Hello everyone. Just wanted to update you on Chris's condition. First, though, thank you again for the messages you posted. It really meant a lot. Even though I don't know many of you personally, the power of community is tangible, and I thank you for that.
Enough of the sappiness. Here's the update on Chris:
He has been under heavy sedation since his collapse Wednesday morning. They started weening him off the sedatives yesterday, but he still requires a breathing tube, though they've also started lowering the amount of oxygen he's been getting.
Long and short of it: YESTERDAY WAS A GREAT FUCKING DAY!!! If I didn't say it in my original post, my brother is the toughest mf'er I've ever met and has been through so much. Here's why yesterday rocked my world and was a life changing moment. Cliche to say that, I know, but trust me, it was.
Whenever hospital staff wanted to talk to Chris, they would talk louder than normal due to the heavy sedation Chris was under. He almost always responded upon request to nurses and doctors with a toe wiggle or hand squeeze. But yesterday, that dude was a toe wiggling/hand squeezing beast! I would ask him to wiggle his toes for a yes, and if he didn't wiggle, I would turn the question around to verify he meant no. For example, "Did you hear me playing Motley Crue?" Wiggle! The funny thing about that is I swear to God he was trying to play air guitar, so I asked him, “Wiggle your toes if you were trying to play air guitar.” Wiggle. I knew he could hear me! “Do you feel better today than you did yesterday. Wiggle your toes for yes.” Wiggle. “Am I funnier than you?” NO WIGGLE! WTF?! “Are you funnier than me? Wiggle for yes.” Wiggle. “You prick!” Anyone with a sibling will understand that dynamic. Yes, I call my brother who was clinically dead for almost an hour a prick. Do not judge me!
I kept telling him that as the sedation wears off, he's going to become more and more aware of the various tubes in his nose and mouth and that he needs to relax so as not to stress his heart as he comes to. Various family members told him how much they loved him and how proud we all are of him. He started crying, as he grasps the enormity of what happened. I doubt he remembers anything about why he's there, but the fact that he could hear us while he was out of it is something I will take to my grave. I can't wait for him to tell us about whatever he can remember as he lay in that bed for so long.
There were other moments that made the afternoon so memorable, but here's the best: his wife got to bring baby Zoey into his room. And though still somewhat sedated, Chris opened his eyes to see his baby. AMAZING!
I will try to provide updates as they come. Chris is still very sick. He's waiting for a transfer back to Loyola and their cardiac transplant unit. What lies ahead in the immediate future is unknown in terms of him leaving before he gets a new heart or what. We aren't at Loyola yet, so we don't have an answer. We do know that what happened Wednesday didn't affect his heart too badly, as his ejection fraction remains at 15. He's been living with that for awhile, and though it's not ideal, I'm not sure what is going to happen once he's transferred to Loyola. All I know is yesterday was fucking awesome.
I will end with this: being able to have someone hear you say “I love you” when you didn't think you'd get that chance again is quite an experience. I'm still on cloud 9 and can't wait to see him today for more toe wiggling and hand squeezing.
We should celebrate!