This is my view of the happenings of the past 3 days. I am attaching a report that Amos sent to family and friends. I admit upfront that the photos are more traumatic than the words written. However, this is truly what I was seeing and experiencing. I really do not have many words to say. Even though I typically enjoy writing, I was happy to let Amos keep people informed.
My first view of Christopher upon arriving at the ER
Dad talking to Christopher. Christopher never lost consciousness until he was sedated.
Intubated. A mother's worst nightmare. Even though they declared this a "precautionary measure" it still made me feel that my son was dangling between life and death.
waiting to be transported to Pittsburg Children's Hospital
Through the ER and into ICU at Pittsburg. They extubated him soon after arriving at the ICU. It was wonderful to be able to talk to him again as he was coming out of his sedation.
taken early Monday morning. (1:30 am)
Christopher was comforted by the presence of Dad and Mom. The hardest moments for me were when we were pushed aside and he was surrounded by medical personnel.
Monday afternoon. Transferred from ICU to a regular hospital room.
Monday evening...Doing well, but 100% miserable. This was probably the peak of the swelling.
First time on his feet. Tuesday @ 6:00 am. It's just fine when your kid wakes up at 6:00 am at the hospital and wants to get out of bed. We were delighted because previously he didn't want to move at all. Christopher improved tremendously from bedtime Monday evening to wake up early Tuesday morning.
overlooking the city in the early morning hours.
Christopher was approved to start a soft diet at 7:00 am Tuesday morning. A sure sign that he was feeling better was that he was gulping down the yogurt. *no neck brace!!! yay!!!
Smiling because the playroom had his favorite game....Thomas Trouble.
Getting ready to go home!!! Doesn't he look like a little panda bear ?! :)
Home (evidenced by that floral couch!) and clutching his paint from his Kauffman friends! His swelling is going down but the discoloration continues to spread. He is able to open both eyes again and his pain is also subsiding. Our challenge now is to keep him from rough activities. Because of the fractures in his skull it is very important that he doesn't reinjure his head.
Happy to be with Cassie again and wearing his own pjs!
Painting. I love this smile. This is a painting of him with his mouth and nose bleeding. (I didn't tell him this but he sure wasn't smiling when it was the real deal)
To say that we're grateful to all be home again is an understatement. Glorify the Lord with me!!!
And here is Amos's story:
Dear Friends,
Thanks for your prayers during the past day. Chris seems to be doing well considering the speed at which he was going when he hit the tree. Here are a few details of the events since his accident.
We were sledding on the hill going down into the ravine at the Cora Clark Park next to our place yesterday afternoon. We had been sledding for awhile and Chris wanted to take one more ride before quitting. He was on a sled by himself lying down going head first when the sled left the trail and collided squarely with a tree stump that was cut off several feet above ground. He immediate started screaming hysterically. By the time I got there (within several seconds) he was bleeding profusely from his nose and already had considerable swelling on his forehead.
I called 911 and emergency personnel arrived within several minutes. Christopher maintained consciousness the whole time and the ambulance wasted no time in transported him to Meadville Medical Center. At MMC they did a CT Scan which showed a fracture between his nose and his eye on both sides, as well as a fracture above his left eye. The good news was that there was no bleeding on the brain. However, they did want to fly him to Children's Hospital in Pittsburg because it was a head injury. Because of bad weather in Pittsburg, they could not fly him down so they arranged for a ground transport. While we were waiting for the transport to arrive, Chris vomited. This caused the ER doctor to decide to have him intubated to avoid the possibility of him accidentally getting vomit in his lungs during transport.
We left MMC about 8:30 with Shaunda and I following the ambulance. Because of the intubation, Christopher was sedated for the ride. The roads became quite dangerous as we got closer to Pittsburg and we were very thankful to arrive at the hospital safely. The number of emergency personnel that was waiting for us was a bit overwhelming. After a chest x-ray and some ultrasound work, they sent him the ICU. Within 15 minutes of having him in ICU, they extubated him, for which we were also grateful, especially since this allowed him to talk with us once again.
For the next several hours, a number of different specialist doctors (trauma, neurology, optometry, plastic surgery) stopped in to check him out. All the reports were positive. Chris was very cooperative and communicated well with the nurses and doctors. He thought it was pretty smart to read the numbers on the optometrist's chart, even if the nurse had to hold open his left eyelid! Overall, he has been a real trooper throughout the whole ordeal.
About 2am we settled down for the night. I slept fairly well for about 4 hours. Shaunda couldn't sleep so well; she said she kept hearing Chris and I snore!
This morning we are still waiting on the radiologist to read the scans on his neck and for all the doctors to convene to evaluate him. We expect him to be moved out of ICU anytime but not to be released from the hospital for at least another day, maybe more. His left eye is discolored and swollen shut and his right eye has considerable swelling as well. However, he can open it a bit and just said several minutes ago that he wants to watch TV! Oh, boy...
Thanks for all your prayers. We are relaxing and feeling peaceful, and are very grateful that his injuries aren't worse.
Blessings,
Amos
