July 14

Melinda is sleeping through the night and doing well. OT came in around 8:30 this morning to get Melinda out of bed and continue working with her daily life skills. Respiratory capped off Melinda's trachea so she could completely breath on her own. PT worked with Melinda showing her how to use her muscles to stand, sit up and hold her head up straight. They said she is improving a little each day. ST worked with Melinda to strengthen her vocal cords and breathing to help her find her voice to start talking. Around 3:30 Melinda was put back on the oxygen and humidity because the secretions (saliva) in her lungs and throat were too thick and dry and she couldn't cough it out. Once the trachea is removed Melinda won't have any problems handling her secretions. Yesterday Melinda's neck and pelvis were x-rayed. The doctor said it looked like everything is healing but on Thursday Melinda has an appointment with the orthopedic doctor to check her over and review the x-rays. We want to be very certain that Melinda's neck and pelvis is healed and not re-injure her and have a set back.

We take for granted the simple things we can do in our daily lives like; wave, laugh, talk, eat or even pray. As I update Melinda's progress you can see that she is having to learn to do all those simple things and by the grace of God and all the prayers she too will again. Please continue to pray for Melinda and Jon as they progress each day towards their full recovery. God Bless!