Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival => Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board => Topic started by: phillip on June 23, 2005, 11:55:38 PM
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A friend of ours' who lives in Australia his 17 year old twin daughter was at a shopping mall and fell 70 feet to the ground floor. They had to open her skull to relieve the pressure and she will now be kept unconscious for 2 to 3 days. She may awaken, she may not. She may be paralyzed, she may not. I have been asked to solicit prayers for her from all venues. The father lost his only son several years ago due to a drowning mishap. He is understandably lost in shock and grief at this moment. Her name is Symone Oates. I understand that she is a wonderful gentle soul. Please remember her in your prayers good people.
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I just said a little prayer for Symone and will do one again tomorrow.
Plucky
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Oh, Phillip. How incredibly sad and frightening. I will send this sweet young woman prayers and images of recovery and health......and to her family as well.. Bless all of you....
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Hello Phillip, I live in Australia -half way up the east coast in Brisbane QLD. Maybe if you email me some more info I may be able to find out how she is doing. Be assured that we have the best trauma medicine in the world down here - she will be in good hands.
Regards John.
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Dear Phillip:
I will pray for Symone Oates and her family.
You are a good friend, Phillip, gathering prayers like that.
((((Phillip))))
GFN
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Consider it done - my prayer for Symone.
bunny
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I’m sending good wishes and loving thoughts to Symone and her family. How is her twin? I send courage and wisdom for her twin (sister?). You are a good friend (((Phillip)))
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Actually Wispery has asked me to help her, she used to be close to the father, and through her, I know him. When it comes to matters of the heart, Wispery IS my mentor. We are connected to him through the Internet. He is in Adelaide. Thank you all for your prayers.
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Just said another prayer for Symone and her family. Will try to do so every day. Keep us informed!
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Hello phillip
Sorry I saw this so late - I'm praying for Symone too - and for her family - cool green thoughts of healing and peace enfolding and protecting all.
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This is from the father. Apparently somebody commented that there was some normal eye movement. This was his response:
i wish the news was that good but its not - her brain pressure is still dangerously high despite having a portion of her skull removed to ease the pressure - they are taking her for further tests today to find out why - and her heart beat dropped dramatically last night but they managed to get it back up to normal again - jeff rense, bless his heart, has called in the one of the best remote healers on the planet to work on her - have just sent him a scan of her most recent picture so he can do that
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No words are necessary.
Symone
(http://www.reversespeech.com/imgs/SYMONE3.gif)
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Hi Phillip -do you know which hospital she is in??
John.
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I do not. But you may be able to reach the father at this url.
http://www.reversespeech.com/home.htm
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well we have good news and bad news - she had more scans this morning - the bad news is that part of her brain has definitely died, however its in the right side and the least used part of the brain - how that will affect her we wont know till she wakes up - her brain pressure has still be dangerously high , and the good news is that they did a procedure this morning where they put a tube in her skull to drain off all the excess fluid - she responded fantastically and her pressure immediately came down to normal levels - they expect it to stay there - they are going to see how she goes over the next 24 hours and if she remains stable they will start to slowly take her of the sedatives that are keeping her unconscious and hopefully wake her up briefly in 48 hours or so to see what happens - thats all i know so far - david
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Still praying for her, phillip. And her family, and you and wispery.
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My prayers are with Symone and her family. Please keep us posted.
best,
daylily
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Phillip,
I apologize for my lateness reading your post.
My prayers are with your friend.
Mia
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The latest update on Symone
her brain pressure has remained at normal levels through out the night - they have taken off the medications that are keeping her asleep and they expect her to ake up within the enxt 24 hours
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Roland of Gilead
Posts: 71
Re:symone
« Reply #36 on: Today at 06:10:42pm »
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Dunno if you've seen my post elsewhere, but I believe that Symone will experience a very merciful amnesia, in that she will not remember the fall, or probably the several hours that led up to it. I've many times heard, most recently from CNN's Sanjay Gupta, that when you experience blunt force trauma, you will suffer 5 minutes of memory loss leading up to that trauma for every 45 minutes you remain unconscious. Using that rule of thumb, if Symone remains unconscious for 48 hours, she should remember nothing for about 5 hours prior to her fall. She will hopefully never have to relive this horrible event.
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RedWolfe
Posts: 1786
Re:symone
« Reply #37 on: Today at 06:27:30pm »
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that would be merciful indeed - shes been unconscious for 72 hours now
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Still with you and your friends, Phillip. Sending love.
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we may know something tomorrow. thanks all. David the father is grateful to all of you. Bless you all and peace.
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the latest is they started to take her off the sedadtives last night that were keeping her unconscious but she reacted badly with severe coughing and trembles so they put her back on them again - they stopped draining the brain fluid this afternoon when i left (but left the tube in) to see if her braiin pressure settles down by itself - if it doesnt they will commence draining again - i'll keep you all posted - david
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Re:symone
« Reply #39 on: Today at 02:30:45pm »
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the latest is they started to take her off the sedadtives last night that were keeping her unconscious but she reacted badly with severe coughing and trembles so they put her back on them again - they stopped draining the brain fluid this afternoon when i left (but left the tube in) to see if her braiin pressure settles down by itself - if it doesnt they will commence draining again - i'll keep you all posted - david
all of symones levels have remained satble throughout the night, including her brain pressure so so far so good
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Phillip,
My prayers are with you and the family.
On Fathers day we lost my nephew in a drowning accident. His father has been so brave for the family.He is in alot of emotional pain, so sad.
I hope your friend comes out of this in time to walk and talk to her loved ones. I'm so sorry for the worry and waiting to see what happens next.
Sometimes this is a way for many to reach for the love and strength of their prayers, to show how much we all truely care for our neighbors.
Take care, Phillip. OR
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Just thought I would throw this in:
“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God’s
When mercy seasons justice.”
William Shakespeare
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The latest on Symone. Last night her pressure went up again, so they did more scans. This is the latest from the father:
its wednesday morning here - she remained stable throughout the night with her brain pressure normal and all other vitals strong so thats good news
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Latest update:
please continue to pray for her - she needs all the help she can get - her brain is not healing at this stage, the swelling and bruising are not subsiding, and she is having trouble breathing even with the ventilator - so they are doing a trachetomy on her this afternoon and having her breath directly from the throat - she also is not absorbing nutrients well so they gave her drugs for that today as well - thats all i know so far
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This was my response to the father. I am sharing it because I would ask you all to join with me, if you are willing. thank-you for your indulgence.
David-We will intensify our efforts. I pray that this cup be removed from Symone's and your family's lips. From the depths of my heart, I send vital healing to her. She deserves a chance. All is not lost David. The body is an amazing machine. Light is all around her now. We are all united in this, for her.
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Still Praying for Symone and her family, Phillip.
Boy that William Shakespeare was something else, wasn't he?
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest;
GFN
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My prayers are with you and the family.
On Fathers day we lost my nephew in a drowning accident. His father has been so brave for the family.He is in alot of emotional pain, so sad.
OR
Very sorry to hear about your nephew, OR. I have nephews myself, and losing one of them would be unbearable. :(
I hope your family's love will help you all get through this terrible time.
Still praying for Symone and her family too.
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symone had a very stable night last night - her brain pressure levels were acceptable all night
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Re:symone
« Reply #55 on: Today at 08:36:10pm »
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she goes for another CT scan in an hour so we'll know more then - she has not been absorbing her nutrients so they have strated feeding her intraveneously - she sill remains in an induced coma - this is the 7th day now
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From David, the father:
there will be a special meditation help for symone in the RS audio chat room this monday night at 7:30 AEST - that will be 2am sunday morning PST - you can get the to RS audio chat room by following the instructions on this page - http://www.reversespeech.com/links.htm
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just came back from the hospital and something wonderful happened - i was stroking her arm and saying "Daddy's here for you sweetie, daddy's here" - and she moved her arm closer to my hand - at first i thought it was a coincidence but i was doing the same thing 5 minutes later and she did exactly the same thing so i dont think it was a coincidence at all - her unconscious is responding i am sure - david
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Oh, that is so wonderful. I will keep Symone and her family in my prayers and thoughts--where they have been since this happened.
daylily
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praying for her and david and you all, phillip.
very glad to hear of her response to her dad.
colleague of mine had brother in coma six months. he woke up and thanked folks who had tended him during his unconscious state, for specific things they had done while he was 'out' and supposedly unaware.
there is so much we do not know. may she be resting unafraid and healing more with every passing second, and wake to wellness and safety here among us in the land of the living.
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Symone is steadily improving - her brain pressure levels are now down to 12 and thats without the brain fluid drain in - she responded quite strongly to me this morning when i went in and she moved her arm very noticably as i touched her - she is also moving her legs from time (both legs) - so that gives me hope that there is no paralysis - the doctors tell me that no nerves have been severed in her spine and her crushed vertabraes are slowly healing - she is still in an induced coma and they are going to leave her in it for 2-3 more days - tcurrently their plans are to try and wake her up on monday or tuesday - so things are looking better folks - thank God and all the many 1000s of people who are praying for her - the miracle is happening!!
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still praying without ceasing for this little one and everyone who loves her / is praying for her / is hoping in her recovery, phillip.
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Symone has had a setback - her brain pressure levels rose dramatically during the hight and she started running a high fever, she is also producing way too much urine and these are symptoms of damage in the central part of the brain called the hypothalamus - you can read about that here - http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=23032 they are taking her for more scans this afternoon and the neuro surgeon will call me with the results - i will let you all know as soon as i know - david
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Update Evening of 3rd of July: We have had a miracle happen this afternoon! Symone's fever, which had the doctors so worried, totally subsided, and the other symptons which caused them to fear hypothalamus damage also abated. There is no explanation for this other than the many prayers that people made during the afternoon. She looked rested and peaceful this evening with all her vitals at normal levels.
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Here is the latest from the father:
i am pouring everything I am into healing Symone the only way I know how - through metawalks and getting information out - there are 10s of thousands of people praying for Symone now - the more we can get to do this the greater will be the healing power and she will get through this - I KNOW SHE WILL! - she's already beaten the odds by surviving the fall in the first place, then the operation that they only gave her a 50/50 chance of surviving and then the first critical 48-72 hours - shes a fighter and with all of our help she will make it!!
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Just wanted to let people here know that I actually had the opportunity to hear Symone's twin sister Jan tell her father over the phone the latest developments. Symone is moving her arms, and trying to open her eyes. While her sister was talking to her about past memories, Symone began to tear up. Though she is still on tube feeding and on a respirator, she seems to be conscious of her surroundings, and this is while she is still being drugged. Tonight at 4am Central Daylight Time, there will be a group meditation. David estimates that thousands of people will be involved. I was blessed to hear her father's reaction as her twin sister told him the news. Tomorrow they bring in sound therapy equipment, to speed up her brain functions. This is the latest. It will still be a long haul, but she does not seem to be checking out, she is on her way back. Thank you all. May peace bless you all.
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From David, her father:
Update Afternoon of 4th of July: Some miraculous happened this afternoon. Symone's sister, Jaye, was visiting her in hospital and Symone quite deliberately grabbed Jaye's hand, held it tight and pulled it right over onto her heart. Her eyes opened momentarily and she started crying. The doctors witnessed this and were amazed! Our little angel is still with us fighting with all her might!
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So glad to hear this!! :D
GFN
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Wonderful news.... still praying...
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My 17 yr old daughter, Elizabeth, used to spend weekends w/ the girls when they lived in the U.S. She is in New Zealand as an exchg student; last night I asked her if she had heard about Symone, she had not but that she had been randomly thinking about the girls a LOT over the past few days - I believe they were NOT randon thoughts. I also informed Elizabeth's daddy, Frank about the trajedy. We're all keeping the Oates family in our prayers.
Love, Cathy
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They are about to wean her slowly off the drugs, and very slowly and carefully wake her up. for any of you who are interested, you can find some pictures of the family at this url. He would appreciate any e mails. What an interesting karma for a person to bring so many together for a positive goal. Here is the site http://www.symonerecovery.org/
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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.
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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:
(http://www.geocities.com/wispery_wind/Father-Child-Touch.jpg)
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The above picture was submitted by Phillip. Sometimes my log-in does not take, lol.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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Update Midday of July the 24th: I went down to see Symone early this morning to get her ready for a treatment by Adam at 10:30 am local time. She was bright and alert when I got there and was biting very little this time. She was very chatty, talking almost non stop. A lot of it I couldn't quite catch what she was saying, and sometimes the stuff I did catch seemed non-relevant to anything going on at the time. She seemed to be talking about past events a lot. For example she talked about a night out with her friends, the time we lived in America, and she also talked about a recent family vacation we took to Queensland.
When it came to the time for the distant healing she seemed to understand what was going on. "He's visiting in my mind?" she asked. I said yes. I told her to visualise herself getting well and strong and she said, "I can do that." She was relatively calm and quiet during the 15 minute treatment, and started talking again after it had finished.
I was fortunate to have one of the chief Neuro Surgeons come into her room while I was there and I asked her about her progress. He said she is doing well and said that the young mind can heal very quickly sometimes. I asked him about a couple of areas of concern we had. For example she hadn't been seeing a lot of movement in her right leg the last few days. Her left leg moves a lot but we only seem to be getting very minor movements in her right leg. He said her strength will come back in time. We just have to be patient. I asked him about the biting and her sometimes erratic arm movements, and he said that when patients awaken from a brain injury they often revert to baby like behaviour and the biting is a very young instinct. He said the more primitive parts of the brain awaken first and the higher and more advanced functions will slowly awaken and return in time. So, all in all she is doing very well.
I got my first laugh out of today too. We were outside watching the ducks playing in the pond. She said, "There's, like, heaps of them. I didn't know there'd be so many." I was very pleased to hear her talk so coherently, so I gave her a hug and kiss and asked, "Do you know how much Daddy loves you?" She asked, "How much?" I said heaps and stacks. She asked again in a more questioning tone, "How much?" I replied "157," and she smiled and laughed.
I was so pleased to see her first smile. Our dear Symone is awakening in leaps and bounds.
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Phillip, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your posting these updates on Symone's condition. I told my mother about her accident, and my mother--who despite her many faults sometimes comes through--decided to dedicate this year's St. Ann's Novena to Symone's recovery. The novena has been going on this past week and concludes Tuesday, on the Feast of St. Ann. My mother has asked me several times this week how Symone is, and I have said I didn't know, but now I will be able to tell her that Symone's recovery is progressing and she is present in the world. That is indeed miraculous.
So thank you, Phillip.
daylily
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I would like to share two updates here concerning Symone which I believe places her situation in a spiritual context. I hope that this does not offend anyone. I have been limiting my updates recently because earlier David, Symone's father set up a web site for her, and I have posted that URL on this thread for anyone who would care to follow his updates, firsthand. I do wish to comment on a couple of occurances that have astounded me this week however.
As some of you may be aware, I have been studying astrology for a number of years. David gratiously submitted Symone's birth information to me a couple of weeks ago and I ran a natal chart on her. What I learned and communicated to him was that she had been a follower. Due to some esteem issues, she was allowing others to dictate her direction in life, and her associates were not leading her down her "path". But she came into this life to lead. Her chart revealed a powerful spiritual destiny, with some strong indicators of clairvoyance. Prior to her accident, she apparently exhibited nothing like this. She was drunk, with her friends when she fell. I also told David that her chart indicated that she would have a very strong sense of gratitude toward life and people and God globally. I believe that when she realizes how many people, the world over, have been praying and rooting for her recovery, she will be overwhelmed by the effort on her behalf. I am not exaggerating when I say that she literally has thousands praying for her now. Taking all that I have said above, now read the following post, and you will see why I was moved to post this. Please remember, I e mailed David this astrological information about 12 hours prior to this occurance.
Update Evening Of July the 21st: The visit with Symone tonight was awesome! We are seeing miracles happen before our very eyes! There's no other words to describe it. I went down with Jaye, her twin sister, and another family friend, Greg Albrecht. The difference in her from yesterday was remarkable. She was a lot calmer and nowhere near as fidgety as she had been, although she still had this tendency to want to bite things. And during our visit she was talking up a storm.
Jaye asked her if she knew who she was and Symone replied very clearly, in her regular voice, "Jaye." Jaye had tears in her eyes when she said that. Then a little while later she said to Symone, "I love you so much," and Symone replied very clearly, "I love you too." Then Symone started reaching out for hugs, in her still shaky movements, and we both had really long hugs with her. It was very moving.
Then she kept on saying, "I'm sorry." She must have said it 3-4 times and we told her she had nothing to be sorry about. It was an accident. We told her she would get better and at first she replied ,"No." We repeated it and then she asked "How?" We explained to her that her mind would heal all by itself in time and the doctors were helping her. Finally she accepted the reassurance we were giving her and said "OK."
I told Symone she had got some lovely flowers from a dear friend in Texas, Kathy Jefferies, and she said "Did I?" She was pleased and had recognition of the friend, even though the girls hadn't seen her for many years. Halfway through our visit, Symone said "I'm tired." She started yawning and rubbing her eyes. Then, at one time when she was trying to bite Jaye, Jaye said, "You cant bite me," and Symone said "Why not?" Jaye asked her if she was hurting and Symone replied, "Yes."
Finally, when we decided to leave so she could get some sleep, Symone said a really strange thing. She said "Ghost." Jaye asked her what she said and she said it again, "Ghost." Jaye asked her what she meant by that and she simply replied, "I said it." Then, as we were about to leave, she clearly didn't want us to go because she said "Why are you leaving? Why are you doing this?" We kissed her goodbye and she closed her eyes.
It was a truly amazing visit and I now have no doubt that Symone will make a full recovery. By the way, she ate all her dinner again tonight. We are so proud of her. Go Symone!
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The reason I found this update so profound, is because it was the right hemisphere of the brain that was so severely damaged. The part of the brain associated with the subconscious, metaphor and symbols. It is believed that much of our spiritual connection is related to this area also. I told David to be aware that as she is rewired, she may experience new levels of awareness, different frequencies, that were unavailable to her prior to the accident.
I knew a woman years ago who was born with these gifts. Her father, a lawyer, was not comfortable about it. Over the years, as she was growing up, they managed to condition her out of it with negative input.
Then, when she was 18, she suffered a massive stroke, required brain surgery, and was left with one side partially paralyzed, and unable to speak. She had to learn how to talk again, and underwent serious physical therapy to regain about 95% of normal physical ability. The curious thing, after her stroke her clairvoyance had returned more powerful than ever. I shared this story because I personally believe that this is precisely what just happened to Symone. For whatever reason, she was NOT on her path, and now she is. There is one other incident that occured a couple of days ago that left me quite speechless and I will remember the words for the rest of my life. It is actually a sound clip of David and his daughter talking. She says 4 words, that reveals a perspective so profound and so Buddhist in its import, that I still can not believe that it came out of an 18 year old, and really makes me wonder at the miracle that I see here. I will post the URL here so you can download it and listen for yourself. I hope that it moves you as it did me. Thanks for listening. Peace all.
http://www.symonerecovery.org/audio.html
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For those of you who are interested but having any trouble getting to the url, here is a transcript of the audio.
Audio Of Symone Talking
Tape 23rd of July 2005
Download mp3 file here
Segment One:
David: "Did any friends come into today?"
Symone: "Yes."
David: "Who came in today?"
Symone: "Lisa, and other people."
Segment Two:
David: "Did you enjoy seeing Jaye today?"
Symone: "She got angry."
David: "No, she didnt get angry. No. No-one's angry at you sweetie."
Segment Three:
Symone: "I'm alive."
David: "Yes, you're alive."
Symone: "At least I'm alive."
Segment Four:
David: "So tell me what you've been doing today Symone."
Symone: "They've been treating me well."
Segment Five:
Symone: "This tragedy's a dream."(This is the line that kinda stunned me)
David: "This tragedy's a dream."
Symone: "I'm sorry."
Segment Six:
Symone: " ???? that recorder ???"
David: "That recorder. I'm recording everything."
Symone: "OK."
David: "Is that OK if I record?"
Symone: "Yes."
David: "Do you know why. I'm going to try and find some reversals."
Symone: "Yes. I can let you do that."
Segment Seven:
Jeff: "Are you afraid?"
Symone: "A little bit, yeah."
Jeff: "You don't have to be afraid, you're very safe here."
Symone: "OK."
Segment Eight:
Symone: "And I always get into trouble for ????"
David: "You don't get into trouble sweetie."
Symone: "I do."
Jeff: "You're not in trouble now."
Symone: "Yeah but I should be."
David: Huh?"
Symone: "I should be."
Jeff: "I should be, why?"
Symone: "Getting into trouble."
Segment Nine:
Jeff: "Doctor says in a month you'll be walking back in here."
Symone: "Yes. Will I?"
Jeff: "Yes you will."
Symone: "How do you know?"
Jeff: "Because that's what he said."
Segment Ten:
Friend: "Symone, I promise you, pinky promise, that we'll come back tomorrow, OK?"
Symone: "OK."
Friend: "I love you."
Symone: "I love you more."
Segment Eleven:
Friend: "Hi Symone."
Symone: "Hullo."
Friend: "How ya doing, you're looking great."
Symone: "Thanks."
Friend: "You're coming along so well."
Symone: "Yes."
Friend: "How ya feeling?"
Symone: "Like, excited."
David: "Like excited?"
Symone: "Cos youse are coming and stuff."
Jeff: "Good job sweetie."
Symone: "OK."
Friend: "You're doing fantastic."
Symone: "You came like this before?"
Friend: "Yeah we came the other day to see you."
Symone: "Yes."
Jeff: "You remember that?"
Friend: "Can you remember us coming and seeing you the other day?"
Symone: "No."
Friend: "That's all right."
Symone: "I'm sorry."
Segment Twelve:
Jeff: "And Annie did your nails for you."
Symone: "When?"
Jeff: "About 3 days ago."
Symone: "You can't tell, can ya?"
Jeff: "Not now."
Symone: "??? my nails."
Jeff: "Look at your nails."
Symone: "???? She remembered them."
Jeff: "She didn't put any polish on them."
Symone: "She didn't."
Segment Thirteen:
Symone: "I try not to, like, be annoying."
David: "You're not annoying sweetie, you're doing just great. Everyone is here to help."
Segment Fourteen:
Jeff: "Is your mouth feeling better now?"
Symone: "No."
Jeff: "No?"
Symone: "I dont feel the best."
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she should have died
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What an ungenerous response. I would hope that you can find it in your heart to pass through wherever that comes from. She did not die. She should have lived, and she did. There are no mistakes. Only ignorance and fear in man.
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Ben, do you mean "what a miracle she didn't die given her injuries"....?
It was hard to decipher your response.
Phillip-- I am so happy your friend is doing well. I know brain injuries take a long time to heal from, and I wish her the best on this journey.
You never said how in the world she fell that far at the mall-- not that it matters, but it seems so odd there would be something so dangerous there. Now that I am having a child I am noticing that the world holds so many perils...
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Update Evening of July the 25th: Breathtaking! Absolutely breathtaking! I cant think of any other words to describe Symone's recovery. Her rapid re-awakening is quite literally the talk of the hospital.
When we went in to see her tonight, she was sitting halfway up on her own accord, quite calm and lucid. No biting, no agitation and her voice was strong with no hint of a whisper. This was Symone's voice I was hearing and it was my little girl who greeted me with a nice solid "Hi guys!"
She was moving her body forward into an almost sitting position, not quite yet, but she must surely be only a couple of days away from it. And apparently just before we came in she said she wanted to go to the toilet and tried to get out of bed to go! I went to feed her one of her thickened drinks and she grabbed the cup with her hand, held it to up to her mouth with steady hand movements and drank it all up all by herself! Then she wanted another one. I filled the cup, gave it to her again and she also drank it up all by herself. Simply stunning!
One of her friends came in while I was there and asked her if she knew who he was, and Symone just laughed this little wicked laugh as though she was saying, Of course I do, then she said "Yes." She said lots of other things too, all relevant and to the point with no hint of some of the wild erratic statements she was making even yesterday.
This is surely a miracle of huge magnitude!
When it finally came time for us to go because she was getting tired and wanted to sleep, I reached down to give her a hug goodbye and she threw her arms around me, patted me on the back and gave me a huge kiss, saying "I love you."
Tomorrow we will take some photos and video of her to put on her website. I was waiting till she was better before I did this because I wanted people to see her well and not sick as she was. Well, the time has come and she said it was OK too, because i asked her if it was.
Till tomorrow everyone.
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Wonderful news! So glad to hear it!! :D :D :D :D
Sela
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SYMONE
(http://www.symonerecovery.org/img/hospital4.jpg)
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Update Late Afternoon of August the 10th: Symone was transferred to the "Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit" in Hampstead Road, Northfield today. I arrived at the hospital at 8:30 this morning to be with her all the way through the transfer. She was a little restless and agitated when I arrived and remained this way on and off for most of the day. She was pleased to see me though and said she felt safe when I was around. I explained to her again that she was being transferred to Rehab this morning and although she was little confused about it she seemed to eventually understand.
She ate all her breakfast and the ambulance arrived at 10 am to take her out to the Rehab, located on the other side of town. I followed along behind the ambulance in my car and Symone was waving to me from the back of the ambulance for the whole trip. Upon her arrival she was taken straight to her room next to the nurses station and a whole barrage of people descended on her - nurses to settle her in and support staff to take details. I was taken into another room by the head of the unit and explained some of the routine that she will follow.
She will be worked very hard the first week by physiotherapy and occupational therapy and speech pathology and medical staff etc., as they try to assess her current situation and map out the best form of treatment for her. It is a very proactive program and their entire emphasis is to actively rehabilitate the person and prepare them for normal everyday life. After a week of assessments there will be a family meeting with me and her Grandparents as we jointly lay out realistic goals and strategise the best ways to achieve them. I was very impressed with the program and was given a flow chart of what to expect. Click her to see that chart.
After that meeting I went back into her room. Her Grandparents arrived soon after with her all stuff and we actively decorated the room with cards and Teddy Bears and all her little nick knacks. The entire room was transformed into "Symone's pad". A male nurse then arrived and began to fill out charts, asking Symone basic questions about her general health and vision and hearing and whether she had pain anywhere plus other routine medical questions. Some of the questions she knew the answers to and others she didn't. I helped her out with the ones she didn't know. She was a little confused about where she actually was and thought she was still at the hospital. We explained to her several times about the transfer and she seemed to get it after a while.
When the male nurse left, her speech pathologist arrived with her lunch. What a wonderful woman she was! I was in awe as I watched her work with her. This was to be only the first person I was to be in awe of today. In a very short while she had Symone sitting up straight in the bed the whole way, of her own accord and unassisted, and even leaning over towards her to get the cheese sandwich she had for her. As she usually does, Symone initially said she didn't want to eat (I usually feed her anyway), but the pathologist said what if I eat half and you eat half. Symone agreed to this, took the sandwich and ate half of it. The pathologist did a few other things and then left. I fed her desert after that and she ate it all up.
She was still restless after eating so I brought the whiteboard over to her with the blue marker and asked her to write her name again. Symone did this quite legibly, although just a little shaky. She then wrote my name, her Grandparents name, her home phone number and, after a little prompting, I asked her to write "Rehab" on the board because that's where she now was. She did all of this quite attentively and had no restlessness or agitation at all while she performed this task. Maybe all her restless is just boredom and she simply needs to have her mind occupied. After this she fell asleep for an hour.
Then her occupational therapist arrived in the room and she was also an equally impressive woman. While Symone was asleep she asked us some basic questions about Symone's general progress until Symone finally woke up. She introduced herself to Symone and asked her if she had any questions for her. Symone asked a most appropriate question saying, "Yes, I'd like to know how long it will be before I get better." I was most impressed with that coherent question. The Occupational Therapist replied by saying, "We don't know yet." Symone seemed to accept that answer.
The physiotherapist was the next person to arrive and she was simply lovely! I am so impressed with all the staff there and their compassion and competence. She asked us general questions about Symone's physical dexterity - what she can and can't do. We discussed Symone's right leg which is now fully contracted again into a severe bent up position. She explained that there are various options available to straighten it including plastering if it that becomes necessary. We will know more after her first week.
Finally the unit's doctor came in and officially admitted her. She explained to us various options regarding her treatment but also some practical stuff like Access Cabs for her eventual day visits home, and handicap parking etc. We asked her permission to get Symone onto Glyco Nutrients, a very powerful alternate remedy that aids cell regeneration and communication between cells. It has had awesome results in brain injury and stroke patients plus a whole host of other ailments. Click here for more information about Glyco Nutrients. The doctor seemed open to this and took the bottle of "Ambrotose" (a Glyco Nutrient), that I had bought in, to check into it more and test it. She will let us know.
We eventually left the Rehab centre in the late afternoon for the 55 minute drive home knowing that a very important phase in Symone's rehabilitation had just begun.