Working towards normal

Marc got his neck collar off today. They also took out his IV. He's still connected to his feeding tube, but once they make sure he'll be able to eat on his own they can get rid of that as well. This is all very good news and he continues to make progress.

Marc is off of antibiotics now and continuing to gain strength. He can't eat on his own yet, but he is breathing on his own. He can sit up without assistance (while being supervised) as well as brush his teeth, wash his face, etc. He continues to make a little bit of progress each day.

A step in the right direction

Marc had his tracheotomy incision stitched up today, which is good news. Since he's often too tired when therapists come to work with him (he's active for a good part of the night), they're going to try to get him back on a normal sleeping schedule so that he can work with them and continue to improve. He's still on antibiotics. And that's pretty much it for now.

A few bits of news

Marc is back on antibiotics because his culture test came back positive. He's off of moisturized air and just breathing regular air now. They're hoping to be able to close off the tracheotomy incision soon and have him breathe normally again. Marc fell a few days ago while attempting to walk around his room unattended. He seems to be fine though, just a bit bruised. A bed alarm is now installed so he can't get up without the nurses knowing. Marc is quite talkative at times (meaning that he can carry on a conversation), while other times he's too tired to interact much. That's where things are for now.

Gaining strength

Today in therapy, Marc walked across the room using a walker, washed his hands by himself, and also did a few other basic things. A few days ago, they decreased the size of his tracheotomy tube. Marc ate blue-dyed applesauce as part of a test the other day and thoroughly enjoyed getting to eat something again. I don't know when he'll get to eat meals again. As of yet, he still relies on his feeding tube. Those are the main things that are new. He still has a long way to go, but he seems to be making good progress.

A different sort of Christmas

A few days ago, Marc was able to sit up in a chair for a few hours. But then the next day, he was on such a heavy dose of pain killers that he was pretty much asleep the whole day. He was more conscious yesterday (December 25), but still pretty out of it. They have him breathing humidified room air now (humidified to keep his tracheotomy incision moist), which is a very good sign. They may start decreasing the size of the tracheotomy incision soon if everything goes well. Visitors can come see him, however he currently has a contagious bacterial infection just so you know. If you do come, try to keep your visit under ten minutes so as not to wear him out too much. He's at the South Davis Community Hospital in Bountiful. He's not really awake most of the time, so he might not get much out of a visit yet, but you can come if you want to.

Christmas Eve at the Clemens house is usually a cozy gathering around the lit fireplace, with the Christmas tree aglow and candles lit around the room. It's here, in the shimmering light, that beloved Christmas stories are read, carols are sung, and last of all, the account of Jesus Christ's birth is read from the Bible. As a child, Christmas Eve was a magical night, one that I looked forward to almost more than Christmas morning itself. But this year was different. Instead of gathering around the fireplace, we gathered around a hospital bed. As I looked around the room, I was surprised to see so many of us there. Nine of the ten kids were gathered around that hospital bed (the last lives in Tennessee and his wife is due in three weeks). It's been a long time since I've seen so many of my siblings gathered together. We had no candles, no piano, and we only brought one book to read. But as the words of the Bible filled the room and the hymns we sang echoed down the hall, a different kind of magic happened. I could barely restrain the tears that wanted to flow as I felt the love that filled the room. The love my siblings have for each other, the love we have for our parents, the love our parents have for us, and the love of our Heavenly Father who sent His Son so we can all live together again. And so while this would hardly fit anyone's model of a "perfect Christmas", it was perfect for me. May we all remember the things that are most important. Not just at Christmas time, but every day of the year. Merry Christmas everyone.

Successful Move

Marc was successfully moved to Utah and has been settling in to the new hospital. He has been tolerating the speaking valve, which is a good sign. He talks sometimes, but seems to be very disoriented (being on powerful pain meds doesn't help either). He continues to move around a lot and his movements appear to be becoming more conscious and less random moving about. He appears to be continuing to improve, but very gradually.