So, we would like to ask a huge favor of anyone living in the area...please come visit! Dad is still at Presbyterian/St. Luke's in downtown-ish Denver, in the ICU. He has incredibly open visiting hours -- the ICU is only closed to visitors from 7-8 am and pm. Just walk on in to the ICU (the door in is at the very back of the ICU waiting room, sort of hidden behind a post), and if it's your first time, ask any of the nurses for Ed Hollingshead's room. He's in room 11 at the moment, if you're shy about asking. :)
A few things to note:
- Please keep a positive attitude! We want to surround Dad with positive thoughts and feelings. I know it can be a little difficult at times, but give it a shot. :)
- Dad is in a coma, so he won't be responding to you verbally. Look for his shoulders or his eyelids to twitch in response to your voice.
- We're looking for auditory stimulation here, since we've heard of people who recalled things that they'd heard while in the coma. Providing this kind of stimulation to a comatose friend can be a little challenging! If you can, I highly recommend bringing someone with you when you go to visit -- that way the two of you can banter back and forth, and include Dad in the conversation. If you're visiting by yourself, I recommend bringing a book and reading aloud from it. Dawn & Brian & I have been reading _The Shack_. We also enjoyed listening to Brian read from a book of jokes. And of course, Brian & Dawn & Jim have been reading from the Bible, too.
- The doctor plans to put Dad's brain flap back in sometime next week (yay!). Until then, though, Dad's head does look a little weird, sort of caved in on the left side of his forehead. It's actually a good sign, and tells us that the brain swelling has gone down...but it's a little startling at first, so I thought I should warn you all.
--Kristy
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Kristy, your mom called me today with this information. I've already passed it on to the choir members and the ministers at CUC. We are taking over meals now -- I'm heading to your mom's in a few minutes to drop off mine. I hope to get down to the hospital tomorrow. Prayers go out to you, too, as we know how difficult it is to be so far away. Blessings, Karla Robinson
Marion--Will drop by soon. Right now busy taking my turn helping with a friend in the hospital (graveyard shift plus, for me) and f.-in-law still here. Will try to bring someone with me. Was so worried, but things look hopeful now. Thanks SO much for update. Cherry
Thanks for the heads up Kristy. Me and the other guys from my crew (Ross & Rick - we worked for your dad) are going to go see him on our next day off, on Monday. I can't wait to see him, although I know it's going to be difficult. I promise we'll keep the tone light and uplifting! Cherie
Hi all, this Johnny Getha (I call myself John but Ed always called me by my given name), one of Ed's co-workers. I and my son Greg (14 going on 20) visited Ed on Saturday (1/24) about 10:30-12:00. I brought a book to read to Ed entitled "How to Stay Humble When You're Smarter Than Anyone Else". I can't say Ed enjoyed the humor, which was marginal. But during our visit I sensed a very strong presence from Ed and the Lord. I told Ed the Lord will heal him and when he walks out from that hospital, I want to be there. I know this may be a "stretch" but this was a spiritual experience. In any case, Ed looked very well considering what has transpired. The technician briefed the doctor on duty that Ed's hematocrit was low; they decided Ed needed blood and proceedeed to get a crossmatch, etc. About 11:15 we found out Ed was about to have surgery to replace the "flap" (great news); hope everything went well. Ed seemed to be resting well when we left, especially once they cleared the trach tube. Again, Ed (as I sensed) is still there and needs visitors and our prayers; God is with Ed, I know it! If anyone is hesitant to see Ed because they might see associated disgusting things, the conditions are very tolerable. My son was very comfortable. Please try to overcome any such fear and go see Ed and tell him how much we'd like him back.
God bless Ed and thank you Lord for the progress so far.
If you go to see Ed at St. Luke's make sure you sign the board on the left front side of the room. Take Elevator A to the 2nd floor; you might run into a few very nice pediatricians along the way.
We're at 303-841-3961 if anyone has questions about my visit.
Marion
I will come by as soon as I am completely sure I've recovered from a cold I picked up this week - no one wants me in an ICU in my current state.
We are rooting hard for Ed and encouraged by this latest progress.
Bill Cabrall
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