Friday, December 26

Christmas w/ Marco







Christmas w/ Marco
















Christmas (from Carmen)

Hola a todos y Feliz Navidad, siiiiii, pasamos una feliz navidad en compañia de Marco y estuvimos felices, platicamos como por 45 minutos con el y puso mucho de su parte para hablar, habló muchisimo ayer que estuvimos impresionados y se le entendia perfectamente bien todo lo que decia. Llevamos algunos regalitos al hospital porque marco nos pidió que los abrieramos con él y lo hicimos y estuvo tan emocionado, tomamos algunas fotos que se las ire pasando poco a poco.Les quiero contar que Dios no me ha desamparado y me dió una segunda oportunidad con mi Marco y mis hijas, dia a dia le doy gracias a Dios por este regalo que me ha dado, lo veo tan recuperado, un poco flaco pero con el tiempo se va a reponer, compartió un largo tiempo con nosotros en el hospital y estuvo de maravilla sonriendo. Gracias a todos y que tengan una Feliz Navidad y un FEliz Año Nuevo 2009 lleno de bendiciones. Con cariñoCarmen

Hello to everyone & Merry Christmas! Yes..we had a Merry Christmas with Marco & we were happy. We talked for about 45 minutes with him & he did a lot of hte talking. He talked a lot yesterday & we were very impressed that you could understand perfectly everything he said. We took some gifts to the hostpital because Marco wanted us to open them with him. We did & he was very pleased. We took some photos that I'll send a little at a time. I want you to know that God has not abandoned me & He's given me a second chance with my Marco & my girls. Every day I thank God for this gift He's given me. Marco is recuperating well...a little thin, but with time he'll get it back. He shared a lot of time w/ us in the hospital & he had a huge smile on his face. Thanks to everyone & have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 2009, full of blessings! With love, Carmen

From Jose 12/23/08

All,

I visited Marco today and would like to comment about his incredible progress. As some of you know by now, he is out of the ICU and is now placed in the Rehabilitation center. I found Marco lying on bed, and I thought he was sleeping; so I decided not to make too much noise and instead of talking to Marco directly I started talking to his brother that was in the room, David. We were whispering but apparently Marco was not completely sleep since he wanted to participate also in the conversation. Minutes later Marco wanted to get out of the bed and his brother helped him to sit down in a wheel chair he has in the room and without major problem Marco was placed in the chair (I mention “without major problem” because this time it took us less than 20 seconds for Marco to be comfortably sitting on the chair. By comparison, four days ago it was taking about 10 minutes to place him in a chair).

It was really amazing to see Marco in the situation he is now. Obviously there are signs that show what Marco has been going thru lately; he has lost some weight and his face shows it, he moves slowly, you can see some of his scars in his head, his hair is still very short, and other signs that indicate he has had a though time while his stay in the hospital. But the AMAZING thing was to see him connected to ONE machine, only by the tube that was feeding him, have him in front of me sitting down whit his hands and legs relaxed, listening to what I had to say, and sustaining a conversation with him. Yes, Marco was talking and for the most part he was clear on the words and phrases he was saying. Of course he is not 100 percent clear; of course he struggles with some words more than with others, but HE IS TALKING AND MAKING SENSE, AND COMMUNICATING HIS THOUGHT CLEARLY.

At some point of our conversation Marco pointed out to me, and asked me what I was wearing. I thought he was referring to the visitor’s tag they give you when you come in to the hospital; I had placed that tag in my jacket. But Marco then referred and pointed out to the shirt I was wearing beneath the jacket. I asked him if he recognized the shirt and he said yes. I asked him if he recalled how I had obtained the shirt and he then told me it was a shirt he had given me many years ago (8 years back, maybe even 9) when we had our first or second gift exchange in our office in Hermosillo. Marco was right, it was the same shirt he gave me long time ago and I still wear during winter time. Marco seemed pleased and happy that I still wear it and he got emotional about that. Then we talked a little bit about those times when we started our office in Hermosillo. We also talked about his progress and need to be patient with nurses, doctors and family members.

Marco is concentrating nowadays in three different therapies he has: speech, physical, and occupational. A therapist comes everyday and helps Marco improve on his ability to speak; a different one comes and helps him to walk in some sort of crutches he has. Marco can move slowly but he is making progress so fast that I don’t doubt he would be walking on his own in very short time. And the occupational therapy helps him remember things and increase his ability to write or use his hands and vision and coordination.

As you can see Marco has made great progress lately. I don’t know if visits to friends are allowed now but I will find out thru Carmen and let you know in the next email I send. In the mean time feel free to ask me anything you may want to know about Marco and I will try to find an answer. Thanks to all and I take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Jose Montoya

Tuesday, December 23

From Carmen, Sunday 12/21/08:
Hola a todos, les cuento que Marco ha tenido una recuperacion asombrosa y a partir del jueves 19 de diciembre que lo trasladaron a rehabilitacion ha tenido una mejora increible. Las terapistas de Marco me dicen que lo esta haciendo excelente y que estan sorprendidas de su adelanto a tan solo dos dias de terapias, el sabado Marco se baño por primera vez en la regadera, (anteriormente lo bañaban con trapitos y espuma) y se sintió un hombre nuevo. Hoy domingo 21 de diciembre se ha portado muy bien, he jugado con los juegos de mesa en el gimnasio con marco y ha puesto mucha atencion en todo lo que se le pide. Hoy tambien le quitaron los puntos de la cabeza, solo queda uno pequeño que será quitado en unos dias mas. He visto muchas mejoras en el y me siento muy feliz y agradecida con Dios por permitirme estar en este proceso con el. Vuelvo a dar las gracias a todos los que han estado pendientes de Marco y sobre todo a Danna Gil por su paciencia y apoyo para con marco y conmigo (gracias Dannita), mi amiga y hermana Alicia Gray que apoyo tan grande has sido tambien y a todos y no quisiera decir todos los nombres porque ustedes saben quienes son y no me gustaria dejar escapar alguno, pero estoy muy agradecida. Pollita de Gil

From Carmen, Sunday 12/21/08:
Hello Everyone. I wanted to let you know that Marco’s had an amazing recovery. Since Thursday, Dec.19, when they moved him to rehabilitation, he’s done incredibly well. Marco’s therapists tell me that he’s doing excellent and that they are surprised at his progress after only two days of therapy. Saturday, Marco took his first shower (before that, they gave him sponge baths) & he felt like a new man. Today (Sunday, 12/21), he’s done great. I have played board games en the gym with Marco & he’s paid a lot of attention to all that is asked of him. Today they also took the stitches out of his head. There is only one small one left which will be taken out in a few days. I’ve seen a lot of improvement in him & I am very happy & thankful to God for allowing me to go through this with him. Thanks again to everyone that has been concerned for Marco…especially Danna Gil for her patience & support with Marco & I (Thanks Dannita)…my friend & sister Alicia Gray that has been such a great support also & everyone else…I don’t want to name names because you know who you are & I don’t want to forget anyone, but I’m very grateful.
- Carmen

Friday, December 19

Tuesday, December 16

From Carmen - Tues, 12/16

Hola martes 16 de diciembre les cuento que a las 12:30 llegó el anestesista al cuarto de marco para decirme que ya lo iban a llevar a cirugia, me dijeron que la cirugia tardaria mas o menos 45 minutos, que era algo sencillo, pero no dejaba de preocuparme claro esta. Salí del cuarto de Marco y me quedé en la salita de espera afuera de cuidados intensivos y como para las 3 de la tarde llego el Dr. Zabramski que fué el que lo operó la primera vez, la segunda y esta tercera y me dijo que todo habia salido muy bien y que Marco solo necesitaba recuperarse de la anestesia y que en 2 horas ya podia pasar a verlo. Pues gracias a Dios todo salió bien y marco se encuentra en recuperación. Mas tarde les doy mas noticias de todo. Gracias. Atte.Pollita Gil Dios los bendiga a todos por sus oraciones, mil gracias.

Hello. Tuesday, December 16 at 12:30 the anesthesiologist came to Marco's room to tell me that they were taking him to surgery. They told me that the surgery would last about 45 minutes and that it was a simple procedure...but, of course I din't stop worrying. I left the room and stayed in the waiting room in the ICU. About 3 PM, Dr. Zabramski (who operated on Marco the 1st time, the second time & this third time) told me that everything had gone very well & that Marco just needs to come out of the anesthesia & that in 2 hours I can go see him. Thanks to God that everything went well & Marco is in recovery. I'll give you more updates later. Thank you & God bless you for your prayers...thanks a million!

Carmen

From David Ignacio Gil Soto - Mon. 12/15

Monday, December 15, 2008 2:38 AM
Buen dia, aqui les dejo unos versiculos de la palabrapara que tengan fe y sigan orando por Marco

Génesis 20:17 - Entonces Abraham oró a Dios; y Dios sanó a Abimelec y a su mujer, y a sus siervas, y tuvieron hijos.

Este es un pequeño pero hermoso versículo en el que nos indica 3 cosas sobre la sanidad: 1. Dios escucha a los que le piden con fe. 2. Dios se mueve por amor a la persona que le pide y obra segun voluntad 3. La petición en este caso la sanidad se manifiesta no solo en una persona sino en todos a su alrededor,demostrando el poder de Dios.

Salmos (Psalms) 107:19-20 - Pero clamaron a Jehová en su angustia, Y los libró de sus aflicciones. Envió su palabra, y los sanó, Y los libró de su ruina.

Aquí en estos versiculos se ve como en medio de la aflicción se clama a Dios y este les escucha y les libra de todas sus aflicciones. Nos dice que Él envió su palabra la cual no vuelve a Él vacia y les sano y les salvo de su ruina. Esto nos dice que desde la antigüedad ha habido gente con similares o peores problemas que los nuestros y en el momento exacto de su ruina y en medio de sus peores momentos claman a Dios y este les rescata y les sana.

Oracion Constante para ver a marco restaurado pronto !

From Carmen - Sat. Dec. 13th

Saturday, December 13, 2008 5:18 PM
El dia miercoles por eso de las 4 de la mañana marco tuvo algunos problemas de respiracion y llegaron varias enfermeras a atenderlo y le hicieron algunos examenes para saber lo que estaba pasando, yo estaba presente y vi mucho movimiento en el cuarto y me asuste bastante porque marco estaba totalmente ido y no respondia a nada, despues de eso lo tuvieron que pasar de nuevo a terapia intensiva y me dijeron que le volverian a poner lel drene en la cabeza para que saliera el liquido que tenia, dijo el doctor que tenia bastante liquido en el cerebro por eso se sentia mal. Hoy vino a hablar conmigo el doctor y me respondio a todas mis preguntas: se decia que a Marco le habia dado una embolia y le pregunte sobre eso al doctor, el me respondio que no habia ninguna evidencia de eso, y sobre los pulmones pregunte si habia algo mal en ellos o si tenia infeccion y todo es negativo, no hay infeccion y todo esta bien con eso. Lo otro es que Marco va a necesitar un drene que va dentro del cuerpo pero no se ve y no se siente y parece que va a ser permanente y me dijo que no me preocupara porque no afecta en nada. Tambien me dijo que lo unico por lo que Marco esta en terapia intensiva de nuevo es que tenian que poner el drene en la cabeza porque tenia liquido asi que me dijo que todo esta controlado y bien con el, el martes 16 le ponen el drene permanente que va dentro del cuerpo. Gracias por estar pendiente de mi gordito. Atte. Pollita de Gil

Saturday, December 13, 2008 5:18 PM
On Wednesday, about 4 AM, Marco had some problems breathing & various nurses came to attend to him. They gave him some exams to find out what was happening. I was there & saw a lot of movement in the room & I was very scared because Marco was totally idle and didn’t respond to anything. After this, they put him back in intensive care & told me that they put the drain back in his head so the liquid he had could drain. The doctor said he had a lot of fluid on the brain & that’s why he did not feel well.
Today the doctor came to talk to me & answered all my questions. It was said that Marco had had blood clots…I asked the doctor about this & he said that there as no evidence of this. I asked him about his lungs & he said there is no infection & everything is fine there.
Marco is going to need a drain that goes inside the body. It will not be visible & he won’t feel it. It looks like it will be permanent…the doctor told me not to worry, that it really doesn’t affect anything. He also told me that the only reason he’s in intensive care again is because they had to put the drain back in his head. He told me everything is now under control & going well w/ him & that on Tuesday the 16th, they will put in the permanent drain inside the body. Thank you for being aware of “my gordito”.
- Carmen

From Donna - Saturday Dec. 13

Saturday, December 13, 2008 11:01 AM
Hola Tom, Soy hermana de Marco Vinicio, y he estado casi en todo momento con el estos dias, me turno con Carmen y Norcedalia para cuidalo en las noches y el dia.

Ahorita estoy en su cuarto y lo estan bañando, pero el no queria bañarse y le dije que en un ratito mas llega Carmen, que dejara que lo bañen para que ella lo viera limpio y guapo, y cambio su actitud y dijo que si, y en todo en la baño ha estado cooperando muuuy bien.

Ya tenia marco algunos dias que no le habia salido la voz, pero ayer descanso todo el dia y toda la noche, se repuso en fuerzas y hoy sabado amanecio mucho mejor, le volvio a salir la voz por un rato, dijo: Vamonos a la casa (muchas veces) y pues entre la enfermera y yo le explicabamos que aun no se puede ir... y luego dijo: Mi nombre es Marco - Sin que le preguntaran. Y pues... ya le empezamos a preguntar que si donde esta y dijo: En el hospital... y luego le preguntamos que si en donde y dijo: En Safford... le dijimos que no, y ya le explique que es en Phoenix, en el centro, en la calle 3 y la Thomas y le pregunte que si se ubicaba y dijo que si.

Eso nos dice que hay que dejarlo descansar mas y no estarlo presionando para que hable porque sabemos que se esfuerza porque aun esta lastimado.Estoy muy contenta porque las oraciones de todos estan dando resultados, y es que Marco no ha perdido su fe y por eso quiere salir corriendo del hospital... Les mando muchos saludos a los chicos (as) de PLS por estar al pendiente de mi hermano y su familia. Les mando algunas fotos que saque de mi blog para que las pongan en el suyo.Saludos, Danna

Saturday, December 13, 2008 11:01 AM
I am Marco’s sister & I’ve been with him a lot these days. I take turns w/ Carmen & Norcedalia to be with him during the nights & days. Right now I am in his room & they are bathing him. He did not want to bathe, so I told him Carmen was coming in a little bit & he should let them bathe him so he was nice & clean & handsome. He changed his attitude & said they could & he’s cooperating very well.
For several days, Marco has not been able to speak. But, yesterday he rested all day & all night. He got his strength back & today, Saturday, he is much better. His voice came back for a little bit, he said: “Let’s go home” (many times)…between the nurse & I we explained to him that he still could not. He also said “My name is Marco”, without anyone asking. We asked if he knows where he is & he said “in the hospital”. We asked where & he said “in Safford”. I explained to him that he’s in Phoenix, near 3rd St. & Thomas …I asked if he knew where that was & he said yes. That tells us that we need to let him rest more & not pressure him to speak because we know that he tries hard & that he’s still injured.
I am very pleased because all of the prayers are giving results. And, Marco has not lost faith…he wants to run out of the hospital. I send my thanks to all at PLS for being aware of my brother & his family. Saludos, Danna

Monday, December 15

Friday, December 12

From Norcedalia Gil - 12/12/08

Hola, Soy Norcedalia la hermana menor de marco 'marco's little sister', hoy estoy en el Hospital me quede a relevar a Carmen y Dana para que ellas descansaran, estamos haciendo turnos para cuidarlo, Marco tuvo una recaida, le han estado haciendo diferentes tipos de examenes del cerebro, scan, rayos x, etc, hoy vino el Doctor y nos va a decir el plan a seguir, por lo pronto le quitaron la sonda de comida y ha estado sedado durmiendo la mayor parte del tiempo,esperamos que hoy diga el Doctor el plan a seguir, estuve viendo las fotos de sus companeros de trabajo y el trabajo que hicieron de agregarlo con el photoshop con su disfraz de zorro a la nueva fotografia, le platique anoche de esta foto y de como sus amigos del trabajo lo extranan,y esperan verlo de regreso trabajando junto a su equipo,y salio una sonrisa de su boca, a pesar de que no podia abrir mucho la boca, pero me entendio perfectamente todo lo que le dije le describi con detalle en donde se habian tomado la foto sobre la nieve y que se veia muy bien,le hemos estado platicando de lo que esta sucediendo alrededor,el dia en el que esta, la hora a la que se despierta, tiene una fuerza de voluntad increible, no ha comida en tanto tiempo y aun asi se quiere levantar de esa cama y desatarse las manos, es un hombre fuerte y confiamos en Dios que se va a reponer pronto, gracias por sus oraciones y seguimos en contacto...Norcedalia Gil

Translated: Hi, I’m Norcedalia, Marco’s little sister. I was in the hospital today to relieve Carmen & Dana so they could rest. We are taking turns being with him. Marco had a setback. They have been doing different types of exams to the brain (scan, x-ray, etc.). The doctor came today & he’s going to tell us what plan to follow, but for now they took out the feeding tube & he’s been sedated, sleeping most of the time. We hope that the doctor tells us today what to expect. I was looking at the pictures of his co-workers & the work they did to add him in w/ photoshop with his Zorro costume. I told him last night about that photo & that his friends from work miss him & hope to see him back to work with the team soon…a smile came across his face, even though he couldn’t open his mouth much. But, he understood perfectly everything I was telling him, I described in detail where the picture had been taken in the snow & that it looked great. We’ve been talking to him about what is going on, what day it is, the time he wakes up, etc. He is incredibly strong-willed. He hasn’t eaten anything in so long & still wants to get out of bed & untie his hands. He is a very strong man & we trust that God will restore him soon. Thank you for your prayers! We’ll keep in touch….Norcedalia Gil

Thursday, December 11



We went & took a photo for our PLS Christmas cards. We went up to the snow on Mount Graham & snapped some shots. We definitely missed Marco being there, so we photo-shopped him into the pics. =) We miss you Marco!!!

From Carmen Wed 12/10/08

Buenos dias, les cuento que hoy Marco tuvo un progreso bastante bueno, vino la terapista fisica y lo levantarion y estuvo bien, hoy tambien temprano le quitaron el drene que tenia en la espalda y le tuvieron que dar una puntadita porque estaba un poco abierto pero todo resulto bien, asi que ahora que marco se levanta ya podemos si quiera ayudarlo mas facil. cuando llegue a verlo marco se queria sentar en la silla de al lado y entre danita yo y la enfermera lo sentamos, estuvo por un rato y despues nos pidio que se queria acostar otra vez, pero dijo la terapista fisica que siempre que el quiera hacerlo estaba bien. esos son los avances del dia de hoy miercoles 10 de diciembre a las 12:25 de medio dia.
Gracias a todos Atte.La Pollita de Gil
P.D. Dannita mil gracias, eres un angel.

Translated:
Good morning. Today Marco made very good progress. The physical therapist came & they got him up & he did well. They also took out the drain that he had in the back early today. They had to give him one little stitch because it was a little open, but it was fine. So now Marco can get up & we can help him easier. When I come to see him, Marco wants to sit in the chair at the bedside…between Danita & I & the nurse, we can seat him. He was there for a bit & then he asked us if he could lay down again. The physical therapist said that whenever he wants to do that, it’s fine. These are the news of the day, Wednesday December 10 at 12:25 PM.

Thanks to everyone! Carmen
PS Dannita…thanks a million…you’re an angel!

Monday, December 8

From Carmen Sunday 12/7/08

Milagro tras milagro hemos visto en mi gordito Marco, hoy fue un día especial, al llegar en la mañana a verlo me di cuenta que podía pronunciar ya algunas palabras y su rostro reflejaba tranquilidad, hoy estuvo de lo mas tranquilo. Mi amiga Alicia y yo le dimos su buena afeitada y quedo como un bebe, guapo como es siempre y hasta me lleno de besos y abrazos, se sentía de lo mejor. He platicado con los enfermeros y dicen que de dos a tres días le quitan el drene que tiene en la espalda y ese día que lo hagan, saldrá de terapia intensiva, pero también tengo mas noticias, como ya puede hablar, mañana le van a hacer un examen para ver si puede tragar alimento y si lo logra, todo será mucho mejor porque el tendrá mas energía y será mas rápida la recuperación y empezaremos con las terapias muy fuertemente.

Gracias a todos por sus oraciones, les estoy eternamente agradecida a todos los que me han apoyado tanto aquí en el hospital como por teléfono y a todos mis amigos de Safford por cuidar de mis dos pequeñas princesas y a mi suegra por tener tan gran corazón (la quiero mucho Rosita). Dios los bendiga a todos y los prospere al máximo. Atte. La Pollita de Gil(Carmen)

Translated: We have seen miracle after miracle with Marco. Today was a special day. Upon arriving in the morning, I saw him & realized that he could pronounce some words and his countenance was peaceful…today was one of the most calm. My friend Alicia and I gave him a good shave & he turned out like a baby, handsome as always. He felt so good he smothered me with hugs and kisses. I spoke to the nurses & they say that in 2 or 3 days they will remove the tube that he has in his back. The same day they do that, they will begin intensive therapy. But, I have more news. Now that he can talk, tomorrow they are going to do a test to see if he can swallow food. If so, everything will be much better because he will have more energy & the recovery will be much quicker & we’ll start heavy therapy.

Thank you to all for your prayers. I am eternally grateful to all those that have supported me…here in the hospital, on the phone & all my friends in Safford for taking care of my two little princesses, and to my mother-in-law for having such a big heart (I love you Rosita). May God bless & prosper all of you. - Carmen

From Tom - Saturday 12/6/08

I went to see Marco in the Hospital on Saturday afternoon. My wife & kids went with me. I knew about Marco's recent surgery to replace the bone & the setback he had with the drain tube clogging, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew he was in ICU and that only family was able to visit, so Suzanna & the kids stayed in the waiting area while I went to find Carmen. I found Carmen outside Marco's room. He was resting as he had been doing since the surgery. She explained to me about his "setback" and that they had him pretty sedated to try to rest. They were going to remove the intubation tubes that morning (Saturday), but before they got to it, Marco pulled them out (AGAIN). The first time he did that, he damaged his throat & vocal cords, making it difficult for him to speak, eat etc. Obviously, the second time was just as bad or worse. Marco's making quite a reputation w/ the nurses there as the one that needs to be watched. When they're not looking, he takes off tubes, bandages, etc. etc. Anything he can reach.

Anyway...after talking to Carmen for a while, I went down the hall to where Suzanna & the kids were. Suzanna went down to see Marco while Carmen & I went to the waiting room. When Suzanna didn't come right back, I went to find her. I found her in the room w/ Marco. I thought maybe she didn't know the "family only" rule & had gone in to see him. Turns out that while she was standing outside his "window" that he woke up & was motioning for her to come in. The nurse took her in to see him. When I got down there, the nurse told me to come in as well. Marco was very much awake. He does not see well yet & has a hard time focusing, but he recognized us immediately by our voices. Because of the damage to his throat, he does not talk, but he certainly communicates. Through hand signals, he asked about us, the kids, my surgery, the date & time, etc. He wanted to arm-wrestle me, dance, etc. He wanted to give Suzanna a hug & me a very elaborate handshake =). It was very apparent that his mental capacity is there. He remembers, reasons, recognizes, etc. It’s tough to see that he is confined to a bed and cannot speak or see clearly yet, but incredible to know that the same old Marco is there mentally.

After about 15 min. with Marco, he got tired & it was time for us to go. Marco had no problem telling us to get out =). We visited w/ Carmen & Marco’s mom in the waiting room for quite a while & then left.

Friday, December 5

All,

I went to check on Marco’s situation last night. As I mentioned on the last report, Marco had a surgery to put the occipital bone back in place on Tuesday this week. The surgery went well and he was kept on the ICU for recovery. Sometime during Wednesday Carmen and Dana (Marco’s sister) noticed something was not right. They noticed that the tube from the head was not draining any fluid as they thought it was supposed to work. The nurse told them they had just removed all fluid from the bag where the tube drains into and that is why they didn’t see any fluid in it. Carmen later told the nurse the same thing and she replied that sometimes the draining comes at a slower pace. Carmen told the nurse that she noticed that Marco’s throat was swelling and the nurse replied this time saying that was normal, that after being on bed for as long as Marco had been the throat starts to swale more than before. Basically, any concern that Carmen and Dana brought up was met with a “that is normal, don’t worry”. Well, as you can guess, some problems arose.

Later on Wednesday evening Marco’s throat swollen up to the point that had difficulty breathing normally. The doctors placed a tube down his throat again to help him breath; Marco was also highly sedated to keep him calm and give him time to recover. The doctor’s changed the draining tube from his head down to his spinal cord, somewhere around the back. When I was at the hospital I was told that the draining was working fine and that the inflammation on the throat was subsiding. The nurse told me at this time they are keeping Marco at a very low room temperature, highly sedated, with the tube down his throat, and under the constant watch of the ICU nurses. I asked how long this status was going to be kept and she said “until the doctor tells us to do otherwise”; so, basically we don’t know for how long he is going to be kept on this situation.

Marco’s friends and family are sad to see these events develop this way when the impression we all had is that Marco was doing so good that he would be able to walk on his own in a short period of time. A friend of Marco compared his current status to the first day in the hospital but I disagree on this. It is definitely a setback on Marco’s recovery but this time it seems to be more under control and more than anything induced by the doctors to give Marco time to recuperate from the swelling and lack of draining of the brain, nothing more. Let’s hope and pray that this setback is without major consequences and short lived.

Thanks,

Jose

Thursday, December 4

From Carmen - 12/3/08

...Marco ha estado muy tranquilo hoy, de hecho casi todo el dia ha estado dormido y descanzando. Las noticias de hoy fueron que marco salio bien de la operacion y se esta recuperando, tambien le hicieron un scaner de la cabeza y todo esta hasta hoy bien. Gracias por los globos y el osito ya lo recibimos, marco no se ha despertado para verlos pero en cuanto el pueda le decimos que sus amigos de PLS se los enviaron. Gracias a todos no tengo como agradecerles todo lo que han hecho y hacen por marco y mi familia. thanks de todo corazon. Carmen y marco

Marco has been very calm today. In fact, almost all day he's been asleep & resting. The news for today is that Marco came out of the operation well & he's recuperating. They also did a head scan & everything is fine so far. Thank you for the baloons & bear that we recieved today. Marco has not been awake to see them, but when he is, we'll tell him that his friends at PLS sent them to him. Thank you to all. I have no way to thank you for all that you have done and are doing for Marco and my family. Thank you with all my heart. Carmen & Marco

From Norcedalia - Marco's sister

Hola Soy Norcedalia la hermana de Marco que vive en Phoenix, solamente queria darle las gracias por craear una pagina para que los amigos y familiares vean el avance o progreso de Marco y todo lo que va sucediendo, que Dios le bendiga abundantemente y estamos en contacto por este medio...si quieres poner mis comentarios, se lo agardeceria mucho, solo que deseo que Marco se recupere pronto y que lo amamos y lo apoyamos en todo tiempo y lugar. Muchas Gracias.

Hi! I'm Norcedalia, I'm Marco's sister who lives in Phoenix, only to say thank you for the page that you created for family and friends, now they can see the progress and everything that is hapening in the Hospital, God Bless you, we are going to be in contact by e-mail, if you want you can put my add on this page it is greatly apreciated, I'm going to be thankfull, I wish the best for Marco and a fast recovery, we love him and we suport him in every time and place.Thank you very much.

Wednesday, December 3

From Carmen 12/3/08:

Hoy es cumpleaños de mi gordito, asi que el que quiera mandarle alguna tarjetita, yo se la dare.Marco esta ahora en cuidados intensivos porque ayer le pusieron el hueso occipital que le habian quitado el viernes 21 de noviembre y por el momento se encuentra estable. Gracias a todos por estar pendientes. Atte.La pollita Gil

Loosely translated: Today is Marco's birthday. If you want to send any card or message, I will give it to him. Marco is in the ICU because yesterday the put the Occipital Bone back in his head that they took out on Friday Nov. 21. For now, he's stable. Thank you to everyone for your concern. - Carmen
From Jose 12/2/08

All,

I stopped by the hospital yesterday. Marco has been out of ICU for two or three days now. He still is not allowed visits by friends, only family. There is a sign on his door saying this very clearly. I was lucky to be around when a doctor came to check on him and I was able to hear about his condition.

Marco continues improving although he still needs a lot of attention and family members caring for him 24 hours. He has less tubes connected to his body so he can move easier now. He has lost some weight but still physically strong. He is tired of being on the bed all the time and is desperate to walk around the room. He is able to stand up and take short steps but loses equilibrium and needs to be helped. His voice is not back yet and is not able to communicate that way. The speech therapist says he is improving on this and is asking Marco to make an effort to emit sounds to the best of his ability. Marco is able to sit on the bed or even in a wheelchair. He likes to go around the floor and see other people. At times Marco loses patience because people don’t understand him but most of the time he is able to communicate by signs or pointing to objects or more commonly by answering to yes or no questions. This takes a lot of effort from family members and you can see some frustration on all people involved. Nevertheless, everybody agrees Marco is making tremendous progress day by day.

Today Marco was supposed to have two surgeries. One surgery was to insert a tube on his side directly to his stomach so he could be fed that way until he can eat by himself. The second surgery was to put back the bone in the back of his head. The doctor said this means they consider Marco’s brain to be back to normal size, with no swelling and the stuff draining out is either stopped or minimum. After this surgery Marco would be sent back to the ICU for few hours until the doctor think is sage to send him back to his room. We were told there is risk involved in the surgery but the doctors thought it was time to put back the bone. There is a couple of therapist coming to see him almost everyday to evaluate his progress. We hear of Marco going within few days to full therapy to help him gain strength and to walk by himself; and therapy to help him with his speech faculties; and some other therapies needed.

The family is hopeful and faithful on a full recovery but they realized it will take several months before things go back to normal. Sometimes I hear Marco will be in the hospital for two or three months and sometimes I hear up to six months. I do not know the full path of his recovery but although Marco is certainly impressing everybody with his fast recovery my own opinion is that he may be there at least for another month. I imagine at some point in time we will know for sure what path the doctors prescribe for Marco.

Thanks,
From Jose, sent Tuesday, November 25:

All,

I stopped to see Marco last night and then talked to his wife this morning.

Yesterday the report was that he was getting restless at bed, trying to untie his hands, moving in the bed constantly, and communicating with his wife talking very slow. He insists in wanting to write in a notepad.
Unfortunately for most of us, due to the lot of visits Marco has had in the last couple of days, from friends and people stopping to see Marco the hospital now is requesting that only family members visit Marco, and one at the time. They are worried that Marco is trying to talk to everyone that comes to visit and not having enough time to rest. The hospital said this situation will be only temporary until Marco has recovered a little bit more; they said that sometime next week they will allow visitors again.

This morning I talked to Marco's wife by phone. She even said that last night the nurses encouraged her and a sister to go home and try to get a good night of sleep. They said they wouldn't allow them to stay in the room with Marco. As you see the hospital now is forcing Marco to rest more and talk less, as if that was possible for Marco :-). When the wife and sister showed up to the hospital this morning the nurses told them that Marco had a good night of rest and he was doing very well. The nurses were happy to see that and encouraged for the progress Marco has made.

I will keep in touch with Marco's wife and will send a couple of reports in the next week or so. I will let you know when we will be able to visit Marco.m

Monday, December 1

Update from Carmen

Gracias a todos por estar pendiente de Marco.

Las noticias son: Mañana temprano le van a colocar una sonda de alimentacion directo en el estomago porque por el momento no puede comer, osea tragar bien, le hicieron un examen de tragar y no lo paso, la comida se iba a los pulmones pero para eso es esta sonda por lo pronto para alimentarlo bien hasta que agarre fuerzas y coordinacion en ese aspecto. Por otra parte como a las 11 de la mañana marco entra al quirofano para que le coloquen el huesito de la cabeza que le habian quitado antes, les pido a todos oracion para que Dios lo restablezca pronto.

atte.
La pollita Gil