Visits and Rest

 Brian continues to recover from the placement of his tracheotomy. We were able to visit with him in the morning and again in the evening. He also had a visit from Basalite's President, Erik Absalon in between ours. He was able to have his sedation comfortably lowered a small amount today. When we came into his room in the morning and began speaking to him, we could tell that he could hear our voices. He was able to open his eyes just a bit. He would try to mouth a nonverbal response as we were talking to him. We were able to get his mom on speakerphone so he could hear her voice and hear her words of encouragement. Towards the end of our first visit, he seemed to tense up (perhaps frustrated that he couldn't communicate better). We left to give him time to relax. For our second visit, it was during a shift change for the nurses. We were able to help show that he could squeeze our hands when asked. He could also wiggle his toes. We even got a small head nod in response to a question. We were able to put both of his daughters, Natalie and Brooke (who currently are attending college and live in Utah) on speakerphone so he could hear their voices. The excitement of the visit caused a machine that monitors his oxygen level to start to beep, warning that his levels were getting too low, so we had to say goodnight and let him get some rest, knowing he is in good hands with his care team. The care and attention he is getting from his doctors, nurses, and other specialists is so impressive! We have so much gratitude for their compassion, knowledge, skill, and dedication.