Sent December 4th 2007

I just want to touch base with you and give you a quick head's up. Suzanne was just last night moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. This is the biggest step forward she's made in the last few weeks. Her anxiety for the move is understandable, as she will go from a 2-1 nursing ratio to 6 or 8 or more to 1. However, they wouldn't have made the move had she not been ready.

Her physical therapy yesterday was quite extensive. Her range of motion in both her arms and legs is greatly improving. Although her right wrist and fingers are still quite swollen and hard to control, she is leaps ahead of where she was. There are still many more small surgeries to be completed to finish closing up the arms and legs, to graft some skin and to make her legs comfortable in the pending prosthetics. But for all accounts, she's doing well. For a while she was going back and forth with infections and high white blood cell counts, some grafts that didn't take and generally slow progress. If she could only see how far she's come, she would be amazed. We all are, but in her limited view she can't see her accomplishments, only her present inability to hold a fork or make a fist. Not to mention the fact she can't get out of bed.

But over the next few months the surgeons will be finishing up their tasks and the physical therapists will be working her muscles. Before you know it, she'll be walking out of there. There are some future moves planned. One move will be to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in DC and potentially another to the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore. The NRH handles many of the returning soldiers, who have prosthetic rehab to complete. And CNHC would be to do some reconstruction of her forearm and hand muscles, to improve grasping and dexterity. But that is further down the line.

I also want to send thanks to everyone for the cards and gifts for Suzanne and Gabby. They are all very much appreciated. The cards have been lining the walls in Suzanne's room. I look forward to getting her online and responding to everyone's email and letters soon.

For now…

Love,

Patrick