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Rob’s Story

Site created on September 29, 2020

Sunday, September 27, Rob was doing what Rob does - helping neighbors. He was doing electrical work on a 30' ladder and took the quick way down... he wants you to know he did NOT fall off a ladder as he "is a monkey on a ladder". He had a flu shot that morning and had not been feeling well. His theory is that he got dizzy and fainted, resulting in a terrible accident. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and then transferred by air to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. He is already bragging to Kyle that he got to ride in a helicopter!

Rob's injuries include a broken thumb and wrist, along with a laceration and hematoma on his head, although the doctors are not worried about it. They say it will heal on its own. The major concern is the compress fracture of the cervical and upper thoracic area of the spine. He currently can not move from the belly button down but has limited feeling in his toes. The doctor explained that if you splinted your two fingers together, you can still feel them but you can not move them. There are nerves for feeling and nerves for movement. The feeling nerve may not have received as much damage. This is all still being monitored. Rob is alert and communicating, showing his Rob sense of humor. He has been able to Facetime/Skype with the kids and his siblings.

Visitation at the hospital is limited to Kathy only and is from 2-7pm. We are setting up this site to keep you all informed and taking the pressure off the family of having to text and call with updates. This will allow Kathy, Emily, Eric & Kyle to help focus on Rob's healing process. Please stay tuned for further updates.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Kyle Hazen — Dec 2, 2020

Rob got his neck brace off today! Which after 9 weeks must feel fantastic. His neck is stronger than ever now, with the titanium fasteners. He was able to see some friendly faces today when he went back to Tufts for the appointment. In addition to that his discharge date got moved to later in December. This gives everyone involved just a bit more time to prepare for the transition. I know my father won’t mind a bit staying longer at Spaulding!

Read More of the journal titled "Progress update "

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