UPDATE 5/27

“GREAT NEWS”

Well it has been almost a month since we have been back in Colorado and I have been fighting for Michele’s recovery. I have made it clear to all of her Doctors for 1 month now that her CSF fluid in her brain was too low and causing her current condition. Well I am pleased that I now have a Doctor that agrees with me and we are acting on it quickly. Michele visited Dr Vollmer at the Brain and Spinal Institute. Vollmer spent the time to listen to the last 4 months of her condition as well as read her scans and visit with Michele. His conclusion was exactly as I have been stating to the other 3 Doctors for the past month. It was a relief to hear that he thinks we should adjust her shunt immediately as well as get her bone flap “skull” put back in her head. He ordered an X-Ray today to verify my statement on what her shunt was set at so we can make the adjustment very soon. He also requested an MRI, MRA and a CT scan to measure her skull so they can make a prosthetic skull for her. I have not written about this as of yet but when Michele had her second surgery on Palm Sunday, the hospital lost her bone flap or “skull”. They stated that they mistakenly misplaced it and therefore she has to have one made to fit her. This will take about a month to make. This entire process over the last month has worn on me and I now have a great feeling of relief, I feel like I have won the battle but the war is not over. I will continue to follow up with her Doctors at Kindred to make sure the orders requested by Dr Vollmer are taken care of at the earliest possible dates in hopes to see major advances once they are done.

Michele was a trooper today. We started at 9:15 a.m. getting her ready for ambulance transport and did not get back till 1 p.m. Although she is lying down I can tell it wares on her. She did have her eyes open most of the time and even was able to track my hand with her eyes. This is a big step as I have not seen her eyes open on her own without stimulation for 1 month now. I asked her my usual question and actually got an answer several times today.

“Honey if you love me, close your eyes so I know you can hear me?”

She did it every time I asked today.

John

UPDATE 5/26

Another week has passed and Michele has not woken up yet. As of Monday she is no longer on the Dylantin medication for seizures. Michele is now on 3 stimulant medications to help her wake up. I tried to cut Michele’s nose hairs with my electric nose clippers and when I turned it on she moved her head away from me telling me that she did not want it done. I know she is aware of her surroundings as I tried it several times and each time she would move in the opposite direction. I guess we will just wait for that another time when she is awake and can do it herself. Cindy felt Michele’s right leg move on command during some PT on Monday. This as well was some more signs she is waking up slowly. I spoke to Dr Ripley on Monday and his comment was; “I am cautiously optimistic”. Well if any of you know doctors, that is about as good as it gets in our situation. Dr Ripley noticed a change in Michele over the last week and could see that she is moving more and responding to pain. Although we do not want to create pain for Michele it is necessary so we can understand her abilities. Michele and I will be traveling to the Brain and Spinal institute tomorrow for a second opinion on her treatment. This will be Michele’s 10th ambulance ride in the last 4 months. Tomorrow will be the 4 month anniversary of her fall. Michele continues to have visitors on a daily basis. The children will finish up school tomorrow and begin their summer. Our plan right now is to have Mom home by July 1st so she can continue her rehab, rest and healing in the comfort of her own home. Once Michele can actively participate in 3 hours a day of rehab she will then go to Craig for 45 days of treatment. After much research I have found that patients do better at home and often heal more quickly. Michele loves her children and for her to be with them everyday will no doubt help motivate her to come back to us.

Please keep Michele in your thoughts and prayers.
John

MIRACLE MICHELE GOLF TOURNAMENT

Miracle Michele Golf Tournament
August 2, 2010

9:00 am Shotgun Start
Omni Interlocken Golf Course

Benefit for the recovery of
Michele O’Donnell

Course Contests
Food & Drink

To Register Contact:
Kelly McAlister
sports@pinnaclelease.com
(720) 201-7088

I will be posting the registration on-line tonight. Thank you and tell your friends!!!

UPDATE 5/14

The Doctors started to remove Michele from one of her anti seizure meds on Monday as well as started her on meds to help wake her up. The anti seizure meds will be slowly removed and will take 3 weeks as long as she shows no signs of seizures. The meds to wake her up will also be added slowly to make sure her clinical responses are ok throughout the process. This all means that we should see some progress slowly over the next week. Michele should be able to open her eyes on command soon.
When I speak to her I can tell she is in there and she can hear me. Since she cannot open her eyes yet, I thought of another way for her to communicate to me as she can move her head. I asked her if she could hear me and understand me to try and lift her head. She did it for me 3 times on Monday. It’s as if she really wants to wake up but is being held back. Today when I told her I was leaving she started to moan like she wanted to tell me not to go. I though this was just in my head as I want her to wake up so bad but when Alyssa and Jordan came home tonight from the hospital Alyssa told me the same thing and I never told her about my story. I really think she is trying and she does not want us to leave her side. She often sleeps when we are in the room but tries to wake up when are ready to leave. I can tell this because of her heart rate as well.
Sorry for the lack of emails but we are at a very slow pace as you can see and not a lot to tell. When Michele wakes up you will probably hear from me everyday as I do not want anyone to miss out on her recovery. I have added some pics of the room today.
Below is an email I received from Father that I thought was so special that I wanted to include it to everyone. Michele and our family have been so blessed with Faith, Hope and Love from so many people. This is only one of thousands of hopeful thoughts, prayers and love we have all received.
Little did I realize what a blessing it would be for me to come and pray with all of you on Mothers Day. I went home and told my parents about Michele and the first communion on Mothers Day. We all took a moment and wept for everyone. My Mother is now wearing the saint bracelet and has promised her prayers along with my Father. My prayers also remain with everyone, especially Michele. Thank you for inviting me into such a sensitive moment and giving me an opportunity to see such love.
Thank you,
Fr. Peter

Thank you all for your support.
John

FROM MICHELE'S DAUGHTER, ALYSSA.....

The picture and poem below were written and drawn by Michele and John's youngest daughter Alyssa. She is amazingly talented and the love these children have for their mother Michele leaves me in awe.....

Ode to my Mother

I miss you so much
I miss your gentle touch
I wish I could give you a kiss
To whom I miss
You're the number one Mom
You are totally the bomb
I miss when you tucked me in
If you ran for best Mom you would win
I miss the food you would make
I missed how much you loved to bake
I miss your blonde hair too
But most of all I miss you

Please do not forget on click on the sidebar and order your Michele Michele bracelets TODAY

MIRACLE MICHELE BRACELETS

COME ON Y'ALL! SPREAD THE WORD....MIRACLE MICHELE BRACELETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!! CLICK ON THE PAYPAL LINK ON THE SIDEBAR TO ORDERS YOURS TODAY!

ALL BRACELETS ARE BEING MAILED WITH A SPECIAL MIRACLE MICHELE PRAYER CARD!! DON'T WAIT! MICHELE AND HER FAMILY NEED OUR HELP, PLUS THEY MAKE AWESOME GIFTS!

MOTHERS DAY UPDATE 5/9

Well the last 2 days have most definitely been eventful. Saturday afternoon I decided to take John for some golf to settle the nerves and get out for the first time this year. After 5 holes of golf I got a call from Billy telling me our basement was flooded. We hurried home to find 3 inches throughout the entire basement. Many hours later we had the basement completely emptied including carpet, furniture, baseboards, wood flooring, doors and the fridge. All that was left was the pool table, coke machine and juke box as they were too heavy to lift up the stairs. We now have 20 fans and 2 humidifiers running 24-7. It turns out that our sump pump died and the water under the house was about 3 feet deep and rose into the house causing a major problem. “Just what I needed at this time and the day before Mothers Day and Johns 1st Holy Communion”

With the help of Brian, Billy, John and Jordan we cleared out most of the basement before the professionals arrived. This will be a month long process to get our home back to normal but we are managing “Day by Day”.

This morning we all got ready for the big day and arrived at the hospital around 9:30 am. John was a bit nervous but was looking sharp. I took a picture of him after we cut a few tulips from the garden that Michele planted in the early fall “365 of them”. I was able to get every color she planted and added an orchid to the bunch that had just bloomed from her birthday last year. When we arrived at the hospital Michele was waiting for us sitting in her chair with her princess crown on. “The cap was done today with pretty jewels to make it more womanly rather than the 50’s style football helmet that it looks like” Michele is still unresponsive and unfortunately did not wake up at all today. I know in my heart she could hear us and will remember the event that unfolded before her closed eyes. She made noises and moved throughout the mass today as if she was trying her best to wake up and share the moment but she just cannot until she is taken off of her meds that I continually argue with the doctors to do.

Father Peter said mass today with the help of the entire family, mass program provided by Brian, readings from Cindy and Amy and songs from Tana, Alyssa and Jordan. John had the best 1st Communion that I could possibly imagine. He will never forget this special event. Father gave Michele the 3rd anointing of the sick which is ever so needed. We had cake time after and let John open his cards and even had father bless his rosary and cross he received. The only thing missing today was the eyes of his Mother that I have prayed so much for. I keep waiting for our Lord to grant me my prayers and I know he will in time and I hope it will be soon.

Michele was given a very special Saint Bracelet just 2 days after her accident by an employee at the Royal Mayan. On our 19th anniversary I had it blessed at St Joan of Arc Church where Michele and I were married. Many people have shown interest in it and have requested one like it. By popular demand I have been able to get a large quantity of them so that I could accommodate everyone’s wishes to share in this special bracelet. If you are interested please email me and I will make sure you get as many as requested. I have purchased them already and have added enough to cover mailing costs and a small amount for Michele to help her in her recovery. The cost of the bracelet is $15. I am not asking for help but many people have requested this and I feel that I should respond. *** I have also added a BUY NOW button on the sidebar at the top. You can purchase them from there via credit card if you would like as well**

My Mother wished me a happy Mothers day today as she knew what I am going through trying to be a father and a mother to my children. She was right in her statement to me today and I was so grateful that she understood what I am going through. I am trying my best to hold all of us together through this tragic event and it is my responsibly to do what my wife would do each an every day for our children. It is my solemn promise to Michele to keep her children safe until she returns to all of us and then I will gladly give her Motherly responsibilities back as she can handle them.

I wish all the Mothers a Happy Mothers Day today, you are all greatly loved.
John

UPDATE 5/7

Michele has not had much change since the last email. I have had a meeting with the staff at Kindred and requested that Michele be taken off her anti seizure medications as they are causing her to keep asleep. I have managed to upset all the upper management so we met and discussed her treatment. They all agreed with my assessment but the changes will happen at a snails pace. I will continue to do what I know is best for Michele in hopes that I will succeed in her recovery. The EEG that was ordered on Tuesday is still not done just to give you an idea of what I am dealing with. It is a 1 hour non evasive test but takes a week to complete.

John is getting ready for his 1st Holy Communion on Mothers Day. We have planed a great ceremony in the hospital and I will be sending many pictures and stories Sunday night. I hope and pray that Michele will be awake for it and share in the memories of her son’s communion.

As my sister said their could not be a more wonderful Mothers Day than if Miracle Michele woke up and shared her 1st day back to recovery with her family.

John

UPDATE 5/4

Well I am happy to say that we are going in a positive direction once again. Although Michele has not woken up very often I did get a chance to speak to Dr Ripley from Craig hospital and I was quite impressed. This is the first Doctor that actually sat with me and asked everything that has occurred to Michele over the last 3 months. He asked many questions that made sense to her condition and he set a plan for the upcoming week to include another CT today as well as an X-Ray of her shunt. We are looking at her brain in case we need to decrease the flow of her CSF. This process will eventually happen and I am under the impression she needs it now but the doctors will ultimately decide. They have also ordered another EEG to see the brain waves so we can then take her off one of her anti seizure medicines that are prone to making the patient sleep. I hope this one will be done soon. Michele finally got her “princess crown” and of course I had to try it on. Michele is now able to leave her bed by a hammock and placed in her chair which we took her out of the hospital to get some fresh air yesterday. Michele is moaning a lot the last few days and I think she just wants us to hear her voice or maybe she wants to hear her own voice.

John

UPDATE 5/2

Michele is still sleeping and unresponsive. I am planning to meet with the doctor from Craig Hospital tomorrow regarding her condition as well as her planned therapy. Michele is still on meds that I feel are keeping her from waking up as well as she has too little CSF fluid in her brain. I hope to have all of this cleared up by tomorrow evening. Michele had some new visitors this weekend; Coleen, Liz, Erica, Sharon and Julie. All friends and first time visitors. Although she cannot open her eyes I know she can hear everyone in the room and this helps motivate her to get better. I hope to have better news over the next few days and will continue to keep everyone updated. Please remember that I continue to receive everyone’s emails and although I do not respond to every one of them I do appreciate them and look forward to them as much as each of you look forward to my email. I simply cannot answer each email but each and everyone lights up my day and I have printed all of them and placed them in a binder so Michele and I can read them again when she is better. Please do not stop your emails or your prayers for Michele as we cherish all of them.

Thank you,
John

UPDATE 4/30

This week was a long week. I spent most of my days trying to get back in touch with business while calling the doctors or family to see how Michele was doing. I had to run to the hospital a few times to just see Michele or speak to the doctors. It is very frustrating having to deal with a new hospital as they need to get familiar with Michele’s case and often they do not even ask the one person that has been by her side the entire time. Therefore it takes them a week to understand what I could have told them in two minutes. Michele has spent the entire week asleep most of every day even through therapy. I feel we have lost a week of valuable time but I know in my heart that I need to give the doctors the time to really understand her situation. I was able to convince the doctor this morning to take her off her anti depressants as I feel it is having a negative effect on her. My next plan is to discuss her anti seizure medicine as she is on a very high dose for only having 1 seizure. We will also be looking at her shunt and the amount of CSF it is draining from her head. I believe it is too much. Go figure 2.5 weeks ago I couldn’t wait for the shunt, now Im trying to slow it down. Michele is unresponsive and the last email was the last time she was really awake. This can all be fixed and I do believe it will be done this week. My goal this week is to get her meds in line and maybe give her some new ones to help her wake up. It is Mothers day next Sunday and we have planed to have John’s 1st Holy Communion in Michele’s hospital room with the entire family. We are working on a mass including songs sung by the girls and the family. John is so excited and has his suit already fitted and has tried it on this week to make sure it fits. I was undecided whether to do this but when I asked John what he wanted he said he wanted his Mother there no matter what.

I pray that my wife will have the most wonderful Mothers Day of all times, wake up, be responsive and remember every waking moment of the day with her family and children.

John