Cassie had a successful tracheostomy surgery yesterday evening. This morning she has been awake and very aware, even smirking at a few of the boys witty one-liners. She was even able to muster up her first words to the family saying “I love you too”. She is still too weak to have a speaking valve retrofitted, but she is beginning Occupational Therapy to increase her strength. They are getting her arms and head moving through a number of different exercises.
This morning she was also tilted upwards, where her hospital bed is able to move her entire body all the way up to a 60 degree angle to help stimulate the sensation of standing and move the fluid throughout her body. Both her left leg and right legs have pulses today, which the ICU team was unable to find earlier in the week. They are unsure what this means for her future functionality but will wait for her to be able to speak to the team to assess pain and movement. The goals of the team are to continue encouraging her to move her body and breathe on her own as she is looking to take significant steps in her recovery.
Additionally, Cassie has loved to receive videos and audio messages from her support group. If you have anything you would like to pass along to her, please send these directly to the family members so we can pass on your thoughts, motivation and prayers to her.
