What a Difference a Few Weeks Make!

Noon couldn't get here fast enough for me today. Its been 3 1/2 weeks since I saw Mikey and I just can't believe how much he has improved. He even looks 5 years younger - I'm guessing lots of rest and TLC! Mom and Cathy had a barber come in the other day, the stitches have been long gone, he can sit up and eat real food with a fork and he smiles and talks and hugs and kisses (we did that a lot today!). Yes, he is so much better and yet still has so far to go. What a great day Mikey had today. Rochelle and her friend Doris surprised Mike with a visit too! I don't know how Mom and Cathy are keeping this schedule though. I'm barely awake as I write and I'm going to give this to Cathy so she can share some of the special moments we had today.....
Well here I go. When Nancy played the CD she brought for him they both cried like babies. So much emotion today. Mike will sometimes ask what happened to him or where he is. It's sometimes easy to forget that he does not remember a conversation or comment after only a few minutes have passed. Today after he asked what happened and I started telling him, he started crying when I said he was riding Bruce's horse, Maulde's Girl. He thought the horse was hurt bad too. We reassured him that she was fine. When I told him that I thought a man named Paul from the barn had called 911, and told them not to send an ambulance that he needed a helicopter he started crying again. During dinner he was picking at his beans. Mother told him he needed to eat his beans, they were good for him. She started singing that song: beans, beans, are good for your heart. Mike finished with the rest immediately: the more you eat, the more you fart. We all laughed so hard. This started Mike on a roll of jokes and had all the nurses laughing also. One said to Mike, you should be a comedian and Mike said, "Well if I could get paid for it I would." Mike is still having trouble going to the bathroom. Nancy told him she use to have trouble "going on demand" or in front of people. Then she had a baby and never had that problem again. We all died laughing because Mike looked at her and said, "Well Nancy, guess I'm in trouble because I can't have a baby. So it was jokes like this back and forth. The nurse asked him if he needed something for pain. First he told her no and then said wait a minute my right elbow hurts. I'm laughing just thinking about it. You would have to be there for some of them. It was like when we were younger and all four of us sitting around after dinner. All of this lasted almost an hour. Mike laughed so hard also that sometimes it looked like he was crying but he wasn't.

I just wanted to write this comment. The other night I was so overwhelmed with all the messages and comments that were coming from people who said they read about Mike on Tim Woolley's Racing site and Barbaro updates. So I found the site and posted a thank you message not knowing until my sister arrived that Mike was mentioned nearly everyday. I stayed up last night until 3am reading all the posts. When I came to the posts about people being upset that it was Barbaro's site and not any body else's and were arguing back and forth about it I felt like an intruder and dummy for even wanting to post on that site. But everyone who did take up for Mike and send warm wishes, prayers, messages thank you so much over and over again. I apologize for stepping out of bounds but do wish the best for Barbaro and pray for him a lot. Enough said there.

So good night everyone until tomorrow night. God bless us all.

Nancy's Arrived

I just returned from the airport with my sister. She is so excited about seeing Mikey, but we will have to wait till the morning. It's way too late now to go to Kernan. Her plane was delayed by an hour and a half due to electrical storms. Thank God she arrived safe and sound. Mike had an okay day. When I arrived this afternoon after his morning therapies he was back in his bed resting. He complained of right shoulder pain (this is the good shoulder) most of the night and all morning. So they decided to have it xrayed. We think the xray was normal but no one has told us yet for sure. He didn't have to do any of his afternoon therapies because of the pain he was having. It bothered him so bad that he couldn't even lift his arm to feed himself. By this evening he wasn't telling mother about his shoulder anymore. He just wanted to know when would we be back.
So mother explained his routine to him from when he awoke until 12 noon. Then we would all be there. He kept asking her to tell him over and over again. Finally mother told him to tell her. Mike repeated what she had been telling him. Mother left him sleeping peacefully. So we are off to bed to rise and shine in the morning for Mike. He will be so excited to see Nancy. She brought his favorite CD, Mercyme. Almost there. His favorite song is I Can Only Imagine. Good night to everyone.

God's Miracles and the Power of Prayer

Just to let everyone know Mike is doing well today. I want to address the report from Mike about the nurses being mean to him. Yes, this is true that there is a nurse that has been very hateful to Mike during the night when he has been calling out for Mother and me. We also found out that she has been reported several times before and of course what I hear around the world is they just get reprimanded. Since there is such a shortage of nurses they don't get fired for their unrulely acts, nor medicine errors. But we are not finished with this yet, and it will be taken care of in ways that I can't explain right now. Yes I will keep you posted. I could tell you so, so many stories about hospital care that you would all just not believe it, but it is true stories. This is another reason Mother and I are with Mike as much as they will let us. Another good thing today. I guess my sister's prayers worked because Mike has not mentioned anything about the animal show today. That's one good thing about his brain injury, it's easy for him to forget things. He's not forgetting the nurse thing though. Also the urology test was negative and they couldn't find anything wrong with his urinary system. Mike had another swallowing test today and now he gets a soft diet. It is not like baby food anymore. Finely chopped. Also he can have regular liquids like water, tea, soda, and milk. He eats all three meals very well. The speech therapist also said he could have his favorite night time ritual of ice cream and M & M's mixed together and melted some. He uses peanut M & M's but can't have them yet. So now for the big news that brought everyone to tears of happiness. Mother and I told Mike before he went to physical therapy that if he tried real hard for one of his favorite therapist, Krista, that we would get him his ice cream and M & M's. Krista pushed him back from P.T. into his room and said to us, "Mike don't you have something to tell them?" Mike looked up with the biggest smile and said, "I WALKED!!" His voice came over with emotions so big. All of us began to cry tears of joy. When we bought the ice cream in the gift shop, Mother had bought this beautiful bear that sings the song, That's what friends are for. You know it is by Dionne Warwick and says keep smiling, that's what friends are for. Mother played it for Mike and he came over with emotions again and said, "Give it to my friend, Krista please. Mother said, "I tell you what. You can give it to her the day you leave and walk out of here." Mike said, "Yes that's what I want to do." Then Krista was crying and everything was good. Then Mike said, "Where's my ice cream?" We all started laughing so hard. Mike ate almost all of it and believe me enjoyed every mouthful. This morning is when Mike told mother he had a secret to tell her. He was scared and didn't want to be left alone. It was about the nurse. Mother had read the blog this morning and the comment posted by Wm and Cl Shaw from them and Barbaro. So mother started singing that song to him and told him where it came from, You Raised Me Up. Mike started crying with tears of joy. Tim Woolley's web site, Barbaro and all the people who have left us messages have really lifted all of us up. Even people we really don't even know. Thank you again for everything you have done for us and Mike. As you know I will be picking my sister, Nancy up from the airport tomorrow night. I miss her so much and I wish she could stay here with us longer. But like she says. Someone has to make the money. Ha! Ha! I do love her for everything she has done administrative and everything else. She has been printing the blog for days to bring it here and read it to Mike. You want to talk about tears from the heart then. Mike will be so over joyed. Let me tell you that my mother, Nancy and I find so much support in reading all of the comments from all the obvious people with care and concerns for Mike, his family and us. Mike's wife, Rochelle came to see him as a surprise today. She was with two of her good friends. They prayed and prayed with him to be healed. The first person Mike wanted to call was Rochelle. We called her and he told her with emotion he walked. I talked to her after that and she said, "See Cathy, what did I tell you. I prayed Sunday with him and then today. I told you God would heal him. Oh the power of prayer." She was overcome with joy. Mike also asked her to call the minister. Then he talked to Jesse his 12 year old son and then to Nancy. He then wanted to talk to his friend Will but nobody answered. We will try again to call. So don't ya'll think this is one of those most exciting days? Good night and God Bless Us All.

Yesterday's "fairly good day" went to a "really not good day." It began when Cathy got to Kernan and the nurses there thought she was bringing Mike back from his off site urology test. It seems everyone there forgot about this scheduled test, woke Mike up, didn't dress him, and took him in some kind of vehicle to sit in a doctor's office waiting room for several hours. Apparently they had a television on The Animal Channel and Mike watched a story about slaughtering dogs and cats. That is all he could talk about the rest of the day. He was very upset and asked Mom and Cathy about 100 times to please save the animals and kept asking about the family dog Candy. I'm very tired of the word "agitated." He would not speak to me on the phone nor would he speak to a long time friend who called today. I don't know how his therapy went today. Mom and Cathy were more concerned about Mike's "agitation" and we never got to talk about therapy. Cathy discovered Mike's comment about the nurses' treatment was because they are having to be stern with him during the night due to his calling out for Cathy and Mom after bedtime. It would be nice if they tried to reassure him that Mom and Cathy were sleeping at the hotel rather than telling him to shut up so they could get their work done. Some of the "sterness" is good for Mike - like forcing him to dress himself instead of asking that someone help him. The therapists have to be stern and forceful with him at times and he considers that to be "mean." This, we understand...but "shut up?" Mom and Cathy are resting tonight. My prayer tonight is that Mikey forgets about the TV show, has peaceful thoughts and dreams, sleeps well tonight and has a better day tomorrow. Nancy

Good Evening Everyone

Well today has been a fairly good day. My mother went there this morning and Mike told her some disturbing news. Now remember he has never told us anything of this sort before and I will be checking into this matter very deeply. It has to do with some nursing care during the late night hours and early morning hours. But all and all today he did all his therapies and ate all three of his meals and received an A+. I forgot to mention that his good friend Gary visited yesterday. Gary was saying some little jokes and Mike was grinning from ear and ear. He was getting what Gary was saying. Today another good friend visited, Bruce. Mike showed him that he could pull up his right leg and stand on both. Mike remains on the neuro scale at level 4. But like I said before I really feel he is between level 4 and 5. I left Mike tonight asleep. He appeared very peaceful and that he was sleeping well. So tomorrow will be another day and another step in his recovery. Thank you again for all the prayers and messages. Also for all the donations. The raffle is just around the corner for the Red Mustang. I'm getting so excited about it. I will write more tomorrow. Good night and may God bless us all.

Another Week of Therapies Started

Hello everyone, yesterday was one of those step down days. When I arrived at Kernan Mike was back in bed taking a nap. The nurse said he had been complaining of his back hurting and she gave him some tylenol. He woke up shortly and was agitated, confused. His lunch came and he ate well. Rochelle, his wife and Trish, his sister in law with baby Gracie arrived. They visited for awhile and Mike watched the baby crawl on a blanket. She crawls with one leg out. She is one beautiful baby. Mike continued to be agitated. I took him out of his wheel chair and put him back to bed. He was a little better then. Rochelle read to him and prayed with him. I will be going out there today and I will write more tonight. He'll probably be tired from all his therapies today.

Filling in for Cathy....

Mike continues to improve. When he has his moments of “agitation,” it is hard for all of us. We have to keep reminding ourselves that “This too shall pass!” and is part of the recovery process. Rochelle and the kids will be visiting today. They will be leaving right after church and driving straight in. Mike spoke to Hunter yesterday and wished him a Happy Birthday during his party. They talked about seeing each other today. He’ll hate me for this, but….Mikey was so cute last night. He asked Mom if Cathy could come early and make sure he looked okay for today. Now that’s a sign he is improving! Cathy is with him now, seeing that he is clean shaven, hair fixed and dressed in his best sweats! Laura, my daughter, got to speak with Mike yesterday too. Uncle Mikey has always been her favorite (I’m gonna get in trouble here). She and Mike had a wonderful conversation. He asked her about her travels and she said had she not known about his injuries, she would never have guessed there was anything wrong! We all love the moments like that!
Cathy will post later and let everyone know about the visit!

In the meantime, thank you Jack Ireland from The News Journal for writing a wonderful story about Mike! Here is the link: The News Journal Article.

Sandra McKee from The Baltimore Sun mentioned Mike in an article too. I can't get it to link, so cut and paste the following to read: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horseracing/bal-barbaro18,1,7563337.story. Unfortunately, Sheilagh Barndollar was misquoted. She said, “We all care about Barbaro, but there is a good person who needs us more right now.” Not, “We don’t care about Barbaro.” Fortunately, for all of us who know Sheilagh, we knew better.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! Nancy

Happy Birthday to Mike's Son, Hunter

Hello everyone. Mike has been doing exceptionally well. You can see improvement almost every day. The speech therapist is going to try him on some food that he has to chew. He wants ice cream and peanut M&M's mixed together to eat. This is his favorite night time ritual. Mother rolled (pushed) Mike everywhere today. He wanted to go outside. He loved it and they went all over the rehab. He was also talkative today. His wife Rochelle called and spoke with him on the phone and they prayed together. Hunter will be 5 years old and she is giving him a party at their home. Hunter told his mother since Daddy wasn't going to be there,to have the birthday party at the rehab with him. They are all coming to visit Sunday but I am going to have Mike call home and talk to Hunter and wish him a Happy Birthday tomorrow (today). I myself can't wait until my sister, Nancy comes here. She will be here late on the 27th and we will be at the Big Mustang Raffle on the 31st at Delaware Park. So enough for tonight. Thank so much to everyone again for all of your support and prayers.

Stayed Late at Kernan Last Evening

Good morning everyone. I'm getting ready to go be with Mike all day. I try to help him be less confused and reorient him to what has happened to him and where he is. A lot of the time he'll say, "Details Cathy, details. Tell me details." Then at night sometimes Mike will ask for a hug. The worst part is when he says, "Help me Cathy. Get me out of here." He also does this to Mother a lot. We are all hanging in there and continue to pray with him and pray for him. All and all he did fairly well yesterday with all his therapies. Continues to complain of his legs hurting a lot and sometimes his head. His blood pressure remained stable yesterday, but he is on medication for this. Thank everyone again and again for their prayers, messages, and contributions to his recovery fund. I will write more tonight.

Is It Broke Yet?!?

Sheilagh Barndollar and I speak every few days to bring each other up to date on the raffle. You know, to keep the number of purchases straight between PayPal, direct purchases and the various tracks selling tickets. Sheilagh is a longtime friend of Mike's, a trainer at Fair Hill and the mastermind behind this awesome avenue of bringing financial assistance to Mike and family. So....Sheilagh is sharing Mike's story with everyone she sees and carries tickets with her wherever she goes. This is serious right? We have a goal and we WILL meet it....sell 400 tickets before the July 31st drawing....and we're comparing numbers and making sure everyone is represented with a ticket number and I'm taking notes and working on a spreadsheet, and Sheilagh tells me she has one problem she keeps running into.....I stop everything....hold my breath and wait....another problem?what is it?what can we do about it?and then she tells me....When she approaches some people and shares Mike's situation and tells them about raffling a mustang.....she keeps getting asked "It is broke yet?" And then...she has to explain....we're offering a FORD mustang, a car, not a wild mustang! I love it...I laugh, deep, out loud and it feels o' soooo good! Thanks Sheilagh...we all needed that!

A Good Day

Good evening, Mike has done well today. They changed his p.o. antibiotic to I.V. because they think it was causing him stomach problems. Mike continues to have to eat thickened pureed foods and thickened honey based water, tea, and apple juice. But he downs most or all of it. They have almost stopped the tube feedings completely at night. If he doesn't eat well they will give him a can or two during the night. He tells us his legs hurt. Yes, both legs. The right leg is moving some and PT is working him out hard. His left forearm is also moving some, but it is the shoulder that keeps him from using the upper part of his arm. It is fractured from a fall 3 to 4 months ago and probably this fall didn't help it either. Mike talks and tells you stuff most of the day. Most of it makes sense and sometimes it doesn't. Today he was worried about Baby Gracie not getting enough milk and Hunter playing. This is his two youngest children. I reassured him they were fine and I was sure Baby Gracie was getting enough milk since she is totally breast fed. They increased his blood pressure medicine just a little bit today to get his blood pressure to a normal reading. So we will continue through the week and praise him for his progress. Oh, we started watching the Life Time movie but Mike fell asleep. It wasn't as good as last nights one. It didn't hold mine or his attention to well. My sister, Nancy will be here the 27th. I can't wait so she can see how much he has improved since she was here last. Well good night everyone. Take care and God be with us all.

What a Day

Mike started out good this morning with breakfast and therapies. By the afternoon he became very tired, worn out, and agitated. His blood pressure went sky high along with his heart rate. Medicines were given for the blood pressure and the agitation. Next thing we knew an EKG was being done for the increased heart rate. Thank God it was normal and Mike was resting well by the end of the evening. During this confusion he had a visitor. Bruce Miller his good friend and owner of a lot of the horses Mike has trained. He called my mother later to make sure Mike was doing okay. Around 9PM Lifetime had a movie on and Mike and I sat and watched it. He was really into it because he started telling me what was going on and what was going to happen next. That mind of his and his hearing is unbelievable. There were previews of tomorrow nights movie and he asked me could we watch that one tomorrow night. Of course I said yes. So it ended up to be such a good day in all. This should be it for tonight. Will update you tomorrow night. Continuous thanks to everyone for their prayers and messages.

Day of Rest

Hello every one. Today has been a good day. Mike is making tremendous progress daily. Tomorrow starts back the rigorous therapies and Mike realizes that his muscles are weak and is dreading it. We have encouraged him and told him how much he has improved since the accident but loves to hear it from someone else besides family. He had a visitor today. Meryl. This is one of Mike's closest friends. Just by Meryl telling him that he heard that his progress is twice as fast as others made Mike so happy. He said, "I need to hear things like that." So we clued the nurses and they have all been telling him how well he is doing and what great progress he has made since he arrived. I also wanted to let every one know that what we meant by limiting the visitors was only one to two at a time and for short visits like 20 to 30 minutes. Not to not visit at all. My sister, Nancy received some calls from friends today and was asking could they come on Sundays. You can come any days you want. Monday through Friday 5PM till 8:30PM. He eats dinner around 5:30PM and starts getting ready for bed at 8PM. Saturday and Sunday the hours are 12:30PM till 8:30PM. We want friends to visit and I think Mike is almost over the agitation period. He has hardly become agitated this weekend at all. Now back to Meryl. So they had a real good visit and Meryl prayed with Mike and sang a beautiful song to him. He sounded very good. Mike said tonight he wanted some friendly prayers. Mother prayed with him. The nurse told Mike right before he went to sleep that miracles happen here and that God walks the halls at night and puts his healing hands on him. With that said, good night every one.

Here it is!!

I apologize for not posting yesterday. After the hour long meeting with Mike's doctors, nurses, therapists, case workers, etc., we all really needed time to let the information and suggestions sink in. Rochelle, baby Gracie, Mother and I were there with Nancy patched in on speaker phone from Charleston. After each person spoke, giving us their professional opinion of Mike's progress since entering Kernan, we were given the opportunity to ask questions. We actually had very few questions because everyone did such a thorough job of explaining their areas of expertise, treatment for Mike so far and their professional "probable" prognosis for his recovery. Yes, there was some unexpected and disappointing news but also news of encouragement and hope.

Because of the way Mike landed when the horse fell, all four parts of his brain were injured, and he is suffering from a "serious severe" brain injury. That is why his left arm and right leg are being affected. The neuro system is rated on a scale of cognitive functioning. It is called the Rancho Los Amigos. It has 8 different functions with number 1, No Response and number 8, Purposeful Appropriate. Mike is at number 4, Confused Agitated. It states heightened state of activity; confusion, disorientation, aggressive behavior, unable to do self-care, unaware of present events, agitation appears related to internal confusion. I really believe he is at number 5 some of the time. Number 5 states Confused, Inappropriate, Non-agitated; Appears alert; responds to commands, distractible, does not concentrate on task; agitated responses to external stimuli; verbally appropriate, does not learn new information. They are asking us to let every one know we need to limit visitors also. Too many cause the agitation. We thank every one for coming but this is what the doctors and nurses want at this time.

As a whole, their professional medical opinion is that Mike is expected to be totally disabled for a minimum of a year. Where he goes to continue the numerous stages of care and recovery he will need after he leaves Kernan cannot be determined as yet because it will be directly related to his degree of recovery at the time. We know that he will continue to need 24/7 care for a very long time.

From Nancy, Mike's sister in Charleston: Rochelle made a remark to me after the meeting that really made me stop and think about this tragedy we are all facing. She said she thanked God that each member of the family had a unique background so that as a family working together we were each using our gifts to help meet the challenges we are all experiencing today. Everyone knows that a tragedy can either drive a family apart or bring it closer together. I know I can speak for all of us when I say we all thank God for the blessings we have right now and for each other.

My mother has not left Mikey's side since the accident. Yes, he is 47 years old, but still her only son, our baby brother, a husband and father. Her presence, according to the doctors yesterday, provides Mikey a much needed calming effect and aids in his recovery process. Her presence also gives Rochelle the peace of mind she needs to continue her responsibilities as a mother of four (3 of which can't really understand what is happening), caretaker of the family home and the opportunity to try to keep some semblance of normalcy for the children.

My sister the nurse: well, need I say anything more. She was placed in a position that made it possible for her to be and stay in Baltimore just one week before the accident and it is her experience and knowledge that keeps Mikey's injuries and recovery in prospective for all of us.

My husband: a business man, has been understanding and supportive, helping me with our household duties, helping me with my job and making contacts within his sphere of business professionals I need for direction and advice regarding Mike's future.

And me: another business person. Who worries about the medical bills, the insurance companies, the family's finances, not only of Mikey's and family, but of Mom's and Cathy's as well. Working with case workers and social workers, contacting and pursuing all avenues and means of support available to Mikey to ensure he continues to receive the best care available.

And so... here goes...this is difficult for me, but I have to state the facts and ask for help. Yesterday's news was difficult to hear from many prospectives. Financially, we now know that there will be at least one year of necessary 24/7 continued medical care for Mike. We know that the best health insurance policy Mike could afford is extremely limited and does not cover "rehabilitation" and that its ICU care maxed before Mikey was even moved to Kernan. We know that Social Security Disability, Medicare or Medicaid (confusing to me) will take many months or possibly a year to resolve. And I have learned, as most of you in the horse racing world probably knew all ready, that unless a trainer is "very well off financially" that among others, the State of Maryland and it's worker's compensation laws, makes it nearly impossible for the average trainer to afford worker's compensation insurance on himself much less for his employees. So, no, Mike didn't have worker's comp on himself. Just the health policy mentioned above. We know that continuing to stay close to Mikey in a hotel (even though that hotel is giving them a wonderful discount) will not be an option for Cathy and Mom for the duration. And it goes without saying what Mikey's family's needs will be.

Thank you all for your tremendous moral support which is helping us meet some of the many challenges we face. Thank you all who have donated your time and expertise in the organization of the raffle. (Please check above for a progress report on that.) And thank you all who have been able to donate funds by purchasing a raffle ticket or making a donation to the Mike Rea Recovery Relief Fund. Thank you Kim Young, who has offered to donate two World Class quarter horses for an auction for Mike, and to Sara Renzulli who has offered an original oil painting to auction. I'm pursuing these gracious offers and trying to learn how to make these happen. I ask, with humble honesty and respect for everyone, of all who know and love Mikey and those that have come to know of him, for any assistance in helping us help him. I'm not just asking for monetary assistance, but for your prayers to continue and to share any thoughts, resources or tips to aid us in this long recovery process.

Back to Cathy.

I haven't even posted this yet but I've just learned that three young girls, Jane Motion, cousin Mary Motion and Quinn Anderson, daughter of Fairhill's veterinarian, have set up a lemonade stand at Fairhill today selling Snapple Lemonade, ice tea and water for Mike Rea's Recovery Relief Fund! I also wanted to let you know how touching it was to see what I saw yesterday when Paul visited Mike.
They grabbed each others hands and Paul prayed for Mike. At the end of Paul's prayer, Mike said clear as day, "Oh Lord help me heal my body and thank you Lord for all you have done." Paul and I just looked at each other with tears of joy running down our cheeks. The power of prayer never ceases to amaze me. We heard on the news last evening that Barbaro was doing better. We all continue to pray for him. As for today, Mike has done excellent and has talked to his whole family on the phone. He was so over come with emotion when I showed him a copy of the Flyer and the Poster of the Mustang raffle. Good night for now. Will have more news tomorrow.

Hello everyone. Mike has done well today with a lot of talking and of course the agitation. He tried to get up during the night so we found him restrained in his bed today when we arrived. He had pulled himself to the side of his bed and was wedged in between the mattress and bedrails. Hey, sounds bad but also it's a good sign to me. Also today he told mother and I that his electrical system had to be rewired. That things were not all connected. Thank God he is beginning to figure everything out and I as a nurse see such an improvement. I told him to move his left arm and he said he couldn't. I said try Mikey. What do you know he lifted it up some. Then I told him to move his right leg and the little booger grabbed his right leg with both, yes I said both hands, scooted his left leg underneath the right leg and brought it up. So.................Today was one of those good days. We are getting use to the back and forth of good days and bad days that they say are normal and called waxing and waning. Tomorrow is the day of the meeting with the doctors to discuss Mike's progress and recovery. I will let everyone know tomorrow what they say. But no matter what is said he is still in God's hands and all of our prayers. Thank you again for all your prayers. Also remember Barbaro in your prayers.

Trying to post again

Just to let everyone know my wireless internet connection is sketchy from the hotel. What I was trying to let you know was Mike's schedule for Monday through Saturday. Up in the AM, bathed, dressed, put in his wheelchair and taken into the dining hall to eat breakfast. He is feeding himself pretty well. Then off to all of his therapies. Speech, occupational, and then the rigorous physical therapy. Back to his room to rest and then back up to lunch. Then back to all the therapies again. This boy is totally worn out at this point. Back for a rest then up again to the dining hall for dinner. Like I said he is feeding himself pretty well but was so tired at dinner I helped him eat just to make sure he got his nutrition. All of his food is still like baby food (purred) and his liquids or thickened but Mike seems to love it all. The other night though we all got a big laugh because the purred pork stuff Mike said tasted like A Dead Rat! Only one bite of that could he take. Then I shaved him again. Hey I am getting pretty good at this and Mike helps me by tightening his lips just the right way and doing his chin the right way so I can get all of it done. Around 8PM the nurses start getting Mike ready for bed and giving him his medicine's. He was out like a light. Totally exhausted. He woke back up around 9:30PM. I was talking to my sister, Nancy giving her the course of the day and Mike wanted to talk to her. When Mike was talking to Nancy, he was telling her about his friends who have come to see him. She told him she was hearing from many of his friends on his web site and how lucky he was and how proud she was of him to have touched so many lives. Then she told him he would be able to see them soon. Mike understood what she meant and asked how she was managing the site and what it said. He told her to come see him tonight and bring the web site with her. He kept saying, "Hurry, hurry." (She is back in Charleston right now.) He didn't like that he had to wait and kept telling her, "Tonight!" Only after Nancy convinced him she would be back next week and would bring everything with her did he begin to calm down and go to sleep. The family reads the guest book and comments every night and all the prayers and well wishes have meant so much to us. Mike should be able to have them read to him soon - maybe even read them himself! We can't wait till that happens and will write about it for sure when it happens. Mike had more visitors tonight also. I hope I get the names right. Richard and Mark. He enjoyed their visit but this rigorous therapy makes him so tired right now. Please remember to also pray for Barbaro. If Mike was aware that he was not doing well I am sure he would be upset about it and praying too. Will write more tonight.

A Rigorous Day of Therapies

I had a whole page done and lost it all. I am so sorry. I will rewrite in am. Mike is doing well. Had therapies of speech, occupational, and physical all day. He is sleeping well tonight because he is so worn out. Back in the morning. Goodnight.

Taking More Steps

Hello everyone. I'm back in the saddle again. Mike went to the Shock Trauma Center today for a scheduled evaluation with the neurologists that saw him when he was injured. They also were to go over a cat scan that was done sometime while I was gone. Upon his return to Kernan I was waiting in his room for him. After he became settled in his bed he started asking me a lot of questions. He wanted every detail of what has happened to him. I told him what I knew. Mike is trying to figure everything out and is on the road to recovery. We won't know anything about the cat scan or evaluation until Friday at a family meeting. Mike had a lot of visitors today. The pastor of his church and two other pastors. I am so sorry I can't remember their names, but they were so kind. Bruce Miller came by also. When Mike saw him he was so happy to see him. Tears of joy came. Bruce said he could see a big improvement since his last visit with Mike. Two men from the church came this evening. I remember their names. Tom and Paul. So he had a big day. Mother and I left him sleeping like a baby. Now it is time for me to do the same. Good night and God bless.

I am back now in Baltimore

Mike was asleep when I arrived, of course I didn't want to wake him. Mother says Mike is in the recovery part of becoming very agitate a lot. He is trying to figure out what is going on. The physical therapist's are puzzled about the lack of movement with his left arm and right leg, this criss cross problem is very rare but are hopeful it will became better. When he does talk, Mike is very coherent and made an A+ with his speech therapist today. Otherwise Mother says he has been sleeping a lot today. Tomorrow I will be able to give you more of an update after spending the whole day with Mike. I am making Mother take the day off. I'll probably have to tie her to the hotel bed. Ha! Ha!

Mike is improving- he is in the recovery stage that it is very difficult for his loved ones to be around-every other word is, "Help me" or "I need help" and it hurts to hear. Still, we were told to expect this and that the expressions of helplessness are a part of the recovery and will pass. Again, thank everyone for all of the prayers, messages, and support.

Missing Mike.....

Mike has had a lot of visitors the past couple of days. Jen and Joe came by one evening and Mike's childhood friend, Mike Osbourn and family, has been visiting since Friday evening. Mike and Mikey played "thumb war" for hours! The nurses tell us Mikey is up and most talkative during late night hours. Strange, because he always went to bed early and was at the barn before the sun was up. He is now receiving breakfast, lunch and dinner (in the form of baby-type food) and devours every bit of each meal. Sundays are a day of rest from physical therapy and Rochelle and the kids will be visiting. A cat scan was performed yesterday as part of his follow-up care, and we are all anxiously awaiting the results. No news is good news. We have been told that Mike will receive an evaluation on Tuesday which should reveal (in the doctor's opinion) his expected rate and percentage of recovery. We've heard rumors of this evaluation before and just have to wait and see... I'll be back in Baltimore on Monday. I can't wait - I don't like being away from him. As always, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

HORSEMEN HELPING HORSEMEN~THANK YOU DHAF!

Peter Alexander, president of the DHAF since 1991, informed me after a meeting of the Board of Directors yesterday that The Delaware Horsemen's Assistance Fund has graciously offered to help Mike and his family by paying their mortgage and home equity line for the next SIX MONTHS! Their incredible generosity will help relieve some of the tremendous financial pressure facing the family now and in the future. What a testimonial of care and support for a fellow horseman from DHAF - making sure Mike's wife, Rochelle and children (Matthew 19, Jesse 12, Hunter 4, and Gracie 10 months) will have one less worry for awhile. Thank you, Board of Directors for honoring your mission statement "for the benefit, aid, assistance and relief of horsemen, trainers, exercise riders, grooms and stable attendants."

I had to share this Comment.....

I can't thank Alex and Tim Woolley enough for posting a link to Mike's blog on Tim Woolley's Website. We have all drawn a great deal of comfort from those that have signed into Mike's guestbook and shared their prayers, experience, strength and hope. I have to share the following comment Alex forwarded to me from Tim's site:

"Thank you Tim for keeping me updated on Barbaro's condition. I am so worried about him today, it's hard not getting upset. I also wanted to ask you to give a message to Mike Rea's family (I'm not sure how to post on their site). My mom had a serious horse accident when she was 42. She had 7 head fractures, was in critical condition for 3 months and was bed ridden for over a year. Well,she celebrated her 80th birthday last week and is in perfect health. And she still loves horses. Please let them know that how hopeful they should be even though it make take time for Mike's full recovery.

Posted by: Julie J at July 6, 2006 12:58 PM"

Thank you Julie because you see....I'm a business person....not a nurse like my sister or a patient's advocate in another hospital like my Mom. I don't work with sick or injured people. I don't understand a traumatic brain injury. I work in corporate America. I understand administrative responsibilities and sales. I understand deal or no deal. I don't understand that my baby brother, who has never done anything bad in his entire life - who has done whatever it takes and worked harder than anyone I've ever known to be a part of the horse world - who has made the horse world his life and sole means of support for himself and his family - is now lying in a hospital bed, unable to do anything for himself and has no comprehension that he may never be able to get on a horse again....that he may lose everything he has worked his 47 years of life for. If I had not had the opportunity to meet a couple of patients at Kernan who told me that they had entered Kernan in much the same condition as Mikey, and were it not for the doctors and nurses who assured me that there was a strong possibility for a full or nearly full recovery for Mike, I would never have been able to leave and return to my responsibilities here in Charleston. Were it not for someone like you, who shared your experience about your mother, would I be able to stay. I want to be there, with my mother, and marvel at each baby step he takes towards recovery. A comprehensive smile, the excitement over the ability to eat baby food, responding to his barely understandable questions with a reassuring answer.

I have faith, I believe. But seeing the "black and white" of it and hearing "this is the way it was" strengthens my faith and gives me hope. Thank you Julie. Nancy

From Fayetteville, North Carolina

Hello everyone. My daughter, Nicole drove our mother's car up last night to Baltimore. Then we drove back here. But I will be back with Mike on Sunday or Monday. Mike had an okay day yesterday. Doing all of his therapies and begging mother to help him out or just help him. The nurses say this is normal. Today he ate some pudding and drank some type of nectar. No water or ice because he can't seem to swallow thin liquids well yet. But this is still good. So mother is there by herself but has called me all day giving me updates which I will continue to give all of you. Mike thinks I have left him but mother is reassuring him that Cathy had to take care of a few affairs and was coming right back. Thank you again for all the kind messages and prayers. Even though we make big deals about these little steps, please understand that Mike still has a long road to recovery with his traumatic brain injury. All visitors are more than welcome. His childhood friend, Mike Osbourn and his family are coming up tomorrow to see Mike and visit. Great! I know Mike is going to enjoy that visit. I promise to continue to update you. Will write more tomorrow.

Steps Forward

I gave my mother a break today and stayed with Mike all day. She and Jesse enjoyed each other today. When I arrived this morning Mike was sitting up in a wheelchair. He had just finished his morning session of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. He was also dressed with exercise pants and a t-shirt. We had picked him up some shorts so we changed to them. Boy it sure is hot here guys. So we went back to his room and visited. Not long, here came the occupational therapist. Then the speech therapist. Mike did very well. He even told her where he was born when asked. It's Honolulu, Hawaii. Our father was in the military at the time. Sometimes he gets confused about the year, 2006 and where he is. But all in all he has done very well today. He talked to our mother on the phone, his wife, Rochelle and Nancy twice. I really think their both missing each other a lot. We watched the fireworks on TV tonight from Washington. Mike said fireworks at Capitol. He enjoyed them. Happy 4th of July to everyone and God bless you. Will write more tomorrow. Good night.

My sister, Nancy from South Carolina had to fly back home today. So now it is our mother and I. Mike did a lot of sleeping today and when he woke up he looked like he didn't know where he was and wouldn't answer my mother when she kept asking, "Who am I?" I was off with Jesse, Mike's son. She called me and I came running. By the time I walked in, Mike said, "Hey Cathy." So my mother calmed down and is doing better. He stayed awake for about two hours and answered most questions asked of him. So all and all everything is going about the same today. No steps forward or back. Except he did sleep a lot today. Which the nurses say is normal for brain injury patients. I want to thank you all again for all the prayers. Please continue. We need all we can get. Also, like I have said before, you can come and visit Mike. It would help him so much. In fact, we were told by the doctors the more family and friends that visit, the more it will stimulate his brain and aid in his recovery. His address is Kernan Hospital (Rehabilitation Service), 2200 Kernan Drive, Baltimore, MD 21207. The hospital's telephone number is 410-448-2500 if you need directions. He will know that you are there. Bruce Miller came to visit him today and Mike recognized him immediately. I am going to close for tonight. Will write more tomorrow. Good night.

Filling in for my sister tonight - My Sister the Nurse

Mother, Cathy and I were more than a little nervous when we arrived at the Center today. All of us knew that Mike just didn't seem right, even for someone in his condition. Yes, we all remembered the "two steps forward, one step back" progress of brain trauma victims, but still....he would or could not focus on us for more than a few seconds and he rarely if any responded to our voice or touch. THEN.....my sister, the nurse, (thank you God!) found his doctor somewhere in the building and proceeded to tell him what she thought the other nurses were not doing and told him what she thought Mikey needed. He agreed with EVERYTHING she had to say and within minutes Mike was back on an IV for fluids, was put on a circulating air flotation mattress, and orders placed to the nurses to turn Mike and take his vitals every two hours. When they took his blood pressure they immediately gave him something to lower it. Thank you God, for my sister, Cathy - who saw to it that Mike received the attention he needed and deserves! At least until he can help himself. By early evening, Mike was calling us by name, watching a bit of TV and....get this friends and family - the nurse walked in and said "Hey good looking," and Mike looked right back at her and said "Hey baby!" I guess I need to mention that Cathy is a pediatric nurse. Everytime she talks to Mike, it is like she is talking to one of her patients (usually babies or very young children). So Mike has heard "Mike, baby, wake up!" or "I'm here baby!" - most always a "baby" in the sentence. He has always responded to Cathy better than any of us and now we know he has always heard her too!

Jesse, one of Mike's sons, is with us tonight, and we've had such a good visit. Jesse is waiting for the right time to visit his Dad. We purchased way too many fireworks today, set a few off in maybe not the most appropriate places (at one point Mom had to remind me that I had driving the car onto government property!) and have put aside 1/2 to shoot outside his father's window on the 4th!

Mike begins his rigorous physical therapy tomorrow, I have to go back to Charleston tomorrow, and we found a good place for Mom and Cathy to stay near the rehab. I will be on the phone to them and Mikey constantly. Cathy will be back to updating tomorrow - I insisted on writing so I could bragg and let everyone know what a great sister I have.

Nancy

First Full Day In Kernan Rehabilitation

This morning Mike was still sedated from the sleeping medicine that they had given him during the night to sleep. He has a very low tolerance to pain and sleep medication. By the time his wife and children arrived he was awake enough to enjoy the visit. He recognized all of them and Hunter, his 4 year old, was all over him and trying to tickle him. It was so cute. Gracie, his 10 month old giggled and baby talked to Mike. He smiled. Rochelle, his wife, talked with Mike, prayed with Mike, and puckered up a big kiss good-bye until the next visit. Jesse, his 12 year old, peeped around the corner at his daddy and asked a lot of questions. He went over the new poster about the raffle for the mustang with his Aunt Nancy and give his okay. Monday through Saturday the therapist's will be working with Mike twice a day. Speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Tonight Mike received a beauty bath from his sisters and his mother. Washed, shaved, lotioned, and powdered. I bet he was loving every minute of it. The nurses say brain injury patients recover so quickly here because their therapy program is so intense and 6 days a week. Well it's time to go. I will write more tomorrow night. We are so grateful for the donations that are helping to make it possible for Mike to be at Kernan Rehab. Mike deserves the best and without your help he wouldn't be getting it. God bless everyone.

Transferred to Kernan Rehab. Hospital

What a great day!!!! The cat scan was almost normal and Mike will not need a shunt. There is no blood seen, only a little bit of extra fluid that they said should be reabsorbed over time. They did say he would continue to get cat scans about every 2 to 3 weeks to keep a check on everything. Mike also passed the chew and swallowing test at the hospital and will be scheduled for a barium swallowing test soon. They will watch the barium by xray to make sure no fluid goes into his lungs. Soon he will be able to eat real food. Now the real big news. They transferred him to Kernan Rehabilitation Hospital this evening. Nancy and I left first to find a new hotel to stay close by and my mother rode with Mike in the ambulance. We found a hotel and Mike is now settled in. It is so nice and they start working with him tomorrow morning. Speech, physical, and occupational therapy. The doctors say Mike is way ahead of schedule and doing exceptionally well. Now his children, all three can come and see him. They have not been able to since the accident. The visiting hours are Monday through Friday 5 pm till 8:30 pm. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 12 noon till 8:30 pm. The address is 2200 Kernan Drive in Baltimore. For those friends who have been waiting, the time to visit is now! The power of prayer is unbelievable. They sedated Mike for the ride there so he was out of it most of the evening. But when he awoke Joel Osteen was on his TV. He said, "Joel Osteen". We asked him if he wanted to watch and he said yes. Then when Joel went off he said, "Where's Joel"? We told him he went off but would be back on tomorrow night. He kept saying he wanted Joel Osteen, so my sister put on a CD she had of Joel Osteen's book, Living Your Best Life Now, and put the headphones in his ears. He went sound asleep after a few minutes. Good night everyone and thank you for everything again and again. Will write more tomorrow.