move around better, he asked what was "on the menu" HA HA! He is having a lot of fun with the suction appliance which is helping him to get rid of all the phelm in his chest still and when I started yawning he stuck it in my mouth for fun...I love seeing this in my dad because this is how I remember him, smiles and jokes. He had a way of making people feel at ease and all the nurses love him.

The other big news is we think he will be moving into rehab tomorrow!!!!! he now has the trach and the nose feeding tube out and is moving around more and is more alert so they want to get him there so he can get out of the hospital! We were also told that the dogs can visit him in rehab which he has been talking about dexter and hiro and I know he would love to see his buddies!

So, hopefully tomorrow I will be writing about a whole new adventure and being one step closer to home which we are anxiously awaiting his return!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, things are moving in a very positive direction.

Having Carrie here has been fantastic and I think has spurred Hal on to making some gigantic strides in the last few days since she has been here. She has boosted my spirits as well, and keeps my thoughts very positive. Her arrival was very timely.

Hal did fail the third "swallow test" but I have been convinced that this is not a big deal. They went forward with removing the trach, and will be putting in a "peg" in his side which will feed him directly into the stomach instead of the feeding tube down his nose. Being that they are able to do this will get him into Rehab sooner....which is the GOAL at this point.

He is now able to talk, a little garbled, but understandable for the most part.

He continues to love the "pampering". And says, FEET! Meaning he wants a foot massage. He knows he can ask for hand massage or face lotion to be applied.
Well, he knows not to ask for anything better than that!!!

Please everyone continue the good thoughts and the prayers, this is what has gotten him to this "good place", and Carrie is right he has loved hearing her read the wonderful cards that all of you have sent.

Carrie and Tracy join me in thanking you.

With love, Linda