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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