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Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...... She Now is Whole

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On Monday 4/23 at 8:00 am Katie made her return to Harborview for surgery to replace the section of her skull the surgeons removed almost 6 months ago on 11/11/18. Checking in and getting Kate prepped for this surgery was certainly different than that Saturday in November.  Gratefully, the emotions and fears were much more in check this time around as we were told that it would only be a 2.5 hour procedure and should expect to be discharged from the hospital in less than 48 hours. The decision was made to replace her skull section with a synthetic material due to the risk of infection.  The procedure, starting at 1:00 pm,  went as planned and she was back in recovery by 4:00 pm.   The post-surgery CT scans showed no signs of bleeding which then allowed her to avoid the ICU and go straight to a regular room. By 10:30 am on Tuesday, they had begun the process to discharge Kate and by 11:45 she was out of the hospital and in a very real sense,  "wh...
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A Next Big Step

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Dear friends, family who care about Kate,,,, Finally an updated post regarding Kates' status and next steps!  We apologize for our dereliction of duties. First, a giant thank you on behalf of Katie and her entire family for the continued outpouring of love and support for her as she runs this extended marathon.   Kate just told me today that she has about a thousand thank you letters to write and that she should probably start.....   So many of you, over the past few months,  have done some "Katie Sitting" as she is unfortunately not able to be left alone. This is, of course, is a double dose of torture for Katie as she leans slightly toward independence. More importantly the update!  After approximately three months back at home in Tacoma, living with her parents (a profound and deep joy for all parties involved), and multiple trips weekly back and forth to Seattle for a variety of therapy sessions..... the later stages of the journe...
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Kate Update - Saturday 12/30 - 5:00 pm

Friends of Katie, It has been 8 days since our last post.   Kate was discharged from the UW Medical Center Friday afternoon on the 22nd of December.  After a couple of stops and approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes sitting in traffic, we arrived back home in Tacoma.   It has been great to be home and begin to establish a routine of what the next couple months could look like for Kate.  On Christmas Eve, we had a bit of a scare as Katie suffered a seizure and had to be taken to the ER at Tacoma General.  After approximately 7 hours she was released and came back home for a very low key Christmas Day.  Kate continues to get stronger and has committed to developing a schedule filled with good nutrition, drinking lots of water(with ice), taking daily walks and getting a lot of sleep.  She is making her mother very proud, who has always said sleep and drinking water is the key to most everything!  She will begin outpatient reha...
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Kate Update - Thursday 3:00 pm 12/21/17

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Friends of Kate, It looks like this leg of Katie's journey is coming to a close.  Tomorrow at some point Katie will be going home and leaving the UW Medical Center after 23days, which was preceded by 19 days at Harborview Hospital for a total of 42 days. The picture above is with Katie in room #814 on the 8th-floor Rehab Unit.   The rehabilitation staff team that served Kate is certainly a remarkable group.  They patiently augment the process of turning one's deficits back into assets.    Katie saw countless staff throughout her two separate stays on the 8th floor, and each one of them demonstrated professionalism, but more importantly,  patience, compassion, and grace to name a few of the attributes we witnessed.  Words can't express the gratitude we have all felt, but a humble and heartfelt thank-you will have to suffice. You also may have noticed that Katie is "rockin" a new helmet which was just approved and endorsed by her ...
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Kate Update - Tuesday 2:00pm 12/19/17

Team Kate, It is official, Kate will be discharged from the hospital this Friday.  Kate's medical team just had a meeting sharing about her current capacities and the support she will need once she arrives at home.  Overall she is doing well and is meeting the standards set for her departure.  One of the ongoing concerns is how tired Katie gets as the day winds down.  She is working very hard in her therapy session and then is seemingly getting overstimulated by her many visitors in the evening.  At this point, the doctors have asked that Katie not have any visitors throughout the remainder of her stay.  They want her to optimize her rest and be able to fully focus on her remaining therapy sessions and finish strong.  So, we are respectfully asking that you continue to support Katie by holding off on any visits until the new year.  We know each and every one of you wants the very best for Kate and right now this is what she needs to focus ...
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Kate Update Monday 8:00 pm 12/18/17

Friends of Katie, Well, it looks like we have hit the home stretch in regards to leaving the hospital.   Today it became increasingly clear that Friday will be Katie's discharge date.   If that is, in fact, the case, it will have been exactly 42 days since Katie first arrived at the Harborview Trauma Center on the early morning of November 11th.  Of course, that means that Katie will be home for Christmas.  It most certainly will be a very memorable Christmas for us all and we are thrilled.   We are grateful beyond words for what has increasingly become our Christmas miracle.  Katie's in-patient rehab will wind down this week, signaling the beginning of her outpatient therapy as soon as we can identify the best opportunity for her.  At this point, the plan is to have her stay at the family home in Tacoma with Mom and Dad.  This, of course, will be the ultimate dream scenario for Katie and any other 28 year old for that ma...
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Kate Update - Friday 2:00 pm 12/15/17

Friends of Katie, Our hope was realized!   Kate was moved back up to the 8th floor North into the Rehab Unit.  She is back with her friendly therapists and super eager to get back to work.  Ok..... not super eager, in fact barely eager at all, but clearly, she recognizes that hard work over the next few weeks will only benefit her in the long run. At this point, the plan is to have her stay in the in-patient until for a week.  Once the team assesses where Katie is with her recovery they will give us a more definite discharge date.   We are certainly hoping she can come home to T-town for the Christmas holiday! In terms of visitors, the plan is to get back to the "rehab schedule".   She is in therapy sessions from 8 am - 4 pm and then dinner at 5pm.   During the week the best time to drop in for a visit is between 6-8 pm.  Weekends have much more flexibility with Sunday being the best.  If possible give, Ki...
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