I am starting this blog to keep everyone updated on Danny. I think this will be easier than trying to keep everyone updated via text. I also want to apologize to Danny's wonderful family whom I flipped out on today. This is a hard time for everyone and I was selfish in my self-pity. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. All that matters is that Danny is alive. I can't imagine life without him...

Danny was in a car accident on Thursday, March 22, 2012 around 6pm near Malad. He was heading to pick up his car that had broke down in Tremonton. He was driving a Ford F150 and pulling a car trailer. We don't know any details of the accident but that he was transported from the accident scene to Malad Hospital and then life flighted to Portneuf in Pocatello.

He has two huge lacerations on his head (about 12" long on each) that have been stitched up. He had a brain bleed that the doctors say is doing fine. He cracked his sternum, has 5 fractures in his neck, bruised a lung, and broke a finger on his left hand.

He was awake and talking to me in the ER at Portneuf. He didn't remember anything that happened and we would have to repeat everything to him every few minutes as the head trauma caused short term memory loss. He became very agitated because he couldn't remember/understand what was going on so they had to sedate him heavily. They ran multiple MRIs and a MRA. They determined that the force of the accident caused a compression of his spinal cord at C6 and C7 which is what they believe is causing the paralysis from his chest down.

We opted for surgery Friday morning to fuse and stabilize his neck and reduce the narrowing of his spinal column at C6 and C7. While doctor doesn't believe that this will repair the paralysis there is a slight chance and at this point there is nothing to lose. He currently has a pick line, is intubated, and heavily sedated. He will be in a neck collar for a few months.

Danny is still intubated today. Although they where aiming at removing the tube today, Danny lungs weren't strong enough as he now has pneumonia. They had turned down the sedation so that he could wake up and they could see if he would be able to breath on his own through the tube and keep his oxygen levels up on his own. Although he did well breathing on his own, he oxygen levels did not stay up. They will try again tomorrow. They don't want anyone with him while they wake him as he becomes so agitated because of the tube.

We won't know until the tube has been removed and he can talk if the short term memory loss has improved. The doctors are unsure if that is permanent or if it will get better. He still has not moved below the chest. He has use of his arms but has some loss of the use of his triceps (as of the last test they could do with him on Friday). That may have improved but we will not know until they have lessened the sedation and can have him do the tests. Before they sedated him on Friday, he did have some feeling in his legs and feet but could not move them. We don't know if he still has that feeling until we can talk to him.

Tonight the nurses said that his lungs are sounding clearer.