Update #7 on Matt's Brother, Kevin

So, we got in last night and came to the hospital. Kevin had earlier stopped moving his leg. The thought was maybe he gotten worn out. We were told that he had moved it over thirty times. Angie and I have been very happy to be home with family and friends through this incredibly difficult time. In Italy, we were in a waiting game. We couldn’t walk down the hall and see him, or talk to him. But now we can. Angie and I have not hardly left his side since we arrived. We stayed in his room last night, giving other family a bit of rest.


An hour or so after arriving, Kevin was having trouble breathing, so they gave him a sedative/pain killer. Kevin had x-rays taken during the night, which has become somewhat regular. Two doctors came in this morning at different points to explain their areas of care. One doctor said they think he might be getting a touch of pneumonia, his lungs had blood in his lungs, which raised the possibility of pneumonia. The neurologist talked about several things. First, he said one area of major concern is that his eyes are unresponsive, no dilation of the eyes when confronted with light. The brain stem, where there are three blood clots (signifying damage to his brain stem) is the seat of consciousness. This adds to the fear that he could never wake up, since his eyes aren’t responsive.

The neurosurgeon said while the leg moving, itself is a good thing, it doesn’t tell us anything other than that the leg can move. For instance, it does not tell us if he can move his arm on the same side of his body and his leg. It does not tell us if and when he will wake up. But we will cling to the good of the leg moving and look for more good things like eyes opening. The neurosurgeon said we can talk to him as much as we want. He also said that it may still take a couple of days for all the sedative and major pain killers to wear off.

My prayer is for my big brother to wake up and take up the helm that he has held for his many years of protector and guardian of the family…whether we always liked it or not.

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and offers of assistance,
Matt & Angie