In Memory of Cassandra Yazzie-Hotchkiss

Great news everyone! Dante will be coming home to the Durango area with his grandparents on Wednesday!!! And Noah is working very hard with his physical therapist, see the picture that Jason sent today below.

Thanks, Theresa, for sending us this great picture of Dante. He’s looking so great! I thought everyone might like to see how the little champion is doing.

I just wanted to post a quick update for everyone. Sam and I just got home from visiting Amada & Carol at home. Amada is looking wonderful and seems to be in bright spirits. She was resting comfortably on a plush couch, next to a warm fireplace, while snuggling the kitties, Willow and Angel–and also, at the same time, nonchalantly whooping my rear in “Go Fish!”. We also visited briefly with Alicia and David, who both appear to be doing well, both are back in school, getting back into the routine.

According to Carol, Dante has been waking regularly and even last night tried to get out of bed, which is a great sign. The doctors have removed his breathing tube and there are improvements everyday.

Today, the doctors talked with Noah, explaining that in their opinion, he will not regain the use of his legs. This is hard news to hear. More than ever, Noah needs everyone’s prayers and love. He’s a strong, determined young man, and if it there is even a slight chance that he will be able to walk again, he’ll be the one to do it. I guess what I’m saying is that we need lots of love and support for Noah.

One challenge that Jason is facing that we would like to ask for your help with, is attempting to find a van equipped with a ramp, or a van he could convert to a ramp van. If anyone has any ideas about where to look to find something affordable, we would love to hear from you. So far, the vans that Sam and I have been looking at online are at least $12,000., which may be tough to come up with under the circumstances.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has left messages of support, have sent the kids uplifting cards and gifts, or have donated to the family. Not even the smallest word of encouragement has gone unnoticed or unappreciated, and your support will go a long way towards the healing of this family.

As we prepare to return to Durango with Miss Amada, it is so hard to leave Jason, Noah, and Dante so far away. It will be wonderful to be home and there is so much support there waiting to embrace us – not to mention my husband, brother, and sweet David (who, by the way, has been so lovingly cared for by Jeff and Sandy on a beautiful ranch near Cortez – just the element of healing for David.)

The day started out magnificently when I stopped by Dante’s room only to receive a grin and a wave – such joy and tears. They removed his breathing tube this afternoon, so he is on minimal life support – a total miracle which you would know if you had seen him two weeks ago. He smiled at Jason tonight when we visited and was engrossed in his favorite movie, the Polar Express, as we chatted with his ecstatic dad and grandparents. A giant in the world of baby steps.

Noah is slowly regaining his confidence and mobility – no movement in his legs but a suggestion of some feeling. It is HARD work and he is scared, but every day gets a little less painful and he gets a little braver. His conversations with the doctors and nurses sound like something off of a hospital show – he learns quickly and doesn’t forget a thing, asking why today’s “procedure” is different than yesterday’s “procedure”??? I can see him problem solving whether it is the position of his body pillows or how to maneuver into the chair. He is patient with my yoga breathing teaching and mind over matter suggestions – willing to try anything. My family will smile to know that the first solid thing we actually got him to eat today was watermelon – my dad’s favorite.

Miss Amada spent the day on the town with her sister, Alicia, and her dad. They went to the Aquarium and the mall. Alicia was an amazing big sister – great at transfer assistance and able to put the wheelchair in the car by herself. We are all excited to get home, but so sad to leave our guys. We will spend some time at the hospital in the morning and hopefully be on the road by 9:00 so that we can get home by dark. I am so looking forward to the warmth and magic of our new little home – healing and hard work ahead, one day at a time.

Love to you all,
Carol

You can’t possibly know how much your prayers and love and letters have kept us all going and brought about miraculous healing and strength in the children. As I struggle to understand and find faith, it is the kindness of strangers and so many loved ones that override my skepticism, sadness, and discouragement. Your cards, emails, financial help, and incredibly thoughtful gifts for the children bring tears to our eyes and welcome comfort to our hearts.

This afternoon, one of the assistant coaches of the Fort Lewis men’s soccer team brought by a jersey for each of the kids signed by the entire team. Fort Lewis is ranked #1 nationally in the second division and will be playing in the finals on Sunday – I think it will be broadcast on CBS College Live. Yesterday, about half of the Riverdance dancers came through the hospital and gave the kids a poster signed by the entire company. There has also been a pretty steady stream of very well behaved volunteer dogs that come in and sit with the kids. And Ronald MacDonald House continues to provide comfortable, loving accommodations and a delicious turkey dinner. Several of the kids’ friends and teachers from school have come from Durango to visit and wonderful handmade cards from school friends fill the children’s rooms. One little 12 year old girl, Missy, a classmate of Noah’s, bravely walked into Noah’s room this evening and announced “I just just came to tell you, Noah, that we all miss you very much.”

Amada has been navigating with her new wheelchair and is ready to be discharged tomorrow. Her broken arm and leg are on opposite sides, so she will be on wheels for a while. My husband, Sam, has been at home getting our house ready for her to get around easily, and Amada and I have been practicing transfers and wheelchair logistics with the physical therapists. Amada is a little anxious about getting back into a car and being so far from her parents and brothers, but we will hang around until Monday and then get her comfortable at home until everyone else can come home.

Dante has made the most miraculous progress. He has periods of wakefulness and clearly responds to his gramma’s questions and requests. The MRI shows very limited brain damage in his lateral vision and possibly some learning problems, but no pervasive issues- if you could have seen him a week ago, you too would believe in miracles. They are hoping to remove the breathing tubes in the next day or two and have increased independence and wakefulness.

Noah is still struggling with a lot of back pain, but has extended periods of peacefulness. With the help of a back brace, he was able to sit up in a wheelchair and actually get out of the room for a ride around the floor. It was exhausting, but brought many tears of joy from family and nursing staff alike. He has been so brave and strong and it has been a very rough few days. I am so proud of my little knight. Did I mention before that it was Noah who called 911 from the accident?

It helps us all to have Rachel and her sweet family up here to help – Rachel is just finishing her nursing education and is not only going to be an incredible nurse, but gives us all such strength and wisdom as we pull together. It will be so good to have Sam and Becky waiting for us in Durango, though as you can imagine, it is hard to leave Jason and Noah and Dante. I am praying that they will all be home soon.

Jason is hanging in there with such love and courage that it astounds and sustains us all. I know that it is your love and prayers that are helping him through each day. As a mother and grandmother, I cannot thank you enough.

Thanks for listening – my nightly emails brings some closure to the day and helps me focus on the baby steps that keep us moving forward. Please keep the prayers, love, and communication coming. It really means a lot to all of us.

Love, Carol

Another update from Gramma Carol in Denver:

Amada is navigating the wheelchair quite well and eating most of her meals in the hospital cafeteria.  She had gelata for breakfast this morning!  It looks like she will be discharged on Friday or Saturday!!!

Noah had successful surgery on his lower back last night and will begin physical therapy in the next couple days.  He is still not very comfortable, but looks 100% better and is getting his determination back.

Dante has had a great day.  All of his lines and numbers are much better and he has had periods of open eyes, looking around and responding to noises in his environment.  It will be a long journey, but he has made some important steps.

Special thanks to all the letters, cards, and toys sent to the kids – it took two red flyer wagons to make deliveries today!

Grandma Carol asked us to post this online for anyone out there who knits:

If you have any spare yarn and would like to knit a 12 inch square – any color, design, pattern – and send it to me, I will put them all together to make a lap love blanket for each of the kids.

Just send your square to:
Gramma Carol, 1718 Mariposa Drive, Durango, CO 81301.

Your love and prayers will be knitted right in and keep the babies warm and safe, I am sure.

I’m sorry, I thought this posted earlier, we’ve been on the road and internet has been iffy…

We’ve been getting bits and pieces of information from Denver, both from Carol, Jason’s mom, and Chad, Dante’s father (Thank you to you both)… Here is the latest, based on what we’ve been told.

Amada has been doing wonderfully. She was even able to get into a wheelchair to accompany grandma to the cafeteria for a slice of pizza yesterday. This is beyond encouraging! She is definitely on the road to recovery.

Noah was scheduled for surgery this morning to fuse his vertebrae for stability, but it was delayed until this evening because of an unexpected emergency case that needed to take place first. We will update you on how it went as soon as we hear, which will probably be tomorrow morning. Grandma said that he is also asking a lot of questions and is understandably angry about what has happened to Cassandra, Dante, Amada and himself. Hopefully this surgery will alleviate some of his pain.

We’ve heard that Dante has woken up 3 times today, and is responding to noises in his environment. The swelling has gone down and the doctors are still doing everything they can to keep the swelling down. The plan to put Dante into a deeper coma had changed because the doctors feared it was causing lung problems, as Chad mentioned in his comments. Still, this is positive news and we are all encouraged.

We will post an update on how Noah’s surgery went tomorrow.

Also, I just wanted to say that I know a lot of you guys may be traveling to be with family for the holiday, so everyone please be safe and take care.

Dante had a rough night, and now was pneumonia. The doctors are putting him into a deeper coma to further relax his muscles. Please keep him in your prayers. As of the latest news, Noah is experiencing a lot of pain, but there’s been no change in his condition. The kids are needing your thoughts and prayers more than ever.

We received an email from Carol Hotchkiss-Eliot, mother and grandmother to all of us, with an update on each of the kids. She is still in Denver and plans to be there until she can bring these kids home. Please see below.

“Just a short update – we are all exhausted and suspended in worry and hope.
1.  Amada is talking and eating and one of her smiles gets us all through a couple hours at least.  The hardest moment of the day was when she learned about Cassandra’s death – we all sobbed long and hard.
2.  Dante had a rough night, but began to stabilize during the day – his numbers (sorry, don’t know what they mean, only what we want) have been at 20 since he arrived and were down to 15 this evening – 5-8 is normal, so we are heading in the right direction.  **This number fluctuates, the doctors have said that it will go up and down regularly**
3.  Noah did have surgery at about 11:00 last night and there was damage to his intestines and they fixed that.  That will significantly reduce the pain once he gets over the surgery.  He was pretty miserable today and nobody has the heart to tell him it will be another 2-4 weeks before he can eat so that the surgery can heal.  We have decided against a body cast and have scheduled back surgery for next Tuesday to fuse the broken bones at the base of his spine so they don’t jostle around and injure his spinal cord any further.  Doctors are cautious about a prognosis, but Noah is working hard to heal and we need your prayers to help.
4.  Alicia is being so helpful and loving to her brothers and sister though I know her heart is breaking – she has even promised not to yell at them anymore!
5.  David has gleefully arranged all the animals at the Ronald MacDonald House where we are staying in a big pile (we are talking life sized zebras, donkeys, alligators, etc) in a big pile saying it is like Where the Wild Things Are – we are all sleeping in a pile – I wish you could have seen him jump right in there with them.”

In addition to this email, Rachel called this AM and said that Amada has been moved out of the PICU, which means she is on a different floor now, away from Noah and Dante–but this also means she is healing and moving in the right direction!!

Also included in this blog are pictures of Cassandra holding Dante at a BBQ two weeks ago with Alicia, and a picture of Noah and his cousin Graham at Sam and my wedding in June, and Amada with kitten, Magic. Please keep these faces in your hearts.

We got some great news today that you will all be very happy to hear. Amada is awake, talking, laughing and eating yogurt. The doctors say she could be home in Durango as early as a week. Wonderful! Keep your prayers and thoughts coming!

Amada on the Durango Train, June 27, 2009, what a great day that was!

His surgery last night showed no significant internal problems, just a whole lot of bruising, which is great news.

Correction: there was actually a little bit of tearing on his intestines, but they were able to get it repaired, which should have his belly feeling better soon.

In the last day, the following changes have happened with the kids:

Dante: No change, we’re just waiting right now.

Amada: Her breathing tube has been removed, so she is now breathing on her own.  She’s woken up a few times, and has been responsive to questions and has had short conversations with her dad. Great!!!

Noah: Noah is currently (just after Midnight on Thursday) undergoing a minor exploratory surgery to insure that he doesn’t have any minor internal bleeding.  Since he (like everyone else) was wearing his seat belt (thank God!), he suffered severe bruising to his lower stomach, and they just want to be 100% sure that it didn’t cause any problems inside before they downgrade the severity of his condition.

I’m pretty sure, though, that he thinks they’re just doing this so he doesn’t get to drink or eat for even longer.  When I rode up on the Medivac flight to Denver with him Monday night, he whispered to me that all the doctors and nurses were out to get him because all he wanted was some water and they wouldn’t give it to him!

As long as this goes well, though, he’ll be drinking blue Powerade and eating a nice big burger in the next day or two!
I will update this blog as soon as the results of the surgery are back.

Noah had plastic surgery on the area surrounding his right eye and the orthopedics team set his right arm. The biggest obstacle facing him, at this point, is his back. His spine was damaged in two locations: bruising in the thoracic region of the spine, and some vertebrae separation in the lumbar region of the spine. Due to one or both of these injuries, he currently has no movement or reflexes below the waist, no feeling in his right leg, and very faint feeling in his left leg. At this point, the doctors have scheduled him for surgery on Tuesday, November 24th to have 4 of the vertebrae in the lumbar region fused together, if they don’t heal on their own. Noah will be working with physical therapists every day to try to regain movement, and he has the entire neurology team at The Children’s Hospital of Denver (one of the top 4 Children’s hospitals in the country) working on his case. Both the Chief of Neurology and the neurological attending doctor (the top two Neurologists here) have taken a very personal interest in Noah’s case, and they will be making sure that he has every possible tool to succeed.

Amada had her broken left leg and right arm fixed and fairly extensive plastic surgery on her forehead and the top of her head and her left leg. She is looking great, and they’ll be starting to wake her up today (she’s been medicated to be unconscious since last night). Her prognosis is very good, and she should be back to trouble very soon.

Dante had his numerous broken bones repaired. The biggest obstacle
facing him is his inter-cranial pressure (the pressure within his
skull). Normally, your ICP is below 10, his was over 30 when he
arrived. They’re just waiting, at this point, for his natural ICP to
go back down (they have him medicated to lower his ICP and keep him
unconscious right now) so that they can wake him up and assess what
brain damage, if any, is there.