Thursday

7 days makes one weak...

Garrett is still on full life support. He was able to follow some commands this morning; "open your eyes", "squeeze my hand"... The EEG results showed no sign of any additional brain damage from Garrett's episode last night. The results showed what we already knew, that the right-side of his brain has been damaged by a stroke. There was good oxygen and blood flow to Garrett's brain during CPR, yesterday. Garrett's kidney function is back on track. His lungs are clear. He is moving both legs! These are all good things. But we are still not out of the woods. The doctors theorize that he is suffering from a rare autoimmune disease: antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. This may be the cause of the clotting in Garrett's body. It will be another couple days before the blood tests return, possibly confirming the doctors' suspicions. The doctors would like to try a plasma exchange on Garrett to remove the antibodies that are affecting him. The doctors are working with a critical balance of treatment on Garrett. Though he is in critical condition, the benefits of the plasma exchange outweigh the risks. Pray for Garrett's strong spirit to help heal his body. Garrett needs to know that he is safe and that he is loved and, most importantly, that he is good.

Again, the outpouring of support continues to surprise us all. Thank you guys! Let's keep up the GOOD work! Many of you have asked if we are going to set up a gofundme page, or similiar. The answer is yes. We are evaluating current and future needs. When we have a more finite answer on Garrett's condition and treatment, as well as the evaluated needs, we have a team ready to kick that off. Hang tight, we'll let you know. Thank you guys.

We would like to specifically thank all of Garrett's friends at the AAC for all of your love and support. You guys made an awesome card - he's gonna love it! Thank you.Theresa Hernandez, also with the AAC, thank you for all your help in facilitating Garrett's move. Thank you, that is a huge help!  Aramark Team, you're up! Special *thank you* to Jake Horton and Garrett's friends at Aramark. Wow, thank you for all of your efforts to help make this Christmas a little brighter for Garrett's girls. I know everyone will be very appreciative!

And thank you all for your prayers, messages, good thoughts - all of your support!  I'm still amazed at just how many people Garrett has touched. He really is loved by so many.

So, exhale... ...deep breath in... one more time, exhale... ...inhale... and we'll keep you updated here!

(don't forget to exhale)