annaitkis | The latest update on Dima

Dear Friends –

There is definitely significant progress… and, thank G-d and doctors, the challenges we are facing today are of a very different nature and level than a week ago. Very different.

If there are no unforeseeable complications, if unnecessary infections are avoided, the discussion on a go-forth basis will not be about whether or not my father will make it, but how long the rehabilitation process will take. That kind of a discussion is definitely a very welcome change…

He is off the sedation. His lungs are both working independently. The kidneys are getting better. And – most importantly – all signs seem to show that his brain should be intact. He is responding to voices and questions – by blinking, by nodding his head in a “yes” or “no” fashion,” and even by rolling his eyes when something preposterous is suggested. He smiles as broadly as he can at my mother’s and sister’s loving comments, and, almost equally broadly – at my stupid jokes. When I started repeating something that apparently my mother had already told him 15 minutes earlier, he gave me a clear sign of “My dear son, I’ve heard that one already. I have a headache. Don’t repeat something that I know already.” Fair enough.

Being that he is a Kazhdan, he seems to know what he wants – though, being that he is still intubated, he can’t voice his wishes… which, in turn, makes him understandably frustrated when we can’t figure out what he wants. He is moving his rather strong arms – occasionally rather actively… and the staff have had to gently tie down his arms a bit so that he not be tempted to pull out the intubations on his own accord. Apparently, self-extubation is against the rules in the ICU. Kind of a “don’t try it at home” policy.

Looking forward,
1. If all goes well, he should be extubated in the next day or so – i.e., the tubes from his throat will be taken out… which means, that he should be able to start getting his voice back, and will start eating normally.
2. He will require a pretty significant – but not out-of-the-ordinary – operation on the pelvis, but the orthopedists prefer to hold off a bit until they feel that my father gains some of his strength back, and that the risk of infections subside.
3. He will have to deal with some broken ribs, some nerve issues in his leg, perhaps some fractures in his leg, additional skin grafting… and a long and challenging rehabilitation process in the months – perhaps many months – ahead.
4. It looks like his sojourn in the ICU may be coming to an end in the rather foreseeable future.

Over the course of the past 9 days, there have been many rather “interesting” moments; some, however, borderline humorous. 2 days ago, a very nice police officer came to the ICU with a small vial, asking Saher, the head nurse, to draw some blood from my father for DNA purposes; in order to compare his blood to the traces of blood found on the truck. After receiving the family’s permission, the nurse drew the blood from my father’s arm – and returned the vial to the officer. As he handed the vial to the officer, he said rather nonchalantly, “just keep in mind, sir, that the patient recently received about 50 units of blood from 50 various donors – so you are likely to find the DNA of about 50 other people in this blood, but probably not his own.” Scratching his head, the officer admitted that this is a situation that he had never encountered in his 20 years of work, took the vial of blood, and said that he might return to take some hair samples instead. Curious to see what happens…

So this is where we are a week and 2 days after the horrific accident. At this point, the doctors say that the progress has been as good as, or even better, than they could have hoped/imagined last Sunday. At this point, my hope is that tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, I will be able to send a final “Dear Friends” email, telling you that the tubes are out of my father’s throat, that he is starting to speak, and that he is starting the slow but normal process to recovery. Hoping and praying.

With much gratitude, on behalf of all the Kazhdans,