Initial report

So we are a few days into this adventure so I will sum up a bit of what has happened up to this point.

On Wednesday, August 1, 2012, I was in a mandatory intern lecture by a guest scientist at LPI in Houston, Texas when I glanced down at my phone to check the time.  I saw a few texts from Ben that began: 

"Don't panic, but Mom and Tim were in a car accident.  Tim is in Surgery atm [sic] for a punctured lung and some possible internal bleeding.  Mom is getting a CT scan for a head laceration, and she might also have internal bleeding.  We don't know more right now.  I'll keep you posted."

And another that said:

"Looks like Mom is going to surgery too.  Ruptured spleen, possible reconstructive surgery on her collarbone.  Don't know how long."

I tried to get out of my meeting as slick and quietly as possible, and once outside I called Ben.  He gave me more details: Tim had all of his ribs on his left side broken, a punctured lung, brain trauma, a ruptured spleen, and his left kidney split in half.  Mom had her left collarbone broken, her left cheekbone (?) on her face broken, head trauma, ruptured spleen, and she didn't know what year it was.  They were T-boned up near Ogden while Tim was getting more practice driving hours.  It was an off-duty firefighter in his pickup truck. He was injured by his seatbelt, had a few bruises, but was treated and released at the site.  He was the one to call 911, began redirecting traffic and was the first-responder who gave first aid to Mom and Tim.  

Later on, I was told about the news article.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/08/01/3-injured-farr-west-crash#.UBmc1c7XCqE.twitter

Here are the images from the Standard-Examiner:

I was so emotional with the whole news that I wanted to wait and make sure that my desire to come home asap was also a rational one.  So, by Friday morning, after having submitted my final abstract for the internship program, I packed up, completed my exit paperwork, and rushed to the airport.  I flew from Houston to Phoenix, but had to stay overnight until the next flight to Salt Lake.  Ben picked me up Saturday morning and we went straight to Ogden Regional Medical Center.

This was my first look at Timothy when I got to the hospital.  He was sleeping.  His lung had collapsed while I was on the plane and they had to pump blood out and put him on a respirator.  Those breathing tubes do not look comfortable.  He recuperated from the collapsed lung rather quickly (the nurses said - I have nothing to relate it to) and I watched as they took that nasty tube out.

He has four staples on the left side of his head over his ear.  He also has 28 more staples on his abdomen from his surgery to remove his ruptured spleen.  When Grandma and Grandpa Hilton came and Tim was awake, he really wanted to show them his metal zipper.

Me grabbing a picture before Tim had woken up.

I made Ben pose for a picture as well.

Just a close up of the discomfort.

I found a cool option on my camera that allowed me to take pictures of both of them looking like they were right next to each other.

 Everyone in the waiting room.  Well, almost everyone.

 We did a lot to try and stay sane.

Becca and Steve had come down soon after hearing about the accident.  They drove back up to Idaho Sunday morning.  They taught nursery up in their ward in Rexburg.

Watching the Olympics Sunday morning while in pain.  Tim really wants to do things himself.  He didn't want anyone holding his water glass while he sipped from the straw.  HE wanted to hold it.  He also brushed his own teeth Saturday night.  It took him a while and it looked difficult for him to maneuver the brush, but he did it.

They moved Mom to her chair pretty early Sunday morning.  Saturday she slowly identified Steven, Becca and me with her strained and tired voice.  When we asked her what her name was.  "Becky." The nurse asked where she lived.  "Houston."  She was in a lot of pain and had just gotten medicine.  But she hadn't been really coherent up to this point anyway.  Timothy had been cruising along with his recovery.  We were talking about the flowers sent to Mom and Tim that were displayed at the nurses station.  I mentioned the large yellow lilies and Tim pipes up, "The big yellow one is the sun!" 

Tim was great and enjoyed sitting in his chair on Saturday.  This next picture is the physical therapists moving him over from the bed to his chair.  This is difficult because he also has a fractured pelvis.  So he cannot put any weight on his left leg.  They use a stiff plastic board to slide him over onto his chair.  But Sunday he decided he didn't like his chair.

Sitting up in his chair though is healthier for his lungs.  The longer he stays in the chair the better for his lungs to stay open and clean.

He was pretty tired Sunday.  He started talking about this book that he had on his lap and it fell and he couldn't find it.  He was really frustrated.  A pillow had fallen, but he remembered having his book before the accident.  Ben promised to look for it at home and in his and Mom's cut up clothes the hospital had given to Ben.  He couldn't find it.  Before Ben had given us the update on the search for the book, Tim was talking about how he had just been reading it and it must be on the floor.  The Scottish nurse handled it very well.  She said she'd talk to the cleaning crew, because she couldn't see it and it wouldn't be good at her age to go crawling around on the floor looking for it.

Mom didn't speak much on Sunday until the later evening.  But she really liked holding hands.  So I stayed next to her for long periods of time.

Grandma and Grandpa Hilton visit every day.  It is very important for them, no matter how short the visit is, to visit daily. On Saturday, Grampa sang to both Mom and Tim.  It made me cry.

This is Timothy after he pulled out some wires and had what the doctors think was a seizure.  This wonderful lady was prepping him for his EEG.  It would record and monitor a bit of his brain activity and after reviewing the data, the doctor would be better equipped to ascertain if it was a seizure.

Tim kept complaining about his head and back hurting especially during this time.  He's handled things so well.  He's been such a trooper.  The nurses are surprised at his attitude because they expect something a bit different from a teenager."

Nurse Dan on the right was a hoot.  He cracked jokes every moment he could.

Mom usually responds with one syllable answers such as "yeah," "no," "kay," and "sure."  But she "doesn't know" a lot of times too.  Her head was hurting her here.  She moves her right hand to wherever is paining her the most: majority of the time it's her head.  She doesn't like opening her eyes either.  It looks painful.  She has a shiny black eye.  Its been healing quickly though.

Tim's brain activity being recorded.

Frankenstein's monster, with his staples and injured body, now will come alive with electricity!  Those are electrodes all over his head for the EEG.

Todd and Pam came in when Tim was being prepped for all of his "seizure" tests.  Mom opened her eyes for them.

 Mom actually opened her eyes for the camera.  I didn't even ask her to.  Sunday night.

 Timothy after all of the tests were done.  He had been asking for Daniel.  We finally got a picture of Daniel at the hospital.  I'm a forgetful photographer.

 Mom's boys supporting their mom by holding her hand.  She responds mostly by squeezing hands.

This was the most I witness her speak and be most like herself.  She asked for a drink of water.  She wanted to sit up.  She began reading the nurses whiteboard across the room and I brought over the "get well" cards and she read them herself.  She was slow and strained, but it was really good to see her like that.  I asked her if it was hard to walk around the ICU with her walker and she said "very."