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Dec 7th
Tyler has had a very busy month. He has continued to work each day in therapy. The above link are some pictures Amanda took while visiting with Ty this past month. He also continues to work on school work in the evenings. He had a good time at Thanksgiving and got to eat all of his favorites. He also enjoyed taking everyone's cell phones who were texting (Thanks Father Mike) for your sermon on texting during family time!! He got to play games with his cousins. He also had a special photoshoot with Parkview Hospital. The Samaratin is publishing a special anniversary calendar with the patients they have flown and who have done well. Tyler is one of the patients chosen to be in the calendar. They took some pictures of him and Kara with a tractor and some pictures with his Ohio State stuff. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. He also has been going to wrestling with his dad and even giving his opinion at times. Anyone who has been around him knows when he starts talking he is going to let you know what he is thinking!!!! Thank you for everyone's ongoing support and prayers.

Day 117..... It has been 4 months , and home for a little over a month, Ty continues to amaze physicians, family, and friends. His therapy continues to progress well. He is walking on the treadmill for three minutes at a time. He is working on throwing a ball over his head. He continues to work on his speech. In the evenings Mr Strickler comes and works with his school work. They are working hard on spelling, vocabulary, science, health, and writing. All of which he continues to show improvement everyweek. All of the therapists and Mr Strickler are doing an awesome job with Ty.!!!! THANKS!!!! In the eve he works on walking some in the house; transferring himself from his chair to the couch, going up and down the steps. He can get in and out of vehicles on his own. He also likes to start his mom's Yukon while he is waiting on her. We have aslo determined this evening that he is better at juggling than his mom but has to have a little more practice in order to be better than Seth. Also when Erica picks on him too much he is very capable of jumping straight up out of his wheel chair (on his own) and getting her in a bear hug!!! Quite amazing actually and Erica was Very Surprised!!!
The trauma surgeon gave an educational talk at Van Wert last evening to the paramedics, and Tyler was the case study. Also his Dr. from Toledo came and talked about his rehab. He was able to meet with both Dr.'s and the nurses for ICU nurses from Parkview came to see him too. He has been able to meet the people on the squad and lifeflight, and talk with them. This week when he was up in Toledo for his Dr. appointment, he was able to go visit the girls from his rehab and talk with them and give them a hard time. He really enjoyed that.
Tyler is doing wonderful, and it has a little bit to do with modern medicine, but it has everything to do with prayers and God healing him. Thanks for the support and prayers that continue to go up for Ty even after he is home.

Day 107..... Tyler is having a good week. He was interviewed by Wayne TV today. The Trauma Surgeon who took care of Tyler at Parkview was giving an educational talk on Farming Accidents, and they asked Kara if they could interview Tyler. He did very well. He has a goal to show his calf at the fair next year and they want us to contact them so they can come over and do a follow up story on him. He continues to work hard on his therapy. He is anxiously awaiting friends to come and visit him. There are a lot of sisters in his house he could use some buddy's to come and hang out with; and tell him everything that is going on at school. Thanks as always for the support and prayers.

Day 103.... Tyler has been doing very well with his therapy this past week. He is walking further with his walker, before his body gets tired. He is talking more and more. This week he showed us how he can move his eyes, side to side and up and down. This is very exciting, because this means the nerve that the Doctors felt was permantly damaged and is getting signals through. This is great stuff. He works hard during the day at therapy and then rests up and has tutoring in the eve, he also works on excercises at night too. Thanks too everyone who participated in collecting pop tabs. This is such a wonderful gesture to help other families in need, to be close to their loved ones who are in the hospita. Thank you for the encouraging words, thoughts and prayers.

TABS 4 TY

During Tyler's time in the hospital, his family was able to stay close to him at the Ronald McDonalds Houses. Tyler's friends in Archbold and Van Wert wanted to help out in anyway they could but besides making meals, gas cards and the never-ending prayers they still wanted to do more. Van Wert was challenged by family friends in Archbold to a TAB WAR! This way, not only did we come together for Tyler's honor, we are paying forward and helping other families.

Well the TAB WAR between Archbold and Van Wert is coming to a close. The final count will be held on Saturday October 25 @ 12:00 at the McDonald's Playplace on Shannon St. Tabs can be collected up until Friday October 24 at the Smelser's house, 421 South Ave. till noon or at each of the schools. Van Wert has really worked hard at collecting and will keep collecting after the war for this great cause.

Ronald McDonald will be there to announce the winner. He will also be available for autographs, pictures and perform some magic! Everyone is welcome!

Day 96.... Tyler is settling in well, to his new routine. He has become quite the talker, which is exciting. He is getting stronger each day. The therapists are pushing him in his therapy, and he comes home and takes about a 2-3 hr nap, then he is good to go for the evening. He will start tutoring this next week, a couple hours in the afternoon. This also is very exciting. He is working on his eye and facial exercises several times a day. We finally found the football game on the radio last night, and he was able to listen to the entire game. He was giving US play by play this time!! He heard the announcement, about the OG students collecting there change and presenting it to his sister Erica, Angela his cousin, and Matt. Again thankyou to all the students, adults, friends, from all of the WBL schools, and surrounding area who have come together to help Ty through his miraculous recovery, which continues each day. HE IS READY FOR FRIENDS TO COME VISIT. HE WOULD LIKE ONE AT A TIME PLEASE PER HIS REQUEST. If you would like to visit just give Kara or Bob a call and they can let you know when is a good time. He will be so excited to see everyone!!! May God continue to heal and Bless Tyler, his family, and everyone involved. Thank You!!!!!

Day 93.... Tyler continues to do well. He had therapy this morning. He then went up to Toledo for his eye evaluation. The dr. said his vision is not much different than prior to the accident. The issue at this time is his eye's ability to move, his pupil's ability to react to light, and his ability to open his eyelid open wide. This dr. was very good with Ty, both Kara and Bob liked him. He is going to review all of Ty's xray's and reports in more detail. Basically he gave Ty some exercises to try to waken up those neuro signals to his eye. Hopefully they will improve like his other areas have. Kara asked if we should angle the tv or move him closer so he can see it. He said no, Kara asked why and he told her because he doesn't open his eyes! So we need to get him to open his eyes moore so work them more.!!!! So we need to continue to pray and focus on theses nerves that are affecting his eyes right now. Thank you for all the ongoing Prayers.

Day 92.... Tyler's first day of outpatient therapy in Van Wert went very well. He got to meet his new therapist. They were able to meet with him and see where he is at with his abilities and what he needs to work on to continue to make improvements. He made a special request yesterday for Buckeyes. So I dropped some off tonight. He smiled real big and said Buckeyes. He dug right in. Tomorrow will be another full day of therapy, and Wednesday will be a long day. He will going to Toledo to see the Neuro Opthamologist to see how his sight his. So that will be a long day for him. Thank you to everyone for everything this past weekend. It was wonderful.

Day 91.... 3 months ago Tyler's life changed forever. But Tyler has fought everyday since July 6th. He has amazed, and blessed us every hour of every day. Yesterday he went to the 7th grade football game, and got his picture taken with the team. That was exciting for everyone. He has had a wonderful first weekend home. He made it to church today, and was even able to take communion. Last night was another wonderful milestone. Kara was up in Archibold with Erica, and Bob needed to tell her something. Bob called her to, tell her that Tyler said "Mom", and about 30 minutes later he said "Dad", and to Bob's delight- Tyler woke him up at midnight, to have a conversation!!!!!!! He has been saying short sentences and words today. What a Wonderful thing to hear him say our name and I love you. He also really enjoyed doing the OH --- IO cheer with his cousins pretty much all day today. He would say OH and the boys would return with IO. He is working on his walking today. He is eating more food, Mt Dew is still his drink of choice. Tomorrow will be a big day for him, he starts his outpatient therapy in Van Wert. So he will be meeting his new therapists, and they will be doing their initial assessment, and starting right in on work. This has been a very blessed Sunday, and we pray God continues to work his miracle with Tyler each day. Thank you for being there to share this miracle with us. It means so much.

Day 90...... Wow what an experience last evening at the football game. That was So Wonderful. Tyler had a great time. We had to take a little break, but was able to return for the finish of the game. He was getting play by play from his cousins. He was there for the touchdown so he was able to honk his horn and play the OSU fight song on Brutus. Thank you to all the kids for giving him some space. Even though he was glad to be there, it also was over whelming. He is signing consistently. So kids you might want to print off the sign language alphabet to work on before you come n see him so you know what he is spelling, and you can talk with him more. He can here you, and understand, just can't talk quite yet. So he is using his sign language to communicate. He is so smart. He was joking around and told his mom he wanted to go to Pizza Hut, but later said he was just kidding, and gave her a great big smile. He has had a little break from his aggressive therapy, but he will be back at it Monday morning. Since he started walking with a walker last week in Toledo, it was decided he could proceed straight to outpatient therapy. So he will start his therapy at Van Wert. He continues to be able to eat soft food; he enjoyed some french fries last night, and of course his mountain dew. His new room is beautifully decorated in an Ohio State theme so he is adjusting to that very well. Thanks to everyone for helping Bob get his house ready, what a wonderful job you did. We can not begin to express how much we appreciate the Love, support and prayers. Not only for Ty but for the entire family. I do have pictures from Ty's benefit tourney, I just haven't had time to figure out how to post them on line. When I figure it out I will post a link.
Thank you and God Bless

Day 88....HE IS HOME!!!! What an exciting, long, and exhausting day. Tyler made it home early this afternoon. Kara and Bob spent the afternoon getting him settled in. His cousins were all there tonight to spend time with him. Anyone who knows he has a total of 12 first cousins, so 8 of them were there plus his sisters of course. So he had a busy evening. He spent the evening signing with them, laughing some, and playing the OSU fight song with his Brutus. I had a talk with him, and he wants me to let everyone know he is excited to be home. At this time he would like a few days to spend with his family, and get used to his new environment, before friends come to call. Today was a BIG change in not only his environment but in his schedule. He, along with Kara, Bob, and the girls need sometime to get adjusted and a bit of a routine established. When he is up for more company we will definitely let everyone know!!!!!!! Please keep praying for him, that he continues to improve everyday. Thank you so much for everything!!

Day 87..... Tomorrow is the big day!!! Ty was working hard today. He walked 14 steps with his walker, (with assistance), and he also walked for about 10 minutes on the treadmill. He is still working on his upper body strength, his eating, and trying to communicate. We are all so excited that he is coming home, but he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him. It will be good to have his family and friends close around him again. Hopefully it will help him to make even more progress. As everyday, We Thank God for this miracle and blessing and pray that he continues to heal Tyler everyday.

Day 85.... God is so wonderful, awesome, and true. Tyler is gearing up for the big move on Thursday. This past weekend he was actually making sound when he was laughing. He was making more sounds today! This is very encouraging. He was drinking out of a straw. He continues to work on his walking and upper body strength. He is using his hands more talk. This is good because it will get us closer to being able to have him evaluated by a neuro opthamologist, this is a doctor that specializes in eye, and the nerves to the eye. Once he is to the point where he can communicate enough, the dr will be able to tell what he sees, how much he can see, and where he might have blind spots, but this is still down the road. We are all anxiously counting down to Thursday. Bobby is getting his house ready, and Kara continues to look for a house. When he comes home, he will continue with therapy at home then progress to outpatient therapy. He has a long way to go but, OH MY what progress he has made since that July 6th evening. We will continue to pray, He will continue to fight and work, and God will continue to heal and answer our prayers. Thank you to everyone for being by Ty and the family through this journey.

Day 82.... Tyler is just amazing as we all know. He is really excited, for the plan is that Ty will be going home this coming Thursday!!!!!! He is working on moving and using his fingers and hands more. He is able to use his call light to contact the nurses, for when he needs something. He continues to work on his eating and walking. When Ty goes home he will continue with outpatient therapy. This miracle that Tyler is experiencing; continues to amaze us everyday. We need to continue to Thank God and pray for is continued, progressive recovery!!!!

Day 80.... Ty has been doing very well this week. His hand and finger movements are getting stronger. He has been using one finger for yes and two fingers for no and anyone who talks about the University of Michigan get a special finger followed by a smile. He continues to work on his walking and eating, he had some of his mom's special pumpkin pie. He might get to go swimming again on Friday if the therapist have enough time in their schedule. Thank you so much for everyone's prayers and support. He is getting closer to coming home.

Day 77.... Tyler was really excited about swimming. They put him in the pool by lifting him in a chair on a hydraulic lift. That made him a little nervous. But once he was in the pool he did really well. He is going to get to go some more this week. Kara tried to feed him some oatmeal, he did ok but didn't like the texture too much, and struggle with a red pop float. He ate his pudding real well today. We are going to keep trying to feed soft foods so his mouth muscles continue to strengthen. Overall he had a real good weekend.

Day 74.... Tyler had his swallowing study today. It went very well. The therapist was VERY pleased, she he was stronger than what she had thought. Very littlo pooling of food in the back of his mouth and throat and no aspirations. This is good so they can start giving him more food, as he moves his tongue and mouth muscles more this will help him in starting to use his vocal chords and forming sounds and eventually hopefully speaking. He gets to go swimming tomorrow!! This should be really fun for him, and to get in the pool should feel really good, for all the tired muscles from therapy. He was working this evening on moving his tongue in and out of his mouth and side to side, and turning his head side to side. We took a nice long walk and evaluated all of the pictures on the first floor of the hospital and we stopped to look at the beautiful sunset out of the big windows. He continues to get stronger and work hard, and with God and all the prayers he moves forward each day. Thanks!!

Day 72..... Tyler continues his journey. He has been working hard in his therapy, with his standing and walking a few steps with assistance. He even made some sounds today with his speech therapist!!!! He continues to work hard on his swallowing and his swallowing study might be later this week. This test will let the Doctors know what types of food he can safely swallow without any of it going down his trachea or wind pipe. This would be aspiration if this occurs and would be unsafe. So this study lets them know if it occurs with liquid and or certain solids. Once they know this they can decide if it is safe to try different types of liquids and food. So hopefully when he gets this study it will be good and he can start to have more of a diet. Keep praying it is working.

Day 70... Tyler had a full weekend with visitors, and hanging out with his sisters. He was up working on his walking again today. He also to three bites of applesauce. The therapist feels he is ready to have a swallowing study. This is exciting news. Thanks to all of the visits and as always the wonderful support and prayers.

Day 67.... Tyler had another awesome day. Today the therapists, along with Bob and Grandpa Bill, got Ty up and he took some steps with assistance on two different occasions!!!!!! He also worked hard with his swallowing and actually took 3 bites of a popsicle and swallowed!!!! This is some exciting stuff. He is gaining weight, and slowly gaining strength. We have to work more on his upper body and hands but he is doing Wonderful. We are so PROUD of him and the hard effort he puts into every single day. He also continues to work on that beautiful smile, and of course his pucker. With Ty's efforts and our prayers there is no limit to this wonderful miracle, WOW what a blessing he is to our lives.!!!

Thanks for the great visit on Sunday. It was really fun. I even played video games with the guys!!!

Day 66.... Hello Everyone. Tyler is doing great!!! As you can see he really loves his football, we got a big smill with this one!!! He is having another great day. Yesterday he swallowed 10 bites of sherbert icecream and today he swallowed 15 bites!! This is so great, he is moving his tongue more and his lips more, this gets us closer and closer to enabling him to eat. He continues to improve with standing and holding his weight. Now they are going to try to focus some more on his upper body, which is still weak. Each prayer brings us blessings each day, and this young man is so worth it. We thank GOD for every answered prayer!! Thank you for sending the prayers up!!!

Day 65..... Tyler has been doing very well this week. He has been working with the computer on his communication. Last evening he was able to use his fingers to trigger the computer and move a train, it was great! He has been working hard in all of his therapies. He really enjoyed his visit with the guys on Sunday. I will try to put some pictures up or set up a link.

Day 63..... This is a special blog to THANK EVERYONE who organized, volunteered, donated all the wonderful items, and of course the Blazer, participated in; and who support the the WONDERFUL Tourney for Ty yesterday!!!!!!! It was AWESOME!!!! Wonderful weather, Wonderful day, with Wonderful people. Also THANK YOU to everyone who have also organized and participated in the car washes in Van Wert, and Archibold, the people who have designed and have been selling the arm bands and shirts. The caring and support of everyone is overwhelmingly wonderful and SO APPRECIATED!!!!!! Ty continues to listen to the Fair Video a little at a time. He conitnues to make small steps forward, and his winning fight. This is with God and everyone out there. THANK YOU AGAIN AND MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO HAS TOUCHED OUR LIVES THRU THIS!!

Day 61..... Tyler had a very good day today in therapy.. He was working on his facial muscles. He was puckering his lips so well his therapist got a kiss, so he has been puckering up all eve! He also has been smiling today, and of course making his frown face when it comes to getting cleaned up. He stood for five minutes today at a time. That is really good. So he continues to make improvements in several areas. He is really enjoying his video from the fair. Thanks for the help on that Tracy!! It is days like today that reaffirm that God is Awesome and your prayers are being answered!!

Day 60..... Ty continues to work hard. He stood up and held his wait for about three minutes at a time. He got his C collar off today so he worked hard on holding his head up on his own. So today was a really big day for him. We would like to give special thanks to the Van Wert County Foundation for purchasing Tyler's calf and to Everyone else who donated more money to him. That was so wonderful! I have one correction to the information for this weekend. They are raffling off a 96 red blazer. The tickets are $20 for one ticket and $50 for three tickets. It sounds like another special event for a VERY SPECIAL YOUNG MAN WHOM WE ALL LOVE!! SO again THANK YOU!!!

Day 59.... Another hard day in therapy. Insurance gave him another week. We will take all the days we can get. He continues to improve small step by small step. The information for the Tourney for Ty. It is being held in Ohio City at the Fireman's Park on 118. It is from 8:00am til 6:00pm on Saturday September 6th. There will be great food all day. The activities include Auto Auction @ 2:00; Silent Auction 9 to 6; Hourly door prize drawings; Duck races 11-3; Dare Water Balloon Cage, Clowns for God, a DJ. There will be a Co-Ed softball Tourney, Co-Ed Adult Volleyball Tourney, Cornhole tourney, Whiffel ball tourney. There is something for the whole family WOW!!! People to contact include for the silent auction, donations, softball tourneY, and cornhole tourney are Regi Phillips 419-238-6412, Stacey Lautzenheiser 419-605-8612, and Jeneane Krugh 419-605-6274. For the Volleyball Tourney contact Shana Evans 419-863-9106. For the whiffle ball tourney contact Jeff Krugh 419-605-6272. THANK YOU to everyone for the support and different fund raisors that you have taken the time to put on for TY.!!!!!! We can not say thank you enough and let eveyone know just how grateful we are for the ongoing support. Tyler's ongoing strength and healing is thru GOD and everyone's support and prayers!!!!!

Day 58..... Wow what a hot weekend. Tyler spent the weekend working on his physical therapy, working on his stomach... to continue to try to improve his strength. He also still continues to work with his communication. He was tried this weekend. We sometimes don't realize how much energy it takes out of him to do this simple things like hold up his head and his legs. So he will work hard then will just have a day where he is down. But he does give it all he has. There is a Tourney for Ty next weekend in Ohio City. I forgot to bring home the details from the fair. So toningt I will try to remember to bring them home so I can post all the specifics. I do know that there is a whiffle ball tourney, co ed volleyball tourney, co ed softball tourney. Lots of great food and I do believe a car to auction off!!! So I will try to post the specifics tonight. THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!!!!

Day 55.... Sorry I have not written in a few days. Sometimese we all need to step back and evaluate and collect ourself. Well it was hard to try to take in the MRI report that did not necessarily give us good news. But as Ty would have it, he continues to denie medicine. This week in therapy he had some VERY good days. He was arching his back and moving his head and body some more. When the therapist bent his knees up he held them there for a while. The speech therapist set him up with a censor that allows him to communicate. I haven't been up to see how it works exactly so this may not be 100% accurate. But he activates a computer, they tried with his thumbs but his small motor dexterity is quite there yet so they set it up to be triggered by using his knees, and this is working so far. The computer quietly reads him 20 different responses and he choses the response that he wants and then the computer says it loud for the people to hear. He has been able to do this and is responding appropriately to the questions. The responses do need to be somewhat limited because he has to listen to the responses until he hears the one he wants. This is very exciting. As everyone heads out to the Fair, if you see Kara or Bob, or Tracy Keber and want to record a message for Ty on their recorder just let them know. Kara is going to take it to Ty and play it for him. Now we still don't know if and how well he can see but we do know he can hear and understands what is said to him. So Keep those AWESOME prayers and wonderful words of encouragement coming, it is so needed and APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!!! and God Bless everyone who is going through this with us, we couldn't make it without each and everyone of you!!!

Day 51.... Tyler had a rough evening last night both his mom and dad were in van wert. But grandpa bill was with him all day and I came up in the eve. He was grumpy but you know how kids are when they don't get their way. So we got him all decked out in his OSU hat coach Tressel signed, put on his shades and took him for a walk. He lightened up later in the eve. I reminded him that he was hurt and I know he might be scared; but that Jesus has been with him every step of the way and is still with him and that he will continue to heal him; and the rest of us are going to do everything we can to help him get better. He moved his lips and tried to talk. This calmed him some. Today he had a GREAT day in therapy. He arched his back and the therapist bent his knees up 90 degrees and he held them there for about 15 seconds. This is very good. He continues to work on his swallowing and appears that the left side of his mouth might be trying to move. He wants to come home and we want that too. But we also want him to improve enough so he can communicate some and interact when visitors come over. We also want him to be strong enough to conitnue aggressive therapy as an out patient. This will take a lot of energy on his part. We thank God everyday for the miracle that he has given us but I know this story and Miracle is far from complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 49..... Tyler's MRI results are back today. He still has a lot of areas where there is blood in his brain. The brainstem has 2 areas where it appears the tissue has been permanantly affected. Cranial nerve three and ten are definitely invlolved in these areas. Cranial nerve three is involved in the movement of his eyes. This is not involved in his ability to see, it conrols the ability to move his eyes up and down. Cranial nerve 10 has multiple areas that it controls such as his reaction with his heart rate and some of his digestive system. This though does seem to be working somewhat. Tyler is aware he just can not communicate with us. We are working on his finger movement, and some sort of voice so we can establish some sort of communicaion. The doctor is going to try to get another week so they can focus on just that. The doctor feels that cognitively (ability to think and process things) he is further along again it is the fact he can't let us know what he wants to say. We need to focus our prayers on the areas that continue to have blood that needs to be absorbed and that God allows some of his tissue to regenerate so the signals can again get thru and he can speak and eat, and walk, and see. This has been a hard weekend and all the prayers and support are so greatly appreciated. On a happy note he had visitors and he did try hard to respond to them!!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to come visit!!!!!!

Day 47.... Another day of therapy. As everyone heads to class this week, Tyler continues with his classes too. He has therapy pretty much through out the day. In the morning he is working on being upright and putting weight on his legs. The he works on sitting and holding his head up. He also is working on moving his hands and feet. Especially his thumbs because the goal is as he progresses to some day have him be able use and electric wheel chair until he hopefully some day gets strong enough to walk. But right now the main goal is moving his fingers and toes, arms and legs, and and getting all of his muscles stronger so he can support his head and sit up. He also has been working on his swallowing and making noises. He made some today, which was good. So he continues to be wiped out by the end of the day. He gets a good nap in and then is awake in the evening to watch tv, listen to music, or have someone read to him. He opens his eye quite a bit sometimes you have to remind him. He tends not to want to when he is getting tired with his therapy, it is good to know that he is still a hard working, moody teenager. He gets his MRI tomorrow or Sunday, so this is good. Then early next week again they reevaluate to see if he comes home for a while or if he stays. By the way Kara tried to turn the game on for him tonight thru her computer but could not log on to the web site, so he was bummed. So call or blog and let him know how it went.!!!!!

Day 44.... This morning Ty had his bronchoscopy and it went well. His vocal chords are working. SO HE GOT HIS TRACH OUT!!!! He did well all day and is back in his regular room back in peds. So now we can work on him talking. He still is having a little trouble swallowing but he is working at it. He is starting to move his fingers and toes again. He has lost a large amount of musce and is very weak so he has not been able to move his extremities as much as he was at first. But hopefully as we slowly progress that will improve. We will know more in the next couple of days if the insurance will approve more therapy days in the hospital or if he has to go home for awhile. Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on the blog. He will really enjoy being kept up on the school news and daily goings on. Daily prayers are the best medicine!!!!!

Day 43..... Tyler had a lot of visitors this weekend. Tomorrow they are going to look into his lungs. This is called a bronchoscopy. They want to check his vocal chords. If they look good they are going to take his trach out and he will then be in ICU for a couple of days. Just to monitor him. With the trach out then speech can work on him trying to speak and communicate. He opens his eye to yes and no questions and he answers appropriately. The MRI is still pending the Dr. wants to consult with a neuro specialist in reading cranial nerves before she actually orders it, so it might be awhile. He enjoys being read to and hearing what everyone writes on the blog. He was happy that Kyle is keeping his spot at the lunch table. So keep sending him messages and we will read them to him. He is not always awake but he is aware of what we are saying. He is a miracle and the prayers are working, keep up the faith and prayers. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Day 41.... Tyler has been busy this week. He has been using a special lift so that he stands and has weight on his legs. He has been opening his eye more when it is not so bright. His pupil is still dilated so the light probably really bothers him. So Kara is going to get a pair of sunglassess with sides so he can wear when he is awake and see if he keeps his eye open longer. He has been working hard with speech on his swallowing, and moving his tongue, and they capped his trach to see if he would try to talk or make some sound. He continues to take trips in his wheelchair. WE are still waiting on the MRI to see what is going on in that head of his for sure. Early next week we should know if the insurance is going to allow for more therapy days or if he will have to go home for a while til he wakes up some more. He is still doing well just not awake enough for the insurance to qualify him for more days. So time will tell. We will continue to pray and take it one day at a time, and continue to Thank God for each little step that he is able to make. We also thank everyone for the ongoing steady support, ,prayers, and benefits that you have done for Tyler, Bob, and Kara. THANK YOU!!!

Day 38.... After a day of rest, Ty was back at working hard today for his therapists. They are considering doing an MRI to actually get a look at the brain stem and brain in a little better detail, so we know a little better at what we are dealing with. We do not have a definite date or time, but they are planning on scheduling it. He continues to enjoy his walks outside. His sisters have decorated his room. He also has his sign from all his friends!!! His Dr's nephew plays for the Toronto Blue Jays and they were playing in Detroit this past weekend and he gave Ty a hat signed by a few of the players and one of there baseballs. The Toledo Mud Hens come to the Hospital to visit patients on a regular basis and they stopped in today, and dropped off some signed bats. It is overwhelming and so appreciated of the care and support of everyone. Thank you.

Day 37.....  Tyler was  pretty tired today he slept most of the day.  His wheelchair is pretty awesome.   We took him for a couple of laps around the floor tonight.  He worked good with speech again today.  We are still waiting for the results of the tests on the nerves on his eyes and hearing.  Thank you for all the support and comments on this blog.  They are very uplifting and encouraging to us.

Day 36.... Tyler had a good weekend. He has his customized wheelchair and is able to go on walks each day. He continues to work hard with therapy. His sister read him a book this weekend and he kept his eye open while she was reading. He is going to get the nerves tested for his vision and his hearing. This will tell us if the nerves are working, not necessarily how well he can see or hear. He continues to make small strides each day. Prayer is powerful and working. THANK YOU so VERY MUCH.

Day 33.... What a beautiful day today. So nice in fact Tyler took a trip outside. He was off his oxygen while outside and kept his oxygen levels in his body up in normal ranges ( this is his O2 sats). Nothing like some fresh air and warm sun to energize the body. He also did very well with the speech therapy, with working on his swallowing. He is still occasionally opening his eye. Last night for TV selections he raised his eyebrow for CSI but when we found the Reds on he opened his eye. So we watched the Reds. After all his fresh air and hard work he will sleep sound tonight. As far as directions To Children's Hospital. Take 75 N into Toledo. You will go through Perrysburg, over the river, go past the 25 exit. You will see a sign for 475W- 75N split. 75N will vear to the right, 475W will vear to the left. You will want to stay in the middle lanes. You will take 475W if you stay in the middle lane as you split onto 475 you will be in the outer rt lane. Stay in the rt lane the very next exit as you split is exit 19. Take exit 19. When you come down the exit turn rt. Stay in the rt lane and turn rt at the light. You will want to get in the lt lane. You will see signs for the hospital. Go to the 2nd light and turn left. You will see the hospital. Go straight past the ER sign, and past the parking garage. As you go past the front of the hospital you will see a sign for valet parking. Turn rt into this drive it will take you to an open parking lot. You can park in this lot. Go into the hospital through the door that the Valet people are at. Go straight down the hall, as you come to the main entrance there will be a cafe on the rt and the main doors will be to your right. There will be a large desk. To the left you will see elevators. DO NOT USE THESE. There is a short hallway to the left of the elevators. Go down the hall, you will come to a 2nd set of evelvators, there will be only 2. Take these elevators to the 5th floor. Once on the 5th floor go to the rt. Go straight past the small empty desk. Just before you get to the closed doors is a hall turn left. His room is on the rt it is room 1508. The door may be shut, but Kara or Bob or a family member should be in there. Thank you for all the continued support and prayers!!!!!

Day 32..... Sorry for the lag in the updates. Fatigue and computer issue caught up!!! Tyler first few days at Toledo went very well. He settled right in. His heart rate and respiratory rate improved greatly. The Rehab Physician spent 2 hours with Kara and Bob going over her plan and expectations. Tyler has one week to show improvements, then they will decide if he is truly ready for the aggressive rehab or if he needs to go home and try to wake up some more. BUT he as been doing well. They are doing Physical, Speech, and Occupational therapy sometime each twice a day. He was up on a Tilt table, this is a table that they strap in him and stand him up so he can have weight on his feet, hunting boots and all. He tolerated this well. Speech therapy has got him to swallow a few times, this is new and encouraging. He sleeps all evening, which is good for his healing. Thank you for all the support. Will try to give directions to the hospital and his room this eve.

Day 29..... Tyler made it to Toledo Children's Hospital safe and sound. He is in room 1508. He was busy getting checked in and having the Docs evaluating him. Once we get more information we will let everyone know. Thanks for everything.

Day 28..... It is amazing how fast and how very slow a month can go. Tyler continues to work hard. He opened his eye for a special item and people over the weekend. A special friend of the family , Lyndsey Ruffer has had the opportunity to work with the OSU Football staff while attending college. She was speaking with the Head Coach about Tyler and Coach Tressel sent Ty an OSU hat that he autographed. This definitely was exciting for Ty he opended his eye for that one for sure!! That was so thoughtful of coach Tressel, please let him know the family greatly appreciates this and his gesture definitely brought joy to Ty and he had a wonderful reaction to it!!!!!! He also opened his eye when his Papa Priest asked him if he should buy a couple of horses... now this made his Papa very excited. He had some nice visits with his friends again this weekend. He does seem to enjoy those visits, especially after working so hard with the therapy girls all week. He has been opening his eye more when people are talking to him, but he is still in the coma for the most part. His lungs are doing well. Tomorrow is the big day. He will be transferred to Toledo Childrens Hospital. The next two days will be very hectic for him, the trip up there and then getting to know all the new doctors and nurses, and therapists. We will definitely try to let everyone know tomorrow eve, more details about where he is and the plans for him from here. Overall this weekend was good and the family is all geared up for the big move. We continue to pray for the ongoing healing and recovery for our precious Ty. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing understanding, support and PRAYERS!

Day. 27.... After many phonecalls, and a tour of St. Joe. Bob and Kara and the doctors decided it was time to transfer Ty to another facility. Tyler has recieved excellent care at Parkview. But he is now consider stable from a medical standpoint, meaning no life threatening issues going on right now. So now it is time to work on waking him up and getting him stronger. After many hours of investigation Kara and Bob chose Toledo Children's Hospital. For several reasons, it is a certified pediatric rehab center, with pediatric specialists. If he would for some reason have a medical problem, eg... his lung collapse or an infection... he would be able to stay right there and be treated right there by pediatric specialists. Where as the other facilities they looked at are good but are slightly geared more to adults, and if he would need medical care he would need to be transferred back to another hospital like Parkview. So for overall care Toledo Children's was their best choice. The plan is to transfer him up to Toledo on Monday. The first couple of days will be very busy with new Docs evaluating his information and him, and coming up with a game plan for his recovery. As far as Tyler right now. He is still at Parkview on the Pediatric Floor, room 315. His chest tube is out, he continues to breathe on his own. The pneumonia has resolved nicely. His neuro status remains at the same stage. We are praying that this move and the aggressive rehab program that they provide will help Tyler continue on his journey to recovery. Please continue to Pray that God guides and controls Tyler's recovery, by healing him and placing the right people in his life at the right time!!!!! We love and Thank everyone out there who have been praying and supporting not only Bob and Kara but the entire family.

Day 26.... Ty is adjusting to his new environment well. His lung continues to hang in there and hasn't collapsed. This hopefully is a good sign. So when they decide to take out the chest tube hopefully it will be the last time!!! He continues to give his all with the PT and OT girls. He is still off the vent and breathing on his own, which takes a great deal of energy out of him. So he is still pretty wiped out in the eve. Yet he was a little more responsive with his therapy earlier today, so we will be looking forward to the coming days to see if he can get over this phase he is in and progress forward some more. This will be of course with God's will and time. Thank you to everyone out there for your prayers and support for Tyler and the family. We couldn't be enduring this if it weren't for everyone lifting Ty and his family up on a daily basis. THANK YOU!!!

Day 24..... Tyler got to go on a trip today, and has new scenery. They moved him to the pediatric floor. He now is in room 315. He continues to have PT and OT work with him daily. His chest tube is still in, but clamped and his lung seems to be handling it so far. No new changes in his neuro status. We continue to pray that his brain stem will continue to heal.

Day 23..... Ty had a quiet day again today. He is still in a coma. PT and OT continue to work with him during the day. They are going to just clamp his chest tube and see how his lung does on it's own. They are going to attempt to use steroids to see if it will help with the cranial nerves. Other wise his neuro status remains the same. We continue to pray that he will wake up and start making more inprovements in the days to come. Prayers and Faith in God is what we have at this point, and is what we continue to rely on. Thank you everyone!!

Day 22... Tyler has been off the vent for approximately 48 hours. This is a very good thing. The Cardiothoracic surgeon looked at his CT of the chest and feel, he does not have a surgical problem. The Craniofacial Dr. reviewed his CT of the face and head and want to try steroid therapy. So at this point it looks like Ty does NOT have to go to surgery. He continues to work hard during the day with PT and OT, and sleep most of the eve and night. Prayer is Powerful as we see everyday. Thank you!!!

Day 21.....Three weeks in. The steps are small but miraculous none the less. Ty had his CT of the head facial bones, and chest today. These will be reviewed by the doctors tomorrow to see the cranial nerves are pinched or damaged and if there are any surgical procedures that may be done to help them. The surgeons have decided Tyler needs a procedure to stabilize the right lung. This maybe don next week sometime. But if the craniofacial (head and face) surgeons feel they need to do any surgical procedures, they will then correlate with the cardiovascular doctors so he only has to go under general anesthesia once. He has been off the vent for over 24 HOURS!!!!! and has been doing very well on his own with a oxygen mask. The chest tube is still in. He was up in his special chair for about an hour and a half today. He still remains in a coma, but will follow simple commands as before. It takes a great deal of energy to breathe on his own, and to do what PT (physical therapy) asks of him, so he sleeps a lot in the afternoon and eve thus responds less. But he is still fighting and working as hard as his body will allow. As per request as to where to bring food, you can bring it to the hospital and Kara and Bob can store it in the room at Ronald McDonald House. Food can be taken to Bob and Marcia's house in Van Wert ( Bobby's parents) or Mia Keirns house in Van Wert (Kara's sister). Thank you to everyone for the wonderful support.

Day 20....Tyler has been resting since yesterday. His days continue to be busy with physical therapy, occupational therapy, doctor's visits, the excellent care he is getting from the nurses that are taking of him and the constant love and attention from all of his family and friends. Tyler is still in a coma but is doing better today. He is again responding a little bit by squeezing hands, nodding his head yes or no and even opening his right eye when he is asked.
The respiratory therapists have been continuing to work with Tyler to get him strong enough to breath completely on his own with no help from the ventilator. Today he has been off the ventilator with just an oxygen mask for over 5 hours. This is the longest Tyler has been off the ventilator and is a great achievement for him!
The cardio-thoracic surgeon was also in today to see him about his collapsed lung. Tyler will be getting a CAT scan of his chest sometime today or tomorrow so that they can decide if he will need surgery next week to fix his lung, or if it will be okay to just leave his chest tube in a while longer and see if that will fix it without having to go to surgery.
Tyler and all of his family are very thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from all of their family and friends and everyone in the community (including all of the nursing students from Northwest State University!).

Day 19.... Yesterday Tyler hit another rough spot. His right lung has started to collapse again. This time they asked another surgeon who specializes in heart and lungs (cardiovascular) to evaluate him. He did not want to do any surgical procedures to fix the lung at this time. Mainly because Ty obviously would have to undergo anesthesia again, which none of us are real anxious to have that happen. It was decided to place the chest tube back in. This is reoccurring because he is on the vent and his right lung is weak, and the extra pressure at the end of his breath after time is enough to pop a little hole, thus collapses his lung because the air again goes in the wrong place. He may possibly have the tube in until he is off the vent, to help protect that lung, but time will tell. Otherwise having a rough day yesterday, he is hanging right in there. A special note to all of you wonderful awesome prayer warriors. We want to focus on the brain stem and releasing the pressure and healing of the cranial nerves so he can start swallowing, and moving his face, and eye, and building his overall strenghth. Every positive step that has developed has been GOD and EVERY PRAYER that has been said.!!!!!

Day 17..... Tyler's days are getting very busy. Physical therapy comes in and works with him for about 45 min or so, and occupational therapy (speech swallowing ect.) come in and work with him. Respiratory comes in and takes him of the vent and puts just a mask over his trach. This all really wipes him out. But he is a trooper. They are really wanting only 2 visitors at a time and it must be quiet. Bob and Kara enjoy and appreciate the visitors, but please do not just walk back, if a family member is not present in the lobby, just ask the volunteer at the desk to call back and the nurse will get Bob or Kara for you. Tyler is at an important stage and since he has so much therapy during the day he needs complete quiet and down time in the afternoon and eve. We want to Thank everyone for being there for Tyler and the family.

Day 16..... Tyler continues to fight today. He continues to have daily physical therapy. He also is getting trial periods where he is completely off of the vent and is breathing on his own with an oxygen mask. He has been doing well lasting almost an hour before he gets tired. They then put him back on the vent for the extra support, so he can rest. Tyler has had some special visitors. This past Sunday our Priest Father Mike was in with Tyler talking and praying with him, and Tyler tried to open his eye several times! Aslo today he had two special visitors. Kyle Keber and Michael Smelser came to visit Ty. He had a wonderful visit with them he tried to open his eye several times and was moving his lips. He was really trying to interact with them.. Thank you so much for these wonderful visits!!! and for the ongoing prayers.

Day 15.... Tyler continues to do well as we head into week three. He was up in the chair some more today. He got his chest tube out and his lung has stayed expanded throughout the day on its own. By the end of the day he is pretty worn out, physicial therapy is working with him. He is still nodding his head and will occasionally point on his own when he wants something. Still not completely awake. His right side of his body is waking up a little ahead of his left. But we pray that the left side will catch up eventually. His boots are doing a wonderful job. Bobby stopped and got him some more clothes, so he is now in t shirts and shorts. He is looking more comfortable in his own clothes. Anyone who has been in the hospital knows how glamorous and drafty those gowns are. So I am sure he is grateful to have his own clothes on!!!! The power of Prayer has been overwhelming. Thank You.

Day 14...... Today is the Lord's Day of rest and Tyler had a very restful day. When he has a restful day that means he has a day of ongoing healing. He is the same as far as neuro status. He will nod his head if he is in the mood. You know how teenagers can be. He continues to move his hands and feet. The Doctors are pleased with his progress but are in no hurry to rush or push him too fast. A brain injury can be a rolercoaster of ups and downs and we are all hanging on for the ride, we are just Thankful that God is in control of this ride, and Tyler's healing will be in his time, not ours. Thank you and Keeping praying for our precious Ty.

Day 13..... Tyler continues to amaze us everyday with his strength and dertermination. He continues to have improvements. He was able to open his right eye last evening. He has decided that when the nurses come in to bug him and do their neuro checks;if he raises both thumbs quickly; they will not pick on him as long and let him rest. Actually this is very good that he is responding better to verbal command. He will occasionally nod his head yes or no. It was a definite "yes" nod tonight when we asked him if he wanted us to be quiet so he could listen to his music!!!!! So he is hearing us and he is improving, just not quite ready to wake completely up yet. As far as infections are going they have adjusted his antibiotics and his body is responding well to them. His stomach is slowly waking up also and he is tolerating his tube feedings much better. As far as broken bones go the facial surgeons checked over his films earlier this week and his left cheek bone is broke and the back part of his jaw on the left is broke, but both areas are in good alignment. So at this point it does not appear that he will need any surgery on his jaw or face. Which is good news. He does have the skull fractures but they too are aligned well. He also has a strernum fracture (the breast bone). He still has his chest tube. He continues to breathe on his own with only a small amount of support with the ventilator. So overall the end of this week has been very good. We Thank God everyday for the miracle that he is performing in our lives with and thru Tyler!!!!.. We also thank everyone for the uplifting comments on this site, visits, cards, and most of all PRAYERS. t

Day 11.... Tyler overcame a milestone today. Today the doctors turned his ventilator basically off. He is breathing on his own but the ventilator is giving him some support at the end of his breath so he doesn't have to work so hard. He is doing well. Physical therapy is working with him. They are getting him up in a special chair. So yes he is still in a coma but he continues to amaze us everyday. Visitors are always welcome. As everyday Thank you to everyone. Love Ty's Family.

Day 10...... As the days go by and we strugggle through the calm quiet days, it makes the good days even better. Tyler had a good day today. He was responding to the simple commands again today. Squeezing hands, moving toes, and making some facial expressions. He is still in a coma but we continue to be hopeful everyday. Today he also got a very special gift from his mom. As Tyler is in bed he is at risk for something that is referred to as foot drop. This is when the Achilles tendon in the back of the ankle becomes lazy and gets contracted, and pulls his foot "feet" down. So when he awakes it will make it very difficult to walk. So it is important to keep his feet flexed and the best way to do this it to put his feet in high top shoes. So Kara went out on a mission and after multiple attempts at trying to find good High top tennis shoes, decided to go with these wonderful looking large cammo hunting boots. Not only are they doing a great job they look really GREAT in his hospital bed. He has them on for two hours and off for two hours. Tyler's new boots are not only helping him, they are helping they family smile. Tyler keeps fighting every minute of every day, and is able to do this because of all the support and prayers from everyone!!!!!!!! Thank you.

Day 9...... Today Tyler was presented with a few more challenges. His right lung collapsed so he got his chest tube back in. He is fighting a few infections, one in his right lung and one in his bladder. The doctors are addressing each issue and adjusting his medications to help him fight. This then slows his healing to his brain when his body has to fight many battles at once. So he is having a hard day today. We are hopeful the antibiotics will help and his body then can focus specifically on healing his brain, and we can start forward improvement again. Each day a prayer goes up.....a prayer is answered. Thanks Love Ty's Family.

Day 8...... Tyler was up in a special chair today. He was up for about an hour. He is still following simple commands. He is still in a coma. We pray each day for patience knowing God is healing him in his time. The comments are so uplifting. Thank you so much.

Day 7. Tyler continues to fight hard. He is making small steps. When asked he will point his finger, squeeze a hand, move his toes. This is hard work for him, and he is doing a great job. His doctors have requested minimal people to be in his room. This is to allow him not to be over stimulated at this point; while his brain is still trying to heal and slowly wake up. Please know that visitors are always welcome but also please understand that we may not be able to allow you back to see him at this particular stage in his recovery. Kara and Bobby are always grateful for the visits and try to get out to see everyone. So please definitely feel free to stop by to see them. If they are not in the lobby one of the other family members is usually present or near by. There is usually a host at the desk and they can call back to let Kara and Bobby know someone is out in the lobby for them. As for the friends and family members who are out of town wishing to send them a card or note. You may feel free to mail items to the Grandparents houses. This would be Bobby's parents house Bob and Marcia Priest at 8232 Zook Rd Van Wert, OH 45891. And Kara's parents house Bill and Mary Fallis at 16626 Dull Robinson Rd. Ohio City, OH 45874. As always Thank you to erveryone for the prayers and support and the wonderful uplifting comments you are leaving on this site.

Day 7........ THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD. Tyler continues to battle his way back to us. He is so strong. He got the chest tube removed which is good. The doctors and nurses have been doing an excellant job taking care of him. He had a few quiet days which is more hard on the family than on him. He is starting to respond to simple commands, as moving his fingers and toes. This is good, he is still in a coma but he is trying hard to start to wake things up. God is listening and answering our prayers. THANK YOU !!!

Day 5..... Ty had a quiet day today. He is still in a coma not much change in his neurologic status. He is doing well with his new trach. The lungs are doing much better also with the chest tube in. Thanks Love Ty Ty's family.

Day 4.... Everyday is a blessing that Tyler is with us. He is still in a coma. He had a very busy day today. He had his Peg tube placed in his stomach,this went well. He got his breathing tube moved from his mouth to the middle of his throat. This is called his Trach. This is good now instead of breathing through a small straw he is breathing through a big fat hose. The vent is still breathing for him but he is much more relaxed with the vent. The tube is out of the top of his head that was measuring the pressures in his brain. His pressure in his brain is much better like I said he is still in a coma. His lungs had a little trouble this morning he has what we call a tension pneumothorax. This means the air that should be in his lungs escaped out into his chest cavity making his lung collapse some. So now he has a chest tube in to suck out the air that is in the wrong place and allow his lung to expand again. So despite all of his procedures today he did great. His blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen level did wonderful, and we are very thankful. As every day. THANK YOU for all of the prayers, they not only are helping Tyler heal but helping the entire family and everyone involved heal!!!!!!!

Today we are 72 hours out. Tyler is stable but the same today, he is still in a coma. Tomorrow he will have a busy day. In the morning he will be getting a tube place in his stomach to help feed him. This is called a PEG tube. In the early afternoon he will have a tracheostomy placed this allows the tube to come out of his throat and allows the ventilator to be placed to his airway in the middle of his throat. This is good because as he continues to improve and hopefully come off of the vent it will be easier for him. Right now if you can image it is like breathing thru a small straw, which can take a lot of energy and he needs to conserve energy to heal his brain.
Thanks to EVERYONE for all of the love, prayers, signs, support, wonderful tshirts that i have heard has been designed by a special group, and all the wonderful food to help keep our energy up!!!!!! We can't begin to express our gratitude to everyone.

update

Hello everyone. First of all we would like to THANK everyone for all of the prayers, and support we have received over the past few days. As everyone is well aware Tyler was critically injured this past Sunday. He continues to be in critical condition. There is a lot of information going on and we would like to help clear some things up. He does have a brain injury and some bruising to the chest area. His spine is in tact and he is NOT paralyzed.
He is in a coma but he has had some small positive improvements today. Today is a good day and we are very thankful for that!!!!!
Again we want thank everyone who has been there for Tyler and our family. Please keep praying not only for Tyler but for everyone involved in this tragis accident.

July 8

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