Wiggle Worm

I spoke with Ra Jette this afternoon regarding Delgean's status/progress.  I was told that, "she's coming along like you wouldn't believe.  They call her the wiggle-worm."  She has a chair she sits in for therapy which she likes.  She stood up for really the first time today with very little help.  She held her head up straight and tall.  She is a "go-getter" with her therapy and is more and more responsive to what she is being asked to do.  She's not yet talking.  Her therapy focus is on keeping muscles loose and keeping her mouth loose and moving.  The family feels she may be getting a little bit of a feel for where she is at and why she's there.  She is making progress and the family reports she is noticeably better today than even one week ago. 

Levi travels to Flagstaff tomorrow to see if he can get his jaw de-wired.  He continues to do well.

Movin' On Up

Delgean was moved to St. Joseph's Hospital on Friday to begin the rehabilitation process.  That is a great step and a necessary one for her continued progress.  I'll get more details and get them posted...

Giant Steps!

Since there has not been an update for a few days...let me try and recap the great improvements Delgean is making:

Sat-Sun:  Delgean was very active.  She watched television, followed some commands and was moving around much more frequently.  It was a great day/night/day.

Sun-Mon:  One of the nurses came into the room only to find that DELGEAN HAD GOTTEN OUT OF BED!  Everyone was very excited about this.

Tues:  The physical therapist came by and sat Delgean up and began working with her.  She was showing signs of responding.  He put her on her elbow and she pushed herself all the way up to sitting.  The doctors are now discussing moving her to the pediatric floor of the hospital and monitoring her improvement there.  She is responding now to roughly 50% of commands given.  If they can get her up to 80% they will feel comfortable in moving her to another facility for rehab.

In short, really great improvements over the past few days!!!

By way of a report...the auction was a success.  Those who came were generous.  The Fillingim's are so appreciative of Norma's help, as well as everyone else that chipped in.

Auction Tomorrow!

Norma Livingston, a friend of John and Ra Jette's, has worked tirelessly to put together an auction to raise money for the Fillingim family.  It will be held in Show Low at the Village Arena tomorrow, Saturday 6/12.  I believe they will begin serving lunch around noon, with the auction beginning at 2:00 p.m.  If there is anyone that has questions or desires to donate an item to be auctioned, you can contact Norma at (928) 537-2045.  I met with Norma to get some of the details on the auction...she has been able to get some amazing items donated ranging from golf packages at Torreon and Pinetop Country Club...to an autographed Diamondbacks baseball...to everything in between.  I know the Fillingim's appreciate all of her efforts.

Also, we've been able to get the PayPal option on the blog for those wishing to contribute to the "Fillingim Donation Account" that has been set up by another family friend through the National Bank of Arizona.  Any donations made through PayPal will go directly into the National Bank of Arizona account.

Baby Steps...

Delgean continues to improve in increments.  A couple of days/nights this week she had a fever, but that seems to have corrected itself last night and today.  The doctors took a culture of what they thought was bacteria in her throat.  The initial tests after 48 hours look like everything is fine.  They will continue to monitor that.  She slowly is becoming more active...for example, yesterday she lifted her hips off of the bed and lifted her head up.  She is not responding as fully as the doctors would like her to, which means she may go into a "home" prior to relocating to Phoenix Children's Hospital or St. Joe's for rehabilitation.  Once she is responding like they would like her to while staying in a "home," they anticipate moving her for rehab.  In the meantime, she is receiving some physical therapy and is doing well.  Delgean has had visitors nearly every day, which is wonderful.  Ra Jette and John have drawn strength from so many that have shared experiences with them of family members who have suffered injuries and have recovered.  In short, Delgean is improving little by little each day.

Levi Makes An Appearance

There were rumors circulating that Levi was seen supporting his baseball team at some of their games. His friend Nika sent this picture of the two of them confirming the same. He is recovering nicely. He had an appointment in Flagstaff this week where they checked on his progress. He is healing more quickly than they had anticipated and may be able to get his jaw un-wired in 2 weeks!