Another email from my dad...
To All Concerned….I am sending this update to family members and some other who we consider close friends. Thanks to modern technology I can stay in touch even at the hospital. There may be some who are hearing of this for the first time. This has been the hardest thing we have had to bear, but it has been possible because of our loving Heavenly Father and the many friends of Natalie and the Baird family. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your PRAYERS and offers of assistance to our family.
Natalie’s accident has brought so many people together in a spirit of love and compassion, which is tremendously uplifting and strengthening to our family. We attended the viewing for Natalie’s friend Shelby, who died next to her. It was a very tender and emotional time….to be with those who morn Shelby’s passing and continue to pray for Natalie’s recovery.
Natalie’s status (she is at Fairfax Hospital) continues to progress in a more positive direction, although she is still in a deep coma, and will have a long healing process (months or more than a year), she is beginning to respond, and we are so grateful that God has blessed her to survive this catastrophic car accident last Wednesday. Since she is in Trauma ICU only two visitors are permitted at one time and no flowers or balloons are permitted. We have tried to help those who are close friends of the family and Natalie to have a moment to see her, but it would be best for most to wait until she is conscious. We will let folks know when that is. We are being very selective as to who can visit at this point, and appreciate your patience. We know you love her.
To recap her injury: Natalie has general brain trauma and swelling, but the bleeding seems to have abated. Her torn kidney also is healing (the bleeding stopped) on its own without surgery. She has a fractured scull, but the brain swelling is slowing and should reverse soon. Thankfully the swelling was not too bad, so it is likely she will not suffer permanent damage, but we really won’t know the extent until she comes out of the coma.
The orthopedic surgeons took her in this morning to evaluate the benefit of surgery to repair her pelvic fractures and dislocations. After very close scrutiny of her pelvis they decided that her fractures and dislocated sacrum will heal without any surgical procedures (another divine blessing).
Her jaw is another story. She will need some surgery to place plates and screws to secure the fractures on both sides. We don’t know when they will do this but believe it will be soon. Once she is ready to receive these repairs and then is conscious, we will need to be at the hospital non-stop, which will be the biggest challenge.
Another good sign is that she has begun to breathe on her own. However she is still on a ventilator to assist her breathing, and is being fed through a tube. She is receiving powerful pain medication and when she involuntarily moves too much (what they call posturing—much like doing a stomach crunch and drawing her knees up and arms in) they administer IV sedatives to keep her calm.
All that can be done is being done, and we look forward in faith to the day she opens her eyes and communicates with us and follows commands…but for now her brain is still healing and she is likely unaware of much.
Please continue to pray for her recovery. We know she will come back to us…..hopefully soon….and when she does; she will really need even more emotional support and love. On an other note….If this was not a sufficient family stress, my mother Helen Baird is in the Washington hospital with congestive heart failure and waiting to see if they can fix a blocked valve. She is 88 and just plain worn out. We have some family here who are attending to most of her needs, but we also are spending as much time as we can to visit and support her. Please also keep her in your prayers.
Thanks for all you have done in our behalf, and thanks be to our loving Heavenly Father, who has preserved Natalie and my mother. We are filled with gratitude for all our blessings and friends.
Sincerely…..
Skip & Emily Baird and the Baird Family
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