Texting... A Good Thing (8.29.08)

I’m old, so my friends are old, too. At least we are from a teen’s perspective. (Sorry friends).

My ‘old’ friends and I don’t completely understand this whole instant messaging and texting world. We’ve all said to our kids and other young people, “why don’t you just call the person?” as their thumbs and fingers fly over keys the size of atoms.

The response… that blank look that silently screams, “Duh! You’re so old.”

And, then the ‘old’ parent gets the cell phone bill and, after picking oneself off the floor, not-so-silently screams back, “How in blue-blazes did you send 2,321 text messages last month?! Do you realize that’s 86 messages a day! What were you talking about?? No wonder you ‘didn’t have time’ to finish your science project or send a thank you to grandma!”

The response… that blank look that silently screams, “Duh! You’re so old.”

Well, last night sitting by Sam’s bed, I couldn’t have been more excited to see a teen texting! Sam’s thumbs and fingers were flying across the tiny keys and the buzzing of responses just kept coming. For a minute there, I thought Sam had put a quarter in a ‘magic fingers’ bed. (Sorry teens, only the ‘old’ people will get that reference and we’re not going to let you in on the secret!).

Here’s what this very ‘normal’ teen activity signaled to me:

1. Both of Sam’s hands were working and working in sync. You may recall in our early posts how Sam’s right arm and hand weren’t responding to commands. Then, the excitement we felt when he unscrewed a water bottle. NOW he is typing with both hands! TYPING!!

2. He was typing fast which told me that he was translating thoughts to intention to action. And he was doing so without hesitation! WOW. Just three weeks ago he was in a coma. Yesterday he was purposeful in his mental, behavioral and physical actions.

3. He’s able to reconnect personally with his friends. We know it’s been hard on Sam’s friends because they have not be able to talk on the phone, email or visit Sam. And, it’s been hard on Sam, I’m certain. Now they’re getting back in touch with one another. That’s got to be some very good ‘medicine’ for all of them.

I didn’t ask, but I’m pretty sure the text conversations went something like this:

Friend, “What’s up?”

Sam, “Nothing”

Friend, “Cool”

Sam, “What’s up?”

Friend, “Not much”

Sam, “BRB”

Friend, “K”

Sam, “Back”

Friend, “What r u doing?”

Sam, “Watching TV with one of my very cool aunts!”

Again, I don’t know if that was the conversation but if it was, what a symphony! I could watch his fingers flying & listen to those vibrations all day!

Truth be told, we stayed up a bit too late; I didn’t want to make Sam stop texting because it was time for bed. (Can you imagine him texting his friends, “my aunt says I have to go to bed now”? I just couldn’t do that to him.)

But, after a couple times of coming in Sam's room, the nurse got a little unhappy with me because he was still up. So we wrapped it up about 11:30pm. I think next time I’ll just smuggle in a little flashlight so the nurse doesn’t know what he’s doing under the covers after the lights are out!

-- Aunt Dart (Karylinn)

P.S. Stef, sorry about all those text messages on your cell phone bill.

Wednesday, what a busy and tiring day!

It's Wednesday night and Sam is quietly sleeping as I write.  He was up at 8:14 to get ready for his outing with the guys, two other teenagers that are here on the floor; oh and two counselors to chaperone.  Just the guys heading off to play arcade games and bowl a game or two.  I heard from his nurse that he had a great time but he also had a bit of sensory overload, plus he walked the whole morning, yes I wrote walked.  Isn't that exciting.  They got back about 1230 and after he ate lunch he was whisked off to physical, occupational, speech, and art therapies from 1:00 to 4:30.  I could barely keep him awake to eat his dinner.  He is doing well.  He did a collage in art that he put the phrase Discovery the Possibilities on it and I think he is doing just that.  I tell him daily he is my hero. I'm sure he doesn't understand just how much his spirit and the faith he has inside of him fought to stay alive, to wake up. and to keep going everyday.  He smiles and laughs at me and it makes me melt. 
 
Two of his leaders from church visited last night and sat with Sam.  He was excited to hear they were coming and enjoyed seeing familiar and loving faces.  Thank you guys for sharing God's word and your time with Sam.  I know the spiritual uplift was needed.
 
Keep us in your prayers as we are keeping you too.  Please pray for the other kids here, so many have illnesses that will linger for a very long time and I am reminded how precious the gift of Sam's healing and recovery are. 
 
God bless you all.
 
Stephanie

Sam-I-Am (Tuesday 8.26.08)

Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss?  I remember reading Dr. Seuss to the kids when they were young.  Now, all of a sudden, Cameron and Amanda (my daughter) are college students, Sam’s a high school freshman, and nephew Alex is closing in fast.   Indeed, all the Nelson kids (from Stef’s side of the family) and all the extended families’ kids are growing so fast.  Yours too, I’m certain. 

 

Where does the time go?

 

Fast forward to Sunday night when I arrived at the hospital and I found Sam, our Sam.   The original, the one-and-only Sam Huntting.  There he was all snuggled up in his new baseball quilt with the center embroidery proclaiming:  “Sam I Am” (many thanks to Jackie Bennett for this beautiful gift!).    There he was, our very own Sam-I-Am. 

 

Now, how do I explain what I mean???  Hmmm… let me try.

 

In the past three-plus weeks, we’ve watched Sam go from crisis, to coma, to deep sleep, to waking up but very agitated, to confused and unbalanced, to now.  Since arriving at Emanuel he is talking more, doing more, laughing and smiling more.  But, Sunday night it was different.  It was as though he was ‘back’.  He was present.  He was and is.

 

Early on in this journey, Cameron, Amanda and I read Shel Silverstein’s poem, “A Light in the Attic” (from the book with the same name), to each other and to Sam.  And the family talked about how the poem seemed to fit.   While he laid motionless we could see that the light was on inside but it just couldn’t shine through yet. 

 

Now, his light is shining, glowing, bursting forth.  In his eyes and behind his eyes, you can see the original, the one-and-only Sam.  Sure, his journey is still long with doubtless ups-and-downs and frustrations to work through.   They’ll be times to make up for, emotions to feel, and time to heal. 

 

Yet, we’re prepared, even, for times when we don’t see Sam in the deepness of his eyes.  But, we know, without hesitation, that he will be more than okay; he will be Sam again.

 

How can we be so sure?  Well, there’s faith, family and friends.  There’s determination, devotion and discipline.  We know that Sam, our very own Sam-I-Am, will be back in full.   And, for further confirmation, there’s always Dr. Seuss in his last book about a boy and his struggles.   As we read in “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”…

 

"Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed. (98 3/4% guaranteed.)"

 

Thanks for keeping on with us,

Aunt Dart (Karylinn)

 

Sunday Day Update

Sorry I'm a day late.  Yesterday seems like a blur.  Sundays are a day off from therapy so Sam got to sleep in and eat breakfast when he got up.  He took a bit of a nap and then we went down to the outdoor Children's Garden.  Sam's cousins visited him for the first time and the garden was a good place to go and not feel like we're in a hospital room.  Sam tired after half an hour or maybe it was the teenage girls giggling (no insult intended).  It was good to get him out of the room, walk a bit, and relax. 
 
Sam has a full day of therapies scheduled today and then a neuro appointment this afternoon with possibly a CT scan also.  This will indicate how his brain is doing and give the doctors a better idea of how long we will be "visiting" this fine establishment.  Sam has been having headaches towards the end of the days but then his head has been through a lot and is put through more with his therapies.  He is much steadier on his feet and is using his right arm quite a bit more especially when I remind him to use it. 
 
He laughs more usually at me but that's okay it is so good to see him smile. 
 
God bless everyone, keep us in your prayers, and have a great Monday.
 
Mom (Stephanie)    

Saturday is Pizza day!

If it isn't, then it should be. I heard a rumor that Sam wanted pepperoni pizza for dinner. It took a little longer than anticipated for me find HotLips Pizza over near the Concordia campus and make it to the hospital, Dinner was underway, but the half eaten hamburger was soon cast aside.

In other breaking news, yesterday Grammy and Papa took Sam to the children's garden. For now, long trips like that require a wheelchair. Sam can walk, but is still wobbly and tires easily. On the way back, Papa asked Sam if he wanted to drive the chair himself. That was definitely a hit! Apparently it is good to be in charge. Physical therapy has been good, (medicine balls are really medicine?) but getting to drive the chair is better. Rumor has it that they took the long way back, exploring every hall available, and in the description of the trip, I'm pretty sure I heard the word "zipping."

After dinner I read him some of the blog comments. Sam's attention span is still pretty short (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the uncle being boring) but he did seem interested in the comments reporting on what is going on in the world and with friends. I'm not sure I'd try a long recital of everything that has happened in the last three weeks, but a few short "news items" from friends might be good.

As always, prayers, sleep, time and whatever else it takes to heal a brain (sorry Sam, I think that means physical therapy) are what Sam really needs.

-- Patton

Clearing Skies, Thursday Morning Update (8.21.08)

The forecast for clearing skies and warmer temperatures couldn't be more appreciated. While each new day renews our faith and hope for a return of 'the old Sam', the unseasonably dark, rainy and cold days casts a slight pale over the small hospital room.

Sam's first day of therapy left him quite tired. When I asked last night, he said it was a good day; and staying true to his characteristic manner of being 'a man of few words', that's all I learned about the day. Both yesterday and today he has numerous sessions of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, activities of daily living, and more. Being a high school student, I don't know what kind of occupational therapy he receives but I know we'll learn more about all this as Stef and Cameron have the opportunity to blog. Their days are quite full as you can well imagine.

Sam slept well last night and woke about 7:15am relatively refreshed. We still get up a couple times at night but mercifully he's been able to go right back to sleep. He devoured his Grammy's special apple sauce this morning even before breakfast arrived. This morning's omelet and ham meal seemed to be hitting the spot. Cameron was by his brother's side and encouraging him on, being Sam's loyal cheerleader, as I left for work.

I'm not sure that our daily blogs will show as many momentous daily changes and improvements as the first two weeks did, but I hope you will continue this journey with Sam and his entire family. These next several weeks of rehab are critical to Sam's entire future. Your continued prayers, cheerleading, support, and posted comments keep us energized and 'connected' to the rest of the world.

With abundant gratitude, Dart (Karylinn)

Wednesday Morning (8.20.08)

Just a quick report on our first night at Emanuel…

Although Stephanie’s optimism is always greatly appreciated and admired, her posting of Tuesday about anticipating ‘falling to sleep early’ missed the mark by a mile. (Sorry Stef!). They had to change his bed from one he can get out of on his own, to a ‘tent-like’ bed that zips all the way around. This didn’t happen until quite late last night. Fortunately, Grammy & PaPa were still at their daily post and kept Sam entertained until the switch could happen.

This ‘tent bed’ is important because we no longer have 24/7 sitters as was provided at DCH, so this bed ensures that Sam cannot get out in the middle of the night. With room for only one of us to stay the night with him, Cameron or I need to be able to also get some sleep without worrying that Sam will wake and try to get out of bed on his own.

Anyway, it was late when Sam got to bed and then it took a long time to fall asleep. But, he slept soundly until the nurse woke us about 4am for a bathroom break and again at 6am for meds, blood draw, and another trip to the loo. Then we got to snuggle in a bit more until getting up about 9am. After breakfast, Sam and Stef were off to his first of several therapy appointments today.

Sam is enjoying the cards and well-wishes, so now is a GREAT time to drop him a note or card. The address is:

Sam Huntting

Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital

2801 N Gantenbein Ave, Room 3507
Portland, OR 97227-1623

More later from the Sam-Team!

Aunt Dart (Karylinn)