Today's Update

Hi, everyone.  This is Brandon.  Woke up this morning to the first day of sunshine since we arrived.  Seemed like everything was crying the last couple days, including the heavens, but the sun seems to more befitting our hopeful outlook and the baby steps mom is taking to get better. 

I have always wanted my weekends to feel a bit longer, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.  We haven’t been in the DR quite 48 hours yet and it already feels like an eternity…but what a difference a day can make.  The first 24-26 hours we were fighting for mom’s life and we now believe we are starting to turn an important corner to be able fight for her recovery.  She is very sick and remains in critical condition so the situation is very delicate, but we are in better spirits this morning.  The road ahead is still unknown and likely a long one, but we are finding joy and gratitude in the small wins. 

On behalf of our crew, I want to add my sincere thanks and appreciation for all of the support, love, good thoughts, and prayers that have been offered on our behalf, in particular Dad and our sweet, sweet Mom.  And unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to do it justice – there are just not words to express how much the outpouring of support has meant to us.  Please believe me when I say we have needed it.  These have been the hardest days of our lives without question.  Before this, I had only been on the outside of a tragedy like this – the one offering support rather than receiving it.  I have only just begun to appreciate how invaluable the thoughtful emails, texts, and posts have been to maintain our hope and faith.  At our core, we believe that we are not ever alone in this life because God knows us intimately and is engaged in our lives.  That said, there are undoubtedly moments when we feel alone and scared, and in those moments, it gives us great comfort to know that there is a vast network of people that care about us and Mom.  It has been overwhelming.  I can’t say it enough…THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Now, a few of words about Mom that have been bouncing around in my head.  This will be old news for those that know my Mom well, but for those that haven’t had the opportunity yet (emphasis on the yet!), I want to give you my two cents on who she is…

Simply said, my mother is one of the great ones.  An unbelievable gift to us that has probably always been too good for this life.  She is my Dad’s rock and counselor.  For the 33 years that I have know her, she has been invincible – our personal SuperWoman - never consumed by her own needs, always focused on the needs of those around her.  Unflappable and strong.  Loving and compassionate.  Slow to anger and rarely judgmental.  I always comment to people that I can literally count on one had the number of times I can remember seeing my Mom truly upset – and when she was, it was more than justified (btw, all five times were at my siblings, not me – I have never, ever done wrong in her eyes!!).  I could go on and on, but I am trusting that one day, if you haven’t already, you will get a chance to see and feel firsthand what have over the years.  Suffice it to say, we love her more than we could ever express in a lifetime.  I pray that we have told her how we feel enough over the last three decades to keep her fighting. 

We haven’t seen Mom this morning yet, but we did see Dr. Baez.  She is continuing to make baby steps in the right direction and we are prayerful that it will continue.  Her blood pressure is stable and has been for a bit now and the scans of her brain are dramatically improved from where she was on Friday night.  It hurts to say, but you didn’t have to be a doctor to know something was very wrong when we saw her charts.  She had three large hematomas that were crowding and swelling her brain.  There was very little symmetry between the halves of her brain.  This morning, we saw her most recent charts.  There are no more hematomas and there is a clear, straight line separating the sides of her brain.  All good signs.  She still has some swelling on the left side that will hopefully continue to subside.  The doctor expects to be able to do a more in depth neurological exam later today when they take her in for new scans.  We are hopeful for more good news. 

There are a few things that still aren’t right yet as far as fully stabilizing her, but they will be trying to address today.  They will likely give her another blood transfusion to get her hemoglobin up and address some anemia.  There is no bleeding in her brain, but they are still concerned that she may be bleeding a little somewhere else, so they are going to check that out further.  Good news, she is stable and making progress.  We are starting to make preparations to get her on the way to Miami as soon as possible.  No schedule around timing yet, but that is the next big step.  As of now, she will likely be transferred to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial in Miami.  It is one of the top three trauma facilities in the country and offers a continuum of care from neuro trauma to neuro rehab.  The head of neuro has already been contacted – he’s a friend of the Dr. Baez – and is preparing a team to receive her when she’s ready to go. 

I want to share a few words about miracles.  We are doing everything within our power to make sure Mom has the best science, technology, and medical experience that our situation has to offer.  It’s definitely far from perfect her in the DR and we long for home – I have spent a lot time in Latin America and love the people , but feel like a fish out of water this time around – but we are making it work.  At the same time, we are doing everything we can to build upon the countless number of prayers being offered on her behalf and call upon the powers of heaven to help her heal and recover.  We don’t always know how it works, but we believe there is a God that does hear and answer prayers and can work miracles on our behalf.  I find myself wanting a “part the red seas” moment – in other words, a big miracle that results in my mom jumping out of bed (perhaps complaining of a headache) and asking to go get ice cream.  However, I am learning that miracles rarely work that way – often times they are incremental, mini-miracles (but miracles nonetheless) that lead us to what is best for us (not always the same as what we want, unfortunately).  I believe that it is through this process that we truly begin to learn about ourselves and others in a way that leads us to becoming better people in the midst of life’s hardest trials.  It is a fascinating process – very hard, but fascinating.  I am striving to be grateful for the incremental wins, for the blessings that on many others days in my life have gone unnoticed.  We have absolutely seen miracles during our time here – I know that beyond any doubt.  We are told that most people do not recover from injuries like she has suffered, BUT SHE IS SURVIVING TODAY and we hope she is on her way to recovery.  There is still a lot of wood to chop before she is back but we are fortified by the miraculous blessings that have come our way.   Each of you have absolutely played a part in that by petitioning heaven to help us.  Thank you. 

We are trying to get to all of the individual texts and emails as we go, but please be patient with us as it may take us some time to respond.  We are getting them and love every one. 

On behalf of my siblings and our amazing spouses, please know that we love you and are grateful for you.  Keep cheering our mom on – we know she is giving this thing all she’s got…and if I know my Mom, she won’t give up. 

Love,

The Labrum Kids