Reeve Jackson

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Reeve had a massive stroke on Thursday July 12th in the morning. Her brother Lucas found her on the bathroom floor unable to get up. He carried her to her bed and asked if she could move her leg. Reeve said no but it was ok. He called Donna and then 911. Donna rushed home and they waited with Reeve for the ambulance that took her to Norwalk Hospital. 

In the ER as she was getting a CT scan  Reeve began having seizures. An army of medical personnel descended leaving Donna beside herself  as Lucas held her. 

After her 1st CT scan the surgeon gave us a devastating choice of doing nothing or having a new procedure done, one of the few ever performed on someone as young as Reeve.  Her scan showed virtually no blood flow to her brain and we were told she’d probably never walk again at the very least. 

The procedure was a success and the surgeon showed us Reeve’s post operation  MRI (on his iPhone of course) with her brain lit up like a xmas tree, blood flowing everywhere!! 

That began the long journey of CT scans, MRIs, a clot removal procedure and admittance to the ICU. 

Fear of her brain swelling required an electrode to be inserted into her head to monitor that condition. July 12th ended with a wire coming out of her head, intubated, multiple IVs and us not knowing if she’d ever be Reeve again. 

We set up camp in the family room off the ICU which we dubbed the “meat locker” as the temperature hovered somewhere between cold and ice station zebra. Donna or Massimo or Rob took turns sleeping in her room. For those of you who’ve experienced an ICU stay it ain’t fun. Every 2 hours nurses, doctors or technicians poke, prod, take blood & shine a light in your eyes etc. That with the constant motion on the ICU floor and enough beeping to make R2D2 seem mute takes its toll. 

Friday morning at 4am a nurse woke us to say Reeve had opened her eyes a bit. We ran in and she kinda of looked up and gave our fingers a light squeeze. It was a moment none of us will forget. 

Friday a clot remnant was discovered in her leg. She underwent another prodcedure to insert a filter 
between the clot and her heart & brain. That also was successful. 

She wasn’t able to eat or drink water and those of you who know Reeve & her mom they consume water like air! She was given thickened apple juice which she deemed “nectar” and herself a hummingbird.  The 1st sip of water was one of Reeve’s most satisfying experiences of the weekend! 

Each day saw improvements that the hospital staff couldn’t believe having seen her previously. Our family was flabbergasted and filled with gratitude. One day a few steps. The next a lap of the ICU with a walker, the following day an unassisted jaunt again thru the ER. Heart of a lioness. 

Again for those of you who know Reeve, she was quickly recovering her speech and spouting hilarious one liners etc. She has a cognitive condition, “disinhibition” which means no filter. Boy was that a hoot!
The commentary came fast & furious with politically incorrect asides that had us in stitches. 

Reeve was stepped down to a regular bed on Monday July 16th and with luck will be transitioning to Burke Rehab in White Plains, NY today. Hopefully a week of acute therapy will have her back home. 

There are no doubt many moments I’ve missed in recounting her story but all that matters is she’s coming back full bore. 

More to come...