On the road......again!

9:55pm

After 13 months, Taylor is back to driving. Well....sort of.

About a week ago, I was bringing him home from a friend's house and he said "Can I drive?" This was the first time he has expressed any interest. In fact, I had offered it to him before but he said he wasn't ready.

So, he hopped in the driver seat, got everything adjusted and said "I may freakout and not be able to do this". I told him if he got uncomfortable, it was no big deal. But, he didn't. In fact, he drove better and safer than probably anybody in the county at that time.

Since then, we have been driving every day. He's driving day, night and in a rain storm. He is very conscious about having no hearing in his left hear, and doesn't like people talking or the radio on when he's driving since he knows that having limited hearing is something he needs to be very aware of.

He said he's no where ready to drive alone, although you wouldn't know it by riding with him. But, there is NO rush. He is taking things slowly, so when he's really ready to go solo he'll let us know.

Today we made a dry run to Gainesville. We had an appointment to schedule his surgery this summer, but the appointment was changed to yesterday morning - the problem is no one bothered to tell us. He goes to class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so we wouldn't have made it for yesterday anyway. We'll be going back in the next couple of weeks to get it set up - probably the last week of June.

"APPROVED"

5:45pm

When Taylor was in the Trauma Unit at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, he slowly began to regain his ability to understand what was happening. We spent a LOT of time telling him what had happened, how well and fast he was improving, and encouraging him in every way we knew how.

On evening, I was talking to him and found myself apologizing for times when I got agitated with him or for things that I now realized were not worth getting worked up over. At that time, he had the Trach so he couldn't talk to me but would shake his head that he understood what I was saying.

I also talked to him about other things that I griped too much about. I don't recall ever seeing Taylor comb his hair, but that didn't stop me from saying "Taylor, comb your hair" on occasions when I thought it needed to be combed. Fortunately, he has "wash and wear" hair, so it always looked ok anyway. And, I spent more time than I should have telling him to pull his baggy pants up. There were times he walked like a penguin to keep them from moving down any further, but "belt" wasn't even in his vocabulary.

When I was talking to him in the hospital, I remember telling him something like "From now on, I don't care if you ever comb your hair again. In fact, if you want a purple mohawk I'll take you to get it. You can wear pants around your ankles if you want to - or you can just wear boxers in public. I don't care. If you want to get piercings, it doesn't matter. If you want a tattoo, I'll pay for it". I was just so happy that he would be able to do all that stuff so it really didn't matter to me anymore.

So........Taylor recently called and asked me to pick him up at his friend Reid's place of employment. He caught a ride there with a friend that was not coming back to town and he was ready to come home. Reid works at Lou's Tattoos. "Hmmmmm......" I thought.

When I got there, Taylor and Reid were outside. I got out of the car and he was smiling. "Let's see it" I said. Taylor turned, dropped his pants and proudly displayed his new tattoo on his right butt cheek. When his mother asked "Approved by who?" He quipped "God". He always had a knack for taking the wind out of our parental sails, sometimes.

Before March 1 of 2007, I probably would have thrown a temper tantrum about a tattoo. And, I would probably pass out if he came home with a piercing. I now appreciate just how petty getting worked up about hair, baggy pants, "thump thump" music and all the other things I complained about actually is. Now, if he came home with a pierced nose, a visible tattoo and was playing Jay-Z loud enough to shake windows I would probably grit my teeth....but only for a couple of seconds. I would keep my mouth shut and give him a big hug and remember how lucky we are that he can do those things.

Black Tuesday revisited

8:21 am

One year ago today was the turning point for Taylor. Shortly after the accident on March 1st, 2007, Doctors discovered brain swelling, so a drain was drilled into his forehead to draw spinal fluid. When that stopped working, he was put on Mannitol, a medication that helps suppress brain swelling. After the swelling continued, a medical coma and paralysis was induced. This was done to minimize brain activity, and to allow the swelling to subside.

Then, on March 6th, things changed. For 26 hours the coma/paralysis was working ok. Taylor seemed to be leveling out on the brain pressure number, and we thought Taylor had made a turning point. He hadn't. His pressure suddenly started to slowly climb, and was making it's way through the danger zone into the critical zone and headed to the fatal zone. There was controlled chaos in Taylor's room. They told us they were taking him into the operating room. I don't recall them saying why, but I knew what was next.

As each new effort was tried to stop the swelling, I would ask "If this doesn't work, what's next?" But, I never got beyond the "next" thing. I really didn't want to know anything beyond the here and now and what the next step would be.

We knew that Taylor was being taken into the operating room to have a piece of his skull removed to try and relieve the swelling. And, I knew that this was THE moment. This was the last procedure available to save his life.

We were told to leave Taylor's room while they got him ready for surgery. I was in controlled (I think) panic and I quickly began to make phone calls. I called my Sister and told her what was going on and asked her to bring my Mother. I told her not to say why, just tell her they were coming to visit. I called a friend to pick up Lauren, who had gone home to change clothes. And, I called 4 of Taylor's friends. I told them something bad had happened, and we didn't know if the surgery would work or not. I told them that I knew Taylor would want them there, and knew they would want to be there should the surgery not work.

While I was making the calls, Taylor's mother, Suzie, was not doing so well. I had been slowly melting down for 5 days while she and Lauren held it together fairly well. Ever the optimist, Suzie was realizing that things were very bad. The nursing staff and friends were very comforting to her, but she really began to unravel like I've never seen in the 23 years I've known her. But, this is the worst event of our lives, so it was to be expected.

I made that phone call at about 5:30 pm. At 6:20 pm, a friend of Taylor's took a photo in the Chapel of those who were either at the hospital already, or heard from the 4 that Taylor was in trouble.
While Taylor's friends were arriving, his Mother and I stood at the doorway to the operating rooms, waiting for them to bring Taylor. Rather than move him to a transport gurney, he was transported on his entire bed (the ones in ICU are huge). Taylor had been on a Ventilator in his room, so one of the Nurses was using an Ambu Bag to keep him breathing.

They stopped for us to tell Taylor we loved him and to keep fighting, then we watched them take him through the doors wondering if that would be the last time we'd see him alive.

We would later learn that Dr. Campanelli's Physician's Assistant, Melissa, rode on Taylor's bed plucking metal staples from his scalp so Dr. Campanelli could get the skull off faster. Taylor had a blood clot removed from his brain earlier, so the skull was already loose.

By now, so many people had arrived at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, the waiting room was overflowing. We went to the Chapel, not just to have more room, but it was just the obvious place to be. We spent a LOT of time in the Chapel in the previous 5 days, and it was where we needed to be then. The entire group held hands and prayed, and we waited. As I looked around the room, I saw some of Taylor's friends that I had not seen in a long time. I saw some that had driven from Tampa, and got a phone call from one who was on the way from Sarasota. I wondered if God had brought everyone that loves him and that he loves together to say good bye.

At about 6:20pm, the hospital Chaplain came to tell us that Taylor was out of surgery. We went to see him and the Doctor said the surgery went well, and we'd now just have to wait. As the night wore one, his friends that came to visit slowly began to leave the hospital. It was then that I became convinced that Taylor would live. I knew that God would not let him die alone in his room when all those friends had been there. His last friend left the hospital around midnight, and we stayed up all night checking his brain pressure levels. It climbed some, but nothing near what it was before.

Then, Taylor began to make progress almost every day. He began to do things faster and better than many expected. Six weeks later Taylor had another surgery to replace the missing skull with a Titanium plate.

March 6th was the defining day in Taylor's survival. God, Taylor, Dr. Campanelli, Diane and the other medical staff did what they do best to make sure he'd live. We thank God daily, think of the medical staff often and love Taylor every day.

1 year anniversary

4:03am

I started this blog about 10 days after Taylor’s accident with one initial purpose – to keep Taylor’s friends updated on how he was doing. But, it quickly became a way to update our friends and family as well.

Then, as he began to slowly get better and it appeared that his recovery would be extraordinary, it became a way for people to participate in witnessing what many have termed “a miracle”.

Of all the people we know, the one person that has spent the least amount of time reading the blog has been – Taylor. It’s not that he doesn’t have the interest, it’s just not something that he’s ready to relive yet. But, he will read it one day soon.

I’ve spent almost a year posting about Taylor on this Blog. So, on this 1 year anniversary of the accident, I should probably post to directly TO him this time.

Dear Taylor,

What a difference a year makes! One year ago today, your mother, sister and I started March 1^st not knowing if you would live for the next hour, day or week. When we heard “Traumatic Brain Injury” we feared the worst. Almost every waking minute for the next several weeks was spent wondering if you would ever be the same – it you’d be able to talk to us, to use your limbs, to laugh and love again. But, I knew you were as tough as nails and that I never saw you give up on anything before, and knew you’d fight to survive. And, you did. Over the months as you began to recover, we saw that you were going to come home the same Taylor that you were the day before the wreck.

When we were first able to visit with you in the Emergency Room, I told you we would not leave you until you came home. That was a promise we kept. Either your mother, Lauren or I (and frequently all of us) were with you every day for the almost 5 months you were gone.

It was weeks before we knew if you would live, laugh and love again. Although there were signs of improvement, we just didn’t have any way of knowing the extent of any permanent injury to your brain. We prayed every day, all day. I went from begging God to let you recover as if nothing had ever happened, then settled for just being able to take you home no matter your condition. We had accepted that you may never be the same mentally as you were before the accident, or that there may be some paralysis, and we had talked about the prospect of caring for you at home. It’s not that we were convinced you’d never recover, but we knew it was a possibility and it was something we had to consider.

We watched as you slowly got better at the hospital and as you started regaining your strength in rehab. We witnessed your amazing resolve to get stronger, work harder and come home sooner. When you first started to make improvements at a rate much faster than normal, one Nurse told us not to expect your recovery to continue on the same "fast path" you were on. But, you never slowed down and that Nurse realized that something extraordinary was happening with you. Even at rehab, within a few weeks they said you were well ahead of where they would have expected you to be. But, that's you. You've never bothered with following the directions that came in the package, so we knew you'd do this whole recovery thing your way. It worked. Nice job!

I come from a small family. I am the only son of an only son. Only my sister, mother and 2 aunts remain in my family, beside you, your mother and Lauren. In my lifetime my father, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all died. I watched my Father die a slow painful death from cancer. But, even that pales in comparison to the pain of seeing you in the condition you were in for so long, and knowing the pain you’ve gone through during the past year.

And through all of this, you have never complained. You’d mention when things hurt, and you asked once “Why me?”. But, you’ve accepted what has happened to you in such a positive way. You’ve often said that complaining about your situation is not going to change anything, so you just decided not to complain about it. If only I could be more like you sometimes.

In the past year, I have learned a LOT about friendship. I watched your friends cry, and saw a few physically get sick the first time they saw you in ICU. Some came to the hospital at 2am after they got off work and a couple spent the night with us on the floor of the waiting room just to be close to you. Rarely, if ever, did 2 days in a row go by – during the whole 5 months – that you went without friends coming to see you. Some took off from work to spend the day with you at rehab, and many made the 2 hour round trip drive to visit with you. I know that your friends played a major role in your positive attitude, and cheered you on so you would work hard and come home. I’m convinced that without all the support from your friends, you would not have improved as quickly as you did.

I’ve also learned a lot about you. We spent a LOT of time together in the past year. I came to rehab every afternoon and stayed until I knew you were asleep that night – every day for 3 months. I’ve always known you were funny, but never did I know just how funny you were. I’m surprised we didn’t get kicked out of there a few times. And, you’ve learned a lot, I think, about people. You’ve found that you have friends who were very worried about you for a long time, and never stopped coming around because it may have been inconvenient to them. And, you’ve learned that there were a few who you’re simply better off without.

There are some things that are different for you physically now, and some things that will never be the same way they were before the wreck. But, those physical things aren’t what make you who you are. People don’t love you because you could ride a mean skateboard, that you always won footraces or because you could climb a telephone pole. It’s your personality, your intelligence, your humor and loving nature is what makes you who you are.

God IS good. He has given you a second chance at life – something millions of people never got. And, you’ve been given that second chance in a way that will not limit you in being who you want to be in this, your second chance at life.

In rehab, one of our favorite people downplayed your condition and called it “just a little bump in life’s road”. We still laugh at how out of touch with reality that lady was. This has been a HUGE event in your life. It is the most significant thing that has ever happened in any of our lives. It’s not a bump in life’s road. But, it is something that will become less significant each year and although we’ll always have the reminders of everything connected to what happened, it is mostly behind you now. Two little surgeries left, and you’re all done.

When all your friends came to the hospital on March 6^th, when you came so close to dying, I told the group that if they learned nothing else from this accident, they should know that the last thing we said to you and the last thing you heard us say was “I love you.” We’ve always done that, and we always will.

I love you.

Dad

Mystery fluid and the Daytona 500

7:45am

Taylor was back in Gainesville on Wednesday to see a new Doctor regarding the fluid in his left ear. The main Doctor that is treating him detected what he was certain was spinal fluid and said it's likely leaking from the skull fracture, and detected some 2 weeks ago during a visit. The fluid was also present during a previous trip to Gainesville months ago.

But, when he was examined on Wednesday - nothing. This Doctor said the leak wouldn't come and go, so she's not sure what's going on since he's had no other issues (allergies, etc) that would create fluid. She was not overly concerned about it so for now we'll just wait to see if it returns.

Taylor was also given another hearing test to see if there has been any improvement since one he took in June. Unfortunately, there has been no improvement in his left ear. He is essentially deaf in that ear. There are a couple of frequencies where he could detect some sound, but it was so negligible that it barely rated on the chart.

The best option for helping his hearing is a hearing aid that he would use in the left ear, that sends sound to the right ear. This would allow him to hear things on his left side that he's now not able to hear. But, for now Taylor is not real crazy about hearing aids. And, the tests show that the hearing on his right side is substantially above normal. The downside to that is he is at greater risk for damaging hearing in the right ear.

Last week, Suzie's friend, Herb Branham (a NASCAR hot-shot) sent Taylor 4 tickets to the Daytona 500, along with an Infield pass. This year was the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and it was sold out.

Taylor took 3 friends who likely would have never been able to go otherwise, and they headed out at 8am for the race that started at 3pm. He called 1/2 hour after arriving to tell us how cool it was. He wasn't able to make it through the whole race, so they had to leave about 3/4 of the way through. He did a lot of walking and said he just couldn't go any further.

His stamina is still not even close to what it was before the accident. But, he walks almost every day to a friend's house or sometimes just walks to downtown to get exercise. We've noticed his right leg is not working as well as it has been, and he said it feels like he has some weights attached to it. His balance has been a little skewed lately also, so we're making an appointment to get him back to the physical therapist to see what may be going on. They probably have some exercises he can do to strengthen his right side.

Plan B

9:00am

Taylor met with the Otolaryngologist (the facial paralysis Dr.) at Shands Hospital in Gainesville on Tuesday.

He kinda officially concluded what everyone pretty much knew - that the nerve which controls the left side of Taylor's face is not regenerating.

He had previously talked to Taylor about several different procedures, and Taylor decided to go for the chewing muscle transplant.

The Dr. also talked about a procedure called a "sling" where "bands" are implanted and the areas of the face that have no movement and are tightened to give a more natural appearance in the "static" or at rest position. This procedure will not provide movement like the transplant will.

The sling procedure has a shorter recovery time and the results are almost immediate, where the transplant procedure is something that therapists will have to work with Taylor on to get the best results.

So, Taylor has decided to go for the sling procedure now, and do the transplant at a later time - either late this year or next year. A date hasn't been set for the Sling, but it will happen some time in May.

The Dr. said that Taylor has essentially lost all hearing in his left ear. He examined it and found clear fluid behind the drum that he thinks is spinal fluid leaking from the skull fracture. He said while it sounds scary, it is treatable and we shouldn't worry. Easy for him to say. Taylor will return to Gainesville soon to see a Neurotologist to verify that the fluid is spinal fluid and how to go about fixing the problem.

One reason we were told we shouldn't worry about the fluid is that Taylor is the "Poster Child" for recovering brain injury patients. He is one more medical professional who puts Taylor at the top of the "Patients with the most amazing recovery" list.

On the educational front, Taylor is maintaing a 3.75 GPA.....not bad for a recovering brain injury patient!

Feb 5th - plans to be made for surgery

6:55am

On February 5th, Taylor will visit the Doctor he's been seeing at University of Florida/Shands Hospital to finalize plans for surgery. The left side of his face remains paralyzed, and there is little hope that the nerve will regenerate.

The current plan is to transplant a chewing muscle in the left temple area down into the cheek. That will be hooked up to a new nerve and muscle system and should help with controlling the left side of his mouth.

Originally surgery was planned for Spring Break, but Taylor wants to do it in May when this school term is over, just in case there are any problems. After the surgery, the Dr. said he'd be in ICU for a day or so to keep a close eye on him, then maybe another day or so in the hospital, then he'll head home.

School is in session

8:20pm

x2/j=z......or something like that

Today Taylor started back at the Lakeland campus of Polk Community College/University of South Florida. He has signed up for 4 classes and goes 8am - 12noon, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Later this year, he'll transfer from PCC to USF. Fortunately, he'll be able to take some classes at the Lakeland campus, but will later have to attend the campus in Tampa.

Taylor has never been known to be very studious. He has always been able to show up for class and leave with an A or B. Rarely in high school did I ever see him study. He may be the only student to graduate with honors and make a C in a customer service class. He took one his Senior year to a) fill an hour in his schedule and b) get an easy A - or so we thought. Somewhere along the way, he figured out he could slip away unnoticed and take off on his motorcycle for a little ride while he was supposed to be in school. The principal told us later that he knew Taylor was doing it, but could never catch him. He said he'd put a rock on Taylor's rear tire so he at least knew what days Taylor had bailed out - he was just too sneaky (or lucky) to get caught.

For the past couple of months, he has talked a LOT about wanting to go back to school. He hasn't said it, but some of his desire probably has to do with getting a change of scenery. Before the accident, he was always on the move. But, since he came home in late July, he spends the majority of his time at home. He has friends over every day and evening, and goes to friends houses or meets them for dinner, but I think he's just ready for a change.

This afternoon he picked up his new glasses that have corrected his double vision. He'd never pose for a photo, so I'll have to get one when he's not looking.

Yesterday was the 10th month anniversary of Black Tuesday - the day Dr. Campanelli did emergency surgery to save his life. A lot has happened in 10 months. In the early days, we didn't know if he would live, if he did live if he would completely recover from the brain injury, or if he would have full use of his body.

Now we know that Taylor has gotten almost everything back. Mentally, he is Taylor. Same intelligence, same sense of humor, same personality. Physically, he's lost the majority of hearing in his left ear and the left side of his face is paralyzed. But, surgery later this year will hopefully help with movement in the left side of his mouth. Double vision is still an issue, but is still slowly correcting. He's still using a cane, but his walking is gradually improving.

In the grand scheme of things, those are all very minor issues. There is not much he can't do. Surfing and skateboarding are out for now. And, he's not able to drive a car (not that he or we want him to anytime soon). He'll again be able to do some of the things he can't now. None of those issues, however, effect his ability to enjoy life. And, we ALL are enjoying his life!

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.