Kevin walking, talking, eating And Smiling! what more can we ask for!!!!!

Kevin is working hard at a come back! He received a new VP shunt on his birthday April 9th:) I will be posting more information soon- He will be coming home may 11th!!!
Thank you for all the Prayer!!!!

New post 2-7-09

It took two nurses that took a few minutes extra with Kevin to notice that he started to track. (follow motion) A big surprise to everyone. And that began his new life. That took the word "Vegetable" off the Doctors lips and instead put in "I think he's in there".

Little at a time we can see new things and new possibilities. Through his surgeries... through infections... the medication adjustments, as well as some neglect and accidents, Kevin has been through it all and has made it through it all. He is getting better.

Kevin was placed in an Acute wing in St. Joseph's hospital ONLY to have his baclefen pump put in to relieve him of the pain of severe muscle spasms in every part of his body. As it was adjusted, little by little, the heavy medication was lessoned little by little trying to find a place where he could live with less pain and relax his muscles. It was during that time the doctors saw possibilities as he struggled to show more strength that they didn't think he had, and find more clarity. Get clear.

Kevin is nodding his head yes and no, and recognizes his family. We are so excited.... Kevin has a delayed reaction answering questions, but he tries to answer. He began to mouth words.. What a wonderful sight. He will now speak a few words at a time with a light whisper. Sometimes with Kevin two or three words says it all. Like last week when he whispered "I'm Trying"
And for us it's the saddest thing we'll ever see BUT on the other hand it's the most beautiful sight in the world. Kevin is such a good kid and he is so loved by so many people.

He has been in Physical therapy. Coming along slowly but he's coming. There is not much muscle control. He cannot sit alone or stand alone at all. With help he will stand about 20 counts with bended knees. Speech therapy, he counts to 18 on his own and whispers words. He is trying to find his voice, trying to identify things and is doing pretty well. Occupational therapy, he is trying to sit up in his wheelchair and manuver his hands to hold a tooth brush, and hold a spoon. He swallowed ice chips last week and then recently apple sauce and pudding. Then the other day he had two bites of chicken and a bite of moms hamburger. He wants pizza but it's a little to early... He nods his head yes to the question "do you want a milk shack?"- then he gets one!

Kevins challenges both physical and mental are going to be long and rough. He's family unites with him as often as possible. There is always someone from the family with him. That is so important mentally for Kevin at this time, to curve his frustration and give him support.
To keep him hopeful is KEY. because in the end, IT IS ALL UP TO KEVIN. He has to show continued improvement to stay in Acute care. He is Not going to another nursing home.

We continue to ask for all your prayers that Kevin will find his strength and voice and have only good, productive days. He is reminded of all the prayers and thoughts daily. He whispered to a nurse that was sitting with him , "I want another chance".

Mom (Amber) is learning so much about Kevins care in this facility to continue to care for him when he comes home one day. She has constantly been by his side spending the nights there to assure more protection (things happen) and of course if he should wake up, to have family near. It is so important at this time. Th facility appreciates her and her help, Moms right on it!

Grandpa and Grandma along with Kevins 2 year old sister Annie go to see Kevin and Annie pushes him in his wheelchair and does some coaxing "come on brother" she says during physical therapy.- How sweet is that! ( there will be a picture posted soon)

Our plans for Hyperberic therapy is a must... But Kevin cannot begin yet. He cannot be moved from this facility. Just as soon as possible we will be on our way to Tucson to Dr. Hendricks, There we will need to stay for a few months for this therapy. The drive would be around three hours one way and Kevin could not handle that., Nor would the visits be in a timely manner, This is yet another challenge but we certainly believe that Kevin will benefit greatly.

That is our goal. He is young and still growing. Thanks to all of you and family and friends who love him dearly, He's on his way back.

Update:

Kevins surgery went as planned. The Doctors are slowly weening him off of his pain medications. His body is adjusting well. On monday Kevin will sit in his very own custom wheelchair at least three hours a day. During these three hours he will be in physical therapy. The chair reclines back in the a seated position, it has a head rest to insure his head will be stable. This will be a nice change for Kevin.

Kevin has been tracking from left to right, he slightly lifts his head to allow the nurses to get his oxygen tubes on and off of his neck, he also knows who his mom is... The therapist asked him if his mom was in the room, and if she was could he look at her... and so he did. :)
Saturday nurses put a smaller trake in. They want him to soon be breathing completely by himself all the time.

Today Tig, his brother is spending time with him at the hospital. Kevin seems to respond to him more than anyone else so far. He stairs at him, moves his head around, he grunts as if he wants to say something. So far last week was very encouraging. We hope he keeps it up for the next two weeks. Our hope is that the therapists and specialists see that Kevin is making "purposeful" progress so that he can move into an acute care center. An acute care center is where Kevin gets to learn everything he might have forgotten. It's were he gets a lot of attention and stimulation 6 days out of the week and on the seventh day he rests... Of course!

Kevin is not able to do the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy until he no longer has to use the trake. We are all excited to get that therapy going.

My Family would like to Thank Mary and Bob, owners of Robert's Market in their neighborhood. Kevin made a lot of trips to this little store and we appreciate their well wishes and prayers!

Please continue to think of Kevin and keep him in your prayer! I'll get back to you next week...

Christmas with Kevin

Hello everybody, I just want to update you on what's happening with Kevin... Currently Kevin has started a rehabilation program which right now consists of stretching his body out and getting him to respond to commands. This is very hard and painful for Kevin so he is given a lot of pain medication which affects his mental abilities. For this reason it is sometimes hard to tell what he can and can not do. On Jan 5th he will have another operation. They will be putting a tuna can sized canister into his stomach that release a drug called Baclofen. Baclofen is a muscle relaxer and an antispastic agent.
Baclofen is used to treat muscle symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis, including spasm, pain, and stiffness.
Kevin does not have MS. But his body wants to "curl" up because of tightness and spasms in his muscles, this will help with pain and ease his way through rehabilitation. He will most likely not have to be dependent on this drug all his life.

Kevin had another breakthrough the day after Christmas. My sister brought him his old Harley Davidson teddy bear that he threw out a few months prior to his accident. But like everything my mom kept it... When Kevin saw the bear his eyes lit up. He tried leaning forward and then tried to reach for it. This is exactly what we want to see. Only we have to get these things to happen everyday. Kevin can also tap his fingers and blink his eyes on command. He is starting to trac from right to left. Before he could only trac to his left.

In this picture is Kevin and his brother David (Tig) We had just filled out a whole page of questions about Kevin: What his hobbies are, what movies he likes, ect... Tig said one of his favorite movies is Joe dirt. Soon after filling out hat sheet Kevin woke up for a few minutes so everyone was telling him how well he was doing and how good he looked and then Tig threw out a quote- He leaned close to Kevins ear and said "Life's a garden Kev you know that, dig it make it work for you" Once we got home I asked where he had come up with that, he said it was a quote from Joe dirt. How fitting and sweet!!!

Please continue to Pray and keep Kevin in your thoughts... We Thank everyone for their concern!

Much Love and Appreciation- The Family

I will write weekly on Kevins progress.

Last night at Brother Jimmy's we celebrated in Kevin's name...

It started out as a Fundraiser but it quickly turned in to a celebration that started at 9:00 p.m. with wristbands galore. Brother Jimmy's offered an amazing drink special to get the troops aboard and once in the doors the girls and I came around with raffle tickets for equally amazing prizes. I must take a second to Thank the generous people that donated their talents and time and hard earned money for Kevin.

Cynthia Russel donated a 90 minute private yoga class (value of $90). Billy Kerr donated a private 90 minute Pilates session (value of $90). Mia Baer donated a 90 minute private yoga class (value of $90). Steps on Broadway donated a package of 10 dance classes per Chelsea!! (value of $110) Brother Jimmy's donated 2 free dinners (value $50). Michael Brager donated a photography session (head shots! a value of $300) Cutting Image hair salon and I donated hair cuts and color services (value of $255)

Big Thanks to the girls at Brother Jimmy's and the Bartenders (Vince and Joe!!) DJ Will- you're awesome! And all the AMAZING people who came to support and donate..... Thank you, Thank you!

Our gaol was $5,000.00 Last night We raised $3,200.00!!!!!!! Not to mention the donations from last week and two other donation jars yet to be counted. WOW! I've been told to shoot big , it never hurts... and last night we did, and we did great!! "It's amazing what we can do when we pull the family together."- Mike D

Just to let you know I was so excited I called and woke up my parents at 3:30 am Their was nothing but happy tears and much appreciation! We also video taped and took tons of pictures to put together a DVD so that one day Kevin can see how much HOPE we all have for him!

More to come....

Donations

Thank you all so much for inquiring about donation information....

If you would like to donate funds to Kevin Crank you can do so at any Bank of America branch near you.

His account number is: 457011976132
If you forget the account number you can also contact the Prescott Valley Branch in AZ @ 928-772-8200 they are very helpful!

Thank you for your support... Pennies and Prayers included!!

Update:

Doctors confirmed that Kevin is in deed out of the vegetative state. Nurses say Kevin, at least once a day, responds to commands.
What we know for sure:
*Kevin knows his name
*Commands are delayed, It takes a lot out of him to respond. (but he's fighting)
*Making sure Kevin does not get pneumonia again is most important, remember his immune system crashed. Physically he can not take much more. Now more than ever it is imperative that Kevin receives HBOT for both his immune system and to further his brain activity.
*Doctors don't know how much brain damage he has or how far he'll come out of the state he is in (which has yet to be labeled or determined to us). They are pleasently surprised to see him making these strides.

I can't help but think this has something to do with all the prayers and caring, positive thoughts he's received. Our family can't Thank you enough!!! (please, keep 'em coming:))