I didn't hear from Mia yesterday, but today when she called she said that they'd had another restless day with Gary wanting to get up out of bed and trying to pull tubes out. However, today is much, much better and he even talked to me a little bit. He said, "Hi, Meemaw" and then when I asked him how he was doing, he said, "I'm having a hard time." Then he said some other things that I couldn't understand when I asked him if he remembered Bill and me being out there for two weeks. Mia said she couldn't understand them either.

Mia said that she thought they were getting ready to give him a swallow test sometime today. We got a picture via the phones a while ago and it showed the nurse giving him the test with a cup of applesauce. He swallowed it perfectly and said, "MMMMMM, that was good!" So, maybe they'll be able to remove the trach now and he'll be one more step ahead. Each day seems to show some improvement for him.

Please keep praying for him and Mia and also for God to point out the right rehabilitation center for him when it's time for him to move on.

Thanks, Bill and Nancy

I didn't hear from Mia yesterday so I didn't post, but she called late this afternoon and brought me up to date on Gary. He got his IVIG therapy this weekend which he has been taking for several years for his dermatomyositis and gets it at home with a nurse in attendance. This usually goes for about 8 hours or longer each day for 2 days. At the hospital where he is now, they ran it more slowly and got it over a 3 day period. It seemed to work better and he didn't get nauseated like he usually does. However, it does give him a bad headache and he gets very agitated and irritable which is what happened this time. This is the first time he's had it since his heart attack.

Mia said he hasn't felt like talking much and they haven't had the little voice valve inserted as often because they need to be able to get to him quickly if he has troubles breathing. When the voice valve is in place, he can be understood more clearly. He shocks some of his friends by greeting them when they walk in and many of them have no idea that he's talking. One of his best friends came in and Gary said, "Hey, man!" Mark almost fainted!

He greets Mia each day with a big smile and wants to kiss her. He loves for her to be there with him which is most of the time except at night.

As Mia says, this is going to be a long, slow process and we'll just take it a day at a time and help Gary get better. Please keep praying for both of them as well as all the kids. It's hard on all of them. Even the dogs don't know what's happened!

Love to all and thank you,

Bill and Nancy

WONDERFUL NEWS TONIGHT!!!

Mia called us tonight while we were eating with a bunch at Colton's in Benton and we couldn't hear well with all the background noise, but she was so excited. Gary has been TALKING today where they could understand him!!! She put the phone up to his ear and told him to say, "Hi Meemaw" and he said what sounded to me like, "Mom." But the more I held the phone, the more it sounded like Meemaw. She said when I started talking to him that he started looking around the room like he was expecting me to be there.

Earlier in the day, the speech therapist who was working with him, mentioned something to Mia about Northridge (which is where Leah goes to school) and Gary said, "Leah." Then he said, "Fashion" which is her major. Both Mia and the therapist were astonished! Several other things came out of his mouth today and Mia said that she thought he said her name one time. He sat up again for a few hours and then when he got back into bed, he began to try to talk again. She's worked with him all day. She was still there around 8 p.m. CA time!

She also put the phone to his ear for Danny to talk to him, but Danny could not hear him respond. We're going to try again tomorrow. Mia tries to put a picture of the person with whom he's talking in front of him so that might bring back a memory when he hears the voice.

Mia didn't mention anything else except that everything else was fine. I'd say it's BETTER than FINE!!

Thank you, Lord! And thank all of you for your prayers and love.

Bill and Nancy

Talked with Mia this afternoon and she said that Gary was doing about the same. He sits up at least 3 hours each day in the chair and today, the speech therapist inserted a small valve-like thing into the tube in his neck and asked him questions. He tried to talk but they could not understand him. It was mostly whispers and they asked Mia what his best, most alert time of day was and she told them usually around 9 a.m. So, they will try him earlier in the mornings and begin with very elementary things such as Phonics, numbers, etc. and try to teach him to talk again. Please pray for all of them as they try this and for Gary and Mia, too. It seems to get Gary frustrated so pray for his mind to calm so that he can concentrate and learn to think again. It will be a slow go, but he'll do it!!!

He has a rash from the antibiotics which they continue to give and they gave him Benadryl to help the rash, therefore making him sleepy again. Mia said that he was very tired. She sent us another picture of him today looking at pictures that she had printed for him of his family. We'll try to get one on the blog tomorrow if we have time.

Mia was taking pictures around the house this evening to print out for him and I suggested that she make one of the pool which he loved. Bill and I have a video of our visit there before we got married of us in the pool with the dogs chasing each other around the pool trying to drink the splashing water. It's really funny and Bill is going to try to get it on a DVD to send her to show him.

Enough for tonight - it's midnight and we've already helped LSU beat Texas - I think we've done enough for today.

Love to all, Bill and Nancy

Mia shows and reads Gary all mail or cards and I thought if any of you would like to send cards, you can mail them to:

Gary S. Elliott
Room 41B
Kindred Hospital
5525 W. Slauson Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90056-1047

Thanks, Nancy

Well, hopefully I'm back now. I've had a rough week of trying to get myself better. Thanks for your patience.

I had a long talk with Mia today and she said he was probably about the same, showing a few progressive changes toward maybe following a command. She said he was agitated a lot of the time that he was sitting up for 3 hours and wasn't in a chair that had a front protective tray. Therefore, he kept falling any way that he could and she was afraid that he would fall forward and hit on his head so she had the staff bring him a tray chair and he did better. Last Monday, he did sort of the same thing (became agitated) and she wondered if it might have been too much stimulation to the brain with a lot of company, etc. However, when they put him back in bed, he settled down pretty quickly.

His brother, Rick, called him today and Mia put the phone up to Gary's ear. Rick and Gary have had different political views for quite some time and so Rick chose his conversation to his (Rick's) advantage since Gary couldn't talk back! Rick's voice carries really well and he was quite dogmatic in telling Gary to get out of the bed! Mia said it was interesting to watch Gary become agitated and even moved his lips as if trying to talk to Rick. I think his other brother, Danny, will try next to see how big bro listens to him!

PT and other therapists are working with Gary daily trying to wake up that good brain of his. I think it may be sooner than we think (when they get the trach out).

Please keep up your prayers. Let's not let God down now; He's done such a good job thus far, as has Gary and Mia. Pray also for Brandon and Leah at this difficult time in their lives.

Our love to all of you, Bill and Nancy

Thursday Update

Mom has been sick and has not been able to post. She wanted me to let you all know that Gary is about the same. He continues to breathe on his own. He did have a little trouble the other day but is doing better. Mom said she will update as soon as she feels better. Continue to pray for Gary and his healing.

Donna (Gary's sister)

We just talked to Mia and she said Gary was doing good. He's still breathing on his own with some oxygen added to keep the brain fed properly. He set off the ventilator alarm a few times during the night and today, but not for long; it was just when he went into a deep sleep pattern. No word yet on the EEG results, but probably will be tomorrow.

Mia said there was a lot of company today and her two boys came and stayed a while. She said that Kameron (the youngest) got the biggest smile thus far from Gary. She said Gary's whole face lit up and one time it looked like Gary was trying to play the guitar. He and Kam and Brandon do a lot of jammin' on the guitars and drums. I told Mia that they should bring the guitar in sometime this week and she said they had already decided to do that. The boys also thought that Gary was trying to talk but they couldn't understand what he was trying to say. He's also done that with Mia.

I'm sorry that I didn't get to post yesterday, but we had a full day with the graduation and then going out to eat with the graduate and her boyfriend. We had a wonderful time while there and left today around 11 or so. We've landed in Arnold, MO - just south of St. Louis and will drive home tomorrow. Mia will be calling me tomorrow after she talks with the doctors. I will post again tomorrow evening from home.

Thanks again for all your prayers and concerns for Gary and Mia. Pray for all their kids, too; it's really been hard for them to deal with both their parents being gone so much.

Love, Bill and Nancy

I didn't get to post yesterday because we didn't have the laptop connected and we had just arrived in Wisconsin. Danny got the computer going for us and we're all set now.

We heard from Mia yesterday and got a picture of Gary with his drumsticks. However, he didn't do anything with them; just held them. Today, the doctors shut his ventilator off and he had been off of it for 4 hours when Leah called me from the hospital. Mia said the doctors were very pleased with some of the responses they'd been getting from Gary. They still haven't been able to get the EEG done again. Gary gets so agitated at them when they try to do it. They gave him a little bit of medication and then when he got settled down, the guy didn't come back to do the EEG!! Typical!!

Mia called while Cindi and I were at the grocery store and I couldn't hear her very well, but I'll talk to her later on and do another post.

Gary has always been a fighter and never gave up easily; I think he may still be that way!!

Thank you, Lord!

Bill and Nancy

Good news today! We just heard from Mia and she said that Gary sat up again in the chair and after they got him back in bed, he puckered up his lips to give her a KISS! She was so excited and thought it might be because she wore yellow today. He loves her in bright colors and she tends to wear more conservative colors. She said he then just went to sleep again. We told her to wear a bright color again tomorrow!

She said that she gave him a shave and haircut today so he no longer looks like the mad scientist. She also found out that the man in the room with him used to sing and dance and knew Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald both of whom Gary loves their music. Mia told Gary that he needed to wake up and talk with this guy! They would have so much in common.

Sid and Pam came to see him and they thought he looked great! Sid works with Gary and has known him for years. Mia said that Gary kept looking at them and she thought that he was trying to talk several times today. He got agitated when he couldn't do what he wanted to do.

Thanks be to God - We give Him all the glory!!

Much love and thanks to all! Nancy and Bill

P.S. Mary Ella: I wish I'd been there to help eat that peach for Tom!

P.S. 2 - Bill and I are in Springfield, IL tonight and getting ready to eat dinner (supper) at Cracker Barrel!

Mia got to meet with Gary's primary care doctor today and was very encouraged by his plan to observe Gary for a while and watch his improvement as he's doing every day now. He has a neurologist coming in who'll work with him in testing, etc. Both of them seem to think that there's hope that he'll come out of this. WHEN is unpredictable as we all know. Each case is different, but they think with his young age and the fact that he's a fighter, is a plus for him.

Mia's sister, Tina, sat with her a while today at the hospital and Leah went by for about an hour to see her dad. I think Mia likes the company to help her get through the day. One of the staff directors suggested to Mia that she bring home videos of Gary's family that was taken in the past to show him. Also, she said that they encourage dogs to come, once they've met protocol required by the hospital. Mia said she and Leah and the boys would work on that for sometime next week.

Hopefully, we'll have even more good news tomorrow! Keep the prayers going to Him for him!

Love to all of you, Bill and Nancy

P.S. Bill and I will be leaving in the morning for Wisconsin, but will continue to post to the blog with our laptop.

Gary had another good day today. Mia got to talk with a few of his doctors and felt good about what they plan for Gary. They want to observe him a day or two while he is being given some physical therapy. (Today, Mia said he had THREE pretty brunettes working on him at once!) She told him he ought to wake up and enjoy that treatment. The doctors want to ensure that he has adequate oxygen to the brain before beginning to wean him off the ventilator.

He sat in the chair for a two hour period this morning and Mia even sent me a picture of him in the chair via her phone. He looks really good - maybe losing a little weight, but he could stand that. She said that he smiled at her again and is following people with his eyes. She's very encouraged with the care he's getting there.

She has his music going most of the time and she said they lucked out because his roommate likes music, too. She took the drumsticks today, but hadn't had a chance to try him with them when she called.

His white count is up a little still and they are continuing the antibiotics. He is coughing and clearing his lungs which is good.

I asked Mia today about the e-mails to him. The hospital is not set up to receive them, but told her they would look into that since it would be a positive thing for the patients as well as the families. Mia wants any of you who might like to continue sending e-mails to send them to Gary's regular e-mail which is gselliott@aol.com. She will print them out each night and take them in the next morning. She said the e-mails help her to hear other people's thoughts and she can share them with Gary.

I'll post again tomorrow when I hear from Mia.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and concerns, Nancy and Bill

Gary had a good day yesterday. He had a lot of company and Mia had him almost in a sitting position in his bed. Everyone thought he looked good. Mia stayed all day with him. She takes her lunch with her now and goes out to eat when the nurses are working with Gary. She says she has a nice place to sit where there's lots of pretty flowers and benches to sit on. She tries to return all her calls while she's outside.

She wanted to get there early today to try to catch the doctors so that she'll know what their plans are for Gary, as well as their expectations for him. She's very optimistic and she's still doing the range of motion exercises on his arms and legs.

She said that she would call again today after she'd talked with the doctors and I'll do another post after I hear from her.

Please don't give up praying!

Love, Bill and Nancy

P.S. She said she forgot the drumsticks yesterday but would try to take them today.

We had a nice long talk with Mia last night as she was driving home from being with Gary all day. She said that he does have a roommate who's older and kind of grumpy, but he can get up and get into a wheelchair by himself so he goes out of the room a lot. Mia said that after Gary's bath yesterday, she raised the head of his bed so he was sitting up and she said he stayed that way almost 4 hours! She also said that he took his hand, raised it to his nose and scratched it! He also smiled at her again.

She was going to take his drum sticks today since he kept holding his hands as though he was playing drums, just to see if he would do something with them. And then she said, "He might throw them at me (or the nurses)! ha She also said that he kept putting his hands down on his legs and pulling at the sheet and she figured out that he was trying to prepare to get up. That's what he always did to his pants legs when he was trying to get up out of the bed or a chair.

The physical therapist evaluated him yesterday and said that they would get him into a cardiac chair 3 times a week and more if he was ok with being in it. Mia seems to think he's ready for that and will enjoy it.

His blood gasses all checked out good, his wound care assessment was good and they are very self conscious about that in their hospital, plus they are ordering him a certain kind of mattress. They've adjusted his meds slightly and will do more if needed.

Mia is very impressed with the doctor (Dr. Michael Lieber and you can google his name and hit "I'm feeling lucky" and see his picture and credentials). He's the medical director for the hospital as well as Gary's primary care doc. She was hoping to get to meet with him today or tomorrow.

All of his pictures are back on his walls and Mia said the nurse said, "Honey, what if we have to move him?" Mia said, "I can have them all down in 20 minutes!" Bless her heart, she's moved them 3 times now, but she wants him to see something he recognizes when he opens his eyes which is a lot more now.

God is so good! Please give Him a special thanks today and keep praying!

Love to all, Nancy and Bill

P.S. We're going to the Cato Homecoming today (for those of you who know where Cato is).

Friday Night Update

Mom is out of town so I am posting. She heard from Mia and Gary has been moved to Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles. She was very impressed with his admission and their attentiveness to him. She left messages for mom and mom did not get to talk to her directly. At last call, Mia was at the airport to pick up Leah and take her to see her dad. Mia will then go home for the night. Mom will be back tomorrow and will probably post then. Continue to pray for his healing.

Donna (Gary's sister)

Mia called me twice yesterday and I failed to get on the computer and put out a new post. Sorry! She was much more encouraged yesterday. She said she had a good day with Gary. She had started taking down all of the pictures and e-mails (Again!) in preparation for the move today to Kindred. When she took down a picture, she would take it to show Gary and tell him who or what it was and he would look directly at it and follow it until she laid it down. Then when she would bring another picture to him, he would do the same thing and one time he even grinned for her. She said, "Meemaw, Gary's in there! I just know he is!"

The move today is supposed to take place about 11 a.m. California time. Mia said she would be there and help get him set up in his new room (hopefully it'll be a private one). She, as well as Bill and I, are very anxious for him to begin this new step in rehabilitation. Everything that Mia has found out about Kindred has been positive.

Gary's vital signs are still good, they've taken him off the heparin and the blood clot situation seems to be good. They put him on Coumadin. He's getting most of his medications through his feeding tube now. She did not know if he was still on the anti-seizure medication or not, but had left a note to ask the doctor about it. However, she feels that once he gets to Kindred and the new doctors there evaluate him, they will adjust his medications to their liking.

Mia will not call me today until late since she'll be busy with the move, etc. Also, she may have to pick Leah up around 6 p.m. at the airport which is near where Gary will be.

Please pray especially hard for them today and for Leah, too!

Love to everyone, Bill and Nancy

Mia called this morning and was so upset with Gary's night nurse. Mia had left around 11 p.m. last night and Gary was doing fine - very calm and no agitation. The nurse had given him two doses of Ativan during the night and of course he was zonked out when Mia got there this morning. She was under the impression that the sedation medication had been discontinued and wasn't even on his chart to give. She was going to have a talk with the doctor who prescribed it and also the nurse when she came on tonight. As long as they keep sedating him, he'll never wake up!

She said that Gary is still on the list for transfer to the Telemetry Department, but she didn't know if the incident with the Ativan would set him back or not. She is supposed to call me tonight, but with it being so late, she probably has not had a chance to call. I'll hear from her in the morning and will post again.

Pray for Leah's flight home - she'll probably leave China sometime tomorrow and be home on Friday.

Love, Bill and Nancy

I'm sorry that I didn't get to post this morning after talking with Mia, but Bill and I were baby-sitting 3 little girls all day long. There wasn't much news this morning anyway, except that Gary was still having some GI problems and he was turning his head when Mia tried to shave him. Then he grinned at her. She was really proud of that grin!

Then this afternoon late she called to say that she'd left the hospital around noon to make visits to two acute care rehabilitation centers in Los Angeles. She had researched them and found their ratings through Fortune 500. However, she wanted to personally visit them and talk with the staff and then determine which one was the best for Gary's situation. The one she liked best is Kindred and is located not too far from the LAX airport. Of course it will be a longer drive for Mia but she doesn't care about that as long as she can feel confident that Gary is being cared for the best way possible. She said when she walked in the Kindred facility she just knew that was the place for him. She said from the receptionist to the last person she talked with, she was impressed. Also, she said it was bright and cheerful. Gary would probably not have a private room, but they were going to try to find him one. Mia was very encouraged with the talks that she had there with the doctors and staff about Gary's case. They were anxious to get him and the challenge that he would be for them. She still doesn't know when Gary will be moved there but he probably will be moved from ICU to the Telemetry Unit at the present hospital first and then transferred to Kindred.

When she called she was stuck in traffic and was on her way back to the hospital. She's Gary's greatest asset and I'm so thankful for her. Please continue to pray for her and Gary as she makes these decisions for him.

God bless all of you for caring and praying for them.

Love, Bill and Nancy

P.S. Pray for us, too! We have 3 more kids tonight - 13, 11, 11.

I had a call from Mia last night and a quick one today. She said last night that Gary had a good day and seemed to be more alert, but today he's had upset stomach probably due to the strong antibiotics. He was not moved today as she had thought he would be. He's still in ICU in room 111. His cardiologist did decrease his heart medications, as well as his blood pressure meds. He was not as alert today. The pulmonologist did not want to take him off the seizure medication yet so he's still on a mild dose of that.

Mia was going home to take care of some business items and make some phone calls. I know she's wearing herself thin, but so many of the things have to be taken care of by her. She says she's fine and she knows that Gary is being well taken care of by the nurses. They have been the best that I've ever seen.

I'll post again as I hear from Mia.

Thanks, Bill and Nancy