Paul Graham

Monday update

Not too much major news today, but some more positive progress.

Last night they started the weaning process for the respirator to prepare to remove her breathing tube. They started by getting her to initiate the breath but with a lot of assistance. Now that has progressed to the point where she is doing most of the work. Once they firm up her jaw surgery they will be able to remove the tube.

In order to do the jaw surgery they need to have her neck cleared. In order for that to happen they need check for ligiment damage in har neck. So today the big thing was getting an MRI done to see if there is any ligiment damage in her neck. So the MRI was at 4 and because of the time we haven't heard the results yet. We hope to hear that early tomorrow.

Other than that the next thing coming up is the 5 day mark. This, after the 48 hour milestone, is a significant point in terms of swelling in the brain. So far we are doing well but passing tomorrow night without signs of swelling in the brain is the goal.

I think that covers the major news for the day. We have really appreciated all the notes, emails and phone messages saying that they are praying for us and Kate.

Please continue to pray for her recovery as well as the doctors and nurses working on her. We are seeing answers prayers daily, and are really encouraged by that so please keep that up. We have been reading our emails but understandably have not been able to answer most of them.
Paul on 03.31.08 @ 09:53 PM EST [link]

Sunday morning update

Not too much to report on since the last update (which was last night, but accidentally labeled Friday night).

They have started weaning Kate off of the breathing machine. She is initiating the breaths on her own now, but the machine is giving her assistance getting a full breath. They will continue this process, but won't be able to remove the breathing tube until the jaw surgery has been scheduled.

They have also started giving her nutrition via IV, and will start introducing food to her stomach with a tube that is already in place.

We are still waiting on an MRI to determine if there is any damage to the ligiments in her neck. There is no bone damage and she is still able to move both her hands and feet. Her left side remains weaker than her right but we are seeing progress.

I think that's it for now. Thank you for all your prayers, we are experiencing the blessings from them both physically and emotionally. Please continue to pray for Kate's continued healing and for us as we go through this process.

I have been updating this from a black berry, so I hope I haven't made too many spelling errors, and hopefully it makes sense.
Paul on 03.30.08 @ 10:47 AM EST [link]

Saturday night update

*edit* this was actually a Saturday night update, not Friday as I had orginally posted.
***

A quick update about Kate's situation.

Later last night Kate showed a bit of an inprovement with her awareness, and was even able to briefly open her eyes. Over the night there were no changes, which was good. We were able to rotate around and managed to get a good night's sleep.

This morning Kate went for another catscan, and a full set of x-rays. No real change there, but that's a good thing.

In the afternoon Kate went to the OR to ensure there was no more internal bleeding, and close her up. The surgery went fairly quickly and was successful. There was discussion about addressing her broken jaw during the same surgery, but they elected to do that later when Kate is stronger.

All in all today was a good day and the docters were very happy with her progress. We learnt more about her initial condition and how fortunate we are to still have Kate with us.

I'll try to keep updates coming. We are expecting a long recovery that we are told will have its ups and downs. We are still asking people to pray, but please no visitors at this time. We expext to be in the ICU for at least a week, and its not really appropriate for visitors while she is in there. There will be plenty of time for visitors during the later stages of recovery.
Paul on 03.29.08 @ 09:58 PM EST [link]

Please pray for Kate

As some of you may know, Kate was involved in a serious accident on Thursday evening. While I can't go into great detail at this point, she has improved significantly over the course of the day. She is still heavily sedated, but during tests with the doctors she was able to move her hands and both feet on command and make a "thumbs up" with her right hand when asked. She has undergone two operations so far, and has at least 2 more in the near future.

As of Friday evening she is still in the ICU at Hamilton General hospital. She was in very rough shape at first, and while she still is, she has been stable for most of the day. The initial news was very bad, so at this point just about everything we've heard is being considered good news. The doctors and nurses have been excellent and we are confident she is getting the best possible care. We also know that there are many of you out there praying for her, and we are already feeling the effects. We ask that people hold off on visiting while she is in the ICU. I know that Kate is a very special person in all of our lives and I will try to keep you up to date on her progress.

Head-on collision on Hwy. 140
Posted By Tribune Staff

Port Colborne

Two Port Colborne residents were sent to hospital with serious injuries following a head-on collision on hwy. 140 near Netherby Road last night.

A lone 25-year-old woman driver had to be extricated from her vehicle by the fire department.

She was taken to Welland County Hospital and then transferred to Hamilton General Hospital with very serious injuries.

A lone 43-year-old male driver, was brought to Welland County Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

He has been charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm

Police are awaiting the results of a blood analysis which may result in further charges.

Ontario Provincial Police responded to the accident at about 10:15 p.m., closing the highway until 3:30 a.m.

Names have not been released at this time.

The accident is still under investigation, but police are asking any witnesses to contact them at 1-888-310-1122.
Paul on 03.28.08 @ 07:12 PM EST [link]

Bear convicted of stealing honey

Seriously?

Bear convicted of stealing honey

Mar 13, 2008 10:37 AM
Reuters

SKOPJE – A Macedonian court convicted a bear of theft and damage for stealing honey from a beekeeper who fought off the attacks with thumping "turbo-folk" music.

"I tried to distract the bear with lights and music because I heard bears are afraid of that," Zoran Kiseloski told top-selling daily Dnevnik after the yearlong case of the bear versus the beekeeper ended in the beekeeper's favour.

"So I bought a generator, lit up the area and put on songs of (Serbian "turbo-folk" star) Ceca."

The bear stayed away for a few weeks, but came back when the generator ran out of power and the music fell silent, Kiseloski said, adding, "it attacked the beehives again."

A court in the city of Bitola found the bear guilty, and since it had no owner and belonged to a protected species, ordered the state to pay the 140,000 denars ($3,500 U.S.) damage it caused to the hives.

There was no information on the whereabouts of the bear.

link to the story here
Paul on 03.13.08 @ 05:37 PM EST [link]

Papercraft Tie Fighter

Here's something cool that I thought I'd give a try... papercraft. This is a free pattern I found on this website for a Tie Interceptor model. Its made entirely out of 3 pages of paper (28lb, 8.5x11) printed from pdf files on that website. Turned out fairly well for my first shot. A couple more pictures here.

Direct link to the pdf's (you need to print two of page 2)page 1, page 2.
Paul on 03.06.08 @ 10:17 PM EST [link]

Next generation of slide shows

Here's a really cool implementation of technology to make a simple slide show stunning....

http://www.mediastorm.org/0001.htm

"1976 journeys through the ghettos, farmlands and lifestyles of Cuba as scenes build and unfold blurring the distinction between the propaganda and the everyday reality of struggling to survive. The concept of the video was to capture the flair of the Latin influence in the song '1976' by RJD2."
Paul on 03.04.08 @ 09:19 PM EST [link]

Monday update

Sunday morning update

Saturday night update

Please pray for Kate

Millennium Falcon Papercraft

Awareness Test

Bear convicted of stealing honey

Papercraft Tie Fighter

Next generation of slide shows

Google notebook

Port Colborne Golden Puck