Bring Gabe Back East! (a.k.a. The Maietta Raffle)

Design by the illustrious, the beautiful, and overly talented BrittLee Bowman

2009.11.08 / 1 response / Author: Kierie

aches and gains

Well where is Gabe physically these days? You can see by recent posts that Gabe is pointing, holding, reading, humorizing, raising his eyebrows, swallowing, thinking, looking, giving good hand signals for yes and no and thereby playing twenty questions. “Do you have a pain? “yes”. is it a headache, “no”, point to the pain, ah its your trach where the cover fits over it!!!! And all this time we thought he just liked to hold the trach moisturizing cover away from his trach opening for something to do!!! Aggh!

What has been the evolution physically? Well physically he has gone from a coma where his ever alert right hand was the only body part that was moving. Gotta trace along my hospital gown, along this strange tube , along this feeding line, this pillow case hem… Then a partially open left eye was added, next a partially open right eye, then frowns and raised eyebrows. Then right forearm and upper arm action along with right leg and foot and toes. His head was turned to the left, and only rarely would it turn to the right.

This was the extent of the Gabe field of play until he went to Kentfield. Then the movements got bigger and stronger and in response to challenge. His eyes open wide now. He turns his head to the right by himself and centers it on the pillow for as long as an hour. His lips move in the barest of mouthing of words. His right side is strong, his left side is barely moving but  getting ready to start the action any day.

His PT crew positions him almost daily at the standing frame where, with his lower legs and knees braced in padded supports and head and arms supported by the crew, his body is slowly levered into a standing position where his chest rests against another padded frame and his arms rest in elbow supports with his forearms extended to the front on a chest high mini-table. His firm right hand holds on strongly to the edge of the table. Everyone then says “Gee Gabe, how tall are you?”, because now he is well above us where he belongs.

Friday Gabe, one therapist, and myself were there at the standing frame and Gabe was struggling to hold his head up. Then came the challenge. The therapist said “Gabe, let’s see if you can better your 10 second record of holding your head up by yourself. Chin up Gabe. Look in my eyes!” As that meant Gabe would have to look down instead of up that was a slight problem until the therapist ran up the exercise steps to get to Gabe’s level three feet away. Gabe slowly raised his head and looked him in the eyes. Their eyes absolutely locked. Ten seconds, then 15, then 30, then 45. The challenge kept up and with constant encouragement, with me hardly daring to breathe. Sixty seconds, a minute 15 and finally a minute 30 seconds with Gabe’s head shaking from the effort. The challenger relaxed the bridge between them.

This is big. and today more like it. A first time sitting on the raised PT mat totally unsupported and for 15 long seconds. Head in control, nice lean to the side, propped on one elbow but totally on his own. Fifteen seconds. Now we all know what that means for tomorrow.

2009.11.02 / no responses / Author: Donna

Ready, Set, READ.

I thought I wrote something yesterday about sometimes seeing change within twenty-four hours. It must of been edited out while trying to stuff in every possible bit of news you’d like to hear. Here’s a good example of exactly what kind of change that is.

So before the accident, Gabe and I got into the habit of reading to each other. I discovered he’d usually look over my shoulder rather than off into space as I would have liked him to. I got used to it–one can’t argue with another’s way of imagining a plot unfold. Especially now, I position a book so he can see the words being read to him; in recent weeks, he observes the pages as they are peeled away. Last night in the mid-evening, one of the several books we’re working on comes out, and in the midst of Chapter the Eighth, I think: Can you point to the page I’m reading from?

In the middle of a page, at the end of a paragraph, I ask, “Fajita, what page are we on?” He points to the right one. Then, I reread the last sentence–”it was locked”–and ask if he can point to that. His finger moves two inches up to that exact phrase.

This is fantastic! I think, but to play it safe and be 100% sure, I decide to quiz again the next night. Fortunately I didn’t have to because today Speech Therapy introduced a similar, better exercise that tests his reading comprehension skills. The therapist held up a series of six placards, in which he was told to respond.

• Raise your eyebrows.
• Open your mouth.
• Move your hand.
• Move your foot.
• Close your eyes.
• Stick out your tongue.

He responded quickly to each one, save the last. The man is obviously brilliant even whilst nursing a traumatic brain injury, and perhaps too polite to stick his tongue out in the presence of three ladies.  For “move your hand,” he took the placard from the therapist. Standing at the foot of his bed, I hadn’t read it prior to it being held up, so asked to the air, “What does it say?” Gabe immediately turned it around for full viewing. “Oh! Thanks, Gabe!”

The man is reading. Reading gives way to writing and speaking. If you are not dumbfounded or haven’t yet pulled out a stamp, please review entire post.

-Kierie

2009.10.29 / 7 responses / Author: Kierie

Day 77 & counting.

Dear friends,

Today is Day 77 since the accident, and I keep hearing a word pop up:

• “What’s the damage to his brain look like now?”
• “Is damage going to inhibit him from talking?”
• “His brain was damaged from the accident.”

Damage means a change in something for the worse. It doesn’t convey the time warp G’s in right now. His forward progress defies its very meaning. What we’re talking about here is injury. At the scene of the accident, Gabe was completely unconscious and on death’s doorstep. At Day 3, he was intibated, on life support, and in a full-scale, unresponsive coma. Day 14 he auto-regulated his inter-cranial pressure and the invasive head monitors were removed. Seven days later he localized pain and was no longer considered in a coma, but a vegetative state. By Day 28 he was breathing on his own, moved out of the ICU, and weaning off painkillers. By Day 34 he began passive rehab therapies (occupational, physical, speech). And on Day 47, he awoke. In the past 10 days he’s been distinguishing letters, shapes, colors, and use of household objects. So stop thinking damage because he’s far from hitting his ceiling yet, and we’re looking at years before he does.

Now, what’s Gabe been up to? Is he bored? Does he talk? Is he standing up yet?

Monday through Friday Gabe has 3 active hours of rehab treatment—OT, PT, and speech. As of Day 67, Gabe is now fully weight-bearing and his pelvis fractures have healed 100%.  You can bet his physical therapist got him up right quick to assisted standing, kneeling, and sitting cross-legged. He does this three times a week for 10-15 minutes to relearn balance, establish equilibrium, and rebuild the 30 pounds of muscle he’s lost. PT is also developing his neck muscles and he’s holding his chin up pretty close to what you and I do every day. He’s doing this more often for longer periods of time. A reminder, his left side, from hand to foot, is still considerably weak. He can recover, he’s just going to have to work twice as hard on the left as he does on the right.

In terms of cognizance, he is more alert to his surroundings. He has greater focus and his attention shifts quickly. He is also responding commands consistently, which include:

• “Gabe, look at your calendar/letters/bike jersey on the wall.”
• Touch your nose/ears/left hand/knee/thigh/shoulder/chin/etc/etc/etc
• Cognitive awareness of objects (i.e. knows what to do with a comb, toothbrush, chapstick, electric shaver, moose)
• Cognitive choice between two objects (i.e. queens vs. brooklyn t-shirt or mishka t-shirt; book of animal stories or book on cycling

Speech therapy has the goals of establishing communication through speech and aggressively weaning him off the trach. Something really cool: Gabe is mouthing words. On Day 65, his doc asked him if his last name was Allen, and for the first time, he mouthed something in return! We were all surprised by that one, I think even Gabe was because his eyebrows popped up and his eyes widened. We explain to him that even though there isn’t sound and won’t be until the trach comes out, it’s totally cool to still move his mouth. Last Wednesday, Day 71, he mouthed “Hi, mom,” to Donna. Yesterday, he was asked to finish about seven sentences, like so:

• We can drive east or ____
• The elevator goes up or ____
• That invitation was sent to me and ____
• The door swings in and ____

He mouthed all but one of them! Today, objects were held up and he named each one, and showed how to use each (whistle, sunglasses, watch, butter knife, hammer, etc).  He moved to put his sunglasses on, and picked up the mirror to check himself out. When he realized the watch wouldn’t fit over his left hand, he slid it over mine and then helped to take it off.

Something else mighty cool are the foam letters Donna bought for him on Day 66. She had the bright idea of using Y for yes, and N for no. When a question is asked, he’ll respond by touching it or handing directly to whoever is asking. Keep in mind that his movements are still not fluid and graceful as yours and mine are; he’s still learning dexterity of his fingers. Gripping an object and letting go of it are difficult, operating on a 0-15 second delay. But it’s improved as he used to have a 10-20 second delay. You can imagine the patience one builds when working with him. On Day 71, I busted out the letters and laid out a blue E and red R and explained that we’d practice picking up and letting go of the letters, which would build to popsicles, cupcakes, and coffee cups. “Gabe, can you hand me the blue E?”

BOOM! He reached out for it, took it, and placed it in my hand. And this was the letter further from his grasp. I replaced the E and R with a yellow 6 and green 7. “What about the 6? Can you hand it to me?”

Sure thing, no problem. He hands me the 6. What was fascinating was that he not only distinguished the shapes of the numbers and letters, he did so despite whether or not I said the color.  I pulled the letters, D-O-G, mixed them up, and placed them in front of him. I spelled the word DOG, and he handed me the letters. After we spelt GABE. He did both with ease and his ability to release his grip is better. Donna and I do this with him every day, and every day we see a difference. We see control.

One last good story about Gabe’s awesomeness: last week on a reconnaissance trip to check out acute rehab hospitals, I raced in Prospect Park; despite coming in last out of the five women, I was still awarded a yellow Tour de France cap. When I returned I placed the cap in his left hand and he took it by the bill in his right and moved it up to his head. He got the front on, and I pulled it down in the back. He took the mirror offered up, but closed his eyes without looking. I turned to rummage through one of his drawers, and when I turned back he was checking himself out in the mirror. There’s a picture of that, and sometime soon I hope to share it with you all.

That’s a quick fell-swoop of what Gabe is up to. A good friend of Gabe’s recently wrote me after receiving an update:

I am amazed at the progress Gabe keeps making, then at the same time I am not b/c it seems so in line with the way he is.  I see it very much like I see him when he is racing at the track or during an alley cat.  He takes a smooth approach, never looks like he is exhausted, but keeps making steady progress.

It’s true. And the man is just revving the engine.

-Kierie

2009.10.27 / 2 responses / Author: Kierie

Two Upcoming Fundraisers in Winterport!

The fine community of Winterport is planning two events for Gabe’s benefit. Unless I am in San Francisco (which I don’t believe I will be) I will be there and would love to see folks come out for these! The community has been so wonderful to our family during this time and this is just another example of how supportive and kind people really are.

Thursday, November 5, 5-7pm

Benefit Smorgasboard Supper at Smith School

319 S. Main St. Winterport, ME

Contact Laurel Coulter to arrange a food donation: soups, salads, desserts, etc. Her e-mail is coulstet@aol.com, or phone is 223-4057.

Donations for Gabe’s fund will be accepted at the door!

And also:

Sunday, November 8, 1-4pm

My Fork Bar & Grill

44 Main St. Winterport, ME

Three local bands will be playing for Gabe’s benefit. $5 cover goes to his fund.

I also want to recognize the hard work of Ali Simonds, a friend of mine and Gabe’s from UMaine, who organized a pancake breakfast for Gabe in her current hometown of Austin, TX, on Sunday, October 11th. She tells me that even though people did not know him (yet!) they were very supportive and that it went really well–there were even new crews there! What great community-minded people there are in this world. Thanks to all of you who have been such a help through this.

xoxo

2009.10.13 / no responses / Author: Summer

A Very Good Week

Hello Everyone,

Gabe is making gains. His brain is clicking together like the LEGO structures he created as a kid. Now two short red pieces, now two more red middle sized pieces, now the long green piece. Looks like a popsicle to me!

Gabe is so awake now. His eyes are open when I walk into his room and he will keep them open longer (all the better for looking and learning). He is often alert when we leave in the evening.

Mike was here from Maine this week and here are some of the images I will remember from his trip.

Mike leaning over Gabe’s face teaching Kierie how to use an electric shaver on Gabe. They are both intently watching Gabe make those expressions men do with their faces when shaving. Gabe takes a mirror with a handle from Kierie and brings it up to his face so he can see what they were doing and watch his own face. Later they guide his hand to hold the shaver.

Kierie and Gabe playing ball with a tennis ball sized, bright yellow rubber prongy ball. “Throw the ball Gabe” elicits Gabe dropping it into her out stretched hand. Then “Catch the ball Gabe”. His right hand fingers close quickly over the ball when it drops in his hand.

Gabe sitting on his bed, feet dangling, being held upright by two PT staff. They lean him to his right and support him on his right elbow and he balances in place for the first time without starting to fall. Later he holds his head erect for 10 seconds.

Kierie, Mike and I counting number of “swallows” while Gabe works with Speech Therapy. Gabe takes the offered frozen lemon swab and tucks it in his right or left cheek. This is supposed to create saliva to swallow, a necessary prerequisite to getting rid of the trach. Ten minutes and fourteen swallows later we are happy for all the popsicles Gabe downed lo these many years to prepare for this day. Later in the day Kierie replicates the activity with even more swallows.

Gabe’s finger response using his right hand “Raise one finger for Yes, two for No” is getting more reliable and smoother when the therapists speak slowly and give him plenty of time to respond.

Gabe answers his first sequential questions by first touching his chin and then his right ear as asked. Then touching his nose followed by his chin when asked.

Gabe is getting more expression in his face. The hints of smiles are showing up. Mike, Kierie and I model all kinds of smiles for him. His raised eyebrows and puzzled expressions have us wonder what he is thinking. Yesterday both the Dr., Kierie, and I thought we saw the first attempt to move his lips to form a word when he was asked a question.

On October 9th we had a family conference with the Dr. in charge of his recovery here. She is thrilled with his progress and wants to keep him here 8-12 more weeks. Then he will be really ready to transfer to a rehab center for up to 8 weeks. If you do the math this will be March before we get home to Maine at the longest and end of December as the earliest. When Gabe leaves here he probably will not have the trach but he will still have the PEG stomach feeding line to make sure he gets enough calories. His follow up hip x-rays are today, October 13. Soon after he will be cleared for wheel chair for rides to PT and get started on weight bearing exercises to start building up the strength lost while at bed rest. California sun awaits him outside his bedroom on rides later this week. It is pouring out now, 3 to 4 inches expected today. A true waterfall outside my window.

How many connections has Gabe made in his brain while you were reading this post?

You are wonderful, Hugs to you all. Popsicles all around.

Donna

2009.10.13 / 7 responses / Author: Donna

Gabe’s Ride to Recovery Party=Success!

When people give me compliments on the wicked excellent party that was thrown on my brother’s behalf last Friday (Oct. 2) at Paddy Murphy’s in Downtown Bangor, I try to be modest and say that it’s super easy to hold a really fun benefit party for someone as awesome as Gabe. He’s certainly been (in)famous for his party-hosting skills before, and I think it’s a trait that runs in the family.

A few of us core planner folks arrived early and began setting up our space with balloons and setting out dozens of home-baked cupcakes and cookies. Sheridan was the camera woman–she had a video camera set up in the back “library” room to catch short messages to compile for Gabe to see someday soon. Our DJ friends Brendan, Beth, and Kristian arrived to set up their equipment. Lindsey and Kiernan artfully arranged the giant selection of door prizes near the DJ booth. Clementina set to work frosting her super-gourmet cupcakes in the back room. A guest book was set up near the video camera as well, and a photo of Gabe rested in between some of the ridiculous sock puppets that were made a few weeks ago to eventually bring to him when he is in rehab. Larry, Allison, and Marcie helped me figure out the best procedure to use when folks started coming in. We set up raffle tickets for purchase, door prize tickets to rip, and tried to figure out how to handle donations that were sure to pile up. A giant basket of handmade buttons with Gabe’s picture went right by the door as well as were a big hit with party atendees.

Drink specials went up on the board: “Maddfajita Margarita”  and “Allen’s Allen’s Coffee Brandy Coffee”, a concoction that Gabe is really proud of, originally invented for snowshoeing. For those of you not in Maine, Allen’s Coffee Brandy is the most popular booze sold in the state. It’s like a lower cost version of Kahlua and usually means a party. I am sure the AACBC went wonderfully with the bazillion cupcakes that kept marching through the door. Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate Guinness cupcakes, yellow ones with coffee buttercream, s’mores cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, Moxie cupcakes. Also cookies and chocolate candies. The sugary treats filled one large table and then overflowed to another smaller one next to it. At first, people seemed almost intimidated by how many there were, but then we put out take-out containers so that they could be brought home too. At the end of the night we had just a few ones left to take with us, which was just fine.

The DJs set a good stage and folks kept milling about. It was a great mix of people–old family friends I hadn’t seen in years, high school and UMaine connections, and current friends. Throughout the night, we had over 160 people. We stopped the music periodically to toast Gabe, send other messages of thanks and hope, and to draw door prizes.  We talked, drank, ate too many cupcakes, and saw old friends. We danced and shared stories and included Gabe in our thoughts all night. We left silly and sentimental video messages for him and joked about his previous parties on Penobscot St. We had so much fun and generous amounts of money were raised for Gabe.

Thank you so much to everyone who baked, set up, staffed the tables and video areas, organized cupcakes, danced, drank, laughed, donated, and had a great time for Gabe, who could not be there!

And many thanks to Paddy Murphy’s, who donated the upstairs bar rental for the party.

Thanks to the local businesses who donated door prizes: The Rock & Art Shop, The Grasshopper Shop, Winterport Winery, Giacomo’s, Bagel Central, Metropolitan Soul, Penobscot Theatre, Winterport Boot Shop, Valcourt Designs, Pat’s Bike Shop, Howling Threads Studio, Roxanne Munksgaard, Marcie Noyes, State St. Brewer Dunkin’ Donuts, Dysart’s.

xoxo

2009.10.12 / no responses / Author: Summer

And then he woke up.

It’s official. As of today and yesterday, Day 47 and 48, Gabe is responding to commands. Not all the time, but in a way that cannot be confused with a simple neurological response (i.e. a hand squeeze, lifting his thumb so it looks like a thumbs-up, pointing a finger, etc). Each of the therapy specialties experienced G in a higher state of consciousness, and his doctor confirms that he is no longer in a vegetative state. “Gabe is waking up.”

Speech pathology (SP) worked with him early on Day 47 and asked him to touch his chin, touch his ear, and touch his left elbow. He did each as requested, the last by finding his left hand and tracing up to his elbow. Physical therapy (PT) also had encouraging luck when giving vocal commands. His mom and I also experienced some things. Around 1pm I was sitting with G, telling him a story about a bicycle ship cruising through space. His forearm was up and he traced his face with his hand. He opened his eyes and I was in his line of vision. His eyes moved back and forth a bit, as if observing, then his hand moved to my face, tracing down to my neck. This was not simply a falling of the hand. It actually felt explorative, a touch that held direction and purpose. He then navigated his hand around my waist. There he rested his arm and hand and I told him he ruled.

So check out what happened with Donna: I had switched over to his left side and Donna came in. He must have noticed her at the edge of the bed. As she swept around to his right side to put her bag on the floor just past his head and outside his line of vision, he released my hand and raised his arm in her direction. His fingers were up and open, and when she stood up,  he took her hand. She leaned down over his chest so we were both in his line of vision and he shifted his eyes clearly from me to her.

The neuro-psychologist was excited when we related these things: there are connections happening in the frontal lobe of his brain where he’s linking sensory input, processing, then responding bodily. He is interacting with people showing true response to voice and/or vision. He is connecting ideas. His movements are not particularly fluid, but the intention is there and easily discernible. To think he may be responding with recognition of the people around him is noteworthy, and it’s significant that the therapists are seeing an equal amount of action from him.

Also on Day 47, two CNAs came in to reposition him in the bed, for which we have to step out. He held Donna’s hand and would not free her. Nearby was his brown stuffed animal moose, Bonzey (named after a friend who sent it to him last month). Silly for a 27-year-old man to have a stuffed animal, but it’s actually great to have the last four weeks because it occupies his hand to prevent clenching or exploration of his trach tube, etc. I placed Bonzey the moose in his lap and he caught sight of it. I said, “Gabe, we have to step out for a moment so hold your moose until we come back.” Whether he understood those words or the moose was visually enticing, he freed Donna’s hand and took it up.

Gabe again brought a heightened sense of awareness to the forefront today, Day 48. When we arrived OT and PT reported the good sessions they had this morning. OT held up a comb this morning and asked, “What do you do with this?” Gabe took the comb and brought it up to his hair. Shortly after, OT uncapped his chapstick and he took it, brought it to his lips, and applied it. Then he rubbed his lips together! Now time for the daily resistance to teeth brushing– perhaps there is a memory of SF General’s vigorous oral care lodged in his gums. When PT got out the toothbrush around noon-thirty, he tightened his jaws and no amount of coaxing would unclench them. Then I said, “Gabe, look, it’s just a toothbrush. Just like we have at home.” PT removed it from the inside of his cheek and he regarded it, then the therapist asked, “Do you want to brush your own teeth?”

…..Drumroll…..

Gabe took control. He reached for the brush and took it from her hand. His lips grimaced back in a curl as we all do while tending to this morning and nightly ritual. He directed the brush into his mouth and set the bristles against his own clenched teeth. PT loosely guided his wrist back and forth; and when I said, “Now the other side,” he maneuvered the toothbrush in reply. Gabe exhibited the will and matched it in body. He eventually released his jaws and brushed his tongue when requested. All by himself.

Gabe’s doctor dropped in after hearing of her patient’s progress and was disappointed each time to catch him in resting mode. Around 5pm Kierie suggested that she tell him about  her BMW.  All she had to say was the 640 model number and his eyes opened.  She added the word convertible and they opened very wide.  She asked for a “high five” and after a delay of seven long seconds–she got one. In the eyes and the words of the therapists and his doctor, he is serving up more than just reflexive movement.

From the home front, Donna and I are well and at ease. We move tomorrow north of the Golden Gate Bridge, within walking distance of the hospital. Summer is now back in Maine after a good week+ out here, and she has Gabextravaganza party happening this Friday night in Bangor. There’s a ton of prizes and cupcakes and such, and the promotion work she’s done trumps marketing efforts of the top executives in any advertising agency. We’re excited for Mike to arrive this Friday, and look forward to relaxing on the deck of our new—albeit temporary—home whilst overlooking  the end of a California summer and the sparkling  lights of Marin County.

Click your toes and clink your beers. Gabe is on his way.

2009.09.30 / 21 responses / Author: Kierie

Summer in San Francisco

Hi Everyone!

I am in San Francisco right now, visiting Gabe every day. It is so good to see him! He does this thing sometimes when he is exploring and lifting his fingers–at the same time, he will have his eyes kind of drowsily half-open. It strikes me as rather funny, like I wish he could see himself so he could chuckle. Every day is just a piece of the gigantic puzzle, sometimes Gabe is much more active (eyes open, hands and feet moving, yawns, other small movements) and some days he is very visibly resting pretty much all day. That is fine since all his doctors seem to be in agreement that what he needs most now is huge amounts of rest. Aside from the therapies that he receives several times every day (less often on weekends) I am content to see him resting in order to regow the connections in his brain that are so stressed. I keep my sisterly cooing to a minimum, as it’s likely he is confused by a lot of noise. I remind him a few times a day of little private Allen sibling jokes, just in case his brain can grab onto any of it, and, I suppose, mostly for my own comfort.

Other than spending time with my brother, I am enjoying my mom’s company. Hopefully she is enjoying mine too!  A trip to Muir Woods is in the works for Monday afternoon. Mom and I went before when we drove cross-country in 2004. I also get to see my good friend Jessi Leigh fairly often while I am out here, even though she is crazily busy in her last year of law school. A subgroup of her friends, along with Maine native Lily, are also wonderful companions here in SF. Tim and Matt (more Maine people, gotta love how we watch out for each other), who have the condo we’ve been staying in this week, were kind enough to clear out of here so we could have lots of space and a beautiful place to relax in. It’s on the top floor of a nice building in the Outer Sunset, three blocks away from the (foggy) beach. I don’t even know how to thank people who have been so generous, but they will be receiving huge karmic boosts from the Allen family indeed.

I’m flying back to Maine super early on Tuesday and will get back to Bangor around 8pm. Many more things need to be done before Gabe’s wicked excellent benefit party on Friday night. I have so many gourmet cupcakes and cookies coming our way from several baketastic women, and there are a bunch of people selling raffle tickets for me. Remember that the raffle will not be drawn at the party, so you can continue to buy tickets all night. There will be tons of great door prizes though. I am expecting a full house at the party and hope that everyone who wanted to come can make it, even just for a bit. Raffle tickets are still available at the following places, to the best of my knowledge:

Winterport Boot Shop in Brewer

The Clothesline, Rosie’s Diner, and The Winterport House of Pizza, all in downtown Winterport

On campus at UMaine: Marcie Noyes in Shibles Hall, Kathleen March in Little Hall, Lorelei Kennedy in Neville Hall, and Gail Belanger, Dolores Stone, or Cindy Paschal in Nutting Hall (my work building!) Also, Larry VP and Allison Melton have tickets for you hip young Bangorians.

There are still raffle donations and door prizes coming in, I don’t have definite confirmation since I am out here, but I believe that Giacomo’s has added something to the mix, and that there may be some more jewelry items coming in from some vendors at the Common Ground Fair, where my friend Deena wore a poster with Gabe’s profile on it for two days and told his story to people, which is one of her true talents.

A hundred bazillion hugs and thank-yous to all the wonderful people who have been so supportive of Gabe and my family. You are the true meaning of community.

xoxo

2009.09.27 / 1 response / Author: Summer

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City

Today is Day 42, exactly six weeks since the accident. And Gabe is doing well. He continues to shed medical dependency: the gradual reduction of painkiller here, the removal of his central IV (PICC line) there. We all wait for grander news similar to that of the Valentine, but these little steps mean progress.

So last week, G made a leap forward as he exchanged a short-term acute care hospital—SF General—for a long-term one. This you know. Kentfield Specialty and Rehabilitation Hospital continues to monitor him medically, but also integrates therapies to re-instill consciousness. Speech therapists (SP) will begin to test his mouth muscles to make sure he is controlling his tongue and swallowing down the right passageway. Occupational therapists (OT) take up the limbering up of his arms, hands, feet, and legs that Donna and I practiced in the ICU and step-down unit of SF General; when he’s more awake, OT will switch gears to assist in grooming, dressing, etc. The physical therapists (PT) sit him up and let his feet dangle off the side of the bed and practice range of motion with his limbs simultaneously. All of this is critical in preventing his muscles from atrophying completely, and his tendons from tightening beyond use. Kentfield had aimed to get Gabe in a wheelchair and moving about, however this is being put on hold until his fractured pelvis has a few more weeks of healing.

Certainly the team at his new crib is attentive, thorough, and vigorous while proceeding with the right amount of caution. I got to watch each of all these therapies yesterday, and Donna & I caught a little of speech today. For the first time to everyone including staff, Gabe seemed to respond to commands and elicit movements beyond that of base neurological responses. A therapist today worked for 30 minutes on finger movements and I’ll be darned if he wasn’t trying to work with her. Maneuvering his pinky, making a fist, holding up two fingers, touching his nose…brow pooled in sweat & furrowed with what I can only guess is concentration. Next I’d like to see Gabe give us his usual thumbs up ^*squint*

Now for a little backtracking….

On days 33-39, another journey took place away from Gabe’s bedside. I flew back to the Big Apple to handle the lives we placed on hold. It can be strange to be in a place so familiar but so far away from where one’s mind is at. New York is the same swirling, mythological place. Summer is slipping casually into fall. Specialty food trucks still roam and the ice cream truck bells still toll. Street fairs are in the tail-end of the season. Museums rotate into autumn exhibitions and there are more boots on people’s feet. Friends and family continue the trajectory through which the City and its parts take us: meeting up in the park, sharing beers at a bar, running into each other on the way to work.

The purpose of the trip was to pack his apartment and ship everything up to Maine, pack my apartment and put everything into storage, interview and secure a sublet for my apartment, and settle up the job from which I’m resigning. By the end of six days, it was all done with plenty o good times had in Ft Greene Park, at the track, at a party, eating out… But seriously, 60 boxes + furniture weren’t done alone. There were friends who set to work gathering boxes, tape, markers, plastic bags. There were friends who spent their days and evenings at my house packing. Then they went to Gabe’s house to pack some more. One got a free pile going beneath the kitchen counter and sorted through old shoes. Bike boxes and bubble wrap were tracked down. Scones and cupcakes arrived special delivery to my office. The best granola ever tasted waited on the counter at home while a delectable roast chicken sat in the fridge. A family member helped sort through bills and provided sage legal advice, while another elected to store my possessions in his house. Seven people showed up on Gabe’s doorstep to load up the U-Haul; two of them flew down from Maine to drive it all back north. A whole crew of Mainers waited to unload it upon arrival at Gabe’s childhood home. There were those who helped me make coin rolls to exchange at the bank and those who sat on the corner eating breakfast before the flight back here. One picked me up from the airport and was always just around the corner waiting with big hugs. Another called me out to ole 9^th Street for coffee. The last evening was shared in good company on the piers of Long Island City, overlooking the skyscrapers of Midtown as the sun drifted lower and lower over the East River.

Wow, the people will be the greatest “miss” factor, more than the City itself–they MAKE that place! Oh, bon voyage, New York!

After six long days away from the Bay Area, I sat with Gabe and saw a difference in him. Ever so slight, but it was there. And I related each story and the lolz and the nomming that took place back at home during his absence. Every name is repeated and each face described. Then I think beyond the circle of NYC friends who’ve been around. From the date of the accident to today everyone shows their support in a unique manner and it often passes through my mind that I hope no one who has reached out to us feels under-appreciated. Perhaps we need to start a list on a new section of this website. Perhaps we just owe a lot of thank-you cards

Time for bed. Hope everyone out there is encouraged and still thinking/sending/dreaming positive things for Gabe. I’m convinced he’s going to sign those thank-you cards himself. Much love.

-Kierie

2009.09.24 / 1 response / Author: Kierie