A Friend of ours' daughter fell 70 ft. today and could die.

[phillip]

Update Late Evening of 5th of July: We have just come back from a very emotional visit to the hospital. They have reduced Symone's sedatives even more and she was in a twilight zone between sleep and awake. She was holding my hand with her right hand as tightly as she could, not wanting to let it go. She was also rubbing my hand with her thumb. At one stage she turned her head and looked straight at me with her eyes half open, and moved her mouth as if she was trying to talk. It was very obvious she was aware of my presence and looking for all the emotional support she could get. I could sense fear and confusion coming from her. Her left hand, however, was not as strong with only small, weak movements. This is most likely because it is her right brain hemisphere that has been damaged and that controls the left side of the body. But, the good news is that there was movement in the left side, so there is still right brain activity. Both of her legs were also moving. After about an hour of us being there, she closed her eyes completely, relaxed her grip and drifted off to sleep, so we left. We left, however, with the firm conviction that Symone is still with us, her spirit is strong, she is fighting, and even though it may take many months of rehabilitation, she WILL make it.

[Anonymous]

It has been said that a picture is worth a 1000 words.  This one I believe is worth a million words.  A gift from my daughter a few fathers days ago:

[Anonymous]

The above picture was submitted by Phillip.  Sometimes my log-in does not take, lol.

[phillip]

I had a need to post this.  I feel these words deeply:

David,
 
Wonderful news.  Sometimes, the most wonderful light breaks through and forces its way out of the darkness.  Your daughter has brought us ALL something magnificent.  A lofty karma she carries to be sure.  Look at how she has brought so many of us together; and solely to celebrate life and to support you and your family.  From all over the world, our faith has been tested, and the universe has responded and said, "I hear you all, your faith has saved you."  Symone will be grateful for life, as never before.  Her chart reveals that in the future she will repeatedly feel a great debt is owed by her.  Not so much to a single person; there are too many nameless that have watched and prayed fervently for her wellness.  She will carry this sense of obligation to all life and to her God.  I, for one, feel that the gift was ours'.  It has been said that when one steps into the stream, both the person and the stream are changed, never the same again.  We all rub off on each other.  Your daughter's plight has changed so many of us permanently, and somehow I feel that her influence on the world, at large, has just begun.  It has been your responsibility to bring this news and information to the awareness of so many minds.  In true Gemini fashion, you have been the communicator, and continue to be the "voice of god".  With wings on your heels David.  This is the metaphor, the image, of how I will always envision you.  My thoughts and prayers continue for you and your family.
 
         Phil

[phillip]

Update Evening of July the 7th: I just came back from the hospital after spending 5 hours there with Symone. She is improving in leaps and bounds. The doctors say her progress is remarkable and they are very pleased. Her left arm is now almost as animated as her right arm and she has a much stronger grip in her left hand. Both her eyes were fully open for the whole time I was there except for a period of about 20 minutes when she drifted off to sleep. At times she seemed alert and aware and other times she just stared blankly into space. For most of the time, however, she did not take her eyes off of me, ignoring all others in the room. The nurses said she calmed down almost as soon as I walked in and my presence clearly soothed her. She held both of my hands tightly for most of the time I was there and she did not try to pull tubes out like she had been in the morning.

At times a look of sheer terror came over her face. I explained to her where she was - in the hospital. I told her she had had a bad accident but it wasn't her fault. The doctors were looking after her and she was going to get better. It seemed to calm her down. Several times I said to her, "step by step, day by day you will get better. Step by step your mind will heal." Those words also calmed her and my voice reassured her. Her heart rate was stable around 100 for most of the time I was there and she wasn't agitated like she had been in the morning. I told the nurses if she gets distressed call me anytime day or night and I will come straight down.

I also had a meeting with the hospital social worker and that was very helpful. We are setting up a family conference for tomorrow to discuss various issues at depth and establish a support network for everyone. I asked the staff for permission to make a tape of subliminal suggestions and metaphor work for Symone to listen to and they were in full agreement. Anything that can possible help, they said. I will make that tape on the weekend and she will start listening to it on Monday.

I left exhausted. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see my dear sweet Symone like that. I wish I could take her pain away but I can't. Its a process she is going to have to go through. At times I get terrified that I won't get her back, but I have to stay strong and believe. Not just for Symone's sake but also for Jaye. I think this is the greatest battle I have ever faced in my life. May God help me.

[phillip]

Update Morning of July the 8th: I collapsed last night from sheer exhaustion. I was in tears and couldn't stop. I called my parents and they came straight over. I am so lucky to have such a strong family and so is Symone. Dad is a retired Uniting church minister and an amazing man and mum is simply an angel. They got me off to bed and I slept for 12 hours solid. I woke up this morning and thought it had all been a bad dream then I slowly realised it wasn't. I rang the hospital and Symone had been pretty agitated last night, so they sedated her again. She's awake now with no changes that the nurse could tell. Once I get myself together again, I will head on down there to see what's going on. We have a family meeting with the social worker today so that should help. I am so grateful for all the emails of support that we are receiving, and for my friends who are being simply marvellous. Thank you all! The site has had 10,000 hits now in 5 days. That is stunning. People all over the world are pulling for Symone.

[phillip]

Update Mid afternoon of July the 8th: I spent 3 hours with Symone today and for the first time since the accident I thought I saw the very first glimpses of my old Symone back in there. She was more aware and responsive. She was breathing on her own for the most part with only minimal help from the respirator. She was communicating with weak hand signals and eye blinks. The nurse asked her to raise her hand if she knew who she was and she did. I asked her if she could see the pictures of her friends on the wall and she weakly pointed straight at them with the index finger of her right hand. The doctor scratched her feet with a pen. Her right leg jumped strongly and her left leg also jumped, although a little weaker than her right. The grip in her left hand was even stronger today than it was yesterday. Her eyes seemed far more focused without that twilight zone look and she wasn't staring blankly into space like she was at times yesterday. She still kept her eyes on me a lot but she was also exploring more of her surroundings, looking at the machines and room etc. We wrote some notes for her on sheets of paper saying "Don't be afraid" and "You'll be OK" and "We love you". It was quite obvious that she was reading and understanding them. She seemed to have more motor control and her arms weren't jerking as much or moving erratically, but they were more ordered and had design about them.

The meeting with the social worker went well. My parents were both there, as well as our good friend Jeff. She was made sure that the family support was all in place and she said she was pleased I released my emotions last night because she could tell that I was bottling them all up yesterday. I won't be going back to the hospital again today because I am still very tired and worn out. I need to get strong and have all my senses about me to make this subliminal metaphor tape for Symone on the weekend. I'm taking the rest of the day off and Jeff will attend to some office stuff before going back to spend more time with Symone.

[phillip]

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Update Afternoon of July the 10th: Its a heartbreaking update I write today. I've just spent 3 hours with Symone and she remains non responsive for the most part. Her head has been cocked in the same position, looking to the left,  for 3 days now even though the nurses have tried to move it. Her eyes appear fixed in one position, although we can get them to move and follow faces if we encourage her to. When I first arrived today I asked her to blink if she knew who I was and she gave me a definite solid blink. That was encouraging but it was practically the only response I got all day from her. The doctors say she is out of physical danger for the most part now and the question now remaining is what neurological damage there is. They tell me that will take time to assess and I must remain hopeful because she is young and strong and can recover. But I cannot help but being fearful that the Symone I knew has gone and may not come back.

Her limbs are all moving so there is no paralysis which was one of the original fears and the physiotherapists are working on her limbs 2-3 times a day to keep them functioning properly. Jaye is taking it all very hard and is reluctant to go down to see her because it breaks her up too much. She also doesn't want to stay at home because she feels lonely and in despair,  so she is spending time with her friends. That leaves me by myself to a lonely house when I get home and I wonder how is it that this horrible tragedy has befallen our family. My son died 4 years ago, and now this has happened. My parents tell me I am expecting too much too soon. Maybe I am. But I do know we need a miracle to happen and I am still praying for that to occur. I am still grateful for the 100s of emails I am getting but shake my head at the occasional vicious emails that people send. How people can be so heartless in this type of situation is beyond me?

The will be replacing her tacheometry tomorrow for a smaller one that will allow her to speak if she is able so we will see what happens then. That's all I know for now.

[OR]

Phillip

My parents tell me I am expecting too much too soon

NEEEVER think you can expect too much! Ask what is in your heart expect great things to happen.

Life can do the unexpected, she may see you with such love for her she recovers sooner than expected.

Im sorry about your son, my brother-in law David, just lost his son from a drowning.
He drove yesterday several hundred miles to pick up his son's car they located in a parking lot.
I find it difficult to know what to say to him. I don't want to bring up a sadness and wonder for now it's best not to say much about his son. I think he would want to remember the happy times but his son 37yrs killed himself. This make me angry when life is so precious to some and others just have so much pain they do this.

I will keep my prayers for you and the family....... OR

[phillip]

Update Late Afternoon of July the 11th: Jeff just came back after spending a few hours with Symone with a basically good report. He says that at times she seems to be there and other times not. She was following him with her eyes a lot and at one stage appeared to be trying to talk but realising she couldn't, she gave up. She will be able to talk as soon as they change the tracheotomy tube late today or tomorrow. Jeff says she was exploring the tube in great detail with her left hand this afternoon, examining it intricately, showing that she was aware of of it  and wondering what it was. So that seems like a good sign. At times she seemed quite emotional which is understandable given the major trauma she has suffered. Maybe its all starting to finally sink in, and if that's a the case that's a good thing too.


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Update Afternoon of July the 11th: I spent a couple of hours with Symone today and it is clear that the sedatives are slowly leaving her system as the dreamy feeling seems to be passing. The hospital have positioned her head so that it is not cocked to the left now but lying straight upright. Her eyes, however, keep looking to the left. The nurse tells me this is normal for people with injuries to the right side of their brain. She locked eyes with me a couple of times while I was there but was, for the most part, non responsive. I asked her to blink if she knew I was there and she wouldn't blink. She did however move her eyes and followed the nurse as she did various procedures on her. The staff continue to remain upbeat about her condition and tell me she is in a very normal state for this phase of her recovery. They reemphasised to me that it will take several months, if not years, for her to recover from these injuries as the brain is so complex its take injuries to it a long time to heal. They also told me they had seen people with far worse injuries than Symone's where things looked absolutely hopeless to come through with flying colours and everything looks good for Symone. So its a waiting game at this stage and that seems to me to be the worse part. They will be moving her out of ICCU in the next day or so to another ward, so she has gotten through the worse part and her life would appear to be no longer in danger. So the first part of the miracle has happened, now we wait for the second part - and that is for her brain to recover.

[phillip]

Update Noon of July the 13th: My hope early this morning was a little premature. The neuro surgeon told me this morning that Symone's brain damage is massive and severe, far worse than we had originally been led to believe. She shows no sign of meaningful movements nor any signs of positive response. There is no sign of any improvement since she has been awake. There is a high chance she may never recover any more than what she is now. In any case they will not know for at least six months to a year. She needs another procedure done today for which I gave permission. She is not absorbing any nutrients and she needs a plug placed directly into the stomach in the hope that this will help. That is being done this afternoon. They will remove her tracheotomy after this procedure.

[phillip]

Update Evening of July the 13th: We had our hopes dashed this morning with the latest news from the neuro surgeon but we bounced back this afternoon. Several emails we received did not accept the news. This one from a very good friend sums up the sentiment - "&*$#@&! I don't buy it for a minute. Doctors have NO idea of the potential of total recovery.. There are people with HALF a brain who lead virtually normal lives! DO NOT despair and PLEASE tell them not to discuss anything negative in her room!!"

We went back to the hospital in the afternoon and arranged a family meeting for tomorrow with the head neurological consultant of the hospital. We have several questions. We want to know exactly what brain damage has occurred because we have had different reports on different occasions. Other questions are, "Why are there conflicting opinions? One doctor says she'll be walking within 2-6 months and another says, she probably won't recover," and, "How can you say she is non responsive when we have seen clear responses." I have personally seen several responses - hand squeezes, pointing to the pictures of her friends on the wall, clear and definite eye blinks in response to questions asked of her, and most importantly, I see Symone in there. I can see her in her eyes! I KNOW SHE IS THERE, terrified and confused, but she is there! If we are unhappy with the meeting tomorrow, we will seek outside help by first of all getting a second opinion from an outside neurologist. We refuse to give up hope! There are 10s of thousands of people all over the world praying for Symone and the one thing that we have that the mainstream medical fraternity doesn't have is faith and prayers and strong spiritual convictions.

Symone had her tracheotomy removed today after a successful procedure this morning, and this afternoon I heard her make her very first sounds since the accident. Just a couple of moans but it was her voice! She is breathing completely on her own now. Her feeding tube has been taken out of her nose and replaced with the stomach plug. She also has a face mask now feeding her oxygen directly. All the swelling on her head has gone down and she looks OK. I held eye contact with her for several minutes this afternoon before she drifted off to sleep again and I told her, "I know you are there Symone. Daddy knows you are there. Just hang in there sweetie. It'll take a little while but you will get better. There are people all over the world praying for you."

And, as a final side note, one thing we haven't talked about in these updates, because the person wishes to remain anonymous, is we have a VERY talented faith healer working on Symone from a distant. All of his "readings" have been totally accurate so far and he reports today that, although he can't explain it, he sees Symone's brain cells rapidly regenerating.

So that's where it stands. More tomorrow.

[phillip]

I havent done the actual metawalk yet - to be frank my state of mind has not been the best and i want to be my absolute best before i do it otherwise my reversals in the metawalk wont be positive - i have chosen the music for the overlay and i know what i am going to do - i've just been waiting for the right time to do it - i think i should be ok tomorrow to do it - i am following most of your suggestions - i will start off slowly at first by getting an army of elves to begin rebuilding the house


Extracts from RS Metaphor dictionary....

ELF/ELVES (Structural) see Gnome; message centres in the brain; electrical impulses between the "parts" of the mind; "elves" - the messages from one part of the brain to the other. Trance image; small elves no more than three feet tall sometimes appearing in the hundreds under the foliage of the Garden. Elves building is a common image.

HOUSE (Structural) see home; a metaphor for the mind with house being the totality of mind and rooms in the house representing specific mental functions or parts of the mind. Trance image; a  multi roomed two-story house

[phillip]

Update late afternoon of July the 14th: Symone was transferred out of ICCU this afternoon into the next ward down, called the "High Dependency" ward. She looked the best that I have ever seen her. Her head was lying straight upright and not cocked to the left like it had been and her eyes were not looking to the left either but were scanning equally from the right to the left as she was looking around the new room she was in. Her limbs were also much more stable with ordered movements and not jerky like they have been in the past. She was not maintaining consciousness for very long, only about a minute or 2, then she would sleep for five minutes or so, and wake up for another couple of minutes. At times it seemed she would reach for my hand when she woke up, hold it tight and then release her grip again when she slept. She has a face mask on and is being fed a 30% oxygen mix which she is breathing on her own accord. She seemed to be peaceful the whole time except for a momentary time of confusion, but she quickly relaxed. She is still listening to her Sound Therapy which we believe is helping her state of mind
The meeting with the head neurological consultant and another doctor went very well. Bottom line is, they do not know. It has only been 3 weeks since the accident and its far too early to predict long term recovery prospects, nor can they. They said they have seen patients with similar or worse injuries than Symone's fully recover over time. We asked about what actual brain damage had occurred and we got a much more complete picture this time. The initial impact was to the right side of the brain which caused significant bleeding. They removed this blood clot in her surgery the night of the accident. The part of the brain they thought had died may not be dead after all! The later scans cannot determine this, nor can the doctors. They see signs of life in that region in later scans and only time will tell. There was a secondary impact to the left side of her brain which caused internal bleeding inside the left side itself but this bleeding has also subsided and will most likely subside further in time. All of these injuries have the potential to heal themselves and cells can regenerate but it can be a long process. She has been assigned to a new Neuro surgeon in her new ward and he will be able to give us a further picture in a few days. We asked about the possibility of getting a second opinion from an outside neurologist and they had no objection to that at all. We will wait for a while though until we can get an assessment from her new Neuro surgeon. I left the meeting with a lot of hope and a renewed confidence that Symone, in time, will recover.
 
  Update Last Evening of July the 14th: Just got a great update from the hospital on Symone. She has improved already since being transferred to the high dependency ward. She is trying to respond to the nurses' commands. A nurse asked her to turn her head and she tried as hard as she could and managed a small movement. Her right arm has become stronger already. She is reaching out for people. She is looking around for people in the room to make eye contact with and exploring her surroundings. Her stomach plug has worked tremendously and she is absorbing nutrients already. They are going to increase her nutrient dose first thing in the morning. So this is all good news. And, please note, that in response to several requests we have placed a bulletin board on Symone's site for you to make your posts and comments. Click here to go to the bulletin board.

[phillip]

If any of you are following the developments of this drama, here is a new chat board that David has just set up.  You are welcome to post there if you have a desire to do so.

http://www.symonerecovery.org/phpBB2/index.php