Tommy continues to see doctors

Tommy had several doctor appts. this week. He has developed trouble around the halo pin sites. He will see a plastic surgeon next week to evaluate and plan a procedure to help clear up the sites. He continues to be so patient as doctors evaluate, poke and examine his head. The good news is his neck feels stable! Thank you for continuing to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

December 15, 2009

Tommy begins physical therapy!

We are almost at the 7 month mark post injury and Tommy has started physical therapy. Two weeks ago Tommy had xrays which showed the fracture lines have disappeared. Although the bones are not perfectly aligned the fractures have healed. He was able to remove the brace and left the office a free man! He said it was "good to feel wind on his neck". We are so grateful! Tommy will return to radiology for a CT Scan in 6 weeks. We are hoping he remains stable and will not need the surgical fusion.
Once again, thank you everyone for all your support throughout this process. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful family and amazing friends.
Tommy and I will be in Sacramento in January attending a National Athletic Trainers Assoc. Call to Action Summit. Tommy is a living testimony to the serious need for qualified, certified and licensed athletic trainers caring for our athletes. We need to get this very important bill passed in the state of California!
We wish you all a very Happy Holiday....thanks again for all the prayers,thoughts,letters,emails etc.

November 17, 2009

We are so grateful to report Tommy is doing well! Last week he met with Dr. Taylor for a quick check of his former pin sites and to follow up on xray results. The fractures continue to heal. In 2 weeks he will have flexion and extension xrays to evaluate the ligament. We continue to hope and pray the ligament is intact and Tommy will not need surgery. He is thankful to be out of the halo and actually resuming a decent level of activity. He has started coaching the JV basketball team at Santa Fe and is working on helping to develop programs for Advocates for Injured Athletes. I cannot tell you all how wonderful it is to see him regaining some sense of normal life! Once again THANK YOU for all your continued thoughts and prayers. We will let you know the results of the flexion / extension xrays in 2 weeks.

On another note, please continue to keep the Wardrips in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you to all of you who have donated to Advocates for Injured Athletes on behalf of Will. We miss him terribly...beyond words. It is amazing the impact one person can have in your life.....Will made everything fun with that incredible smile and the gregarious personality. As most of you know our family lost Emily( she was 21) on December 18th 2004. She too was known for an infectious, beautiful smile. I am posting her picture. Like Will , Emily brightened up the world. We miss them both and grateful for everyday we had with them.

November 3, 2009 - In loving memory of Will

When Tommy was injured in May 2009 on the lacrosse field, Will's Dad, Dr. Wardrip rode with us in the ambulance to the emergency room and stayed with us the entire day until Tommy was transferred into the ICU. He has kept a constant eye on Tommy and his progress. Last week when Will was killed, Dr. Wardrip and his wife Sarah met with Tommy and made their request that all donations in Will's memory go to the foundation inspired by Tommy, Advocates for Injured Athletes , www.injuredathletes.org. Our entire family was humbled as we witnessed the very emotional conversation between Tommy and the Wardrips. We had no idea the foundation we were starting would be needed so quickly. Will Wardrip inspired many and we will help his legacy continue.

Will Wardip...In Loving Memory November 12,1992 - October 25, 2009

It is with great sadness that we post photos of our dear friend Will Wardrip who passed away early Sunday morning. He was a very close friend of both Tommy and Jeffrey.....a close friend to ALL that knew him. His smile will be forever etched in our hearts. We love you Will. Please keep the entire Wardrip family and the community in your thoughts and prayers.

Jeffrey and Will before Homecoming

Number 20 Will on the Lacrosse field

Newspaper Article

Advocates for Injured Athletes

On Saturday "Advocates for Injured Athletes inspired by Tommy Mallon" will launch our first fundraiser. The fundraiser will take place at the Santa Fe Christian Varsity Football Game at SFC @ 2:00p.m. The Santa Fe Christian Boosters and the BBQ Company Holy Smoke will be donating all proceeds from the BBQ to Advocates for Injured Athletes. We are on our way to making a difference for athletes that suffer traumatic injuries! We are waiting for our 501c3 status so until then donations will not be tax deductible but will still be helpful to athletes and athletic trainers. If you cannot attend the game and eat a delicious BBQ sandwich but want to make a donation you may mail a donation to :
Advocates for Injured Athletes
3830 Valley Center Drive Ste.705-523
San Diego,CA 92130
THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Tommy Update 10/21/09

Hello friends,

What a week.......THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! Last week on Tuesday Tommy went in to see Dr. Taylor to have an infected halo pin site evaluated. Dr. Taylor decided based on the healing progress Tommy has made in the halo it could be REMOVED!!!!! Tuesday morning Tommy transitioned out of the halo and into a Cervical Thoracic Brace( as seen in photos). We were thrilled!!!! Early Wednesday morning Tommy was in severe pain and admitted into the emergency room. After repeat xrays and CT's nothing had changed.... gratefully no setbacks. Some patients can experience pain when transitioning out of a halo device. Tommy was discharged and has been stable since! Thankfully!!!!!

His next CT will be in 2 weeks. There is STILL an outside chance Tommy may NOT need surgery......so please keep up the thoughts and prayers that the ligament is intact and the bones continue to heal.
Tommy's best friend Matt came home to surprise him this past weekend. All of you continue to help carry him through this process....THANK YOU. Tommy is being a good sport( even though he looks grumpy) about letting me photograph him.....it is important to all those family members (especially my mom and Pat's mom )who have not been able to visit him to at least see him in photos!!!!
Love to you all

Monday October 5th

Tommy and Rikki ( the Athletic Trainer ) pose very reluctantly!!!! The National Athletic Trainers Assoc. will run a story on Rikki and Tommy in their National Magazine. I will let you know when the story goes to print. Rikki's professional training combined with her firm decision to immobilize Tommy saved his life and saved his neurological function. We are forever grateful and we hope this story will highlight the value of having a Professionally Trained and Certified Athletic Trainer on every high school field across the country. Tommy had a great weekend with a surprise visit from Kelsey Huff who flew in from Oklahoma! And Patrick and Alex were home from UCLA for the weekend . Thank you to ALL college freshman that continue to stay in touch with him via skype, phone, text etc. We are in month 5 from the date of the accident....Tommy continues to be the most inspirational person I know.....EVERYDAY through his attitude alone he helps me and those around him put the "small stuff" in perspective.

Tommy Update 9/23/09

Dear Family and Friends,

4 months ago today Tommy's accident occurred. I have attached a recent photo of Tom, his lacrosse jersey that was cut off in the ER hangs above his head! Thank you for all your continued support. We read every text, email, letter etc. Tommy is taking one day at a time in the halo. He is quite sedentary due to halo pin issues. A lot of you ask "How does he sleep?" He has a hospital bed which allows him to recline to a (somewhat) comfortable level. He has another 2-3 weeks left until the next CT scan to evaluate the healing progress. We are hoping for more good news.

We are moving forward on building a foundation to help other injured athletes. "Advocates for Injured Athletes " inspired by Tommy Mallon will be launched on Oct. 24th. more details to follow.

We have met and /or spoken with many professional, very special people over the last 4 months. I have been in touch with Steve Stenersen , the CEO of US Lacrosse and Eve Becker- Doyle CEO of National Athletic Trainers Assoc. Both individuals were genuinely interested in Tommy. Whenever there is an injury of this magnitude hopefully something good can be learned by the process. My mission is to spread the word about Rikki's role in saving Tommy's life and saving his neurological function by immobilizing him. We are hoping his injury and the immediate treatment he received will shed light on the importance of having a qualified,confident athletic trainer on the field.

Tommy's CT Scan Update

On Wednesday we received preliminary reports from Tommy's CT scan. The results show evidence of healing in progress. This is GOOD NEWS! The goal of the time in the halo is to allow healing of the fracture lines to prevent having to fuse Tommy's skull all the way to c3 vs. a fusion of c1-c2. There are no clear answers yet....but there is evidence of fracture lines fading. Dr. Taylor would like Tommy to remain in the halo an additional 2-4 weeks. As most of you know managing the halo issues have not been easy for Tommy. He was given the option of having a completely new halo put on or trying to tighten the loose pins and complete the course in the halo he is currently wearing. He chose the later so we are heading to the doctor this morning to have the pins tightened. This is a painful process so please keep him in your thoughts. We hope to continue the full course of treatment in this halo.
Throughout this process I have been channeling my time to develop some type of program that would help other families. We have founded Injured Athletes, a foundation inspired by Tommy Mallon. www.injuredathletes.org The foundation is in the VERY beginning stages but hopefully it will grow to help many athletes and families. I have attached our overview and mission. If you would like to be involved please contact me.
Thank you for your continued love and support.

No news yet on the scan results...but while waiting for the news it is emails like the one I received this morning from Coach Bickley that sustain me and keep me focused.The coaches came to visit Tommy and ended up staying for dinner...you may post this note and the email below. Thank you to all those who continue to support us.
Love,
Beth


I left yesterday thinking this is why I Coach! Go over past memories and laughing about them! Cook and I had a great time and we experienced what family is all about. I know you guys have been through a lot, but last night reminded me that through all your trials, your family is so Tight. The blessing through these trials is the tightness you guys share as a family. You cannot put a price tag on what you guys have. Praying for Tommy as he goes through this and want to thank you guys for your example. I went yesterday thinking I could be an encouragement and left being the one encouraged. God is good



See ya

Coach Bickley

Phil 1:20

Wednesday's Scan..Pray for Tommy

Tommy has a CT Scan tomorrow ay 9:30 to evaluate healing. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Friday Update

We just returned home from the Dr.'s office. Tommy's pin was too infected to tighten so they had to remove the pin and create a new pin site. He is now on two different antibiotics and pain meds. Hopefully he can sleep a little now.
His CTScan is scheduled for Sept 9th at 9:30. We are hoping the scan will show a significant amount of bone healing. The second part to the treatment decision moving forward is the amount of ligament damage. We will have more information on the 9th and be able to determine a direction. In the meantime, Tommy is at home not moving around a whole lot as we need the halo pins to stay firm for another week.

Tommy

Tommy is going to the doctor tomorrow at 8 a.m. One of his pins is infected and one or all may be loose.... will keep you posted. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers....this has been a long 3 months for him.

Wednesday Update

Tommy is back on antibiotics tonight for the same persistent infected halo pin. We are hoping it does not get any worse and we can complete the course in the halo. This week we will have his CT scan date set. This CT scan will help evaluate the level of healing during the time in the halo. We continue to hope for perfect bone healing and the transverse ligament of the atlas intact and strong.
Thank you to all of you who continue to follow Tommy's progress. Your cards and emails genuinely mean so much to us...THANK YOU.
Tommy has been ichatting with some of his friends....the house is quiet now with most of his classmates gone to school. We hope he is able to start his college career in January.
Love to you all. We will post the CT SCAN date once we secure it.

Wednesday Thursday Update

wednesday and thursday were GOOD days....no pain!!!

Update 8/23/09

Tommy had a bit of a challenging week. On Monday he saw the neurosurgeon and all seemed quiet. The halo has "plowed" some but the surgeon does not want to reapply it. On Wednesday Tommy started to feel sharp pain on the left side of his head. The halo rep arrived Friday to find all his halo pins were loose particularly the left front pin and right back pin. In anticipation of having the pins tightened Tommy had to take pain medication which makes him very sick. Three of the four pins were tightened but when Ara
( the halo rep.) tried to tighten the left front pin it was just too painful. On Tuesday Tommy will have the pin tightened with sedation. Unfortunately due to the pain meds. he spent most of Saturday vomiting. He is one tough kid. Vomiting while in a halo is not a good combination. The plan continues, as of now, to remain in the halo for 3-4 more weeks. We continue to hope for complete healing during this time spent in the halo. Thank you for all your continued support.

Tommy and his best friend Matt

Last night Matt's mom brought Matt's going away dinner to our house so Tommy could say goodbye to friends. Matt and Ronald leave this morning to drive to Eastern University. Both will be playing lacrosse for Eastern. We wish them a safe drive and a great first year.
Matt has been by Tommy's side EVERY day....he has been a huge support to the entire Mallon family. We will miss him and we love him.

Tommy sees the neurosurgeon today. Please continue to pray for complete and perfect healing in the halo. We continue to hope this time in the halo is enough to heal . We are hoping when the halo is removed the bones will be healed and ligaments have repaired.

Update

We went to the doctor yesterday and it was a very sobering visit for all 3 of us( Pat, me and Tom). Tommy has a very tough situation....a very bad break which is complicated to fix. The doctor would like to see him remain in the halo for 4-6 weeks, take the halo off ct scan and evaluate. BEST CASE the bones are completely healed and he is done in 6 weeks!!!! If not, then hopefully c1 has healed and a fusion of c1-c2 will be the recommended surgery. Post surgery he would be evaluated in 3 months to make sure he is stable and the fusion is working( back into the neck brace after surgery) . If c1 has not healed Tommy will need his skull fused to c123. This is a big surgery but if all else fails he will have no choice. After this surgery he will either be back in a halo or neck brace until he is stable.
Currently, he has one infected halo pin and started antibiotics today. We are hoping this heals otherwise they will need to remove the pin and put a new pin in a different site.
We feel confident in our medical care. We have been told this is a tough situation.
I am just praying Tommy stays well and there are NO complications in the halo....no further settling or moving. Please keep him in your thoughts as his peers head off to school in the next few weeks.
We love you all and we are forever grateful for your love and friendship.

Tommy Discharged

Tommy was discharged the end of the week and is doing well. We will keep you all posted. Thank you once again for all the love and support. Tommy had several visits while in the hospital from Johan Otter. Thank you Johan for your time and encouragement. If you have not heard of Johan you should take the time read his story.....a true testimony to beating the odds.

Happy Blog News!!

Patrick Mallon turns 20 today August 4th...Happy Birthday Patrick!!!!! We love you!!!!!

PRAY FOR TOMMY!!!

Tommy had the halo placed on Sat. morning. He is in a lot of pain and still suffering from nausea. He was placed on a new anti nausea medication on Sat. which caused a severe allergic reaction on Sunday. Tommy went into dystonia , losing muscle control in his body, face, tongue and speech........it was terrifying. The dystonia was reversed by benadryl and obviously the new medication discontinued.
Please pray for Tommy's physical and mental strength. Yesterday was very traumatic. He is in pain and needs our continued love and support. Please pray the pain at the halo pin sites disappears. Please pray there are no more complications and we can get him safely home to heal.

Thursday, July 30th - 7:00p

Tommy has been in the hospital since Monday with severe pain on the right side of his neck. As it turns out, recent scans revealed that while there was some healing (bone growth) of the c1 fracture on the left side, healing wasn't occurring on the right side and showing instability. The instability is the brain stem settling downward on his right side which isn't strong enough to hold things in place. Also, the ligaments seem to be damaged as first feared. Thus, putting Tommy at risk for further injury in the near-term. As such, some sort of immediate intervention is needed to repair and/or stabilize Tommy's break.

The potential interventional approaches came down to two choices - 1) surgery to fuse Tommy's c1, c2, and occipital bone, or 2) place Tommy in a halo and see if he can achieve some healing prior to a surgery like the one I just mentioned or possibly just a c1 c2 fusion which would give him a greater range of motion in his neck compared to the c1 c2 occipital bone fusion. After consultation with a number of neurosurgeons, we have decided to try the more conservative halo approach first and get Tommy stable. We are going to give him a chance to heal no matter how small that chance may be and for a shot at more movement. He will be getting his halo on in the next couple of days and he will then be able to come home as long as his pain is under control. Tommy is being unbelievably strong through all of this — he is one amazing young man.

I hate to keep asking you all this but please pray (or continue to pray) for Tommy's recovery. Bless all of you for your kindness to Tommy and the entire Mallon family through this trying time.

Tommy need for prayer...

Tommy is in the hospital. He was admitted in severe pain to the emergency room. His scans show he needs some type of intervention to stabilize him. He remains in the hospital and we will keep you posted when we know more...keep up the prayers for safety and healing.
Jeffrey Mallon turns sweet 16 today, July 30th......

Update: Thursday July 9th

Its been 7 weeks since Tommy injured his neck. He is progressing and doing well - both physically (although he is quite thin) and mentally. Next week Tommy will be having a scan of his vertebral artery that was damaged when he broke his neck. They will be looking for whether it has opened up (for normal/good blood flow) or, if it is occluding/closing which is okay too - if it is closed, we don't worry as much about a potential blood clot. Also, his other artery will pick up the slack and get sufficient blood to his brain.

On July 23rd, Tommy will have scans of his neck and other tests to determine his healing and the level of damage to his spine - mostly to ligaments. The doctors all believe the bone will heal and be okay, it's the ligaments that there is concern for as he needs these to be relatively unharmed so that his neck can be stable without his brace. If the ligaments are "too" damaged we will be contemplating a sensitive/difficult surgery. As such, we are continuing to pray for Tommy's full recovery.

Separately, just yesterday, Beth and I learned that our best friends from Denver son was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Like Tommy, Drew just graduated from high school and is a lacrosse player. He is a big strong kid and we know he (and his family) will beat this but if you have a little room in your prayers please give Drew and his family a mention.

God and all of you have blessed us so these past weeks. Thank you all so very much for your continued kindness and prayers.

Tommy's 18th

Tommy turns 18....pictured with some of the friends that helped him celebrate. Sorry we did not have one big group photo of ALL the friends that stopped by the house.
Thank you to all those who sent cards, emails, texts to Tommy on his birthday. This was a special day for all of us. Tommy is doing well and we should have a progress report by early next week. Thanks to all of you who continue to check up on him!

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a little over three weeks since Tommy's accident. He is doing well.His cousin Sam just graduated from University of Virginia and came to visit for a week. Sam challenged Tommy to endless play station sports games , Scrabble and Yahtzee. We are doing well with the low key activities.Thanks to all who have visited Tommy.
Thank you to all of you who have sent cards, emails , blog comments and text messages. Once again, each note has been read and appreciated !!! They are all hanging on a big board in Tommy's room. Thank you (from Tommy) for all the graduation cards!
We continue to ask for prayers for Tommy. Specifically that the clot in his vertebral artery will dissolve( he remains on blood thinning medication) the ligament is in tact (when evaluated in 6 weeks) and the fractures are healing well. We are praying there will be no need for surgery. TOMMY TURNS 18 on Friday the 19th.........as you all can imagine , we are so GRATEFUL to celebrate this birthday with him....
Love,
beth

Graduation

In less than 2 weeks from the accident Tommy was discharged from the hospital and set a goal of making it to graduation. He achieved it!!! Congratulations Tommy!!!! We are beyond proud. We love you!!!!

Also, CORRECTION to the blog....Now that Tommy is able to read the blog he found an error....He will be 18 on June 19th...not 19! Sorry Tommy...love, mom

Article about "Ironman"

Copy & paste this link into your browser

http://www.sdranchcoastnews.com/cmv_dm_pages/cmv_dm_top_stories/tp3.html

Nurse & Trainer

Best nurse..Jenna. Thank you so much Jenna for all your love. Good luck this weekend in your races. We wish we could be there to watch you. We love you!!!

Tommy's Trainer Rikki who saved his life!!!! Eternally grateful....

Tommy has been making great progress. Thank you for all the love.

Trouble posting comments?

Word on the street is that some people are having trouble posting comments. If you would like to send a message to Tommy and/or the Mallon family, Beth has requested to just send them an email to bmallon3000@yahoo.com

Thanks!

From Tommy...

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me, supported me, took care of me and to you all who continue to inspire me. I am grateful.
love,
Tommy

Video of "Ironman" returning home

Sorry but I couldn't rotate the video. So, turn your head while you watch. NOT YOU TOMMY!!!!

Monday June 1st...TOMMY'S HOME!!!!!!

Tommy's home!

It will be a long recovery but Tommy will make it happen with God's help. God has blessed Tommy, and us, to have you all in our lives, physically and in prayer. Thank you all, so, so much for everything. We are just so unbelievably happy (so is Tommy). Peace and comfort to all of you, your friends and family.

Monday June 1st 11:30 AM

Tommy had another restful night and was eating again this morning - donuts and chocolate milk. However, last night he did have a meal from Pick-Up-Stix. Its amazing what a little food can do. Tommy is now off all i.v. meds (still on oral pain, blood thinner, and anti-nausea medications) and in stable condition. He is now "medically" able to come home pending some physical therapy. He needs to be stable/strong enough to get up out of bed and walk short distances on his own. Actually, he is with a physical therapist right now gauging his status. We are so thankful for his progress and all of you prayers encouragement.

Today was one of the MOST incredible days as a Mom. I was able to witness Tommy walk and climb up and down 10 stairs.Tommy will turn 19 June 19th. The steps he took today were even more exciting than the ones he took in the first year of his life. I am so proud of him...I am humbled to be his Mom. This photo was taken before prom 2 weeks ago...what a lot has happened and Tommy is already fighting his way back.

Sunday May 31st 1:15 PM

What a difference 24 hours makes. Tommy woke up this morning with a smile - not a forced smile but a genuine smile and had an actual laugh - at my expense mind you. He's been off all i.v. medications for a full day now and close to a day without narcotic-based drugs (pain relievers). He is taking only NSAIDS now which seem to be managing his pain fairly well without the extreme nausea. He got up and walked around the nurses station and even took a few steps up and down a small set of stairs. He also added some calf raises and squats on his accord.

I quickly wanted to share a story that resonated with Tommy and us that says "tons" about SFC and why it is such a special place. In brief, a young 5th/6th grader came by with his family this morning to let Tommy know that he and his family are thinking and praying for him. He told Tommy he knows how he feels because just a few months ago he was on life support and spent weeks in the hospital too. But the message he truly brought to share was that "there are people that care for you even if you don't know them." Unbelievable for such a young boy.

Its Baccalaureate this afternoon and Tommy wishes he were able to be there with his class. Unfortunately, he can't make it but he knows how blessed he is at this time to be "okay". He wants everyone to know that he had a great time at SFC and has love and appreciation for his classmates, teachers, coaches, and friends.

Saturday May 30th 8:30 PM

Dear Tommy,

You are strong - you have faith and fortitude - you are surrounded by an incredible family who loves you - and you have friends, teachers, and coaches who want to support you. God has a plan for you, Tommy. You may not know what that plan is or why you have to go through this to find out but keep going Tommy! Stay strong! Stay faithful and always know how many people love and admire you. You WILL get through this. And when you do, you "...will receive the crown of life that God has promised..." James 1:12

We love you - Uncle Jay and Auntie Susan

Tommy is resting peacefully tonight after a trying but a good day. Beth and I pray for all of you and your family's good health. Peace.

Saturday May 30th 11:45 AM

Tommy fractured his spine at C1 and damaged his vertebral artery exactly one week ago. At that time, Tommy was at risk for not being able to walk and having potential neurological/brain damage. However, the seven days since his injury, we have gained more certainty to his future. It looks as though Tommy will recover but with potential surgery in the future to stabilize his spine. We feel so blessed that this wasn't worse. Also, blessed to have all of you praying for Tommy's recovery.

This morning, Tommy was able to walk once around the floor and sit-up for 15 mins - to see this, is beyond words. Immediately after, he felt sick and laid back down. It will be like this for some time - two steps forward, one-step back. For the remainder of the day, he will try and sit up (in a chair) a few more times. He has to get use to being up right again and to get his neck muscles working to support his head. He is still in pain but mostly off the i.v. pain meds. Good news is that they just took him off the i.v. heparin this morning and is only on the oral coumadin.

What a difference seven days makes. Peace.

Brothers: Tommy #5 Jeffrey #6

#5 Tommy: SFC Defensive Player of the Year
#6 Jeffery: SFC Lacrosse Rookie of the Year

Thank You!!!

Dear Family, friends and the entire community,
Thank you for the overwhelming amount of love and support. Each note has been read and greatly appreciated...thank you. Tommy will improve each day with this level of kindness. Thank you for all the prayers that stretch literally around the world. We have heard from our children and families in Uganda.....thank you.
Pat will keep up the blog updates...just wanted to let you ALL know your love sustains me and our family
Love,
beth

Friday 8:30 PM

After what was a very tough day, around 6:00p this evening Tommy started to feel a bit better - his nausea and pain subsided enough to allow him to eat. He actually had mashed potatoes and a couple bites of chicken, albeit small bites. Its funny how such small things are so big right now. We tried a few different medications and we think this is what might have helped. We will know better tomorrow but we sure hope and pray this is the right combination. Regardless, it was a great end to a rocky start.

Tommy still show's no sign of neurological effects or damage to his spinal cord which is such a relief. Also, he remains in the therapeutic window for his oral coumadin (blood thinner) treatment. I haven't mentioned it recently but his damaged/compromised vertebral artery is still of greatest concern to us in the near-term.

With your prayers and God's help, we are getting Tommy better. Have a peaceful weekend.

Friday 2:55 PM

Tommy has had a very rough time of it so far today. He's been unable to eat or rehab as we are struggling to get his pain and nausea (caused by his pain medications) under control. I believe I have said this before, this needs to be managed so that he can not only rehab but leave the hospital. We are now approaching a critical time in his recovery in that he could regress if we don't get this taken care of very soon. As such, if you still have more prayer energy, continue to pray for Tommy's pain and nausea to subside so he can start the the hard work necessary for his recovery.

Also, he's limited to family for visitors until he gets his pain under control. I'm so sorry but as much as I/we would like for him to see everyone, its in his best [health] interest to be restful and expend his energy on rehab.

Godspeed

TM #5 TP LAX LUV