Update #2 from Beth and Danielle

Hi guys,

Danielle and I spent the night at the hospital last night, and this morning Steve's original trauma surgeon (Dr. Daza) and his intensivist (Dr. Morton) came in to talk to us about his progress. His right pupil, while still enlarged, is beginning to respond to light. His motion on his right side is better than that on his left side, due to the fact that the blood clot was compressing the right side of his brain (which controls the left side of the body). We were told a couple of days ago that the pressure on his brain also pinched off a couple of small blood vessels, causing him to suffer minor strokes in the cerebellum and thalamus. We are still not sure what effect this will have.

Danielle reports that last night when the nurse went to brush some goop off of his eye (they are putting gel in his eyes to keep his corneas hydrated) Steve noticeably shifted his head to the left. This is a good sign, say the nurses, because it indicates that he is capable of "purposeful" movement - not just reflexes. One nurse also saw him start to reach toward his throat when she began suctioning out his ventilator tubing, which is also a good sign.

FYI: We are extremely satisfied with the level of care Steve is receiving at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Armanda, has been extremely patient in explaining things to us and has given us every reason to believe that Steve will have the best possible outcome, given his situation. The nurses and support staff have also been great, and have not minded that we basically have people in there with him at all hours of the night and frequently break the "TWO VISITORS ONLY" rule. His main physician, Dr. Morton, has been around a lot answering questions and has also been very patient with us.

Okay, on to what actually happened: Steve was visiting friends in D.C. on Saturday night when he ran down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, fell, and hit his head. He apparently thought he was fine, and was able to walk back and go to sleep at a friend's house. In the morning, his friends heard him making strange noises and breathing very shallowly. They tried to rouse him, but while he was somewhat verbal at first, his condition rapidly deteriorated and he began to stiffen, at which point they called the ambulance. Steve was taken to the hospital, as mentioned in the previous entry, exhibiting "blown" pupils and extensor posturing, which is basically the lowest level one can be at neurologically. It was then discovered that he had a massive blood clot on the right side of his brain (between the dura and the skull), which was compressing his brain stem, the part of the brain that controls such essential functions as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

The truth is that if it had not been for the quick reaction of his friends, Matt and Kira, we would certainly have lost him. So words cannot express how grateful we are to them: they saved his life.

More again soon,
Beth and Danielle