Sitting up in the PT chair.
Finally gets to shave off that funky beard.
Gabe’s chest tube is coming out this morning, which is the last major hole left with stuff coming out of it. There is still a feeding tube in at the moment which hasn’t been in use for a few days now but we think that one is coming out today too. His pain clicker was revoked (poor guy,) so now he actually has to ask a nurse for more meds if he needs them. The plan at the moment is for Gabe to be transported to the rehab center sometime tomorrow where he will finally get to see Ezra!
It has been fourteen days since Gabe was shot. It seems like forever to some of us, surely to Gabe. Gabe’s mom and I spent the “night shift” (from 9pm to 7am) with him Saturday night. Gabe is able to sleep only up to fifty minutes or so at a time, due to pain from the two drains and the chest tube which are still in place. When the trauma team doctors made rounds this morning they confirmed plans are to remove the tubes tomorrow (Monday). The tentative schedule is for Gabe to be transported to rehab sometime during the day on Tuesday. This is where the really hard work begins. We have been told that Gabe will be able to see Ezra when he gets to the rehab center. That reunion of father and son will be a great beginning to this next phase of recovery and rehabilitation.
Ann and I can’t begin to thank all the family, friends and people unknown to any of us for all the support, prayers, good thoughts and karma which are surrounding and uplifting Gabe and Brooke and Ezra, all his family and the doctors and nurses who are repairing, caring for and healing Gabe. The messages on the website, photos, food, notes, gifts to the foundation, personal visits to the hospital (even when Gabe wasn’t able to see you), emails, text messages, phone calls—all these tangible items of love and support keep us all uplifted and able to progress as we are beginning this long and arduous journey.
Playing with Aunt Nancy’s iPhone
Scabalicious and whiskery
Gabe with Lindsay (cousin) and Jason (brother)
Dropped by this evening to see Gabe. He’s now in the progressive ICU after his surgery. Greg Hardesty brought in some soup today, described as ‘awesome’ by Gabe. It had bacon so it must have been, although he didn’t save me any to try. Everything seems to going pretty good – he’s sleeping better, white blood cell count is getting down to the normal range, and his breathing is improving with the help of Bob, his incentive spirometer. There’s a pretty rigorous daily physical therapy schedule posted in the room with lots of stretching and mobility exercises to keep him busy (and tired.) Looks like he should be getting booted over to rehab pretty soon!
Gabe’s surgery last night went without a hitch. He’s now leaking various fluids through three separate drains – one from his pancreas, one from the chest, and one from the pericardium. Everything looks good, even though he’s in quite a bit of pain. Despite the pain, he slept for a solid five or six hours last night which is a great improvement after days of intermittent short naps. Physical therapy has been called off for today which I’m sure he appreciates. He is going on a liquid diet today, featuring a lot of cranberry juice for kidney health, along with more jello. His fever is down, and vitals are good.
Spoke to my Dad this morning – he wanted to send out his appreciation again for everyone’s support, and asks that if anyone was planning to come visit today that they hold off for a day or two so Gabe can rest.
This is Bob, Gabe’s new breathing machine friend:
Scabby nose shot:
Hanging out:
Nice beard going there:
Gabe had an echocardiogram and is scheduled for a minor surgery today to make a small opening in his pericardium. Some fluid is accumulating around his heart that doctors suspect is lymph fluid, and is probably due to the pericardium being grazed by the bullet. They expect this to help get his heart rate back to normal. Gabe’s fever is down, although still slightly above normal at last check. He’s not on a regular diet yet, but did get to have some jello this morning. The physical therapist gave him a good workout this morning, and arrangements to get him to the rehab center continue.
…are to be expected with such serious injuries. Gabe was moved out of ICU last night into a regular medical ward. The stomach tube that went through his nose was taken out today now that things in his gut seem to be flowing in the right direction. Physical therapy was grueling again, and Gabe was able to sit up in bed, roll himself over, and put on socks by himself. Arrangements are in the works to move him to a rehab center at Community Hospital as soon as possible, where we’ve been informed he will get the serious tough love treatment, and quickly learn to be self-sufficient and get back to normal life and work.
Gabe has been running a slight fever for a few days, and is being watched closely for signs of infection. The doctors removed a staple from his surgery incision earlier that wasn’t healing properly and packed the area with some medicated gauze. Later as we were gathering for dinner we learned that the doctors were inserting a chest tube tonight to drain some fluid that was building up around his lungs. Hopefully these will both turn out to be minor setbacks. The hospital is ready to move him over to rehab as soon as he is ‘medically stable’, which basically means his fever is gone and he is on a normal diet.
I spoke to the detective who is investigating the robbery last night, and although they have little to go on he assured me they are working hard to solve the case. We are also working with Crimestoppers to put together some posters to put up in the neighborhood.
We all can’t say it enough, but thanks to everyone who has been there to support Gabe and the rest of us this past week.
Well, the promised update from Gabe has been delayed. He’s been getting worked over pretty good by the physical therapist the past two days and is exhausted. They have had him out of bed in a chair for over an hour each of the past two days, as well as having him lift himself upright in bed a few times. He’s grumbled about it a bit and says it’s very uncomfortable, but it’s obviously good for him to be putting his muscles back in operation after laying still for days.
He still isn’t eating real food due to, umm, a lack of movement in the digestive system. After some slight medical intervention things are moving again although he still has a tube going into his stomach for now that vents gas and other nasty stuff building up until everything is flowing in the right direction, so to speak.
Gabe remains in great spirits, with his standard dry wit always present. He is still in the ICU mainly because there aren’t any beds available anywhere else yet. We’re fine with that because he’s getting fantastic care from the dedicated nurses and staff there. Brooke and Ezra are doing well, buoyed by the support of friends and family who are helping to take care of Ezra at home, providing meals, and staying with Gabe at night so Brooke has a chance to get home to see Ezra and rest. Ezra hasn’t seen his Dad since last Sunday because of restrictions on children visiting at the hospital. Hopefully they will see each other very soon.
Thanks to the generous assistance from attorney Doug Abrams of Ittenbach Johnson Trettin Koeller, the Gabriel Jordan Trust Fund has been established and is accepting donations through Chase Bank. You can locate the nearest branch here. You can also donate with PayPal on the right side of page.
Gabe is continuing to improve by the hour and will hopefully be moved from the Intensive Care Unit soon. I will be going to the hospital later today to help him put together a personal update for everyone out there watching his progress. Thanks again to all the people who have reached out to Gabe and our family in the past few days. Yesterday Gabe got to meet Billy Roberts, the man who saved him on Sunday night in the street. We can’t thank Billy enough for being there to help Gabe. He is truly a hero.
Be sure to stop by the site later this evening for an update from Gabe, and continue to keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.
Had a chance to get in and talk to Gabe finally this afternoon. We cajoled the nurse into letting us access the net with the computer in the room, and he was able to check out the site and read some of the messages and emails you guys have sent. We’re all just blown away by everyone that has stopped by the site and left a message, or called us asking if they can do anything, or shown up with something to eat while we’re all twiddling our thumbs in the waiting room. It’s really amazing.
Gabe and I got to share a few jokes and chat for a little while before he dozed off. He had a fantastic day today. The therapist got him out of bed and in to a chair for awhile, and he sat there through the initial interview with the detective from IMPD. The hoses and tubes are dwindling, and supposedly he was going to get some jello and maybe something else to eat this evening. His breathing is improving with the help of a respiratory therapist, and he can see again thanks to some quick-thinking Frankes that had a new pair of glasses made (his old ones are still with the Police.) We’re still struggling to get the foundation put together at Chase Bank with the assistance of a local attorney, and hope to have that ready to go tomorrow. People are still sending in some great pictures of Gabe – be sure to keep checking out the gallery for new stuff.
I asked Gabe if I could take a picture and put it up here so all of his far-flung friends could at least see him even if they can’t be here in person, and he agreed – but first he had to recline the bed and pose with his washcloth and morphine clicker. Seriously.
Looking pretty damn good, eh?
Gabe had a good night last night and his spirits are high. He is talking and even joking a bit with Brooke and his parents, and really appreciates all of the support and people reaching out to him. He has good memory of the incident, and the police are expected sometime this morning to interview him.
The doctors have removed the main drain from the surgery site, and plan to take out the chest tube this morning that was draining his lung. His lung capacity is still a challenge, and they are doing respiratory therapy, but he is off of all breathing assistance. They told him he has no movement restrictions, so he can roll around or sit up whenever he is strong enough and ready to. Gabe had some irregular heart beat problems last night, and had an EKG and chest X-Ray. The doctors think this is due to inflammation from the bullet grazing his pericardium, and do not expect any serious issues to arise from that. They have ordered aggressive occupational and physical therapy to begin right away.
We hope to have the foundation set up at Chase Bank today, and will update the site with that information as it is available. Chris Eley of Goose the Market, and Greg Hardesty of Recess have both expressed interest in hosting fundraising dinners in the near future, which will not only be fantastic culinary experiences, but will be a great way to keep Gabe’s story in the public eye. Several local media outlets have contacted us and Gabe continues to be in the local news.
Thanks to everyone who has emailed and sent pictures of Gabe and left comments on the site. Please check out the gallery page and media page at the top for new pics and media coverage. Stay tuned for more information.
