aksheephuntress

prayers from Alaska.... ...prayers from Alaska... -I am so sorry to hear this news; Rilda was was such a generous, strong, and organized person. I admired her quick wit, sense of humor, and energy. Something told me to check in; I am glad I did, but also sad at the same time.You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers, Steve- -kathleen

....Our God is an Awesome God......

Cavner family update 8/12 eve It has been a very long and taxing day. I am only able to get out of the room for a couple of minutes while Hudson sleeps. Preston is being held overnight in the hospital after his late afternoon eye surgery. I think things went well. If it were not for our new good friend George Huston standing by over there, we would be in a fix. Thanks George. they have to back over there in the morning anyway, so this saves a trip. The experienced chest doctor came by today and briefed Stacie on what they will do in the operating room tomorrow at 10AM. A camera aided cleansing and suction of the lung cavity to remove the jelly-like material that does not drain. This should allow the lung to fully expand. Stacie is getting drawn down by all these setbacks. She is wanting to move ahead, but the pain of the donor sites and the lung issue is taking a toll on her and the rest of us. Let us hope and pray for a reversal of fortune. Hudson is a full time job. Reinforcements are coming tomorrow. Stacie's brother and mom are coming over from Idaho. Cavner family update 8/14 eve I generally have good news tonight. Preston continues to have pain, but it seems to be less sharp. He is experiencing some temporary effects & ability to focus and look up and down. So he has a difficult time getting around. But he still got over to the hospital to see Stacie a couple of times today. He suffered a setback with his legs while being off his feet for so long. It will take him some time to recover to the point where he was with regards to walking and stretching. He and the rest of us did get to enjoy a barbecue meal brought into the McDonald house by the Foundation for North American Sheep representative and good friend George Huston. Preston is still resting a great deal and His mom is going to fly back here tomorrow to help. It will be good to get her back. Stacie had a painful and inactive day. She and or her mother had to push the pain demand button every time. She wanted nothing to do with food, drink or movement. In the afternoon, her mother finally got her to take a nibble off a pop-tart. She was asleep most of the time. It did not look good for her to be able to make a move at the 24 hour post surgery mark. The nurses were concerned. She was really flat. At the 27 and one half hour, she awakened pretty clearly. She had a good short chat with her brother-said she was sorry for not being much company. The nurse arrived with some medication. She was not wanting to try to take the pills. Took a sip of juice and almost gagged. Finally got the 2 pills into her stomach that were a must. Then a bunch more pills arrived. She passed on them. Then dinner arrived. After thinking on it for a while, she asked for a bite, then another, then another and finally quit after she had eaten half of the turkey/mashers and gravy! Then, with a COKE chaser, she took after those pills one at a time. Then she asked for her evening meds and got those down. She had one real happy nurse and a bunch of relieved caregivers. I was one proud dad to say the least. She wants to get these setbacks behind her. So after getting Hudson and Preston to bed, I went back to the burn center to see her. She asked to finish off THAT pop-tart. We talked about tomorrow-pushing the pain envelope and getting some physical activity. Then we brushed her teeth and put Carmex on her chapped lips. Surgery and chapped lips must go hand-in-hand. Then there is Hudson. He is up and ready for breakfast with Grandma-french toast and sausage. Had ronni and cheese and a hot dog for lunch, followed by some of George's barbecue-he loves the beans. He learned to dance today with his Uncle Eric. Getting better each and every day with his balance and footwork. Showed his "distance reaction" when he saw his mom again today with the oxygen sensor headband and oxygen tube by the nose. He gets upset with that and doesn't like to be in her room. Poor little guy just can't figure out what is going on. Showed what a big boy he can be when I changed his dressing (not a very pleasant experience for him). He was ready for bed tonight. So tomorrow is the start of a new week. I look to see us regain all or most of the ground we lost this week. With the continued help of many-it is real possible Cavner family update 8/15 eve Pretty good day today. All are doing as well as could be expected. Stacie was grateful for a carry-in breakfast when I got there. She had a chest -x-ray and was able to sit up in bed for it. They will look at the film and see what the next step is. Hoping they can remove the drain tube. And her dressings will come off the legs tomorrow. Hoping for some closure on those donor sites. She is eating pretty well and has a good frame of mind. Preston was glad to see his mom this afternoon. His symptoms of the medication and surgery are beginning to lessen. Hudson did a little dance with Uncle Eric in his mom's room today, so she could see his progress. Yep, pretty good day today. Cavner family update 8/17 eve Sorry for the failure to post an update last night. It was after midnight when I realized I had not got it completed. Hudson had his first doctor appointment today as an out patient. He went to the baby doctor and she seemed real complete in her approach to his case. He will see the burn doctor tomorrow as will Preston. They both went with Preston's mother to Vancouver this afternoon to visit some friends. Stacie got a dressing change this morning on her arms. She was still not very active. The x-ray showed no additional pockets in the lung cavity. The burn doctor removed the drain tube this evening. She is pretty tired and medicated and will have to begin to show improvement tomorrow. While she is willing, she is drained from all this latest stuff. It is going to take some bedside encouragement and motivation for her to turn the corner. Continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Cavner family update 8/18 eve Stacie woke this morning to another x-ray and wondering why I was in her room so early. The film showed everything to be clear in the chest. She ate some breakfast, most of the pain medication side effects were gone and she seemed to have a sense of urgency. But she just couldn't muster the strength to get physical. Preston and Hudson dropped by before their doctor appointments. Both had visits with the burn surgeon today. Hudson got an all clear on his head skin grafts. "Give him a bath in the tub with lots of water and baby shampoo". His hand was fitted with some new glove material. The foot was left as is for the time being. Then came the big deal. The doctor said he no longer needed the feeing tube. So after a painful moment, it was gone. Hudson is tube free at last! The whole session was somewhat tearful for him and he was ready to leave for some lunch and a nap. Preston had his legs examined by the burn doctor which resulted in his last skin graft surgery scheduled in two weeks. That will mean continued tissue growth in the meantime and some level of inactivity after the surgery. He had some visitors today and spent most of the afternoon with them. Back to Stacie-she had the physical therapist show up around 3PM. He got her going on some good therapy and she really got into it. After an hour he urged her to get into the chair. She pushed and got up with the idea of lasting an hour. Two and a half hours later she was ready to get back to bed. She ate some supper and is still awake. She really worked hard today-it was like she knew now was the time. She motivates the rest of us. I was plum proud of her so I brought her a slab of red velvet cheesecake from the Heartbeat Cafe. For tomorrow-Hudson has a couple hours of occupational and physical therapy. And more of the same for my daughter-we love her so. Cavner family update 8/19 eve The day started early with Hudson having a 730AM check-in at the diagnostic center (paperwork for therapy). He was really excited to go "someplace". Preston and I took him to the second floor and we met his physical therapist. She ran him through some drills and he did pretty well. That was an hour. Then next was the occupational therapist. Another hour of evaluation. He is doing quite well. After that we headed over to see his mom. She was not having a good morning. Unable to eat because of nausea. She was really out of sorts all day long, but has improved some this evening. She did withstand a physical therapy session and a dressing change in the midst of it all. These days must come with the territory. When they occur on the heels of a good break-through day like we had yesterday, it is really a challenge for everyone. She has been working so hard to improve, she really deserves better. Hoping Friday will be the rebound day. Her donor sites look really good and she had no pain during the dressing change. They have all but taken her off pain medication at this point. We are getting close. Let's keep alive the hope and the prayers of so many to push her over the top. While the rest of the journey will be difficult as well, it is only fair she be afforded the opportunity to try it. Cavner family update 8/20 eve The day we were hoping for did not happen today. The nausea remains with our girl. Today the burn doctor evaluated her situation and is pursuing the idea that her medication doses were reduced too quickly and she is exhibiting nausea as a side effect. He prescribed an increase in the dosage of pain medication and that initially made her feel just a little better. As I write, she is still far from feeling good enough to eat or take medication by mouth. One can tell she wants to get better and get this behind her, but the body's functions do not want to cooperate. She is so close to being finished here at the burn center, but she must have strength, be able to eat well and have a certain level of stamina before she can leave. We need "that" day tomorrow. The news on Preston is not much better. His eye doctor today feels he must have some additional surgery on the eye. That will be some time in the next couple of weeks. Hudson seems to be doing well. He is an inspiration for the rest of us. We must be strong for him. May Saturday dawn bright and sunny for all. Cavner family update 8/21 eve Posted 10 hours ago Not much progress to report in terms of the nausea, it is hanging on but not quite as bad. The dosage of the medication did not seem to be the problem. We have tried just about everything we can think of. Stacie withstood an x-ray to see if they could see any blockage, got up in the chair for a while (movement), and did a pretty good therapy session. She keeps saying it is nausea and nothing else. So no change yet. She is not giving up on trying things. Keep the hope. Cavner family update 8/22 eve There was some small progress today. Stacie just wants so bad to feel better. It is so painful to see her not be able to enjoy Hudson when he comes to visit. And again, Hudson senses something is not right. There was another anti-nausea drug tried today. Seemed to have some slight effect. Stacie choked down a pill to help coat the stomach. She tried one piece of jelly donut. She then got up in the chair-even though it was very difficult. Stayed up for about an hour and was ready to go back to bed. I suggested she go down the hall or out in the garden. She said she would try it. Stayed out in the garden for nearly an hour. She was able to eat a little Jell-o and took a couple bites of her dinner tonight. She has been sleeping most of the afternoon and is doing so now. Without any nutrition for the last four days, her strength and stamina is low. Keep her needs in your thoughts and prayers. This is an awful setback for her. She had fought so hard to get to the point at which she was prior to the lung situation. And the lung surgery went well. This simple nausea after the surgery is difficult to overcome. Hudson and Preston are holding their own at the present time. Tomorrow is Monday, which generally means things get moving around here pretty fast. I hope we see great movement in Stacie's condition. Cavner family update 8/23 eve Posted 38 minutes ago There was a pretty big change for the better today. While I was awake at 5AM, I was truly fearful of getting out of bed and going over to the burn center. I hung back after cooking some breakfast for Hudson and Preston. Preston went over first around 9AM. Hudson and I followed later. Stacie was still pretty miserable and couldn't bear to have Hudson stay long. The main doctor had been there and had prescribed another form of nausea medication and an ultra-sound for gall stones. I was not encouraged at that point. We left and went back and picked up Grandma and took her to the mall for a haircut for her birthday. Just before noon, Stacie got up in the wheelchair and did eat part of her lunch. We got back from the mall in the afternoon, Hudson took a nap, and I went to the burn center. Stacie was up in the wheelchair and went outside with Preston and I. Grandma went to sit with her around 5PM, she was up for the third time. Then came dinner and she ate a goodly portion of it. She had a big therapy session and got pretty tired out. She had a dish of ice cream tonight. While there was obviously a combination of factors, the last medication seemed to nip the nausea and she responded. So now we need continued progress, there is much to do for her to get back to where she was 2 weeks ago. Cavner family update 9/24 eve We continued to swing upward today. In contrast to yesterday, I couldn't wait to get over there this AM. She was still asleep, groggy to say the least, and cold-because she had no blankets on her. So I covered her with one and went to get a warm one out of the oven. After about 15 minutes, she got warmed up. Her breakfast tray finally arrived and I asked if she wanted to eat. She made me show her what the eggs looked like-load them up with salt and pepper-then she proceeded to eat most of them and the English muffin w/grape jelly. Preston and Hudson arrived after 9AM and Stacie wanted up into the wheelchair and out into the garden we went-before it got too hot. She came back in after about 1/2 an hour and started in on her first of several therapy sessions for the day. Preston had a therapy session across the river at the other hospital in the afternoon so I took Hudson and tied in with Grandma, had lunch and then Grandma napped Hudson. I went back over to see Stacie and when I looked into the room-She was sitting up in the wheelchair with the bedstand in front of her leafing through a magazine! That was a sight to behold, let me tell you. She was on her own for most of the afternoon until Preston got back. She had a good dinner and no sign of the nausea. The doctor told me he is not sure what the cause was, but he is just as happy as anyone it has subsided. Stacie watched a movie with Preston tonight while we ate, then we switched places. So Grandma and I spent the evening with Stacie. Before we left just a few minutes ago, she had eaten one and half popcicles, munched on some beef jerky and ate a bunch of pretzels. She has taken all the oral medications they offered today and believe me some of them were huge pills. She is no longer getting any pain medication intraveinously and is looking pretty darn good physically. If you think she is doing good, I can't describe how much better the rest of us feel & look right now. Cavner family update 8/25 eve We are all still a happy bunch. Stacie got a shower today and the doctor evaluated her few remaining open wounds-there are not many. She will now have daily dressing changes to accelerate the growth of skin. More therapy for strength and mostly pills by mouth. Eating well-we went to Fred Meyer today for a food order for her. Got her glasses adjusted at the LensCrafter store so they don't slide down the bridge of her nose any more. Preston has another appointment tomorrow with the eye doctor. They will have to re-do some of the work on the retina so he will be off his feet for a spell. Hudson went on a visit to a local family today to play with their kids and that got me to wondering. Just what do you suppose that little guy is thinking. On June 1st, everything he knew and trusted suddenly vanished. There was nothing but strangers and strange places. He was tramatized and nothing was familiar. He never got to see his mom or his dad for a long, long time. He never got to see his brother ever again. Slowly he regained his awareness and found some of the things he recognized. Yet even some of those were different and now they were in a strange place. Where is my stuff and my bed and my house? Does he wonder why it is now that he goes off to visit new people and new places? His world and life have changed forever. Same will never fully return. Does he wonder why he wears that blue glove on his left hand? Why is my right foot sore and tender? And why does he itch all over? His age will be his greatest asset. He will adjust and do quite well. It is still a lot to ask of a 2 year old. Cavner family update 8/26 eve Another day that went by fairly quickly and it was busy. Grandma and I jumped up early to clean and empty the RV some caring folks had loaned us to use as sleeping quarters here adjacent to the McDonald house. I darted over to Stacie's room to help her with breakfast. Preston took Hudson to his 2 hour therapy session at 8AM. Afterwards, we were going to take him to the zoo, but Preston's doctor called and asked him to arrive early at the Good Sam hospital across the river, so we dropped him off around 11AM. We came back and took Hudson to the golden arches for some chicken mcnuggets. Nap time for Grandma/Hudson and I went to check on Stacie. She had some physical therapy and was just getting lunch at 2PM. Came back to the computer to work on some business matters for their business, then Hudson was up, so the 3 of us went back over to see Stacie. She was not doing 100% and was slightly flat. Then the hospital dinner surprise arrived, so we jumped into the Jeep and headed to Panda and got some take out Chinese. She appreciated that and it improved matters. Back over to the house to put Hudson to bed-and yet no word from George on how Preston was doing. Grandma stayed at the house with Hudson and I went back to spend the evening with Stacie. She was having a fairly good night. Finally around 9Pm we got word that Preston did not get into surgery until 6PM, had a lot of pain in his eye, and would be spending the night in the hospital. Thanks again to George for pinch hitting and making all this possible. George will show up there in the morning to get Preston and take him to the doctor's office for a 10AM follow-up. Some days it is non-stop stuff Cavner family update 8/27 eve Another long day of sorts. Hudson had his favorite sausage and french toast since he had missed it for several days. We had to get moving early since Stacie's maternal granddad and her aunt arrived in town last night. They found the way to the McDonald house by 930AM and took a quick look around. Hudson warmed up to them right away. We all headed to the burn center to see Stacie. She was pretty happy to see them since it has been quite a long time. We left at 1130 when Stacie had therapy and grabbed lunch in the cafeteria. By that time it was nap time and Preston was back in the room after his doctor appointments. He was in a lot of pain and had a case of nausea. I put the drops in his eyes and we went back over to see Stacie, but her room was full of therapists and other medical folks. She also had a daily dressing change. Hudson napped until 230PM, then he and I had to make a run to the store for diapers while the rest visited with Stacie. Around 5PM we went to a sit-down dinner at a local establishment. Hudson liked the steelhead and the shrimp. Back to the McDonald house to help Preston who was still sic. They have all been resting so far this evening and I was back up to spend time with Stacie (order her menu/meals for tomorrow, help her take pills, have a butterfinger sundae, brush and floss). And so here we are, another day in the log book. Hopefully Preston's pain will subside tomorrow and he will be able to get something to eat Cavner family update 8/28 eve Hudson was awake in his play and pack at 6AM. Finally, I decided to get up and check on him. He had slipped his head dressing off because I had used a larger diameter tubi-grip so it did not press into his skin so hard. Fortunately, he had not scratched his skin grafts. But, here we are first thing in the morning changing his head dressing. He didn't mind one bit. Then we went upstairs for some breakfast. Preston woke up this morning feeling well enough for some breakfast and then he headed over to see Stacie right away. He has not seen her since Thursday. He was void of the nausea and most of the pain in the eye. He does not have to go back to the doctor until Friday. He cannot lift or bend over so as to protect the stitches in the eye. Just has to put drops in his eye every 4 hours. Stacie had another good day. Dressing change and therapy. Just by chance, Preston was there for her dressing change. Based on his observation, he can see why she has been complaining of pain on those sites on her legs. The three of us had a good discussion in her room tonight. We want to discuss some possible issues and options with the doctor on Monday. When I left her tonight, she was still up in the chair at 10PM--that's a first. And here is one for you. Grandma wanted some pancakes for dinner tonight, so Hudson and I took her downtown and we had to drive around a little until we found a Denney's (serves breakfast anytime). It is after 6PM, not many cars around, so we stop right in front of the resturant. We go inside and have a pretty darn good breakfast for under $20. Hudson says "Hi" to almost everyone in the place. It was truly a minature good time for 2 worn out Granparents and their little grandson who has endured so much pain. We go back out to the car, get in, and Diana notices a ticket under the windshield wiper. I retreive it and sure enough-a parking ticket. This was one of those zones that does not have parking meters, but you must go buy a receipt to stick on your dash. And I did notice the sign "after" I got the ticket. So, now we owe the City of Portland $40 for patronizing Denney's on Saturday night when there were hardly any other cars on the street and Denneys' lot was almost empty. But, those were some of the best pancakes we have had in a long time! Cavnerfamily update 8/29 eve Sometimes it is all about change and that truly was the order of the day. Yesterday Preston, Stacie and I talked about her continuing pain and lack of healing of the skin on her legs. We were going to talk to the doctor first thing Monday. Well, we won't have to talk to the doctor. Stacie had a dressing change as scheduled this morning. They did it the same way. They always take electronic photos of the wounds for the doctors to review. The doctor on duty today was the most senior doctor in the burn unit. He has been at this hospital for a long, long time. After reviewing the photos of today's conditions and comparing it with older photos, he had the nurses immediately remove the dressing, apply a different type and removed all the compression bandages. These are exactly what we were going to ask of the doctor tomorrow. In addition, the doctor today had them put Stacie on an air circulation bed. The whole idea is to get the wounds to dry out and facilitate healing. You cannot believe the near immediate difference this made. Stacie is much more mobile and agile, she can actually move and exercise her legs without extreme pain, she is so much more upbeat it is incredible. You go back and look at these posts and you will see we have been talking about these wounds on her legs for quite some time. I now think we have a shot at getting some significant progress. It feels a whole lot different in her room right now, I mean to the point her and I just watched 2 episodes of "Coach" and Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox and we were laughing it up. This has the potential to be something big. And, Stacie is tube free tonight. She is no longer hooked up to anything-the IV was removed yesterday and the cath was removed today. Grandma and I took Hudson to the zoo this morning. It was a lot of fun for all of us. We will have to go back and see some more, because it is too big to do in one day. Besides, Hudson got a little tired. He was up at 630AM, so we bathed and did his dressing change before going to the zoo. He had a long day. Cavner family updates 8/30 eve Hudson got up on time this morning and we changed his dressing right off. Got a quick breakfast and then Preston and I went to see Stacie and try to see the burn doctor. We were able to have him stop by the room for just a few minutes. He quizzed Stacie on how she was doing and she gave him an upbeat report. The changes ordered by the doctor on Sunday were still working. While this was possibly the first the burn surgeon had heard of the changes, he seemed to be acceptant of the change and wanted to inspect her burns during her daily dressing change. Preston and I then headed over to the Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon at the Good Sam hospital. They gave us a good tour of the facility and explained the program. This is where Stacie will go to next. After lunch, the dressing change happened. This is the first time I have been present for one. I was really surprised at just how raw and extensive those sites appear. It was very unsettling to Stacie and painful as well. The burn doctor wants to continue with the drier dressings and eliminate the compression. Preston felt there was some improvement over what he saw on Friday. We really hope that this latest adjustment in the dressings will provide the necessary growth of skin and close the open wounds. Afterwards, Stacie did some additional work on physical therapy. Tomorrow, the same routine is in order. The daily dressing change promotes skin growth and we are going to try to up her nutritional intake. I know we all trust the doctor is going to get us through this phase and on to the next one. Preston's uncle arrived today from Texas and will be able to provide support for the patients as the need arises. Preston will possibly postpone his scheduled skin graft surgery in order to allow for more tissue granulation on the last remaining site. That way he will be facing only one visit to the operating room rather than two. Cavner family update 8/31 eve Things are pretty much the same. Stacie is holding her own on the dressing changes and the doctor stopped by today again to reinforce the need to keep it up. He commended her for assisting with the take down of the old dressings. In his mind, when patients reach that point they tend to move ahead rapidly. She did a bunch of therapy today and did a slide over from the bed to the wheelchair for the first time. She is actually looking forward to going to RIO but like myself we want to be certain the wounds do not interfer with the intensive therapy she will receive there. I sort of think there are a lot of other folks who are thinking the same thing. Preston and his uncle along with Hudson are staying in Vancouver at a private home. Grandma and I moved into the RV that was loaned again, so the McDonald house is now a past chapter-a fond one for sure as it provided the shelter and security we needed for so long. Tomorrow, Preston has an eye therapy session and it looks like the gloomy weather we had today will be replaced by sunshine. Cavner family update 9/1 eve Today was special. With the encouragement of the nurse, Stacie elected to take down her old dressings. With Preston and I helping just a bit she managed to get it all off the right leg. We were really encouraged by what we saw. There was good color and less inflamed tissue. Then came the left leg. It is the one with the most open wounds. It is really painful to pull that gause off of those wounds when it is stuck on there. She elected not to take any pain med for the dressing change. It took a while to slowly get it all off. The improvement on that leg was really dramatic from yesterday, there was no leaching and running blood from the front portion of the upper leg. Yesterday, she had extra medication and cried real tears-today with no medication she winced and moaned but no tears! I was even able to wash some of the left leg. Nurse Julie put on the new dressings and wrapped them for another day. This new technique seems to be working real well. We hope for continued improvement tomorrow. We are going to shoot for a shower! Stacie did some therapy, got in the wheelchair, and we took a stroll. Got outside for some fresh air and stopped by the Farmer's fruit stand and got some fresh raspberrys. And tonight she had ice cream and fresh raspberrys. Preston's eye therapy went OK. Hudson did not come to Portland today but spent the day with a family out in the Vancouver area. He should be able to see his mom tomorrow as he has therapy sessions in the morning Cavner family update 9/2 eve Well, the day did not get started very well. Each patient can order off a bigger menu for their meals. We have been filing Stacies' order each night. Well, the breakfast she was expecting this morning did not show-something else. So she ate the fresh orange and yogurt I brought her. The morning got going with Hudson stopping by briefly before his physical therapy and afterward. Before you knew it lunch arrived and it was the wrong lunch. So we reordered and waited for the 30 minutes and they still brought the wrong stuff. Needless to say, that does not bouy one's spirits. So we ate some instant breakfast drink and a bowl of rice krispies. She was anxious to get started on taking down her dressing and the shower. That went pretty well. I did not get to see the wounds today, but she said they did not stick to the bandage as much and the ointment of the new bandages did not sting as long as yesterday. Sounds better at least. Then therapy and up in the chair and tour around. Spent some time in the garden and Preston was back in the afternoon. He fed Stacie the "right" dinner, and she was back to pretty much normal this evening. tomorrow is another day so we hope for a better start. They might also shower tomorrow as the cleaner the wound, the faster the growth of skin tissue. Cavner family updates 9/3 Just a reminder, I cannot respond back in an email from this site or do anything but post this update. It is not an email site. I know several have asked questions and I cannot help from here. Today was another one of those days when not much changed. Stacie had a good dressing change and the wounds are healing. Unfortunately the culture they took of the donor site on her head and also on her legs have an infection. So now she will have to have a run of antibiotics for a week. The doctor is hopeful he can stop it and that is very important as the infection is really tough on new skin. So a little unwelcome news to go with everything else. Stacie had a real good visit with one of her brides maids that stopped by today. They motored over from Idaho this morning enroute to Washington. The doctor cannot prescribe the kind of medicine she got during their nearly 2 hour visit! That stuff makes a big difference! So we are looking for a good Labor Day weekend here at the hospital. Preston had an eye checkup at the doctors office today. He got a good report from the doctor on the results of the operation. We hope that keeps going well. Hudson says "HI" to everyone. He likes to race anyone up the hall in the burn center. Cavner family update 9/4 eve Early report today because what ever is going to happen has already happened. Slow Saturday at the hospital. Stacie had a dressing change this AM and it was pretty uneventful. Had one of the guides parents from Bend stop in today to get acquainted with Preston and Stacie. Preston went to lunch with them and when the came back, they brought their kitty in to see Stacie and she liked that. Hudson stayed with myself and Preston's uncle while they went to lunch. Afterwards, Preston, Hudson and his uncle headed for Vancouver. Grandma and I spent most of the afternoon and early evening with Stacie. Now we are getting ready for the the night shift. Cavner family update 9/5 eve This day was challenging and difficult to get through. Stacie was headed to the shower room before breakfast so the doctor could view her wounds and skin. He wanted to evaluate her progress so future plans could be formulated. Something new and different can be unsettling to a patient and I think it was the case for Stacie. She did not eat well all day and could not take all of her pills this AM and PM--"just so tired of taking pills all the time". While she is ready mentally to go to the next step, it creats some anxious moments to give it serious consideration. There is progress on the wounds closing. There are two small spots that may require some additional skin grafts-time will tell as they may grow closed on their own given sufficient time. The surface infection on the wounds seems to be getting cleared up. This is day 6 of the antibiotic. Difficult day for her and us as well. She did get to see Hudson for a little while this AM, but she cannot really enjoy him like she would like to. Hudson went back to Vancouver and Preston stayed behind here at the burn center for most of the afternoon. We talked about the next phase for Stacie and what it means for the rest of us. The duration of this event takes a toll on everyone involved. I know we stepped on each other's toes several times today, but likewise we share the common goal to keep getting better. Mutual love and respect is still present. There is tremendous progress from the start and in Stacie's words "she wants to move ahead and learn how to live again". Cavner family update 9/6 eve I am almost at a loss of words tonight. It has been another tough day for Stacie. Her wounds and infection seem to be getting better, but the lack of an appetite and inability to hold down her breakfast and take her pills is troubling. She forced herself to eat this morning, but to no avail. So you just have to hold off until things get a little better. She did have a bite or two of some stuff we brought in tonight. She really is not anxious about the next step, but just unsettled. We did talk with the burn doctor today about some options for moving and he is going to see what he can do to help. We all know a change in location would be good for her and we want it to happen. So let us hope and focus on something good to come out of that intention. Preston and Hudson continue to do well. We so badly want to add the third member to that family on the outside. Cavner family update 9/7 Stacie was wide awake at 7AM this morning because she had a horrible night. But there is no quit in her--she wanted to get into the shower chair right away and do her dressing changes. She was green around the gills but pressed on. She says her wounds are improving and the dressing changes go really well. But sic to her stomach all day is rough. After the dressing change, she wanted into the wheelchair and spent the rest of the day outside of her room--she wants out. After a little settling medication, the stomach did calm down some and she did hold a few bird bites of stuff tonight. Let's hope for more improvement tomorrow. Preston and Hudson both have a burn doctor appointment in the morning to size up their progress. It rained pretty hard here today in Portland-that may be the sign of change coming for us all. Cavner family update 9/8 eve It continues even as I speak. The poor girl is trying hard, but we see very little relief in sight. We so need a change. Not knowing the cause is even worse. We are on the brink of a major change and to capture it we need to see this spell broken. The Cavner family is scheduled to relocate to San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. The process of all the final paperwork and business matters is in the works. This change could be very beneficial for Stacie in the long run. There is a loving and caring network of support for them in that location. Portland has been absolutely wonderful and supportive for this phase and would continue to be if they stayed here. We cannot say thank you enough times. So we move on towards tomorrow. Hudson will have his last therapy session at Legacy Emanuel. Both he and Preston had appointments with the burn doctor in the clinic this AM and things are fine with both. I know Stacie is in for another difficult night and I wished I could stay with her. Let us hope and pray for her well being in the morning. Cavner family updates 9/10 eve All patients doing well. Excitment is building 4 the move. Stacie got a new wig today. Hudson is going to be surprised to see her tomorrow! Friday-last day of work for a lot of people who work at the hospital and this was their last day of work and they all know we are leaving on Sunday. So guess what-today was a day for goodbye....And while joyous in nature, it is difficult to say goodbye to so many wonderful people who you have grown to know so closely in a stressful situation. Yes, these folks are the ones we have grown to know as someone we trust, someone we confide in, someone who put our fears to rest, someone who has tolerated our funny ways of doing things and generally someone who was "just there at the right time". When the burn doctor stopped by Stacie's room today to tell her goodbye, he was speaking from his heart as someone who really cared about her and her family having to go through what they had to. The doctor was a good example of how these folks have demonstrated a caring attitude for the last 100 days. Thank you so much to the Legacy Emanuel family and doing what you do to help people who need it. (posted by Delta Cavner)..... Preston, Stacie, and Hudson will be leaving on Sunday to fly by private jet to San Antonio, Texas. Today Stacie got to get ready for her trip by trying on wigs. She had fun seeing what she looked like with different colors of hair and, in the end, selected several wigs of various lengths [Thanks, Heather]. Be praying that their travel will go smoothly and that Stacie will be strong for the rehab she will have at the Brook Burn Center. We are all grateful for the support of San Antonio friends, but will never forget our Portland friends, who rose to meet our needs as we first arrived in Portland and continued to encourage us throughout the summer with visits, food, clothing, babysitting, rides, etc. Thanks to all of you. ...a moment of silence for Myles Cavner.... http://www.adn.com/2010/09/09/1446899/rescuers-honored.html#id=1446898&view=large_view ...coverage on the crash, and rescue.... http://www.adn.com/2010/06/01/1303376/plane-crash.html#id=1447169&view=large_view

....Our God is an Awesome God..... ......Our God is an Awesome God..... ....CAVNER FAMILY UPDATEs.....continued from last June 20th....the "Praying for the Cavner Family" Facebook page that was set up for them during this time... Cavner Family 6/21 eve A busy day for sure. A whole lot less emotional. There continues to be cards, packages, visitors, prayers and positive energy from so very many who feel somehow connected to this situation. It means so much to know you care and are there with sincere offers of help. Hudson had a solid day. The burn doctor said this morning that he believes the issue with the spleen is lessening and he remains hopeful Hudson will respond accordingly. He had some apple juice from the sippy cup this AM. Hudson got a big visit from his Dad today. It was so good for both of them. Hudson knew it was his daddy, but could not quite figure out all the bandages and plastic gloves Preston had on. Hudson really fixated on Preston. Preston was so glad to see his baby son. Hudson got a full bandage change today and so we could not resist taking his picture and posting it on the picture section of this webpage. Hudson finished the day with a story-telling session by the Portland Rescue and Fire Department. He was yawning when we left the hospital tonight. Stacie had a day of rest today. She was wore out from yesterday and a somewhat sleepless night. No temperature to speak of today. She slept most of the day. She had a full dressing change today which is very difficult and painful. Tonight she was pretty alert again and demonstrated she is sorting out information. Tomorrow she is scheduled for surgery at 1PM PST. The doctor will be likely be working on her right hand/forearm. Keep Stacie in your thoughts tomorrow. Preston had a shower today and was able to eat a little solid food for the first time. He has some difficulity with his face and jaw and eyes not feeling right. It will take time for that to right itself. He seems to be improving more each day. He has the back brace on nearly all the time and still has considerable bandages and protective covers on his legs and feet. Cavner family update 6/22 eve It was a busy day at the Oregon Burn Center. It seemed as if there was something going on all the time. There was hardly enough time for everyone to have some individual time with Hudson. He had a good night's rest and was ready to have some attention. Stories and rock-a-bye, videos and stuffed animals are giving him comfort. He is beginning to smile on his own. Moving around better. Using his hands. He even laughed out loud some this evening. He had the fire department guy feed him a popcycle today and the hospital program entitled "A Kids Life" was by again and preping us for when he gets more active. He got to see his dad again today and that is strength for them both. Stacie got to see their Alaska neighbors, Garry and Carolyn Hurless this AM. They are really, really close. She knew they were there. It was a good thing for both. Then it was off to surgery. Three hours of difficult surgery on both arms and hands. It included removal of allograft (temporary) skin and autograft (her permanent skin) replacement. Painful surgery since you are right at the nerve endings. The fingers on her right hand were too badly burned to be saved. The severity of her burns demonstrates just how close she came to not surviving the crash. Those courageous volunteers were the reason she is here today. Another 30 seconds and it would not have been possible. Stacie is resting quietly tonight and will need some rest for a few days before she goes back again on Friday. Preston continues to get stronger. He got into a wheel chair today and went to the garden with his Mom and Dad. He tried some food off of a plate today, but it did not taste good. Very emotional time for him. He went into Stacies room after she returned from surgery. He is trying to be so strong for them. It is not easy. He knows his loved ones are hurting. He said he wants to spend the rest of his life with Stacie. Believe me there are plenty of tears to go around. I think we and you are all sort of stumbling through this at this point. But we will regain our collective step. Anchorage newspaper article this morning http://tinyurl.com/News-Story-6-19 Thank you to so many who helped rescue the Cavners! Please continue to pray for all of the people involved. Visiting The Cavners As Preston is still recovering from surgeries and the medication, he has been getting more visitors. A number of family and friends in the Portland area have offered rooms, transportation, and child care for guests who are coming to visit. Please contact me at [email protected] as to when you can come and what you would need and I'll direct you to those who are hosting and get you any information you need. Thanks! cavner family 6/23 eve generally speaking there has not been much change. Hudson entered the itch stage last night with his skin graft & donor sites. Other past patients have said it is an itch that cannot be ignored. And when you itch, it turns to pain. At about 11 PM last night he was in really noticable pain. It is the first time we think he has cried out loud for an extended period of time. They were finally able to give him some medication and he fell asleep. He was pretty busy today, full dressing change and 2 trips to the garden. Did not want to come inside. Had the opportunity to eat some real food this evening, but he was not very interested in doing so. They want him to begin eating so they can take the feeding tube form his tummy. Stacie continues to impress the medical staff with her rebound capability after surgery. Sat in the chair for a while. Very alert and able to communicate tonight. Gaining strenth. Need her to continue to work up strength for Friday surgery. Her shared nurse with Hudson had him in Stacie's room for a moment today. She saw him, but he did not see her. It was not planned, but Stacie had an alarm go off and Emily responded with Hudson in toe. Had to be good. Preston was in to see Stacie again today. Good for both of them. He is improving. Has to eat 2000 calories a day. No feeding tube in his nose, trach is gone. Amazing hospital and staff. Full compliment of care. Dedication and spirit is evident everywhere. We all could not be in better hands. It is almost as if you would think these kind of places do not exist, but Legacy Emanuel is real life living proof they do. We are so blessed. And let us not forget Rachel Zientek who is in a equally great facility in Seattle. Our thoughts and prayers are for her as well. Cavner family update 6/24 eve Another day has passed and it sort of feels like yesterday. Hudson did have a good night's rest and ate some breakfast this morning. But he did not want any lunch or dinner. Trying to make the shift from feeding tube in his abdomen to real food is the challenge right now. He did spend about 3 hours in the garden today on 2 seperate sessions. Hates to come inside. Preston was out there as well. Pretty much the same for him except he is making progress on increasing his diet. Stacie had a good night and good day. Took a nap in the chair, really alert all day. Has been eating a lot of ice chips. One of her best high school buddies and his wife dropped by today. She was touched. They brought greetings and pics from the class back home. Thanks kids. The challenge for us at this point is remembering there are some real differences between the patients. They all have different levels of injury and are at different stages of recovery. It does feel like we are finally moving towards some point. We have seen other patients released and 2 new patients were admitted today. Our number will be called soon. Note about memorial service: Nothing definite has been decided, but it looks like Myles' Anchorage memorial service will be scheduled for a later time when Preston, Stacie, and Hudson are back in town. Many of you would like to make travel arrangements, so we'll keep you informed on any plans. Cavner family update 6/25 Preston had a tough, tough day. The burn surgeon spent nearly 45 minutes with him talking about what has happened and what is going to happen. So very difficult for Preston to hear much of what has gone on for the last 3 weeks. And to hear the doctor describe some of the difficulties his wife and son will face. His mind was racing and we tried to assure him to be careful to take the time necessary to heal and think. Then they worked on his legs to remove staples and apply some medications that hurt. He was in a great deal of pain. He did spend some time in the healing garden and late afternoon he joined Hudson in the garden while the Portland Fire and Rescue people were there. They show up every day at 4PM to give us a break! Preston was emotionally spent when I saw him tonight at 930. Worrying how to take care of his family. He is beginning to see the magnitude of this event. Hudson slept in until 930 AM. He had another so-so day. The nurses did put him in the wagon to go into his Mom's room. Stacie was very alert this morning. She was glad to gaze down upon Hudson in the hospital wagon. As much as she wanted to, she could not reach out and touch him nor could she smile for him. There was a calm relief in her eyes. Hudson knew it was his mom sitting in the chair, but just like when he saw his dad the first time, there was something that was-oh so different. He just kept looking at her, eyes full open, but uncertain. And as the three of us were there alone for a while, Stacie motioned me to her. She lipped the words "Dad, I have some questions." I told her I knew she had questions but I want you to stay strong for surgery and keep our minds clear. There will be time for questions after surgery. And she exhibited great strength to follow my suggestion. Hudson rode around some more in the wagon and all of a sudden decided to let me feed him some hotcakes at noon. Then some goldfish crackers and some scoobie-do graham crackers. But that was about the last of the big eats for him today. He was really uncomfortable tonight. Had a difficult time getting him to sleep and that is why we are a little bit late getting back. The nursing staff discovered that Stacie still had her eye contacts in first thing this morning. The doctor asked for an opthamoligist. We waited all day and wondered what it would reveal. Stacie went off to surgery around 300PM. Around 615PM she was back in the burn unit. The burn doctor briefed us on his progress. He elected to do all the skin grafts on her legs. That meant removing the temporary skin and harvesting and placing her own skin. A big and a painful surgery. He also said he tried to remove the contacts from her eyes and that he was unsuccessful. The eye doctor had arrived during surgery, but could not enter the OR. He was to arrive at the burn unit tonight. So, around 830PM he arrived. After placing a dye in her eyes he was able to remove one of them fairly quickly, then the second. He examined her corneas and felt there was no noticeable damage. We felt some instant relief. Stacie is sleeping under sedation and is on the ventilator tonight to keep her comfortable. Cavner family update 6/26 Another roller coaster of a day with Preston. He wants to be able to do so much in the present and we will have to learn how to help him be patient. His mom got him out in the wheelchair and around the hospital campus. That helped. We hope he has a good night's sleep. Stacie has rebounded well from surgery-told the nurse she did not want to be "out" from medication, so she was pretty alert again this evening. Hudson had another so-so day. Did eat most of a toasted cheeze san for dinner. We have decided we need to special order stuff he likes rather than take pot luck. Really irritated by the itch-very uncomfortable and makes him cry. They say it is a sign of healing. He had a full dressing change today and the doctor was wanting to look at all his burns, but the doctor was in emergency surgery for much of the night and had to go home to sleep. So they took pictures for him to review. And we all must say, the cards and get well gifts are greatly appreciated. These will be read more than once as we progress towards recovery. We will never be able to send personal thank you's to the many who have been so kind. Please believe us, you have made a tremendous difference in how we have been able to come to grips with this tradegy. Thank you. http://www.ancbt.org/Media/MBC/sermons/audio/index.php?path=2010+Sermons%2F ^^ link to a timely message by Pastor Glenn Clary from Anchorage Baptist Temple addressing how God wants us to handle tragedy. Thank you Pastor Glenn for sharing! Cavner family update 6/27 If Hudson said one word today he said a thousand. He had good night's rest and was happy when I got there at 9AM. Did not want sausage and eggs (me either) and did not really want Cherrios either. But the banana was perfect. So after three bites of it, he then got banana dipped in Cherrios, so he had a balanced breakfast! Shortly thereafter, he began to chatter, saying words we recognized, all day long. He had a great day, got a little cranky towards the end, but went to sleep before 9PM. For Preston and Stacie, it was a day for well wishers and visits. The Wilders flew in from Alaska, some of Preston's brothers from the Alert and his brother and a great employee/friend from Atlanta arrived tonight. It was good for Preston to know of the support, but emotional as well. Stacie felt good as well, you could see it in her eyes. I know it was good for family here to see the outpouring of love. So, Hudson goes to surgery tomorrow afternoon, his head burn will be the focus of the micro surgeon and the plastic surgeon, but the burn doctor will also be there to examine him as well. What they do will depend on what they see. As you all know, there is always more to the story than meets the eye. And for certain that is the case here. But just when it seems like the "more" is becoming too much, someone does something wonderful, kind and considerate or Hudson takes off on a talking streak. Then you know you must go on, on to the next day. Thanks for all you do. Cavner family update 6/28 late It was Monday at the hospital. The pace quickened considerably. Hudson's 130PM surgery time was moved up to 1030AM. So there was not much time this morning. Nursing staff asked Grandpa J to accompany him to OR-prep. He must have went in around 1130 and scheduled for 3 hours. That allowed a block of time to get back to Burn Center and meet with the visitors of the day. They were in the healing garden with Preston and included his brother Jonathan. Preston did get a cat scan on his eye yesterday and the opthamologist was in today taking a closer look at his eye. I believe they did not find anything that plenty of time won't fix. His concussion is going to take a long time as well. Preston did take a walk down the hallway tonight with the aid of a walker. I did get to spend a little time with Stacie today after she had a full dressing change. It was extremely painful as some of the surgical bandage had been in place for 7 days (standard practice). To remove it is difficult. She had to have a lot of pain medication. But she finally asked me some questions. Started with wanting to know how her mother was doing. Where is Hudson? Where is Myles? Where is Miss Rachel? She did understand there was a plane crash. I think to a large degree she knew the answers but wanted validation from me. I encouraged her to continue to be strong and make progress like she has done. I do not think she has a deep perspective of how long she has been here. She had a very painful day in more ways than one. Scheduled for surgery tomorrow, but I did not get to check the schedule to see when. Hudson had a very complicated surgery. The neuro-surgeon and the micro surgeon spent a considerable amount of time assessing the burn to his skull. They scraped and burred the skull bone to remove the hard outer layer so that it would bleed. That effort produced the results they were hoping for. They then attached "integra" which is an artificial tissue that will be absorbed into the body and form the tissue with the blood on the skull bone. they then attached a vacuum dressing and bandage that will remain in place until Friday/then a dressing change and one more week of bandage. And if that wasn't enough, the burn doctor did the exact same procedure on his foot in an area that had a deep burn. So Hudson had a mighty big day in the OR. This "double" will preclude one surgery. All that remains is skin grafting to the head and foot, which is about 2 weeks out. While Hudson got a boost today in progress, the price was one very uncomfortable and agitated little boy. It has been non-stop bedside care by Grandpa and Grandma J from around 430PM until 1000PM. Grandma J stayed the night because she just could not leave him alone. Cavner family update 6/29 eve It has been 4 weeks today since each one of us was taken-up in this most unreal accident. There are far to many to mention and each one has been affected in their own unique way. So let me tell you today was one of those days we have all been waiting for. Stacie was scheduled to go in surgery at 1030AM but did not go until 1PM. She was ready-I could see it in her eyes-nervously anxious-just like when she used to pace along the courtside before a basketball game. She was in for about 4 hours. I missed her in recovery as they slipped her back to the burn center via the back way. She was in a lot of pain when I got to her room, but she was awake enough to describe pain on her stomach and hands. They got the pain med dialed in and she then began to rest much more comfortably. Waiting for the surgeon to get to the room seemed like an eternity. They had done skin grafts on 1 burn on her right cheek, 1 burn in her right ear and 1 burn on her forehead. The left cheek was nearly healed and required no graft. That was the work I could see, but what I could not see was her hands. They were covered with blankets. Those were the critical portion of the surgery. Finally the burn surgeon showed and debriefed me. He had been successful in saving most of the right thumb! He had been successful in saving the left hand with exception of the finger tips! What a relief I felt. They also had completed all of the skin grafts to the hands. With this surgery, Stacie is all but done with trips to the OR for major surgery. What a day it was this afternoon. Hudson had a pretty good night with Grandma J rubbing his back every time he whimpered. He did wake up around 930AM with a drug hangover, so he was a little moody. The pediatrics physical therapy folks came by for an evaluation and he done OK. This afternoon he picked up the pace when his Uncle Johnathan brought in the i-pod with the game stuff on it. Hudson was intrigued by it and it turned out to be some great therapy. He was using his hands and eys and and it warmed up his personality. He spent most of the afternoon in someone's lap and at 8PM, he was curled up in Grandpa C's lap ready to doze off for the night. The next 2 weeks are going to be interesting with all the medical tubes and hoses he has attached to him at this point. Preston had another good day. He is calm and pushing his physical limits. Walks up and down the hall/w walker. Full weight on the heels/toes today. And the Pastor and his wife from Port Alsworth, Alaska dropped in today to see them all as well as paying a visit to Rachel in Seattle. That helps us all understand the importance of knowing this was one of those days we have all been waiting for. Cavner family update 6/30 eve Preston's mom and dad and myself spent a good part of the day on paperwork type stuff which was made much easier by a great lady in Missouri. Thanks Tina! Preston had another good day. He is able to walk "carrying" the walker now. Seems to be focused on getting himself well. Hudson had a good night's rest. Had the physical and occupational therapists in this morning again. Was able to sit up on the mat and play with the toys. He was talking again this afternoon and did not want to go to bed. Opened up some more of the abundance of toys he has received, so he is getting back closer to where he was on Sunday last. Stacie was still receiving a lot of pain medication this AM, but they began to back off a bit after lunch. She became more alert and called me over to talk some more. It is extremely frustrating for her to try and mouth the words so that we understand, but she stays with it until we figure it out. She asked what had happened, even though we did talk of the plane crash a few days ago. She asked where the plane crashed a couple of times. She asked about Rachel. She asked about Hudson. She asked about Myles. She asked about the injuries she has. She wanted to know if she had broken bones. She asked if she will be able to walk. She wanted to talk a little more, but it was wearing her out. And quite frankly I needed a break myself. While we had thought she was fairly clear on some of these questions earlier, that may not be the case. It is possible the surgery and medication levels have provided for some memory loss. Cavner family update 7/1 eve As we move towards recovery from physical wounds, there are so many other things to think of. And it is becoming readily apparent that thinking of them in conventional terms is simply just not adequate. There are three people here in Portland and one in Seattle that require some pretty unconventional consideration. It has to be geared towards one thing and that is simply the process of complete healing-all else is secondary. It is not a matter of restoring all the stuff that was available before the accident, but creating a culture that will enable them to heal as individuals and as a family. Today was a pretty good day. The nurses see a need for more interaction between all three. Some early morning socialization between father and son was underway when I stepped into Hudson's room. The boy was in his dad's lap. There was some obvious comfort. I had brought along some of Hudson's favorite yougert. Upon offering him a taste, he refused. With dad's encouragement and tone, Hudson then ate half of the container. I then began to feed some to dad, and Hudson then wanted more. And with the same fatherly direction I was able to accomplish something Hudson had been strongly resisting for the last 5 days. We clipped his toe nails and his fingernails. That was a major accomplishment. Hudson then had PT and was somewhat cooperative-he actually stood up on his own for a couple of seconds. Remember those legs have not been used in the upright position for a month. This little guy has no less than 5 lines and a drain bottle attached to him at the present time. It is not easy moving around with all that stuff hanging on. It was obvious to me just how much physical and occupational therapy he will require to restore him to some degree of normalcy. Preston continues to work hard on physical therapy. He is still facing some challenge with his hands and eye. His emotions seem to have hit a plateau, but this was the first day where he did not have some visitors. He has more to do as he continues to process information. Stacie had sort of a ho-hum day. Still plenty of pain although they did switch her pain medication. She was pretty nauseous and just did not feel well. Preferred not to talk, I think I see some real sadness in her eyes. Still sleeping quite a bit. Tomorrow is Friday and Hudson is scheduled up first for the OR room. He goes in at 7PM for a dressing change. It is the pump vacuum dressings on his head and foot where the artificial tissue was planted. It is a painful removal process and so he must be under anthesia. I don't look forward to him waking up again, but will be there for him in recovery. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Visiting Cavners On Wednesdays we have a family meeting with the hospital team here at Legacy Emanuel and the Oregon Burn Center. Yesterday Helen told us about the Burn Concern Support Group. We're invited to their reunion picnic with the Portland Firefighters on July 31 at Columbia Park here in Portland. They also have a children's camp opportunity each year in Estes Park, Colorado to which Hudson will be invited in the future! I am looking forward to visiting it on family day August 22 since I live in the southwest Denver metro. Jessica with Child Life also gave us some timely counsel on what baby Hudson could and will be going thru and how we can help him. Then the nursing manager, Kirsten, told us how the schedule with be changing for the family. Now that the focus will be on recovery and rehab for the next 15 months or so, the emphasis is shifting from surgery and medical procedures to therapy: physical, occupational, and speech. Also, the schedule will include naps and family time for Stacie, Preston, and Hudson to be together without visitors. This requires us to coordinate with visiting times and just a couple of visitors at a time, so as not to interfere with the rehabilitation process. Practically speaking, visitors may have to wait or leave earlier than planned to keep to the schedule. If you are planning a visit please contact me at [email protected] for visiting times and coordinating the number of visitors so as not to have too many at one time and inconvenience you. Thanks for your understanding. Cavner family update 7/2 eve Another long day so this is a bit late. A pretty good day it was. Hudson's trip to the OR for the dressing change went well. I was over there at 7AM when we got ready to head down through the tunnels to the main part of the hospital. Hudson got the phentenal in pre-OP, and it sort of makes him talk silly. He had the nurse crew laughing on the way through the swinging doors. Got back to the room around 930AM where he woke up happy. Was sitting up in bed most of the day. Had some lemon yogert and granola with PaPa. Did some serious playing with toys, talked a lot. Was still up at 10PM when I helped the nurse get him ready for bed and do a dressing change on his left ear. Preston pressed on walking with the walker, visits Stacie and Hudson every chance he gets. Got some tests on his eye today. Visited with the immunization doctor briefly about shots for Hudson. Stacie worked with her nurse who set a goal of setting in the wheelchair for 45 minutes--which she did. It was a lot of work and wore her out. She also had a speech therapist who fitted the trach with a plug that allows her to exhale and talked softly. Was it ever good to hear her voice. The first thing she said was "Thanks Dad for being here and helping". Said she could not remember who all have been here, but she could remember some. I mentioned many who she had no recollection of, even though she knew them at the time. And she wanted her mom and I to understand that she is not being grumpy when she says she does not want to talk. It will be good to have more conversation when she desires. Cavner family update 7/3 eve I got over to the burn center this morning bright and early, but they would not let me in because none of my patients were awake yet. After waiting for half an hour, they let me in to see Preston who had awakened. We had an important and fruitful talk. There is so much to consider. I then rushed back to the Ronald McDonald house to grab a bite to eat, throw in a load of wash and get Hudson's yogert. When I got back to the burn center at 1030AM, Hudson was still sleeping. He had a great night's rest and did eat some breakfast. Shortly thereafter, the physical therapists from the Pediatrics unit arrived and whisked him off to that part of the hospital for some workouts in their equipment room. His dad followed to watch. When Hudson returned, he was pretty tired out and did not want his toasted cheese sand, but took a pretty long nap. Woke him up at 3PM so he was ready for the Portland Fire volunteer at 4PM. It was an important day for Hudson, he had to get some vaccinations to provide some immunity for his spleen malfunction. He turned-in at 8PM tonight after this big day. Preston tried to keep on his routine today. He had a dressing change on his legs where the skin was grafted. He was experiencing a lot of pain this morning where the skin is growing and stretching. Had a little rain outside today so garden time was limited. Stacie reached some milestones today. Sat in the wheelchair for 2 1/2 hours, had the insulin line removed, and they are going to try and remove the pain medication IV line tonight. They hope to get her onto pain medication through the feeding tube only. Important steps. She conversed a lot today with Mom and Dad. She is having to re-learn a number of things that we thought she already knew. Telling her who all has been here to visit, cards and well wishers makes her feel better. She is trying to get a pattern of being awake more in the daytime so she can sleep well at night. One of the things that happened today was the departure of two couples from the Ronald McDonald house. The couple from Las Vegas took their 13 year old daughter home. The couple from Denver took their 5 week old premee daughter home. While it was good to see them depart under better circumstances than when they arrived, it was like like part of our extended family had left us. Being pressed into stressful situations under this roof and using each other for support has been a true blessing. We too will leave some day but will never forget what this Ronald McDonald House has meant to us in a time of need. Cavner family update 7/4 eve Not a whole lot of change to report tonight. The good news is that Stacie did do well enough pain-wise last night to have the IV line detached. And they have taken her off the ventilator, so she is breathing totally on her own with some warm, moist, oxygenated air piped to the trach area. All patients are holding their own today. There will be more days like this I am sure. One of the incredible demonstrations of strength and understanding came from baby Hudson today. His nurse asked if I would assist her with his dressing change on his back and left ear. He just sat up in bed and helped in every way possible even with the pain involved. He must somehow know that he must endure this short term pain so that he can have something far better down the road. As the pace slackens a bit, we all find we have more time to reflect. Today was a day that many of us thought of Myles. He was such a perfect joy in so many people's lives. His quick thinking and inquisitive nature always led to some question. It is so difficult to have his loss stacked on top of all this physical and emotional pain. As Preston and I spoke of him today, we still have difficulity believing he is gone. Cavner family update 7/5 eve Hudson had a level day. After a good night's rest, he slept in again until 10AM. He was not interested at all in breakfast, so we skipped it. His daddy showed up around 11AM and then Hudson had 3 bites of cold ham and 7 bites of cold hotcakes. Being together does pay dividends! Hudson took a wagon ride in the garden with Granpa C and settled in for a nap. He was asleep when he had a surprise visitor. Stacie asked to get in the wheel chair and came over to see Hudson at 3PM. She was really happy to see where her little boy was staying. Grandma J woke Hudson up, and he was surprised to see his mom by his bed. Hudson did keep his distance as his mom does look really different with her head shaved, tubes in her nose and it all those bandages. Stacie reached out towards him and they did make contact. Hudson kept his eyes on her. Stacie stayed in the chair in his room for 2 1/2 hours. An amazingly long time considering she had a full dressing change and removal of over 100 staples from her skin grafts in the morning. Her grafts look good according to the nurses. Stacie was worn out by days end. Hudson had the Portland Fire folks in at 4PM until 6PM, so mom got to see what they do and listen to stories. Hudson took a nap at 6PM, so it remains to be seen how well he sleeps tonight. Preston had a full dressing change today as well. The report on his skin grafts is not as good as Stacies'. He may be facing some additional surgery. Preston continues to work on his motor skills and still has some memory issues. All in all, he is doing pretty good at this point. The burn doctor will be in tomorrow, so some evalution by him is likely forthcoming on the status of all three. We sort of expect Hudson will be due for vacuum bandage changes Cavner family update 7/6 eve After being gone since last Thursday. the burn doctor was in the center and the pace of matters changed dramatically. The medical team was in Preston's room shortly after 9AM. The success of his earlier skin grafts was not fully satisfactory. Preston was scheduled for surgery this afternoon. Likewise, Hudson needed a vac bandage change and would go to surgery at 1PM. So there were suddenly two trips to the OR on tap, the holiday was over. Hudson finally went down at 230PM and came back around 430PM. Preston left shortly before that and got back around 730PM. Hudson's procedure was pretty straight foward. They examined the success of the integra (artificial tissue) and determined the foot was fully successful. The skull will require a small section of additional work. He was fitted with two new irrigation bandages so they can provide additional antibiotic protection. Good thing-he no longer has the two vac lines and pumps. Came out of the procedure a little cranky this time. Woke up just in time for the Portland fire visit. Was pretty sleepy afterward. Preston got all the clean-up and patch skin grafting done on both legs. They took the donar skin from his right upper leg again, so that will be very painful. There is still a big question as to the extent of any long term damage to both of his Achilles tendons, more time is needed. Preston was comfortable at 8PM and will likely sleep well tonight. This means his timeline has been extended by 10-14 days. He will be in hard splints and confined to bedrest for the next 3-5 days. Stacie was in good spirits today. She had therapy sessions today. She asked to get into the wheel chair and wanted to go out into the garden. Finally after therapy and Hudson's departure to the OR, we made the trip outdoors. Stacie was a little fearful of going outside, she thought the heat would be unbearable. It was hot, but she managed to take the stroll around the walkway and see the flowers, birdhouses and water fountain. Sat in the shade for a few moments and looked over the construction of the new 10 story Childrens Hospital next door. Pretty talkative today-in fact she spoke briefly with her brother in Bouler, CO by phone tonight. She spent a little time in with Hudson and the Fire Dept before 6PM Tonight she had her first bite of real food in over a month--JELLO and PUDDING. Small things do make a difference and we celebrate them when they happen. And she kept me over there pretty late tonight talking about things-it was good for the both of us. Cavner family update 7/7 eve One of those plateau days--not much change in the patients status. Stacie had a full dressing change but without a lot of pain, little more tired today after yesterday's big day. She was up in the chair after lunch and went down to Preston's room to pay a visit. Hudson did not sleep all that well, had a couple of naps today, was not hungry-BUT he got a visit from the Engine Company for the Portland FD. They brought their rescue unit. He was pretty excited when we went outside and he saw the truck. The crew of 4 spent a couple of hours entertaining him. Hudson did go into Mom's room at 7PM and waved at her a lot. Preston was resting pretty well today, right upper leg donor site was hot and burning today. Said his lower legs already feel better after yesterday's surgery. His mom and dad hitched a ride to Seattle today to visit Rachel, so we should know more about her current condition. Visiting Rachel 7/7 Catching a ride with a new friend, Scott (who had business in Seattle today and has quickly become a close friend), Delta and I got to Harborview Hospital around noon today to visit Rachel and her family. What a joy to meet them! This family has been thru a couple of recent physical injuries and now this with Rachel. Yet their spirits are undaunted and their faith is strong. We were certainly encouraged to visit them as we shared the "roller coaster" of emotions and stories we have all been through. Though Rachel was on the tired side after her wound care this morning, she was radiant. Rachel is soft spoken and sweet, yet very strong. Rachel was ready to rest, so we all gathered around her for prayer. Mike and Tammy would love to get Rachel home in a couple of weeks, but as we have experienced, dealing with severe burns is actually a day-by-day-let's-see-what-happens-and-go-from-there' reality. In other words, the surgeon here in Oregon advises us on how to plan, but we are continually having to change our plans and adapt, and Rachel's doctor simply refuses to give a timeline. Thank you Rachel and family for your friendship and for having us today! -posted by Blair Cavner Cavner family update 7/8 eve A 2nd day of the slower pace of things. Hudson was off to Pediatrics for therapy around 930AM. I watched the girls take him through the ropes. He tries pretty hard, but lacks the strength that was once present in that little body. Speech therapist was there to assess him as well. Came back around 1030 so I picked him up and held him in my arms with no tubes attached. We strolled over to see mom for a while and then out into the garden to see the construction. By 1130 he was in his bed taking a nap and I think he slept until his fire department friends show up at 4PM. I was talking to Preston around noon, and the nurse poped into the room and notified him he was going to go for surgery at 6PM-so no more food or water. That surgery was later dropped in favor of developing rubber bands for his mouth before removing the stainless steel plates surrounding his teeth. He had a friend up from San Diego, so he got to visit more with him. Stacie went to his room again today since Preston is confined to bedrest and she was down there for a couple of hours. Preston is cold with a blanket, Stacie is hot and has the fan blowing on her--both in the same room. All in all they had another good day. Hospital staff visited with us about some of the services and support they will need after they are all out of the hospital. It gives some added dimension of what the next several months will be like. Cavner family update 7/9 eve A fair amount of activity today. Stacie was informed she would get a shower today, so she asked the nurse to have me stop by as soon as I got there this morning. They caught me down in Preston's room at 900AM. So I went to see her, she was a little nervous about the shower, so we chatted about it some. They give her some anxiety medicine that helps a patient get through it. They also pulled all the remaining staples from her skin grafts and of course a full dressing change. It was a 2 hour ordeal and she came out of it in good shape. There are a few small areas where her skin grafts will need some more work along with her right elbow. She was up in the chair by afternoon and had her mother in there with her most of the time. She keeps calling for her glasses, which are on the way down from Alaska. Got the Px from the vision place in Boise, so will see if we can get a set made tomorrow. Did not get to visit with her tonight because Hudson was demanding some time. I took him for a long ride in the wagon while his mom was in the shower. We got permission to leave the burn center for the first time, so we headed down to the tunnel and over to the atrium garden. He loved seeing the flowers and looking up at the construction crane from that angle. Next time we are going to visit the old nurse gang at the Pediatric ICU. He had an in-room bandage change with the burn doctor today. They analyzed progress of the interga on his head and foot. Hudson did not enjoy that at all. He made a lot of noise-spelled crying. Got pretty upset even after it was over, so the nurse picked him up to calm him and hold him. Hudson bit her on the shoulder. He eventually calmed down and went to sleep. These are upsetting to all. Stacie can hear him crying sometimes and constantly asks questions about him. Had a little problem with his feeding tube tonight that was causung him some pain, so I helped comfort him while the nurse worked on it. He was still on the cranky side tonight, but finally went to sleep around 9PM. I can hardly wait to get him to the point where he is up and around again which is a couple of surgerys away. Preston had the bandage removed from his skin graft donor site. That was extremely painful. His older brother was able to convince him to take some pain med before finishing it. His rubber bands did not seem to be staying in place for his upper plate, so that will require some more fine tuning. He is still having some difficulty with his right eye. Was not very comfortable today. Sees this recovery is going to take a long time. 7/10 Cavner family Saturday-slower day but a lot of things happened. They all had a great night's rest! While Preston's dad and older brother had to leave today for home, one of Preston's good friends made it all the way here from Tennessee. He was there first thing this morning and is still there tonight. More support is great. Preston is still in bed and that is difficult for him. Both mom and son spent some time with him this afternoon. Hudson was even eating some food while sitting on his dad's bed. Unfortunately today we found out they both have a hospital infection so some extra precautions are being taken. Hudson had two therapists work with him in his room on the mat this morning. He keeps trying hard, but has a long ways to go. Took a nap in the wagon in his mom's room-guess he felt safe & comfortable there. He went to sleep pretty early this evening-his mother suggested yesterday that they give him a bottle of milk like he was getting at home, so it seems to be paying some dividends-motherhood! I totally forgot to mention last night that Stacie had her trach removed! Big step, she is already starting to sound close to normal. She finally got what she has wanted for the last 4 days. A pair of glasses. Grandma and I went down to the mall and dropped into Lenscrafters. Told them our story. So the manager let us pick out 4 pairs of frames and then she jumps in the car with us and heads to the hospital to make sure the fit would be right. After the fitting was done, back to the shop and the lenses were made "in about an hour". Is that customer service or what? We headed back to the hospital with glasses in tow. Stacie was glad to be able to see much better and the first thing she looked at with her new glasses was baby Hudson! Still a little fuzzy, but her eyes may have to adjust. She ordered mashed potatoes and gravey at 8PM tonight and had several bites. Working toward eating so she can get that feeding tube out of her nose. One thing that seems important to mention. The Portland Fire Dept doesn't miss a day. They are there every day at 4PM until 6PM. They spend all that time with Hudson. It gives us a great break and gives Hudson a chance to see some stranger that is not doing a medical procedure. And there is one lady (the Department Public Information Officer) that has been here many more times than I can count. She was here again today. That dedication is but one example of just how people are helping meet the incredible needs of this family and let me tell you it is making one whale of a difference! Thank each and every one of you. Cavner family update 7/11 eve A day of more good things. Decided to try some Jimmy Dean sausage and eggs on Hudson this morning. He and Myles loved to eat it when we we in Alaska this past winter. So I made his breakfast here at the Ronald McDonald house, covered it and drove the Jeep over to the burn center. Hudson was already up in the wagon with the nurse pulling him around. We pulled into his room, and I came at him with a fork full of sausage. He went right after it, then some more, more and had some egg. He acted like it was breakfast time. He finished off half a patty and half an egg. I then took the left overs down to Preston-who said he was not hungry-but when he saw what I had-well he could not resist. After finishing the leftovers, he ate some of the hospital issue breakfast. Guess I will be making breakfast for three in the morning. Sausage and eggs for the boys and Stacie wants some yogert and some homemade granola someone has dropped off. That is correct, the speech therapist cleared Stacie for whole food today, so she is going to start with breakfast. She tried some instant cream of wheat and then oatmeal this morning, but it was the generic non-flavored stuff and did not taste too good. A burn survivor and his wife came by the hospital today. They offered to share with Stacie and Preston. It was an extremely good visit. This couple really could connect and painted a picture of patience and hope. Preston had an x-ray on his back this afternoon. I was back at the McDonald house for dinner where a volunteer college girl came by to cook a shrimp dinner complete with peach cobbler. After eating I asked if I could take some up to the hospital. Stacie did not feel like eating, so I first tried Hudson. He hesitated at first, but when the first taste of the shrimp hit his taste buds, he was hooked. Seven popcorn shrimp, one bite of asparagas and 2 bites of watermellon later, he was stuffed. He hit the sack by 630PM. Preston got the leftovers again along with the leftover giant omlet that his Tennessee friend Ben saved from breakfast at Graveys cafe. The memory of the day has to be Hudson. He had a great day. Talking and smiling to the point he is just about like his old self. While being pulled around in the wagon, he was holding his bottle up to his mouth with one hand, head slightly tilted, just like all little kids do when they suck the milk out of it! I can't wait til breakfast. Cavner family update 7/13 Hudson slept well last night-woke up around midnight for a little while and then went back to sleep and slept until noon! That probably did him some good. Did eat a little warmed up breakfast, did some physical therapy, then played with his uncle on the mat, then headed outside in the wagon with the firefighter at 4PM. He kept the dedicated firefighter out there until 7PM! Came in to his dad's room and had a little dinner. He had a good day and looked ready for bed and the bottle tonight. Stacie had a dressing change while the burn doctor examined all of her skin grafts and wounds. He was pleased with the progress and told her tonight she has only one small surgery left to patch a few areas and work on her right elbow. Stacie did not have much to eat today, but did have some fresh fruit tonight. I did get her a mirror today-she has been asking for the last 3 days. Guess she wanted to see what she looks like before her high school gal friends start showing up this week. She was up in the chair twice today, and was down in Preston's room for a while. Preston had a couple sessions of therapy, and got to do a little walking today. Last trip was down to Stacies's room tonight. He is eating really well, visits on the phone with different folks and is generally getting stronger with each day. He will still be restricted in his movements for a while so that he does not damage the skin grafts on his ankles. It has been about three weeks+ since my sister and brother-in-law were here last. They returned today and were really pleased with the improvement the patients have made since they were here last. That is a perspective that almost no one else has had, and it is good to hear! Cavner family updates 7/14 One of those days when the medical status doesn't change. Preston is getting up out of bed more frequently and taking some slow walks down the hall. Hudson had a dressing change, so that meant more medication, so no breakfast and a little cranky afterwards. Another fire house showed up at 4 today with another big fire truck for him to see. He was fairly tired with the bottle at 830PM so hopefully he will sleep thru the nite. Stacie still struggles to eat much, says she always feels full with the feeding tube. Was only able to sit up in the chair for a short while today. Exhibiting some anxiety about having visitors this week/weekend. What seems to be taking up a lot of time and adding to our concerns is the filing of a lot of paperwork for the family and associated with the aircraft and accident. Looking for housing after they are released from the hospital is right on the brink. They will very likely be here for at least a year. This all translates to less time spent with the patients so there are trade-offs. Cavner family update 7/15 eve Hudson had a really good day. He was able to eat a lot of pancakes and bacon with the help of nurse Emily, then his dad gave him some yougert and Hudson upchucked it all. But he kept on having a good day. He was really excited when Stacie's HS girlfriend brought him a firetruck that had "working lights and a siren". He was real talkative, smiles galore and an all around fun guy all day long. Tomorrow he faces a good sized operation in the afternoon (if they got all the surgeons lined up). So he will be cycling back through some bad days, but this surgery will close up most of his remaining wounds. Preston had several visitors today and keeps fairly busy with talk therapy. He did get some good news in that one of his tendons seems to be supporting skin graft. He has a dressing change in the morning with the burn doctor who will assess his progress on his burns. His bite seems to have pulled back into position, so getting the metal braces from his mouth seems likely. Stacie did not have a good day. Probably her worst day since waking up. In addition to not feeling well in her stomach, the enormity of this accident is possibly catching up to her. While I am worried, MY FAVORITE NURSE told me to expect some of these kind of days and maintain a positive attitude. I am going to follow her advice and say an extra prayer for Stacie tonight. Hudson Update 7/17 6:15 p.m. Hudson had a successful surgery yesterday, however, little ones will at times have more difficulty coming out of general anesthesia than at other times. In addition, for the autograft his skin was taken again from the right side of his back. When this was done on Preston's right thigh it was especially painful and burning. Hudson today was still agitated and more awake than usual. Papa Ronn and Tasha, his nurse, was able to hold him and comfort him. Stacie is visiting him now. They have all had a busy day with Hudson. Thanks for your prayers for Hudson's little mind and heart as well as his body. A two year old lives in the present and we know this is impossible for him to understand. Cavner family update 7/17 eve All was good today after 8AM at the Oregon Burn Center. Hudson finally wore down after Friday's surgery recovery which caused a missed post/update last night. We went down to the OR at noon, but did not get into the OR until 2PM. In fact, Hudson got tired of waiting and took a nap. Surgery lasted 3 hours. Skin graft of the foot, 85% of the burn on the head was skin grafted, and they placed some skin graft on the previous donor site on his back that had opened. The micro surgeon also burred the remaining area on his head and placed accitional artificial tissue. The burn surgeon was pleased with how things went. From the point Hudson entered the recovery room, it was very difficult from there until this morning when he finally went to sleep. For the most innocent little one to have to endure so much pain & confusion is difficult to say the least. He slept most of the day, but did have to have 3 episodes of respiratory therapy to get thru it. Those therapy sessions are not much fun, but fortunately they don't last very long. He was doing pretty well this evening and was keeping his oxygen at 100% and sleeping. With no scheduled dressing changes for 4 more days, hopefully he will get back to the happy kid he was on Friday morning. That favorite nurse was right on the mark. Stacie had a great Friday and a fantastic Saturday. Eating a little more food all the time, up in the chair twice today, and she had a great day entertaining her high school chums Karrie, Janelle & Kara. After the initial burst of tears, there was a lot of good conversation and some laughter. Those gals brought some sunshine into the room when they showed up even though they had obviously rehersed "not going to cry" many times over. Life's friendships are priceless. Preston got his metal braces and wires removed last night. He was able to do it without any local anethesia-ouch! Then he had to go down to the X-ray room and get a picture to make certain they did not miss anything. Got to see all the metal that is holding his facebones together. He did not have any visitors yesterday or today, but he dropped in when the girls showed up at Stacies's room and borrowed hers. He got out into the garden today and laid down on the lawn in the sun for a spell. Cavner family update 7/19 eve Preston is kept pretty busy with the twice a day dressing changes that are done to thwart the infection in the wound. The grafts are taking nicely but are being watched closely. He will likely be on the softer food diet for a couple days until his mouth gets hardened in from having the arches removed. He got most of the breakfast this morning because Hudson was not too interested. Still a little groggy and receiving pain medication. Still wearing his pads and bandage on his arms to keep those little fingers from scratching. He did have mom in his room this morning and did eat a few chex mix for lunch. Stacie did want to spend some time with Hudson before going down to OR. She headed in (late again) around 3PM and did not get back until around 8PM. The burn doctor reported that things went very well. Patches of new skin graft and a good covering on the elbow. She was sedated when she got back to the room and so we won't likely talk to her until tomorrow-which will be another day. cavner family update 7/20 eve Stepped into the burn center this morning around 9AM just behind the physical therapist who was there to pick up Hudson in their red transporter, and to our surprise, he was already up in his wagon, in the hallway and entertaining the nursing staff. The nurse had removed his arm ace bandages. He was well rested and talkative. I offered him some of his favorite sausage and he took it right away. He ate breakfast while we relocated him into the transporter, then I followed all the way down the elevators and through the tunnel--feeding him sausage and egg all the way. We are not going to miss an opportunity like that-even if it is on the run! He continued to have a good PT, and rest of the day. Got shorted on his nap due to occupational therapy, got his fingernails trimmed (for the 3rd time since 6/2, had a slew of firefighters showed up and a TV station-who had found out about the volunteer effort the Department has made. It was after 7PM before that was all over with. Hudson settled down for some TV viewing. He has a dressing change tomorrow. Preston wore some gym shoes and walked down the hall with a cane today. His legs are getting stronger. The doctor talked to him and I this morning about a possible out-patient date with some dressing changes each day that is not far in the future. Stacie was ready for some turkey dinner and a jelly roll tonight-just 24 hours after her surgery. Plenty tired today and she slept a lot. Did eat a little breakfast this morning. She was wanting to see Hudson today, but we could never get the two of them free at the same moment. Hudson did stop by in his wagon this afternoon. Cavner family update 7/21 eve An early edition tonight because things have not changed much, which is a good thing. Hudson was in the chamber getting his dressing changed when I got here @ 9AM. He never fussed one bit, but was medicated to keep him calm. After he came out, he was still relaxed but did eat a pretty good breakfast. Stayed fairly calm most of the day and then watched Toy Story 2 with Grandma J. Did not eat any lunch or dinner, had a good nap this afternoon. Doctor reported that all the graft work done last Friday looks really good, so Hudson is on the way. Went to PT this afternoon, so he is getting stronger each day. Next big test will be to put weight on the right foot. Stacie had some breakfast and was ready to get up into wheelchair just 24 hours after her surgery. But the doctor did not want to risk disturbing the skin grafts and so she had to stay in bed. Consequently she had a good nap this afternoon. She passed on the lunch, but I went down to Panda and brought home some orange chicken and fried rice for dinner. She ate some of that-still looking for that item that is just right. If you can imagine, Stacie was the one with presence of mind to watch for the firefighter news clip on the local TV station. She saw it this morning and had it dialed up for the evening version tonight. You might be able to find it on KOIN channel 6 in Portland website. The evening version was the best-it was well done. Preston was changing his own bandages when I was in his room this morning-just him, no nurse? Next week he starts seeing patients i guess. He keeps working and walking to regain the strength in those legs. He has dropped nearly 20#'s while here in the hospital. It really takes it out of you. He is eager to move ahead. Today was a warm, sunny day in Portland. Got outside and took a walk around the entire hospital and adjacent area. That felt good. Cavner family update 7/22 eve Another solid day at the burn center. All patients are doing well on their own timeline. Hudson continues to impress the various nurses and staff on his progress "since the last time I saw him". They are amazed at how helpful he has become when it comes to taking his temp or holding somthing to help with the cleansing of his pic line. It is pretty amazing to watch just how still he is and how he follows their suggestions. Stacie was still confined to bedrest today so that has not been too motivating. Tomorrow she is up first thing in the morning for a dressing change. Hudson will follow with his dressing change. Both require some medication to keep them relaxed and calm and pain free. By afternoon they should be returning to a more normal day. The Oregon representative of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep dropped by today with a barbecue feast for Preston and the rest of us. There were ribs, brisket, loin and a bunch of trimmings. It was a good time in the healing garden. Hudson even enjoyed it. Another example of the nice things the people over here are doing to lighten the burden for us. Thanks George! PS: if you check the messages to yesterday's post, someone has identified the web link for the piece on Hudson and the Portland Fire Department broadcast. Thx. Cavner family update 7/23 eve Stacie had a full dressing change today and it took quite a while. While it can be painful, she did not remember much, but was tired and groggy until around 6PM. They worked on stretching her left hand while she was medicated, so she has some pain tonight. The report on her skin grafts was very encouraging. They look really good. She will be able to get out of the bed tomorrow and is looking forward to that. The doctor believes she will need no additional surgery for wound care! Hudson was up next for a dressing change. It took a little longer than expected and so his medication wore off before he was finished, so he was real cranky and confused afterward. When he is trying to abuse himself and his caregivers, you know it is not pretty. Fortunately, he changed his attitude when Grandma C got him in the wagon and took him down the hall to his dad's room. He eventually fell asleep in the wagon and took a 2 hour nap. They put a hard cast on his foot to protect the skin grafts and he is now free to start putting weight on that foot. Preston was able to walk at a 3 mph pace today and put on enough laps in the garden to equal 1/4 mile. He still has some open wounds on his legs that they hope will fill in and not require surgery. We were so glad to hear that Rachel was released from the hospital in Seattle and is back home in Huston, TX. Cavner family updates 7/24 eve It was bound to happen sooner or later and today was the day. Preston was released from the hospital. He was really excited to get some of his freedom back. Thanks to the DoubleTree, he is staying the next 2 nites in a complimentary suite! He enjoyed his first nap on the hotel bed-a real bed as he put it. Now, that does not mean he is done or finished by any means. He will be back in the burn center for dressing changes and to have checkups to see the progress of skin growth over those three critical areas of tendon and bone. And he will have to stop by to see Stacie and Hudson-but he did get out to see the Lloyd Center Mall today and go up to the food court. Stacie and Hudson both had good days-Hudson was moved out of ICU into the patient wing-his dad's old room nonetheless. Hudson is just very happy and has fun all the time. Was not ready to try his new foot cast yet today-I think he is going to have to learn he can walk again-it has been so long-he has forgotten. Stacie was up in the wheelchair today, Hudson was in her room for a long time, took a nap there. Stacie had a good chat with her Uncle Jerry about things and she was even joking with him. And she made out a shopping list with her mother to get at Fred Meyer. Rachel's mom called me this morning just to chat. We have sort of taken up this newfound friendship that this mishap has made possible. You know that both of us are still feeling pain for our own families but each other's family as well. We both know there are some difficult times ahead but feel that the future is well worth pursuing, and God willing we will get there. Tammy said they were so glad to be home. Thanks for calling. Cavner family updates 7/25 eve Grandma and I took some breakfast up this morning. Stacie ate the danish, Hudson ate the sausage and eggs. Then we all went out into the healing garden and my favorite nurse insisted we take the mats out so Hudson could get down and crawl and walk. We spent about an hour out there before it got too warm. Hudson did have fun on the mat and he did walk several steps with our help. He has a difficult time walking on that hard cast. He also is pretty weak so he will have some body building to do. Then we went inside and toured the hospital because it was cool. Stopped by the Heart Beat Cafe and Stacie had carmel iced donut. Went back to the burn center and both of them were pretty tired, so it was not long before nap time. The burn doctor put both Stacie and Hudson on restricted tube feeding today. That means they have the flow of liquid nourishment that is fed to them shut off during the daytime. The intent is to make them hungry so they will want to eat real food. I had no idea that was coming today, but as luck would have it I had poped a potroast, spuds, carrots and onions into the crock pot at the McDonald house this AM. By dinner time, Stacie was ready for some home cooking. She ate pretty well. Hudson, on the other hand, was not hungry after being starved all day. Preston got to see a few of the spots in Portland today with his mom and her aunt. They brought him back to the burn center tonight to spend some time with Stacie and Hudson. Cavner family update 7/26 eve Things have changed a bit. Stacie has been moved over to the patient wing. Her medical condition has not changed, just her status. She is eating better with no tube. Got up this morning and spent a couple of hours in the healing garden, but the afternoon is filled with naps. Endurance is missing. I think they will look at her wound care tomorrow and might decide she is ready for more physical activity. Hudson did not have a good day in terms of eating. We have to get on top of that. There needs to be more of a protocol to get the best results. He is doing well other wise. I expect he will get some more physical therapy as well. Hardly saw Preston today. He is here for a period of time, but must leave early to avoid the traffic back to Vancouver, Washington where he is staying. He has to stay very active to keep his muscles and tendons stretched out. Cavner family update 7/27 eve A pretty rough day for Stacie-nauseated and vomiting this morning-feeding tube had become dislodged and was the cause. Doctor also did a chest x-ray to see if he could determine why she was still needing oxygen. Discovered some fluid in the lung cavity. So this afternoon they changed her dressings, placed a new feeding tube and drew the fluid from the cavity. She had to be heavily sedated and is still sleeping tonight. Lab tests will be run on the fluid. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, this is an important point for her. She is sort of at a crossroads now and needs to be able to respond to the needs being placed on her. It will not be easy or painless. Hudson and Preston had a pretty similar day. Cavner family update 7/28 eve It has been said that many are following the patients status on these care pages and I can attest to that. After Sunday and Monday's rather "patients unchanged" status updates, there were 10 messages and 9 messages respectively as I recall. Then last night's rather dark news about Stacie's condition and there were 30 messages today. It is so reassurng to know that so many are watching and praying for the recovery of our loved ones. So I could hardly sleep all night worrying about Stacie and the uncertain nature of the lung cavity. So I got to the burn center around 8AM this morning. Went right to Stacie's room and she was awake and alert. Ready for breakfast-feeling pretty good. What a relief that was, but I couldn't show it to her. I had some warm breakfast, but she wanted dry cereal and whole milk, so I went on down to Hudson's. He was up and rocking to a DVD. Got him in the highchair and he managed to eat all that I brought! Went back to my daughter's room and she ate a pretty good breakfast. Joy! Then it was time for Hudson and I to go exploring with him in the wagon. We headed out into the garden, made a loop and then down the tunnel to the east part of the hospital. Toured the aitrium, went up to say hello to his old friends at the pediatrics ICU-they were really excited to see a happy little boy who talked. Then we headed down to the Ronald McDonald house to meet the girls and check on Grandma J. We almost forgot his 11AM appt. for physical therapy but made it there in time. He actually pulled himself up on his two feet and stood at the black and decker workbench playing for 15 minutes! That sure did lift old PaPa's spirits. Back over to the burn center for lunch and his dad put him down for a nap. Firefighter time at 4PM, dinner (not much) with his dad, watched a DVD with Grandma J and he was ready for the bottle at 8PM. Stacie had an amazingly busy day. She took on some stretch therapy on the left hand with the PT. Did some OT sitting up in bed. Both of these sessions were near an hour. Then the prothetics folks showed up around 4 PM for the introductory session. Around 6PM, she was being given a flood of antibiotics (lung cavity fluid showed some bacteria) and had a reaction to the medication. She ate a little dinner with Preston's help and then sacked out. I know I am going to sleep better tonight because she is so strong and determined. Cavner family updates 7/29 eve I guess it was not clear when I said there were many following the updates. When things are going well or stable, there are fewer messages than when the situation is not as good from a medical standpoint. I know there are a lot of folks and it was good to hear from all 67 posters after last night's update. Look at the x-section: personal friends to total strangers all the way from Nome, Alaska to Germany. And we had another really good day at the burn center. French toast and sausage were carried in this morning, both Stacie and Hudson wolfed down. Then Stacie settled in for another good round of physical therapy. Hudson scrambled up to get in the red transporter to go over to the pediatrics physical therapy with Grandma J in tow. HE WALKED DOWN THE HALLWAY TODAY WITH ASSISTANCE! Back in the garden at lunch with some more of the "Wild Sheep People", this time Stacie joined us. Hudson took another tour of the hospital with Grandma J and I. We went up to the 5 floor catwalk that looks out over the parking lot. Hudson got so excited to see the cars on the street below-he sat up in his wagon, yelled cars and pointed. Pretty cool. Tonight, Preston fed Stacie her dinner and helped her with another first-blowing her nose! That feeding tube really blocks any normal drainage. Imagine us celebrating her blowing her nose! Hudson joined mom and dad after some mat time with Grandma C and the 3 of them read some books. When it came time for Hudson to say goodnight and give mom a high five, he just could not do it. Mom has a strange glove on her hand and all those bandages. The little boy is just not completely comfortable with his mom yet. There is yet more work to do. Tomorrow: Stacie gets another x-ray to check on the chest cavity and Hudson "might" get his last surgery if the artificial tissue on his scalp is ready for a skin graft. Cavner family update 7/30 eve This was a very emotion-filled day! Stacie had the x-ray. Did not show much change. Doctor is monitoring closely and will do more tests on Monday. She does have mrsa or a staff infection now much like Hudson and Preston had, so that bears watching. She ate well all day, and is doing physical therapy. Hudson was ready for surgery today. Went in around 2PM and did not get out into recovery until around 430PM. Operation went well and burn doctor was pleased. His time in post-op recovery was very difficult again. So difficult to sit in the rocking chair and have to hold and physically restrain him. After about an hour, they were able to get him calmed sufficiently to send him back to burn center. He was fairly agitated for a couple more hours, but seems to be fairly calm at this point. Today was mostly and appropriately about Myles. We finally had a small memorial service for him at the hospital chapel at 11AM. There were a lot of tears. I suppose many of them had been stored up for a while. The Chaplin spoke some comforting words. And there were a number of pictures on the power point that did a good job of showing just how much he was loved. He occupied a special place in many people's hearts. His mission on earth was not long, but it was effective. He was good at catching people's eye. His legacy will last a long time-he was good at making people not be sad and he taught his brother how to learn. Cavner family update 7/31 eve A rather subdued Saturday at the entire hospital. It started off right away with another x-ray for Stacie. Then they wisked her off to the shower-and she missed warm french toast. But she looked great when she returned to her room! And ate the toast anyway. Stacie is really working hard on the calorie count so whe can ditch the feeding tube. She did get in some good discussion today with her older brother and his wife, who are just amazed at her progress from their first visit in early June. Preston likewise had several friends and they were able to enjoy some time away from the hospital. Hudson had a pretty good night after surgery yesterday. And he was pretty sleepy today-most of the day. Finally woke up and was pretty responsive around 5PM. He was in a pretty good mood and is starting to rebound from sedation and pain medication. Tomorrow should be even better. Need to get him going on the food again so he can loose the feeding tube in his tummy. Cavner family update 8/1 It was a good Sunday for the patients. Hudson was up and ready for some sausage and french toast, shortly thereafter he fell asleep again until around 2PM. And then he was pretty well rested and had passed most of the effects of the sedation, so he was pretty talkative and lively. Had some pizza tonight in the garden with his dad. Stacie was doing therapy early this AM. Had a good appetite all day. Did not get tired tonight. She directed Preston to clean and re-arrange her room to make more room for the therapy crews stuff. Took a big tour of the hospital with Grandma J, brother Chad, Hudson (sleeping in the wagon) and I. She found some books in the "hidden" gift shop for Hudson. Preston walked again today without the aid of the cane. He moved into the McDonald house. He and I are room mates for the next few days until we see just how long Hudson remains in the hospital. Grandma J flew back to Idaho tonight to take a break after 2 months and see if our dog remembers us. There was nothing ho-hum about this Monday at the Oregon Burn Center. Preston and I left early for breakfast over at a place called Gravy-really good food and lots of it. There was so much French toast, ham, turkey, cheese, eggs and hash browns on my plate we took a carry out to the burn center. Stacie enjoyed it, but Hudson was not having much to do with food all day long. The pace of things this morning in Stacie's room was fast. The doctor was there to explain what he was going to do about the fluid in her lung cavity. A CAT SCAN with a tube to facilitate drainage. That will happen tomorrow. The prosthetic guy was there to fit the custom made hard leg molds. The physical therapy folks were there to study the happenings. The central line therapist was there to adjust the depth of the pic line. There was just about not enough room for me. Then the nutritionist came in to proclaim her caloric intake was very good and high enough that the feeding tube would be removed TODAY. All that hard work has paid off for her-so this afternoon they took it out late. Afterward I pushed her into the garden in the wheelchair where Hudson was waiting. As soon as he saw his mom without that thing in her nose, his face lit up and her greeted her with a "mommy". That was really good to see and hear. He was pretty pleased with things. And if that wasn't enough, Stacie had a special visitor today-an Oregon National Guard Iraq war veteran named Christian from The Dalles Oregon. He lost both legs in service to his country but is as fine an example of someone who has made the adjustment as there is. He and his wife spoke freely and honestly about their experience and wants to continue the dialog with Stacie and Preston. Whew! Hudson had a rather crummy day. The prosthetic guy fitted his new Adidas shoe with the support. The physical therapy folks were crafty to get him to give up his blue boot (hard cast) and say bye bye. Then he put on the support shoe and the other match. He felt pretty good wearing them in the wagon. In the afternoon, the occupational therapy folks came by to get him up and walking. It was pretty scary for him and he was pretty insecure in the garden setting. The loss of support that the blue boot provided is going to take some getting use to. Preston was in the clinic today for a dressing change and some fitted compression stockings. He had to redo it later because of the pain level, so he continues to encounter hurdles. He really has a difficult time stretching the tendons as they are constantly pulling to shorten. So tomorrow, lets all hope and pray for good medicine in Stacie's chest cavity procedure and getting Hudson eating and on his feet a little. Cavner family update 8/3 eve Preston and I got to the center around 8AM and both of them were already awake and stirring. We fed Hudson who ate fairly well, but he could not hold it down. Stacie could not have breakfast because she was scheduled for CAT at 1PM. She was hungry however. I fed Hudson some lunch, but he could not hold it again. He was pretty tired and went for a nap. Stacie waited and waited and waited. There was concern she did not have a second iv line, they tried to get one in, but to no avail. Then they decided they did not need it. Finally, at 4PM, they came to get her. Did not get back until 530PM. They did place the drainage tube into the cavity. Doctor stopped by to see if things went as he had expected. Will be talking with him more in detail tomorrow. She was really hungry when she got back and did eat a real good dinner. Hudson had just a little bit of ronni and cheese for dinner-but he kept in in. Will have to try more food tomorrow. Preston was in a therapy session at the other hospital today and was not able to get back until around 6PM. For the first time in 2 months, I had the chance to talk to the nurse practionner today. Hudson was sleeping on my lap in the chair after he got back from PT/OT (done well) and we were sitting in Stacie's room waiting for her to get back from CAT. She commented on how well all three have done and I found her to be very comforting in her belief that all will do just fine given time. I found it interesting that she said they really progress once they leave the burn center, because the burn center is all about healing the wounds, not rehabilitation Cavner family update 8/4 eve Last night was not a good night for Hudson. He was not able to sleep well & was vomiting. Stacie said she could hear him crying in pain around 5AM. The doctor was there for early rounds and was very concerned about his little patient. Hudson was in pain and crying his tummy hurt. He and the resident huddled and ordered blood tests and a stomach x-ray. Then it was learned the patient log showed he had not had a BM for 3 days. I went with him for the x-ray at 11AM. He is so accomodating for all the medical procedures. They fitted me with a big ole lead vest so I could hold him in position on the table. He never flinched a muscle for both takes. Mid afternoon the blood tests were negative and the x-ray showed a bunch of gas, so the sapository route was pursued. After two units, Hudson moved 3 times in 3 hours. So, the little 3 day setback is over. And you know what-he even went over to pediatrics physical therapy in the midst of it all. At approximately 330PM today, after 2 months and 2 days, Hudson Ace Jeremiah Cavner once again walked erect with no assistance!!!! Stacie done well again today. Eating well-even feeding herself with the aid of a glove and band that grips the fork. She had some Idaho and Wyoming girl cousins that flew in for the day to encourage her and wish her well. The drainage from the lung cavity does not seem to be accumulating at this point, so that is a good thing. We have to hope the problem will be rectified by the drain. Keep Stacie in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this stage for the next few days. Preston was an outpatient today and saw the burn doctor in his office clinic. He got the low down on wound care and progress as he continues to experience growth of tissue on the bare areas. He is able to spend a little more time at the hospital since he does not have the long commute from Vancouver each day. Cavner family update 8/5 eve Preston had the opportunity to escape Portland today and take a ride with the Foundation for North American Sheep representative and his wife, so they took off for Mt. Hood. There has to be some theraputic value to being able to go outdoors and into the woods. So he left his computer behind and I fired it up so Stacie could look over the CarePages she has been hearing so much about. Guess where she started--right back at the very first one. And she had to read every message! She made it to June 5th before we had to stop. She is doing well today again. Good appetite and going pretty strong on the therapy. Hudson had a steady day. The doctor has ordered his spplemental feeding be ceased for now. Refused his breakfast, but did eat 3/4's of his mom's bagel with cream cheese, had some of his ronni and cheese for lunch. After his nap, he spent a good 45 minutes on the play mat in his room with me playing blocks and cars. Around 6PM he then joined the sheep folks who brought barbecue along with mom, dad and papa in the garden for dinner. Hudson ate sparingly from his meal tray but did tear into the chocolate cake part of the barbecue. And then after dinner I got him down from the high chair and held his hand thinking he would stretch his legs a bit. He got busy right away. Walked about 1/4 of the way around the garden, then started to step up on the curb, several times, then he elected to follow his dad's lead and get up on the cornerstone and jumped off 3 times (with assistance). Then he wanted to walk inside--the nurse crowd saw him coming and they were excited to see the progress. He walked down the hall beaming and having fun with his new activity. Walked all the way down the ICU wing and showed nusrses Erin and Emily what he could do. They were so happy to see him-these two girls have cared for him countless times since June 2nd. Then he walked all the way back and down the aisle to the conference room-back to the patient wing and helped me push his wagon to his room. All of this time he was without his blanket and the wagon-2 things that have become his sanctuary and security. I think he knows he can do without those now, the boundary is broken! He was tired when he went to bed tonight-he worked pretty hard today. Cavner family update 8/6 eve This week started fast and finished the same way. Preston was scheduled to go across the river to downtown Portland for several visits with doctors. The maxo-facial doctor felt his work was completed. He will need some braces on some teeth and will need one tooth repaired. He also had some physical therapy over there. Stacie had a shower today-tired her out. She continues to work on therapy and is eating pretty well. Most of the news today is about Hudson. He is down on the mat in his room playing by himself as I write. Fire station #3 stopped by today with their ladder truck to see Hudson this morning. Then he went into the garden for therapy. The burn surgeon was scheduled to look at his skin graft on his head between surgeries, but did not have time, so with Hudson in the wagon, I pulled him outside along the construction of the new 10 story children's hospital (he really likes to watch the construction crane lift stuff). We continued along to the entrance of the main building and then dropped down to the basement. There we stopped by the recovery room to see the gang who always see him after surgery. They were glad to see him as one happy little boy. The burn surgeon did get here around 5PM and took the dressing down. This is the first time I have seen his head with no bandage, I almost left the room thinking I would not be able to look. Am I glad I stayed! The doctor was very, very pleased with the skin graft. I was dumbfounded at the extent of the burn on his head. It was very big. There is some significant damage to the right ear, left ear is not too bad. But it really looks good. That doctor and his team have done some amazing work. That little boy will be forever thanking them as will the rest of us. This place has been really great! So, the doctor has ordered his pic-line be removed! No more intravenous medication. Hudson will have to start eating big time. He ate fairly well today. That will insure the feeding tube in his tummy will be the last invasive item to go. One cannot help but feel blessed tonight. Cavner family update 8/7 eve Pretty good day for all. Stacie gets woke up at 530AM for medicine and has to have the snacks that we leave on her table each night next to the bed--says she gets hungry. Then when I get here with the French toast, she gets some good stuff to eat. Hudson still is not eating very well-it is almost as if he seems to have forgot how. Hudson and I went down to the McDonald house to do a little wash this morning. He enjoyed the break. We met Preston and Stacie in the aitrium at the heartbeat cafe for lunch. Then back for nap time. Hudson put on some regular clothes today and looked like a hospital visitor. Trying to eat dinner tonight with Hudson was not much better. He went outside to play with some friends who brought their little kids. Came back in and sat down to watch Alone in the Wilderness DVD and he ate pretty well-must have reminded him of home. Stacie had to have a blanket on today in her room-first time she has not been too warm. Stacie has quit producing fluid in the lung cavity---great news. They may be taking that drain out soon. Starting to get an uneasy feeling about where we go from here. Getting better means we leave this protective environment and move on to being more on our own. While that is a welcome outcome-it makes for some anxiety in that it means there are going to be a whole host of new needs and demands. I know somehow we will persevere. Cavner family update 8/9 eve Monday again. The burn doctor felt he had done all he can do for the present for Hudson. Hudson will be released tomorrow. Will still require some out patient visits and will have to check in next week with the pediatric doctor. He had regular boy clothes on again today and was ready to go outside early this morning. He did eat pretty well again today. Likes to ride in the three wheel stroller-and has sort of given up on the wagon. He will move into the McDonald house with Preston and I. Stacie was busy today. She had a CAT scan of the lung cavity and it shows there continues to be a fluid substance within, but no additional drainage to the outside, so the drain tube stays in place. The good news is the recent fluid showed no bacteria growth in lab cultures. The doctor is considering some additional options. She had a dressing change late this morning-it was without a doubt the most pain she has experienced since arrival. Two areas on her donor site on the upper left leg have developed an open wound and have not healed. They used an iodine ointment and then covered with bandage. She cried in pain for an hour, before the pain medication got on top of it. She wanted to ask them to remove it, but she stuck it out, thinking the removal would be equally painful. She is one tough kid-you can't help tearing up yourself while holing her and comforting her. It had calmed down by the time she woke up. She ate some dinner and was feeling pretty fair tonight. And it happened, just when you least expect it. Hudson sat next to her on her bed tonight as Preston read him some books. You could see an extra sparkle in mom's eye and she kept reaching over and touching him-and he did not mind. Although, if the truth be known, I am certain that the gummy bears Preston was feeding him helped a whole lot. So, where did those gummy bears come from. Yesterday Laura and Ester, two sisters from Alaska stopped by to see Preston and his family. They knew how to make some points. These two incredible girls are but a small part of the family that Preston worked for as a young man in Alaska. They are his second family and he was just overjoyed to see his two "sisters". Their visit was very uplifting for all of us. Thanks girls. Cavner family update 8/10 eve It was a busy day. Somehow Hudson knew he was going somewhere, especially when the stuff started leaving his room. All those trucks, engines, books and stuffed animals that you all have so generously sent for him to play with formed and army that preceeded him out the doors of the burn center. One of Preston and Stacie's friends happened to show up with his pickup truck and it was pressed into use. Our room at the McDonald house is chuck full tonight. Hudson took his last nap in the burn center and we headed out in mid afternoon. He was real excited to sit in the car seat and ride in the JEEP. He was all smiles and telling everyone hi and bye, sometimes in the same breath. He likes the roominess over here and was ready for bedtime tonight. all three boys left mom's room at 730PM with Stacie saying you don't have to get here so early in the morning anymore. Just like her-kids first. Now there is one. When I got there this morning, she was already watching FOX TV with news of the plane crash in Alaska. Later She got scanned for a face mask that will press the skin grafts on her face to keep them smooth. They did some physical and occupational therapy with the wheelchair. She had a good dressing change today-they did not use that iodine ointment. The chest doctor did not make it to see her today. We are waiting on that specialist before any procedures on the fluid issue. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Preston did get over to the store today and brought her some clothes. He continues to do regular dressing changes and is seeing good tissue growth on the open areas on his legs. These will have to fully grow over with tissue before he can undergo final skin grafts. He canceled his therapy appointment today, because we were too busy. cavner family update 8/11 eve Things went pretty well this morning. I was up early doing e-mails and chores and went upstairs into the kitchen for some breakfast. Was not long before Preston and Hudson came walking in. They had their breakfast and then headed to the hospital to see mom. That allowed me to stay back and get some more stuff done. Stacie had a flat day, not much in terms of her progress. She is still having plenty of pain with the 3 open wounds on her donor sites. It has been close to 2 months for those to close. It is wearing on her because she knows it is holding her back. And for the second day she did not get a visit from the lung specialist. That hurts progress as well. We talked some about the progress we have made so far and the need to keep looking forward. It also demonstrates just how long this journey will be. Stacie is concerned about the effect on their business and I tried to reassure her that people will understand and be supportive if they don't get back to normal anytime soon. Having our base at the McDonald house is really handy. We can drop back here quickly for lunch and dinner. As well, it is a great place for Hudson to take his nap. And when bedtime comes, Hudson and I head for the house while Preston stays with Stacie. We are able to be at her side a great deal this way. And it is more important now than ever. We just need a doctor to spell out the options for dealing with the chest fluid so we can move ahead. And those pesky wounds on her legs that are just hanging on. I know there have been a number of posts on these pages that have been message driven and personal in nature. I have responded to very few of them simply because there has not been time to do more. Thank you for your thoughts and concerns, your prayers and compassion, your sincere expression of hope and for just being you. It has helped more than you could imagine. While this whole situation is most unreal to me and the family, the outpouring of love from so many has made it possible to shoulder the load.

.....an intense dose of straightforward patriotism and perspective for our youth....and for all of us,during these times... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTb6qdPu8JE (not sure if this has been posted here yet....pretty moving-)

...Jeremy...I am so sorry this about this tragic news; I know you are hurting about losing your buddy;-especially in this way... -I wish I had something more to say, to help the hurt; -Time..... and God's grace and wisdom- -try to stay strong- you always have been, for other people... -kathleen

.....Birthday wishes from Alaska, Dakota!! -I hope your day was spectacular! -kathleen

....Corey; you and your family...especially your aunt...will be in our thoughts and prayers during this hard time... -I know it's not easy to lose a family member; even if your grandmother expressed that she felt ready to pass on... take care, -kathleen

...prayers for your brother! -glad to hear he is doing better,now and is ok... -kathleen

...that is awesome, Darla! -I will definitely see about buying some of the cards,and will be checking out the Impossible Shots link... -also, please tell Randy, and Randy SR. hi - -and, the kids really enjoyed the things you sent up to them....

....you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers through this difficult time, Norm... -kathleen

...Happy late birthday, Jack!! -I hope you had a wonderful day... :camera: -kathleen

...I know I haven't been in here at all lately...-I want to catch up with how everyones' been doing... -things are slowing up a bit; lots of halibut in the freezer now, we had family come up and visit for 12 days; the kids had various summer camps...and, been working the bear bait station real hard(season ends tomorrow night) -nothing like almost the last minute to harvest! ....I didn't even have time to get up in the stand, or unwrap my bow...ended up taking this guy with Terry's Sako .338...and Terry was over in Whittier working a job.......so, I was on my own to drag this guy out... -more details tomorrow; here are some initial pics I wanted to share... ...I was having kind of a bad hair day last night when I finally rolled in with my bear, and it had been raining....lol

...Happy late birthday, Cash! -yes, time does fly... -and, great pics, Kyle-

...Congratulations, Potash, to you and your wife! -sweet,beautiful little girl...