I kept track of Mike's illness on his Care Page.
Brief History: Mike became ill with cellulitis (an infection in his leg) and was admitted to Presbyterian Hospital on December 13, 2013. We thought this was just going to be 2-3 days of antibiotic therapy then he would be home. Our lives completely changed that day, as Mike never came home from the hospital. His infection went septic, his organs started failing, and he required intubation. When he was being intubated, the doctors had a hard time getting the tube in, and he went too long without oxygen. Immediately after successful intubation, Mike's heart stopped, further depriving his brain of oxygen. He was in a medically induced coma at first because of the intubation, but about a week later it became evident he was not waking up, leading the doctors to discover that he had suffered an anoxic brain injury and would likely never wake up from his coma. If he did wake up, doctors suspected he would never be able to talk, walk, eat, interact in any way and would be in a permanent vegetative state. We lived this life of "what if" and just trying to give Mike a chance to wake up for 6 weeks. The decision was made to remove him from the ventilator and let him go with his dignity intact. He breathed on his own for an additional 10 days, and after 47 days Mike left his earthly body and passed away. This blog is our journey since that time. Terri, Austin, and Jack will be forever changed but have begun their new lives together.
Brief History: Mike became ill with cellulitis (an infection in his leg) and was admitted to Presbyterian Hospital on December 13, 2013. We thought this was just going to be 2-3 days of antibiotic therapy then he would be home. Our lives completely changed that day, as Mike never came home from the hospital. His infection went septic, his organs started failing, and he required intubation. When he was being intubated, the doctors had a hard time getting the tube in, and he went too long without oxygen. Immediately after successful intubation, Mike's heart stopped, further depriving his brain of oxygen. He was in a medically induced coma at first because of the intubation, but about a week later it became evident he was not waking up, leading the doctors to discover that he had suffered an anoxic brain injury and would likely never wake up from his coma. If he did wake up, doctors suspected he would never be able to talk, walk, eat, interact in any way and would be in a permanent vegetative state. We lived this life of "what if" and just trying to give Mike a chance to wake up for 6 weeks. The decision was made to remove him from the ventilator and let him go with his dignity intact. He breathed on his own for an additional 10 days, and after 47 days Mike left his earthly body and passed away. This blog is our journey since that time. Terri, Austin, and Jack will be forever changed but have begun their new lives together.