April 21, 2014

~ Written By Naomi and Jeff Harm ~

Today is Monday, April 21st and we are starting a new week. Jacob has been in the United Medical Center El Paso, TX hospital ICU since April 5th- 16 days. To us as parents it seems so much longer and the date of his accident seems like an eternity ago. Each day aids to his healing and one day closer that we can bring him home to Minnesota- eventually. 

Jacob had a more alert day on Easter Sunday. For part of the morning and later evening hours he opened his eyes and was trying so hard to concentrate on the conversation as we spoke gentally and directly to him. It appears as if he his trying to look at us and many times looks off in the distance. He is also squeezing our hands when we hold his- some times on a command prompt while others time as a possible reflex. We are told some of these reflexes can be involuntary, but we are taking his physical responces towards us as a postive sign. He is still sedated and this is causing him to be very sleepy and not as responsive as we would like.

With a TBI Traumatic Brain Injury it is going to take weeks or months to know the capabilities of Jake's full functionality of his brain, speech and mobility, but we are hoping for the best and will take the small gains when we can. We are told the brain is an amazing organ and it rewires itself extensive to regenerate new brain neurons to heal and rebuild to its original state to control the enitire functionality of one's body. 

As of 9AM this morning on April 21st, Jacob has now been taken in for an MRI- this is the first time they can complete this full detailed scan- as the the exteriors of the metal plating jutting out from his legs prohibited him from entering the MRI tube. The MRI scan will give us more detailed information of the condition of Jacob's cranium, cervical neck area and spine.