Josh Gray

This is the latest on Josh’s condition from the last couple of days.  To start the exciting news Josh has been moved out of I.C.U.  This is a great thing but as the family is learning the care is definitely different then I.C.U.  Unfortunately, Gary found Josh wet this morning when he arrived and found that the staff neglected to change Josh since last night at 10pm when Gary did it last.  This has been addressed and hopefully we will not have to hear of this again.

On Monday 6/15, Josh had another MRI in which he had to be sedated. The procedure took about 45 mins. and 30 mins in recovery. The MRI revealed some swelling but it was at a standard level and the doctor was not concerned. There were signs of bleeding but this also was to be expected and not a concern. Normally a second MRI would not be ordered in this case but because of Josh’s age another one was done to confirm the brain was doing what it needed to do & everything was what they expected it to be.

On Tuesday 6/16, Josh had some extensive therapy and was awake much longer then he has been in the last couple of days. Some of the accomplishments in this day was he drank Gatorade from a cup taking it to his lips as well as sipping it from a straw. He ate chocolate ice cream; it was softened first and spooned for him and then he feed himself. This did cause a little bit of a brain freeze. He also ate Rice Crisps cereal; he spooned it himself and brought it to his mouth. All these things were done using his left hand. He also stood up out of bed with assistance. He was given a walker in which he used his left hand to hold. He took several steps. This was a team effort. He would move the walker with his left hand, he would then move his left foot and someone would then move his right foot for him. During the day as well as during his therapy, Josh is asked the level of his pain. A chart showing a pain scale is in his room as a reference point for him. Because of Josh’s condition his muscles get tense and tight. It requires them to be stretched and massaged 3 times a day. This is done by the family as well as the nurses. Good news is that there is discussion of maybe putting Josh in a wheel chair. The family is very excited about this but still not sure how close that goal is.  Update: shortly after writing that last sentence I was informed today Wednesday 6/17 that Josh has been in a wheelchair and going back and forth to the rehabilitation gym several times today and the family is very pleased and excited about moving forward. There will be more on this once we have checked in with the family.

The family is very pleased with the Ronald McDonald house. They would again like to extend their thanks to everyone who is visiting the website, visiting them in the hospital and sending their thoughts, prayers and love.