Laurel

The Golden clan is a bunch of hotties. The Christopher has a great chest, but I think his sister, Julie, is going to have a spectacular rack when all is healed. I'm glad I'm married or else I would have no action with Julie around. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Yes, she did and Timmy is giving her shit about it (jokingly, of course). I'm sure Julie will go online and read this thread and see your well wishes. Be good, chica. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

I did speak to Julie tonight and she is doing great and is so happy. I know her back is thanking her right now. Attached is a pic of her pre-surgery. ((If you don't know Julie - she is the one in the pic with the big knockers)). ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Speaking of getting out of the house more - Wm and I decided we needed to get away from Mobile for a little while, so we threw some items in a bag late Tuesday night and drove to Key West. We had such a blast. We spent the night in Sarasota, got a pedicure and massage in Naples, drove through the Everglades, ate lunch in South Beach, drove the A1A to Surf Side, toured through downtown Miami, ate dinner at the Fish House in Key Largo, spent the night in Key Largo, drove to Key West to the southernmost point, toured the island, ate ice cream and hung out on the beach in Bahia Honda Key, ate Cuban food in Marathon Key, drove to Tampa and spent the night with Laura White and Gweedeaux, visited the Lowry Park Zoo's manatee hospital, got fresh oranges from Indian River, and drove back to Mobile. 3-days, 3-nights and just over 2000 miles. We had a blast and Wm is more with-it than ever before. The trip did wonders for him (and me). ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Yes, Wm is walking around the house without a walker and is remembering more and more. We will be going out to the DZ this Saturday and his mom's this Sunday to get him out of the house more. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

nice video, but to answer your original question - yes, I have BASE jumped without a rig - it's called cliff diving. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

The move went great. He is eating better and today he woke up so refreshed that we took a walk down the block and went to the dropzone to look around. He knew which exit to take off I-10 and each turn to make before I made them. We plan on taking a few trips to jar his memory more. Today was just absolutely amazing!!! As for renewing our vows. Ummm, maybe another bikini-clad wedding could be in our future.... ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

William had surgery Friday to fuse his C1 and C2 vertebraes and is doing remarkably well. He is walking by holding onto my shoulders and is becoming more lucid in his conversations. He still has very little short and long-term memory, but his brain is still bruised and will not completely heal for another few months. A funny little story: He told me how much he loved me and thought it would be a good idea if we got married. I told him, "Babe, I've got a little surprise for you; we already are." After a lot more healing time, I think he will be able to put the pieces together a bit better. He will remain in a neck brace for an additional few months, as well, but the good news is that.......he is coming home tomorrow! He will still need 24-hour care and we have about 10 months of rehab ahead of us, but I feel confident that I can care for him at home. Every doctor that followed William's care from Mobile to Shreveport said he would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, but the progress he has made since April 23rd has been nothing short of a miracle. Thank y'all so much for your well wishes and prayers. We are on our way!! ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

William had surgery on his neck today and all went well. They fused C1 to C2 with a rod, 4 screws and ground bone that they took from a notch in his spine. He will be in the hospital for an additional 7-10 days and I will then take him home to continue teaching him how to walk, feed himself, etc. His brain injury is still of concern, but I believe that will heal in time. We are looking at about 10 more months of recovery before we know what we are left with in terms of permanent brain damage. As for the neck, all is stable and he will not lose any flexion or extension but will lose about 20 degrees of lateral movement. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

I got him some cool skydiving pics to go on the wall and he loved them. Thanks for the idea. Also, speaking of CNN, we were watching it again this morning and they were talking about the Michael Jackson trial and he asked me who Michael Jackson was. He has a lot of memory loss, but it will return. And, who cares if he doesn't know who MJ is; MJ hasn't done anything great since PYT (Pretty Young Thing). ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Wm actually walked from his bed to the door of his room today with help standing up. It looks like more tests will be performed on his neck either tomorrow or Thursday and surgery is slated for next Friday. Lynette, one of William's friends, has gathered about 5 of her co-workers together to do therapy on Wm when he goes home. Lynette is an occupational therapist and she has physical therapists and a speech therapist in line. My goal is to have Wm come home rather than go in a care facility, but I need to ensure that his is somewhat mobile so I don't have any fears of dropping him on the floor or hoisting him up. I'm not a big girl and I can't carry him. The outlook for Wm is very good but all of the doctors have told me to look at about a year's worth of initial therapy. Cognitively, Wm is not all there but I have high hopes that this will come in time. i.e. Some days he says he is 67 years old and other days he says he is 20. Also, according to last week, it was the year 2003 but today it was 1928. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

As of today, he has a Passy valve that enables him to talk and he has been doing a lot of that. His speech is very garbled, but you can understand most of what he says. He seems very aware of his surroundings, who people are and is determined to get up and walk. We had to convince him to please wait for physical therapy to assist him out of the bed. When they arrived, he took two steps whilst being fully assisted in standing. The doctors are doing a final reevaluation to see if he needs surgery on his C1 vertebrae this afternoon. We have a long road ahead of us, but I think William will make a nice recovery. I want to thank each of y'all for your cards, emails, gifts, and phone calls. Your support has been the only thing getting me through this horrific time. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Day 20 - William is out of ICU and in his own room. As of today, he held up 2 fingers after being asked once, and he reached out to touch some flowers that Ian, Katie, Brie and Travis sent him (thanks guys). I almost started crying. His eyes are open and I am positive that he can hear and understand everything around him but just has a lot of trouble with his motor functions. He cannot move his legs as of yet, but I believe that is only due to his lack of motor function. He also cannot move his mouth to try to speak, but I know he is trying. These limited movements are a huge step and exhausted him to the point of heavy sweating and eventually a nice long nap, but I have to remember that the swelling in his brain has not subsided. That will take about 3 months. We are looking into nursing homes for William in the Pensacola area and will transfer him as soon as we find one that will take him. THANK YOU so much for your letters, cards, emails, and PMs. He is on his way to an incredible recovery only due to your love and his strength. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Here's the latest.... Day 14 - William is still unconscious, but tonight at our 8pm visiting hour, he made the first response to a verbal command. I asked him to hold two fingers out and he did. Since I thought he could hear me, I started to tell him where he was and what happened to him. In the middle of my rundown, I asked him to move a finger if he could hear and understand me and he moved the finger. So, I definitely think we are getting closer to him waking up. Edited to change "verbal response" to "response to a verbal command." I thought the previous sounded like he talked or something. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Day 12: William moved his left arm, right foot and is sticking his tongue out today. His breating is also MUCH better. I think he is trying to wake up. Also, he is getting surgery next week (if all goes well) to repair the torn ligament in his C1 vertabrae. This surgery is vital to prevent him from being paralyzed from the neck down. Things are looking up! ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

This is great information. Thank you so much. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Thank you. I am fine. It is growing harder as the days pass and William is not at home, but I have to remain strong and positive for him. My hopes fluctuate, but I just tell myself that I HAVE to keep the faith. No matter what happens to him, I will be there. He is the love of my life, the most importandt aspect of my life and I love him far more than anything else. The past 8 months we have been married have been happier than I thought life could ever be and I know that we will continue that bliss when he gets better. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that he is alive. As long as I have been in this sport, I just didn't think someone could have an accident that bad and survive. I am so lucky he is with me even in his state. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Good idea! I will do it tomorrow morning during visiting hour. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Day 10: Unconscious and nonresponsive, still. He got a tracheostomy and peg in his stomach today. He will get a filter tomorrow morning to prevent him from having pulmonary arrest if he throws a clot. His pneumonia is still bad but it looks like the contusions in his brain have gone down. Yeah! Lots of people have been sending him cards and letters, which I am saving (along with this thread) to read to him when he wakes up. He will be so overjoyed when he sees how much love has been sent his way. I am absolutely beside myself with the amount of outreach. I know William is the best human on the earth, but it is overwhelming to see how many people love him and how many people he has touched in this sport. If you would like to send him a card, you can send it to: University of Alabama Medical Center Attn: William Brightwell Surgical/Trauma ICU - 8th floor 2451 Fillingin St. Mobile, AL 36617-2293 Thank you thank you thank you everyone that has sent their love and prayers to him. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

William is having a lot of trouble breating due to the pneumonia. He is also having a few preventative measures taken before things worsen like a central line put in today. (I have been wanting one for 5 days, now). Tomorrow he will get a tracheostomy, peg in his stomach and a filter in his arterie. Other than that, he is still K.O.ed. It is becoming increasingly hard to come home to a Williamless house, but at least I feel like progress in proactive care for him is finally being taken. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

9am-10am 1pm-2pm 5pm-6pm 8pm-9:30pm ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Here I am. Day 6: William is still unconscious and unresponsive. I believe that his lungs are bruised and that is why he doesn't want to breath deeply on his own. I do think he is cognizent of his surroundings and pain and he just needs more time to heal before he is ready to wake up. His face is looking great, though. I think he might have his stitches over his eye taken out tomorrow. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

Day 5: He is still unconscious and on a ventilator. He is developing pneumonia and now has high blood pressure and high sugar. He is on blood pressure meds, antibiotics and insulin to alleviate those issues. We are hoping that he wakes up soon. I have been told that his progress might have to be measured in weeks rather than days. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M

I was elated this morning when I found out he had been talking but later on that morning, William's blood pressure shot up and his temperature spiked and he has lost consciousness ever since. I'm a very scared girl, but I just know he will pull out of this quickly. THANK YOU ... THANK YOU ... THANK YOU for all the phone calls and emails and pms and posts. The love feels so good and is keeping me upbeat, strong and sane.

Thank you all for your warm wishes for William's speedy recovery. His injuries are as follows: * Sliced joint in his right knee * Broken right scapula * C1 vertebrea fracture in 3 places with some bone shattered into the ligament (we are scared about this) * C4 fracture (not bad) * Hemmoraging to his brain - this is the most serious. He did seize at the scene. * Optic injury to his right eye (not specific at the moment) * I think he has mouth injuries that aren't specific, yet He is not conscious, yet, but I just know he will come around any day. He is VERY strong and is posturing when he needs more pain meds, which is a good sign. He got food today, which was quick! He is off sedation drugs to see if he can come out of his coma on his own. His blood pressure is high, but not scary and his heart rate is normal. He is also breating on his own, even though he has a ventilator. As for wingloading, # of jumps, etc. William was wingloading his FX 99 2.4:1. He has about 1000 jumps on this canopy alone. He was doing a tandem video and came in for a high performance landing during high winds. He had planed out completely (he was NOT living in the corner). According to people who saw the video, it seemed that William started to flair and realized he had no lift and that he was going to strike the hill going very fast. He droppeed both toggles at the last second and curled up in the fetal position to protect his internal organs. He struck the grass hill instantaneously and bounced about 30 feet into the air eventually landing on the concrete tarmac. His pilot chute tangled around one of the runway lights preventing him from hitting the fuel truck. He was wearing a Bonehead Composite camera helmet, which burst into more than 7 pieces upon initial impact. ..................................................................... PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074 My Pink M