Kyle's Medical Adventure

September 2007 -- Kyle fell and broke his foot. He wore a boot for 2 months, and then his foot was healed. What we didn't know was that he was walking around with a fractured neck. The fracture in his neck caused him to begin losing neurological function. He couldn't stand or walk on his own.

December 2007 -- On the 10th Kyle had an MRI which found the fracture and he was admitted to Seattle Children's hospital.

On the 12th he was taken to the OR and a halo was placed in his head. He was then in traction for five days. The traction, they hoped, would pull his spine back into place and he could have a much less traumatic surgery to fix the problem.

For five days, he laid in traction, with the weight starting at 7 lbs and ending on day five at 13 lbs, hanging from the top of his halo and over the head of the bed. He was lightly sedated and given pain meds for the time he was in traction. He couldn't see the TV, but he could hear the sounds, and was greatly comforted listening to "Big Jake", "Frosty the Snowman", "Mary Poppins", and a few others that I don't remember anymore -- this report is coming from a year's distance.....

They put in a feeding tube, which he tolerated for a couple of days before vomiting it out. It was stressful, but I think my stress level went up, the day I was invited to rounds, and the attending physician said, "If Kyle codes, you can bag him, but you aren't to do anything else until anesthesia and neurology are present."

On December 18th, Kyle was back in the OR, where they were able to manipulate his C1/C2 vertebrae back into alignment, they then screwed it in place and took a piece of bone from his hip and fused his neck. He remained in the OR for 3 more days before being moved to the rehab unit.
Kyle had lots of visitors while he was in the ICU and even more when he was moved to another floor, one of his favorite visitors was none other than Santa Claus!


Kyle saw Santa twice during his visit. This Santa is a member of our Stake and he made a special trip to see Kyle.

Kyle was on the rehab floor for several days. They re-started the tube feedings, and he didn't tolerate it very well. The nutritionist said she would agree to not starting it again, if we could get him to eat. I explained to him that if he didn't eat, they'd put the tube back in his nose. He began eating that day. He ate yogurt, added bread, chips and, of course, French fries!

Christmas was approaching as was the weekend......the physical therapist told us she wouldn't release Kyle until he could use his walker. The first day she came to help him get up, he wanted to walk, so she helped him walk to the couch where he sat for a few minutes, and then back to the bed.

The weekend came and there were no physical therapy staff that weekend to come help him get up, or practice with the walker, so Jon and I started getting him up, first

just standing for a few seconds, and then slowly using the walker and moving to the chair.

When Francine (the PT), came in on Monday, she was amazed! She asked Kyle if he wanted to walk to the bathroom. He stood up, grabbed the walker and walked to the bathroom and back. She signed her portion of the discharge orders.

One thing we learned about this boy -- nothing can make him move if he doesn't want to AND nothing can stop him when he wants something.

Monday, Christmas Eve, and this boy wanted to go home. He had one more hurdle to cross before they would release him. He had to use the bathroom. We explained to him, what it would take for him to go home. He accomplished the final task, but it was too late to be released that day. So we had Christmas Eve in the hospital, we ordered pizza -- Derek and Scott came in and spent the evening.

Just a word about Derek and Scott. They were so great! I spent the entire time Kyle was in the hospital, there with him. Jon used vacation time that he'd accrued and worked from the hospital, he did the Christmas shopping, the laundry, shuttling me clean clothes, and spent the day with us before going home very late to be with the other boys. Neither of the boys complained, and although it was hard for them to see Kyle the way he was, they came to the hospital. They helped at home and fended for themselves.


Christmas morning came and Kyle woke up to a stack of gifts that were provided by the hospital. There was a large keyboard that he can dance on, an activity book, a frisbee that turns into a ball after it's thrown, and a season of "Sponge Bob" DVD's. He opened his gifts, Jon came, the doctors signed the discharge orders and we headed home.



We hadn't considered clothes. He had the clothes that he'd come to the hospital in two weeks earlier, so we had pants and shoes, but the shirt wouldn't fit, even if we cut it. So we put his coat on him and zipped it up as far as it would go. Jon hauled all the things we'd accumulated to the car and came to pick us up. Kyle was so happy to get into the van. He was ready to be home.

We got home around 11 a.m.



Kyle was so happy to see the Christmas tree and to be home. We waited to open gifts until Scott got home from work. There are great perks when working at a movie theatre. Working on Christmas day isn't one of them. Some great friends (he happens to be our home teacher) brought us a Christmas dinner and it was wonderful to be home and together!

We moved Kyle's bed from his bedroom to the family room, then we took turns sleeping downstairs with him in case he needed something in the night. After about 5 weeks he started going up and down the stairs and we decided he was ready for his own room. During that time, Derek had moved to Utah and Scott moved into Derek's room, so we re-arranged Kyle's room and he loved it. Especially the framed pictures of John Wayne.

January 11th, found us back at the hospital for a "tightening of the screws" as it were -- to adjust the halo.

We had numerous visits to the doctor and these pictures are some of the "fun" we had there.

March 10, 2008 -- We were back in the hospital, this time to remove the halo. Kyle's neck had healed sufficiently and they were going to remove the apparatus. I asked if we could keep it, they said some of it could be sterilzied and re-used.....I asked for jus the pins then. They gave me the whole thing.

Oh HAPPY Day!!!

So, does this fit the definition of adventure? You bet it does -- it definitely made me catch my breath -- several times. What did I learn from this adventure? I learned that we are loved. We are loved by our Father in Heaven, who knows us by name and who sustains us. I learned that I could love and hope and be okay with the outcome, regardless of what the outcome would be -- don't get me wrong, this is the outcome that I hoped and prayed for, that Kyle would be healthy, healed, and able to enjoy his life and the things he loves, but I learned that we'd be okay and that I could accept whatever the outcome would be. I learned that we have tremendous friends, who love us, who took care of us, and who sustained us through this time. I can't count or even remember the number of meals people brought us, so that we could eat. The countless hours that our friends spent driving to and from the hospital to let us and Kyle know that we are loved. The friends who fed the boys and watched over them while we were at the hospital. We have been truly blessed and watched and cared for. I learned -- again -- the power of prayer and the strength that come from prayer. Those prayers we offer and the prayers offered on our behalf. I felt the strength and love being poured out on us. I learned that generosity comes in many forms, and wer were the recipients of much generosity. I learned the importance of family and for those of you blood related and those of you who aren't, you are all my family....and I appreciate all who let me cry, listened, and loved. Thanks will never be enough!