Ian continues to run a bit of a fever, but the doctors have concluded that it has to do with the trauma and is not related to any infection. They’ve told us it’s very typical for a head trauma patient to run a fever without any identifiable cause.

The tracheoscopy went well; the tube is in. They’re going to “dial down” the respirator he’s on to see how well Ian can breathe on his own. The respirator is the only mechanical/medical device on which he is depending at this point. Everything else he’s doing on his own. They’ve kept him on the respirator to this point to prevent pneumonia, since in this condition he may not be able to breathe deeply enough. They’re just not sure. They’re goal is to get him to a step down unit at some point and eventually out of the hospital and into a nursing home, depending on his condition.

He continues in the same neurological condition, i.e., he responds to various stimuli (e.g. yelling, rubbing, pain, etc.). However, he’s made no new progress, and that is of serious concern medically. The doctor told us this morning that the longer he remains in this condition the less likely it is that he’ll wake up.

While these are the facts as we know them, we serve a God who can ignore the facts and heal. Thank you so much for your prayers. It really is an encouragement to know you’re praying.

Steve Murphy