September 22, 2008

It has been a while! In the past few weeks Matt has continued his therepy in Fort Collins. He is doing well and making progress.

Dad has been working hard at a fundraiser that will be held on October 5 at St. Michaels Event Center in Greeley, Colorado. The address is 3050 67th Avenue Greeley, CO 80634. The phone number is 970-336-1000. Bob Purcell and The Outriders (a well known band from Greeley, CO) will be holding a concert to help Matt pay his medical expenses. Derek Amato, a well known pianist in Colorado, will also be playing. In addition, there will be a variety of companies such as the Olive Garden, Ace Hardware, and the UPS joining us at the fundraiser, rafling off gift cards, and other products. There will also be T-shirts, food and drinks for sale.
Everyone is welcome to attend the concert. There is no admission fee, but donations are being accepted and much apprieciated. All proceeds from the event will go toward Matthew's Trust fund.

Cicis Pizza is still holding their fundraiser as well. This will continue through the end of October.

Tune in to your radio station, 1310 am KFKA, at 08:20 a.m. on October 2, 2008. Dad will be on the radio talking about Matthew and the fundraiser. This will be exciting: Richard on the radio!

Thank you again very much to all who have supported Matt and his family. It is greatly appreciated.

Also a huge thanks to Bob Purcell and the Outriders for making all of this possible!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Lisa and Chris came to visit during Matthew's time in the hospital a few weeks ago. Mom said she wanted to thank Lisa and Chris for keeping her head on straight and for reminding her of the love they share. She said that is something she will never forget!

The family also wants to thank Cici's Pizza. They are having a fundraiser for Matthew in Greeley and Fort Collins, Colorado. For all reciepts that are turned in, Cici's will donate 10% of the reciept total to Matthew's trust fund.

Matthew's condition seems to be improving every day. His rehabilitaion has been progressing, although his doctors said there is still a long road ahead of Matt. He will be attending rehab 3-4 times a week. It is hard to estimate for how long, but the doctors are thinking 6 months to a year of rehabilitation. He is still having a hard time balancing on his right side; he also can not walk backwards or go up or down steps. He will be seeing an Eye Specialist in the near future due to problems with his right eye as well.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Matt is now in between levels 6 and 7 of the Rancho Los Amigos scale. Some of the characteristics of these levels are as follows:

- Shows beginning awareness of a situation.
- Confusion between the past and present, with "remote" memory better than recent memory.
- Will consistently follow simple commands.
- Still requires external cues in order for task completion.
- Can pay attention to tasks in a non-distracting environment for at least 5 minutes.
- Unable to understand that disabilities exist.
- Unable to think about consequesnces of decisions or actions made.
- Overestimates abilities.
- Unable to recognize inappropriate social interactions or behaviors.

On the positive side, Matt is now home. He is glad to have his own bedroom and bathroom again.
However, he will still need out-patient therapy, and will be doing that several days a week at a different facility. He will be doing the same therapy he has been doing: occupational, physical, speech and nuero-behavioral therapy. In addition, Mom bought him a guitar so that he can also start music therapy.

Grandma Boehler left on Thursday, which Matt was very sad about. He didn't want her to leave! Though, they now speak every day on the phone. As Grandma left, Matt had some new visitors arrive, his friends Joey and Nick, from Arizona. Thank you guys for making the trip out here!!
Since, we are on the topic of thanks, we would like to thank Cheryl and Don Farmer for getting Grandma out here to visit, Uncle John and Aunt Joyce for your beautiful card and prayers, and Uncle Rich for his phone calls of concern. Also, many thanks to Sami, who has been there for Matt and our family throughout this entire ordeal. You have been amazing!!

We would also like to send our thoughts, love and prayers to Uncle Dave who is undergoing chemotherapy. We are right here, fighting along with you Uncle Dave!

Lastly, we are looking forward to taking Matt to see Greg Pankewicz and Ryan Tobler and the rest of the Colorado Eagles play hockey up at the Budweiser Event center. Thanks again, Greg and Ryan, for visiting Matt and creating such a memorable moment.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Here is an article printed up about Matt in the Greeley Tribune newspaper.

Click on link to view:
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20080814/NEWS/65527181&parentprofile=search

Friday, August 8, 2008

Jenn and I visited Matt today, and we were pleasantly surprised to find him awake and talking. The last few times Jenn has visited Matt he has been sleeping, so it was awesome for her to finally see him awake. He gave her a very long, affectionate hug and recognized her immediatley saying, "Hi Jenn."

Soon after we arrived he started listening to his IPod. He sang along to Kenney Chesney's 'Don't Blink' and 'Baby You Save Me' perfectly; he could still recall all the words to the songs. He sung out loud to us for a good fifteen minutes.

Matt and I discussed playing hockey together in the future, which we had previously planned before the accident. Hopefully, when Matt fully recovers we can make this happen.

At one point during our visit he asked mom if he was "doing alright." He seems to be aware that he is not functioning properly mentally, however, mom reasured him with a smile, "no sweety you're doing fine, you're doing just great!"

Regarding Matt's recovery, he is still in between stages 4 and 5, even though yesterday was a definite improvement. It seems as if he is fully aware of his surroundings, yet it is apparent that at times he is not. Sometimes, he would laugh just because we laughed or agree with what we asked or said, though he really was not certain of the answer. And joking around with him is not a good idea, because he is takes every word literally.

Matt kept looking at me and telling me that I was making him laugh. It made Mom, Grandma, Naomi, Jenn, and I laugh with him. Matt actually laughed and smiled during our entire visit, which is the best we have seen him yet.

Matt, I am so proud of you Dude!

Thursday August 7, 2008

There has not been a great deal of change with Matt over the past few days, so I do not have much to inform you of. He is still in between levels 4 and 5 on the Rancho Los Amigos scale (for Traumatic Brain Injury), which is due to the confused state he is still exhibiting. He seems to be confused about the present. During mom's visits she will sometimes take a break to get some water, however, when she returns, Matt seems as though he is seeing her for the first time that day.

Mom asked Matt today what he remembers of the accident. He said he is trying really hard to remember, but he can't. He said he doesn't even remember the bike trail he was on at Thomas's house. On a good note, Matt is aloud to listen to music now. It has to be mellow music, so mom put together some country songs on his IPod. Matt may not be able to remember the accident but he knows all the Kenney Chesney songs. He serenaded Mom, Dad, and Aunt Brenda over the phone. My mom said he knew all the words! By the way, Matt is an awesome singer, when all this is done, everyone should bug him to record a cd!

Monday, August 4, 2008

This afternoon, Matt started walking on his own! However, he still needs assistance: a belt around his waist and someone observing close by, in case he falls. Another bump on the head would not be good. Matt's balance is a little better as well; it seems his therepy is starting to pay off, although he does have a long road ahead of him. Matt was also able to take a shower, with supervision. He seemed to have liked being able to shower. He is progressing with his speech therapy: he has been given worksheets to help him with word association, and he is doing a great job. He is also tested on his memory on a daily basis. Matt does not remember anything about his accident, but he does know that a dirt bike was the cause of his injuries. The nurses also have him write down a log of all visitors and events of the day, so that he can review them the next day. This is to test his short term memory.

Matt told mom today, "There is something different within me that I need to work out", which is a pretty profound statement. In addition, he has made several references about his lack of mental capabilities by saying such things as, "I know I'm not retarded" and "I know something is wrong, because things just aren't clicking, you know?"

Matt's friend's (Guy) grandma (Alice) is hosting a yard sale this weekend, in which she will donate all of the proceeds she makes to Matt's trust fund. Thank you Alice, for taking the time and effort to help Matthew. That is so wonderful of you.

August 4, 2008

We don't have any additional information to post at this time. Matt has seemed to plateau, and is still at stage 4/5.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Thank you again for all your comments. We are very grateful for all the support we have received from family and friends. Also, thanks to those of you who have made donations. Your generosity is helping support Matt's medical expenses and therapy, and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Today was a long but good day! Matt is at a level 5 on the Rancho Los Amigos (TBI) scale, and seems to be improving immensely. He is eager to get out of bed and walk around. Today he wanted to do various things: walk dad to his truck, get some fresh air, go fishing, and cook a filet of Salmon! He came up with any excuse he could to get out of his hospital room! Unfortunately, Matt still needs a lot of rest before he can leave his room. He stands up independently but is still unable to balance himself while he walks. He takes steps on his own but someone needs to be there to prevent him from falling. In case he does decide to get out of bed on his own, there is a nurse at his side 24/7.

In physical therapy today, Rick and Matt used canes as hockey sticks and hit a foam ball around. Unfortunately for Rick it was a shutout, 2 to 0! They also played a game of checkers, which was a bit much for Matt, so they created a new game called "move your checker pieces where ever you want". Not really sure who won that game!
Matthew's speech therapy is also improving. He has been sounding out all his vowels perfectly. And every day is tested on his knowledge of the date. It has been hard for Matt to remember, so the nurses have put up a calendar as a reference. Although, he can't always remember the date, he has been clever enough to look at the calendar to find out. That is certainly a step in the right direction.

On another note, our family has been doing a little better. Scotty decided to stay in town a little longer to hangout with Matt. He has been incredibly supportive and helpful. Ian is headed back out to Pennsylvania for work, but should be back in three weeks or so. My mom, dad and Naomi have been spending most of their time with Matt and catching up on some sleep.

Thank you again for your prayers, love and support!

Monday, July 28, 2008

We have discovered that patients with TBI can bounce between the levels of the Rancho Los Amigos scale (which is the TBI scale we keep referring to), and there is no way to predict how long one will be at each stage. Currently, Matt has been bouncing back and forth between levels 4 and 5.
Matt's agitation levels have been up and down. One minute he may be perfectly content, and the next minute he will be extremely irritated, even angry. He has also displayed some aggression and attempted violence. Though this is a little disconcerting to us family members, this behavior is normal for this stage of recovery.
Matt had a cat scan performed yesterday and the results showed drastic improvement, compared to when he was in IC. His vitals are good, and his appetite is improving. He is also talking a bit more when awake. According to friends Sami and Scotty, Matt has even been a bit flirtatious with the nurses!! This must be proof that he is improving, right?

Friday, July 25, 2008

Matt is now at Stage 5 of TBI. This stage includes the following:

-Agitation due to external sources of stress.

-Behavioral responses are random and fragmented, unless he has continual structure.

-Is distracted easily and constantly has to be re-directed toward accomplishing goals.

-Can respond to simple commands fairly consistently.

-Can not initiate functional tasks on his own.

-Memory is severly impaired: there is confusion between the past and present.

-Able to converse on social automatic level, but only with structure. The content of what is said is inappropriate and fictitious.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Matt is improving a little bit every day...

Matt is swallowing better on his own, so he no longer needs nutrition through an IV, nor will he need the PEG procedure done.

Rick was able to talk with Matt a bit more today. Matt told Rick that he would like to go to college to make something of himself. Rick was impressed!!

Grandma Leona, cousin Liz, and Matt's friend Scotty all flew in today to visit Matthew.

Thank you to everyone who has posted comments. We appreciate your support!!

Monday, July 21, 2008

There was a family consultation at the hospital today, where we learned several things:

1) Matt will be receiving speech therapy (which also includes swallow therapy), physical therapy, and occupational therapy (getting dressed, brushing your teeth, etc) every day.
2) He still is not swallowing very well on his own, so he is getting his nutrients through an IV. However, if his swallowing has not improved in the next couple of days, then a method, known as PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy) will be performed. This is a non-painful, very low-risk surgical procedure, where a feeding tube is placed into his stomach. This method will be better for Matt, because it will give the stomach more activity, and help maintain appropriate weight levels and nutritional requirements.
3) The brain is so complex that the doctors can't really predict how long this process will take. Every person and every brain is completely different. However, they are very optimistic because Matt is improving a little bit everyday.

The MRI results finally came in, and it was reported that:
-Matt has a mild diffuse axonal injury, which means that the damage occured over a more
widespread area of the brain, rather than in just one specific area.
-There were no skull fractures.
-His spine and neck showed no damage.
-The 2 main blood vessels in his neck are still feeding blood to his brain.

During Matt's physical therapy session, he took a few steps, with the assistance of a walker and a nurse. He did, however, put on a shirt completely on his own!
Matt is still at stage 4. He gets agitated easily, is still confused and disoriented.

On a humorous note: Matt is swearing periodically (bring your earplugs Grandma), and when a doctor came in to visit him (she helped take care of him in ICU), she asked Matt how his brain was doing. And Matt replied, "My brain is full of poop!"

FYI- Only immediate family members are allowed to see Matt at this time. This is to help keep Matt's brain stimuli down to a minimum, for healing purposes. And, please, no cell phones!

Feel free to ask us any questions you may have, under the "comments" section.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Matt has been moved from the Intensive Care Unit to the Rehabilitation Unit of the hospital. His catheter has been removed and he is off all sedatives. Currently, he has post-traumatic amnesia and is at Stage 4 of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).
Stage 4 includes the following symptoms:
-Confusion and agitation
-Hypersensitivity to all stimuli
-Possible delusions and hallucinations
-peforms motor activites, but behavior isn't necessarily purposeful

The physical and speech therapists were in to visit him today. His shoulder is hurting him, but it appears to only be bruised and painful; nothing is broken. During his speech therapy, Matt was able to remember the bike he was riding when he crashed, he recalled his mom, dad, brother and sister, and he knew the current year (2008). However, he thinks the month is March, he tried drinking out of the urinal, and he thinks Jenn is his girlfriend. That should be a good laugh for later! Matt also succesfully ate a popscicle and even fed himself a couple of bites with his spoon.

The doctors stated that he is making really good progress, but he will more than likely be in rehab for 6 weeks or so.

July 17, 2008 Update

There are 10 stages to brain recovery, and at this point in time Matt is at Stage 3. He is awake, and off the ventilator, but can't completely comprehend what is going on around him. He will mumble sentences, some of which makes sense and some which do not. And periodically he will respond to a question you ask him. He is very aggitated and figgity; he desperately wants to pull out his IV's and catheter. However, he senses when mom is around and seems to calm when she is in his presense. And when mom asks for kisses, he willingly obliges. He kissed mom, Naomi and Jenn today. Rick asked for a kiss, but got denied. Sorry Rick, apparently he's only willing to share his affections with the ladies! He also keeps telling mom that he loves her. When Ian walked into the room, Matt said, "What's up dude?", which gave everyone a good chuckle.

He will be at this stage for a few more days. At this stage we can only see him for very short periods of time, and must remain calm and quiet. This will help prevent too much brain stimulation, which is critical for healing and recovery.

We do not have the offical results of the MRI at this time.

It's a miracle!

During the wee hours of the morning, the doctors took Matt off of his anesthesia to see how he would react. He seemed to handle that well, so well in fact, that he woke up. He sat up in his bed and was able to recognize mom, dad and Naomi. He even spoke a little bit. Ya!!!

As Matt awoke from his drug-induced coma, some of his first words were "Kenny Chesney" and "chair", which happens to be one of his favorite songs. So, mom started to sing "Old Blue Chair" by Kenney Chesney. Amusingly though, mom didn't remember all of the words, so she started to make them up as she went along. ;-)

Matt is still in quite a bit of pain, so we have to give him his rest. But, this is amazing progress! As Sami would say, he is a soldier! He is proving all the doctors wrong, regarding how long his recovery process would be. Go Matt!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Today was a very promising day....

The doctors were able to remove the ICP monitor from Matt's head. They also removed a couple of his other IV's. Througout the morning, Matt opened his eyes at one point and seemed aware of his surroundings. He responded to mom, Tracy, sister, Naomi, and friend, Sami by squeezing all of their hands. He even cuddled his stuffed dog, Spud!
However, he was heavily sedated again, so that he could finally get his MRI. We waited all day for the results, however, they had to be sent to a speciaist in Denver, so we were told to wait one more day.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Matt's vitals were stabilized. He coughed a little bit more, but was still heavily sedated.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Matt started to breathe on his own a little bit, though was still kept on the ventilator. He also coughed a few times. At this point, we were waiting for the brain swelling to reduce enough for the doctors to take out the ICP monitor. Once the monitor was removed, they would be able to do an MRI.

(Aunt Brenda came in from Rocky Ford.)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Sunday

The doctors were still monitoring Matt's ICP, as well as his blood pressure, breathing, and other important vitals. Matt was stabilized, which was a blessing; At least there wasn't any bad news.

Matt had many visitors over the weekend, while in ICU: Guy, Guy's father, Greg, Thomas, his mother, Jolene, Zach, Sami, Taylor, Tyler and Jesus. Thank you to each one of you for your support!!

And thanks Jolene for all of the food, including those amazing Kraut Burgers!

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

The doctors did a 3rd Cat Scan, and found that the cranial bleeding was reduced. However, there was still too much swelling of the brain. Therefore, a nuerosurgeon came in to place a "bolt", or ICP monitor in Matt's head. This allowed them to monitor the swelling, so they could react quickly, if necessary.

We were told that Matt was not "out of the woods", and would not be for several days. The brain is a complicated thing and it is hard to know how one will react. The doctor told us to stay strong, but to keep in mind that this situation could "go either way". They also told us that this could be a very long jouney and Matt may be in ICU for several weeks. It wasn't the news we wanted to hear, but we remained positive.

(Ian, the brother-in-law, arrived later that night. He had just left for Texas on Friday, however, arranged to fly back home asap.)

What happened...

Around 3:30pm-ish on July 11th, Matt was involved in a dirt bike accident. His crash was so severe that his helmet cracked. He was rushed to Banner Health in Greeley, and placed in Intensive Care.Matt was in very critical condition. There were 2 cat scans conducted and the follwing was found: he had 3 brain contusions, bleeding in his cranium, as well as a broken nose and cheek bone. There was also quite a bit of swelling of his brain.He was placed in an drug-induced coma, and put on a ventilator.
Posted by Rick & Jennifer at 12:31 PM