SISU

Our daughter Ellie went on a mission for our church to Finland a couple of years ago. They have a word in finnish that I LOVE! I painted it and have it hanging in our home. 

SISU - The extraordinary and indomitable spirit to never quit and to go beyond all limitations especially in the face of extreme adversity. 

Porter has sisu. I know that he has that kind of spirit inside of him. He is going to do great things. He had a good day. It was mellow. I bet he asked me 37 times what time it was. He knows he is getting that tube out of his mouth tomorrow and he can't wait. They have him laying on an ice blanket because his body isn't able to regulate his temperature and it's freezing. He kept asking me to cover his arms because they were cold. And his arms were actually warm, but when I would do his physical therapy and touch the back of his legs....they were like ice but he can't feel it. Poor guy. 

His doctor came in to talk with us and said his CT scan looked good and there are no new clots. All of the cultures they took to look for infection all came back negative. The hematoma on his head is not growing. He is able to feel us touch him on his middle and ring fingers now which is new. He is doing ok on his breathing although there are times when he starts to breathe really hard and he feels like he's not getting any oxygen. It's like breathing through a straw he says. But he's been a trooper. All of those things are steps in the right direction. We are happy about an uneventful day.

We spent A LOT of time on the phone today researching rehab centers and talking to admissions people. We got a peek into another new big world that exists that we didn't know about. We have to decide where we are going to go soon. There are so many great things about each one we call. It'll be a hard decision, but we are leaning towards going to where we have family....which is in Salt Lake City. We are still waiting to hear on a few variables. But we know that having family support close by is critical. We will probably be in Vegas for at least another week. 

Emma made us a beautiful dinner tonight. She and Ryan will be heading out to Baltimore tomorrow morning to go do summer sales. I know it'll be hard for them to leave, and as much as I want them to stay, I know it's important for them to keep movin' forward in life. 

We went back to the hospital after dinner and tucked Porter in and prayed with him. We prayed that all would be ok tonight and that he would be ready for his surgery tomorrow (tracheostomy). It's scheduled for 1:00. They will take him off the heparin 8 hours before surgery. I hope and pray that it will go smoothly and that Porter will be more comfortable and better able to sit up and move about. Our spirits are lifted today and we continue to feel comfort and hope.

Love to you all. Your faith in Porter means the world.

http://bit.ly/porterbrinton