Merry Christmas!

5:20pm

Last night we took homemade cookies to the MICU and Trauma Unit nurses at Lakeland Regional Medical Center for those who had to work Christmas Eve. We went at shift change so we could catch the day and evening shift, and got to see several of those who cared for Taylor during the really dark times.

We are also very grateful to the staff at FINR, but that facility is about an hour drive the opposite direction, so we weren't able to go there too. We do think about them often, and stay in touch with a few by email. And, we're planning a few trips there after the first of the year to visit those who worked on him for the 3 months Taylor lived there. The LRMC staff -from the ER Nurses and Doctors to the Surgeons, Trauma Physicians, MICU and Trauma Nurses - fixed Taylor medically, and the FINR nurses and therapists worked hard to fix everything else. Between the two, they did a damned good job!

At midnight, Taylor's girlfriend, Lori, joined us for Midnight Mass. Today, Taylor's aunt, grandmother and cousin came to our house for what was the best Christmas we've ever had.

Lori and Taylor

Last week Suzie sent the following letter to friends and family, mostly those who live out of town. We thought we'd post it here.

Happy Holidays!

As most of you know, this has been a challenging year for the Smith family. To shamelessly paraphrase Charles Dickens: It’s been the best of times; it’s been the worst of times.

After his car accident March 1, Taylor finally came home in late July. He’d spent five weeks in ICU, another three weeks in the hospital’s trauma unit and three months in rehab, so he was ready, and so were we! He’s well on the road to recovery now, is inching closer to walking without his cane and will return to Polk Community College in January.

Taylor still is planning to finish his core classes here then transfer to the University of South Florida in Tampa to major in engineering, probably in another year.
Watching his recovery has been nothing short of witnessing a miracle. Knowing how close we came to losing him has brought such a new perspective to our lives. We cherish each day more and discover God’s blessing at each turn.

Taylor is still facing more surgery on his facial nerve early next year, but after what he’s been through, we’re confident he’ll do well.

The early days after Taylor’s accident tested our faith, our family and our inner strength in ways that defy comprehension. But through that hell, we came to understand the wonders of friendship, love and God. For that, we’ll be forever grateful.

And our gratitude to all of you, too, who stood by us, held us up when our hearts were crumbling and prayed relentlessly for Taylor’s recovery - there just aren’t words to express our love for all of you.

So at this magical season, we wish you the joy of family, the simplicity and warmth of hugging someone you love and the happiness that comes with sharing special moments. Those truly are the best of times.

As we move into 2008, Lauren will finish her senior year at Bartow High School and graduate in June. She’s planning to pursue cosmetology, fulfilling a dream she’s had since childhood.

Suzie’s in her 24th year with The Ledger and still loves each day’s new adventures. Al’s working hard on pre-employment screenings, surveillances and other investigations.

We all traveled to Georgia in October to celebrate autumn in Dahlonega and will be Ohio-bound later this month to welcome the New Year with Suzie’s brother and sisters.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year, with the bounty of God’s love in 2008. And may every day be Thanksgiving at your house, as it is in ours.

DDoouubbllee Vision

6:40pm

Taylor had an appointment scheduled with the Opthamologist for the end of January to check the progress of his double vision, but he wanted to go sooner to see if he could be fitted for glasses. He starts back to Polk Community College in a few weeks, and thinks he'll have trouble seeing in the classroom.

Double vision continues to be a problem, and he has begun to compensate for it by turning his head to the right about 30 degrees to help focus when he's watching television, or trying to really focus on something.

Yesterday he saw the Opthomologist who said that there had not been a lot of progress since his last visit, but there had been some improvement. He checks his vision by using prisms to refocus the image, and records which prism gives the best results, then compares that to the last visit.

There is also some nystagmus still present. This causes the eyes to shake from left to right. When he was in the hospital and during the early weeks of rehab, it was real noticeable. But, it has gotten so much better, it now can only be identified during testing. That too should continue to improve over time.

He wrote a prescription for glasses, and we got those ordered yesterday. We're headed to Ohio on 12/27 through 1/2, so he'll pick them up on 1/4.

I was goofing with Taylor on the way there and said the glasses may make his eyes look like a cartoon character. I told him I was kidding, but he asked the girl handling the glass order if they would make his eyes look really big, so I guess he didn't trust that I was kidding. She said part of the glass will be a little thicker than the other, but they wouldn't make his eyes look huge.

We've had several people tell us that his walking/balance issues were affected by the double vision, and as that got better, so would the balance. But, when I asked the Ophthamologist about that, he said he knew of no connection between the two.

There are some days when Taylor's walking looks so normal that you'd wonder why he had the cane. And, there are others where he doesn't do nearly as well.

He's only 9 months into the recovery and the Neurosurgeon told us from the beginning that it takes an estimated 2 years for the brain to heal from the kind of injury Taylor had, so he still has a long way to go.

But, wobbly or not, he can walk on his own so having to use the cane for a while longer is no big deal.

The good that comes from bad

9:27am

Whenever someone posts a comment for a post on this blog, I get a copy of the comment emailed to me. Recently, a comment was left about this post by "Melissa" about an April 4th post regarding the first hug from Taylor following the accident that happened 8 months ago today. I waited 35 days for that hug and it was worth the wait.

We don't know Melissa, but we're glad that she left the following comment:

"I am not sure how I came across this blog, but I am so thankful that I did. The truth is, I know that God had his way in me reading Taylor's Story and yours from the family. I have read it from the very first blog to get the entire story and this entry is where I started tearing up and broke down. I haven't had any communication with my brother in almost 2 years and this entry showed me that I have to make it right, and to tell him that I love him no matter what the past was."

When Taylor was in the Trauma unit and able to communicate with us by either mouthing the words or spelling the words out on a chart, he often asked "Why me?" We told him that we didn't know, but that we knew God would make sure something good came out of what had happened to him. We told him there were some things that could happen as a result of his wreck that he might not even know about.

We've had friends of Taylor's tell us that they hadn't been real good about wearing seat belts before Taylor's wreck, but were working hard to get in the habit of always buckling up.

Within a week or two of Taylor's wreck, a former longtime friend of Lauren's contacted her and told her that Taylor's accident caused her to realize how petty their previous disagreement had been. At the time, they hadn't spoken to one another in months. Her friend told her that she wanted to put the past aside and start over. Today, they remain close friends.

Melissa is another who has realized that whatever problems develop between friends and family, it likely wasn't important enough to lose contact with that person.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving 2007 at our house. Imagine what THAT was like! The first thing I did this morning was kiss Taylor while he slept.

It seems for many people, Thanksgiving is just the beginning of a 4 day weekend, a day to get ready to start shopping or a reason to visit with family and friends. For most, there probably isn’t much more time spent giving thanks on Thanksgiving than there is honoring Vets’ on Veterans Day or Presidents on Presidents Day. We were as guilty as most other people. Outside of the Blessing, that pretty much ended discussions of "thanks".

This year, Lauren suggested putting everyone’s name in a hat, picking a name and telling everyone why we are thankful for that person. My mother and sister came down for lunch, and we had our neighbor over.

I knew whoever drew Taylor's name would have it made. It was me! There wasn’t really much to say. It’s just one of those obvious things. I probably could have done my part by just pointing at him. But, I did give thanks that God saved him, that he's with us, and that he has healed as well as he has.

It was only 6 or so months ago that we wondered about everything – would he walk again, would he be OK mentally, would he be able to go back to school? We lived with the unknown for a long time. We now know that he has recovered so well and so fast that there is little these days he can’t do. He is still weak on his right side, and his double vision still causes some problems and he still get tired more quickly than he did before. But, he’s adjusted to the hearing loss, never really talks about the facial paralysis, and never gets bummed out having to depend on everyone to get him around. So, to be able to do almost everything with him that we could before the accident is REAL cause to give Thanks.

So, as you would expect, our family is thankful for Taylor’s recovery. We’re thankful that he is the same old Taylor, and life with him from here forward will only be slightly different than if the accident had never happened. But, we’re all adjusting to it and recognize that is sure beats the alternative.

"I did OK on the skateboard"

9:30pm

That is NOT what I expected to hear anytime soon.

Yesterday, Taylor called me and said "I know what I want for Christmas - a beach cruiser bike so I can ride to friends houses and not be dependent on everyone to take me places".

I told him that I was certain he wasn't ready to try riding a bicycle yet, but that maybe after the first of the year when he became a little more stable he may be able to. And then, I told him, you could only test it out if some of your friends ran beside you, but it's probably just not a good idea to try that any time soon.

As we talked, I could hear the distinctive sound of the skateboard park in the background. I've heard it a million times. Before he could drive, I'd often take him and his friends to Skatepark of Tampa, where they'd skate until they were exhausted. Taylor became pretty good at it, even getting photographed for a Ledger note about the skateboard park in Bartow opening years ago.


Then, he hit me with it - "I did OK on the skateboard". After I cleaned my pants out, I told him that I hoped he was kidding, and if he wasn't , he better not even think about doing that again. He was silent, so I'm thinking he did a little personal balancing test. He and I will talk about it a little more in depth the next time I get a private audience with him!

Taylor has been VERY patient about his progress. He has not complained a bit about not being able to do everything he could before. But, I guess the curiosity of "can I still do this?" momentarily overwhelmed his better judgment.

Taylor in more agile days

Back to school!

7:30am

We had another major milestone yesterday - Taylor signed up for classes at the PCC/USF campus in Lakeland starting in January. He's taking Sociology, English Lit and College Success. We've never seen him as excited about going to school as he is right now. Before the accident, school was something he did to fill some down time. He was always able to just show up in class and do well. Now, he's actually motivated to get back to class and to focus on getting on track. Just this morning, while Lauren was getting ready for school at 6:30am, he woke up and started talking about school. He said he planned to go to bed at 9pm each night so he'd be rested for school. That won't happen, but it sounds good.

Just like our trip to the mountains last month, his registering for classes makes us again think about how far from reality his going back to school seemed 6 months ago.

Taylor's walking seems to have really improved in the past 2 weeks. He seems more stable than he has been, and doesn't walk with a "slice" like he has in the past sometimes. And, he says he feels that his walking has become stronger. A week or so ago, he said he had tried "jogging", but forgot to tell his friends he was going to give it a whirl. He said they yelled out "WHAT in the **** are you DOING?" and he told them he was trying to jog. He said it actually went pretty well, but don't expect to see him enter any footraces anytime soon.

Diane - and a dozen other people

8:50am

Yesterday we made another trip to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida to follow up on his eyelid surgery. The Dr. said it looked great - better than he would expect it to so soon.

We talked again about the options for surgery to help control the left side of his mouth. There is a brand new procedure that is yet another option that we hadn't previously discussed. The Dr. suggested waiting until the early part of '08 to make a decision, but some of the options should be done within 18 months of the accident, so Taylor still has some time to decide what to do.

If Taylor could have thanked those who helped save or care for him in proper order, one of those at the top of the list would be Diane, a nurse at the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Angie, Taylor and Diane

She had her hands full on March 6th when Taylor's brain pressure went out of control. As soon as she got him off to surgery, she had to deal with Taylor's mother, who was had a major melt down that had been building for 5 days. No one had to tell us, but we knew at that moment that Taylor's life was in jeopardy, and his survival now depended on what happened in the operating room with Dr. Campanelli. Even though everyone that helped Taylor is special, there are a couple of "extra" special ones, and Diane is on the short list.

Angie was working yesterday too. She supervises this particular shift and was great support for us. All of the nurses not only have to care for the patient, but they also serve to help parents like us from completely losing our minds. Ironically, Angie is the sister-in-law of a family, the Willcockson's that lived next door to us a few years ago.

We also stopped by to see Jack Stevens, the CEO of the hospital, and his assistant Fran. Taylor's mother knew them prior to Taylor becoming a patient, and they checked on him while he was there for 2 months.

While waiting for an elevator, a woman we didn't recognize - whose name we don't know - smiled at us and began to comment on how good Taylor looked. She said that she had inserted a PIC line (a port used to introduce IV's) for him. He had 2 done, since he snatched one out when he was in ICU. The most recent one would have been done in early April, so she has a pretty amazing memory.

We learned that Dr. Campanelli was at the hospital and tracked him down to the Operating Room. We were told he was finishing up his fourth for the day, and would be out soon, so we waited by the OR doors for him so we could say hi. While waiting for him, we saw a man and woman we had met in March in the ICU waiting room who were back due to another relative having surgery. They knew how badly Taylor was injured, and were obviously surprised to see him standing and talking.

Dr. Campanelli and his Physican's Assistant, Melissa, came out of the OR and visited with us a while. We told them that Taylor went to a Halloween party over the weekend, and went at himself - wearing a hospital gown. His friend, Tim Valdez, went as "Dr. Campanelli".

As we were about to leave, or former next door neighbors, (on the other side of where the Willcockson's lived) Jimmy and Lou Ann Strickland and daughter "Lewter", saw us and came over to see Taylor. We hadn't seen them in several years. Lou Ann told Taylor's mother that she had seen the Mother's Day article she had written about Taylor, but it upset her too much to read the entire story.

Yesterday was a fun visit. We went to see 1 person, and ended up visiting with almost a dozen. Being with Taylor is sometimes like being with a celebrity.

"I've got bling for my eyelid"

6:35am

Taylor's surgery went well yesterday.

It was a little unnerving to watch him get hooked to an IV and then be rolled through the doors leading to one of the 24 operating rooms at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Every time we watched him go into the operating rooms previously it was for much more serious issues.

Dr. Adelson had Taylor try out some weights by taping them to his eyelid. He said there is a 1 in 10 chance of picking the wrong size weight, so they always leave the decision up to the patient. When the gold weight was first taped to Taylor's eyelid, he said "I've got bling for my eyelid". That was apparently the first time a patient has ever said that, if the Dr.'s response was any indication. He may still be laughing.

By the time we got home last night, it looked like the Referee should have called the fight in the 2nd round. His eyelid was swollen and purple. By midnight, it looked a lot worse and the Dr. said today it will really be nasty. But, he's armed with Percocet for the pain so as of last night he didn't really care. He goes back to Gainesville next week for a follow up, then should be done with any kind of invasive procedures until the first part of next year when the chewing muscle is transplanted to his cheek.

First roadtrip done! Surgery tomorrow

10:20am

As recently as June or July, if someone had told us that Taylor would be recovered and well enough to take a trip to the mountains this fall, we would have looked at them like they were crazy. On May 29th, he was walking at about 1/2 the normal walking speed, but could only do it with a walker. On June 21st, he learned how to use a cane. And, the feeding tube didn't come out until August 1st.

Over the weekend, we made our first roadtrip since Taylor's accident. We have property near Dahlonega, GA and every year try to go to Gold Rush Days - one of largest fall festivals in the mountains.

Taylor - even at 1, 450' above sea level,

NEVER out of touch with his crew

We weren't really certain how tough the ride may be on Taylor, but he did OK. He wasn't much for walking around town, since many of the streets have enough of a grade that it was a little too much for him. And, we had to skip the usual mountain hikes we take to waterfalls. But, it was still the best trip, ever. In honor of his recovery, Taylor did make it to the top of the highest mountain in Georgia, Brasstown Bald. OK. So, we took the shuttle and he rode the elevator to the observation deck instead of taking the stairs. But, he made it!!!Brasstown Bald


Tonight, Taylor and I head up to Gainesville for his surgery tomorrow on his eyelid. It doesn't sound like a particularly dangerous procedure, but he will be under general anesthesia and anytime somebody is goofing around your eyeball it's a little more sensitive than other parts of the body. Taylor doesn't seem concerned at all. But, after what he's been through, this is a cakewalk for him.

Showing Taylor some love

11:30pm

Seven months after Taylor's accident, he still has "cheering sections" that pop up from time to time. Some, like Pam Rentz's Sunday School class outside of Atlanta, GA, has watched Taylor's progress for months and prayed for his recovery. Pam is a friend of a friend who has watched Taylor's progress and shared it with her class as an example of God's healing powers, and the power of prayer.


Then, there were blogs blogging Taylor's blog. After our visit with Officer Pat Guity of the Lakeland Police Department, a note about Taylor's visit appeared at the department's website at www. insidelakelandpd.org . And, Josh Hallett at www.empiricalpolk.com recently learned of Taylor's blog and gave it a "shout out" recently as an example of how a blog can help keep folks connected in an event like this.

A childhood friend of mine, Marc Macaulay, has also kept up with Taylor from his home in south Florida. Marc is an actor (the kind that really makes a living at it) and recently sent Taylor a copy of The Punisher (filmed in Tampa) and a Block Buster gift card. You can check out the movies and TV shows Marc is currently in (or has been in) at the Internet Movie Database ( www.imdb.com/name/nm0531333) .

Marc has appeared in films with Sandra Bullock, Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, John Travolta, Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell, Jim Carrey, Wesley Snipes, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence.....anyway, you get the idea. He's not some goofy wannabe. He's goofy, just not a wannabe (you know I'm kidding, Marc)

Taylor is spending a lot of time at home watching movies with friends, so he's already ripped through the gift card and has watched The Punisher a couple of times.

Taylor finishes out-patient rehab

8:00am

Yesterday was Taylor's last day at the ESTEEM program in Winter Haven. He's not back to 100%, but he's as far as they thought they can get him for now. They are holding 5 more visits in case he needs them later. We hope that as the brain continues to heal, and he exercises at the local gym, he'll continue to improve. His right side is still very weak compared to his pre-accident strength. He's unable to break the seal when opening a soft drink, but compared to where he was when he first went to FINR, he's improved dramatically. During his initial assessments there, he was unable to draw a circle or square on paper. Now, he can write as clear and as quick as he ever did.

Although he still uses a cane, it's used for security now more than to actually help him walk. He is a little more dependent on it when he gets tired. When that happens, he gets pretty wobbly. Then, it's compounded by the double vision, which sometimes puts him a little off target from where he's headed.

Last week some friends of his went to the local skate park and Taylor went along to watch. He told his friends he'd probably never be able to skate again. He was an avid skater until a couple of years ago when his mother bought him something with a little more speed and thrills - a Yamaha "crotch rocket motorcycle. It was part of a secret pact they made. He graduates high school with honors, she buys him the motorcycle. It was an arrangement I wasn't thrilled with, but the vote was 2:1. Before Taylor came home from FINR, our friend Daryl Hershey came to pick up the motorcycle and took it to his shop. Even if Taylor ever got to the point where he could ride a motorcycle, it will have to be one he purchases when he's living on his own. This one is gone. I think his interest in it is gone as well. When I told him I had gotten rid of it, he said he figured that would happen. He was OK with it.


Even if Taylor could get to the point where he can skate again, I hope he never tries it. You can tell from the photo that appeared in The Ledger newspaper on opening day of the skate park, he has to all the acrobatic stuff, enhancing the chances for injury. This picture was taken when he was 17.

But, that has always been Taylor. He has the distinction of being the first person at Bartow Regional Medical Center to have a cast put on a broken bone - he did that the first day they opened. Before the accident he had sliced his head to the bone, twice, and has had more staples and stitches to close wounds than any other kid I ever knew. He has more scars than some Gangbangers. He has always been 100% all boy.

Officer Pat Guity, Lakeland Police Department

1:10pm

Last Friday night, Taylor finally met Pat Guity.



Weeks after it was apparent that Taylor was well on his way to recovery, and the likelihood that something bad may happen had passed, his Neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Campanelli, told us a story about him being stopped on the way to the hospital.

On March 6th (Black Tuesday) when Taylor's intercranial pressure rose to potentially fatal levels, Dr. Campanelli was called at home and he hurried to the hospital to do emergency surgery. We were with Taylor and knew something very scary was happening, and suspected what we later learned - that his survival was in jeopardy.

Enroute to the hospital, Dr. Campanelli became stuck in traffic that was backed up due to a traffic crash. The particular road he was on has no cross streets nearby and he was unable to cross the elevated median. He notified the hospital to sterilize Taylor's room, thinking he may have to do the surgery there to save his life.

He then saw an ambulance coming from behind him, traveling on the right of way, and saw his opportunity. He pulled to the shoulder behind the ambulance and followed to the intersection, then scooted through hoping no one would notice.

He thought wrong. Officer Pat Guity went after him and pulled him over. Dr. Campanelli told Officer Guity that he had a patient in trouble and needed to get to the hospital fast. Officer Guity told him to go without verifying anything. He didn't go through the "registration and insurance" routine, didn't call the hospital to verify his story, he just told Dr. Campanelli to go.

That decision may have made a huge impact on Taylor's survival and recovery.

Last Friday night, we showed up at shift change. No one but Officer Guity's Lieutenant knew we were coming and why we were there. Suzie told the story of the traffic stop and how Officer Guity's decision to trust that he was being told the truth by Dr. Campanelli may have contributed to helping save Taylor's life. As I looked at the 20 or so Officers at briefing, there were several that were obviously moved by the story as she told it. We know the reality is that not every police officer would have been so trusting. In fact, if it happened in the small town where we live, Dr. Campanelli may STILL be sitting on the side of the road getting the 3rd degree.

Taylor then gave Officer Guity a necklace bearing a St. Christopher medal he purchased for him in hopes it helps keep him safe at work and in his travels.

Vision finally 20/20

7:16pm

Taylor made another visit to the Opthamologist today. His vision is finally back to 20/20, but the double vision is still an issue. It's still correcting on its own, so he'll go back in 4 months to see how it's doing. It could be a long time yet before the Dr. determines if nature is finished and glasses will be needed to correct it.

He also has a little nystagmus action going on. When he looks hard to the side, his eyes still shake a little. Time should heal that as well.

His physical therapy schedule was reduced after the Therapists felt he may have reached a plateau. But, he's been working out at the local gym, and they've seen a little improvement, so he's back to 3 days a week at rehab. He is able to walk without the cane at rehab, and hopefully he'll be able to get rid of it soon. It's more of a safety net than it is something he needs to support himself. He never uses it inside the house and hasn't stumbled or fallen. So, it shouldn't be much longer before he can do without it all the time.

We went to the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church on Wednesday night so Taylor could thank the prayer group there for their cards and prayer when he was out of commission. The Pastor there, Rob Patrick. spent a lot of time at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, and made the trip to FINR to visit Taylor several times. And, he's stopped by the house often since Taylor has come home. No one but Rev. Patrick knew he would be there Wednesday night, so when he was introduced to the 100+ people there, it was obvious by their faces that they were glad he stopped by. Taylor thanked everyone for praying and thinking about him during his "really hard time". Watery eyes, including ours, were plentiful.

Yesterday I went to Highlands county to photograph a vehicle in a salvage yard in which 5 young people were involved in a head on crash with a semi truck/trailer, resulting in the death of 1 of the occupants. It was one of the most destroyed vehicles I had seen in a long time. I hadn't given much thought to it during the hour drive there, but when I saw the car and the evidence of death, I could only wonder how the parents of the boy that was killed is coping. He would have been 19 this November.

I've reminded Taylor's friends that, just as in that case, life can be over in seconds. At 7:30am the day of that crash, that car was full of kids who were likely talking and laughing. Then, it all ended. For one, life is over. For the other 4 survivors, their lives have changed forever.

Don't forget what I told the group of kids that came to the hospital on March 6th when Taylor's brain pressure rose to fatal limits requiring emergency surgery. Make sure those you love know it. The last thing Taylor heard us say and the last thing we said before his wreck was "I love you". We had comfort in knowing that should Taylor not come back the way he has, at least we knew those 3 words were the last we heard him say and the last he heard us say.

"Easy surgery" date set

8:29am

Taylor has 2 surgeries coming up - one to insert a gold weight in his eyelid, and the other to transplant a muscle. The first is the easy one.

Yesterday, we set the eyelid surgery for October 23rd. We're going to the mountains to enjoy fall the weekend before, and wanted to wait until after the trip to do the surgery.

It's an out-patient thing, but Taylor will be under general anesthesia for the procedure. We won't find out until the evening before what time on the 23rd the surgery will start, so we may go to Gainesville the evening before. If we do, he'll be able to visit friends that attend UF. There is some risk involved in this procedure, but we're confident everything will go OK. There is a "1 in 10" chance the wrong weight will be used, so it may have to be repeated. They will tape different weights to his eyelid for Taylor to take on a test drive, then he will actually pick which one he wants to use.

We haven't set a date yet for the muscle transplant, but will likely wait until after the first of the year. Taylor is OK waiting a while, and we don't want anything to interrupt the holidays. And, there is still hope that the nerve may fire up. There is little chance, but we've seen the odds against Taylor before and it turned around, so there is no harm in waiting a little longer.

Taylor is still using the cane, but becomes less dependent on it all the time. It's there now more as a "just in case" prop than anything else. He walked a lot yesterday in rehab without the cane and did really well.

Doctor's report not what we had hoped for

8:45pm

Hershey, Pearl, Ann, You Know Who and Bill

Saturday night we made another trip to Lakeland Regional Medical Center to visit a couple of the Nurses at the Medical Intensive Care Unit that we had missed during previous trips. Taylor has little recollection of the 5 weeks he spent in MICU, but did remember Bill.

Bill works 7pm to 7am and Taylor was often awake - or at least had his eyes open - during the middle of the night and Bill would often talk to him. Taylor couldn't talk back, so now at least Bill got to hear Taylor's voice and have a real conversation with him.

Today we made another trip to the University of Florida - Shands Hospital to meet with the Otolaryngologist that has been seeing him for the facial paralysis. Today was the day that we would find out what can be done for Taylor's facial paralysis,.

Taylor decided to go ahead with the out-patient surgery to have a gold weight implanted into his left eyelid so it will close a little more naturally. That is the easiest procedure that he'll go through with regard to the facial paralysis.

The Doctor had reviewed the EMG that was done at Shands before, and the report was that the facial nerve is degenerating, not regenerating. We had hoped and prayed that the nerve would have regenerated and that he would regain the ability to control the left side of his face.

The Doctor talked to Taylor and gave him all the options for reconstructive surgery. Each has a certain amount of risk - some more than others. I think what Taylor will decide on is the transplantation of a "chewing" muscle near the upper cheek that will be harvested and moved lower, then redirected to help control the left side of the mouth. Taylor won't get his entire smile back, but it will help. The Doctor said that in time the lower eyelid will begin to droop, so other procedures can be done later to help correct that.

The issue on the facial paralysis has been the only real let down we've had. Taylor has reclaimed the use of so much of his body, and has recovered so well when he was so very close to death, paralysis or permanent brain injury. We really try to focus on all the good that has happened and not let reports like today bother us too much. We've gotten back so much more than so many other parents have already.

No matter how he looks, he's still Taylor. From the beginning, I just wanted Taylor to open his eyes and say "I love you". It took 24 days, but on March 25th, I got to hear those 3 words - or at least I got to see him mouth the words since he couldn't talk at that time. Everything that has happened since that time has been a bonus.

But, most importantly, Taylor is accepting of his situation. He understood a long time ago that he might not smile the same way again, and may not walk again like he once did. But, he recognizes how lucky he is to be alive. Although he hasn't let on, I'm sure there are times that he gets down about everything. Overriding that, however, is his positive attitude that has been a main factor in him recovering the way he has.

Shogun.........at last

10:30pm

Yesterday afternoon, Taylor and I met Larry Ashley at Beef O'Brady's so Taylor could have his first official legal beer.

Larry is Taylor's Godfather, and was the first person we called in the middle of the night on March 1st, when enroute to the hospital. He, Mary Toothman and Tommy Ray were all awakened and were at the hospital before we knew it. Larry spent countless hours, week after week with us at the hospital, and was with Taylor when his intercranial pressure began to quickly rise, resulting in emergency surgery.

1 beer to make it official, and Taylor was done. He knows now is not a good time to do anything that could interfere with his balance, and as he puts it "drinking isn't on my radar".

Larry joined my Mother, sister and the rest of us for dinner at Shogun, courtesy of my Mother. Taylor settled on lobster, steak and shrimp. It's tough turning 21.

Taylor is not one for ever having leftovers, but he ate a late lunch and couldn't finish. But, at 1:00am this morning, I heard the microwave going and knew that he couldn't make it through the night without finishing up what was left.

This coming Monday we return to the University of Florida -Shands Hospital to meet with the Doctor to go over the results of the EMG. We already know the test of the facial nerve didn't go as well as we had hoped. Now, we'll find out what we can - and should do.

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

7:28am

Today is Taylor's 21st birthday.

For 21 years, Taylor has been a source of joy and on occasion one of aggravation. We have more "Taylor stories" than we are entitled to. I sometimes think about the parents of other children and wonder just how boring their house may be. I almost feel sorry for them. Between Taylor and his sister, Lauren, there is truly never a dull moment around this house.

Taylor is the son that at 3 years old, pulled over a 9' Christmas Tree, then plopped on the sofa with his legs crossed at the knee and faked watching television. When I ran in and yelled "WHAT HAPPENED?" he looked at the tree, looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said "It fall all by itself". Right. Scam Artist already.

Taylor was the kid next door that at 5 or so years old, climbed onto the roof. Our then next door neighbor, Joel Wilcockson, came over and said "Al, Taylor's on the roof with his pants pulled down". Most parents would freak. I just looked for my shoes and went to fetch the ladder. Just another day around the Smith house.

When Taylor was 11, we drove cross country from California to Ohio, taking in Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Route 66 and everything else we could see over the 2,000 mile trip. When Lauren began to laugh hysterically in the backseat, I adjusted the mirror to see what was so funny, and there was Taylor with his naked butt against the window, mooning cars as we passed them on Interstate 40. Typical Taylor.

I could do a whole Blog on just the adventures of Taylor that I know about. He is something else.

For most people, the 21st birthday is more ceremonial these days than it is important. The 18th birthday is the one where children become adults, so that's the true big deal.

For us, every birthday is now important. Really important. There were times in March that I wondered if Taylor would make it to this day, and if he did I wondered if he would even be aware that it was his birthday. As we all know, those worries are behind us.

There are two days a year we will now celebrate as birthdays for Taylor. One is September 5th. The other is March 11th, the day he opened his eyes for the first time after the accident. It was then that we really began to feel that we would get him back.

Taylor has never been into us making big deals of things, including birthdays. Had he known in advance about our plans for him on the day he came home from rehab, he would have tried to talk us out of doing it. He's just never been big on public recognition.

Once Taylor had the Trach removed in rehab, he often talked about going to dinner at Shogun's, a Japanese steakhouse in Lakeland that's one of his favorites. Now, it's probably the only restaraunt in the county he hasn't eaten at yet. He's had plenty of offers, but he said he wanted to save the first time for something special. He's decided tonight is the night. So, my mother and sister will meet Taylor's mother, sister and myself there for dinner tonight. Other diners are unlikely to know we'll be celebrating what is likely to be the most special birthday we will likely ever have with Taylor. It really gives the expression ".......live to see your next birthday" new meaning. In years past, it was usually used in a sentence like "Taylor, if you want to live to see your next birthday......" which was always some lame threat used to try to get him to do something, or not do something. That expression isn't really funny anymore, and not one that we'll ever use again.

So, on this 21st birthday of Taylor, we thank God that Taylor was given a second chance at life and we were given a second chance to share it with him.

Happy birthday, Taylor. We love you.

"Is that OUR Taylor?"

4:55pm

Today Taylor had a friend spend most of the day with him and wanted to order lunch from Pizza Hut.

When the delivery person, a woman in her late 50's, came to the door she saw the "Welcome Home Taylor" banner that we still have hanging up (it's coming down this weekend). When we opened the door she said "Is that OUR Taylor?" Taylor's mother talked to her a while and learned she is a member of First United Methodist Church in Bartow and Taylor was on the prayer list there for a long time. Rev. Lowe, pastor of First Methodist, spent a lot of time at LRMC visiting and praying with us. In fact, he happened to be there on Black Tuesday and led the 50+ people in the hospital Chapel in prayer while Taylor was undergoing emergency surgery.

About an hour after Taylor and his friend inhaled the pizza, his mother, Suzie, called a local individual to talk to him about a story she's writing for the newspaper. As soon as Suzie introduced herself, the woman asked how Taylor was doing. She explained she had read the Mother's Day story Suzie wrote, and had been praying for his recovery ever since.

There is no telling how many people prayed for Taylor. We wish we knew who they all are so we could thank them personally. But, the biggest thanks we can give is to tell them how well he's doing.

I've joked about the 6 degrees of Taylor Smith (sorry, Kevin Bacon) after hearing how many people knew about Taylor, and finding out how they learned. It began within hours of Taylor's accident. Several hours after Taylor's accident, a former neighbor of my Mother called to see how Taylor was. Her daughter had been at an Optometrist office in Winter Haven and heard a friend of ours (who she didn't know) talking to someone else about Taylor's wreck. She heard enough to figure out that the person she was talking about was probably the grandson of her Mother's former neighbor (my Mother).

So, we're not surprised anymore when a stranger knows all about Taylor.

And, yes, that's "our" Taylor. A LOT of people have some ownership in him being here. The thoughts and prayers of so many played a major role in him being home, eating pizza, watching TV and hanging out with his friends.

"You kicked our butts"

12:15pm

Last week, Taylor met with the emergency medical folks from the ambulance and firetruck that responded to his accident. They were the ones that first rendered medical aid and began efforts to save his life. Obviously, they did a good job!

Matthew, Julie, David, Taylor (of course!) Paul and Mike

Julie told us that when they first arrived, it wasn't obvious initially that Taylor was injured. She said he was quite a way away from his vehicle, laying on the shoulder of the road.

She said his hands were behind his head and his ankles were crossed. It sounded more like he was laying on a chaise lounge on a cruise ship than having been ejected from a vehicle. She said she began to talk to him and when he tried to talk it became apparent that there was something wrong.

After getting a second opinion from her Partner, Paul, they decided that Taylor likely had a closed head injury. She said it was uncommon for there to be no other apparent injuries, bleeding, etc., so just looking at Taylor it wasn't apparent that he was hurt as badly as he was.

Julie said once they stabilized Taylor he began to fight with them. She looked at Taylor and said "You kicked our butts" and said she had to get a Firefighter to help hold him down. Taylor said "I'm sorry". I think under the circumstances, he's excused from fighting with a woman. He obviously didn't know what he was doing.

I had previously obtained copies of all the audio tape from that evening, and know that 13 minutes after Julie and Paul arrived, Julie called on the radio saying "Trauma alert....I need a bird (helicopter) in the air". The tone of her voice said a lot. Listening to her when they were dispatched and when they arrived at the scene was completely different from how she sounded now.

The tapes also indicates that the helicopter almost didn't take off from the airport due to fog. The Dispatcher called a third time - kind of a last change call - and was told the helicopter had just taken off and would be at the accident scene in "4 minutes".

Taylor had an appointment at University of Florida today with the facial nerve expert - or so we thought. That's what we were told when we went a few weeks ago for the EMG. But, when checking this week to confirm it, we were told there was no appointment. Good thing we called. But, we have one now for September 10th.

1 month at home

5:00pm

Taylor is wrapping up his first month at home, and it didn't take him long to get back in the groove of being Taylor.

He yells at his sister, and usually runs late when coming home after being out with friends.  He sometimes plays the "thump thump" music too loud, and where ever his dirty clothes  happen to hit the floor, that's where they stay until someone else picks them up.   It's been great. All of it.  OK.  So the coming home late thing has not gone over well with us, but it's better to have him around to worry about than have to have faced the alternative.

He tires out pretty easily sometimes, so often will come home before the time we agreed on.  And, we don't let him go anywhere unless the person driving is committed to helping him get around, keeps him safe and makes sure he wears a seat belt.   We are still on pins and needles until he walks in the door - and always will be.

Taylor has eaten most meals somewhere other than home.  He's eaten out more in the past month than most people do in a year. That is, however, about to be curtailed big time unless he starts taking contributions to pay for it.   He always ate like a horse, but only now have we ever known just how much he can consume.  I almost took him to get his leg x-rayed to see if it's hollow.  He can eat what most people would think is a meal, but it ends up being something to hold him over until he eats something else.

We've been really surprised that he hasn't been to Shogun yet.  It's one of his favorites and something he talked about for 3 months in rehab.  He said he wants to go for a special reason, not just for the sake of going.  He turns 21 on September 5th, so if that's not special enough I'm not sure what is.

Physical therapy is going well.  Today the group went for an outing at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Winter Haven.  Taylor used a cane for the entire trip and did really well, according to his therapist.  I watched him walk with it and his gate looks very normal.   When he walks without aid (around the house) he does so with his arms bent at the elbow and doesn't swing them naturally.  The Therapist said that should go away in time.

Tomorrow we're planning on meeting the Paramedics that were the first to give Taylor medical aid as he layed on the shoulder of the road in the middle of the night.  They were the ones that started his healing.  We wanted to see them before now, but vacation schedules, shift schedules and our schedules haven't meshed until now.

A week from now, we head back to the University of Florida to see what our options are regarding the paralysis of Taylor's face.

Rosebushes and thorns

7:40am

Yesterday the EMG testing was done to determine whether or not the trunk nerve was sending signals to the nerves that control the left side of the face.

The nerve was stimulated with electricity, then needles that act as probes were inserted into muscles in his face to see if they are even getting a signal.

The results weren't good and the Dr. indicated there was no activity of the nerves. It was not what we were hoping to hear.

Although if the nerve was to regenerate, they would have expected to see something by now there are cases that defy the norms so we're hopeful that Taylor will again be one of those patients.

We return on 8/30 to meet with Dr. Adelson again to see what our options are. There is no easy or definitive fix.

This morning, Taylor's mother commented on a cross stitch that hangs in our house. It reads

"You can complain because roses have thorns,
or rejoice because thorns have roses"

We do rejoice because we have Taylor again. And, we really try not to complain when we run into problems. We've met too many other parents who have much bigger issues they're looking at, and we could have easily been just like them. The facial paralysis is the last major hurdle to jump. I guess because we have been given so much, the selfish side of us has just come to expect that everything will be ok.

And, it may very well be. We've just gotten started on this phase, so we still have a long way to go. Taylor has already demonstrated that miracles really can happen, so we're expecting him to pull this off too.

Room 2018

8:55am

Last night we made another trip to MICU to see some of those who cared for Taylor. We'll probably have to go a few more times to catch everyone. One of those working last night was Pearl. She was one of those with Taylor during the worse times and may have spent as much time comforting us as caring for Taylor. Even though Taylor doesn't remember his time in MICU, we do. And, it was people like Jeannie, Pearl and Stacy that helped save Taylor's life and helped us keep our sanity.

Jeannie, Pearl and Stacey

When Taylor was in MICU, it was in a different location than where it is now, having been moved for remodeling. Each time we've been to see the Nurses since Taylor came home, we've had to walk past the old MICU where Taylor was. Each time, we look through the doors and into the empty hall of the old MICU, remembering the hundreds of times we walked through those doors at all hours of the day and night, 7 days a week for 5 weeks. Seeing those doors always brings back bad memories.

As we left last night, I took a photo through the window of one of the doors of the empty hall. Lauren pulled on the other door and it was unlocked, so we decided to go to Taylor's old room. It was a pretty somber walk down the hall and to Room 2018. Just seeing his room unleashed a lot of emotions in Lauren, Taylor's mother and myself. Before we left, we all had our own good cry. It was in this room that the Nurses sat at his side for 12 hour shifts, doing what they do to save his life. It was here, on March 6th, that we learned that Taylor's condition had gotten very, very critical requiring emergency surgery.

But, there are plenty of good memories in this room too. It was here that we saw Taylor move a finger and celebrated that he understood the directions to do that, then later his legs so we knew he wasn't paralyzed. In this room he smiled for the first time when he saw Frank, his cat. Here, he mouthed the words "I love you" while he was still very, very groggy.

Last night Taylor asked where his bed was, and how the room was laid out. We showed him where the throngs of friends stood, and the bathroom across the hall where several friends went to regain their composure after seeing him for the first time.

After a few minutes, we left as quietly as we went in knowing we'd never again want to return there.

Round 2 at University of Florida

9:32am

We got a call late last week that Taylor's facial nerve could be tested tomorrow at 12:30pm. So, we'll be in Gainesville tomorrow to the Doctors can determine the status of the nerve and recommend treatments.

This is now the most important issue affecting Taylor. It's a condition that can last the rest of his life, so figuring out what to do about it is very important. Fortunately, Taylor has never been one to primp in the mirror and never realized how handsome he is. The impact for him has probably not been as serious as it would be for some others. Still, we know it bothers him. He has said before that he has "lost my smile". It's still there, it's just a little different.

He still has to get the gold weights inserted into his left eyelid so it will close a little better, so we'll probably get an appointment set up for that tomorrow.

Rehab at ESTEEM in Winter Haven is going well. More testing is being done to see if any of the areas of the brain were affected by the crash that only testing can identify.

He is still walking with a walker, and his balance doesn't really seem to be getting any better. The Therapists said that his double vision is likely aggravating the condition. But, each time we go to the Opthamologist, the double vision gets better.

Taylor's social calendar stays booked, but he recognizes his limitations on his strength and often comes home before the time set because he's exhausted. He's no where as physically strong as he was before the wreck, and probably because he was so inactive for so long, he tires easily.

He has gained all the weight he lost, and then some. He's now complaining that he's getting a "gut". While there is a little visual surplus at the belt line, hardly a "gut".

Tomorrow is a big day for Taylor. No matter the outcome, it's hard for us to be disappointed. I was with Taylor in rehab on Friday and met a 24 year old and his mother from Lake Wales. He was in a car crash May 1 of 2006. His accident and injuries were very similar to Taylor's. He is still in a wheel chair and has problems communicating. Just when we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we think of all the others who were hurt, and their families, and know that they would love to trade places with us. Our time with Taylor now is almost exactly like it was before the wreck and many families will never have that.

Cross your fingers - and pray - that the testing tomorrow goes well. Tomorrow is a very important day.

Taylor's friends - for life

6:00am

When Taylor was at rehab, we told him he had a LOT of people to thank - the truck driver that found him, the EMS and helicopter crew, nurses, doctors and others. Taylor knows what a role everyone played in saving his life, and looked forward to thanking everyone.

"Taylor on Tour" began a few weeks ago with his first visit to ICU and the Trauma Unit at Lakeland Regional Medical Center so he, and we, could thank them for saving his life. The biggest thanks we could give was to let them see the results of their training and experience. Seeing a former patient like Taylor walk in and hug them certain helps offset some of the sadness they deal with on a daily basis. They are just remarkable people that the majority of the general public never has contact with on a professional level. We would have rather not met ANY of them under the circumstances that we did. But now that we have, it's hard to describe how great they are.

It will take several more trips for him to see everyone, but he did get to visit with several recently. Some he remembered, and some he didn't. But, that's okay.....they all remembered him.

Yesterday, Taylor visited Sheriff Judd, Undersheriff Gary Hester and Chief Rick Sloan. Even though I haven't worked at the Sheriff's Office in 18 years, the caring and compassion shown by them as well as Sam McGuirt and the department Chaplain (and retired Major) Marvin Pittman, was humbling to say the least. I don't think it has as much to do with the law enforcement brotherhood. They are just good human beings.

Here are a few of the LRMC staff who worked so hard to give Taylor back to us.

Dale, Julie and Angie

Dr. Sobowale
Trauma Medical Director

(moments after he gave Taylor shots in
his stomach and removed the feeding tube...
....that explains the "damn, that hurt" look on Taylor!)

Denys

Frank

Mary Jane

"It's like I'm on crack"

7:26am

Last week at rehab, Taylor did some neurophsychological testing. Although we have detected nothing different now than before the accident, the Dr. is able to test parts of the brain that does not involve day-t0-day activities and things we wouldn't be aware of.

I met with the Dr. after the initial testing and he said Taylor "did very well". He said he would have expected, based on the extent of Taylor's injury, to "have seen something" during the initial testing, but did not.

He was given some brain teasers to work on at home, including a number brain teaser called Sudoku. When Taylor came home, friends of ours - Susan and Joel Willcockson - gave Taylor a gift package that included Sudoku. Taylor worked on some occasionally, so he was familiar with it.

Yesterday, he found a website where he could play and spent about 1 1/2 hours playing. It must have taken it's toll on him, since he took a 3 hour nap - something he hasn't done since he was a child. But, they also worked him hard at rehab. When I picked him up, his hair was wet and he was spent. He was probably physically and mentally exhausted.

When he woke up, he said he was "tired from playing Sudoku. He said "It's like I'm on crack". He said he'd play a round, tell himself that was the LAST one.....then play one more. After that , he say "OK. Last one.", then play one more.

The Dr. will do more in depth testing soon, so we're hopeful that the results will be in line with the results of the initial testing.

In the meantime, Taylor will playing Sudoku and energizing those brain cells!!

Over The Rainbow

6:00pm

Over the past 5 months, we have wondered if some things that happened were signs of what was to come. On March 6th, when Taylor was in big trouble, 4 phone calls to 4 friends turned into 50 people at the hospital within an hour. I worried, for a little bit, that God had brought everyone together to be with Taylor if he didn't survive surgery. Then, after surgery and as the night wore on, everyone began to leave and I was convinced then that Taylor would live. I knew God would not let him die alone in ICU when so many people that loved him were right there. Since then, we've taken a lot of signs as hope that there would be better days ahead and there always has been.

This morning, we headed out at 5:30am for the University of Florida for Taylor to meet with a facial nerve expert. On I-75, right after a storm, a rainbow formed in the north toward Gainesville. The rainbow is used in the Bible, by American Indians and even songwriters as a symbol of promise and hope. Judy Garland sang about a happier, brighter place in "Over The Rainbow" in the movie The Wizard of Oz. So, we couldn't help but see this rainbow as a sign of hope - that something good will come from our visit to Gainesville.

The Doctor at Shands in Gainesville (who looked a LOT like Bob Saget) was cautiously optimistic about the rehabilitation of the nerve in Taylor's face. He said because of his age, he would want to wait 9 months after the accident to see what nature does. In the meantime, he suggested inserting gold weights into his left eyelid to help it close completely and to help minimize any potential damage to the cornea that could occur. And, he wants to have an Electromyographic testing done to stimulate the nerve and measure how far down the line the signal travels. That way, they can measure regeneration or degeneration of the nerve. That procedure will be what they'll need in order to know what options are available for Taylor. We'll soon be scheduling to have both procedures done.

On the way back, we stopped at a convenience store in a little town off a 2 lane road 50 miles north of our home. There at the gas pumps was a friend of ours, John Kilpatrick. Always searching for a sign of hope, Suzie decided it was good luck seeing John there. With a name like Kilpatrick, hopefully the Irish good luck will rub off on Taylor. I saw a different sign. I saw it as a sign he was low on fuel and I needed a Pepsi.

At 1:30pm today Taylor got the final foreign object removed from his body - the Feeding Tube. He wasn't real tickled with the four shots he got in his stomach or having a 1 1/2" balloon pulled through a 1/4" hole, but he's glad it's done.

The Wizard of Oz has always been my favorite movie. When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for Judy Garland to quit singing so the good stuff could start. Now that I've read the lyrics to "Over The Rainbow", I realize what a good fit it is for us. We'll now pray for Taylor everytime we see one. We hope you will too.

Over The Rainbow


Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Tomorrow: Roadtrip to UF and the Feeding Tube comes out

8:14am

Taylor started at his new rehab place on Friday. There was some testing done so they could measure his progress and he did get in a little work. He said he really likes the Therapists, and is excited to be there.

This weekend he did a LOT of socializing. Friends had a welcome home party for him in Lakeland. He stayed all afternoon and into the early evening. Even though he spent most of the time sitting, it was obvious when I picked him up that he was really tired. It will be a while, apparently, before he builds up stamina.

Tomorrow we head to the University of Florida, leaving at about 5am for his early morning appointment. We're meeting with a Neuro-otologist. Neuro-otology is a sub-specialty of ENT and these surgeons deal specifically with the skull base and cranial nerves including the facial nerve. We are also working on a "remote diagnosis" with an expert from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. This may include a video conference with Taylor, but we're still in the early stages of all that.

Then, Taylor has an appointment to get the Feeding Tube removed tomorrow afternoon at Lakeland Regional. The Feeding Tube has prevented him from sleeping on his stomach. And, hugging him when standing is a bit of a trick so no pressure is put on the tube.

The future of this Blog

6:39am

A few things became clear during the first few days after Taylor's wreck - he would be in the hospital for a long time, and his friends would be coming to the hospital or calling for updates as long as he was there.

I started this Blog as a way to keep those who wanted to know how he was doing updated. I didn't think at the time about it becoming a diary of sorts, documenting thinks like him opening his eyes on March 11th, making eye contact on March 14th, and mouthing the words "I love you" on March 25th. Then, throughout the following months, the blog documented the ups and downs of his recovery at the hospital and his accomplishments at the physical rehab facility where he lived for 3 months.

Fortunately, I had a wireless laptop connection at the hospital so I could update the blog often, usually every morning. A couple of times I didn't do the update until later in the day. I got an email one day from a friend of ours, Marty Wilson, who asked if I could do the update each morning. He said he began to worry something had happened to Taylor if he didn't see anything by noon. It was those kinds of things that really showed us how concerned folks were about Taylor. And, I knew by the number of visitors to the blog that a lot of people were checking on his progress.

For those that have been following the progress on the blog, you've been able to witness what we know has truly been a Miracle. For Taylor to have been as badly hurt as he was, to have been so close to death as he got, and to come back as he has is truly miraculous. That opinion is shared by those in the medical profession that see these kinds of injuries every day.

It's not a coincidence that Connell Waldron spotted Taylor's car upside down, well off the road in the pitch dark of night. It's not fate that the helicopter was fogged in but decided to go for Taylor at the last minute. It's not dumb luck that Officer Pat Guity of the Lakeland Police Department stopped Taylor's Neurosurgeon, Dr. Campanelli, and let him go within seconds of hearing that he had a patient in big trouble at the hospital. We've counted 9 events that could have made a huge difference in how things turned out for Taylor. We know God saved Taylor and gave us a second chance of having him as our son.

The next major things to happen with Taylor is for the Feeding Tube to be removed and an appointment with a specialist at the University of Florida, Shands Hospital, for the facial nerve issue. He'll soon be off the walker and be walking on his own and other current physical limitations will get better with time.

So, what happens to the Blog? As long as he does something that I think the majority would want to know, and as long as people keep checking the Blog, I'll keep posting the information. I really expected to do it less frequently during his physical rehab, but he did so much so quickly that I was posting more often than I thought I would.

Tomorrow is Taylor's first day at Esteem in Winter Haven. It will probably be a day of assessments. We're expecting a friend filled weekend. Yesterday was a busy day at our house with a steady flow of visitors for Taylor.

Yesterday afternoon, our neighbor Pam Wyant, brought the roast, mashed potatoes and green beans she promised Taylor a month ago. Taylor had a helping before he went out for dinner later. Taylor's friend, Ryan Welles, took Taylor to Sam Seltzer's for steak and lobster - something Taylor has talked about for months. At 12:30am this morning he was having another shot at at Pam's roast. It was obviously a big hit. In fact, I plan on it being breakfast.

Although Taylor's medical issues are behind him, he still has a lot of healing to do, and a lot of physical rehab ahead of him. He continues to need your prayers as he works hard on his rehabilitation.

HE'S HOME!!

4:22am

Taylor is home. Three days short of 5 months, (116 days) and he can sleep in his bed, visit friends without them making the 1 ½ hour round trip to the rehab facility, and pet the cats and dogs whenever he wants.

We had a Limo take 9 of his friends to pick him up yesterday afternoon. Then, as the Limo neared the house, he got a police escort for the final few blocks to a red carpet (really) that led him to our front porch. The Bartow Fire Department had a crew on hand to see the results of efforts of another shift that worked his crash. A “Welcome Home Taylor” banner hung on the front porch and the yard was filled with 50 of his closest friends.

Yesterday was a great day for all of us. For Taylor, it was his first official day home where he could stay more than an hour or so. He had been home between Doctor visits a couple of times, and spent the day last Sunday, but now he can sleep in his bed and hang out with friends whenever he feels like it. For us, we no longer drive to another county to spend the evening and weekends with him.

Now Taylor starts in-patient rehab at Esteem in Winter Haven this coming Friday. He’ll go 3 days a week, and work out at a local gym the other two days a week. We don’t know how long rehab will last, but for now we’re planning on at least through the end of the year. We expect he'll do as well at

Esteem as he did at Lakeland Regional and FINR, so he may be finished sooner.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to work on the facial paralysis issue and pray that his eye continues to heal as it has. His double vision continues to improve. And, we’ll continue with treatment for the hearing loss he’s suffered in the hope that he'll regain some of it.

But, most of all, we’ll continue to love him and thank God for saving his life and returning him to us in a way that he can continue to enjoy life.

Taylor passes the thin liquid test - Feeding Tube to come out

9:24am

This morning Taylor did what we now know is his FINAL swallowing study. He did well. That was on the top 5 of his dislikes. He just wasn't real thrilled having a tube run up his nostril and into the back of his throat.

As soon as he got the all clear, he requested an unopened bottle of Gatorade Rain Lime that we've had ready for him since his days in the Trauma Unit. One of the first things he wrote, back when he couldn't talk, was "Gatorade Rain Lime". So, today he finally got to open the bottle.

The other good news is that Doctor has written an order to remove the Feeding Tube. He won't get that done before he leaves today, but we're working now on finding someone that can remove it ASAP.

Taylor doesn't know it, but he has several surprises this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll post plenty of photos.

48 Hours

5:45pm

Taylor will be home for good in about 48 hours.

He decided yesterday to take the insurance company up on a partial home visit. They offered to let him go home for the weekend, but he said it would be too hard to stay and then have to leave. It was easier for him to stay for the day and leave. The closer Tuesday gets, the tougher it's getting for him.

I picked him up this morning and he's been at home all day visiting friends, hanging with his cat and enjoying a grilled steak for the first time since February.

Yesterday Lauren got back from a week in west Tennessee, attending the 181st Tabernacle Camp Meeting family reunion of the Rev. Howell Taylor descendants. During the week, Lauren did a lot of videotaping and had many of his 500 cousins in attendance wished him well on tape. Andrew Kramer, Taylor's cousin and a talented musician, played "Wish You Were Here", a Pink Floyd tune that Taylor really likes. What was especially cool about this performance was that it was done at the church on the family campgrounds, during an evening service. Only at Tabernacle could someone get away with playing Pink Floyd in church. Watching the video tapes Lauren made, and watching those he missed seeing this year - then hearing that Andrew played "Wish You Were Here" for him was a little overwhelming for him last night. He still gets emotional when he thinks about those who have been so good to him through all of this. Several times he's said he just never knew so many people cared about him. Obviously, they do.

So, now we wait. Less than 48 hours and Taylor will be back home.