Day 66

We just got home from Fresno. The surgery went well. We had a few nice surprises while we were there but we are all very tired right now so we will put them in the blog tomarrow. Thank you all for praying.

procedure

Tony is waiting in the lobby to go in to have his filter removed. Please pray for him.

day65

On our way to Fresno for Tony's surgery
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Day 65

Tony started the morning off by going to church. We have so much to be thankful for it was a good way to start the morning. We had Tony do a couple of short programs in c sharp today. He also solved a couple of algebra word problems without much too much effort. with all the progress he's made so far I think we might only be able to notice the changes every few days from here on in and that's ok.

Day 64

Tony had a good day today. His short term memory appears to be ok. I was thinking his surgery was on Thursday of next week but he corrected me. The 31st is on Wendsday. I also checked out a rehab facility in Pomona for his out patient rehab. The out patient building is only open M through F so I couldn't see that yet but they showed me the in patient facility. It's closer than Downey and looks nice. I'm just trying to get an idea where he would receive the most helpful treatment.

Day 63

Today Tony walked all the way around the block with no problem tonight. We also put together a puzzle and played a little pool. He has been able to get up and down the stairs pretty well on his own. His energy is slowly starting to come back. We made an appointment for September 30th for the neurologist. We are beginning to see a routine forming for the next phaze of his recovery. we are still so thankful for how far he has come so far but he is not done healing yet. thank you all for your continued prayers for his recovery.
I would also like ask you to pray for one of my employees. Her name is Susan. When I came back to work I found out she has cancer and is scheduled to probably have a kidney removed in a couple of weeks. She asked me to pray for her today and I know she would appeciate our big family of God to lift her up. understandably she is having a hard time emotionally as well as physically. please pray for her.

post from Tony Hoffert

Hello to all. I'm Anthony and I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, and words of encouragement. On June 24th I was involved in a terrible car accident (of which I have no memory of). I was air-lifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, California where I layed in a coma for well over two weeks. My initial prognosis was not good. My parents were told that due to the brain injuries I had incurred I would not wake up from my coma or, if I did I would possibly remain in a vegetative state. I believe your constant prayers for myself, my parents, and the staff and doctors at CRMC gave me the strength as well as my parents to endure this ordeal and also helped guide the doctors in the best course of action for my recovery. I have little memory of when I had initially awoke from my coma but as the days went by my memory of work, school, friends, etc. had returned (with the exception of the accident).

On July 29th I was transfered to Rancho Los Amigos, a rehabilitation hospital where I would re-learn how to walk, eat and talk again. Two and a half weeks later I was released from RLA and actually walked out on my own to my parents car.

Today, I had my first follow-up visit with my family doctor. He had recently received my medical reports from both CRMC and RLA. My doctor stated that one of the injuries I had received was so severe that people typically do not survive this type of trauma. He stated that it was a "miracle" that I not only lived but that I could also walk and talk.

I still have a ways to go as I build up my strength and stamina but I am determined, through the power of your prayers and an awesome God to make a full recovery. I'm looking forward to returning to work and seeing my co-workers again. Thank you all and please continue to pray for me.

Tony

Day 61

I started going back to work half days early in the mornings about 2 weeks ago. Mike has been with Tony while I'm at work. Tony called me yesterday morning and asked what time I was going to be home and told me what he had been up to so far in the morning. it was a great call and he sounded so good. It felt for the moment just like it did before the accident.
Tony had another good day today. He is getting around so much better. He still tires very easily. His body will still be healing on the inside for awhile and he will need close monitoring for the time being. Our goal is to use this healing time to get him on some schedules with things that will help him get back to a normal life. Now that his computer is fixed we are trying to encourage him to do some programing. He was working on a computer game he created before we left for vacation so he looked the code over today that he had written . He was able to follow all of his lines of program.
We also want him to get some practice walking so we have been combining that with going to the store or somewhere else . He has been keeping very busy in between rest periods during the day.

Day 60

Tony had another good dat. he sat outside with mike in the morning and watched a couple of guys construct a shed in our Back yard. We did some homework after that from his therapists. Followed that with a game of pool. then thecDell comuter guy was by to fix Tony's laptop.
It's working again ! He spent some time getting familiar with it again.

Day 59

Tony and Mike went to walmart today to buy him some new cloths that fit. Tony played a game of Halo and won. We also took the dog for a walk halfway around the block. I didn't have to give Tony any assistance in walking and I think he could have made it all the way around.
He also did a couple of the worksheets from the therapists and did well on them.

Day 58

Tony had another good day today. We went to go see a movie today and laughed a lot. Tony is also starting to notice some of the things that aren't working like they used to. His left eye is not working as well as his right and the index finger on his right hand doesn't bend all the way light it used too. We are starting a list of things to ask the doctor about on Thursday.

Day 57

Tony is walking much better Today. We took him to the Home Depot and he did well walking around. His balance is getting better. I tried to play "portal 2 " with him on the xbox but I wasn't very good at it so we didn't get to far. We were plaing as a team and I kept falling off the cliff. After that we played a game of pool. I'm still amazed at how much he improves every day.

Day 56

Tony's friend Daniel came by today and played some video games with Tony. Tony really enjoyed it. Tony's walking is getting a little better Today. He is having a little bit of double vision on occasion which I!m thinking may be affecting his balance. hopefully that will go away over time. His hand tremors in his right hand have significantly decreased. the doctor had said originally they may go away or they may not. they could have been caused by the accident or by just muscle weakness. They said each day you spend in bed you loose a weeks worth of muscle strength. Since he was in bed for about a month without much activity he has a lot of muscle strength to regain. We we also glad to find that when Tony stepped on a scale he weighed 10 pounds more than the scale in his bed was weighing him at Rancho. he is still under weight but not by as much as we thought .
while Tony was at Rancho one of the doctors accidentally spilled Tony's water glass on Tony!s laptop and the keyboard hasn't worked since. I called Dell computers today and they should send a technician out to fix it next week. That is a relief because computers are a big part of Tony's life and it's good therapy for him to get back to that as soon as possible.
Tony also has his first doctors appointment with his general practitioner here in Chino on Thursday then on September 15th he is scheduled for an assesment with the therapists at Rancho to determine how long and otten his out patient therapy will be. On the 19th he has an appointment to get the results of the assesment and see the neurologist I believe. We are still praying for a full recovery and are so thankful for all the progress he is making.

Day 55

Another awesome day with Tony. Tony went online and paid a few of his bills. He also went on his xbox for awhile. we worked with him on some of his take home assignments from his therapists. later we had a family dinner at the table followed by "true grit" on the DVD. He is getting up and walking more now that we are at home and he has places he wants to get to. The hospital was going to send us home with a rental wheel chair for awhile but we opted not to take it because we wanted Tony to get used to walking. I thought we'ld wait a few days before we tried taking him upstairs but Tony thought he would like to sleep in his own bed tonight. We still need to be close by when he walks so he doesn't fall but he is getting better.
Mike and I walked him up the stairs and tucked him into bed tonight like we did when he was little. I feel so blessed.

Day 54

We got Tony home yesterday! It was so nice to be home I almost forgot to post it on the blog. They scheduled him to have the filter removed on August 31st. So we will be back in Fresno for a day or two. Tony has been getting around fairly well. He still needs Mike or myself to hold his arm when he walks to help him keep his balance. I don!t think we will try going upstairs with him for a few days. Tony was very happy to see his dog and lay in his favorite spot on the couch, He was also happy not to eat hospital food. it was nice to sit on the back porch for awhile and have more of a normal day.

Day 53 hour 9

Tony had a very busy day today. They took his feeding tube out this morning followed by an ultrasound followed by physical therapy and a visit from a co worker. Followed by speech therapy , then his occupational therapist did some tests to see how much progress he had made from the beginning of his stay in Rancho until today. He has shown a lot of improvement. We then played a board game that should help him strengthen his short term memory. He seems to have retained his long term memories quite well.
After the board game we went outside for about an hour and had chicken pot pies from KFC. We came back to his room watched part of a movie and then another co worker came by for a visit. Tony really appreciated his co workers taking the time to come and see him.
We then finished our movie and Tony started to dose off.

tomorrow is also a very big day. We get to bring him home! Yea!!!! He has really been looking forward to this. Hopefully before we leave we will get an appointment with the out patient program to figure out how much more therapy he will need before he can go back to work or drive again.

Day 52 hour 9

Tony' will get his feeding peg out tomarrow! They took the bandage off his trach today as that is healing up. he is also scheduled for a 8am ultra sound to check his filter in the morning. We may have to take him back to Fresno to get it removed next week. The doctor thought he could take it out in Torrance but it sounds like the insurance would require it be done in Fresno. it would be an out patient thing and we would be taking him ourselves. We are not looking forward to going back there but it was a good hospital.

Day 51 hour 9

Today was a "free day at rehab for Tony"(no therapy). We spent a couple of hours in the hospital grounds outside and got take out from BJ's. Tony got the chicken Alfredo and ate every noodle of his lunch. that was good to see as he only weighs about 126 pounds right now and I know it was full of calories. ( I never imagined I'ld ever think it was a good thing to eat something full of calories.) He has been doing a pretty good job eating all his hospital meals because he knows he needs to but he hasn't enjoyed them much.
Tony also did a little bit of walking down the hallway. After that we went to a Church Service in the hospital for all the patients that wanted to attend. We are still thinking Tony can go home on Wednesday afternoon but we are not sure how taking out the drain will affect the timetable. The ultrasound they did on Friday didn't give them a clear enough picture and they said they were going to do another one this week. Tony wasn't supposed to eat anything after midnight the night before the ultra sound. Since they didn't say anything about not eating tomorrow morning I don't think they will do the ultrasound tomorrow. They also said on Thursday they wouldn't do the procedure on the same day as the ultrasound. They said it would be an out patient procedure at a hospital in La Habra so I'm thinking they may want to do it on Wednesday after we leave Rancho but we haven't been told by the doctors what the plan would be.
Sent from my iPad

Day 50 hour 10

Tony's day went well. His therapy today was to play Mexican bingo with a group of about 8 or 9 other patients. He actually won one of the games. He spent some time on his computer as well and wrote a simple program. he still continues to improve on a daily basis. He walked to the physical therapy room with minimal assistance but he still has balancing issues and he tires very fast.

Sent from my iPad basis.

Day 49 hour 8

Tony spent a lot of the early part of the day trying to get his ultra sound done for the filter in his artery. They did two attempts today but still didn't get the scan they wanted so they are going to try again on Monday. Tony had to go without breakfast and lunch because he needed an empty stomach for the scan. He was finally able to eat in the late afternoon. He had a couple of friends come by for a visit in the early evening. He enjoyed the visit.

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Day 48 hour 9

Tony will be getting a catscan in the morning on the artery were they put the strainer in his artery to catch any blood clots he might have got. the doctor said he is too young to leave it in so they want to remove it. The nurse said it will be minor surgery.
Tony has been going on his computer the last couple of days for his occupational therapy. his physical therapist walked him to the therapy room to do some exercises today. His balance is getting better. He is getting to the point now where I can help him walk a short distance fairly easily.

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Ecclesiastes 3

A few days ago, my mom posted some verses from Ecclesiastes 3. In our church here in England, I taught that exact passage the Sunday before Tony's accident. The message would prove to be very prophetic and timely with Tony's accident happening 5 days later, and then considering the following weeks and months. For any who would be interested in listening to that message, here it is:

• Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 - Seasons (mp3)

Day 47 hour 10

Tony had some friends from high school come by to see him today. They brought cookies and he actually ate one voluntarily. Since he hasn't really wanted to eat any of his meals that's a real compliment.
Tony is really looking forward to coming home next week.

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Day 46 hour 6

Tony got his tracheotomy out today! They also took out his I.V.. The only thing he has left is the peg for his feeding tube. He isn't using it anymore but they have to leave it in for 2 to 3 weeks because if it's not healed enough food can leak from his stomach into the wrong place.
He should get that out next week. We can't wait to get him home. His tentative release is a week from tomorrow. I got home from the hospital about an hour ago. This is the first time I have been home before 10:00 pm since we've been back. I need to get a few things done before he gets home. I'm very excited that it will be soon!

Sent from my iPad

DAY 45 HOUR 8

Tony's friend Daniel was by to see him today. They had a nice visit. Tony enjoyed the company. Daniel was here to observe Tony play a game of chess with his speech therapist.
Tony says he is hoping they take his trach out soon because it makes him cough. The doctor wasn't sure if they would take out his feeding tube this week because it hadn't been in long enough to heal yet. He said they usually take the feeding tube out first shortly followed by removal of the trach but he would see if he can take the trach out first.
In his physical therapy today he was able to stand up and play golf on the wii. Tomarrow they will practice walking. He also was able to go on the hospital computer and surf the web a little bit.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV)
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (Ecclesiastes 3:2 ESV)
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; (Ecclesiastes 3:3 ESV)
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:4 ESV)a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (Ecclesiastes 3:5 ESV)
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (Ecclesiastes 3:6 ESV)
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (Ecclesiastes 3:7 ESV)
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:8 ESV)

This passage from the bible has been on my mind for much of this journey. I am so thankful this was a time to heal and build up and laugh and dance.
During the month we spent at the ICU I saw a lot of life and death. when you spend a lot of time in the waiting room there you hear family members and friends talking amongst themselves about what brought them to The ICU . Some you see for days on end. Others only for a few hours. I heard people weeping in the hall ways because someone had passed on. On the night the doctor tried unsuccessfully to get the drain back in Tony's head the doctor came to talk to me. He said one thing he had come to believe is that there is a higher power that is ultimately calling the shots. He could use all the skills he had as a surgeon on two seemingly identical cases but ultimately God would decide who would live or dye. He told me they had an emergency surgery that night that did not go well. I knew who he was talking about. I heard the parents of a young man talking about the boy earlier. He was riding a motorcycle I believe and was hit by a car. He was bleeding too profusely for them to operate earlier in the day. I never saw them again.
On another occasion Matt and I were going into Tony's room and had to wait in front of Tony's room as a body covered by a sheet was wheeled passed his door.
We recently found out that on the same day we left Fresno for rehab "Terry" had died in the same hospital Tony was in. The place we were staying at was named after "Terry". He was hit by a car some 50 years earlier and his mom drove several miles every day to see him while he was in a coma. He recovered and his brother and mother later spear headed the building of "Terry's House."
When my parents died I mourned for my loss. If a loved one is a Christian, you know " to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". I take great comfort in the fact that they are in heaven and I will see them again someday. As hard as it was to let them go, I knew they had both lived a full life.

Day 44 hour 9

Tony had a really good day today. He ate most of his breakfast , lunch and dinner. Today was a free day at the hospital so we took Tony outside into the hospital grounds for awhile. He had some visitors this week end and enjoyed seeing everyone who came. I also gave him back his cell phone today and he spent some time this evening catching up on facebook and reading his emails. His control of his hands has greatly improved but it's a bit difficult for him to type messages on his phone so I'm guessing he won't he responding until he gets Internet on his computer. Then again he keeps surprising me with his progress so you never know.

Sent from my iPad

Day 43 hour 10

Tony has been eating for a day and a half now. He is not really showing much of an appetite yet but hopefully he will soon. He needs to get more calories in. We went to the mall today for a couple of hours with his speech therapist . Tony enjoyed getting out for the first time since his accident. He sat in his wheel chair for 3 hours and did pretty well.

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Day 41 hour 9

Tony passed the swallow test! He had his first meal today at lunch time. The doctor said Tony may get both his trech and feeding tube removed on Wednesday! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Day 41 hour 9

Looks like Tony will get his swallow test tomarrow around 9:30 . If he passes he will get lunch ! He may also get to go on a field trip this week end to the mall. It would be nice for him to get out of the hospital for awhile. . Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Day 40 hour 17

The speech therapist gave Tony some water and ice chips yesterday and he did well. She was going to schedule him for an X-ray sometime between today and Monday . they will give him something to drink with barium which will allow them to see if it all goes down the right pipe when he swallows. If all goes well he can eat again. One of the nurses said they usually take out the feeding peg and the trach right before they go home. Tony will be very happy to see it go.

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Day 40 hour 10

Tony had another great day today. He realizes he was really confused and that things are clearer now. The doctor had him start with the number 100 and subtract 7, from 93 subtract 7, from 86 subtract 7 and so on. He said Tony got 80 percent correct. I think alot of people who had never been in a coma would have trouble with that.
He was using more complete sentences when he was speaking today as well. He did some more walking with a walker and climbed the stairs again. We got a tentative date of August 17th for him to come home. After that probably 2ce a week of out patient therapy. Every day, I feel we have been given a wonderful gift from God and I am so thankful.
Hopefully we will get internet access in the rehab center soon so I can update the blog earlier in the day. I filled out a form today to get a password.

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Day 39 hour 8

Tony had another great day.   He walked with a cane and climbed some stairs in physical therapy! He wasn't very steady and needed balancing from the therapist but I never imagined he would be doing that already. God is good! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Day 36

Tony had a very busy day today.  He worked with 3 therapists today. He had some ice chips and did well swallowing. Maybe tomarrow pudding. He also got dressed with a little help and brushed his own teeth. It was exciting to see. Daniel was by with a ipad star trek trivia quiz. Tony did great! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android