Kool-Aid is a medical product

Clare continues to make progress every day and we continue to learn as we go how things really work, mostly after the fact. As of today this is the status of what is going on.

Clare needs to pass three swallow tests with a blue die before they will remove the tube that goes down her throat. They put blue Kool-Aid powder on her tongue and small ice chips in her mouth. They deflate the cuff holding the tube in her wind pipe, then as she swallows her very blue saliva, they check her lungs for any blue coloring by suctioning through her trachea. No blue color means she is swalling properly. Today she passed her 1st test. Monday they will do it again and possibly another test on Tuesday. She is really breathing very well on her own and we hope and expect her to earn her "speaking" valve early next week.

Clare's appearance is very thoughtful as she lays there quietly watching things in the room. She still likes to move her left leg and arm. She enjoys rubbing her spiky hair. Physical therapy took her outside yesterday and today and she liked that. Kris was with her and he said she relaxed and fell asleep out in the fresh air. I see such progress every time I visit.

We appreciate Millard County for adopting our kids and making them one of their own. We continue to learn of community support that really humbles us. We hope we can someday meet the friends and employers that have rallied the community to care for our children. This past week there was a fund raiser for Kris and Clare and we understand that many families in Millard County will be eating pizza for the foreseeable future. It is impressive to us that this level of concern exists for people that have only lived in that community a few short months. It's no wonder why Kris and Clare love living in their "new" home so much. We hope they can be back there soon.

More Milestones - BIG ones

Yesterday they took Clare off the ventilator and she has done so well breathing on her own that tomorrow they may change her trachea to one that will allow her to try and talk! They also took her neck brace off. She looks so much more comfortable. Every time they remove a tube or wire or brace or stitch, she looks better. Clare's hair is about half an inch long and it is coming in pretty dark. Several people have commented as they see her pictures in the room that "Clare is not a real blond" and that her secret is out. It is definitely looking darker than I remember it.


Physical therapy seems to be accelerating Clare's progress. Her eyes are so much more expressive. She likes to raise her eyebrows and make facial expressions. I am not sure if they are all intentional or if she is rediscovering facial muscles and just trying them out. There are times when I think she recognizes me and other times when I am not sure.


Clare is much more relaxed now and will lay for long periods of time just looking around. I like this much better than the thrashing and the look of panic that we have witnessed in past weeks. That has been really hard for all of us and especially for Kris. Today marked 4 weeks since they put the external fixators into her pelvis. They said they would stay in place 4 to 6 weeks so the next big visible hurdle will be to have these removed.


Any bets on what the first discernible thing Clare says will be? Several of the nurses have warned us that it will be a 4 letter word.

A Hug

Clare is continuing to make progress. This morning they took her off of the ventelator and put a "T" on her trach tube. She transitioned to the new set up very well. This is one more step in getting her off assisted breathing all together. We are hoping that by the end of the week that she can have the trach tube removed completely.

She is doing well with her therapy too. She is swallowing a few ice chips and she is following simple instructions and answering questions with blinking her eyes or giving the thumbs up.

She was very awake tonight. Her eyes were bright, and she shows a lot of expression when she is interested, uncomfortable, or irritated. As I was getting ready to leave, I leaned in and told her I loved her. She reached up her left arm and let it fall behind my neck, resting it there in a light hug. What a sweet moment.

I am so grateful for these small miracles.

More than a kiss

We saw more new things the last 48 hours than just about any period so far. We have been told that when she "comes out of her fog" that it can happen pretty rapidly.

Clare is doing much better on remembering to breath on the ventilator, even when she sleeps. They have backed off one of her pain medications and that has made a big difference. When I walked into the room she turned her head and looked at me. That is new in the last day or so. She is able to better track with her eyes.

I saw physical therapy work with her this morning. Clare was really kind of difficult and wanted to sit up all of the time. That has got to hurt with those rods protruding from her pelvic bones. It was my job to control her left arm. She is very persistent in trying to push and pull and just put that arm everywhere you don't want her to to put it. She knocked the air tube off her trachea 3 times.

When we got her back into bed I was talking to her and she was calm. The therapist was on one side of the bed and I was on the other. I asked Clare if she knew where she was. She nodded her head up and down.! I looked at the therapist and asked if that was a yes. He said, "it sure was." He leaned down and said "Clare are you in pain?" And she shook her head no! We asked her a couple of more questions and she answered them all. This is so much better than the blinking code that neither of us could figure out. The therapist asked her to open her mouth and she did. He told her she could not talk but to "mouth the word HI to your dad." She did!

I asked her if she could see me and she closed one eye, then the other, and back again. She did this over and over as if she was looking out each eye to show me she could do it. I put her glasses on and asked if she could see better. She continued to look through one eye then the other.

This afternoon she smiled twice for Dan when he visited and also gave Kris two kisses. I told Kris it was about time she did something for him. Clare usually does things for others and Kris jokingly says that she will never do anything for him. She did tonight! I am really looking forward to what this week will bring.

The doctors have told us that this time can be violent at times and we have seen that. She is coming out of a very confusing place and she is becoming more aware of what is going on around her. But wow what a 48 hours. She is doing great.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and continued prayers. We feel it and I believe Clare is now feeling it. We have prayed long and hard for a miracle and we are witnessing it happening every day. It has been a very long 5 weeks. But in other ways as I look back it all mushes together because there are so few things/events to gauge time by.

What is a 'normal' day

Clare is not resting as much as she once did. Not by choice but because she has a full staff committed to helping her get better. There are respiratory therapists that work out her lungs, physical therapists that put her on a tilt board and work out her body, occupational therapist that help her remember skills and work with foam balls and wet washcloths, speech therapists that are teaching her to swallow, dieticians that balance what is going in and out, a case worker that coordinates family, medical personnel and the insurance company and let’s not forget her nurses. I came down this afternoon hoping that Kris and I would be able to meet with the doctor and we met with the doctor and almost every one of the directors that are over her care. We timed it just right and spent over an hour talking with them.

Clare is making noticeable progress every day. She is moving her arms in controlled purposeful ways. She is getting better at following simple instructions. Of course her awareness drifts in and out but that is to be expected. As the physical therapist put it, “she may have 2 good days this week, 3 good days next week, and then every day will be a good day.” They are all very encouraging and positive about this long process Clare is going through. They are careful to point out that it will take a long time to get back to daily life, but they all seem to think it is probable and for that we are thankful. Kris looks stronger and healing. Today everything is going in the right direction.

Her hair is growing

After seeing that so many of you are looking to see Clare's progress, I wanted to let you know that her hair is growing!! The night of the accident Clare's beautiful hair that she had been growing out was shaved off. Now, she has short light brown hair. She is still beautiful!!

When I was with her last night, her left eye was bright and expressive. She arches her eyebrows and looks very alert. I am unsure if she knows me, but I do know that she knows Kris.

I do know that there are a lot of professionals that are working to build her muscles again, and to teach her the basics. My thanks goes whole heartedly out to them, and I pray that they will be inspired to provide the treatment that she needs.

Small steps, every day...Keep up the prayers.

A Penny

As I lay awake in bed early this morning I decided to go running. As I ran in the dark a song that we sang in church Sunday kept running through my head:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heavenly Father created for me.
He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings
He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart I thank him reverently
For all his creations of which I’m a part
Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me.
Clara W. McMaster



My favorite part about running is the peace and quiet I get in my head. It is these times when I connect with my Heavenly Father. As I was running along deserted streets feeling grateful for small things I noticed a penny on the dark road. I didn’t want to burden myself with the weight of this object and ran on past. It kinda bothered me and I thought about turning around and picking up that penny. I didn’t. I was on a mission to run a set distance and that penny would just slow me down. It bothered me. I did a large loop around a neighborhood and found myself going back down the road where I saw the lone penny. It shined brightly on the dark road reflecting in the lights of passing cars. I picked it up this time. It didn’t weigh me down. It actually lifted my spirits. I felt happier the rest of my run. Don’t pass by any pennies today. They may make you happier.

One Month

Before I say much else let me just state for the record that I am growing weary of this drive to Provo. Today there was an overturned belly load truck that really sphinctered traffic to a halt. (inside joke) I was on I15 for almost 2 hours.

Something else that goes without saying is that we are not professional bloggers doing this for the advertising dollars. Today there really isn't anything new to tell. They are getting into a routine of physical therapy, speech therapy and working her lungs with different settings on the ventilator. By the time we get here in the evening Clare is worn out and we watch her sleep. We will keep this updated when something new comes along, but there might not be something every day to tell.

She is making small progress every day. Some days she doesn't do all of the things she did the day before but she has not slid backwards.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and concerns. We are still grateful for all of the tender mercies that we feel coming our way.

The workouts begin

Today was another good day. Clare spent about 6 hours on the pressure support mode on the ventilator which is more work for her. They hope to gradually strengthen her diaphragm so she can eventually be taken off the ventilator.

The good news is that two days of fasting has reduced Clare's liver enzymes. It did not decrease the pancreas enzymes but the doctor says they're mildly elevated and Clare indicated they weren't causing her pain, so he's not concerned about them. They have started feeding her again and I am sure that is making Clare happier.

She did move her fingers and toes on command. When Clare's Grandpa and Grandma visited today they said they thought she tried to smile. I would like to think she did.

Annette's sister Eve was with Clare this afternoon. Physical therapy strapped her on a tilt table and then turned her upright into a standing position to work her legs. Clare raised her arm when they asked her to. Speech therapy came and talked right in her face as well. She was on the tilt table for 2 hours which explains why she is sleeping so well tonight. It was a real workout for her. It was the first time she has done more then just breathe in over 4 weeks. Doing things like this is what her brain needs to help make connections.

Sept 18th

Today was a good day for Clare. She is able to rest and had several visitors that were able to spend some quality time with her. We appreciate the way visitors have helped maintain such a healthy atmosphere for Clare. I have been told that sleep can be difficult to find for people with brain trauma. The respiratory therapist thought that Clare did not sleep the past couple of nights so when she does have her eyes closed we try our best to not disturb her. She wakes herself up enough as it is. Now she seems to thrash only when her pain medications start to wear off.
People keep asking us if Clare is doing well. This is kind of a difficult question to answer. A better question would be "Is Clare still making good progress?" One of the first blog entries that I did said that we compare everything to the past. So when we say she is doing well it is in comparison to where she has been and that she is making steady progress. Coming from a coma score of 3 to 8 is significant progress. Clare will probably have to relearn many things. We won't know the full extent of her injuries for many months to come.

Clare does like to find and focus on the colorful butterfly Char bought her. She is in a very good place to get well. All of the staff is very upbeat and positive about her progress. That is what we need to keep going. Kris spent time at the hospital today and I feel pretty confident that I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for everything that so many are doing to help. Kind thoughts really do go a long way to make this road one we can travel. I am glad we are not traveling it alone.

We are talking. . . sort of

Clare is making some very encouraging progress every day. Annette has been with her the past two nights so it has been some time since I have spent time with Clare. Being away for a couple of days makes all the baby steps seem bigger. Her eyes are so much brighter today than a couple of days ago. It looks more like she is in there all the time. Today marks 4 weeks since the accident. I hate to look back and see where we have been, but only when I do can I see the progress that both Clare and Kris have made.

The really big thing today is that we can get Clare to respond to us by blinking her eyes. One blink is yes and two blinks is no. Her level of awareness drifts in and out so there are times when she is more responsive to answering us. But when she is aware, she will blink and answer questions. She will even open her mouth for the nurse when they are doing her oral care. Her eyes were open most of the day. When I moved just out of her view she looked annoyed until she could find me again. Any of you that have received the “Clare Glare” know what I mean. I tried to not move too much if she took the effort to find me.

When Bethany and I were talking about her, Clare got annoyed. I asked her if it bothered her when people talk about her in the room. She blinked her eyes emphatically once. We tried best as we could to talk directly to her and stopped talking about her. This made her much more at ease. I asked her if she would like me to tell her about her injuries (she usually gets very agitated when we talk about her injuries) she blinked once. I told her generally of all that had been repaired and how she was healing and time would make her all better. She kept calm the entire time. She knows what is going on around her. Keep that in mind if any of you stop in to visit. Keep the visits short and please do not ask others to recite her condition or status while you are in the room.

I asked Clare if she would watch the BYU UTAH football game with me tonight and she blinked twice. I guess I will be keeping the TV on mute. We have her IPOD next to her bed and her own music playing very softly. Sometimes I cannot hear it over the noise of the equipment in the room, but it seems to sooth her and create a familiar atmosphere. We hung a rainbow colored butterfly mobile above her bed and tucked a picture of Jesus in the ceiling tile. She found them. I don’t know how well she can focus, but it will give her something to work on.

They keep telling us it will be a long road. I am ok with that as long as I know where the road is going.

Elevated Enzymes

Clare has been so calm the last two days. It is such a difference from how she has been for at least a week! It is a relief to walk in the room and see her pulse under 120. She still opens her eyes, but she looks around calmly rather than thrashing and trying to scream. I hope this is a good sign.

Clare has some elevated enzymes again which indicate some issues with her liver, and other organs. They halted her tube feeding for a while today until they can place a new feeding tube into her small bowel. She is continuing with the pressure support mode for breathing during the day which is allowing her to do most of the work. She is also continuing with physical therapy.

Tomorrow Clark will go down to spend time with Clare. Hopefully he will have an opportunity to see her during the day when she is more awake.

Kris is still recovering from the last surgery on his wrist. He was able to spend some time with Clare today. He is so sweet with her. Just a few more days recovering and he will probably be back full time with her.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.

Sept 15

Running out of titles. Could be that I am just running out. Today we had a good friend sit with Clare for a couple of hours while we were not able to be there. She reported that she felt that Clare did respond to her and knew that she was there. Marianne was quick to pick up that sometimes things calm Clare and a few minutes later it might agitate her. Sometimes you just have to leave her alone. Touching, talking, singing can all set her off and have the opposite desired result. She was able to catch Clare up on family events and said that she could tell that some topics comforted Clare and other topics upset her. Things that appeared to agitate her were her home in meadow and the crash. I am sure that some thoughts even though they are sweet memories, cause her to stir because she cannot do anything about it. But then again. . . next time different things will sooth her. You really have to be flexible and willing to stop doing what ever it is that she doesn't like.

Annette went to the hospital tonight and Clare has been sleeping peacefully. Today they had her ventilator on a setting that allows her to do most all of her own breathing. She did very well from 7:00am to 5:00pm and we are told that doing this will wear her out. They switched to an easier setting for her to rest tonight. They put a pain patch on her and it seems to be controlling the pain better. Tonight our nephew that is a doctor with training in brain and spinal cord injuries visited. I wish Clare was not so calm and would have perform for him. I am glad Clare is resting peacefully but I would have liked to have had a second opinion.

Clare is getting range of motion therapy 5 times a week, one to two times a day. They continue to monitor and attend to the "alert" of the day. There are so many things that they want to keep on top of so they don't become real problems. So far we have done well avoiding big problems.

Kris went to Delta to try and get some recovery in after his surgery. He told me he is anxious to get back here tomorrow to be with Clare.

Nathan had a good idea yesterday that we should hang a colorful poster on the ceiling above her so Clare did not stare at a white ceiling tile all day. Anyone have a large stiff lite picture and a way to suspend it above her? Any ideas?

Thank you for your continued concern and prayers. They are definitely working.

What is a "Coma"?

Movies like While You Were Sleeping skew the way people think about comas. I wish beyond anything that it was like the movies and Clare would just “wake up.” However, she cannot wakeup because she is not sleeping. Her brain is damaged, and we just have to wait while it reconnects and heals itself.

We have learned from experience that this is a very slow process. No one just “wakes up” all at once. Like Clare, they may do one “trick” a day and progressively build up their skills (ie: moving a body part, opening their eyes, yawning, etc). Some people progress slower and some faster. We’ve been told that each brain injury has its own personality, and there is no predicting when or what will happen.

These past few days have been encouraging as Clare has been opening her eyes, and with everyone’s excitement there have been many people who have thought she is now awake. She’s not what we would call “awake,” so to clarify I decided to explain how consciousness is measured.

The Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) measures consciousness. It has 3 sections which are each scored then added together to get a GCS number.  Here is the scale:

GCS  ≤ 8 are considered to be in a coma, or have severe brain injury

GCS 9 – 12 have moderate brain injury

GCS ≥ 13 have no brain injury or mild (Most of us have a GCS of 15)

Clare’s score today:

Eyes: Spontaneously opening (4)
Verbal: None (1) (everyone with a tracheostomy is given a 1)
Motor: Flexion to pain (3)
Total GCS: 8

When Clare came in to the ER originally, she was a 3. Until she started spontaneously opening her eyes this past weekend, she has been anywhere from 4-6. So while we are ecstatic about her progress, she still has a ways to go. 

Right now Clare is back at Utah Valley Hospital getting another CT Scan. Once a doctor reads it and clears her, she'll be transferred back to the LTAC she is staying in. I think I'm starting to get this routine down...

Clare's Angels

After almost three and a half weeks of having his bones out of place, Kris had his forearm/wrist set and plated today. He is in a lot of pain with his arm and he said he hopes that Clare's fixed arm doesn't hurt this bad.

Clare had a better day today and Annette and Bethany spent the evening with her. She has been very calm compared to recent days and she kept her eyes open much of the time. We hope she can have more peaceful times. She appears to know we are with her and Annette said it has been a very nice visit most of the night.

We are learning that as she becomes more active, she gets into more trouble and she can do it very quickly. There is some kind of rebirth going on with her and it can be violent at times and come on very suddenly. The nursing staff is very capable, but they are not with her all of the time. We have been glad to have been there on several occasions to care for her or alert others to get in there.

Twice tonight Clare threw up and Annette and Bethany were there to help clean her up. It is at times like this that we think how nice it would be to have more help in being there for her when we cannot be there.

My brother Tom has volunteered to coordinate family and friends that would like to help with being with Clare. It would be one or maximum two people to just sit with her. The intent is to get coverage when we think our families won't be there, and if we do show up then that is OK too. We don't plan very far in advance these days so knowing Clare is covered would help us all out as we try to handle our schedules. Kris would like to spend more time with Clare, but he needs to find time to rest and recover himself. If you would like to be part of this group please email Tom at claresangels@gmail.com and give him your contact information such as phone, cell phone, if you take text messages, your email, and availability to be there.

We continue to be buoyed up by the faith and prayers of so many. We cannot say thank you enough.

Long Road

Last night as I was with Clare, it was really hard. It seemed to me as if she was either peacefully sleeping on a new dose of pain meds or vigorously thrashing about in her bed. There was really no in between during the time I was there. (Clark said that tonight was the same). It may be that any type of stimulation is compounding her reactions. The only time that I can read with her is right after she has had medication. During her manic times, we have tried holding her hand, rubbing her feet, singing to her, and talking to her. Nothing has worked to soothe her except for the next round of medication. The nurse warned us that things may get worse before they get better.

At this point it is really emotionally taxing. We may have need for friends and family to take short turns in "being there" for Clare, so that Kris (especially) and the rest of us can take a break without feeling that we are abandoning Clare. One of our focuses should be to stay healthy and strong so that we can be there for Clare to assist in her future therapy and to help as she returns to her home. Please check with Kris, Clark, or I before visiting. We don't want to overwhelm Clare as her brain tries to heal itself.

Kris will be having surgery on his wrist tomorrow. He decided to go through the surgery after getting a second opinion today. His dad will be coming up to be with him.

Please all...continue in your prayers. Clare, Kris and our families continue to need them.

Pain is good?

Nate and I spent the morning with Clare. They are giving her a longer release pain medication through her stomach and a short term pain medication through her PIC line. The short term pain med usually lasts 4 hours. Today it seems to be lasting about 2 hours before she tries to tear the bed apart. She is really strong and she pushes on the steel rods that are drilled into her pelvis. She may be creating a lot of her own pain just by the things she is doing.

It is very apparent to me that she does not know what she is doing and she does not know what is going on. We saw Kris just before they took Clare on a transport back to the hospital for another CT Scan. They started a blood thinner yesterday and they want to be sure that there is no hemorrhaging in her brain. The scan came back good and shows improvement. Clare is now back at the specialty hospital.

Evening update: Annette is now down with Clare and Kris. She says that Clare is still "really wild and they finally came in and gave her more pain medication." Clare has a long way to go but all of these changes are what we have been waiting for. It is so hard to watch her in such visible agony and know that it is in her best interest that she is on this path. (There has got to be a life lesson in there somewhere.)

THAT WAS NOT A BABY STEP

Today Clare was very agitated. The doctor made his rounds late afternoon and assessed what she was doing, then they gave her pain medication. She calmed down. An hour or so later we went to dinner. Kris ate better than we have seen him do in a long time. It is good to see him eating again.

We went back to the hospital and talked to Clare for a couple of hours. We started preparing to leave around 9:00 pm and she again showed her displeasure with the whole situation. But something was different. When we asked her to open her eyes she did. When the nurse had asked her to squeeze her hand, she did. And more importantly, when she asked her to release her hand, she did. Kris got in Clare's face and talked to her. As her eyes were open and gazing at him, he told her how much he loved her. Clare's mouth started moving like she was trying to talk. She did make some noise but as long as she is on the ventilator she can not talk.

It is difficult to explain exactly what happened tonight, but we were definitely communicating with Clare and she was trying to communicate with us. It was a very big step. Things are changing and appear to be changing rapidly in just the day since she was moved to the speciality hospital. We are so grateful for all of your prayers. They are working.

3 Weeks

We are at the specialty long term care hospital in Provo now. Annette, Kris and I are here trying to comfort Clare. It is a balancing act that we are doing now. She is getting more agitated and responsive which is just what we want. She also appears to be in a lot of pain which we do not like. The nursing staff is balancing between giving her enough drugs for the pain, but not enough to cover up any progress she is making. I can't tell if her expression is panic or pain but it is probably a mixture of both. As she becomes more aware she will become very frustrated when she tries to make noises and nothing comes out. As long as she in on the ventilator, no wind goes over her vocal cords. We have to restrain her because she pulls and pushes on everything.

All of the signs are positive. It is just hard watching her. Clare thrashes in bed and looks like she is in terrible pain, but we know this is what needs to happen and continue to happen as she continues to make progress.

Quick update

It was a tiring day for us all. The short of it is that Clare is resting at the new long term care facility that she was moved to today. Kris is resting at a friends house nearby. We are impressed so far with the care that the employees of this new facility are giving Clare.

We will post more later. For now we need to sleep.

Oh Mr. Darcy!

Last night as I sat at the bedside next to Clare, I read to her. We started "Pride and Prejudice". How fun to be reading one of the best love stories of all time. This morning as Bethany talked with the nurses, they mentioned that Clare had really calmed during our reading time together. It felt good to actually be doing something with her. Clark and I joked that when he is there that he could read an instruction manual to her, and when Kris is there, he could read a parts catalog. Oh well, to each his/her own. I'm sure that Clare will love it all.


Today, in the afternoon, Clare had a feeding tube inserted in her abdomen going straight into her stomach. Clark said that she looked much more comfortable without the tube in her nose and that she looks more like herself. Now that the new tube is placed, they will be watching her to see if she can be moved to the LTC unit. Maybe this will happen tomorrow, and maybe it won't.


Clare is also becoming more active...or maybe it's more agitated. She is really moving her left arm and left leg. She has to have a soft restraint on the left wrist so that she doesn't pull out her ventilator or feeding tube or push on her external fixator She is now opening her eyes frequently when she coughs and regularly makes faces to show her discomfort.

Kris made the journey to Delta and Meadow yesterday and today. He is scheduled to have surgery on his wrist on Tuesday. We had hoped that all the surgeries were done, but apparently not.

We continue to have family, friends and acquaintances tell us that they are thinking and praying for Clare, Kris, and our families. As amazing as the health care professionals have been, I know that the healing that needs to happen with Clare is in the hands of a higher power. I am so touched when I learn of all the prayers and thoughts that are being directed our way. I truly believe in the power of prayer and have felt it many times in my life. So, regardless of what religion you are or are not, please keep your prayers and positive thoughts coming our way.

So. . . that's why it hurts

Today was a day of planning, waiting, inaction and surprises. For Clare, they want to remove the feeding tube from her nose and put it in her abdomen. That surgery didn't happen today so maybe it will happen tomorrow. That means she might be moved to the long term care facility on Friday.

Kris's information is more interesting. He continues to heal and is pretty much off all pain medication and just tuffing it out. We had a meeting with the medical staff this morning and asked them many questions about Clare and Kris. They decided that Kris should visit with the trauma doctors. Kris has mentioned pretty consistently along the way how his elbow and wrist cause him pain. The standard answer is that his broken shoulder is causing the pain downstream. Well they x ray'd his wrist and found that it is broken and dislodged. So that's why it hurts. He will have it set tonight and then Tuesday they will do surgery and put a plate and screws in it. (and I thought we were done with surgeries)

Clare was restless today. She is moving around a lot more and kind of thrashing in bed. Her eyes remain closed. She did open her eyes once that the nurse noticed. As we are reminded every time a medical professional talks to us, the steps will be very slow and it will take a long time. We like every small step that we get.

9:54pm update. Annette went down this evening to be with Clare. She did open her eyes a few more times this evening.

Long Term Care -

The discussion we are currently having with medical providers is where the best place for Clarissa to heal is. The ICU is not meant for long term care and the insurance company wants her to be moved. We are so grateful for the outstanding care both Clare and Kris have received at Utah Valley and specifically the Neuro Shock Trauma ICU. As wonderful as this care facility is and as attached as we have become to the nurses and doctors, we know that this cannot continue much longer.

Annette, Kris, Char and Rod toured a specialty long term care facility in Orem this evening that Clare may be moved to as soon as tomorrow afternoon. I have mixed emotions about this move. The first emotion I feel is disappointment. We are moving to a long term care facility. That means that the experts do not think she will wake up tonight. On a subconscious level it feels like a portion of hope has been ripped away from me. I know this is not the case but it just feels that way. The faith and hope of others is so important to us right now.

The other emotion I have is that we need to get her to a place that specializes in long term care and one that can help her in every way to be healthier. So I am in favor of moving her. Talk about conflicting emotions but that is what we specialize in lately.

Today I got the shot in my arm that I needed. On the Today Show this morning, someone that Annette and I have known for 7 years was featured. Shelly had a terrible accident this year and now is recovering. It gave me much needed hope today. Maybe it will lift your spirits as well.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44407338#44407338

8:25pm update: Annette just called me and said Clarissa opened her eyes. They were looking the same direction this time. Then she closed her eyes again. Annette will help give her a bath to see if they can get her to do it again and call me back. Is it too much to hope for a miracle tonight? Last night as I was walking from one store to another I was overcome with the feeling that everything was going to be alright. I felt peace. It lasted for several minutes as I walked. I am feeling it again now as I type. If you have time please say another prayer for Clare.

9:25pm update: OK here is the rest of the story. Bethany was visiting and they were viewing the above video on her computer next to Clare. While they were watching it, Clare coughed (she does it fairly regularly) and opened her eyes. She blinked 6 or 7 times and then closed her eyes. Her eyeballs were looking in the same direction which is something new. They couldn't get her to do it again. After her bath they gave her more pain medication so she will sleep easier. Like I have said several times before, she is a one trick pony. We will have to wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Labor Day

I really wish there was more to tell of what happened today. Kris continues to heal. A nurse jokingly called him "Wolverine" today because his abrasions and mangled ear healed so quickly. He is doing very well.

Clare rests, they continue to do tests, and she sleeps while she heals. It is going too slow for all of us. One moment we are handling it OK, and the next moment it seems as if our hearts will break. Please be patient with us, we hope there will be more to report soon...

Ab Workout?

Kris finally made it home today. He and his dad rode down to Meadow to check on the house. He said it looks like someone has put a lot of work into the yard and house, and the animals are still alive so someone has been feeding them well. We are so grateful for every kind word, note, prayer, and service that has been done on their behalf through this time; both those that we know of, as well as the many secret acts of kindness we may never know about. After checking on everything at home, he came back and returned to his post at Clare's bedside.

Today's news-Clare has another new "trick" to add to her repertoire, she lifts her left leg up like she's doing leg lifts, meaning she could have some tight abs by the time she wakes up ;) We were informed she has some thrush in her mouth, which can be treated within 2-3 days by some anti-fungal medications. They said that is pretty typical for patients who are on lots of antibiotics. According to her nurse, it's kind of inevitable to happen at some point no matter how good your oral care is.

Thank you again for all your prayers and those who fasted with Clare and Kris in mind today.

Two Weeks

Tonight marks two weeks that we have been visiting this ICU. We really have come a long way since that night. That first night was scary wondering whether or not either one of them would make it through the night. And now Kris is discharged and Clare is on her way to holding her own. Although we have come a long way...we still have a long way to go.

Kris was with Clare most all of the day holding her hand and talking to her. He looks stronger each day. It was nice to have him here with her, but I hope he will pace himself. We will need him strong and well for when Clare wakes up.

Clare has rested pretty well today, but no real changes for her. We had hoped that she would wake up to watch the Utah State Football game, but it may have been good that she didn't since they choked and lost the game in the last few minutes. Clare is getting a little more facial expressions and eye lid fluttering. Not much to get excited over but we will take anything she will give us. She is still in quite a bit of pain, and they keep her comfortable with pain medicine in order to keep her heart rate down. I can't help but think that she is waiting for some of this pain to subside before waking up...I know I would.

I know that there are many of you that are fasting and praying for Kris and Clare tonight. Thank you for your continuous prayers. So much of Care's recovery is in the hands of a higher power. I feel the blessings coming.

Jail Break

Kris was discharged earlier today but he has been waiting to get the paperwork and training out of the way so he can leave the hospotal. (4:15pm now) He is going to be able to stay at a nearby guest house of the hospital at a reduced rate. It will be nice for him to stay near Clare for a while. Kris is progressing steadily and we are so grateful for this.

Clare has not shown much change over the last few days. Her CT Scan this morning showed that the brain swelling is starting to go down. Time will reveal the rest. She did have a new trick yesterday. . . she yawned. This is so hard just watching her. We are still very hopeful and prayerful that she is going to wake when she is ready. Thank you again for your continued faith and prayers.

Kris is walking in the room right now. No wheel chair! ! ! He walked all the way down here from his floor at a very quick pace. It is so good to see Kris in street cloths. The gown was fashionable, but I like this much better. I am amazed how good Kris looks right now. For those of you praying for miracles I am witnessing one of them right now. Yesterday I seriously wondered how they could be thinking of letting him out in the condition he was in. What a difference a day makes. He really does look wonderful.

I hope we will have more good news to tell soon. Kris just said to tell all of you thank you for your prayers and support and to "keep it up."