Saturday, April 2, 2011

Update: 8:00pm on 4/2

We are sustained, in Forrest's seemingly unending battle, by your love, prayers, and encouragement. He is valiantly holding his own tonight. He is being kept under deep sedation and is still on the ventilator. Serial CAT scans of his brain show little change. Every 12 hours, they lighten the sedation in order to assess his neurological status. It is a very brief window because he begins to fight the ventilator but is not strong enough yet to safely breathe on his own. Tonight, during this fleeting moment he lifted himself out of the twilight just far enough to respond to our urging and wiggled his right toes again. Then he began to cough and gag, so the IV sedation was cranked back up and he slipped away. The nurses here are working around the clock to maintain his vital signs and try to prevent pneumonia, while we work with the doctors to understand the reason for his rapid decline. It's so gut wrenching not knowing why this happened or how to turn him around. Surgical removal of his skull flap is still an option if he fails to make more progress in the coming days.

One of Forrest's other mothers, Valerie Lee, drove down from Virginia for the week-end to fill the void that my sister, Lobie, left when she flew out Thursday. Valerie insisted in relieving us of a few night shifts and has spent the last two nights keeping vigil and sharing the news from home with Forrest. Her love and optimism have provided us with a vital life line to our community, just when we needed it most. Austin, our first born and Forrest's champion, continues to amaze and inspire me with his gentle reassurance and steady strength. If I stumble and look down, he is always there to catch me. Kent leads the medical charge and is relentless in his pursuit of the answer that will knock down this wall between Forrest and his future. I am certain that together, we will claw our way out of this dark hole again and will be posting pictures of Forrest's winning smile soon.

With love to all,

Mum & Team Forrest

22 comments:

  1. We are keeping the faith beside you, across the miles. We love you and hold you close in our hearts, minds and prayers. xx

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  2. Forrest and Team 44
    We are waiting with you to see that picture of Forrest and his winning smile.
    Team 44, you guys make an amazing team. You have utilized everyones strengths to create the strongest front possible for Forrest. Your diligence will pay off. Keep kicking on, hopefully this will be Forrest last big hurdle!
    You are in our thoughts and prayers constantly.
    Love,
    The Selfes

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  3. We think of you and pray for you daily. Keep holding on to each other.
    You are all an inspiration.
    Warmly,
    The Bossermans

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  4. Can't wait for the winning smile picture...we know it will happen, but clawing your way out indeed is what must happen now. Bless you all and prayers for insights of "the fix" which will get him back on the road working his way home. The last picture on the voicethread says that! I've always told Forrest he is The Champ but I am declaring all of you champs for your never give up attitudes. We are right there with you all the way. Aunt Lynn and Uncle Ron

    PS. I have a special place of honor on my refrigerator wall of fame that is waiting for that smile picture.

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  5. May God be with Forrest and all of you tonight,and in the days and nights to come. Like someone said above, you are all a great inspiration to all of us!!

    Love, Joyce & Wilbur

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  6. Thinking and praying for all of you... love you!
    Lee & Lisa

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  7. Rae, your eloquent post is heavy with concern, love for your husband and sons, and gratitude for the tireless medical staff that surrounds Forrest. You are simply extraordinary in the face of this refining fire.

    I pray that these days of seeming little progress and resultant sedation are part of a grander plan to give Forrest's brain the rest it may require from his cranioplasty.

    I pray that the peace which passes all understanding replaces any fear or anxiety.

    I pray that each of you are able to get solid rest and to eat good food.

    I pray that you feel emboldened and strengthened by the faith and love of your family and friends.

    Amen

    Constantly covering u in prayer.

    Shannon



    I pr

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  8. I echo Shannon's wonderful post above. I love how she wrote maybe this is part of a grandure plan to allow his brain to heal from the recent surgery.

    Rae, as a new mom now, you are an inspiration to me of love and strength. Thank you for posting in the midst of such hard times to keep us all up to speed. Your words always touch my heart deeply. You are an incredible mum!!

    Please Jesus heal this wonderful young man and bless his amazing family!

    Love you all!
    Kelly, Brad, Ava and Chase:)

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  9. Dear Team Forrest,
    I pray our Lord God surrounds all of you with His healing Hands and His loving Heart. May His ever-present strength bring you strength and endurance. I know that with every word read, or typed, great love and energy is sent to each of you to support you through this seemingly unending trial. May each day bring new beginnings to build upon and return us back to the progress already once accomplished. My heart and prayers continue to be with you. Hugs, Viki

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  10. I like everyone else am sending my positive thoughts to all of you and Forrest. I know you have a team of people that you are working with and have wonderful resources but it sounds like you are still looking for some answers. For what it's worth there is a Dr. here in AZ at the Barrows Neurological Institute named Dr. Robert Spetzler. The following is a link to his information: http://www.bnaneuro.net/Pages/Docs/DrSpetzler.html

    He may be a great resource.....

    Christie Jones

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  11. Kent, Rae, Austin and Forrest,
    We all wish there was something we could do to help, or to fix everything. We will continue to pray for miracles and peace for the soul, for mental clarity when and where needed, and for physical strength and stamina for all. Love you guys!
    Bev, Frank, John and Susan

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  12. Kent,Rae,Austin and Forrest ,
    What a trial! We check in often and never cease to be amazed at the strength and resilience you all show. As a parent, I know that you would take his place in a heartbeat, but can't. There can be nothing more difficult than watching and waiting and we pray for your strength and for Forrest to be the fighter he has already proven to be! Clearly the apple does not fall far from the tree. Please be sure you are taking care of "you" and as many I'm sure have offered let us know if we can do anything to help support team Forrest!
    All our love and prayers,
    Rick and Julie Mitchell

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  13. Team Forrest, We follow the blog constantly and pray and pray and pray and then pray again. We've cheered the successes and shed tears too. We are as certain as you that this setback will pass because of the sheer will, fabulous medical care and unsurpassed support Forrest has. Forrest and 'Team Forrest' have lit up our lives with your love, courage, love tenacity, love, persistence, love, medical/technical knowledge and, did I forget, love. We stand by your sides in thoughts and prayers. Please take care of yourselves. And please, whatever we can do, give us the signal and we'll be there. We anxiously await that beautiful smile. All our love, Kerry, Linda, David and John

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  14. Spring finally seems to be here -- a time for hope, re-birth, and Resurrection.

    Hold fast, Team Forrest, you may be on the front line, but you have an entire cavalry behind you.

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  15. Our prayers are with you constantly. We know there is a light at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel. Keep faith. BELIEVE. We send our love and prayers for Forrest and for you. XOXO, Laurie and Steve

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  16. My heart aches for each of you! Please know my thoughts, love and prayers are with you!!
    Patti Brantley

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  17. Dear All:

    There are many people here in California sending prayers and hope your way. Hang on it is always darkest before the dawn.

    See you on Wednesday

    Sally

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  18. May this episode be a short half time rest before Forrest regains the strength to rally and lead the charge through the rest of his recovery.

    We can't stop thinking about all of our Stone-Allen heroes, and praying for all of you. Come on, Forrest. We need you to keep fighting. We all love you. We're all here for all of you.

    Carina and Caroline

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  19. Dear Rae, Kent, and Austin,
    We share your anguish! We are learning, through Forrest's arduous journey, that TIME is a variable of consequence. Forrest's body and brain apparently need this additional quiet time to heal. It is so hard to be patient when we all want to see Forrest up and active. Instead, right now, we have to go deep inside ourselves to that endless spring of love, patience, and knowledge, and understand that each of us is in the right place at the right time, including Forrest. He is in there fighting for his survival, a valiant battle that is demanding all his resources. We are ALL standing near, surrounding him with our collective arsenal of resources. We will be patient and steadfast in our support and love for all of you and in our faith in the positive outcome for Forrest. This unexpected quiet time of inner healing is hard to understand but must be part of the path to complete recovery. You are all constantly in our thoughts and prayers.
    Love,
    Diane and Jay

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  20. Here at Highland School we continue to hope and pray for Forrest. I think he'll enjoy the videos the students made for him earlier this week.
    There is a huge Team 44 here in Warrenton and we hold him close despite the distance.

    Hank Berg

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  21. Dear Rae, Kent and Austin,
    You are all in our continued thoughts and prayers. This morning at Trinity the service started with a moment of silence and prayer for Forrest and his family. The entire church was silent in prayer for a couple of minutes. I hope it reaches you all as a huge hug from home. Team Allen is amazing! Lots of hugs, xxx Love the Looney family. :)

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  22. Dear Team Forrest,
    My thoughts are with all of you during this time. The peaks and valleys of this journey is truly inspirational. Your positivity is endless...your love is unconditional...Team Forrest amazes me :)
    Sending my love,
    Krysta Walker

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