This  info is from earlier today when I visited Jeannette after breakfast. She brushed her teeth and then face timed with Rich a couple of times.  She instructed Rich that he needed to get himself an iPad for his birthday so she could have hers.  Then they can face time whenever they want.  I think she is also getting to the point where she can read and would like to have the print or audio option in a variety of books.  The big event occurred at 1100, when the PT team arrived and moved her on to the cardiac chair.  It was sunny outside so they decided to take her for a spin out to the lobby.  Yes, Jeannette escaped from the room. She did the chairborne version of a sit up for 3 minutes, 1 minute longer than yesterday.  She also did some arm exercises and increased the # of reps. The lobby was getting a bit warm, so she got a tour of the gym and the rest of the hospital.  She was very appreciative of the Deacon from St Patricks who visited at noon.   As I was relieved by Joyce at 1230, Jeannette was still in her chair and the plan for the afternoon was a bath.  I talked to Sam a couple of hours ago but she had not heard a report from Joyce on the afternoon activities.  Rich is looking forward to visiting Jeannette on Sunday. Sully[...]

This is an early evening update, because I do not anticipate getting any more information for today.    Sam is on a jet heading back to Seattle, and I actually called Rich to get the update information for this note.   Jeannette's big news for the day was they actually got her out of bed!   They put her in a special chair that they wheeled into the room, and that was a major effort but somehow they got her into it and she stayed there for several hours!    I was trying to picture the HOW, and it no doubt would have been an interesting thing to see, but nevertheless they made it happen.   Another highlight was that Rich had a chance to "FaceTime" with Jeannette, sitting at home in Willow and talking to her in the ICU.    From his report Jeannette continues to eat well, and she managed all three meals without any nausea.    And that's the update--short, to the point, and oh so sweet.   I like it when things are going well!-John[...]

Tonight's update is another "good news" update, with a reflection on luck as Anchorage was pounded by a major storm.   The news from Jeannette's room is all good; Rich had a good 4 hour visit, and Sam and Sully and the "gang" left the two of them "solo" for a while, which let Rich take care of the lunch time feeding.  From the reports he did well, and I have heard he was really excited to show Jeannette the "FaceTime" feature of the iPad, and I can equate to that as I use it all of the time when I am traveling overseas.   [...]

As I'm writing this there is a major windstorm going on, with rain blowing sideways out my window.   On top of that, the lights are flickering and my computer's standby power supply is working overtime.   But still, on I write, as there are things to say and good news to report.    Today marks yet another day of forward progress for Jeannette, with lots of good "little things" to share and nothing on the negative side to report.  It's one of the message nights when the keyboard can sing, because good news is great news when we are in the ICU.[...]

The evening report is short tonight, but very positive; with good news from Jeannette's room and no new concerns.  Today she was visited by Rich, which sort of "made the day", and the big news is that all of her "numbers" continued to be good.    Although today was a holiday, nevertheless the medical team was busy with her today, with a morning program of physical therapy, where they had her sitting up on her own, as well as doing range of motion arm exercises that tired her out.  [...]

Just thought I'd take a short minute out to relay a little good news, especially after the update I made last night.   Jeannette is feeling better today and while the nausea issue is still there, it appears to be under control.    I got this news directly from Rich and Sam, who were there too in her room when I called, and all in all it's working to be a "good day" in the ICU.   They relayed to me that Jeannette was actually eating some solid food again as of a short while ago, and all of her numbers were looking even better today.   So it appears the ICU roller coaster ride is on one of the calm "flat stretches" that I've come to appreciate, and that seemed worth sharing.--John[...]

I noticed on the posts that several people commented that this story could make a great book, and perhaps at some point that might be true.  But not right now.   This story is unlike any book I've ever read, and the truth is that although many of the words written are mine, they are being written by someone who has no knowledge of what will happen or where the next turn will go, and the real truth is that the storyline and the plot are all in God's hands.  [...]

It has been a rainy day here in Alaska, but even so I managed a visit into Anchorage to see Jeannette, and then a later afternoon flight out to Willow to say "hi" to Rich.   Jeannette was looking good to me; and those all important "numbers" were getting better and that was a nice trend for the weekend.   Her white blood cell count was dropping, which is a good thing,  and her red blood cell was holding, which is also a good thing,  so all in all those all important numbers were all "in the green" from this pilot perspective, and that made for a quite and uneventful day.   When I was there with Sully, Joyce and Sam were also there, and together we had a few laughs and told some stories that had Jeannette laughing too.    [...]

I am writing this at the end of a special day; i.e. Jeannette's birthday!   We tend to take birthdays in stride in life; another year, another candle on the cake.  But some birthdays are clearly better than others.  To me, this day was a very special celebration of hope for many people, all standing by Jeannette and wishing her a speedy recovery.   How long has it been?   Forty-three days? WOW!    When I look back on all the updates and posts that have marked the journey between the THEN and the NOW, its hard to take it all in.  [...]

Per Rich's request, here is an update from my late morning visit with Jeannette (Sam went to Willow to do errands with Rich)

When I arrived at St Elias, Jeannette was sitting up and Ann, former Willow librarian was visiting and feeding Jeannette ice chips. Jeanette was doing very well with the speaking valve, and she was alert and her old joking self.  After Ann left, the speech therapist came in. Part of her routine is to get Jeannette to eat normal food.  She did awesome, eating some cream of wheat with honey and milk.  She also got some bananas and plenty of water. After eating, Jeannette got to play 15 questions and do some other cognitive tests. She did very well on all of it and her therapist pronounced her ready for level 2 food. That is real food!  She wanted a soft boiled egg.  She will be concentrating on eating this week and move into more mental gymnastics next week.  Jeannette and I had a pretty good conversation after that.  She was explaining to me the Drs' proposed plan for future work that will make her the bionic woman. She was smiling and letting the nursing staff know how appreciative she was every time they turned her or adjusted her bed.  The tough part was that, now that she can communicate so well, she asked me to do something I wasn't supposed to...bend her knee. We'll all have to be careful that she doesn't trick us into doing something against Drs orders.  She had a busy morning and started to doze, and it seemed like she was fighting sleep to talk to me, so I reluctantly left. Sam headed to St Elias mid- afternoon, so the next report should be from her. Sully[...]