Saturday, May 4th, 2002
8 am. Good news, Daniel made it through the night. Vital signs are stable. When his friend asked him a question last night, he gave the thumbs up sign!
2 pm. Toni called Mindy to say that Daniel would be having another CAT scan this afternoon and that he is scheduled for brain surgery tomorrow. They are concerned about the tear in his aorta but is seems to be holding.
6:30pm Emily (friend) called. Daniel is scheduled to have brain surgery tomorrow at 8:30am. The surgery is to attempt to repair the fracture in his skull and to search for infection in the brain.
Sunday, May 5th, 2002
8 am I spoke to Toni at 8am (PST) and Daniel was taken into surgery at 9:20 (EST). The primary intent of this surgery is to repair the skull fracture and to assess the swelling and pressure on the brain. They may remove a small piece of the skull to reduce the pressure (and then place it back later). A team of plastic surgeons also went in to begin work on Daniel's face, where several bones are broken. After this surgery, his next surgery will be to repair the tear in his aorta. Down the road, the damage his legs and his pelvis will be addressed. Toni will call us as soon as she has an update. She said the doctors believe initially that the damage to the brain is not in a major area, but time will tell.
Toni gave us her knowledge of how this happened: He was leading a caravan of Bard students into the town to do an outreach to teenagers there. Toni told me that Daniel was driving on this country road when his back wheel hit the soft shoulder and he swerved to correct and overcorrected into the oncoming traffic. He hit head on a Cadillac. Luckily, the people in the Cadillac were not injured. The town closed the road and 20 rescue workers were there to assist. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center.
Sunday
1:45 pm Toni just called and Daniel is out of surgery. It took 5 hours. The surgeons cleared out all the debris and bone fragments. It appeared that some of the covering of the brain was torn…the right front lobe was bruised and there is some other bruising. There may be some brain damage but no one knows at this point.
The neurosurgeons found no infection which was good and worked on repairing the major skull fracture that ran from the bridge of his nose back across the top of his head. Part of the right side of the skull was placed in a blood bank and frozen; this is to allow more space for the swelling to go down and will protect any further damage to his brain. It will be reattached later [was reattached Monday, 5/6.) They attached a brain monitor to measure pressure build up.
The plastic surgeons decided not to tackle reconstruction of his face since this is cosmetic and can be done later. The thoracic surgeons are anxious to get in and repair the heart (maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after…) but right now he needs to recover from today's surgery. Right now there is no order, no timeline…they are in a holding pattern.
But now the good news…after the surgery, the family was allowed to go in. The doctor said Daniel responded well…he nodded his head, wiggled his toes. He knows his family is there and he tried to open his eyes (although he was still heavily sedated.) He also tried to blow them a kiss. They then re-sedated him for his recovery. Although they cannot accept flowers, they can decorate his room with cards. His friends at Bard brought him a picture of Daniel and Mindy, and Daniel and TK, his favorite pillow, his Harry Potter sweatshirt, his monkey and a fox. He has his David Bowie CDs as well…
I relayed to Toni the outpouring of support for all of them. I told her that over 100 individuals had accessed the website before 8 am this morning…and that Church of the Good Shepard and Holy Angels Church had sent out a call for prayers this Sunday…and then all of our individual prayers that certainly carried Daniel toward recovery. She knows that so many of you would like to speak to her…but that she is just overwhelmed right now and is so grateful for this website so that you can "keep in touch." She will call later today with an update if anything changes.
Monday, May 6th, 20027:30 am I spoke to Jim Fox and there were no changes from last night. The neurological responses are still the same which is good. AT 1 pm today, Daniel will go in for another CATSCAN for the thoracic region so that the surgeons have more information about his heart.
5:45 pm I Fed-exed a copy of your hundred or so e-mails, a "get well" tape recording from various friends. I spoke to Betsy and she said that Daniel is resting comfortably, and will have to have a tracheotomy so that the plastic surgeons can begin to reset the bones in his face. Betsy said that he is heavily sedated but when the sedation wears off, he really tries hard to communicate by raising his hand. At this point, there is no plan to work on the aorta yet. Legs might be reset tomorrow as well.
9:15 pm Added link to poems and prayers page
Tuesday, May 7th, 2002
1:00 pm I spoke to Toni and Daniel was in the process of getting his tracheotomy put in. The plastic surgeons have been studying pictures of Daniel's face so that they can start to reset the bones in his face. This afternoon they will place steel rods in his legs and that operation should take about three hours. Toni also reported that the swelling is going down in his face.
Your cards are starting to arrive and they are placing them in his room along with pictures from his life at home and at Bard College. He also has a poster of Harry Potter's first flying lesson: it says "Hold on tight and don't slip off the end!" Toni and Jim will be moving from the motel to a place called Fisher House. Fisher House is a home-away-from-home for families of hospitalized veterans or veterans who are in the area to visit a hospitalized member of their immediate family. 189 Morris Street, Albany, NY 12208-3522
9:30 pm I spoke to Toni tonight and she sounds so weary and tired but so very appreciative of all the kinds words and cards you have sent. She wishes she could speak to you individually to thank you all. So many people have told her about the website and how it helps us all feel more connected to them. I know at times it just feels good to go to the guestbook and read all the loving messages. I woke at 4:30 am this morning thinking of all that has transpired, and logged on site to see that Joannie Fiske had just left Daniel a message at 4:20 am. Toni said that it is incredibly helpful to know we are standing spiritually right beside them. She reported that tonight Daniel got through the surgery successfully for his legs. Tomorrrow is another day...
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
7:30 am
I just learned that the Arcadia High School, First Avenue Middle School and
Holly Avenue Elementary School staff are participiating in a fund drive to
assist the Fox Family in their support of Daniel in New York. So many of you
have asked me about this as well. If you would like to make a contribution
to help defray some of their expenses in New York, please make a check out to
Toni or Jim Fox and send it to Terri Schreiner, Arcadia High School, 180
Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007
Some of you have also volunteered to donate some of your frequent flyer miles
to the Fox Family to help defray the costs of travel to and from the west
coast. I understand that a round trip coupon from LA to New York takes
25,000 miles. If you would like to help the family in this way, please
contact Mary Ann Laun (address and phone numbers below.)
1:30 pm
Toni called to report that machines have been placed on Daniel's legs to
gently stimulate the joints and muscles so that they don't stiffen. He is
trying to breathe over the breating tube (ventilator) which is a good sign.
They tube that measures the pressure in the brain was removed since the
pressure looked good and stable. I neglected to tell you before that the
part of the skull that was removed and frozen in the blood bank was
reattached the next day (Monday). Toni said that they are moving again from
the Albany Medical Center apartment to the Fisher House today. I spoke to
the administrator there this morning and he said that these houses (now 26
throughout the nation) were set up by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher to assist
veterans and their families in crisis situations. Seven families can be
accommodated in one house. Families help each other in many ways. To adjust
to life in the house, hospital, and local community newcomers get a helping
hand from experienced guests. They also exchange moral support in coping with
the overwhelming stress of illness in the family. In this way, they serve as
each other's extended family. There are shared laundry facilities, kitchen,
living rooms, and shuttles to the hospital. What a blessing! You can still
send your cards and letters to the Albany Medical Center, or, to the Fisher House
4:00 pm Emily said that Daniel will be resting for 4-5 days now and that the plan is to do the plastic surgery on his face and heart surgery early next week. They want you each to know how much they appreciate all your support and prayers. They have been reading each card and each email to Daniel.
10:00 pm Emilie (Daniel's friend from Bard) posted a little additional information on her site: "Daniel got a haircut today. They aren't able to wash it and it had started getting pretty gross, so they took care of that. They also shaved him. Right now, his legs are in a stimulator that moves them up and down so that the joints and muscles don't get stiff after the surgery. His thighs are also being iced, post-surgery. They've discovered that his jaw is also broken, so when the plastic surgeons go in to do the work on his face, they'll be wiring that shut. His blood pressure was up a little bit today, but they'll monitoring that with medication. As I said yesterday, his face got really swollen after his leg surgery, and apparently will swell even more after the plastic surgery. Fortunately, he is young and his skin is really pliant. Daniel tried to breathe over a ventilation tube today, which means that his lungs are getting stronger—very good sign. They've had the medication up a lot today, but he's still been squeezing hands. All of these surgeries so soon after the accident has really been a shock to his system, so the remainder of the week will most likely be spent in rest. Tentatively, his plastic surgery is scheduled for Monday, and the surgery on the aorta for Tuesday." -- Emilie
Thursday, May 9, 2002
8:30 am I spoke to Betsy and Daniel is scheduled for a couple of days of rest and recuperation. No changes as of today.
4:00 pm I just got off the phone with Toni and Daniel is
resting today. The swelling has gone down in his face today. Emily and
Betsy will be arriving home late Saturday night. Monday is the tentative
date for the plastic surgery team; Wednesday is the tentative date for the
heart surgery. Toni's sister Sandy emailed me today and converyed her
appreciation to everyone for all your loving concern. She called the Tivoli
Fire Department a couple days ago to let them know how Daniel is doing, and
to thank them for their rescue efforts and get their address to send
cookies. The village's firefighters and rescue workers are all volunteers.
She talked to the wife of one of the rescuers and she was very glad to hear
Daniel is holding his own. She said that they were all very shaken by the
trauma to Daniel. I asked how the people in the other car were and she said
one of them has a broken leg.
Here is the address she gave me for the department if anyone wants to write:
Tivoli Fire Department
Two Tivoli Commons
Tivoli, NY 12583
email: tfdco5@yahoo.com
Friday, May 10th
7:10 am Jim just called to ask for extra prayers today! Daniel's blood pressure is up so they have had to turn the ventilator up higher; he has a slight temperature. They are doing a variety of tests to determine lung function and the cause of the temperature. The swelling is still down in his face today which is good. The doctors have limited family access to Daniel (they can sit in the room but have asked that there be no stimulation at all since they want his blood pressure to stabilize.) I mentioned to Jim that each day has been a progression and that sometimes it is "One step back, two steps forward" and he said that is what one of the nurses said as well. He will keep us posted...
6:00 pm Toni called tonight with some discouraging news. Even
though each day looked so positive, yesterday and today have not been good.
Daniel is having difficulty with his lungs and they do not seem to be
supporting the air he needs to breathe. The doctors plan to place him in a
state of paralysis to try and remedy this condition. Toni said that the
doctors are not optimistic at this time...but miracles do happen...and the
family thanks you for all your continued prayers. The next two days are
critical ones.
Toni will call us if anything changes. It is good to hold hands "virtually"
with each of you right now...we all need each other so much right now...Mary
Ann and Jeff, Mindy, Lissa and Amy.
Jeff and Mary Ann Laun
618 Santa Rosa Rd
Arcadia 91007
(626) 447-8492 (h)
(626) 827-8492 (cell)
(626) 585-7833 (work)
Mary Ann's email
Mindy Sherman
at SFSU (415) 406-4834
(415) 420-6841 (cell)
Mindy's email
If you would like to send a message to Daniel, go to the Guestbook.