Rich's temperature hit 98.6 a little while ago, and even I recognize that as a great number to see.   They have him still sedated, with the ventilator breathing deep, working the fight against the pneumonia according to the doctor's careful orchestrated plan.   The feeling I get from talking with Sam is that she is well pleased with his new hospital, and the staff that is working on him.   She likes the aggressive nature of the treatment, the "go after it" mentality that seems to be working.    Although he is "out of it", his little feet are dancing in the bed, and he's clearly fidgety.   Of course, for those of us who know Rich all so well, nothing less would be expected.[...]

Jeannette's evening surgery went well; it was short and everything went as planned.  Dr George, a top rated surgeon in Alaska, did the surgery and Jeannette tolerated it without issues.  Her external fixture (ex-fix) was removed and with that metal removed it will allow her MRI to be done on Tuesday.  That's the plan as it stands right now.   - John[...]

Jeannette's news is positive tonight; for more than a few reasons.   She woke up enough today that the nurse was able to ask her to "wiggle her toes" and she did.   That means several things; she is awake enough to hear, and to process information, and it also means that here is no nerve damage preventing her from moving her toes.   With both legs broken and with a fracture in her neck that's an especially good thing.  All of her numbers continue to look good, and she has the "A-Team" of doctors working to get her better.   [...]

The weekend is behind us and the new week has started, and already there are some big things to report.  They have moved Rich!   Yes, operation "Bald Eagle Transport" occurred a little while ago, and Rich is now across town, two doors down from Jeannette, in his new ICU cubical at the Providence Trauma Center.   It's a good place to be.   This is a HUGE load off of Sam, as now she can monitor what is going on with both of them, instead of tearing up the highway between Palmer and Anchorage.   One of the things we have learned is that having a family member there, watching the staff, is a big help, and probably adds to the quality of care.   Perhaps its the old adage, "..the squeaky wheel gets the oil" but clearly, when Rich or Jeannette needs something, having a family member there to make sure the nurses are on task is useful.    [...]

There is not all that much to report tonight, as it was a quiet day and there were no major events or procedures being done on this Sunday.   Quiet days are good days we have come to learn, and today was a good day.   The big news was that Jeannette seemed to come up to a level of semi consciousness this evening, at least to the point her eyes opened, and they seemed to follow Sam.   Although they have stopped giving her the big sedatives, it will take time to work themselves out of her system and she's very much still out of it.   But progress is progress, and its nice to be able to report the small steps when they happen.[...]

I am Richard Keida’s only sibling. A little over a week ago I got that dreadful call informing me of the terrible auto accident that resulted in serious injuries to my brother and sister in law. I immediately packed my bags and headed to the airport for the long flight from Upstate New York to Central Alaska. Even though many miles separated us over the years, we always remained extremely close, having frequent phone visits. My brother left home at the age of 15 to enter the Ivy League, graduating from Cornell University at the age of 19. He was always able to accomplish a task in half the time it took most of us to do. Having several ambitious goals in life and the ability to conquer all of them, he settled for a career in aviation. He was accepted into pilot training with the Air Force and climbed the ladder to a high ranking officer at a young age. He spent 20 years flying military aircraft throughout the world including a tour of duty in Viet Nam and in other troublesome parts of the world.[...]

Another quiet day so far, with a few more positive things to report.   Jeannette's ventilator settings were changed to a "spontaneous" setting, which basically means she does the breathing and the machine is there as a support.   It seem like a small thing, but of course it's not--the idea she is breathing "on her own" to me is another sign that small steps are being made.   The meds have changed somewhat too, and they are still reducing the level of the narcotics (my term) so her "level of consciousness" can improve.   The pain meds continue of course and she's a long way from "waking up" I think.  But she does tend to surprise us, so whose to say?  There is talk of more surgical  repairs early in the week (perhaps Monday?) and I take that too as a good sign.    Her adominal incision still must be closed, and her broken legs and arm and back will need work from her doctors at some point too.   But the good news for today is she is doing ok today, getting stronger.    One thing at a time.   Sam is far more in tune with the numbers than am I, as they tend to come in a blur to me.  I was staring at her temperature yesterday for example, and 37 had no meaning to me.  Finally I realized that was in centigrade, and after that I figured out it was normal.     What I can share is the overall feeling that things are steady or 'getting better' and there are no extra worries for today as I write this midday note.[...]

Not much news tonight, and that in itself is good news of course.   Sam was back and forth between Anchorage and the Matsu Valley, and by now she's got the road memorizied.   Both Jeannette and Rich had a quiet day all in all; those all important numbers are hanging in there for both of them, and it was a quiet day without any crisis, phone calls, or questions.   Sam will be meeting with the valley doctors in the morning, and perhaps after that there will be more to report.    But its nice to report as this day ends that things are holding where the doctors want them to be, and the bottom line is that even I can tell there has been another day of rest and that means another day towards recovery.  - John[...]

I am sitting here at Providence in the ICU, having just seen Jeannette.   She looks good to me, in the sense her color is good, and the swelling that I had seen before seems to have lessened.   So that is positive.  Sam reports they have modified the meds and are reducing the level of sedation.   It's not like they are trying to wake her up, but more like they want to reduce the depth of her sleep and to increase her state of awareness.   I take that as another positive thing.  [...]

Today the Anchorage news for Jeannette is positive, a group of small things that together add to the hope things are improving.  They have reduced the steroids she was getting, and the antibiotics, and all of the "numbers" they can measure are where they should be.   There were no crises; a gentle day of rest and nothing bad to report.  It was a good day, and to make it better her grandson, Matt, flew in to visit.  [...]