IMac you Mak, we all love Mak

Mak is doing very well these days. He is still struggling with the healing of his abnominal area. Nothing like getting a man version of a c-scection and then having to wait it out on the couch for 10 weeks. His left elbow and knee are still sore, but hopefully some physical therapy will get him back in the swing of things.

As for the good old noggin...the scar on his left eye is barely visible. The doctors say that because we know Mak is extremely intelligent (that may be questionable), he needs to get back to exercising his brain, so he doesn't settle for being an average joe. An occupational therapist suggested he learn a new language or take upan activity like tai-chi. Mak is currently looking into taking some pre-reqs in the fall for grad school...pretty cool huh.

The big dilema now is...Mak wants his Mac back. He sent his computer off for repair and now he waits. In the mean time you can find him making cookies in the kitchen, watching sports center or soccer on the couch, or helping me wrangle my two kids out at lunch. Needless to say, we are all trying to get things back to normal.

It is remarkable how well Mak is doing considering what he went through, but he is not completely recovered. Mak still has a few tests and appointments to determine what parts of the mind need to be worked on. Even without any tests, we know he needs to work on patience, concentration, and not becoming easily aggravated- all things expected with his type of head injury. In time, he'll get there.

I'd like to phone a friend

Wanted to touch base with all of the Mak-a-cronies (totally cheezy I know) about what the man has been up to. He has settled in quiet well in home sweet home Sacramento. He has acclimated to the non-hospital food, service and clothing. Mak has also played a few rounds of Scrabble and whooped his opponents butts. No shocker there!

He was pleasantly surprised by a visit from his sister from Seattle for the weekend. She certainlty helped pass the time on the couch between tennis matches. Mak still has a few doctor appointments pending, but nothing major, just check ups.

For all of you who want to visit, the gates of Mak-dom are open. Please call a family member in advance. We'd hate for you to make the trip, only to find him either sleeping or out on the town with the family. (As some may have already experienced.)

Mak in Sac, Again

Mak's amazing mom sprung him from the Vallejo Rehab Center today. Joan had all the therapists and doctors sign off and they were home in Sacramento by 3:00pm for the last two sets of the Federer vs. del Potro French Open semi-final match. Mak was doing well enough on the tasks and exercises in rehab that he is ready to be home, where he will do some twice a week as yet to be determined outpatient stuff as well as whatever activities become part of the daily regimen that he and Joan work out together. Word is that Mak will be cooking his favorite foods soon. The house cleaning and yard work are just a rumor. We'll also try to get him back on schedule for the oral surgery he was already set for on July 28 (lower jaw work). The doctor in Vallejo said he's clear for that.

For this weekend as Mak makes the transition back home, we'd like to not have visitors . He's still pretty frail and needs a lot of rest. We have quite a few family members here through Monday and would like to limit the stimuli he has coming his way. He's doing well but needs to take it easy for awhile as we figure out how life proceeds from here.

Sooner Than Expected

Mak is making amazing progress. Every day since he moved to Sacramento he's improved. It looks as if his stay in Vallejo will be less than two weeks and more like 5 days. Right now we think he'll be coming home on Saturday, because the work he needs can be done as out patient and at home. Sorry, Brandon, I don't know if we'll get to see you in Vallejo - maybe Saturday? Even though Mak's personality and much of his memory is back, there's much more ahead for full recovery. Based on the last week, however, I'm allowing myself to think in terms of weeks and months instead of months and years. As I told Connie Sarkisian this morning, all the prayers and good thoughts are working. In fact, very soon Mak may be writing the entries on this blog himself. Thank you again to all who have been pulling for Mak. He knows a lot of people have been supporting him and us.

"ABC, 123 baby you and me"

Mak is all settled in at rehab and very aware that he needs physical therapy and help to get better. He isn't a fan of being on hospital arrest though. He has an ankle alarm to make sure he doesn't escape. But leave it to Mak to say he has already figured out how to turn it off- so he says. He also isn't pleased that his mama is playing by the rules and won't take him OUT for lunch. He told me the other day, still in Sac, that if I let him go down just one floor of the hospital, he'd take the blame if we got caught. How nice of him; isn't Mak the sweetest. He's even willing to be arrested just to get out the front doors. I told him, in do time my friend you can run through the streets of SacTown.

But for now, while he may be getting a little stir crazy, he knows he needs to get better and that rehab is the place for it. The staff gave the family a preliminary time frame of two weeks for in-patient care and based on my chat on the phone with him, who knows, it could be sooner. What is nice is that Mak is taking this adventure in stride. He knows he had a terrible fall, is sorry that he made everyone worry, and understands that his body and brain are trying to slowly get better. Yesterday he practiced balancing on one foot and walking up stairs with no help, and also worked on some memory, counting, and letter recognition skills. He did well. He also says that he is good friends with all the staff already and that he is making them laugh.

For those who want to stop in and visit Mak in Vallejo, the visiting hours for weekdays are 4:40-8:30pm. If you do make an appearance and it is during his dinner hour, please make sure he isn't disturbed to the point that he doesn't eat. It is important that Mak eats as much grub as he can to get the weight back on his body. Summer is coming and we need to get his physique up to girl worthy.

Good news about Vallejo...KT can visit and that is exactly where she is headed today. I can't even imagine how excited he will be to see her. KT is all he has asked to see the last week. Yeah, thanks Mak, forget about all the friends and family that sat by your side for the past 3 weeks. But like they say, dogs are a man's best friend. Though, I am not too worried, he'll want the gang sooner or later toget him Gunther's, Oscar's and a ride around town. On an Oscar's note, Mak is very thankful for all the burritos brought to him, but we never thought the day would come where he'd say he has had enough for right now.

E.T. Phone Home

So do you hate it when you get woken up before the alarm clock goes off?

Well don't give Mak your phone number then. Mak has picked up the hospital phone three days in a row and called his parents at the crack of dawn asking when are they coming to visit him. And if you are late, forget it. Mak will call you up and ask where the heck are you. Sure for any parent it is a wonderful call after such a horrific accident, but in good humor, we hope they don't let Mak have a phone at rehab before 9am.

And for all those who want to visit Mak at Kaiser Morse, well you are toooooo late. Mak made his big departure to the Vallejo rehab facility this morning at 11am. He was in great spirits. Sporting normal clothes finally; orange baseball cap and all. He even was able to tie his sneaks with ease. He smiled for a few going away pictures and off he went with the super cute transporting crew; well for a girl they were super cute.

The fam couldn't be happier to be moving on to the next step. So please stay posted as the family will let everyone know the who, what, when and hows of Mak's visiting policies at rehab.

Flight Risk

Well, the last three days have been very encouraging. Since Mak has been in Sacramento, he seems to be getting better fast. Although he's walking and going to his own private bathroom, he's still pretty shaky physically. But his communication abilities have improved dramatically. The last two mornings he's called home on his room phone at 7:30am to ask his mom to come get him. He wants out or at least to see his dog, which unfortunately is not possible because he's not allowed off the 5th floor and KT's not allowed in the hospital. He seems to be either remembering more or maybe learning who people are. He's pretty clear on who his parents are and the names of most of the people who have visited. While visiting with people, he's mostly happy and talkative for awhile, then becomes tired and ready for rest. In the evenings he's again very interested in leaving the hospital, asking where the car is and declaring "Let's go." Last night he seemed to understand better than the night before why he couldn't leave the hospital yet. He knows he had a bad fall, that he was in ICU for a long time and that he's recovering. When he gets up to walk he also realizes that he's not going very far on his own. He declined a walk down the hallway after just a few steps. Despite this and because of his intense interest in escaping, when we left him last night his Uncle Jim suggested the band on his arm be changed from "fall risk" to " flight risk." So, overall the news is good right now. Whether it's intentional or not, Mak is making us laugh instead of cry. What's ahead is still unknown, but Mak is sure in better shape than he was a week or two weeks ago, and we're hoping for a transfer to rehab in Vallejo tomorrow.

The people at Highland Hospital were fantastic. They saved Mak's life and helped us get through our worst nightmare. We want to thank first of all, Alicia and Romy who tied for the most 12 hour shifts as Mak's favorite nurse with 6 each. His other nurses were Simran, Sara, Ethan, Joanne, Michelle, Dena, Maryanne, Rebecca, Monica, Gail, Carlito, Patricia, Susan, Lesley, Karen, Angie, and Peter. Fred, Shannon and several other CNA's (sitters) also took good care of Mak. The great respiratory therapists were Tony, Howard, Gary, Phillip, and others. Of course, there were tons of doctors doing all kinds of life-saving things to Mak. Drs. Laure, Patel, Sadjati, Stanelle, Sadegi, Garcia, Bellard, Lee, Rosenson, Hervela, and more whose names we don't remember all contributed tremendously to Mak's recovery. We are so grateful for their hard work and expert care and for their encouragement. Finally, we loved the cafeteria staff who checked with us daily on Mak's condition and especially the lady behind the counter who came out to give us some of the best hugs I've ever had. Even the security people were very nice. Highland Hospital is first class.

"I Hate Kobe"

You come to a realization that things may not be exactly how they were prior to the accident. Yet, you begin to see how each day Mak's progress gets more rewarding for him and those who walk by his side. It is fascinating to see how his mind is slowly piecing things together; watching and hearing how his brain connects the past, present and future together as one.

Today, Mak talked about how he thinks he might go back to grad school for history; how he needs to get a job soon, because he can't just sit around. How he is recognizing and acknowledging people around him. Even simple task like going to the bathroom, eating a burrito or adjusting his bedsheets is become an easy task.

Even though there are pieces in his mind that don't completely make sense, but the beauty is that he is starting to acknowledge it and corrects it as he sees it. Today he apologized for not being clear enough that he wanted grapes, not cakes. Knowing that he is able to hear what he is saying and recognizes that improvements are need, is great to see. Like they say, knowing is half the battle.

So even though there are many steps to be taken ahead, there are many defined footprints left behind that reassure us, that our Mak is determined to make a strong come back. We are not giving up and most importantly nor is he.

One a lighter note, he isn't routing for the Lakers to say the least.

Vlade, Logan Sibbet, Anderson Varejao and the Cardiac Kid

After pouring milk on himself this morning, Mak had some better moments the rest of the day. Thanks to Kip for his comments on the previous post. It helps those of us who've seen him every day to get the perspective of those who haven't. During my visit with Mak this evening, Adam Zettel, Brian King, and Kirsten Vann stopped by. Brian engaged him in conversation about his semester in Rome, and Mak told him about seeing Vlade at the Vatican. Some of you may have seen a photo of Mak with Vlade on Facebook. Mak also mentioned other Rome place names. We started talking about Park Terrace and Mak's Suburban Swim League rivals. Mak reacted to some of the names both positively and negatively, then suddenly mentioned Logan Sibbet, then Jordan Moncrief. He didn't elaborate, but he obviously has some memories in there somewhere. I'm not sure if he was thinking of when Logan got stuffed inside a locker by Tyler Tratten and Mike Ottersen or racing against him in the 100 free up at Sierra. The good times with Jordan are too numerous to even speculate about.

Later when Mak and I were watching the basketball game, I asked him if Varejao was from Argentina, and he said, "Brazil". A little research shows he's right. He also read the "Quicken Loans" name on the arena floor. I told him the Kings failed to get the 1st draft choice, and asked who he thought they might get withthe 4th pick. He said maybe Thabeet from Connecticut or the guard from Syracuse, who are both realistic possibilities. So far Mak has not generated converstion, only responded to questions or comments from others. He's very interested in eating and visiting the bathroom, but his performance in both those activities doesn't match the energy he shows anticipating them. Oh, he also called me "Dad" as he dismissed me from the bathroom.

Yesterday they decided Mak no longer needed to be in the ICU and he was moved to Cardiac Care, where they can still monitor his heart. The spikes in his heart rate appear to be the only thing keeping him from being transferred to the rehab facility in Vallejo. They'll wait until at least tomorrow before OK'ing the transfer.

Hallelujah Taco Bell

It is amazing what a little din-din can do for a person. I saw Mak early yesterday and he looked so weak, drained and hungry. He and I even talked about how much he craved an Oscar's "California, no pico" burritto. He semed to be okay in conversation, but his words would trail off and I didn't want to keep asking him, what did you say. So I left a little discouraged.

But hallelujah to Taco Bell. I returned after the hospital dinner hour and he had eatten a lot, but still was craving more. We, not surprisingly got back in the discussion of burritos. David said he'd got pick up some Taco bell for him. After a hearty beef wrap and chicken soft taco Mak was on que. He was chatting up about everyone in the family and his friends from Cal. And yes, Lorna, Dave, Allison, Amy, Kipp, and Leah, (etc) he remembers you all...and shared stories that probably should have stayed in the vault.

Mak is still the sweetest and loving person he has always been. When Quinn was leaving, my 9 month old, he turned to me and said, "you are taking my sunshine away." I melted to say the least.

But the seal of the deal that made me realize that "Mak is Back" was when I asked him how things were going with his mom being with him all the time. Now if anyone knows these twos relationship, you know that they love to drive each other crazy. Well Maks response was priceless, he rolled his eyes and said "I just ignore her now." I got all teary eyed and new in my heart that in time everything was going to be alright. Just shows, that love doesn't have to come in the form of hugs and I love yous, but ignoring someone can be just as comforting.

The Boy is Back in Town

Mak has finally made it back to Sac. After a few delays, lots of sad goodbyes with the nurses, and a late ambulance pick up, Mak was transferred to Kaiser on Morse Ave. He now has his own small room in the ICU. His lungs and stomach are doing much better and the nurse thinks that Mak should be moved to rehab in the next few days. They want to make sure he is stable for a few days (no more jumps in heart rate) until they are ready to move him to the next step in his recovery- rehab in Vallejo.

Mak's body is healing nicely, and it seems that his brain is trying to catch up. He is regaining memories, but they are jumbled together and he is not always aware of what is going on in the moment. He often thinks he is at the pool and doesn't always know who his parents are. But, when dad was filling out paperwork and asked Mak for his social security number, he recited it with ease. He could also name all the characters in Gladiator when he watched it in the ICU the other day.

Mak is understandably showing some anger and frustration about the situation, but has also shown quite a bit of humor. When the doctors said their farewell to him yesterday and asked what he was going to do for the summer, Mak gave a mischievious little grin and said, "I'm going to have margaritas." He's getting pretty good at the one liners.

As of right now, we don't know the policy on visitors and Mak has been sleeping a lot, so friends in Sac, please standby.

Another Step

Mak was a bit sluggish during Brandon and Tom's visit today, but later he talked on the phone to Emma in Seattle and me in Sac. I don't think he understood exactly who he was talking to, but he carried on short conversations and referred to the lady in the room with him (Joan) as "Mom." He also flirted all day with the very cute sitter and ate almost a whole tray of food.

Leah, best wishes, not "beat wishes." Sorry.

Every Day Is Different

Well, two more days gone by and still no two alike. On Saturday Mak seemed to be continuing slow progress. Lorna came to say good-bye before taking off on her month long European tour (nice to have relatives in Ireland and friends in London [JFong] and Paris). Mak looked right at her and talked in what almost looked like normal conversation for a few minutes. Not sure exactly what he was saying, but he definitely focused directly on Lorna. Later he wasn't too happy sitting in a chair and appeared listless, but perked up a bit when Kip, Andrew and Jeff visited in the afternoon. Around 7:00pm his nurse Romy and his mom noticed his face getting red and his body getting warm. As efforts to cool him down weren't working, his heart rate suddenly shot up to 200. His parents just about freaked out as several doctors and nurses scrambled over to him. He was responding to the doctors the whole time and within about 10 minutes the problem was fixed with medication, but not before Joan and I both thought we might lose him right then. I'm still not sure my own heart rate is back to normal. The cause of the sudden spike is unknown. Maybe a low magnesium level? That's all that showed on the lab tests.

Mak has shown over this weekend that he knows when he has to go to the bathroom and tries to get out of bed to go and do just that. Unfortunately, there are no bathrooms in the ICU, so the nurses are using a number of strategies to deal with that issue.

This morning we walked in at 10:30 to find Mak chatting with the nurses about football. He never played football, but he was telling them in completely clear words about playing and getting workouts ready for his team, etc. When Joan asked him if he knows who we are, he said, "I think I've seen you before." He answered another of Joan's questions by saying, "I can't do everything for you." The Shellys stopped in to say hello when Mak was pretty lively and also as Dr. Sadegi declared him ready for any type of food. Luckily Claudia had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in hand, and Mak enjoyed his first solid food besides jello in the last 18 days. He was in heaven as he ate a whole cookie and washed it down with a cup of apple juice.

He rested most of the rest of the day, but awoke for awhile in the early evening and responded to having a marker and piece of paper offered to him. He wrote a few words and letters, then wrote "GO BEARS". He even did it a second time. So, we see some good things going on. The language is clearer, but we don't know where the ideas are coming from. Even when he's been clearest , he's kind of distracted and unsure. I suspect he's struggling to make sense of things. We'll learn more about his condition, the rehab process, and his chances for recovery over the next days and weeks.

Step By Step

It's been two eventful days for Mak. Yesterday he was extubated, but had to have an oxygen mask on for the rest of the day to assure a successful transition to breathing on his own. He was very agitated, hardly resting or sleeping last night, and keeping the nurses and his parents busy. He did a lot of talking, but we understood none of it through the mask. His eyes are open most of the time, but communication is sporadic. He understands some of what we're saying, but isn't focusing very much on us. Today (Friday) he has only supplementary oxygen and no more suction tubes in his chest or intestine ( fewer things to piss him off and pull out). Today he was much calmer, and carrying on a monologue of what's going through his head. He's literally chatting away quite a bit, with a small portion of the words intelligible. Even so, it was very encouraging to hear him say a few complete sentences, such as "I can't wait to get rid of ....." and " I'm not really sure what ..." He also clearly repeated the name of a country singer he heard Dave Koken mention at his bedside. Late in the day the nurse's assistant helped him hold a cup and take a few sips of water. The CNA also told me Mak would be sitting before the end of the day. Sure enough, when I returned from the cafeteria later, there was Mak in a chair sitting up. He didn't look like he was having a great time, but, nonetheless, sitting is better than lying down. Fred (the CNA) also said Mak would be walking in 2 or 3 days. Let's hope he's right. Since his digestive system seems to be OK, they're starting him on solid food. His pneumonia looks better as well. While Mak has taken some positive steps, I think Joan and I realize it's going to be a long road and an uncertain future. For now we're hoping Mak will be well enough to transfer to Sacramento by Tuesday or sooner.

Mak Wows I.C.U.

Mak continued his improved responsiveness today. Amy got a solid thumb's up and a wave good-bye when she had to leave. Two of the doctors involved with Mak, who were skeptical of his abilities, were very impressed when he answered nurse Alicia with his hand and his expression. Then he joined the conversation when he heard John Murphy's name mentioned by shaking his head yes to indicate he knew him. This was a response to what he heard, without even being asked a question directly. The doctors also thought his eyes looked quite clear and focused. For the next half hour Mak was the talk of he ICU as word spread of his progress.

He's was breathing pretty well on his own today, and there was talk of his being extubated soon. However, that will be tricky because he has serious pneumonia in his left lung. The suction of the bad stuff from his lung stops when the breathing tube comes out, so he has to be ready to clear (cough up) that stuff on his own before they pull it. We'll have to see how he's doing tomorrow and how soon he can consistently follow commands, or do what the nurses ask him to do. So far he's a bit sporadic, not exactly obedient in that regard. If necessary he'll stay on the suction tube for awhile longer, which delays his being able to verbalize. After Saturday's crash, they're watching his chest closely and being very careful.

Thank you to all who've been visiting, sending cards and messages, and generally supporting Mak and our family. It's been a great help. Congratulations to two of today's Cal grads, Dave Koken and Allison Louie. Best wishes to Leah as she returns to Cashmere, WA. We hope to see her again with Mak back in Sacramento.

No Acrobatics

Today Mak showed some good signs. For the first time since Friday, he was pretty wakeful for much of the day, and responsive to those of us at his bedside. Dave (Koken), Leah and I saw him using facial expressions, hand gestures, and pulling and pushing our hands to communicate. He moved himself around and did more of the same type of communicating throughout the day, witnessed by Amy and Lorna and Uncle Jim. At one point this afternoon, when the nurses were helping him reposition himself, one of them asked him if he wanted to do acrobatics. He made a face and shook his head no in a definitive manner. Allison, Natalia, Brett, Alex, and Brian had briefer than expected visits because of an ultra sound procedure to check Mak's abdomen.

His respiratory and digestive systems are still trying to fully recover, but there's progress in both those areas. He's not out of the woods and there's no timetable for anything right now, but after the last few days, today was encouraging.

hook 'em horns

After a rough weekend, Mak is now stable and slowly improving. His oxygen saturation is almost 100% and his temperature and heart rate have gone down. He is still on the breathing tube and they are closely monitoring his lungs, but he is starting to initiate breaths on his own. Just like last week, the doctors will allow Mak to try to breathe on his own little by little until they can remove the ventilator again. His body must be extremely sore and tired, but as the sedation is slowly decreased his mind seems to be waking up a little. When my dad showed him his University of Texas shirt, Mak gave a very big thumbs up. He even attempted to make the “hook ‘em horns” sign.

The doctors also gave Mak a PICC line today. They removed the central line that was in his neck and placed a PICC line in his arm above the elbow. It is a tube inserted surgically into the vein that goes almost to the heart. It is easier for administering drugs safely and quickly.

Other news is that a 12 day hospital stay is taking a toll on Mak’s appearance. He’s losing his tan and his beard is getting pretty scruffy. I wonder if we can give him a shave and a spray tan in the ICU?

Poor me, I have no friends

Through all the stress and uncertainty, we have learned that Mak can never, ever say he has no friends. The Mak Recovery page on Facebook, shows an outstanding support group of 794 members. The family knows that Mak is a wonderful and loving person, but to see that he has touched so many others the way he has, makes us so greatful that the bugger is still staying so strong. We may have taken two steps back, but as Paula Abdul will say, you also take "two steps forward."

Two Steps Back

Mak had a setback yesterday. Mucus in his bronchial tube interfered with his breathing and caused his blood oxygen to start dropping. He had to be re-intubated and they had to break down and remove the mucus plug with a scope and suction. Air had also, probably from the bagging, escaped from his lungs into his chest cavity and had to be suctioned out. There were several doctors and nurses working on him for 4-5 hours before he was stabilized. Right now he has all kinds of tubes and monitors going, but his heart rate and blood oxygen level are good. Basically, we're back a week from where we thought he was on Friday. The progress of last week has to restart in terms of breathing on his own and regaining his activity level again as they decrease the sedation. Yesterday was a big scare for us, but we're past the crisis for now. Moving to Sacramento is on hold until the regains are made. I wish this was a more positive report, but at this time it's day to day.

Graduation Day

Mak graduated from college yesterday. He was awarded a B.A. in Classical Civilizations at a ceremony on the UC Berkeley campus that Joan, Dave, and Emma attended. When we told him at noon that we were leaving the hospital to go to his graduation, he gave us two thumbs up.

Yesterday was very much like the day before with a lot of purposeful movement and attempts at communication. Mak alternates between periods of restfulness and restlessness. We've been with him at the bedside so he doesn't have to be in arm restraints to keep him from pulling out the nasty tubes he has for feeding and other monitoring. He's responsive to some of our talking to him and tries to tell us / talk to us, but he's frustrated he can't make himself clearer or do more. He'd love to get out of that bed.

Amy, Allison, Dave, Leah, Lorna, and Uncle Jim were a great help yesterday keeping him company and helping him. Monday or Tuesday are the target days for him to transfer to Sacramento, largely depending on the progress of the digestive tract. There's a long way to go and it's a struggle right now, but from where he was a week ago, he's made some good progress. Please keep sending your good thoughts and I know he'll continue fighting.

Day 8 - A Good One

Mak made progress today. He's definitely not in a coma anymore. He got lots of exercise moving around in all sorts of ways, including turning on both sides, reaching his arms and legs in all directions, and sitting up as much as he was allowed. His eyes were open a lot and we thought he was focusing some of the time. And, he expressed himself, first kind of groaning but later talking in response to our and the nurse's requests. He said Emma's name a couple of times and I swear I heard him say "awesome" after seeing his graduation mortar board. An unglamorous, but nevertheless positive development is that his bowel function seems to be in good working order, as he kept the nurses very busy all day. Unfortunately, instead of being transferred to Sacramento by Sunday, he'll remain at the fantastic Highland Hospital in Oakland until Monday or Tuesday. They want to be extra sure he has no infection or other complications before he leaves. We look forward to attending his Classics Dept. graduation ceremony tomorrow.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee...

Along with his new outfit, Mak is now sporting what look like boxing gloves on each hand. He has proven to be very strong and the gloves prevent him from pulling out tubes or scratching at his wound from surgery. Because he has been extubated and no longer requires an IV drip of continuous sedatives, he is very agitated and restless. The nurses continue to try different drugs every hour or so that will calm him down and let him rest and heal. We don't know if he is in pain, uncomfortable, itchy, frustrated, or his brain is just making him move. We think he calmed down to his family's voices, so we will continue to be by his bedside today. We will let everyone know when it is a good time for visitors.

The Vistor

The family will let us know when it is a good time to visit Mak.

Breath in, Breath out

Mak's ventilator has been removed successfully. That alone must feel amazing for Mak. We have come to learn that Mak is a nose breather, which with the feeding tube in his nostril, makes it a bit more of an effort to breathe on his part. Nothing to worry about.

He is still sporting the baby blues, although with his restlessness his pants keep creeping down. They get the impression he is trying to either pull a full monty again or acting bashful and trying to pull them up. Either way he seems to know that his drawers are not in place and wants to fix them.

They are trying a variety of sedatives, but Mak fights them all. He is very active kicking about, shifting from one side to the other. The nurses are doing their very best to work with active soccer boy to find a perfect match.

His prognosis of returning to Sacramento still stands for around a Saturday departure. Nothing is official yet. Basically, the top priorities are to get Mak comfortable and monitor his vital signs. The rest is up to him and when he is ready, he will join us. Although he better hurry, Chelsea has a match on Sunday against Blackburn and we all know Mak's dedication to his football team.

And for all those who are oh so interested in his studies....looks like our man is going to GRADUATE. We are so proud of him. Mak, a Cal Berkeley graduate, now that sounds nice.

Cover up Mak

Mak is getting very squirmy in his bed. I don't blame him. He is usually running, swimming, or playing soccer, and being confined to a bed for so long must be very uncomfortable. As he moves around, stretches his legs, and scratches, he has been giving the staff and his visitors quite a show. After numerous revealings, the nurses decided to replace his hospital gown with something a little more appropriate. Mak is now resting comfortably in a baby blue v-neck t shirt and matching pants.

We want to emphasize how wonderful the staff at Highland has been. The doctors, surgeons, and nurses have been extremely helpful, friendly, professional, and compassionate. From the photos and posters we now have hanging in his room, and meeting all of his friends, the staff is getting to see what kind of person Mak is and is growing to love him just like we all do. Thank you to Alicia, Sarah, Romy, Simran and all the other nurses who have taking such good care of Mak!
-Emma

Lets Take Five

Mak has had a workout this week. His body, mind and spirit have been in overdrive. With that said the doctors think it is best to give Mak a solid day of rest with little interuption. The family will be by his bedside keeping him company, but they are encouraging friends to wait a day before popping in to see him.
Everyones support and visits have made a great impact on Mak's recovery. It is so important for Mak to be surround by positive energy and supportive friends and family.

Ashita, Manana... translation tomorrow

Since the day has passed by so quickly, the doctors have decided that it will be best to remove the breathing tube tomorrow.

Firing his assistant

The doctors are drawing some blood right now and running some tests. If all comes out okay, the staff will be removing his breathing tubes. Can we all say awesome. The family has been told that Mak's breathing has been really good so far, but removing his breathing assitance is great confirmation.

A wink, a squeeze and a thumbs up

More comforting news. The doctors recently changed his sedative to a weaker drug. This drug reacts different for each patient, but the idea is, it will wake him up more, but still keep him comfortable. So far he is adjusting well.
Mak's sister Emma, was upstairs holding his hand and asked him to squeeze it and open his eyes...and long behold Mak responded. He made an effort to opened his right eye a few times and squeezed her hand. His left eye is still sore. She then asked him to give her a thumbs up...and sure enough he did the very best he could to lift his thumb up (the thumb that was holding Emma's hand).

All so exciting. We are all aware that Mak is still in a coma, but these types of responses are what doctors hope and look for in brain injuries.

Mak is now his own CEO

Mak is still very heavily sedated. You may ask, but why? Well last night Mak decided he was tired of having this tube in his arm so kindly removed it himself. This particular tube was in an artery, so when he pulled it out blood squirted all over. The nurses felt they should be the ones that decide when things come in and out, so to ensure this doesn't happen again and that he doesn't do any other executive decisions they are making him a bit more relaxed.

As for the surgery, there is a chance of infection, which would not be good. Like any open wound, they need to keep it clean. But the staff is well equipped to monitor both the brain and open wound.

Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub

A little more detail and what caused the hole in his small intestine. Due to the blunt force on his body, the small instestine pushed up against his abnominal area and created a pressure bulb that burst, thus creating a hole. The leak was not detected to be in the small intestine because it was a slow leak. It would normally have leaked a larger amount of toxic fluids into his system sooner had the hole not been pushed up against his body, which acted as a plug.

The repair is all well and good, but it means he will need to stay an additional 5 days in Oakland. The doctors say he needs to stay because it standardly takes 4-5 days for the intestines to function properly after a repair. Furthermore, a feeding tube had been inserted into his nose and apparently heads way down south. So Mak is getting some grub tonight. Too bad it's not Oscar's.

He can spare 6"

Mak just got out of surgery and is doing fine. They located the hole and it was in his small intestine. The doctors ended up removing 6" of his intestine and then sewed it up. What is 6 inches when you have 24 feet of it.

To tube or not to tube, that is the question

Mak's currently in surgery. Prior to taking him down, a discussion was held whether or not to put the feeding tube directly into his stomach rather than adding another tube through his nose or mouth. The doctors said no. They said there is no need, they feel that he should be feeding with out the assistance of the feeding tube very soon. Great news.

In the mean time the family got a chance to speak to a woman who has been dealing with brain injury cases for over 30 years. She is going to make sure that he gets the very best care in Sacramento. He will spend some time recoverying in a Kaiser Sacramento hospital (shooting for Kaiser Morse) and then he will move down to Vallejo to an neuro recovery live-in facility.

There they will do one-on-one and group therapy classes. Well all have the opportunity to visit with ease and KT (Mak's dog) will also get to visit, which is huge. Mak adores KT, needless to say. He could be there for weeks, month possibly, all depends on how he progresses in therapy. Once they feel he is well enough to go home, he will need to be monitor to insure that he is not in danger of hurting himself.

Keep in mind that he could bounce back as Mak or it could take some time to retrain his brain. But all is promising news.

There is ink in my tummy

Since there is a leak in the abnominal area they ran some ink through him to see if it would come out in his pee. If it did, the docs knew the leak was in his bladder. The ink did not show in his pee. So now they will take a small camera though his stomach and probe around and see if they can spot the fluid and find the source. If again it is confirmed that it is not the bladder, they will have to make a larger incision and fix the hole. The docs reassure that it not something alarming and doesn't affect the brain healing process. Basically just something that has to be dealt with and fixed.

Transport and a Leak

Just got word from the hospital that Mak received the okay to be transfered to Sacramento based on his brain condition, but the CT scan of his abnominal area maybe putting things on hold. It seems there is fluid leaking in his body and they need to locate the leak and mend it. A minor surgery, but will need to keep him in Oakland for an additonal 48 hours.

He does have pnemonia, but this is not uncommon when on a ventilator. His fever is around 99 which is not alarming. He is breathing well on his own and the ventilator is their to assist him, if needed. The swelling in his eye has gone down some. He is moving about, turning his head and has opened his eyes a few time today.
So things look good at the moment.

7pm and her shift will be done

As many had the opportunity to experience the Psycho Nurse yesterday afternoon, Mak was relieved of horrible bed side manners with a nurse that Joan, David and Emma really like. The nice nurse whom they have had in previous days was able to explain to them why touching and talking to Mak can be over stilmulating and why it should be avoided at times. Needless to say the family went to bed knowing Mak was in good hands. As for the other nurse lets all hope she doesn't get assigned to him again. As to when he will be transported to Sacramento, that is still undecided. The doctors are expected to meet this morning (Monday) to discuss his condition and if all is a go, they then contact Kaiser in Sacramento and make sure a bed and staff is awaiting his arrival.

Thanks again for all your support so far at the Highland Hospital in the oh so beautiful area of Oakland. I will say the support you shown and dedication to my family, must of made the staff in the ICU think Mak was celebrity. And rightfully so, he is our rock star.

Mak's Condition Update - summary of first few days

Since Mak was admitted to Highland Hospital in Oakland he has made continual progress to recovery.

He arrived early Thursday morning barely moving and almost completely non-responsive. Yesterday (Saturday), in a brief moment of consciousness, Mak flipped off his nurse who was trying to move him. So not only is he showing vast improvements in his ability to purposefully respond to stimuli, he is also proving that he has retained a sense of humor.

Currently, Mak remains in a coma. The doctors consistently refer to the Glasgow Coma Scale to describe his condition - it ranges from 3 to 15. 3 = deep unconsciousness; 15 = a normal, fully functional person. Mak arrived at a 4 and has been upgraded to about a 9 through his increasing (often vulgar) responsiveness. He moves around a lot in his bed when his sedatives are low; he has briefly opened his eyes several times now; and we believe he has responded to some verbal commands ("squeeze my hand", etc.). All encouraging signs...

So far all of his organs and limbs seem to be functioning normally. His left eye is fairly swollen (but getting better quickly), he fractured his orbital bone (basically his lower eye socket) and has some other minor scrapes and cuts on his face and left knee. Right now he still has to use a respiratory system to aid in his breathing. He is getting closer to breathing on his own, but just needs more time. Otherwise he looks completely normal. He should easily recover from these injuries. Again, all good news...

Doctors are only worried about his brain. Initial CAT scans reveal that there is no swelling or major hemorrhaging in his head. Also, his brain did not move inside his skull during the impact, which according to doctors is very encouraging news, as this often causes considerable damage. Despite this good news, however, there are some signs of bruising on his frontal lobes (the personality/executive decision area of the brain). Doctors will not be able to determine the consequences of this bruising until Mak regains consciousness and they can perform a more thorough assessment.

The neurosurgeon did report this morning that he believes Mak stands a good chance for recovery.

However, only time will tell what his condition will be when he wakes up. He could open his eyes and be able to speak almost immediately, but there are chances for things to be much worse. The doctors have said that we should all prepare ourselves for a relatively lengthy recovery process. Weeks, months, years - we just don't know yet.

Regardless, we must all stand by Mak and his family. For whatever comes next.

Introduction to the blog

As you have all doubtlessly heard, on Wednesday May 6th Mak suffered a tragic accident. He was rushed to the trauma center at Highland Hospital in Oakland immediately and continues to be in their care. He sustained some serious injuries and remains unconcious.

Luckily, however, every day he shows more signs of his slow and steady progress toward recovery (more on his condition in the next post).

In the past several days Mak's family and friends from all over the country have reached out to show their love. All are anxious to find out more about his condition and are eager to find ways they can help. Hopefully, this blog will help to provide opportunities for each, as well as be a place for all of Mak's loved ones to share stories and celebrate the amazing, energetic, and, quite frankly, ridiculous person that is Mak Knox.

We will post updates as often as possible so that all of you can stay involved with Mak's recovery process and learn of changes to his condition as they happen.

This blog will also offer ideas for tangible ways for all of you to help out. It won't be an easy process - Mak's family will definitely need all of our support and love to help them through. We know you are eager to help, so look out for opportunities to do so. We should have a paypal system and P.O. box set up soon, so that you can donate funds to Mak's family directly in order to alleviate any financial burdens that may arise. We will keep you posted!!

In the mean time, we ask that you keep Mak in your thoughts. Stay positive. Stay optimistic. Together we can all get through these difficult times.

Thank you for all that you have already done!