Dad's Update XV - 2/10/10

 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. (Nehemiah 1:11a)

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 4:1)

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:24)
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While many good events have transpired in recent weeks as Bryce relocated to the U.S., this is a time for prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for protection and guidance during a very uncertain time. Bryce’s need for a fourth surgery, my need for employment, and Meg’s ongoing recovery from her blood clot surgeries have brought us to ask for more intense and focused prayer. We ask our friends and family to pray and petition with us for wisdom, discernment, guidance, and courage over the next few months.

Successful Relocation:
On January 18, 2010, a medical nurse and I escorted Bryce from Switzerland to the United States. We were blessed with good weather, eight successful wheelchair/plane/seat transitions, no pressure sores of significance, and no sudden medical surprises. Flying business class was key. Bryce had a nice farewell gathering amongst SPZ friends and staff and bid goodbye to his home of the past 4.5 months.

After almost 24 hours of travel time, we arrived at Craig Hospital in Denver, welcomed by the warm smiles and laughter of nine Colorado College friends who trekked the 50 minute drive up from Colorado Springs. While everything slowed down that first week amidst administrative tests (by Craig’s staff), Bryce is now settled into a nice single suite, again with a view of the mountains - this time his beloved Rockies. Craig has a warm, professional, and welcoming staff that jumped quickly to welcome their new charge. Bryce came to appreciate his new surroundings quickly, relishing the American food and language, but also gained a stronger appreciation for the SPZ (i.e. daily shower and shave versus every other day at Craig). I told him he was back in cowboy country so “get with it!”

Early on, my nephew Andre Turrettini (who lives in Denver) visited and took me out to chill over good Colorado beer. I took Bryce out to Caribou Coffee for a trip down memory lane (our years in Atlanta, GA). Since day one in the U.S., Colorado College friends have visited regularly, providing wonderful uplift to Bryce’s spirits amidst the pain and anguish of losing his left arm again. This past weekend, he was able to transfer to a rental car with assistance from his mother and Uncle Glenn and take a ride up to Frisco near Breckenridge to breathe in the Rockies more fully. While all these visits and trips are blessings, we suspect that such events are bittersweet, triggering lots of deep pensiveness, feelings of loss and change, and outright sadness. The road to recovery remains full of bumps, both physical and psychological, but Bryce is adjusting well and continues to look forward.

Medical Update:
Bryce lost most of the feeling and strength in his left arm, for the second time, right before leaving Switzerland. New MRI scans show a growing cyst above the scar zone – essentially fluid building up above the C4-C7 lesion zone up to C1. The Craig neurosurgeon believes this to be the primary cause of the left arm loss (the second time), whereas the first loss seems to have been related to pinched nerves (early on in the surgery recovery process) as his surgical plate had shifted. The Swiss doctors had similar thoughts, and originally recommended moving cautiously to give it time to be very clear, but now agree with the Craig doctors to move forward with surgery. Bryce has decided to proceed with the surgery with the hope of regaining left arm functionality (55% favorable probability) and reducing risk of further loss. However, there is the serious risk, albeit a low probability, that Bryce could also lose mobility in his right arm after surgery, and/or even have to go back on a ventilator. I have reached out to two other U.S. neurosurgeons at KennedyKrieger and The Miami Project to gauge their thoughts on this very important surgery.

Last week, the Craig team presented Bryce’s preliminary review. While the upcoming surgery precludes setting target completion dates and goals at this time, his review was quite good. Craig will help him maximize his skills and independence, assuming only the right arm is usable going forward, but if the left arm strenthens, they will quickly adjust his therapies. He has returned to the pool, engaged in functional electronic stimulation (lower body strengthening), practiced standing therapy, and taken various SCI education classes. Other ADL (Activities of Daily Living) therapies will pick up steam too. We just purchased an assistive communications device to improve voice access to his cell phone (203-232-2705) and Skype (braff68), and help him respond effectively to emails (braff68@gmail.com) through dictation. He continues to read his emails, Facebook wall postings, and the NTAF guestbook; with practice and time, he should initiate more communications.

Financial:
Bryce is applying for SSI and Medicaid coverage in Colorado, where he may choose to live after completing his final two years of college. This should help with health insurance coverage going forward, particularly with ADLs that aren’t covered by insurance. More to come on his financial needs and goals later in the spring once we have post-surgical clarity and the application is approved.

We are exceedingly thankful to Trinity College Alpha Delta Phi brothers, Doug Bennett and Steve Slade, who organized a most enjoyable fundraiser for Bryce at Dad’s old fraternity. Over sixty brothers returned for the festivities, which included an auction of various items and donated golf outings. One generous brother donated a $10,000 anonymous matching gift, while another generous friend of a brother donated $5,000. The total raised approximated $62,000: almost $50,000 going to the NTAF to help cover Bryce’s sizable first year uncovered expenses and about $12,000 going directly to the undergraduate fraternity to help them with their capital needs – a big win for both parties! Thank you dear brothers!

We also thank Juliana Hatfield, an indie singer/songwriter and friend of Meg’s from Duxbury, MA who has solicited support from her fan base via her website as she releases a new album February 16th. Check it out at www.julianahatfield.com.

We are close to ironing out final details for a longer term supplemental trust for Bryce.

Other:
Things related to Meg and Keefe have settled down to normal again. Meg is strengthening daily and getting some extra exercise, but we did experience yet another surprise freak accident where a large heavy sign fell suddenly on her head a week ago, prompting an emergency visit to the hospital and a CT scan. Since she is on blood thinners, these types of things are scary – and this one was really bizarre!

The Naval Academy Foundation has contracted to sponsor Keefe to The Kent School, in Kent, CT for a post-graduate year to prepare him for formal entry to The Naval Academy in the summer of 2011. Nationally, Kent is a crew powerhouse and will be a superb place for him to train. Additionally, we have the blessing of providing special urg & sculls training for Keefe with a former Russian national crew team member this summer. We give thanks to God for Keefe’s acceptance to the Naval Academy’s Foundation Program as well as Meg’s protection from serious injury. I am looking forward to Annapolis visits and we are REALLY proud of Keefe’s accomplishment through the grueling admissions process under very difficult circumstances.

I am now fully networking again for employment opportunities. A few things are bubbling in the private placement and banking sectors, but I could certainly use more activity and doors opened as the interruptions from Bryce’s situation made my search inefficient over the past 5 months. As a seasoned fixed income corporate analyst and portfolio manager, I welcome any suggestions on leads, contacts, etc. My focus has been in debt private placements, public bonds, bank credit/portfolio management, loan review, and mezzanine debt.

Specific prayer requests:
We will be on our knees the next few weeks as we pray for God’s plan for Bryce and for overall decision-making guidance and wisdom. Please pray that we would:
• Acknowledge God’s sovereignty, trust His plans for us, and patiently wait for resolutions in His time, not our time.
• Gain wisdom, discernment, and confidence, through this challenging time with Bryce.
• Believe in and see successful spinal cord surgery and recovery of Bryce’s left arm functionality.
• Help Bryce focus on setting goals and maintaining a positive attitude as he pursues aggressive rehabilitation at Craig.
• Have success with other planning items (Jennifer’s home remodeling, Bryce’s college financial aid, SSI/Medicaid application, long term nursing care staffing, and finalization on a long term supplemental needs trust structure).
• Trust that God will provide the “right” job that fits our present needs and circumstances.

Thanks for standing in the gap for us. For all those who have supported Bryce, thank you! You have all been such a blessing and inspiration to us and we delight in gratitude for your love, sacrifice, and generosity.

With gratitude and in Him,

John

Bryce’s webpage: http://www.ntafund.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/815E84D4-9B4D-12A9-3B8B55A769EC3F1C