Day 12

This is my first blog post...ever.  So, forgive me for the lack of blog-etiquette, and please bear with me throughout this whole process.

First, the reason for this blog.  Over the past two weeks, I've been updating Facebook regarding Rebecca's condition, and it's been kind of a pain.  Facebook wasn't really meant for these kinds of lengthy journal entries.  So, I've finally relented to creating a blog, and I'm going to do my best to keep it solely about Rebecca.

Second, I need to get everyone up to speed.  On Friday, December 10, Rebecca had a seizure.  We found out later that it was the result of a high fever due to a recent epidemic of the flu.  Until the next Tuesday, it was a very touch-and-go situation.  Rebecca was intubated (on a ventilator to help her breathe) and flooded with all sorts of medicine to fight the flu and stabilize her vitals.  She kept fighting, and around Tuesday, her fever started to drop and it looked like Rebecca was ridding herself of this nasty bout of the flu.  Starting Wednesday, the doctors started to ween her off of her medication.  She began to wake up, but she really wasn't "awake" by any normal standards.  She was still extremely groggy and unresponsive, but it was definitely apparent that she was beginning to come out of it.  Thursday was a big day; the doctors and nurses removed her breathing tube and really started to bring her off of the medication.  Mind you, Rebecca had been asleep for an entire week, on some pretty heavy pain medication, and just had a breathing tube removed from her chest.  At the very least, this was an extremely uncomfortable day for her.  I imagine that the combined effects of withdrawal, confusion, and a very sore throat aren't very fun to deal with.  Rebecca, being the trooper that she is, really fought through all of these challenges.

Let me take a breather.  For every minute of every hour of every day, the nurses, doctors, and other staff of Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center have been absolutely incredible.  We couldn't have asked for anything more; Rebecca's stay there has been a great one.  Especially the nurses: they have been exceptional in every single facet of Rebecca's recovery.  It's been a great thing to experience.

Anyway, from Friday until yesterday, Rebecca has been waking up a little more each day.  She is stronger, more alert, and more responsive with each new day.  And so we arrive at today.  The picture above is of Rebecca when I first got to the hospital today.  Today was fantastic.  This was the first day which I could actually say that Rebecca is back.  Her personality is back.  She giggled when I tickled her, and laughed at Barney.  She smiled almost the whole time I was there.  When Rebecca looked at me, I could tell that she really recognized me...I don't know, it's really hard to explain.  All I can say is that when I left the hospital, I thought to myself, "I've got my little sister back!"

Let me take another break right here.  Where are my dad and Marjan?  Not to worry, they've done much more than I could ever hope to do as a brother.  They've really showed me throughout this whole ordeal what it means to be an incredible parent.  By example, they've set the bar really high for me...I can only hope that one day, I might be half the parents they are.  With that said, this blog is really just a birds-eye view of what it's like to experience all of this through my shoes.

As of early evening today, they moved Rebecca out of the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and into a normal patient room.  She'll be going through rehab for the next two weeks at least.  But this is awesome news, because the therapists will bring her back to where she was before the seizure as far as her baseline skills are concerned.  So, we don't get to bring Rebecca home for Christmas...hopefully they'll let us bring Christmas to her.

I apologize for this ridiculously long-winded blog entry.  But now you're up to-date, and I'll try to check back in tomorrow.

Let me remind you, the only reason I'm writing this blog is because the huge outpouring of support received from everyone, so keep it up!  Please, please continue to keep Rebecca in your thoughts and prayers!