Possibly flying JD home this wknd

I am waiting to hear more details, but Jonathan's aunt Debbie has begun to organize a medivac flight home to Greenville, SC! Possibly Saturday or Sunday. I will come to Greenville, too, so I can be around for his next stages of care.

The docs who I have shared the xrays with in the US feel strongly that a second surgery is needed, SOONER rather than LATER, and the surgeons here are of a different philosophy. A little slower to respond and we´re fed up with the wait and see game.

In a nutshell, the surgeons here stabilized Jonathan´s spine from the back, but another surgery to decompress the vertebra through his chest cavity is also imperative for him to regain as much mobility as possible. I´m sure there are better and more thorough medical explanations for all this, but this is the best I can offer you at this time. We are still unsure of how much mobility will return, and are bracing ourselves for any outcome.

OTHER DETAILS:
- His mood is pretty good considering the circumstances. We had a new realization today of how serious this is and he was a bit emotional. He knows his life has changed. He loves the notes and pictures some of you have sent. Send more! kirstinwilliams@ gmail.com (remove the space)
- He is now in a regular hospital room, but no phone yet. That might take longer to get than the 2nd surgery, so don´t hold your breath.
- J's pain level is very manageable now, about a 3 on a scale of 1-10.
- He can still move both feet. He is gaining some mobility in his left leg, but his right is NOT yet coming along as well. By mobility, I mean he can twitch it, or straighten it when I hold it up for him. We´re not talking about a lot of mobility yet at all!
- A physical therapist visited twice yesterday to move his body around and stretch him, but when i left the hospital at 4pm, he had now yet shown up today. Physical therapy early on is important, so we are eager to see lots more of that!!!
- They have him on an inflateing/deflating mattress pad, which helps to minimize the backside ulcers (ok, bed sores) that we want to avoid at all costs.
- He is eating solid food in moderation.
- He is able to urinate on his own (through a tube), which is good news.
Apparently it takes a few days for some of these body functions to return but they are important signs.

Sorry for all these gory details, but I know some of you medical types live for it, and i hate to disappoint you.

Running back to the hospital. Gotta have dinner and see if the guy who sold me the titanium parts for JLD is still there visiting him and flirting with our friend Heather. I wonder if all titanium customers get such good follow-up sales calls. Or if it helps to have a charming, evervescent and fluent gringa by your side?

(By the way, if you think you´ll be hospitalized in a Spanish speaking country, you should travel with Heather!! She majored in Spanish and is translating everything for me. She has been a gift!!!! I do not know that I would have done without her here! Besides break down and cry a whole lot more.)