Brad Thomas –Update February 26th, 2014
It’s been a little over a month now since Brad had a stroke and I know many of you are awaiting news about his condition. It's been a very tough time, as you can imagine, but there is some positive news.
We celebrated Brad’s 60th birthday on Monday (Feb 24th). Many friends and family members (and the odd celebrity) had recorded short videos with birthday greetings, and Taylor compiled them all into one production, some of which Brad was able to watch over the course of the day. He was pleased and moved –thank you to all who contributed to this.It was also great to be able to bring him parts of the Super Bowl and the Olympic highlights.
Medically, there has been some progress. Due to some respiratory issues, Brad required tracheotomy surgery and was therefore unable to speak for a while. After a time, they were able to cap the trach and we were ecstatic to discover that Brad could talk normally! His first words were “Do you know how hard it's been to not speak for the past month?!!” He went on to ask a few key questions, including: has someone been buying his lottery tickets for him?
Although we expect Brad to be in the Neurological ICU section of the hospital for a while yet, the physiotherapists and occupational therapists have started working with him already. For the time being he is still unable to move on his left side. But there is good news there too - he now has movement with his foot; and even though he can't bend his knee yet you can see the muscles firing, which means the brain is sending the signals. I was told that's excellent because the faster he shows progress the better his rehabilitation will be.
Although Brad has made some progress, he still faces a lot of challenges. And because he is still in an intensive care unit that deals with brain injuries, he is still unable to have visitors outside of the immediate family.
Your emails, cards and texts have been very much appreciated. The boys and I are so grateful for the outpouring of concern and affection for Brad.
Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts.
Marthe, Devin and Taylor