About Us: continued..

I was in the room when Danny opened his eyes for the first time. The nurses were using painful stimuli to measure his response. When he opened his eyes, the spirit in his eyes was not there; a blank stare was all that remained.

The last days at North Fulton Danny began to show signs of improvement. He had begun opening his eyes more and there was some recognition. He began to track voices and movement with his eyes, squeeze his right hand and most importantly, he kissed me back. Doctors had performed a tracheotomy, so Danny’s mouth was finally free. Leaning over my large pregnant belly, I kissed Danny with hope that it would strike a cord of memory. I would take his hand and touch it to my belly, again hoping that he and the child inside me would connect. I felt very much alone. I stood in the middle of two men; my now dependent, disabled husband and our soon to be born, dependent son. I was the lone soldier in a fight for both of them and my strength dwindled.

On September 6th, we were able to transfer Danny to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, to their Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Unit PREP Program (Pre-Rehabilitation Education). The Admissions Nurse had given me a list of things to pack for Danny’s stay at Shepherd. I remember writing Diaz on every sock, shirt and short. I felt like I was sending him away and hoped he wouldn’t feel abandoned. Knowing it was the best thing for him, we entrusted his recovery to the staff at Shepherd and they were wonderful.

Our first set back came on the second night of Danny’s stay at Shepherd. He had aspirated and was in ICU again. His fever got up to 105.7 and his blood pressure critically low. He breathed so quickly that it looked as if he’d just finished running a marathon. Again, Danny’s life hung in the balance and I banged on the door to heaven wondering why we were having to walk this road. How much longer?

Danny spent one week in ICU and then was transferred back to the ABI Unit. He was quickly put back in the therapy rotation. In the mornings, Danny was dressed and lifted into his wheelchair. He had physical, occupational and speech therapy everyday. We hung family pictures in his room for the therapist to use. Danny began to study the pictures and when asked where someone was, he would look at their picture. It was an encouraging sign that he was improving.

Monday morning, September 19th, I awoke early to make the trip to the bathroom; a common occurrence since I was now 38 weeks pregnant. Luckily, I was already in the bathroom when my water broke. It was a bittersweet moment since I realized that Danny was not going to be at my side for the birth as we had planned. I knew I had to make it through, but I cried for Danny because he was going to miss the birth of his son.

God gave me two gifts during my labor. The first arrived after 12 hours of labor when the contractions got stronger. A phone call from Shepherd Center; Danny had communicated. He gave a thumbs-up. Already emotional, I burst into tears. It was the first time that Danny had shown a voluntary response. My second gift was of course, Corbin Daniel Diaz. Corbin was born on Tuesday, September 20th at 10:06am. He emerged facing me, with one arm raised and I was blessed to reach down and bring him into the world. Again, it was such a bittersweet moment.

When Corbin was just five days old, I took him to meet his father. Danny was in his bed, knees bent. I placed Corbin on Danny’s lap and introduced him to his son. He just stared at Corbin. I wanted Danny to cry or say something, give thumbs up, just do something, but he didn’t. He just stared. I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be for me taking Corbin to Danny. I cried for Danny for he was missing out on his son’s life and I cried for Corbin for the father that was missing from his.

For me, the strongest evidence that Danny was emerging out of the coma, came on October 16th. Danny’s contacts at Killer Creek Harley Davidson had arranged a benefit ride in his honor. The ride would take the bikers past Shepherd Center and we got permission from Danny’s doctor to take him outside to watch the riders go by. I had prepared Danny for the trip, but as the riders drove by, you could see recognition come over his face and he began to cry. It was the first sign of true emotion to a stimulus that I had seen. Of course, we all burst into tears of joy and cried along with him. Thank you to all of you who participated. It was such a gift to me.

Danny spent a total of six weeks at Shepherd. He suffered pneumonia and MRSA, but progressed in small yet monumental ways. Danny gained movement and strength in his right hand and began to breathe without the additional oxygen. He continued his thumbs up/thumbs down method to communicate and graduated up to using his index finger for yes/no responses. Although, inconsistent, it was encouraging. Doctors felt that Danny was on the verge of breaking through, but there was a time limit in place for the program and Danny’s time was finished.

We spent two days in family training on how to work with Danny’s physical limitations and how to lead his recovery at home. It was not going to be an easy situation no matter how well we were trained. Danny’s parents and I were going to be the primary caregivers, yet I was also responsible for Corbin too.

On October 20th, we brought Danny home. It has been so nice to all be together in one place. Danny spent two weeks at home before we hit our next bump in the road. Danny had pneumonia and spent a week in the hospital. It was during that week that I had to return to work. Danny responded well to the antibiotics and we brought him home again on November 11th. Nine days later, we went back to the hospital for another set of infections and again one week passed and home we went. Two days later, on December 1st, Danny started vomiting which he had not done since that second night at Shepherd. Fearing aspiration, we called 911 and went to the hospital yet again. However, this time Danny stayed for two weeks to receive the full round of antibiotics.

It was incredibly frustrating for us and even more so for Danny, I’m sure, to be back and forth to the hospital. It also set Danny’s recovery back. Who wants to do anything when they’re sick? Danny had some breakthroughs despite the rounds of infections. He cried when I told him the story of Corbin’s birth and continued crying with me as I told him how I was feeling. I also heard him tell me he loved me. He had mouthed the words several times, but this time, I heard him. It was such a happy moment.

We’re home again now and have been for almost three weeks. Danny is getting stronger and we’re just glad that he is healthy. I will continue updating the site on Danny’s progress in the “What’s New” section of the site. Thank you for your support and prayers for our family. I know it is only through the strength of the Lord that I am able to walk this road. It is the prayers of the faithful that keep me going day by day.

Many blessing to you all, Allison