Day 15 - 3/9/2010

Justin had to work through lunch today, so this update is from me.

Apparently Nephi's sleep schedule is reversed, and now the night staff is stuck with a wide awake wild man all through their shift. Last night the nurse even took him on three laps around their area of the floor to no avail, still only 45 min of sleep last night. So in the morning he is wasted, and during the day he keeps taking deep-sleep naps. Today my task was to try and keep him awake as much as possible. Not an easy job. I kept poking at him (not in the eye though), talking to him, and trying everything else keep him up.

The medical updates are that he hasn't had a fever since yesterday, his white blood cell count is down even more, so they are thinking the infection is getting taken care of. He got new customized splints for his hands. His brain swelling has gone down a lot so you can see a big indent in his head. They said that they will probably put the "bone flap" back on once there is no sign of infection in him.

In an attempt to keep him up I was looking for stories to tell so I told him the whole story of the accident. I told him he fell and where. He did hand gestures to show that the peak at the house has weird angles. I told him he was flown out of the cul-de-sac and he said he knew the one I was talking about. I told him he was hurt so badly and bleeding so much that they told me he would probably not make it through the surgery. I said I was so happy he was still here, and he smiled and said he was too. I told him about all the cuts and tubes and all the crazy scars he was going to have to show off in a swimming suit. He smiled and asked for a high-five. All through the story I kept worrying I was telling too much, that he would get nervous or scared. But he kept asking questions and told me to keep talking. I was really nervous to tell him about his head, because how do you tell someone part of their skull is in the freezer?! Well, apparently if they are Nephi Moon, you just tell them. I told him at first I couldn't even tell it was gone because his face and his brain were so swollen, but that now the swelling has gone down and you can see the dent in his head. He said to take a picture. I said that we should. He said "No, take a picture now. With your phone. I want to see." So I did (he smiled for the camera) and when I looked at it I asked if he was sure he wanted to see because it was pretty creepy. He said yes so I reluctantly showed it to him. I asked if he thought it was creepy and he just got a big smile on his face and shook his head no.

Now for a note on me:

Yesterday, Marcia (Nephi's mom) gave me a quote from Neil A. Maxwell. I am posting it because I know people have been wondering about how I have been doing, and those that have been around me have wondered how I am holding myself together so well. All I can say is that I have had a strength in me that I have known from the start was not mine. This quote says it perfectly:

"Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings."