Dear baby brother,

On Sunday, February 23 2014 our lives changed forever. Mom and Dad got a call in the early morning hours that you were in the hospital and in critical condition. We have always been one of those families who has lived and thrived off of routine and schedules so we forget that in one moment it can all change with a call that shook our faith, strength and sanity to the core. To hear this news was not something I handled or could process well and am still working on understanding or accepting. You are one of the most caring, stubborn, genuine people I’ve ever known so the thought of anything bad happening to you was unfathomable. It made me think about how we view the world and live each day.

Today, on Friday, February 28, we are in the early miles of a marathon to your recovery. To say that this process is going to be the most difficult test of strength and patience is an understatement but in life you only get the opportunity to react to the situation that is placed before you and never (unfortunately) get a do-over to go back in time and change what happened. For that reason alone, it doesn’t seem fair to you, the incredible community of Boiling Springs or all of our family and friends who stepped in to hold us up during this unexpected hurtle in life, to ever let a negative thought enter our minds again.

Sure, it will be hard – one of the hardest, most unimaginable heart-aching experiences to go through – but there will be a finish line and we will cross it no matter what else comes down the road. You are stubborn, strong, hilarious, caring and amazing. Our parents are the two strongest people I know and they are staying positive, patient and hopeful every step of the way- holding this family together.

We will not let you EVER give up or slow down. We’ll get through this, I know it.  And when we do I can’t wait to share stories, pictures, music and laughter with you again.

Love you beyond words,

– Sis

#PrayforJackie

The marathon continues.  Overnight Jackie’s fever spiked and he was put on a cooling blanket.  Everything seems to be under control now and we are told this is just part of the process.

Jackie’s right eye is now swollen shut from the extra fluids in his body.  They are also checking his vascular pressure to ensure he is not dehydrated.

They bumped his sedation meds up overnight so it was easier for him to rest but are now in the process of reducing them again.

His body continues to absorb and tolerate the nutrients which should give him needed strength.

We continue to be so grateful for the nursing and entire staff here at Geisinger.  They level set our fears and comfort us with the care they are providing.  Will post again tonight.

10:30pm – Winding down our 4th day in the Intensive Care Unit.  It feels like we have been here for much longer than that.  We’ve sequestered a portion of the waiting room that has now become our home.  Eventually we will be staying off hospital property, but for now we chose to stay close due to Jackie’s current condition.  It’s funny how routines you used to do every day don’t have priority now, like taking showers, and things you used to take for granted become huge daily wins.

Jackie has started taking nutrition through a tube that leads down his throat to his stomach.  As he had been getting sick yesterday, this is a victory for sure.  Goal is to keep increasing the amount of nutrition and decrease the IV fluids.

Sedation drugs have been reduced slightly and he is starting to show a lot of movement in response to when he is turned or stimulated by hospital staff.  Even though this is very positive it is tough for me as a Mom to watch as Jackie’s body makes awkward movements. Need to draw on inner strength to get through this phase which will hopefully get Jackie off the ventilator.

Early reads on his CAT scan are looking favorable as there appears to be a slight reduction in the swelling.

His blood pressure is still trending high so his meds have been increased.

He did receive a unit of blood today.  This should help get him back to where he needs be.

Life can change in an instant as we now know first hand.  Our change was far from positive, but the prayers, visits, support and donations you have all given makes this marathon seem doable.  We are without question a family that is truly blessed by such a caring community of friends.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

It is close to 10am and Jackie has been staying strong for 96+ hours.  He is scheduled for another CAT scan this morning.  His neurology exam was consistent with yesterday’s results. Even though he is not awake I know deep down he is doing everything he can to get through this.

Each new day we draw our strength from faith, your prayers and support and for this we are thankful.  I’ll post again tonight.

11pm – Jackie continues to stay strong as the docs and nurses work to juggle his meds so they can get a good handle on his neuro functions.  His blood pressure was not cooperating so he is now back on blood pressure meds.  The hope is that now the sedation meds can be lowered enough to get better neuro results.

We are still unable to speak to him or rub his hand.  This would cause too much brain stimulation.  This is so hard for us but we understand as we do not want to do anything to interfere with his progress.

Everyone who visited today thought his color looked good and the swelling seems to have gone down.  Still have to get through two more days of possible swelling as they tell us it usually lasts between 3-5 days.

Jim saw him cough for the first time.  A little scary to watch, as I know,  but a very positive win for today.

We are so blessed to have all of your prayers, support and generosity – it is endless and we appreciate it more than you will ever know.

It is now around 5:30am. Jackie was fairly stable overnight. We are learning that the positives walk hand and hand with the negatives at this point. Most of his neuro tests overnight were inconsistent but on a positive note he did not need any units of blood. With all that said the start of each day brings new hope.

It is almost 11pm and the intensive care waiting room is unusually quiet.  Everyone who waits in this room has a unique bond of sadness.  All brought here because of something completely out of our control that has in one way or another altered the lives of our loved ones.

Since this morning , Jackie’s pain meds have increased again.  Because the level of sedation drugs have been dropped, they want to ensure he is not in pain.  This helps keep his blood pressure down especially when they move him.

Another win – Jackie’s cerebral draining tubes were removed! Swelling can still occur but we are headed in the right direction.

He continues to have positive reflex tests and it is still remaining a balancing act to keep his body and brain as quiet as possible.

We cannot tell you how moved we are with the outpouring of love and support from all of you.  We could not get through this without you. Please continue to pray for small victories as they will get Jackie to the finish line.

Pain meds increased. They are telling us that Jackie’s brain swelling will prevent him from actually waking up at this point even though the sedation meds are being lowered.

They are now changing the settings of his vent to help him breath a little easierWe are told this is going to be a marathon not a sprint to recovery.  Celebrating every small win.  Two to celebrate already – when pinched Jackie reached over to the pain source showing that his brain can localize pain and his nurse thought he saw  Jackie’s arm move slightly away from the breeze of the fan.

There is a science to managing all of his meds.They are now lowering the sedation drugs again to be able to get better reflex tests.  And the roller coaster ride continues. Just saw the neurology surgeon he said  the bleeding in Jackie’s brain is stable.  They are still keeping a close eye on a small spot of bleeding on his brain stem.

More to follow – it is now 7:41am.

Thanks to everyone who is praying and sending positive thoughts.  Keep um coming!

Not much change today. The team started reducing the sedation drugs but in a short time bumped the sedation med levels back up as well the pain meds. Jackie vomited a couple times which causes issues with the vent and his lungs
The results of the chest X-ray had the team push the tube a little further down into the lungs and that got the oxygenation level where it needed to be. Basic reflex tests showing positive results. Huge win for now!

There was concern about his heart due to some early blood results, but so far there does not appear to be anything to worry about. Still waiting for final results. Back to letting Jackie just be.

The nursing staff has been phenomenal and the night ahead should hopefully be a quiet one.

We got the call at 3am, immediately got in the truck and headed to Geisinger Hospital in Danville. This was the longest drive in our lives.

We both were sick to our stomachs not knowing what lie ahead. Any time something happens to one of your children you wish you could do anything to be able to reverse what just happened or at least take the place of your child so you could suffer the pain instead of them.

We know this all too well from our experiences with Lindsay in her early years.  No surprise she is a fighter and today is proof that God is great and good things do happen and tough times are beatable. Now it is Jackie’s turn to fight and get through the days, weeks and months that lie ahead.

We will all get through this thanks to faith, prayers, strength and an incredible network of family and friends.

We were told Jackie went to Bloomsburg hospital first and was then transferred by Life line to Danville.Details were sketchy but we knew Jackie was the victim of a senseless act of violence and had head injuries. When we arrived he already was on the vent, was hooked up to a million tubes and had a screw in his head that was supposed to relieve the pressure in his brain. It didn’t work.

We touched Jackie’s arm, blew him a kiss because we couldn’t even get to his head and within two hours he was in surgery and a good portion of the right side of his skull was removed.  Hoping that was enough, the surgeons sent him in for a CAT scan. The result was not good and Jackie was rushed back into the OR to have a good portion of the left side of  his skull removed.

We thought the car ride was long…..

He finally returned to a room and the reality of the sustained injuries started to set in. Ultimately his skull was fractured and there was bleeding in many areas of the brain.  Other injuries if any, we’re not the focus now. The immediate goal was to keep him in an induced comma so the body and brain could rest, basically just be. So hard as we were instructed not to touch or talk to Jackie.  All we could do was somehow through telepathy send positive thoughts his way.

Needless to say his sister and our family and friends are incredible.  Between texts, Facebook posts, tweets and calls the amount of support coming our way was undescribable.

There was a constant flow of tears and visitors throughout the day along with many other friends helping at home and providing support over the phone.

Touched beyond belief.

At the end of the day he remained stable through night one. Thank you Lord.