An Active Morning

Dear Family and Friends,

This is Kathy Falk, Susan's sister from Knoxville. My husband, Charley, and I arrived yesterday along with my father, Jerry Anderson.

Grandpa Anderson was the first to join Steve at Shea's bedside this morning. He said that Shea was showing signs of recognition of him almost immediately, and she was much more active than yesterday. Steve told me that he could tell from Shea's nose and mouth, together with her tears, that seeing her grandpa made her cry.

Charley and I arrived a little later and took Grandpa's place. We had already heard from Steve how improved her coloring was this morning. The nurses said that this was due to the blood transfusion. Her cheeks were pink, and she just generally had a healthy glow to her skin. Aside from the swelling from surgery, you would never know that Shea had sustained such serious injuries. Her face, arms and legs are without scratches or cuts, except for a couple of small cuts around her eye where access was gained to repair her bones. Her lips are pink, and she looks just beautiful.

Shea continued to respond to her dad and to us. She opened her right eye often and clearly tried to talk to us. She reached out to Steve with both arms, and turned and did the same to me. Steve talked quietly in her ear assuring her that her inability to talk is only temporary. I wondered if she might be questioning why all her relatives were coming to visit her, so I assured her that we were coming to see for ourselves how well she was doing. She seemed eager to talk, her lips moving and her eye looking right at us. (Her left eye is swollen shut from Friday's surgery.)

Concerned that too much stimulation was not good for her, we backed off. Steve told us that he had been advised to be careful that Shea not be overwhelmed with too many voices or faces as this could be confusing to her just now.

These are uncharted waters for Susan and Steve. They don't know what Shea is thinking, and they want to anticipate her questions and allay her fears. On the other hand, they don't want to answer questions that she isn't asking, not knowing emotionally what she is ready to hear. Continue to pray for wisdom and discretion for them.

Doctor De LaCruz reported cutting down on IV medication and increasing oral medication through Shea's stomach tube(G-tube).

After Shea's more active morning, her sedation medication was increased to encourage her to rest, but overall they are cutting back on her sedation to encourage spontaneous breathing.

Today's X-rays showed that the pneumonia is responding to the antibiotics, and that is good news, but her temperature remains at a little over 39 C. (Approximately 103 F.) All her bodily fluids are being cultured to help them ascertain the nature of the infection.

Shea's right arm is swollen, though the swelling is less today. Earlier in the week they X-rayed her arm and determined that there are no fractures. They are keeping an eye on it but don't seem to be too concerned.

After witnessing Shea's desire to talk today, the nurse suggested that a picture board be introduced to her soon. She would be able to point to pictures which would communicate her questions or desires.

Luke got his first hug from his sister today! He assured her that he is okay and that she is okay too. We have all questioned if she remembers seeing him on his birthday and if she has been wondering if he is okay. Susan said that Shea became very emotional at seeing her brother. What a sweet reunion.

Jesse and Evan are working on their schoolwork together, a good arrangement for both of them. When they finish, they will go to play basketball and work off their pent-up energy.

It is so good to be here to witness first-hand our Shea's progress. We continue to hear wonderful stories of God's grace to her and her family. These stories should all be written down so that one day she will see for herself God's hand on her life.

A happy birthday to both Liz Anderson and Steve Eimers today! Enjoy your celebrations!

Kathy Falk