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Dear Friends, Some of you may have heard that on January 26, while vacationing in Puerto Rico, Steve was badly hurt while playing in the ocean waves. As far as we can surmise a wave sucked him under and slammed him to the ocean floor. He hit his forehead and face and his back was injured. Steve spent most of the first week after the injury in the ER of the San Juan hospital, finally moving to a room on January 31.
His pain has been extreme with some medical relief, but not enough. Doctors have assessed fractures on his spine, which, thankfully, should not require surgery. They expect he will need to wear a neck brace for a couple months. Steve also broke bone(s) under his eye, which will need surgery. The broken bone(s) are pressing on his optic nerve. We have been told that this should not cause long-term vision damage and any sight issues should resolve after surgery.
Initially, Steve was unable to change his position because of the extreme pain in his back. After about four days, his mobility began to improve. First, he sat up at 45 degrees and then was helped to a 90-degree sitting position. These baby steps are very encouraging.
Karen and Steve are waiting for the surgery to be scheduled; unfortunately many factors make this a moving target. After surgery they expect to stay in Puerto Rico about two weeks for follow-up care. Karen's mom, Joan, and her partner, Jim, are in Puerto Rico with them and have been a huge support. Jim has taken many of the overnight shifts to give Karen a break and a chance to sleep. Their good friend, Dennis, is flying down today to add another layer of support for all of them. Dennis is a retired family physician whose support will be invaluable over the next week.
We will keep you updated as Steve's status changes and/or their need for support increases. Please send all your love and prayers for Steve's healing and Karen’s continued strength.
Hello to all, We are home and Steve went to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. He told us Steve would need to wear the neck brace for another month, but no surgery needed on his spine. Yay. His eye continues to heal. We are taking it slow, but happy to be home with the messed up health care system that we know and somewhat understand.
Photo one was yesterday.
Photo two was January 28, two days after accident.
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