Good morning everyone,
It is a harder morning for Toni, she has been in a great deal of pain. They have her on a cocktail combination of pain killers/muscle relaxers that keep most of the pain at bay. Her spirts are good when the meds kick in, and her personality shines through in the midst of all of it. The Doctor said he was able to get the ankle reconstructed and plated with screws. It will be 8 - 12 weeks before any weight can be placed on it and that seems to be her biggest source of pain. She was scheduled for 2, they took her in at 4 and called us around six to say they had started about 45 minutes ago. She came out about 11:30 and had a restless night after, massive pain. Last night it was the arm hurting but that has subsided today and we have discovered the ankle. We expect her to be mostly in and out today but keep blogging, we read her everything. On the good side, we go to crutches &/or walker from here since the pins allow her to bear weight now.

Much love and please keep praying for her recovery,

Scott & Laurel

Hello again everyone,

No surgery today, the Doctor got set back by being on call so it was moved to tomorrow at 2pm. It wasn't unexpected but we did kind of hope for a good day in the ER. Her spirits stay high and she reads every blog you send. Tonight, once we knew we had been rescheduled, she asked for subway and ate a six inch chicken bacon ranch sandwich. Fuel will go a long way in helping her body heal. Up until yesterday and today, it had just been a few bites and then she was done. She enjoys her friends being able to spend the night with her so until Laurel really has to stay, we let them be teens and it takes away some of the reason she is there. Think Kayla brought High School Musical 3 for them to watch tonight. We will keep you updated tomorrow, going to get some rest. This hospital stuff can really wear you out.

Love to all, keep her in your prayers,

Scott & Laurel

Well it is Thursday, I think, and Toni is on the schedule for surgery today. The orthopedic surgeon is on the ER rotation so hers will be this afternoon sometime after his rotation ends. He specializes in sports medicine so we know he will do his best with her. Toni, for now, is enjoying reading everyone's blogs, but wants us to keep doing the updates. She got into a wheel chair and we took her outside yesterday, but the combination of medicines makes her queasy so we went back in after a brief time in fresh air. While she was up we were also able to wash her hair and get all the knots out. Her hair is back up and she feels much better. She put weight on her left leg and pivoted so she could sit down, that excited her as well. Once the surgery is over she will accomplish much more (the arm scares us all until it is pinned). Her ankle will be casted and non weight bearing for three months, but with a pin in her arm she will soon be able to use crutches. We signed paperwork so she could get her x-rays since she wants to see them, they should be delivered today on a cd. Figured if she was strong enough to see her car she would do ok with the xrays. There is this wonderful nurse named Joe who has taken Toni under his wing and has such a rapport with her she attempts things with courage and determination. I guess we are adopting him (and his english bulldog and three parots). He is a marvelous person who, for some reason was in the ER the night she came in and was her nurse the last two days she was in pediatric ICU. I think he also might have had a hand in the spacious accomodations as well. I am choosing to believe he has a big part to play in her life and we are thankful for his presence. He isn't as annoying to her as we are, LOL. Going to close for now, another long day ahead.

We love you all, keep praying!
Scott & Laurel

Dear Everyone,
thank you so much! Keep praying, I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow afternoon on my ankle and my arm.

Love to all,
Toni
(the orthopedic surgeon is on call for the ER so lets hope it is a slow day and I get my surgery)

Wednesday update

Hello everyone,
A week ago at this time we had been up for over 24 hours and our life as well as Toni's had changed forever. All the thoughts that race through your head and the overwhelming emotions that keep hitting you wave after wave give testimony to the human spirit and its resiliency. Toni is now in a room (#359 Sacred Heart) and her surgery is tomorrow or Friday because they want the swelling in the right ankle down a bit more. It won't be later than that because now is the opportune time for best results since her bones are already trying to heal.

Today I wanted to share something the hospital brought to me yesterday and asked my permission to print it in a Trauma newsletter they published. This particular article was submitted by the ER/Trauma nurse that attended Toni once she was transported. Her name is Jackie Nichols:

"A thick skin. Tough as nails. A hard outer shell. This is how some might describe ER/Trauma nurses. It is true that, for mere self preservation, we must insulate ourselves from emotional attachments to the pain, despair, and devastation that rolls into our trauma bays. I'd like to share a time when it was not so easy to shake the effects of trauma.

It was, for this young lady, an afternoon like any other. She was on her way to the first soccer game of her senior year. What should have been the beginning of an exciting season took a tragic turn. The victim of a head on collision, she came to our trauma bay with multiple fractures. Her only plea was "please, just let me get back on the field." Her plan, she relayed to me, was to play soccer in college. In less than one hours time the excitement of her senior year, the hope of a winning season, picking out a prom dress, graduation plans and the usual activities that go along with ones senior year of high school came to a screeching halt. Not only was she physically broken, but her spirit was dealt a blow as well.

While it seemed that she would likely survive her injuries, I was struck by the intensity with which this afternoons events would effect her life. You see, I have a daughter who plans to play sports in college too. my daughter is a senior this year also. We have already been looking for potential prom dresses. For me, hearing her plans, seeing the strong body of an athlete now broken, and listening to the cries of this particular trauma patient hit too close to home for me to detach myself from it. You can believe that when I got home from work, I held my own 17 year old as long and as tightly as a teenager will let her mom hug!

After much contemplation in regards to this trauma, I have come to the conclusion that it is OK to feel the full emotion of a trauma. Empathy is to be considered a strength. We need not form a hard shell. Our response to human suffering is natural and the very thing that makes us human in return. In getting a first hand view of human tragedy we are in a fortunate place. We see daily how much we have to be thankful for and what a sin it is to take a single moment for granted."

God bless,
Scott & Laurel

2/23/09

As everyone is aware, Toni was in a head-on collision on Tuesday, February 17th on Canal Rd. She was air lifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where many of you have gone and visited with her.

She originally was listed in critical condition and underwent over 7 hours of surgery to repair her broken bones in her legs. She broke both of her femur bones, both of her tibia bones, 1 of her fibula bones, one bone in her arm and multiple bones in her right ankle. She now has several rods, pins and plates in her legs and ankle.

After surgery, Toni was put on a ventilator because her lungs started filling up with fluid from the trauma to her chest.

On Thursday morning one of Toni's lungs collapsed and she had to have a chest tube put in. Later that same day her other lung collapsed and she had a second chest tube put in.

On Saturday morning the hospital called and said that Toni was coughing up blood clots. They put a camera inside to see what was causing the clots. The doctor said it was what he expected, but wanted to be sure. It was from the trauma to her chest, but she did not have any internal injuries. They got most of it out, but she would continue to cough up a little blood until she got it all out. Toni is breathing on her own now, but due to the blood clots, they were going to hold off trying to remove the ventilator until Monday.

On Sunday, Toni was doing so well that they decided to remove the ventilator. Her throat is very sore, but she is awake and aware of everyone around her.

This brings us to today. Toni actually called us today and asked us to bring her her cell phone. She must be feeling better :). When we got to the hospital they had her sitting up in a chair. This was a wonderful site to see!!!! Toni remembers almost everything that happened and is very upset that the other driver died.

Toni will have a second surgery on her ankle on Wednesday to put in 2 more plates. They will also reset her broken arm.