The Calder Family

The Calder Family

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Update on my brother Christopher

I thought I would give an update on how my younger brother is doing (I guess I can't really call him little as he is over 6 feet tall!). He is now out of the coma and his eyes are open. He can move his eyes and his left hand a bit. He will make eye contact with people and will squeeze your hand if you hold it, but he will not respond to commands. My mom says that it seems as though he is aware of people visiting him, which makes it hard not to be there to visit him, but I know that the rest of my family is out there with him, which is a comfort. He got pneumonia for the second time, but it seems to be under control. He is okay to leave the ICU, but is just waiting on a bed.
It has really been so wonderful to have so many people expressing their support through prayers and kind words. It's really been a huge help to my family, and I know that angels have been watching over my brother. I've learned so much from this experience so far, and I know that I will learn so much more throughout this experience, as it will take a long time for Christopher to heal. The doctors have been pretty optimistic, which is such a huge relief, but they also have said from the beginning that it will be a long, long road. It is really really hard not to be out in Alberta right now, and I'm not sure that I'll even get out there until summer time (and even then...) but I'm glad that there are a lot of people back there who love him and will give him the encouragement and strength he needs to get through this.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to hear that he is awake and I cannot imagine how difficult it is for you to be away from him and the rest of your family right now. It sounds like he won't give up and hopefully he recovers as quickly as he can.

Unknown said...

It's the little successes that add up to major progress! Prayer is a wonderful thing, it helps everyone to heal, not just your brother.
I will continue to pray as I know we all will.
Please give my love to your family.
Ann

JO said...

oh my goodness. I had no idea, but happy to hear that things are looking up. I will keep him i my prayers.

The Samples Sampler said...

I didn't know you had a blog! I found it from Jodie Freeze Cohen's blog profile. I am so glad to hear that your brother is progressing in his recovery. We will continue to pray for him and your family.

Karlee said...

Hi Renae,
So sorry to hear about your brother! That's not the best thing for me to be reading after just having a baby and these crazy emotions. It's so hard to be away from home during tough times like that! We'll keep you all in our prayers. Your kids are so cute and are getting so big! Miss you guys!