Good News

They moved Kody out of the ICU and up to the 6th floor for rehabilitation and therapy. He has been doing real well. He is talking and walking without much help. It's amazing the things he remembers and likes to talk  about. Kody loves his animals and loves to look at pictures of them.  His main concern is going home. He tries to bribe anyone that walks into his room to take him home. He will even offer you a horse if you will just take him home. :)    He gets pretty agitated when he is told that he can't go home yet. As a matter of fact he had a pretty rough night last night because all he can think about is getting home. So surprisingly enough the doctors have agreed to let him do just that.....GO HOME! They think that he will do better at home where he is comfortable and not so agitated. So sometime this afternoon Kody will be able to be in his own home. Its been three weeks today since his accident. It's amazing how fast Kody has been able to recover. He has come a long ways in a short time. Hopefully now that he is going home he will be able to gain even more ground!

Big Changes

Kody decided to surprise us this last weekend. Saturday afternoon he decided that he didn't want to be on a ventilator any longer. He reached up and pulled his ventilator out and not long after that he started talking! He even notices faces and remembers names. Kambree went in to see him not long after he started talking and when asked, "Kody, do you know who this is?" He looked at her for a bit and said, "My Monster." That is what Kody  always calls Kambree. Rowdy and I also had the opportunity to have a quick visit with Kody. He too recognized us and even said, "Hi Jamie" which really surprised me. He looks pretty good for what he has been through. He doesn't quite understand why he is in the hospital or if  he even realizes that he is in the hospital. Shanda has to constantly remind him where he is and why. They had to put him in restraints so that he doesn't pull any other important tubes out and to also protect his head. Kody absolutely hates his hands being tied down. (who can blame him)  He keeps telling Shanda to just cut them off and take him home. He gets very agitated very quickly which causes his heart rate to increase rapidly. Because of this the docs and nurses want to keep visits very brief for Kody's own good. He loves Shanda so much and enjoys holding her hand, even though Shanda won't cut his restraints and take him home. :)  This week they will start doing cognitive, speech, and physical therapy on him. Kody is such a fighter and so strong. We are all so proud of him and hope that things continue to improve.

Shanda wanted me to make sure and thank everyone once again. We know that there is no way possible Kody would be doing the things he is today without everyone's prayers. Shanda, as well as the rest of the family, is also very appreciative of all the concerned phone calls, messages, and countless other acts of love. Thank you!  

The Start Of A Long Journey

As so many of us already know, unexpected events can happen so quickly. Unfortunately on December 7th that is exactly what happened to Kody and his family. That afternoon Kody was helping friends move their horses to winter grounds. Kody was on his young horse, Willow, when she decided to buck him off. Landing on his back first and then whip lashing his head off of the frozen ground. He was flown by Life Flight to EIRMC, where we soon learned that the extent of damage was pretty serious. After doing a CT scan on him we learned that he received a skull fracture on the right side of his head just behind his ear. The left side of his brain was badly damaged from the brain shifting caused by the impact. He was heavily sedated, placed on a ventilator, and also given a paralytic drug to keep him from moving. The doctors didn't want anything to stimulate Kody's brain at that time. The next couple of days the doctors closely monitored the pressure within Kody's head. His brain was swelling creating an uneasy amount of pressure on his brain. By early Saturday morning the doctors told Shanda that they would have to take Kody in for surgery. The surgery entailed taking part of the left side of his skull off and then removing the damaged parts of the left side of his brain. Waiting for Kody to come out of surgery that morning was terrifying. Thankfully he made it through surgery without any complications. We are learning that with every bit of good news there is always a bit of bad news that comes with it. He know has pneumonia in both lungs as well as a staph infection in his airway that they are currently treating with antibiotics. The last couple of days the doctors have taken him off the paralytic drug as well as the sedation drugs. Kody has been able to cough out some of the fluid from his lungs. He is also trying to breathe on his own. As of today he isn't following basic commands from the doctors or nurses yet. However, Shanda says that he responds to her voice and seems to try to follow her with his eyes.

We are so grateful for the love and support that has been shown for Kody and his family. We know that he wouldn't be where he is right now if it wasn't for all the prayers being said. We will try to post things as they happen to keep everyone updated on Kody's journey!