Monday Morning 2/24/20

Good Morning Team Love-on-Louis (Thank you Stacey Bare for the perfect name for the Go Fund Me)!!

The night was on par with the one previous. Yesterday we added a feeding tube to our arsenal as Lou has been unable to swallow properly so...no food, no drinks...sucks, but you knew this. At least now he is getting needed calories.

This morning the doctor decided on a new focus. Previously stabilization was the goal, as of this morning we are shifting to getting Lou out of the ICU and into the University of Utah Spinal Rehab facility. Focus, focus on that!

Anna Catino was brilliant in alerting the team at the U of Louis' situation and as I understand it, they have been standing by ready and waiting for him. I need to take a moment to let you all know what Erme and Anna did for us because they will not.

From my perspective, there is no way that Louis would be here without Erme. From immediately calling 911 (the accident happened at 5:24pm and Erme called at 5:24pm) to utilizing his first responder knowledge and stabilizing Lou, to not taking "no" for an answer when Life Flight refused to land due to light limitations, by calling several other potential rescue helicopters until finally getting in touch with a Public Safety copter out of Colorado who agreed to perform the rescue. If anyone knows who those angels are I would very much like to meet them. Erme kept Louis alive!

From the helicopter ride to a waiting ambulance, Lou arrived at Utah Valley hospital ER at 9:16pm.

Louis was supposed to be home around 6pm, through the years I have learned that 6pm can mean 8-9pm however never 5! I did not know who Lou was with or where specifically, only that it was another day at work for him, he would come home, we would have dinner, talk about the day, watch an episode of something and hit the sack. At 6:30 I texted Louis letting him know that I was ordering dinner and it should be at our place around 7. As 7 passed I noticed that his cell location had not changed (again, over the years, I have learned that when he is out, having access to his approximate location, and when he is moving tend to allow me to allow him to continue doing what he loves without paranoia) and it was already significantly passed dark...hmmm. I discussed the situation with our friend Esther, do I just drive down there (Mapleton) or do I call the local police department? I opted for the later, thinking that they are much closer and could swing by and check on the location. They were already involved and working on the rescue and told me that one of the two skiers had been injured, no names though, and that I should head to Utah Valley. Deep breath.

Esther and I left the house and headed South, I opted to drive hoping that focusing on the road would keep my emotions and fear in check. Erme, I am sorry, during the drive I kept thinking "it is the other skier," having no idea who the other skier was and knowing that Lou is conservative and thoughtful in the back country especially when carrying his camera and equipment on his back. As we approached Provo the sheriff's department called and told me that the injured skier was, in fact, Louis and that he was talking and alert.

Louis was checking into the ER at 9:16pm.

When Esther and I arrived and entered the ER I was in a super heightened state. I told the nurse who I was and who my husband is and she asked me to follow her, we went into a smaller waiting room between the main waiting area and the actual trauma unit. She told me nothing. As we waited, Erme and Anna arrived. Erme began to fill me in and Anna began making calls to find out anything she could about the level of care we could expect at this facility and if we should consider getting Louis immediately to the UofU. It was decided to stay where we were and get Louis into surgery as soon as possible.

In the ER trauma unit there were upwards of 6-9 people attending to him at any one time. I went in to see him and almost immediately passed out. I thing that heightened state I was in, contemplating the possibilities, came crashing down with the full force of awareness that he might not make it. Anna stepped in and asked the right questions, said the right things and basically made the decisions I was unable to.

We met with the surgeon who explained his plan, Greek to me. What I recall is hearing the run down of the injuries and that is about it.

He was brought into surgery somewhere around 1:00 am and out of surgery at about 9am Thursday morning. 4 days later, here we are working towards getting Louis to the next stage.

My take away at the moment is that none of us can do this alone, you have all been a wonderful and amazing source of comfort and more support than I could ever have imagined possible. As the trauma doc mentioned yesterday, this is a marathon not a sprint and we ask that you hang in there with us.

Comments

  1. This in an incredibly valuable recap, thank you so much for posting it!! Hang in there Louis!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our thoughts will be with you during the recuperation phase.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank's so much Jackie, i love you guys, and send everything positive I got your way!

    ReplyDelete
  4. From Vicente: Please keep the updates coming. We are all anxious to hear about Louis' recovery. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time! Louis is my mom's cousin and hearing about what happened was heartbreaking. I hope he can start on his way through the next phase of recovery soon!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jackie, I can't even imagine. Praying so hard for Louis and your sweet little family.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jackie, Sending you and your family lots of positive energy, love and prayers!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Helicopter team that performed the rescue was not from Colorado. They were the Utah DPS Aero Bureau Team. They perform many rescues like this a year. I can get you in touch with them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jackie and Louis, Jackie and I (Jim) are sending good vibes, prayers and lots of love to you and Louis and your family. Just in our circle, there are lots of profound stories of recovery and hope. Brains and nerves are complex and awesome things - tuned to survival and adaptation. Our positive energy flows your way!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm a Mess!