Latest posts
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Pinwheels and Storms
On Thursday I stood on the top of Mt. Whitney at 14,508ft. I was higher than every land-bound person in the lower 48 at that moment. On the long journey up (and down) my heart was filled with anxiety, joy, sadness, fear and a million other emotions. My mind raced as I tried to calm my senses…
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But is it Art?
“If the purpose of art is to nourish the spirit, what more appropriate place to find it than a hospital, where our spirit may encounter its most critical moments.” Eileen Lawton As most of you probably know or have guessed, we are a family of artists. Vernon originally got a degree in painting and mine…
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Oxygen
Yesterday, Vernon had another procedure that would allow the doctors to try to drain the hematoma in his pelvic region. They didn’t discover the infection living there, so the mystery continues. I trust it will be discovered soon. He continues to run high sweating fevers, but this could also be the body reacting to the drug withdrawal as well…
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Signs and Wonders
Hi, I’m Jen. If I haven’t met you somewhere along this journey, I’m one of the many people out there blessed first by Allison’s friendship, then by the addition of Vernon and Maki into her, and our lives. It was about a year ago that Vernon, a font designer, and myself, a graphic designer, decided…
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Marathon Man
The mantra of the SICU: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” There must be a more interesting way to keep saying the same thing, something for the non-runners among us. Since I’ve never run a marathon (but have always admired those who do) I don’t actually know what this means. I guess it means its a loooooong race–…
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Empathy
em·pa·thy ˈempəTHē/ noun the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ –Ian Maclaren This is a photo of David, who works the coffee cart in the main lobby of the hospital. Not only does he make a mean soy cappuccino, but…
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Good Vibrations
Today, one of Vernon’s close friends, Chris Owen, played a little improvisational guitar to help lure him back to us with some good vibrations. He seemed to really wake up to it, even responding with some body movement (typically shoulder shrugs, which seem to control the ‘hand-squeezes’ we have been getting from him.) These movements are…
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What’s in a Name
Vernon continues to improve in tiny but noticeable steps. Today I talked to him more about the accident and what had happened, though I’m not sure how much he can remember or was able to understand. His ‘hand squeezes’ (mostly from the upper arm because his fingers still have so little grasp) became especially strong when…
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Eye Contact
Vernon is having a difficult transition back to our world. Basically he has been pumped up with drugs that have kept him in deep sedation and out of any pain. So now his body has to recover from what would be a massive Class A drug addiction. He is showing signs of “storming,” which includes physical agitation,…
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Sedation.
Hi All, this has been a heavy week. Vernon is completely off sedation and this time tomorrow he will be off pain medications and onto methadone which is easier to get off later. I will be heading out of town for next week at an extremely critical time for Vernon and the family. I’ve been…