3rd Saturday Updates

• Jen [Dan's sister] is visiting Cedarville University this weekend.
  
• Dan wanted to let his OPE brothers know that he is ready for their visits. Please coordinate with Jeff B. Do I hear road trip to Chicago? (and 'South' and 10-24!!)
  
• Thank you to the CU soccer team for providing air transportation for Mike [Dan's twin] to be here on weekends with his brother. He told us last night that he loves being at school, but can't wait to see Dan on the weekends. Pray for Mike to finish this school semester well.
• Monday will be the first prognosis update from RIC medical teams that are working with Dan.
• Keep us in your prayers as we process all of Dan's future information.
  

Have a blessed Palm Sunday. Thinking and loving all of you more than you can know.

He slept!

Dan [and dad] set a record of 7 hours of sleep!

Even though Dan sported a temp for most of the evening, the doctor tried a different sleep medication and it worked. There were even a few buzzers that went off during the night, but Dan went right back to sleep. Thanks AGAIN for all of your prayers.

Today has been a good day of speech therapy that lasted for 1.5 hours. The breathing and then waiting to speak on the exhale is all about pacing and takes a bit of time for Dan to get used to. This session did blow away the therapist's goals for the next few days, so she will have to up the ante.

Dan continues to be a bold witness when he can. When an RIC psychologist asked him to describe his life, he stated "my relationship with Jesus is important to me". His body has not rebounded yet, but his spirit and mind have never wavered.

Thanks for visits from our pastors from Harvest Bible Chapel on Thursday, and a counselor from the Biblical Counseling Center today. There are lots of changes, new behaviors, future planning and environments to process by Dan and us. Continue to pray that God would be glorified in the lives of all us Knudsen's.

Mom Update - Firsts

Dan's first day at RIC was filled with firsts! The therapists were amazed at how willing he was to get started. They had never had a patient so motivated. Though seemingly simple tasks to us, Dan accomplished goals that are often weeks down the path for a patient with Dan's injury. He dressed in "real" clothes (after 18 days in a hospital gown), "ate" (well, drank broth through a straw!), sat in his wheelchair, asked to have a tour of the floor, went on a "field trip" to another floor, and joined a social setting, which is unheard of for a first week, let alone the first day! But . . .
Today was difficult. It seems that when Dan has a big accomplishment, the next day is often discouraging. Dan is becoming quite aware of his helplessness and is fearful of the ventilator, so he is not sleeping. He is exhausted. He is even fearful of trying to talk again because of the difference of air flow. He has had a lot of information thrown out these last two days and now has to process it all. He was so tired, he was hardly able to do any therapy. And of course, when Dan hurts, I hurt, so . . .
I hope you don't get tired of us telling you how much your encouragement means to us -- sometimes it is like new life to my soul. Thank you to all who have sent gifts -- I tried to keep up with handwritten thank-you's, but you have been too generous, and I am not able to. We are humbled by your kindness. May I say again, Thank you for your prayers. The Lord's mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
(OPE - Dan is ready for your visit!)

He talked ...

say “WHAT?” -- that was his first word.

It was with a flurry of attention paid to Dan upon his arrival at the RIC or Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. New place, new doctors, specialists, nurses and new evaluations. Someone was checking his trach, and didn’t quite like the way it was fitting on him, [because of his halo rigging] when suddenly it all came apart. Well within a few seconds, nurses come through the door, and see that this is a real “ventilator alarm” and whoa, do they work fast.

Watching all of this activity was a bit undoing for Deb and me, who left the room to sit in the hallway, and wait. A nurse came out for more supplies and stated, “He said, 'WHAT'” ! We jumped up and went in to see a beaming Dan saying “I can hear my voice!”, “I can hear my voice!”

We cried, I got out my cell phone and started to video him talking. Deb was still crying. We called Mike, Jen and Matt and let each of them hear their brother's quiet, but new-found voice.

You see, the trach is not adjusted much in an ICU setting and the air only flows down to the lungs. When a therapist loosened up the tracheotomy baloon cuff, air was allowed to flow both down to the lungs AND up through the vocal cords. She said to Dan, "say something" and he said "say what?!?" and on the "WHAT", air came back over his cords and he talked. Do you know what it's like to hear your voice after 19 days of nothing? See the story and response of Zechariah and yeah, it was sort of like that.

Of course Dan is not ready to have this dual airflow 24/7, as it makes him feel like he is loosing air more rapidly, and rightly so. There are technics that will improve this ability for speak. Thanks again for your prayers of strength and patience in this process. God IS Good!

More RIC "firsts" in the updates tomorrow. Time for bed, dad's tired.

"We're moving on up.."

"we're moving on up...
to the eastside...
to a deeeelux rehab ...
in the sky"

or so the tv tune goes.

Today, Tuesday March 27th, 2007, is moving day for Dan. His new home will be:

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
345 E. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-238-1000

The facility is one of the best,* with exercise areas that have unobstructed views of Lake Michigan, and will be Dan's home for ??? no one knows. They are only one of a few rehab facilities in the USA that can take patients like Dan, who has both limited mobility and is vent dependent. This is a very proactive environment, meaning "no progress" and you're out of there.

Dan will be out of bed everyday -- he's been on his back for 18 days -- and will have many sports-like trainers working him over. Daily he will go through a full battery of exercises for his vocal cords and swallowing, internal breathing challenges, and movement of his body. We will be intently involved also.

He's making his "psst" sound, as it is time for me to do his morning exercises. We will print more later, but just wanted to thank you for your prayers, especially about Dan getting a good night's sleep last night. THANK YOU.

The Knudsen's


* The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has been recognized as the "Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America" since 1991 by U.S. News & World Report. No other specialty hospital has been consecutively ranked the "Best" by U.S. News & World Report for so long.

Specific Prayer Requests

Big sister just wants to add specific requests:

Dan had a stable weekend. He is off most medications, his trach looks good, he is very bored with his ICU "just lying around" life, and is ready to move over to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, on Monday or Tuesday. We hear they'll give him a good workout!

1. Please please please pray for Dan to sleep well at night.
   
2. Along that line pray for quietness in his mind, for the Lord's overwhelming peace to surround him and quiet his heart and mind, which will be a big factor in helping him to sleep.

We're entering a new phase with this process: the mental one.
The Enemy wants every one of us (especially Dan) to worry and fear and question God.
But God wants us to rest...rest on Him.

Yours prayers in this matter are HUGE...thank you so much!!!

1st Minutes After the Accident

This weekend also gave us a visit with Cedarville U MIS team leader and friend Jeremy Hudson who was on the scene just after Dan's accident. We asked him for the whole story of ALL that went on those first critical minutes. There were a few more people involved in saving his life. ["THAT" phone call post has also been updated.]

• Julie H., a mom, [Jeremy's wife], who saw Dan crumple to the ground, yelled for Jeremy to go over to him.
• Jeremy H. [CU EMT trained] who had to determine that it was a blocked airway and impaired breathing, not a seizure. Helped bag Dan for over 1.5 hours.
  
• Elaine S., OCS and camp nurse, who started mouth to mouth, [see her worshiping God comments at the bottom of 2nd Saturday Update post].
• John S., camp missionary [MBI grad, paramedic too] who had a box of medical items on location including a mask ventilating bag and bite block to open Dan's clenched teeth. Helped bag Dan.
• Dr. Joel S., [John's brother] who gave support.
• Erica S., an R.N., [Dr. Joel's wife], helped monitor his vital signs and filled in as needed.
• Joe B., missionary, who used his USA cell phone to keep us in contact with Jeremy in those first few critical hours
• Ed O., missionary, who called 911 and negotiate [pay before you get to go] for the ambulance to take Dan to the hospital
  

We are glad that we did not know any of this story until now, and there are many other details between the lines. We lift our hands to heaven in total praise and thanksgiving, to our God who spared Dan's life.

I know we say this a lot, but thank you for all your notes and gifts, and especially your prayers. We still need you all so much.