Thursday June 29

Dad has been moved to St. Mary's Hospital.
According to his new doctors, he will be undergoing intense therapy twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon.
We are not allowed to be there during these periods because the doctors do not want any distractions. This is great for mom because she'll be able to leave during these times for rest. St. Mary's is only 3 minutes from her house...soooo convenient!
They will be working him in all 3 therapy categories: speech, occupational, and physical. As for visitations, doctors want visitations to take place during the weekends only.  These are the days for rest. Dad will start seeing visitors on Saturday & Sunday July 10th & 11th. If you would like to visit dad, please email me to let me know when you might be coming in: davidv1@cox.net
The Valdez family would like to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support.

Tuesday June 28

Dad is still as sharp as a tack. He's starting to speak more and more each day. He's staying awake much longer during the day, starting to ask more questions and asking for food and drink. We'll find out today where they'll be sending him. They removed the trach button yesterday and early in the mornings, they stop the tube feedings so he doesn't feel full for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm going to sneak in some cold watermelon later today. It's just a matter of time before you'll all get to see and talk to him. Hang in there.

Monday June 27

I arrived to the hospital at 7:15 pm last night. It was my turn to spend the night. Dad was very much awake and alert. Since we were told he could eat anything soft, I made some lentil soup and sneaked it in to try. As expected, he loved it. The food here is so bland. I also brought him a small container of mango sorbet...yum. We read the paper together and I shared some photos I have on my computer of the events that have taken place since his accident and photos that some people have sent me. Some he recognized and others he did not.  I tried this memory technique last week without any real excitement or emotion from him. What a difference a week makes. This time he smiled, mouthed out names and for those he didn't recognize, I said their name and then he remembered. He had a great night sleeping!
They just finished his last chest x-ray. I suspect it will come out a-okay & negative. If correct, the button from his trach will come out this morning. He'll most likely get transferred to another rehab facility tomorrow. Things are really starting to look very good for JV. As soon as we transfer him to his new rehab facility we'll start scheduling times for visitors. He's really doing great!

Sunday June 26

Day off!

Saturday June 25

Short blog today.
He had some spinach, soft chicken, steamed apples and some nectar yesterday.
Lisa and I just came back from visiting 2 in-patient rehab facilities. I'll let you know which one his insurance approves and when he'll be moved.
A bit of dad's humor comes out: When dad was placed in a special chair which allowed him to stand upright, the physical therapist said, "I'm almost as tall as you". Dad responded out loud, "Almost".

Five Weeks Today

It was my turn to spend the night. He just keeps improving at a steady rate. The doctors gave him the swallow test this morning and he did pretty good. They're going to keep the button in another two days just in case. Because, he keeps a little bit of liquid in the back of his mouth which means he doesn't completely swallow. They want to make sure this residual doesn't seep into his lungs when not aware. He can now eat soft foods and drink small amounts of water. I'm going to have to sneak in some Menudo broth soon...just kidding!
The button from the trach will stay in another 2 days and I believe, they'll be moving him to an in-patient facility sometime Monday or Tuesday. Not sure yet which one. He's smiling, making faces, moving around in his bed a lot more. He's waking up! yeah!

For those that may want to attend a prayer mass for dad at the Cathedral, the following dates have been set aside:
Tuesday June 28th  7:00 am
Wednesday June 29th  7:00 am
Thursday June 30th  7:00 am
Sunday July 10th   10:00 am

Thank you Elva

Thursday June 23

Dad was so exhausted yesterday, we couldn't wake him up for his speech therapy session. They even had apple sauce ready for him. He had a great physical therapy workout and sat in his chair for an hour and a half. The doctors removed his trach and placed a button in it's place. This means there is not a tube going down his throat. This button will be in for the next couple of days as a precaution to see if he has any complications swallowing. While Lisa was there last night, they gave him some ice chips. She said he swallowed just fine. He even started snoring a little. This is a true sign he's returning back to his normal self. LOL! We got him a CD player/radio for Father's day and Uncle Lionel recorded some special music CDs. Most of the songs are from his era of growing up. He tapped his fingers to the beat of Los Panchos and listened happily with his eyes shut.
The staff is so amazed and impressed with the progress he's made thus far. Let's see how he does today during speech therapy. That's if he's able to stay awake. He's a fighter.