Saturday, June 25, 2011

My Little Darlin, PT day 34, by David

Jan continues to talk a lot and sleep very little.  Most of what she says is nonsensical.  She will give a response to questions, sometimes appropriately and other times not.  Most of the time not or with a simple I don't want to or I don't know.  Many times she will respond with one of these last two even though I am certain she could give a correct response.  She can recall some past events but they are not necessarily accurate.  Her thought pattern has not changed significantly since yesterday.  She is becoming more active physically moving her lower extremities quite a bit now to the point of hanging them off the side of the bed.  We definitely have to keep the bed rails up as she could be unpredictable.  I have clearly seen some increased movement of her left arm.  Hopefully this will continue to increase.  Her tracheostomy was completely removed yesterday.  She still has her PEG tube and continues to receive her nutrition through this.  We have started giving her some ice chips by mouth which she eats easily.  There is no indication of swallowing difficulty.  Hopefully she will get to start eating normally soon.  The PEG must stay in for at least 6 weeks before it can be safely taken out.  Bottom line her body is doing a nice job of healing itself.  By all indications her neurological injuries are coming along as would be expected,  slow improvement but improvement none the less.

We will be headed to Shepherd center in Atlanta early Monday morning.  I have heard nothing but very good things about it and am excited to be getting My Little Darlin over there.

The DA agreed to listen to an interview taped by my attorney with one of the witnesses that we feel contradicts points that he would not bring felony charges against the person that did this to Jan.  It took him a month without keeping us informed as to what was going on in the investigation initially.  We will see if and or when he will give a response to this information.  He has the tape now.  Several attorneys have suggested that this should at least go to a grand jury to decide.

Do not forget what happen in the first place and we need to continue to be advocates to decrease tragedies like what happened to my Little Darlin Jan.  Bottom line this is truly much more important than what DA Allgood and the person that did this to Jan are doing. Please everyone join and support BIKE WALK MISSISSIPPI.  They are our focused, organized advocacy group.   The more active member they have the stronger voice they and any individual has.

To be a bit philosophical as an individual we can all do the right thing by simply (as former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says) self govern.  If each individual were to always self govern and do the right thing none of the preventable tragedies would occur.  This applies to sharing the road.  Preach to everyone you know that is a life biking, walking, running, working, etc and if you make any contact with them in your 2000 pound plus vehicle their life will end or be severely altered for the worse and yours will be severely altered (well it should be, if not criminally or civilly then at least psychologically).

Preach to everyone you know and self govern yourself about cell phone use while driving.  I will say again, a cell phone is a luxury and not a right.  Using it in a car will get you killed or even worse get someone completely innocent maimed or killed.  If you do this to yourself then you have been warned.  If you do it to someone else then you should go to prison for a long time or at least have nightmares about what you did for the rest of your life.  If you still use a cell phone and drive you are self centered idiot and have no concern for anothers life.  I am not without fault in my past cell phone use while driving but will no more.  Not even hands free.

Get off the couch.  This state and nation to put it bluntly are becoming a people that look like bloated ticks.  As a child I can remember one person that was morbidly obese.  Now if you look anywhere there appear to be more people approaching if not truly morbidly obese than healthy appearing individuals.  I recently heard the statement "all americans diet and all americans are fat".   It is not just the obesity, it is the the array of diseases that go with it that people seem to think is normal.  The cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and other inflammatory diseases that keep this state and nation very unhealthy.  Get out and do something for your self.  Participate and help make people on the road doing a healthy activity the normal rather than the exception and this will be a domino effect by making more and more people aware.  Plus you will be healthier.  This is not rocket surgery.

Thank you all for listening.  Thank you all for being concerned for My Little Darlin.  She has a long way to go but she is going.

SHARE THE ROAD, IT'S A LIFE
PUT THE !%@$# CELL DOWN PHONE BEFORE YOU KILL SOMEBODY
GET OFF THE COUCH
JOIN BIKE WALK MISSISSIPPI

I love My Little Darlin more than anything, she is my soulmate.
David

3 comments:

  1. I hope things are improving. I'll be able to post a link to my column addressing the issues related to Jan's situation tomorrow. I hope you'll like it. My aim is to try and improve things for cyclists, one reader at a time.

    Hang in there. It sounds like Jan is making remarkable progress, although I know it's not as swift as you would like.

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  2. Your doctor was wise when saying "good things happen slowly". It may be that right now, she needs lots of rest. Even healthy people can't think straight when exhausted. It must he frustrating for you both, but try not to worry overly if she doesn't answer most questions correctly right now. It is still early. If you feel calm, it will help Jan feel calm. You are both in our thoughts. Hang in there.

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  3. David:

    Thank you for regularly sharing news about Jan's recovery. Hang tough. The world will turn.

    I just read that the DA, Forrest Allgood, has reopened the crash investigation in response to mounting pressure from the public. The eyewitness reports of Robbie Norton's extreme negligence are jaw-dropping.

    Anyone who ever used a bicycle, or loves someone who does, should be up in arms about this. If the law in this area is weak then hopefully Jan's story will inspire support for a new 'vulnerable road user' law.

    Best wishes,
    -Ryan

    Link to NEMS360 story from June 28, 2011:
    http://www.nems360.com/view/full_story/14494896/article-DA-reopens-biking-case-after-outcry

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