A Very Special Christmas and Looking to the Future

  Bennett viewing his students in Spain.  Bennett loves that job!

On Christmas Eve I realized that I really hadn’t gotten anything special for Bennett.   Somehow it had snuck up on me.  He had received some presents in the mail, but I hadn’t really done anything.  He had an origami covered tree in his hospital room.  He had a few presents under the tree that friends had sent.  On the other hand I had a great present; Bennett.  I was fussing about where the other kids would be.  Bennett called Cy and told him that they’d BETTER be going down to Grandma and Pops.  Alternately Kathryn had invited them to Glos.  Britt said she had a photo shoot on Christmas afternoon.  It just didn’t seem all that Christmassy.

On Christmas morning we spoke to people that we love on the phone and opened our presents.  Bennett’s friend Heather came early with a snowcat poster signed by all the snowcat operators plus goodies and books.   

A signed poster of the snow grooming machine Bennett operates.  Bennett loves that job!

He spoke to cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and quite a few friends.  Sara called late in the afternoon and assured us that they had finally all gotten together and were driving down to Grandma and Pops which made Bennett happy.  Then Britt Sara and Cy walked into Bennett’s hospital room.   It was so strange; everything slowed down and got a little foggy.   For a second Bennett got mad that they weren’t with their grandparents, but only for a second.  The last few days with all the kids have been sweet and amazing.   The previous time the kids were here (3 weeks ago) Bennett was extubated right before they left and was able to speak for the first time since he had been admitted.  The kids are leaving tomorrow and today Bennett was given some great news that has allowed him to set goals and make plans for the not too distant future.  Today Bennett is smiling.

It was one month ago today that I received the kind of call from a hospital chaplain that every parent dreads.  Bennett had been critically injured in a snowboarding accident and was in route via Flight for Life to St Anthony Hospital in Lakewood Co.  Breckenridge is a small town and it seems like there’s only one degree of separation between everyone there and countless people from there have told me what a strong will to live Bennett had that day.  We also know certain events lined up that day that saved his life in the hour or so after the accident.

Last week Bennett was told that he would not be getting his hip replacement for maybe 3 months and he would have to stay in traction until the hip replacement.  The social worker that told him this went on to say that rehab could not start until he was out of traction and that he would likely be discharged from the hospital prior to that.  This conversation had weighed heavily on Bennett in the last few days.  He wondered where he would go when he was discharged and how he would get there.  He feels confident with his doctors here and wants to continue his care here.  He’d been very quiet since hearing this news.

Besides the worry about being discharged and stuck on his back in traction for months, Bennett had started having a strange and scary sensation in his right foot.  The feeling in his foot gave way to a numbness, burning and tingling 5 days ago.  It was hard not to obsess on this and wonder if he was losing nerve function.  The neurologist was unable to do an EMG because the metal from the traction would interfere. 

This morning Bennett and I met with 2 of his orthopedic surgeons and part of the trauma team.  We were give good news on several fronts.  For simplicity sake I’ll list the news:         

• The doctors believe that the tingling and burning in Bennett’s foot is the nerve coming back, not the other way around.  Bennett has been able to move the toes on his right foot down, but not flex them up.  They think that this burning is caused by the nerve coming back that will allow his to flex his toes up. 

• Bennett is growing new bone at a rapid rate.  The broken bones are bridging (connecting and growing back together) quickly.  The acetabulum is the only bone that has not been repaired and is considered inoperable because of the risk of infection so the plan was a total hip replacement.  Now the orthopedic surgeons feel that if the acetabulum heals as it is it will support the femur enough for Bennett to be able to bare full weight in another 3 months and that hip replacement should be put off as long as possible.  The thinking is that the acetabulum is healing so quickly and Bennett is growing so much new bone that it will function pretty well.  The hip replacement will only last 15 years and if he had one now it would have to be redone several times throughout his lifetime, so delay it as long as possible. 

• The traction was reduced today from 20 to 10 pounds.  Starting today the traction will be taken off for 1 hour each day and physical therapists will be working with Bennett each day.  Tomorrow they may sit him up on the edge of the bed.  In 2 weeks the traction will be gone and he can start full time in house rehab.  

• In order to move up to rehab he will have to be off the heparin drip and IV pain meds.  This is a goal for Bennett.  He will have to be switched to Coumadin (for the blood clot) and oral pain meds. 

This news completely changed Bennett’s outlook and he now has a goal of making it to Panama in April for Ani’s sister’s wedding.  Before he had talked about this, but it didn’t seem realistic.  Now it seems like a realistic goal.

Other good news:  Yesterday Dr Reynolds closed up Bennett’s inner thigh and put a skin graft on it.  The skin came from his left thigh.  There is still some infection in the upper inner thigh, but it seems to be responding well to antibiotics.  Hopefully nothing will grow out of the new cultures and it won’t blow up.  

Bennett continues to have lots of visitors and he’s always happy to see them.  Today Tim, a Swiss friend that Bennett met in France last summer stopped by.   That was a wonderful surprise.  We are so grateful to many people and there are many people that I want to thank.  Please know you are appreciated!  I especially want to thank John for getting the kids out here.

Please continue to send that positive energy and prayer.  Bennett feels it.

Much love and gratitude,

Libby