More Progress

Hi everyone- It’s Mackenzie. I arrived at Duke yesterday morning just as Amber was waking up from her 6 hour surgery. I knew the protocol here was very differnet than at MGH, but still expected to enter a very tense and fragile environment. Boy was I wrong. Although Amber still has a long road of recovery ahead of her, and many precautions to follow, she has progressed at a shockingly rapid pace. This seems to be the norm here at Duke. I have to say it is so comforting to be able to talk with her and assit her without having a glass wall between us, as was the case at MGH. Leah, Laurie, Rick, and myself got to the hospital early this afternoon. Fred had been here during the morning hours and said she was doing beautifully. Amber has been sitting in a recliner for mmost of the day and is currently taking her second walk, yes walk, of the day. Her breathing is stable and she is assisted only by a small amount of oxygen. It is so surreal to think that it took over 2 weeks for Amber to reach this stage in Boston. Her biggest complaint right now is her desire to drink. For now docs are only allowing her to have liquids with a thick consistency- not very thirst quenching. This prevents the possibility of aspirating. There has even been mention of Amber moving off the ICU ward and into a regular room this evening. It is truly amazing that one person can survive such trauma, not once, but twice. We are all so proud of her. She is a little person- but sure has a huge spirit. We will write more later. Hope everyone is well- Mackenzie