Friday Night Update 9/14/07

This update is coming to you from Horseheads. Many problems with late flights from Philly, but I'm leaving at o-dark-thirty in the morning and will be in Atlanta at 10:00 am.

Lots of great news from Courtney. She said Dana sat in a chair for about 3 hours and is eating well today, in fact, he was able to feed himself. He may leave ICU tomorrow. Court talked with the ortho doc regarding the results of his x-rays and his bones are healing very well. Court had the oppportunity to peak at the x-rays and the Doc said the bone is beginning to heal over the plates in his left arm and the femur has healed well and will soon be able to bear weight. All very encouraging news.

But the best news is when Courtney returned to Dana's room the therapist asked her if she had heard how strong his voice was. The trach tube had been stepped down to a smaller size and was capped. Dana said "hi honey", how are you doing? Needless to say Court was filled with tears of joy to hear Dana's voice. (Mom can't wait to hear his voice tomorrow!) Court said Dana is smiling and joking and in very good spirits and he started thinking about his projects at TEPPCO (he says he has a few loose ends on some of the projects). Dana was reminded that he didn't need to worry about the projects at work right now and that he just needed to concentrate on healing.

The update tomorrow will come from Atlanta (provided I can fly the friendly skys)! Stay tuned!

Linda

Thursday night news from Courtney

Just got off the phone with Courtney and all is well in Atlanta. Dana has been x-rayed from head to toe and examined by numerous people and has generally been very busy today with therapists, etc. He has a bit of an upset stomach, but the docs think they have diagnosed the problem and are taking action. Due to his upset tummy, Dana is a little dehydrated, so an IV has been inserted. Court says he is in great spirits and they are really keeping Dana busy. Let's hope he can get some sleep tonight!

A great big thank you to Erin and Dan for helping Courtney find her way around the area today and for welcoming her into their home. We really appreciate your kindness and I'm sure Susan (Courtney's mother) will sleep well tonight knowing she has company. I know I will!

I'm off to Atlanta tomorrow night to visit Courtney and Dana. My next update will be from the Atlanta waiting room. I think I have a touch of waiting room withdrawal! Over and out from Horseheads.

Linda

The Next Step

Today Dana took the next step on his road to recovery. He flew by air ambulance (accompanied by Courtney) to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. Shepherd's is a catastrophic care hospital specializing in spinal cord injury for young people, especially athletes. With Dana's determination and athletic focus we think this will be the best place for him to rehabilitate. If you are interested in taking a peak, the website is http://www.shepherd.org/. The mailing address is

Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Rd., NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-1465

Dana and Courtney are so grateful for the tremendous support they have received - from the stream of visitors in Albany, the inspiring cards, and well wishes and prayers from everyone. Courtney is alone in Atlanta for the next few days, so please keep the positive energy, cards, etc. coming her way. Her e-mail address is cwolanin1@hotmail.com. While she might not be able to answer every e-mail, I'm sure she will appreciate hearing from you.

Dana will be in the ICU for a couple of days while they access his condition and formulate a plan for the medical rehabilitation phase. Their stay in Atlanta will most likely be several months.

Courtney said the flight from Albany to Atlanta was smooth and Dana is doing well.

As we receive more information from Court, we will upate the blog and keep you posted on Dana's progress. As always, thank you so much for your continuing support, words of encouragement, love and faith.

Tuesday night update 9/11/07

Dana had another good day. He is now sporting a new high tech arm brace, compliments of the ortho docs. Dana sat up on the edge of the bed again today and they removed his IV. He is taking in enough fluids on his own so it is no longer needed.

Dana visited with some of his high school friends and Rick gave him another shave and he is lookin good!

Dana rested a lot today, which is a good thing and as we speak is sleeping soundly. All in all a fairly quiet day in D319.

Over and out from the waiting room.

Monday night 9/10/07

Dana had another great day. He slept all night and he ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Assisted by an occupational therapist, Dana was able to sit on the side of the bed with his feet touching the floor. He has a date with the occupational therapist again in the morning to sit on the edge of the bed a little longer than he did today. This went very well for Dana as he did not feel light headed or dizzy. Definitely a step in the right direction!

Dana also had a visit from two of his TEPPCO colleagues and they had a great conversation (well they do have to read his lips) about pipeline projects.

Late this afternoon the docs removed the last chest tube. Dana insisted that nurse Courtney participate in the process. Dana is clearly captain of his own ship!

After dinner, Rick and Dana took a look at Google Earth on the computer. If you haven't taken a look at this amazing site you should take a peak. This site will either amaze you or scare you depending on how you feel about zooming in on a satellite image of your home. So be on the alert.... we're watching you!

Dana thanks everyone so much for all of the cards of encouragement and well wishes he has received.

Links to other "waiting room" family blogs

Here are the links to the blogs supporting Joe, Reece, and Todd.

http://www.joesprogress.blogspot.com/

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/reecemcintyre

http://www.tkonthemend.blogspot.com

Sunday night report from the waiting room

I'll give you an update on Dana's progress today, but first I want to let everyone in "virtual" land know about the three wonderful families we have been sharing the waiting room with, the McIntyre's, the Ferraro's, and the Kitsock's. We wish we hadn't met under these circumstances as each of these families, like us, have a family member in critical condition in the SICU. We have laughed and cried together and have cheered each other on as our loved ones progressed through each tiny step toward recovery and we have become friends. So I'd like to thank these amazing families for their friendship, faith and support. As you continue your prayers, encouragment and support for Dana, please keep Reece McIntyre, Joe Ferraro and Todd Kitsock in your thoughts and prayers as well. These families are amazing and the Carr family is truely blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know them.

Now for the rest of the story. Dana had another great day. He is eating well and at long last he slept last night. We are hoping for another good nights rest for him again tonight. He continues to improve a little bit each day and tonight he watched the football game. (Go Cowboys)! Tonight marks the fourth week in the waiting room and we were just discussing how it seems like the longest yet in many ways the shortest month of our lives. Continued gratitude comes your way for everything you have done for us. Dana will be heading to Shepherd's in the near future, but the exact date is yet to be determined. We'll keep you posted. Over and out from the waiting room.