Holli has been moved to the sub-acute area of the hospital. Diane said that they sat her up on the side of the bed today and propped her up with pillows. She said Holli has been more verbal today. Her doctor said that he would soon start adjusting her medications in attempts to wake her up. Diane thinks they will aggressively start working on waking her up now that she is in this new area. Speech is working with her also, and Diane says that she seems to be swallowing well so far. She's not taking anything by mouth yet, but they are doing swallowing exercises and she is doing fine with them.

For those of you who would like to send Holli and Diane cards and/or letters, here is her address:

St. Luke's Hospital
3555 Cesar Chavez St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Room 835A

phone number is 415-641-6885 ( this will send you to nurses' desk- ask for room 835A)

We will post this on the side also.

Holli has had a good weekend. Diane said that she has required less medication to calm her down from her "episodes" She has had lot of company. She is still running a fever, but the doctor thinks this is a result of her injury rather than an infection. They are expecting a visit early next week from a physician who will be involved in her care at the rehab facility. I will keep you posted.

Holli has had a full day with lots of visitors. Diane said that she sat up in a chair for about 3 hours today. Her condition is pretty much the same. She is still having the "storms" or 'episodes" as we call them. They will be on the telemetry unit at least through the weekend. Holli's friends have been so good to visit her and provide lots of stimulation through music and conversation. Diane said it seems like a party when they are around :) We are so thankful for them and their loyalty and love for Holli.

This is a picture Doug sent me today of Diane and Holli. She's been at Holli's side continually for a month now. When you pray for Holli, please remember to pray for Diane, too. I know she appreciates every ounce of encouragement and support.

With joy and thanksgiving,
Colleen

Diane said Holli has had a better day today. She rested well last night after the pain medication, and has continued to do well today. All of the therapies are starting to get involved with her care. Physical therapy came today and speech will start tomorrow. Diane said she still works very hard when she's awake. HR goes up, respirations go up and she works up a sweat moving around in the bed. I tend to think that she is just working very hard at trying to wake up. She is still on the telemetry unit, and Diane thinks they will be there for another day or two before she goes to rehab.

It has been brought to our attention that perhaps we have offended some of the readers of this blog by posting pictures of one of the hospitals where Holli received care. Let me start first by apologizing for this. While we stand by the honesty of what was posted, we want to convey that we never intended to offend anyone. The country of India will always have a special place in my family's heart (especially Diane's). There were "angels" there who cared for Holli and did everything they could to help her, and most importantly, saved her life. We have learned a lot through this situation, one of them being about the kindness and generosity of the Indian people. Our world view has definately been opened up through this experience. Please accept our apologies, we tend to forget how very far-reaching this blog has become.

Holli is at St. Luke's hospital in San Francisco. She is on a telemetry floor. They will evaluate her and then decide when she's ready to go to rehab. Diane said that her heart rate, and blood pressure have been up for about 24 hours and she has been sweating profusely. They have started IV fluids and are monitoring her closely. Diane said that she hasn't been as verbal today, and that she seems to be in pain. They had just given her pain medication when I spoke with her. Diane seemed to think that she was starting to settle down and possibly rest a little since getting the pain medication. We are praying for a better day tomorrow.

Holli has had a big day with lots of visitors. When I spoke with Diane, there was a room full of Holli's friends visiting her. Holli does well with this. The stimulation is good for her. She makes lots of verbal noises during these times.

Diane said they will be moving to St. Luke's in San Francisco tomorrow. They will evaluate her and decide if she needs sub-acute care at first or can go straight to rehab. Diane is excited, but also sad to be leaving Stanford. She says Holli has received exceptional care at Stanford. We are very thankful to the people at Stanford for accepting Holli and providing such first-rate care. Once they are settled in at St. Luke's we will post an address for them so that you can send Holli and Diane cards and letters of support.

Diane said that Holli has had a much better day today. She has rested better and has not required as much pain medication. The staff got her up in a wheelchair and Diane took her outside. Diane said she slept through it all but tolerated it well :) Diane also said that they have worked out the details to having Holli sent to a rehab facility in San Francisco. If all goes well, this move could take place this week.

There was a question from an earlier post about Holli's condition and prognosis. Holli remains in a comatose state. She is however, doing more and more as time goes on. Brain injuries are very hard to predict and the waking up process is usually very slow. It is very rare for someone to just "wake up' from a brain injury. It is usually a slow progression from comatose to fully awake. When my brother had his brain injury, he was only able to make "cow-like" noises when he first awoke. It was several weeks before he was talking again, and even then he had to be taught how. We just simply don't know what Holli's prognosis is. No one does. It truly is a 'wait and see" situation. We do know that there is a good chance that she will be different, but just don't know what those differences will be. We are, however, very sure about the fact that whatever the outcome, Holli and her loved ones will be O.K.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. I certainly am no expert on brain injuries, but do know a little from my own experience with my brother's brain injury 7 years ago. Every case is different though, so it can only give us a small amount of insight into Holli's injury.

Today has been a status quo day for Holli. She is becoming more and more verbal. Diane says she moans a lot, especially when she seems to be in pain or her fever is up. They are waiting on culture results in order to pinpoint the source of the fever. They are still working on getting her into a rehab facility in the San Francisco area. This will happen when the doctors feel she is ready. We are not real sure when that will be. Thanks for continuing to keep up with her progress.

Diane said that Holli had a rough night last night. She is having frequent episodes with increased heart rate, tremors, and grimacing. They medicate her for this, but they return as soon as the medication wears off. They did get good news from the MRI done yesterday. The doctor said that it looked better than her previous studies done in India. She is still running fever and they are in the process of trying to find out if she has an infection. Now for the exciting news!!!! Grandmom was on the phone with Diane just now and Diane put the phone to Holli's ear. Grandmom told Holli that "we are praying for you and hoping that you will get well soon." Grandmom heard a moan on the other end, and Diane excitedly got back on to tell Grandmom that Holli had tears in her eyes!!!!!!!! Please keep praying for both of them.

Holli had a busy day today. She went to xray for several scans and xrays at around 1230 pm today. Diane said she got back to her room at around 3:00 and then left at 3:30 to have her peg tube placement done. She returned back to the room at around 7:30 pm. Diane was just getting her settled when I spoke with her. We should hear something tomorrow from the xrays.

Holli's peg insertion got cancelled today. They will try again tomorrow I suppose. It had nothing to do with Holli's condition, they are just very busy. They are going to do more xrays on her brain either today or tomorrow. They moved her to a regular room late last night. Diane is staying full-time with her. She is having these "episodes" where she seems to be in pain. Diane says that she has tremors, grimaces her face and her heart rate goes up. (I remember Matt doing the same thing) When this happens, they give her pain medication and she settles down. She is being treated for a staph infection that she acquired in India. She also acquired a bedsore while she was in the first hospital in India and they are treating this. As anyone who has been through a traumatic event with a loved one knows, there are good days and bad days. It is such a roller coaster ride. I think today has been a "down" day for Diane and Harrison. Please continue to pray for strength and peace for them both.

Always in prayer


Jill

Diane had her meeting with Holli's doctor. He came on board today, so he really hasn't had much time to familiarize himself with Holli. He basically told them possible scenarios for Holli's recovery. He told them that he felt that Holli would surely have residual effects from this injury, but was unable to say exactly what they would be. This is pretty typical. In our past experience with head injuries and comatose states, no one can predict what the brain will do. It is basically a "wait and see" type of situation. They are planning on surgically implanting a feeding tube tomorrow and moving her to another part of the hospital. She will be moved to a room that doesn't require as much monitoring. They are already discussing possible rehab facilities and working on getting her moved in that direction. This will be a good thing for Holli. They are talking about moving her to a facility that specializes in brain injuries. Diane said that the doctor mentioned that she may have to pay up front for these services until they are able to get Holli financial assistance. Please continue to spread the word about Holli, and encourage help towards their needs.

Always in prayer

Jill

Here is a link to a first hand account of the accident and the angels that were present to take care of Holli. It is truly amazing! God is soooo good!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13147555/Saving-Hollis-Hawthorne

As of 9:30 central time last night, Holli had been moved to a step-down unit. She is now in a private room where Diane can stay with her. Diane said that Holli was making lots of faces last night. She seemed to be grimacing somewhat, as if she is unhappy about her situation. She was sqeezing their hands very hard to the point where it was painful for them! They will meet with Holli's doctor at 1:00 pm pacific time today. Will post an update sometime after that.

I just got off the phone with Diane. She sounded much more rested than last night. She said that she spoke with Holli's doctor briefly this morning. In his words they are "getting to know Holli today". They will be running lots of tests and getting a clear picture of what is going on with her. She is planning on going to the hospital later this afternoon and hoping to get to talk with him at that time. She and Harrison are playing catch-up on their much needed rest. She didn't feel like Holli would be in ICU for very long. Please continue to pray for Diane. She is needing to get back to work in the near future and understandibly having a difficult time with the thought of leaving Holli's side. It is a great comfort to know however, that she will be surrounded by friends who love her deeply and that Harrison will be there for her. We are also comforted by the fact that our Heavenly Father has had Holli in his hands throughout this ordeal. I know He will bring comfort to Diane also.

I just spoke briefly with Diane. Holli is in ICU at Stanford. They are getting her settled in her room and giving her a work over, I'm sure. Diane is so relieved, thankful and just overwhelmed by everything that everyone has done to make this happen. She is also very exhausted. I don't think she has slept since Saturday night. She is going to see Holli for the last visiting hour and then go to Karen's and crash. She did tell Heather, Holli's sister, that as they were loading Holli onto the plane, she saw tears in Holli's eyes as if she knew they were bringing her home.

We will continue to post on Holli's progress as information comes to us. Now that we have Holli back in the states, we are changing our focus to get her back to her home. Feel free to check in with us to keep up with her journey on the road to recovery.

Just spoke with Doug. He said Diane called real quickly from the plane at about 5:00 central time to let him know that they had landed. She said that Holli tolerated the trip well. They kept her sedated for most of the flight. Will let everyone know as soon as I have more information.

Holli is in the air!! I haven't heard from Diane since they left Chennai yesterday, but I checked their flight information and they are enroute. Their flight got a little delayed in Dubai, so they will be around 2:30 pm getting to San Fransisco. Karen, Harrison's mom, worked very hard yesterday making phone calls to arrange ground transport for Holli from the airport to Stanford. Rick Lamark at American Medical Response Ambulance DONATED their services to get Holli to the hospital. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! They are located in Burlingame California. So please all of you west coasterners remember this good deed and let them know how much we appreciate this gesture to take care of our Holli. As I have mentioned a thousand times already.... the outpouring of love and support has been tremendous and we are soooo appreciative. Keep those prayers coming and I will update as soon as I hear word of their arrival!

YAY! Our "Yo-Yo" is coming home!


Here is a link to a newspaper article in the Palo Alto area about Holli:

http://paloaltodailynews.ca.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/frame/check.2612/rss/showArticle.php?pSetup=paloaltodailynews&date=20090315&edition=Palo%20Alto%20Daily%20News&page=0315150XA004.pdf.0&id=1&device=std

I spoke with Diane this morning. Holli is well and Diane is counting down the hours until they leave: ) They will be boarding at around 3 am their time which will be about 10 more hours.

I did want to take a minute and share what is on my heart this morning. This journey has been such a blessing for us. Yes, it's tragic and we aren't sure what Holli's fate will be. Yes, Diane has been through a nightmare with her baby girl, BUT....... "If God is for us, who can be against us!!!" It is times like these that are a true test of faith. It is so easy to talk the talk and walk the walk when all is well, but when everything looks so bleak around us we MUST look up! I am saying this all most humbly, because I have been guilty throughout this journey to take my eyes off the Lord and allow myself to feel helpless and alone. Thanks be to God that He is faithful and will find some way to remind us that we are HIS and we can be victorious even in the midst of a tragedy! What a blessing! My prayer is that the Lord will use this in a way to glorify Him and spread some Light.


Please continue to pray for Holli, Diane and Harrison as they embark on this trip home.

It's official! They will fly into San Fran on the 16th! Diane is soooooo very relieved and glad to be coming home!!!!! Thank you for all of your prayers! She said that Holli is still doing well. Her fever is improving as they are treating her for a UTI with IV antibiotics. The hospital staff got her up in a wheelchair today and they rolled her down the hall. She did require a neck brace for support while she was up, but tolerated it well. But most of all............ they're coming home!!!!!!!!

Here is the latest article from "The Hindu".

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/13/stories/2009031356970400.htm

Diane said that Holli is now running a fever. They are testing to see if it could be a urinary tract infection. She is on anitbiotics through her feeding tube. Otherwise, everything else is status quo. She did say that physical therapy is going to start getting her up in a chair tomorrow. From all of our past experience with Matt, these kinds of things help with the waking up process. They have not heard anything from the airline as of yet, but are hoping to hear from them tomorrow. Everyone's continued prayers are needed and appreciated.

Jill

Here is a link to the newest article in The Hindu newspaper in India:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/03/06/stories/2009030661611000.htm

Just wanted to let everyone know, I spoke with Diane a couple of hours after I posted the blog. She said that they had changed out Holli's catheter and she was resting comfortably. Will post again after I speak with her in the morning.

When I spoke with Diane this morning, she sounded very tired. Holli has been having some issues with her foley catheter today. The doctor believes that it is not draining correctly and they were in the process of changing it out. Holli has had some discomfort due to this and subsequently has not had as good of a day today as she has the last few days. Diane is really wanting to get her home. The process for aligning the details for possible commercial flight has proven to be very tedious and may or may not work out. Please pray for strength for Diane and Harrison right now.

Diane says that Holli is still doing well. She continues to squeeze their hand at times and opens her eyes. She's not following commands yet, but that is to be expected and will take a while to get to that point. They are still working very hard at having her moved home. They hit a roadblock with one airline, but Harrison and Diane are very determined. They are now speaking with another, and if that doesn't work they will move on to another. Please keep them in your prayers as they work out these details. Doug has opened a bank account for Holli at Regions Bank. I believe it is called the "Help Holli Get Home" account. Anyone can go to any Regions Bank and make a deposit. Thank you all once again for your prayers and help.

Holli is now all settled in her private room! There is a cot in the room and Diane and Harrison are taking turns staying with her. She is still doing well. They notice subtle changes in her everyday. She is now opening both eyes spontaneously!! She also is now squeezing their hands and has moved her right arm on her own. They are still working with the airlines to have her flown home commercially. This is progressing, but isn't a definite as of yet. Please continue to pray for them all as the arrangements are made. I can't say "thank you" enough. We have been amazed at the outpouring of love and support for Holli and our family. I believe this is a true testament to God's love for us and how He wants us to love one another.

I just got off the phone with Diane. They were sitting at Holli's bedside in the ICU letting her listen to the IPOD. She said that they will be moving to a private room in about 3 or 4 hours. At the doctor's suggestion, Diane hired a private duty nurse to be at Holli's bedside at all times. Diane said that Holli will now open both eyes during suctioning, and still continues to open that right eye spontaneously. For all you medical people out there, her Glascow Coma Scale has improved by 3 points since she has been at Apollo! They are now working diligently with the airlines to see if Holli can fly home commercially. The airline physician will come tomorrow to assess Holli, and see if she qualifies to fly with them. Please continue to pray for them all as they make the necessary arrangements to have Holli brought home. If all goes well, this could happen later this week!!!!

Holli continues to improve at miraculous rates!!!! She is now off oxygen completely, and will be moved to a private room tomorrow!!! This is truly amazing! Her physician reports that her pupils are equal and reactive...(just for comparison, they were sluggish when she arrived at Apollo). She continues to open that right eye and peep out at Diane and Harrison. It looks as if the transfer from the Apollo end is going to happen. Diane met with 2 doctors from that hospital who have agreed to go with Holli. One of them is a Trauma ER doc and the other has lots of experience with international patient transfers. This option will be much less expensive than the private air ambulance that we were needing earlier in the week due to Holli's condition at the time. God is good! Please continue to spread the word about our blog site and encourage donations. Diane has already incurred great expense thus far. Holli's care and recovery could take weeks or even months with several venues for that recovery required. This is going to be very costly for Diane and Doug. Let's help them with these costs.

Holli improves every day! They are in the process weaning off her oxygen completely!!!!!!!!!!!! She is still opening her right eye when stimulated. Vital signs remain wonderful. Diane says at times it looks as if she is "peeking" at them through that right eye. We are still working diligently at having her moved to Stanford. As her condition improves, this becomes more and more of a reality!!!! We, her family, want to give all glory to Our Lord and Father!

Just got off the phone with Holli's mom, Diane. Holli continues to do well. Her vital signs remain perfectly stable. She is still breathing on her own. They were very excited because she opened her Right eye today. We are actively pursuing all options of bringing her home. Her physician is working on some options from that end also. Please continue to pray for Holli as well as Diane and Holli's boyfriend Harrison. As a side note: my mom, Joy, is now stateside. She felt good about Holli's care at Apollo and knows Harrison is taking good care of Diane. She decided she needed to get home to care for her brain injured patient :)

Always in prayer

Jill

There was a really good article in the Hindu Times today about Holli's accident. Here is the link below.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/06/stories/2009030658910100.htm

Just spoke with Diane. She said that Holli is improving by the day!!!! She is completely off the ventilator! She is now responding to deep pain and her pupils are more reactive. Her central line was removed yesterday and now has peripheral IV's only. She is tolerating her tube feedings well. Her MRI confirmed the shear injury to her brain stem but didn't reveal anything new. I can not thank everyone enough for all of your prayers and support. This is a true miracle in the making!!!


P.S. Here is another link to a second news story in nashville about Holli:
http://www.wsmv.com/video/18851252/

Prayerfully

Jill

Mom called early this morning to tell me that Holli is breathing on her own!!!!!!! She is still connected to the ventilator, BUT it is not delivering breaths...... only oxygen and probably a little bit of support to facilitate her respiratory effort. This is very standard when weaning someone from the ventilator. I'm just speculating and pulling from what usually happens here when going through this weaning process, but I would guess that they may turn it back on during the night to let her rest and then start the process again in the morning for her. Diane said she is taking 20 breaths a minute and doing well!!!!!! Praise God! This is just amazing!!! Keep those prayers going up for Holli.

Always in prayer

Jill

Diane and mom just got done speaking with Holli's doctor. They meet with him every morning at 0830. He says that Holli is very stable. He has given her clearance to fly as soon as we can get it arranged. Mom says that her fever is improving. She was unable to have her MRI done yesterday due to an emergency that came in and required the equipment, so she is going this morning to get that done. Thank you once again for all the prayers and support. Lets continue to lift them all up in prayer until we can get them home.


Jill

P.S. Holli's sister Heather and step-father Doug were on the news tonight in Nashville. They told Holli's story. You can see that at www.wkrn.com. They did a wonderful job.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. This whole experience has been bittersweet for our family. We have experienced such sorrow at what has happened to Holli, but have also seen our Heavenly Father work in ways that we never imagined! We Stand Amazed at His goodness and faithfulness. So much so, that we know He is going to provide us with the means to make this Air Evacuation happen for Holli. We have seen His work in every step of this journey.
We learned today that we are going to be depending on donations to obtain the money needed for Holli's trip home. We were hopeful that we could obtain a bank loan quickly and then pay it back with the money raised. However, with the lending crisis that is currently taking place in our country, it seems this is probably not going to be the case. So, that being said, your donations are more important than ever. Please continue to spread the word about this site.

Always in prayer

Jill

Diane and Mom spoke with Holli's neurosurgeon. Holli remains in critical condition. He told them that the medical team at Apollo is providing supportive care for her. He said that Holli's brain needs time in order to see if it will be able to heal. They are planning an MRI tomorrow for her. He wants her to be able to rest today as she will need to be transported to another hospital for that test. Diane told him of our plans to Air Evac Holli back to the states and hopefully to Stanford University Medical Center. He said that was a good idea and that Stanford was an excellent place for Holli. As a lot of us who have dealt with brain injuries in the past already know, these things take time and no two are alike. Please continue to pray for Holli and our family, especially Diane. It is sure to be a difficult time for her right now, dealing with this so far from home and the rest of her family.

Always in Prayer

Jill

Again, thank you so much for all of your contributions. I just wanted to let you know that if you're not seeing the Chip In total grow (which it very much is!), you simply need to clean out your Internet's history, close your browser and then reopen the page. Then you'll be able to see the current total.

To do this in Mozilla Firefox, select Tools from the menu bar at the top, and then select Clear Private Data. Close the browser and reopen it - you should see an updated total.

For Internet Explorer users, select the Tools button on the upper right-hand corner of your browser, and then select Internet Options. On the General tab under Browsing History, select Delete. It will open up a new window where you should click the button Delete Files under the heading Temporary Internet Files. That should clear it. If not, go back to your Browsing History and also click Delete History under the heading History. Close your browser and reopen it to the blog.

Now that you're thoroughly confused...

For those of you who would rather not clear their history, the current total, as of 2:41 pm CST is $5331.00. You guys are amazing - thank you!!!

I just spoke with Doug, Diane's husband. Holli is at Apollo hospital and they are aggressively treating her and running diagnostics. He said they were checking everything out thoroughly. Diane felt good enough about her care that they have gone to the hotel to check in and get some rest. It is midnight there and they have been up since 0430. They will meet with Holli's doctor in the morning to get a full report of her condition. Thank you for everyone's prayers and phone calls. Keep them coming! I will update everyone when I get one.

Lamentations 3 :22-24
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"

Psalm 42:11
"Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down , but not destroyed."

Job 19:25
"I know that my Redeemer lives."

I have spoken with mom during the night, and she also left me a message early this morning. Holli will begin her journey to Apollo hospital in Chennai within the hour. Our Indian friend, Vijay, has pulled the necessary strings to make this happen. I was on the phone with them last night when the doctor at JIPMER was updating them on Holli's status. She has taken a slight change for the worse. Her vitals are still stable, however, she is less responsive. Her pupils have become sluggish and she is breathing less over the ventilator. This move could not have come at a better time. Apollo has sent an ambulance with a doctor on board and everything Holli will need to get her there. Diane also confirmed that this hospital has the capability to monitor her intra-cranial pressures, which Holli desperately needs. Mom is asking for everyone to lift Holli up in prayer. These next four hours are CRITICAL! Pray, Pray, Pray.

So much has happened today. I started my day crying in my bed about Holli's situation and worrying about how we were going to get her out of it. BUT our God is Awesome.... He showed me! Through a contact from my mother-in-law, Judy Lyle, my mother has been contacted by a man in India who is very important. His brother told me that he works with the Indian Army. He has offered all of his resources (even money) to help move Holli to Apollo hospital in Chennai. This has been our goal for several days now. It is a wonderful facility with the capabilities to care for Holli until we can get Air transport back to the states. When I spoke with mom last, they were on their way to the hospital in Pondicherry to meet one of his "men". They have already arranged for ambulance service to Apollo and were working on contacting the physician. He made all of this happen in less than an hour!!!!!! This man is going to meet mom, aunt Diane, and Harrison in Chennai to provide them with whatever assistance they may need. He is even bringing them a local phone to give them so that they don't have to use theirs. He says it's "too expensive". I am sitting here in awe as Miracles unfold before my eyes. Thank you Lord.

We have now set up a Chip In account (look to the right) to accept donations to help get Holli med-evac'd home to the States. We appreciate any and all contributions during this stressful time. Every dollar helps!! We know God is faithful and we're looking forward to see Him provide in a mighty way.