JOE IS OFFICIALLY DISCHARGED FROM ALL UNITS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MEDICAL CENTER!!!!!

It didn't hit me until we got to the parking garage that I was taking him with me this time and I got a little choked up. Then we got to the car, drove the short distance to our hotel, brought his things to our room, we turned and looked at each other, then hugged hard and cried. I think we've both just been in survival mode and doing what needed to be done to get Joe better and home, we have taken very little time to let it sink in, until we were "in the clear."

We KNOW how lucky we are, we KNOW how much worse this outcome could've been, we KNOW he had/has an easier road than a lot of people. But, we know this was the scariest experience we have faced together and we do not want to do it again. 

Recovery is not over, there is still work to be done, but he gets to do it at home, surrounded by his people and his things, he gets to sleep in his own bed, he gets to move about freely, he gets to go to the bathroom without pushing the nurse call button (no, I'm NOT installing one at home, no matter how many times he asks), and he gets all the fine motor skill challenging toddler toys he wants (we will be well equipped for babysitting or grandkids some day). And he is still improving DAILY... no more crushing my hand during hand holding!

I'll continue to update on his progress occasionally, but hopefully he will be back to his baseline within 6 months, if not a lot sooner. He's hoping to go back to work relatively soon (in a couple weeks) for partial days in the office (a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon), but nobody, even Joe, is expecting him to go back to working 50 hours a week. Those days are done. Right now, he gets both mentally and physically fatigued after a few hours of activity, but he's working toward full recovery with adjustments for self-care. We'll get him all right again before you know it. 

As suspected, he had a horrible night of sleep last night, so he is currently napping in our hotel room. We might venture out for dinner tonight, or we might put Door Dash to work. Either way, I will get the car all packed and ready to bolt at about 0600 tomorrow morning. Homeward bound! 

We cannot thank you enough for all your love and support over the last 2 weeks. We were in a place we never thought we would be, but the love that surrounded Joe, myself, Justis, and Brighton was phenomenal and gave us all hope and strength when we may have floundered. So much love sent out to you all! ❤️❤️❤️