Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the O'Donnell Family

2011 was an incredible year for the O'Donnell family. Our new year started with Michele returning home on the 25th of January after a miraculous 1 year battle to survive. Michele did not settle for just surviving though, she has worked very hard to overcome most of her disabilities. Michele is back in the kitchen where she loves to be making meals for her family and friends. She is walking with the limited assistance from her cane. We recently got her a spinning bike for the house so she can work on her leg strength every day. She runs the house with all the kids coming and going and loves being back in charge. Michele's beautiful hair is growing fast and she will soon again have her long hair back. We are working on solving her double vision problems with prism glasses in hopes we can avoid surgery. Michele still battles with nausea and we are working on that as well.

In February we sold our home of 11 years in an effort to get our lives back on track. We then purchased mountain property in March in hopes to build a home to meet Michele's long term needs. After many months of work we started building our new home on October 1st. We are expecting completion by May 1st 2012. We can’t wait!!



June found us traveling back to Cancun with the kids and close friends for some much needed rest. Since Michele had no memory of her last visit to Cancun, she convinced the rest of us that she wanted to go back and hang out at the pool and get some sun. We all had a wonderful vacation.

John now has time to refocus his efforts on work and is in the process of rebuilding what was lost over the last 2 years due to the economy and being out for a year helping Michele recover. Every weekend John is in the mountains working on the new home.

Billy joined the Navy in June. After his 6 weeks of boot camp, Michele, John, JJ and Jordan all went to Chicago to see Billy graduate. We are all so proud of him. Billy got 10 days leave in July and all he wanted to do was spend time with his family up in the mountains at our property. The 1st day back he asked Jordan for her hand in marriage. Billy and Jordan will have their ceremony on July 28th 2012. Billy left this week from California on the USS Abraham Lincoln on a world tour. He should return to Virginia next June just in time for his wedding. The whole family spent Thanksgiving in LA since Billy did not have time off. We had so much to be thankful for this year and we had a wonderful time celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas as a family once again.





There is a "BABY" on the way. Tana is expecting our 1st grandchild this June and we are very happy and excited. Tana will finish high school this month and start working for her Father and try to fill her Mothers old position with the company. She will take a year off from school but will return to college in 2013.



Alyssa started high school this year and has been busy socializing with her new school friends. She keeps telling dad she needs all the time she can get with her friends before we move to the mountains and a new school district next year. It will be tough for her but she is a resilient young lady and we have no doubt she will find many more friends at her new school.



JJ is in heaven going to the mountains every weekend with Dad. He cannot wait to move and already has friends near our new home. He is Dads right hand man and is quickly learning how to build and is picking up the trade very quickly. John looks pretty good with a cowboy hat and boots and fits right into mountain life. John has also become a very good pool player and has even won 4 games this year against his Father, an accomplishment his brother did not make until he was 18 years old.



We hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday.
Love,
The O'Donnell Family

Pinnacle Leasing
7584 WEST 66TH AVE SUITE 300
Arvada, Colorado 80028

'Miracle' Michele O'Donnell ready for next chapter in life

'Miracle' Michele O'Donnell ready for next chapter in life

Erie mom makes remarkable strides two years after devastating brain injury
By John Aguilar, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 12/24/2011 02:00:00 PM MST

ERIE -- Michele O'Donnell is on a steady climb out of a dark place -- a place of dashed memories and jumbled months, a place of lost words and tangled emotions.

Or as the 43-year-old mother of four puts it, she's back from a time when she slept. A lot.

"I don't sleep all day -- I can't. I don't want to," Michele said, sitting on the couch of her brother-in-law's home in Erie on a recent morning. "I'm doing a lot now."

A lot includes cooking meals at home, texting her children, leaving simple love notes for her husband, walking longer distances without her cane and perhaps soon getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time in nearly two years.

"I think I'm great," she said, exuding confidence with a wide smile.

Great is a relative term for someone who has been through what Michele has been through. Silent months spent in intensive care units, agonizing days when death was just a failed breath away, grueling months devoted to rehab and the slow, inexorable march from the pain and horror of a cataclysmic brain injury.

"Michele would show signs somehow, some way that she was in there," said her husband of 20 years, John O'Donnell. "We looked at what type of person she was and we never gave up."

Now Michele is ready to move on with the next chapter in her life.

She no longer lives in the Superior home she spent so many years in. Lost work and staggering medical bills -- the family has had to spend more than $100,000 out of pocket -- forced her husband to sell it and move in with family in Erie.

But John is building the family a new handicap-accessible house in Park County, which he hopes will be completed in the spring.

"We have a lot to be thankful for," he said. "If you had seen her every day, you'd definitely think it was a miracle. We honestly didn't think she'd make it. It has made us stronger."

'She's a fighter'

Jan. 27, 2010, won't be a day the O'Donnell family will soon forget. It was the day Michele slipped on a wet bathroom floor at her family's vacation timeshare in Cancun, Mexico, and struck the back of her head on the floor.

She underwent nearly six hours of surgery that evening to relieve pressure on her brain. She slipped in and out of consciousness and breathed on a respirator. And that was just the beginning.

Michele spent week after week, then month after month, at a dizzying series of hospitals from Cancun to Miami to Denver, lying listless and largely unresponsive as doctors and specialists tried to reconnect her with basic life functions. She had to be resuscitated on an emergency basis twice when she stopped breathing.

"Looking back at the pictures from then, it's amazing how far she's come," said her 15-year-old daughter, Alyssa. "It proves her power and strength and how miracles can work every day."

As she continued to show signs of improvement, the family dubbed her Miracle Michele and began preparing for a homecoming like no other. Balloons flew and friends gathered in January as Michele said goodbye to Boulder Community Hospital and hello to life back at home.

Now she cooks chicken, pasta and rice for her family, supplementing her work in the kitchen with down time watching "The Rachael Ray Show," "The Price is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal."

"I'd come home to four things in the fridge with my name on them," said Tana, her 17-year-old daughter. "It's a big change. It's nice to come home and see what she made today."

In June, the family returned to the same timeshare in Cancun where Michele had sustained her injury. She walked in the pool and tried her best to strengthen muscles that had atrophied over a year of being bedridden.

"It was her decision to go there," John said.

Over Thanksgiving, the family went to Los Angeles to see off eldest son, Billy, as he deployed on an aircraft carrier with the Navy.

Recovery for Michele hasn't come to an end. She still has special lenses on her glasses to keep her double vision in check and she doesn't go far without her cane. Her speech is simple and her sentences clipped, but she can express what she wants.

Dr. Alan Villavicencio, a neurosurgeon with Boulder Community Hospital who has tracked Michele's progress, said Michele has surprised everyone in how well she has done.

"She's a fighter, for sure," Villavicencio said. "She's given it her all, all the way. Because of her personality and drive, she has excelled better than we expected."

But the doctor said Michele's recovery will probably plateau in a year or two and she could face challenges later in life, such as muscle rigidity.

"Some of it is a permanent injury," he said.

Family is everything

Michele isn't worried about what could happen down the road. She likes where she is now and wants to keep taking small steps forward. Doctor visits are few and far between and the waves of nausea that used to plague her on a daily basis are largely gone.

"It doesn't hurt," she said. "So it's good for me."

For Michele, family comes before everything, and in that arena, she is richly blessed. Not only do her two daughters and youngest son live with her, but a grandchild will soon be in the mix, too.

"My kids are here -- John -- that's what I want," she said.

John said he relied on his Catholic faith to get through the darkest moments of the last two years and celebrate the most joyous ones. He is endlessly grateful to all the medical staff who brought his wife back from the brink so many times and to all those who helped his family in countless ways as he struggled financially and emotionally.

And he cherishes every extra day that he gets to be with Michele.

"If it came down to losing my wife, I would be thankful for all the days that I had with her," he said.

Contact Camera Staff Writer John Aguilar at 303-473-1389 or aguilarj@dailycamera.com.




Michele O'Donnell is about to get a kiss from her son, Billy, in the family s former Superior home last January. ( CLIFF GRASSMICK )


Michele O'Donnell, right, gets a kiss from her daughter, Alyssa, while her son, John, and sister Amy McAlister, left, sit with her in December 2010, shortly after she was moved to Boulder Community Hospital to continue her rehabilitation. ( MARTY CAIVANO )

'Miracle Michele' has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

'Miracle Michele' has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

By Kimberli Turner Colorado Hometown Weekly
Posted: 11/22/2011 03:59:43 PM MST

One of the most poignant memories to return to Michele O'Donnell in the last 60 days is from her month-long stay in a hospital in Mexico nearly two years ago. She recalled lying in her hospital bed one day, waking to find her son Billy O'Donnell by her side. "Billy was rubbing my leg and rubbing my back and he was with me," she said Monday, Nov. 21. Another memory that has also surfaced was the image of her daughter, Alyssa, crying when Michele stopped breathing once in the same hospital. The two memories bring Michele to tears but, for the most part, she's been recalling only the good times from before her January 2010 accident.

Michele slipped and fell in the bathroom of her family's Cancun timeshare and she hit her head, causing a brain hemorrhage. She was in a drug-induced coma for a week during her hospital stay in Mexico and was moved to a Florida hospital where she suffered a second brain hemorrhage.

Michele was moved to Colorado in April 2010 and was in a comatose state for 45 days before doctors at Denver's Kindred Hospital adjusted a shunt that controlled the drainage in her head.

Last year at this time, Michele, who was in Boulder Manor recovering from her head trauma and receiving physical therapy, started with baby steps by coming home for Thanksgiving and a sleep-over at Christmas. This Thanksgiving, Michele, dubbed 'Miracle Michele' by her husband, John, said she has much to be thankful for. "I have John. I'm going to cry," she said Monday night at her brother-in-law's Erie home. "I love him so much, 25 years we've been married. "And then I have my babies," she added, looking at three of her children, Tana, 17, Alyssa, 15, and John John, 9, seated on the couch next to her.

Her son Billy is stationed in Los Angeles with the United States Navy and is preparing to embark on a six-month worldwide tour in December.

Michele and John sold their Superior home within two days of Michele's January homecoming and moved into her brother-in-law's home in February. The O'Donnells are having a house built in Park County which they hope they can move into by May 1.

Since January, Michele has been working on walking around the house on her own and getting back to her daily routine.

She no longer uses her wheelchair or walker and, in the last couple of months, Michele has gone from using a cane with a four-pronged base to a regular walking cane. "John said to me, 'You're done with that, walk with this,'" Michele said of her cane. "I kind of forced it upon her and I said, 'Isn't it time?'" John recalled.

But Michele was ready for the next step in her rehabilitation and she said she tries to walk around the house cane-free most of the day.

Her goal is to walk completely on her own by New Year's Eve and John hopes to buy an elliptical machine for his wife once they move into the new house. Michele has also returned to doing the laundry and other housework and she cooks for her family every day. In a means to hone her speaking skills and help her put sentences together, Michele also texts and emails friends and family daily. The memories of Michele's life are slowly coming back to her, and John said because Michele knew her family's names and faces early on, he didn't initially realize how much of her long-term memory was missing.

She now recalls her wedding day, family trips and events with friends among many other things. "I think it's ridiculous how much she's overcome," Tana said of her mom's progression. "We come home and she's busy in the kitchen and I remember when she was laying in the hospital bed. I can't wait for next year to see how she's improved."

Though Michele still has a ways to go in her recovery, John said he's thankful for every improvement she makes. "It's a lot better than the alternative a year ago," he said. We'll take on anything now. We've already been through the tough stuff."

UPDATE 2/2/2011

On the move again
Superior mother returns home one year after accident caused brain hemorrhage

By Kimberli Turner

Colorado Hometown Weekly

When Billy O’Donnell was told to bring home one fireworks fountain for his mom’s homecoming celebration, he brought home four.
And it wasn’t just Billy, 18, who was excited about the return of his mother, Michele O’Donnell — a crowd of friends, family and Superior community members waited in the O’Donnells’ Rock Creek driveway on Friday, Jan. 29, to give her the welcome she deserved after being away for just over a year.

On Jan. 27, 2010, Michele slipped and fell in the bathroom of the family’s Cancun timeshare, which caused a brain hemorrhage that required an immediate operation.
She was in a drug-induced coma for a week of her monthlong stay in a hospital in Mexico, before moving to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida, where she suffered a second brain hemorrhage. Following a two-month stint there, Michele came back to Colorado and went into a comatose state for 45 days at Denver-based Kindred Hospital before traveling to other rehabilitation facilities for treatment and physical therapy.

Michele’s husband, John O’Donnell, and their children Billy, Alyssa, 14, Tana, 16, and John John, 8, nearly lost her eight times. But each time, they said she fought to recover, and John could finally do what he had wanted to accomplish for a year.
“I brought my girl home,” he told a friend at the celebration.

Following a lunch in Boulder, John drove Michele up to their home on Alma Lane, where more than 50 people were waiting to release purple and white balloons.
When Michele got out of the car, she took step after step with a walker to greet the crowd and, in the background, the first strains of singer Katy Perry’s “Firework” began to play.
Then Billy got to set off his fireworks display, alerting the community that his mother was finally home.
“It means everything. I’ve been waiting for her to come home,” he said Saturday. “It’s incredible.”

Michele’s sisters, Cindy Skerjanec of Brighton and Amy McAlister of Longmont, were also there to welcome Michele.
Amy said the sisters cried a lot in the months following Michele’s accident, but now they laugh a lot, knowing the worst is over.
McAlister and her nieces and nephews flew down to Jackson Memorial last Easter because they thought they were going to have to say goodbye to Michele. But Michele, who had last rites read to her several times, had other plans.
“I said, ‘No way,’” she said.
And through the ups and downs of her recovery, the ups finally became more frequent, especially during Michele’s time at Boulder Manor, McAlister said.
“There was definitely a feeling when I thought the floor wasn’t going to drop out from under us,” she said.
McAlister and Skerjanec said they finally started to feel optimistic about Michele’s recovery when she got to Boulder Manor this past fall, and they believe music therapy really helped in Michele’s healing.

Michele’s best friend, Karen Long of Florida, agreed.
“She loves her music. From the beginning John had her iPod in her room,” she said. “Even in intensive care we played it all night long.”
While Michele was having difficulty relearning how to talk, she had no difficulty in singing along to the music, Long said. And, eventually, the words came, too.

Following her stay at Boulder Manor, Michele moved to the Mapleton Center in December, where she learned to eat a meal and walk down a hallway and up and down the stairs.
And now, with some help, Michele practices walking up and down the 14 stairs in her home.
“The (first) time I did it by myself, I almost fell,” she said. “I went all the way up and all the way down. It’s weird, but I do it.”
Because of the mounting medical bills, John was forced to put their home up for sale.

The O’Donnells plan to stay in Superior for another year or two, and then John hopes to build a new home on a piece of land outside of Fairplay.
John said the house doesn’t matter, though, and the family got back what was most important to them:

“It’s truly a miracle she’s here.”

UPDATE 1/28/2011

Michele O'Donnell, mother of 4, returns to Superior home after a year in hospitals






SUPERIOR -- A cruel irony will be at play at Michele O'Donnell's homecoming this weekend.

There will be balloons, fireworks and hundreds of friends, neighbors and well-wishers at her Alma Lane home in Superior on Saturday to welcome her back from a year of hospitals, rehab centers and five surgeries on her brain.

But the home where Michele has lived with her family for 11 years won't be hers for long.

The travails of having to keep the 42-year-old mother of four alive after she slipped and smashed her head in Mexico one year ago have resulted in months of missed work for her husband and piles of medical bills that have whittled away the family's savings.

Mortgage payments were missed, the house briefly fell into foreclosure last month, and now the place must be sold.

John O'Donnell, Michele's husband of 20 years, said the family will "downsize," rent a place nearby and work toward their long-term goal -- buying some property in Park County and building a modest home there.

"We'll live well below our means for the next couple of years until I can save up some money," John said. "I can rebuild, and I will. The two things I have to do most is take care of her and get back to work."

The stress of the O'Donnells' ordeal over the last 12 months was evident earlier this week. Tears welled in John's eyes as he stood on the upstairs landing of his Rock Creek house, where two showings were scheduled for later that day.

His recent handiwork -- a handicap-accessible shower and toilet stall that he constructed to make it possible for Michele to use the bathroom -- denoted a more auspicious time.

"When I had to pack up the very first box, I couldn't," said John, who owns an equipment financing business in Arvada.

But he refuses to let the accident pull him down.

Despite the troubles that have befallen his family since his wife slipped and struck her head on a wet bathroom floor at their vacation timeshare in Cancun on Jan. 27, 2010, John takes pleasure in the progress of Michele's recovery from near death.

"The good news is we got her, and all the rest doesn't matter," he said. "I got my girl back."

Michele, who left the Mapleton Rehabilitation Center in Boulder a week ago after a six-week stay, has gone from someone who was unresponsive and hooked up to an endless tangle of feeding and oxygen tubes to someone who smiles, laughs, jokes and teases her kids and husband.

"No way, dude," she said to John on Thursday, when he mentioned the impending move out of their home.

Like any mother might, she challenged her eldest son's plans to join the Navy, saying "maybe" when he talked about heading to boot camp.

"I remember the way she was on day one and halfway through it, and I'm so proud of her," said Billy O'Donnell, 18, who has regularly visited his mother at the seven hospitals and rehab facilities she has called home for a year. "It's a good feeling seeing her every day and night."

In the short time that has passed since the Camera profiled her story in late December, Michele has made remarkable strides forward.

She walks hundreds of feet at a time with a walker, converses in short sentences and phrases, and motions to her family members animatedly. She has lost the eye patch that served to counter her double vision, and her hair is slowly growing back to the shoulder length she desires.

Michele dresses herself, brushes her own hair and teeth and can make it up the stairs in her home with the help of a cane. Her cocktail of 15 medications has been reduced to just three.

"I do it all myself," Michele said, beaming from a chair in her family room. "Do it all -- I have to."

Her husband hopes she'll be able to return to her true passion -- cooking -- as soon as possible. She's already telling him where in the local Safeway he can find the ingredients for dinner, he said.

Amy McAlister marvels at the progress her sister makes each day.

"She says things she couldn't remember yesterday," said McAlister, before being overwhelmed by emotion and a stream of tears. "So many times along the way we thought, 'This is it.'"

Whether Michele truly recognizes that she will soon be leaving the home that she has always taken great pride in running isn't entirely clear. But she knows exactly -- without hesitation -- what she likes best about being back home.

"Him and my kids," Michele said, pointing to her husband and son. "That's what I want."

MIRACLE MICHELE IS COMING HOME!

MIRACLE MICHELE’S HOMECOMING!

An entire year has passed and Michele is finally coming home! She has endured multiple surgeries, drug induced comas, numerous infections, and intense physical therapy to bring her body and mind back to a condition that she is finally able to go home to her husband and children.

PLEASE JOIN US TO WELCOME MIRACLE MICHELE HOME
Saturday, January 29, 2011 - 1:00 p.m.
1856 Alma Lane, Superior CO 80027

A GRAND CELEBRATION WITH BALLOONS, FIREWORKS, FAMILY, FRIENDS & THOSE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED AND PRAYED FOR MICHELE AND HER FAMILY THIS YEAR

UPDATE 1/8/2011

Hi Everyone,
I got a call this morning from Michele and she asked me if I was coming for lunch today and I said yes. She said that she was going to walk up 18 stairs with her therapist, Bill and they were going to do it at 11:30 so I should come early. I got there right as they were ready to get started.
She kept saying "I can't" and "I'm freakin' out", but off we went. She got herself up from a lying position in bed and stood up all by herself and grabbed on to the walker. Off she went out the door, past the nurses station and sat down for a minute before she was off to the stairs.
Oh boy, when she saw the first set of 9 stairs, she started in with the "I can't" again, but Bill has a way with her and she started to climb, holding on to the railing with her right hand, which is her weakest. When she got to the landing she really said "I can't" but kept going. Bill had a chair at the top of second set so that she could rest before they headed back down again. She said "How am I going to get back down?". You know what Bill's answer was.
So she stood up and complained all the way down, but she did it. She grabbed on to her walker at the bottom of the stairs and walked back to the chair in the hall for a break. Then when she was ready, she walked back to her room. Instead of getting back in bed, Bill told her to sit in the wheelchair to eat her lunch with me. She complained about it, but she did and we had a nice lunch together.
She got back into bed for a little bit, but she was off to speech therapy at 12:45.

Sue

Michele O'Donnell Fights Back After Brain Injury

BOULDER DAILY CAMERA 12/25/2010

'Miracle Michele' prepares for a return to Superior home
Mother of four's life forever changed after freak accident in Mexico
By John Aguilar Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 12/25/2010 04:53:29 PM MST

Michele O Donnell, right, gets a kiss from her daughter, Alyssa, while her son, John III, and her sister, Amy McAlister, left, sit with her outside her hospital room at the Mapleton Rehabilitation Center at Boulder Community Hospital earlier this month. Michele suffered a severe brain injury when she slipped and fell during a family vacation in January. ( MARTY CAIVANO )

How to help Donations to the O'Donnell Family Fund can be made in person or by mail to:
1stBank
500 S. McCaslin Blvd.
Louisville, CO 80027
Account No. 868-290-1625

Visit http://www.miraclemichele.blogspot.com/ to read about Michele O'Donnell's life over the last 11 months. Donations can also be made on the blog via PayPal.

Michele O'Donnell has been trying for 11 months to get back to her Superior home.
The journey has been slow and wrenching: Michele, 42, has been through seven hospitals in two countries, undergone five brain surgeries, and twice came within a whisper of death.
But her family says the dream of having the once-vibrant mother of four back in "her domain" on Alma Lane could finally come true next month. That's when she's expected to be released from Boulder Community Hospital's rehabilitation wing, where she's trying to re-learn the most basic living skills after suffering a critical head injury when she slipped and fell during a family vacation.
"I can't quite say the home runs the same without her," said John O'Donnell, Michele's husband of 20 years, who has barely missed a day visiting his wife since her January accident. "She loved to entertain, she loved to cook, she loved to take care of her kids."
On a recent afternoon, Michele pointed and smiled at her two daughters and two sons as they milled around her hospital room. Her husband and eldest son helped her from a wheelchair to a bed, where she folded one hand over the other and looked longingly at her family.
Each day brings improvement and reason for the O'Donnell family to hope that everything will be a little closer to normal again. Michele can eat solid food now, string together rudimentary sentences, and even walk a few dozen feet with help. She smiles and weeps and

Michele O Donnell gives her husband, John, a thumbs-up after he helped her into bed at the Mapleton Rehabilitation Center at Boulder Community Hospital earlier this month. At left is their son, Billy. ( MARTY CAIVANO )

responds to her husband during talks on the phone -- a far cry from the listless months where she would stare joylessly straight ahead, or not open her eyes at all.
But she has a long way to go to become the person she once was.
Dr. Julie Stapleton, a doctor at the Mapleton Rehabilitation Center who has worked closely with Michele, said Michele's injury -- an acute subdural hematoma -- was severe, and the complications she endured during her long recovery have taken their toll.
"She won't be 100 percent again, but I can also promise she will get a lot better," Stapleton said.
She said Michele's chances for significant additional improvement are bolstered by the amount of attention and love her family has shown her.
It's a level of love and commitment her family plans to continue giving her as long as she needs it.

'I heard a crack'
On Jan. 27, John O'Donnell was resting in the living room of his family's timeshare in Cancun, Mexico, when he heard a sound he'll never forget.
"I heard a fall and I heard a crack," he said. "Then nothing."
He rushed into the bathroom and found his wife lying on the granite floor bleeding profusely. She had slipped on a wet spot and landed on the back of her head.
Paramedics rushed Michele to the local hospital, where she underwent 51/2 hours of surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. She slipped in and out of consciousness and breathed on a respirator.
"She was fighting for her life," John said.
That fight continued for the next month in Cancun and the next two months at Jackson Memorial Trauma Center in Miami. Some days were better than others, and some were simply horrible.
In late March, Michele had several seizures and her brain began to exert five to seven times its normal pressure. She didn't wake up for three days. Doctors removed an abscess from her brain and she lapsed into critical condition and remained unresponsive for weeks. She had to wear a mouth guard to keep from biting her tongue.
The next month Michele stopped breathing while her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa visited with her. "We almost lost her twice," John said. At

Michele O Donnell gets a kiss from her son, Billy, as she receives acute care in a Cancun, Mexico, hospital about a month after slipping and striking her head on the floor during a family vacation. (Courtesy of the O'Donnell family)

the end of April, Michele was finally stable enough to fly to Colorado, where she entered the neuro-intensive care unit at St. Anthony's Central in Denver. Spring dragged into summer and summer into fall, and Michele was moved to Kindred Hospital in Denver, then Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, then Boulder Manor, an intensive nursing care facility.
In mid-December she was admitted to Mapleton Rehabilitative Center in Boulder.
Michele's body has been under incredible wear and tear during the last 11 months. For most of that time, her head has been shaved of her long blonde hair to make her brain accessible to surgeons and doctors. Part of her skull, which had inexplicably been lost by medical personnel at the hospital in Miami, has been replaced with a titanium flap. She takes up to 15 medications a day to stave off brain headaches, pain and seizures.
For Michele's sister, Amy McAlister, the tragedy of Jan. 27 brings her deep sadness. She remembers a person who never had time to rest or be idle. Aside from running a busy household and overseeing four children ranging in age from 8 to 18, Michele worked with her husband at his business and equipment financing firm in Arvada.
"The girl never sat still," McAlister said. "If it wasn't doing stuff around the house, it was doing stuff for others. She always had lists, always had things she had to get done."
While Michele has been stilled from her busy life, her family and friends have taken delight in the improvements of the last couple of months.
Steve Smith, a family friend, said he was floored this past autumn when he noticed Michele express emotion for the first time in eight months. She winked at him as he read the newspaper to her and smiled ever so slightly, as if she could understand what he was saying.
"It was almost like she re-entered her body," he said.
Since then, Smith has seen Michele, who now has a short crop of golden hair, take her first steps and crack her first jokes.
"There's a fight inside of this lady that you can't believe," he said.
Astronomical bills
But the fight for life hasn't been cheap.
John's business has had to take a back seat to his wife's well-being. Meanwhile, the medical bills for Michele's care have climbed into astronomical figures. The O'Donnells' home in Superior was foreclosed on in mid-December.
"I've had to take care of her medical needs, so I had to let the mortgage go," John said.
Despite the foreclosure filing, the family hopes to remain in the house for the foreseeable future. John moved ahead with renovations, making the bathroom and master bedroom wheelchair accessible. He is trying to figure out if he needs to install some kind of lift or elevator in the home.
"He's wiped out," said Smith, who fears that his friends won't be able to remain in the house for much longer.
Even so, John recently took over for Smith as president of the Rock Creek Homeowners Association, a move Smith described as his friend's way of staying busy and staving off depression. John also started a blog called "Miracle Michele," in which he documents the struggles, and the increasing delights, that have unfolded over the last 11 months.
John said he places his trust in God and draws off his Catholic faith for inspiration and the will to go on. The result is a man who greets everyone with an infectious energy and warm smile -- the rare person who seems devoid of pessimism.
He said his wife -- and high-school sweetheart (Michele graduated from Boulder High while John graduated from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora) -- supported him when he lost a kidney to cancer. Now it's her turn to receive his undying love.
"She never left my side and I will never leave her side," he said. "We'll figure it out. If I have to get five jobs, I will."
John said his children have been instrumental in keeping the household running in Michele's absence. Their oldest son, 18-year-old Billy, has had to shoulder much of the burden of caring for the family. The Monarch High senior, who is bound for the Navy, said his mother's accident thrust him into adulthood sooner than he could have ever guessed.
"We help each other out to make meals, to get to school," Billy said of his siblings. "I'm glad this was pushed on me. It made me grow up."
Going home a year later
Now the family thinks of nothing but bringing Michele home. If she is released from the Mapleton center in Boulder at the end of January, as expected, she will have spent a full year away from home.
"We're all excited for her to be here at this next level," said John, caressing his wife's arm outside her hospital room as she sat up straight in her wheelchair. "Normally you don't want to see someone crying. But in this case, it means you're living, you're getting better."
John has asked friends and family to wait until 3 p.m. every day before visiting Michele so she can put all of her focus on getting better.
McAlister said her sister walks farther and farther every day, pushing herself through the pain and frustration of making her body work again.
"She cursed and screamed and cried through the whole thing, but she did it," McAlister said of a recent physical therapy session.
Smith said he doesn't know how long it will take, but he's confident that one day his friend will be her old self again -- funny, buoyant, tireless and ready to welcome someone into her home for a delicious meal and an evening of grand conversation.
"The truth is that I believe that Michele will recover 100 percent," Smith said. "I think she'll amaze everyone."

Contact Camera Staff Writer John Aguilar at 303-473-1389 or aguilarj@dailycamera.com.


Read more: 'Miracle Michele' prepares for a return to Superior home - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_16933998#ixzz19BWvG9ec DailyCamera.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE O'DONNELL FAMILY

Merry Christmas from The O'Donnell Family

As you all know 2010 brought our family a tragedy that has kept us on our toes throughout the entire year. We started out the year with "Hope". Hope that our Mother and wife would make it through the day, week, month and ultimately the year. Our Faith kept us strong during trying times when we just were not sure what the outcome would be. Our Love for each other grew even stronger than ever before and when you add them all together we ended up with a year of Faith, Hope and Love that resulted in a Miracle from our Lord. Our Family is truly blessed this year.

Billy now 18 has grown up so much this year and has become a gentleman. He recently finished high school and is preparing to head off to the navy early next year. Billy is a waiter at local restaurant and enjoys skiing twice a week.

Tana is 16 and now has her drivers license and is a Junior in high school. She has a boyfriend and works at an Ice cream store at the mall, babysitter and hangs out with her friends.

Alyssa is 14 and is in 8th grade. She has been doing great in school to prepare for high school. Alyssa is also a babysitter and enjoys hanging out with her friends. She is still our little artist of the family and she is painting many pictures. She has taken a special interest in her Mothers care and I will not be surprised to see her someday working in the health care industry.

John is 8 and still the smiling joy in our house. He works hard at school work and plays every spare minute with the neighborhood boys. Legos, dart gun wars, Xbox, WII are some of his favorite things to do.

I spent the entire year in hospitals praying next to my wife. I watched her for 6 months as she continued to get worse and worse and while I never gave up Hope I continued to pray by her side and ask God to give her back to her family. I watched my children grow up quickly this year and I was amazed and proud on how well they responded to every battle we faced as a family. They flew out to Florida the week of Easter as I felt that their Mother may not make it and all of them handled it well and the week we spent together in the hospital will never be forgotten.

Michele will attend Christmas Eve mass with the family and she will be home Christmas day to spend the holiday with her family. Michele should be home on January 27th exactly 1 year after her fall and we are blessed to have her back.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Miracle Michele, John, Billy, Tana, Alyssa and John John

UPDATE 12/22

I can't help but write a little note about my visit with Michele this afternoon. I arrived at 3:05 today, and Michele was grinning from ear to ear, telling me that she just got her feed tube taken out 10 minutes ago! She showed me her bandage (see the great pic), said that it hurt, and also said that she was supposed to have PT any minute . . . and that Dr. Stapleton told her just to rest for the remainder of the afternoon. She also just got her period, so between that and the feed tube removal, she was NOT going to PT. (You know what I was thinking . . . WE'LL SEE!)

Heather, the physical therapist came in right on cue and Michele got very upset saying that Dr. Stapleton told her to rest. Heather checked this out and told Michele that Dr. Stapleton had not said this . . . and then the real fun began! Michele got very upset, but after Heather calmed her down, and I told her that maybe I could watch her session and see what she could do, she started smiling and looking to prove herself. I said that there was no way she could be in enough pain that she was smiling at the same time, so she whipped her legs off the side of the bed and pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the side of her bed. She sat up very tall on her own and I was just amazed to be able to see this progress from December 9. She was supporting herself completely, with feet on the floor. Very cool.

Heather first stretched out Michele's right foot and leg, which was really tight. The two of them had a conversation regarding the tightness and the fact that this leg was looser than it was just yesterday. Then, Heather put her wheelchair in front of her, with handles facing Michele. Michele tucked her feet in a bit and with just a little of Heather's help, stood straight up, holding the handles. It was beyond amazing. There was no crying . . . only smiling! I wish I had my camera to show you how she did this. Her hips are still a little tight so her butt was out a bit, but the rest of her body was straight and tall. After standing for about a minute, she reached back towards the bed and sat back down. Then, it was up again to a standing position. She did this three times and on the third time I stood in front of her . . . looking at her eye to eye . . . something I told her we hadn't done in a year! It was so cool and she was smiling! She said "I'm going home to be with my girls and boys!" That's the truth!

After she got back to bed I told Heather that this is Michele's new bar - that she can work through ANYTHING, even the pain of her period and after having her feed tube yanked out! Her headache was only at a 4, which was lower than I've seen in a very long time. She looked great and obviously felt great. The only thing that's bugging her now is that darned eye patch. Amy came in and then an old family friend, Ann Williamson who volunteers at the hospital on Tuesdays. Michele was very talkative and it was a great visit! I left at 4:30 so Amy could give Michele her manicure treatment. And did I mention, NO FEED TUBE!!!!!!!

Cindy.

UPDATE 12/19

Well it has been just over a week at Mapleton and Michele is doing great. This transition to the 7th and hopefully the last hospital has been one of the hardest. You would think we have this down by now but each new phase she goes through gets tougher and tougher with this one being no different. The family had to come to terms with the fact that it is best that we are not at the hospital during the day as Michele has work to do and we would only be in the way. This is tough as we all have spent so much time with her and know her routine and what she wants and needs, however this is exactly why we needed to stay away. What we were used to is what Michele has to now learn on her own. No more speaking for her, no more getting the tissue box, no more helping get dressed, no more helping to eat. All of these things we all take for granted and Michele has to learn them again as if she was a new born baby. I can proudly say she can now walk over 60 feet with a walker, dress her self, bathe her self, eat, take her meds by mouth, brush her hair and teeth and much more. She does not always want to do the things she is being made to and that is why I made it mandatory that she has no visitors during the day until after 3pm. It is very hard to watch as she trys to say no to therapy and no is not an option. This is her job and she only has a limited amount of time. Because of this she is really progressing very quickly because she wants to come home. Today she started to use the stairs which means she will walk to her bedroom when she finally returns home. Our goal is for her to return home on January 27th which will be the 1 year anniversary of her accident. I have a calendar on her wall and we mark off each day getting closer to our goal. I had Michele's shunt moved again this week as she has lost the ability to say her childrens names and I think the adjustment just may do the trick and we will see over the next few weeks. Michele will be fitted for prism glasses for the time being and we will have her 6th nerve operated on in the future to fix her double vision. My sister Brenda came to visit and helped me with the transition to the new hospital.

John

SPECIAL UPDATE 12/15

A very special request for my sister Miracle Michele and her family:

Dear Friends and Family,

I have a very special request of you this holiday season. If you know me well, you know how much my sister Michele means to me. This past year has been more difficult than I could ever imagine, for myself… but more importantly for my sister and her family. There are several people I know who can’t live without her, me being one of them.

As you shop for holiday gifts over the next few weeks, please take the flyer below into department stores and grocery stores. Ask to speak to the manager and tell them Michele’s story. Tell them about her children and husband, and what they’ve all endured the past year. Many stores have an alottment of gift cards they can give away for charitable reasons. How great would it be for us to present John and his family with a stack of gift cards to make this a great Christmas!

Regardless of the lifestyle any of us lead, the O’Donnell Family needs our help right now, and I for one am not ashamed or embarrassed to ask for your help. I would do anything for them, so please help me with my fundraiser! John has no idea I’m doing this, but I think he’ll catch on when the gift cards come rolling in.

Please send the gift cards to the address below. On the outside of your envelope write “Amy’s Fundraiser”.

THANK YOU ALL!!!
Michele’s Partner in Crime, Amy

The O’Donnell Family – 1856 Alma Lane Superior, CO 80027

For those of you out of state, our local grocery stores are Safeway, Alberstons, Whole Foods and Kroger Stores.

PRINT FLYER BELOW

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On January 27, 2010 Michele O’Donnell fell and suffered an acute subdural hematoma, requiring emergency surgery to save her life. She was in Cancun, Mexico on vacation with her family, and spent the next month in ICU fighting for her life in and out of comas, and enduring a multitude of infections in the hospital in Mexico. Her husband John was by her side the entire time.
When Michele was stable enough to fly back to the United States on a Medivac flight, John was by her side when they landed on US soil. It was an emotional day for her entire family. Although the family lives in Colorado, the closest flight from Mexico was to Miami, Florida, as Michele's safety was priority. She spent the next 2 months in ICU, enduring another hematoma, several surgeries and another round of infections. There was no real prognosis of Michele’s recovery, it was a constant waiting game and there were no clear answers or solutions to her injuries. John remained by her side in Miami, and flew the kids down during Easter when things looked like they were taking a turn for the worse.

In April, Michele was stable enough to make the trip home to Colorado on another Medivac flight with John. She endured another surgery, replacing the portion of her skull that was removed and discarded in Miami. She spent another 2 weeks in ICU before being transferred to an acute care hospital for 5 months, a skilled nursing facility for 2 months, and is currently going through intense physical, occupational and speech therapy for 50 days in a specialized rehab facility for patients with brain injuries.

Michele O’Donnell is the mother of 4 children, Billy 18, Tana 16, Alyssa 14, and John John 9. She is married to her high school sweetheart, John of nearly 20 years. Michele has always lived her life to the fullest and truly enjoys being a mother and wife. She loves to cook, and created her own cookbook for friends and family of recipes that she has created over the years. Her home is her domain, and is a place where Michele entertains friends and family often, for any occasion.
We hope that Michele regains the ability to walk and talk, so that she can lead the life she deserves to lead. As before, her life will be dedicated to raising her children and enjoying a fulfilling marriage with her husband. Her husband and 4 children are clearly her purpose for living. YOU MAY FOLLOW MICHELE’S RECOVERY AT http://www.miraclemichele.blogspot.com/

UPDATE 12/8

It has been some time since my last email but the action has not stopped regarding Michele's recovery. Every day is a new day and full of accomplishments. I have spent the last 2 weeks planning Michele's next step in her progression towards her ultimate goal of returning home for good. Michele needs to go to an Acute rehab facility which means she needs to participate at least 3 hours a day. This is a tough task for someone that has spent 10 months without moving at all however I do believe Michele is ready for the next step in her recovery and when I ask her if she is ready she says yes but she is scared. Her therapy is hard and changing hospitals brings new chalanges and more work. If you know my Michele you all know she is a hard worker and she will make it ovr time. She is not one to give up easily and over time she will get used to her new schedule. I have included below the last 2 updates from her sisters to let you all know what she has been doing the last few days. Michele will be discharged from the Boulder Manor tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM and heading to Mapleton Rehab Center located in Boulder. This facility is close to home and gives the family a chance to help in her rehab on a daily basis. You will see below what progress Michele has made recently as she has discovered the "PHONE" I get a call 3-4 times a day and I cant tell you how excited I am to talk to my wife during the day no matter where I am. I have spent the last 11 months making an effort to go to the hospital to kiss my wife good night EVERY night and I still do for the most part but this new communication takes us to a new level as I can actually have a conversation with her over the phone and it is like when we were teens. You know the story! "I love you! I love you too! ok you hang up first, no you, OK on the count of three we both hang up. 1,2,3 are you still there of course I am you did not hang up, but you agreed to hang up, so did you. Ok lets try this again on the count of 3 we will hang up. OK? Yes.

I feel like a kid again! John


12-06-10 by Amy McAlister

Michele had a great evening... she was REALLY talkative! It's amazing that now she can almost talk in full sentences. AND she's HILARIOUS!!! We were laughing pretty hard. One of her favorite things to do is talk on the phone, and boy did she ever surprise me yesterday!!!

Michele called my work phone around 12:50 yesterday. I was so surprised when I answered! Although we used to talk every day, she was actually the last person I expected to hear on the other line. I asked her if Cindy was there and she said, "no she just left". So I asked if Cindy wrote down my work number for her and she said, "no, I remembered it!". WOW!!! Amazing!!! I called her again when I left work to tell her I was on the way and ask if she needed anything. It's really cool that she has this new connection to the outside world!

Billy called to chat with his Mom for awhile, and Michele also talked to Karen at length.

We practiced names earlier in the evening, and it really upsets her when she can't get names right. When she holds up 4 fingers I know she's referring to the kids. It's a relief when she laughs at herself when she gets the name wrong, and she's determined to get it right.

Overall, Michele had no complaints last night, other than her meds were late. She called Lindsay in to ask for them. Dinner was ordered, and when it arrived, she ate quite a bit - pasta with a light meat sauce. She seemed to enjoy it. Amy.

12-08-10 Cindy Skerjanec.

I write this report today with mixed feelings . . . thinking about how far Michele has come at Boulder Manor, and getting the news today that she will move over to Mapleton Rehabilitation Center TOMORROW MORNING! Yes, John was able to work some magic and get her approved to move quickly. Michele is a little nervous about it (she keeps thinking that she needs to be walking on day one) but everyone that came in and talked to her today, or said goodbye, told her that she was going to do great! She had a sweet and tearful goodbye with Carla, as she told Carla that she loved her and thanked her for everything she did. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.



She was in good spirits and even sent me out (with Carla's approval) to McDonald's to get her a plain cheeseburger since she had missed the lunch tray earlier in the afternoon. Carla worked with her on speech while John worked with the wheelchair guy on fitting Michele's wheelchair with some new bells and whistles.



Michele pointed to the pictures and practiced names as John carefully removed all of the pictures from the walls and the closet door. He got everything boxed up and ready to go for tomorrow, taking most of it with him in his car. The room is pretty bare now, which made the reality of it all hit home. We have all gotten so comfortable with the staff, knowing each person by name and by their quirky personality traits, and knowing her schedule to a tee. Now all of that is going to be new again, which I think scares Michele a little, too. She had that place hopping!

Her head was itchy, so when Liz came, she and I washed Michele's hair in her bed and she said it felt much better afterwards. Billy was going to stop by and have dinner with Liz and Michele in her room, which she was really looking forward to.

Hard to believe that we are on to a new adventure again . . . one surely to be filled with many more exciting advancements! John said that the staff at Mapleton will need some time to evaluate Michele, and get her routine and schedule down before we all make our plans to visit. Stay tuned for more information as we work to accommodate the new facility and the new rhythm of Michele's schedule. We will get a new schedule together once everything has been established, but I'm guessing that next week will be a family-only week as we set the stage for this new stepping stone for Michele. Cindy.

Our Miracle does not seem to stop and only gets better by the day. Michele and I spent the evening last night going over her complete story including pictures of what she has been through. Yes all the gory details I have told her and shown all pictures. She was amazed, emotional and in wonderment. She asked why am I alive? This was really bad! Why am I still hear? I told her she was a true Miracle and we all need to appreciate the wonderful gife that has been give to us and use our new gift of life to the fullest potential. She agreed and we vowed to work together to make the best of the miracle that has been bestowed upon our family. Michele is determined to get better and continue her life with her family and friends. It is only a matter of time now.

John

UPDATE 11/25

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Our family has a lot to be thankful for this year. Michele came home today from 1pm to 8pm and we had 16 people at the house. I cooked my first Turkey and it turned out perfect. The rest of the family brought dishes and help out to make this a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Michele is normally the one in the kitchen as cooking is her passion. Today was my turn to do the cooking and she kept calling me over to tell me she was bored. I could tell she wanted to help but she is not ready for that yet. Michele did have dinner and ate half her plate. Last night I spent the time to write our prayer for thanksgiving and I though I would share it with all as it really does have a common factor between all faiths. "The commitment to life" Again our family has a lot to be thankful for and we will never forget it. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

John

Thanksgiving Prayer 2010

Lord God we pray to you in rejoice of the life you have spared upon our family. Our petty living and abundance's have separated us from our true vision in your eyes over time but you have always shown us the true way to "love life and prayer" in your name. We are all thankful for the true miracle you have bestowed upon us and we vow now to never let that miracle be forgotten and we promise to use this opportunity to help others in need.

Your servant our Pope Benedict XVI has ask us all to join him in prayer this weekend of Thanksgiving Saturday at dusk, to pray for the commitment of life that has been given to us all by you our savior. How appropriate for a nation wide prayer after 500 years from a Pope to pray for life that is of all race, creed and religion in common. Our family has only one prayer and it is yours, one of life love and family. We pray to you for continued blessings upon our family and we continue to pray to you to continue your work to help our dear Miracle Michele as she struggles in her recovery by your guidance.

Bless our food and our family as we are thankful for the life you have given us all.

UPDATE 11/24

"Projects" as we call them in the O'Donnell family are often events were us men have nothing else to do but to tear down something and build in the new. It is often a hobby and keeps us busy and out of trouble. Over the years I have learned my share of handyman talents mostly from my Father as well as my Brother and Uncles. Since Michele and I bought our home we have just about renovated every part of the house but our bathroom. I wanted to do something special for Michele before her arrival home for good as in her condition she would never be able to use our current master bathroom including the shower, tub and toilet. What Michele needed was a handicap accessible bathroom that she cold use when she return home.

Well with that said about 4 weeks ago I got out the tools and started demolition. The usual trusted and steady helpers followed immediately, Brian, Billy and John John. After a week of demo and reconstruction I started to feel the work wearing on me. I forgot one helper that was always by my side, telling me to stop for the evening, feeding me and messaging my muscles for the next day "Michele". My point was I would go non stop with out Michele. I was truly wearing myself out for the first time in my life with a "project". This was not like me but I had to call in the troops. Other than my Father who would have been at my home in a moments notice the next best and most trusted carpenter I know showed up within a week to help with the project. Jim O'Donnell my Uncle, my fathers brother as well as Brians father came to the rescue. His wife Kathy came to keep us all in line, cook wonderful food and help with being a caregiver to Michele. Brian and I had most of the construction done before Jim arrived and honestly I had never done tile work before. I guess that was the one thing my father never taught me in construction. I can tell you though that from the tutelage of his brother Jim I have now learned the art of tiling. Jim upon his arrival decided on the pattern we should make and OH! it just so happens it is one of the toughest patterns to do. I feel like I can tile the world now after learning what we did. As you can see from the Pics below Michele now has a wonderful 35 square foot shower with 3 shower heads and a seat. she can operate the shower from a sitting position or from a wheelchair. Her toilet is handicap approved and she has handle bars all around where needed.

After 4 weeks of non stop work in the evenings till 3AM at times the work was done. My fathers brother came to the rescue and I thank him and Kathy for that. My trusted right hand man Brian never left my side and my 2 sons learned something from this that my father was never able to teach me. My wish was for Michele to see the finished project and that has yet to come. She is unable to get to the upstairs without being carried and she is not ready for that. She has seen the Pics and is waiting for the day to see the unbelievable job done by the trusted O'Donnell boys.

Thanks guys and this one is for the scrap book!

John