Thur 1:45 PM

Hi,

Some people have been asking how Bev handled the flight home. The following is an extract from an e-mail to my sister.

Yes, Bev did have a hard time with the flight.  It is impossible to say how much she is aware of when her eye is open. We haven't been able to be absolutely sure she is making contact with us although we are convinced she knows we are there as she follows us closely when we move and seems to have real intelligence and comprehension in her eye. You can also see a lot of aprehension in her eye when things start to happen.  The flight was rough for her from all of the jostling to get her on an ambulance stretcher, into an ambulance and then squeeze her into the aircraft. The space inside the aircraft is very cramped and confining.  At best there is just enough room for 2 family members and 2 nurses plus Bev (plus the pilots of course ) but the 2 family members would be almost sitting on top of each other. During the flight Bev's heart rate went up, her blood pressure increased and she had considerable trouble trying to breathe on the portable respirator.  All of the moving around must have loosened up the congestion in her lungs and she had to be suctioned quite often to keep her airways free of congestion.  The nurse administered a sedative during the flight but Bev didn't settle down until she was in St. Mikes and had received another sedative. By the time I left her this morning she was resting comfortably. 

The time it took from being in her room in San Antonio to being in her room in Toronto was 4.5 hours. The actual flight from liftoff to touchdown was 2 hours and 5 minutes. If you have flown commercial you may not believe it. The Learjet is very fast and with a 60 mph tailwind was doing a groundspeed of over 900 mph according to the pilot.

As far as visiting is concerned, I expect it will be open to anyone by the weekend.  2 people at a time. Visiting hours 11AM to 9 PM with an hour break from 7-8 for a nursing shift.  Today and tomorrow the hospital will be starting from scratch with Bev so she will be undergoing a lot of tests. Jackie is there today.  I will go tomorrow along with Bev's brothers if they wish.

I will keep in touch as the situation at St Mikes gels.

Dave
Jackie just called to say Bev's left eye is open and her right eye is partially open, she is wiggling her toes.  Jackie confirms it is hard to tell just how much Bev comprehends at this point, so anyone thinking of visiting Bev should be aware of this.

Feels good to be home in spite of the cold that hit me hard when I got off the plane. Nothing like a ride in an ambulance up Yonge St from the Gardiner to St Mikes with the sirens going to get your adrenaline pumping.