A Ten Day Ride on A Magic Camel - Almost Finished Trip Report

[brookelizabeth]

Hello everyone. I am coming to you right now from my room at Pop. Unfortunately I am not here on a happy note. I come asking you our extended family and friends for prayers. Trent just called and informed me that he and MeMom are at Vanderbilt hospital emergency room with Drew. He had a bike wreck and has internal bleeding on his brain. We don't know a prognosis right now. All we know is that we are all hurting very deeply and need the support, love and prayers from our friends and family. I will update as I get information. Don't forget to tell your family and friends you love them because you never know what might happen in the blink of an eye.

Oh my goodness....I am praying for Drew's quick, miraculous, and complete healing. Many, many hugs and prayers for your whole family.

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Just got a text from MeMom. It seems as though things are going to be better than expected. He broke his collarbone, all the bones in his right ear, and has a cut on his head. I am trying to get through to her or Trent to get more info but no luck so far. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns on his behalf!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I am praying and hoping for Drew's quick recovery.

So happy to hear that things are going better than expected.

Please keep us updated and know that we are all praying for Drew and your family.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

My prayers are with all of you and especially with Drew. I pray for a complete recovery and comfort with the pain. I pray for the doctors to do everything in thier power to help him. My heart breaks for you. I feel so sad for you Jill because you are away from your family. It must be so difficult. We are all here for you, I will be thinking of you today.

 

[reelmom]

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope that Drew makes a quick recovery. I will be praying for all of you.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Glad to hear that things are better than expected -- still praying for Drew and all of you!

Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

[IluvXU]

Prayers and hugs are being sent your way! Hope Drew continues to recover!

 

[lmillercrew]

Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry for your family. Prayers go out to you and your family, doctors and nurses.

 

[MegansMom]

Thinking of all of you--abundant prayers are flowing your way!!! Please keep us as up-to-date as you can.

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

I talked to Trent late last night/early this morning. He said they were waiting on the neurosurgeon to come look at Drew's CT scan, but that some other doctor hadn't seen anything abnormal on it. They were also going to do a scan on his chest, abdomen, and pelvis just to make sure all was okay. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

It was definitely hard being here when I wanted so badly to be there to do what I could. The Lord has kept him safe and everything seems to be not as bad as originally thought. We are headed to Downtown Disney this morning and then to Hollywood this afternoon and evening. I will check in again if I get a chance today. Have a good Sunday everyone!

 

[twob4him]

OMGoodness, I was checking in this morning and I heard about poor Drew. Many prayers for a quick recovery I am so glad it is not as bad as originally suspected.

Jill I hope you can continue trauma-free for the rest of your vacation and have a happy birthday too! Keep us posted!

 

[luckylady]

Poor baby. I hope he has a good recovery. Jill have a great time and I hope the rest of the trip is free from anymore accidents.

 

[Happy Elf]

Prayers being said for Drew! Hoping for a speedy recovery! Hugs to you all!

 

[kschafer]

My thoughts and prayers are with your family today. What horrible news to have to deal with when you are away from your family. I will be thinking of everyone, Drew especially for a complete recovery.

Once again I reiterate how wonderful heath care professionals are. I pray he is in good hands.

 

[declansdad]

I was so relieved to read the second prognosis and I am so glad to hear that things are doing better. I hope everything will continue to improve.

 

[punkin413]

Just got a text from MeMom. It seems as though things are going to be better than expected. He broke his collarbone, all the bones in his right ear, and has a cut on his head. I am trying to get through to her or Trent to get more info but no luck so far. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns on his behalf!

I talked to Trent late last night/early this morning. He said they were waiting on the neurosurgeon to come look at Drew's CT scan, but that some other doctor hadn't seen anything abnormal on it. They were also going to do a scan on his chest, abdomen, and pelvis just to make sure all was okay. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

It was definitely hard being here when I wanted so badly to be there to do what I could. The Lord has kept him safe and everything seems to be not as bad as originally thought. We are headed to Downtown Disney this morning and then to Hollywood this afternoon and evening. I will check in again if I get a chance today. Have a good Sunday everyone!

so glad everything is looking better than it was last night when you first got the news. i honestly thought about you guys all night. prayers really can work!

jill, i've been in a similar situation and i know how hard it is being away at a time like this. 5 years ago my little brother was hit by a car while pushing a dirt bike across the street. he was 17. it was labor day weekend and i was in savannah with my hubby and some friends and got a call at 7:00 one morning from my stepmom telling me what had happened. he pretty much busted up an entire leg (they had to rebuild it), fractured his spine and had a brain tear. it was so scary to hear that kind of thing over the phone and know that i wasn't there for him. but there's really nothing you can do by going home. i bet drew doesn't even realize you're not there because they have him on paid meds i'm sure. so try as best you can to have fun with brooklynn and john and know that you deserve it! it sounds to me like he's got plenty of people around him that love him and i just pray his prognosis keeps getting better.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Adding my prayers for a speedy recovery.

 

[MeMom]

I fully intended to start today's post out by telling Jill Happy Birthday, but it seems like I need to address Drew's experience first. You know - go ahead and report the bad, then end on a good note!

My phone rang around 8:00 last night. "It's a Small World" played, and I just knew it was that bratty Jill telling me she was somewhere awesome. But, it was Sam, Drew's friend who has been to Disney World with us twice. He said Drew had had a bike wreck, and he had a cut on his head and probably a broken arm. If you know anything about the kind of bike riding these guys do, you'll know that they fly up in the air out of these huge concrete bowls and twist and turn and land, usually on bicycle tires. It is obviously thrilling to them, because they do it at least three or four times a week, and they know, and have ridden with, some 'famous' riders that are in magazines and on TV. I do not understand the thrill of it, but they love it. I'm sure they don't understand my Disney hobby, either, so it's okay. To each his own.

Anyway, Sam said something about an ambulance being on its way, and I said no, and that they should just get him home and I'd take him myself to a hospital near us. It was then that I heard a woman's voice shouting, "He is bleeding from his ear, and he can't be moved. Let me talk to her!" She was a nurse who happened to be out there watching her kids ride. As she was explaining to me the severity of the injuries and the amount of blood he was losing, the paramedics pulled up. I told her to ask them if they could take him to Skyline, since that would be halfway between my house and where they were. I heard the paramedics in the background say he had head trauma and was going to Vanderbilt.

I was hoping Trent was reachable, because driving downtown at night isn't something I am an expert at. Luckily, he was almost back home from having been at Kristi's doing some painting. He got home within about fifteen minutes, and we headed to Vanderbilt.

Traffic was nuts down there, as Vanderbilt had beat Auburn in the big football game. Erica's and Dawn's people were all over the place - at restaurants, hanging out in the road, etc. Cars were bumper to bumper. We did manage to get there in slow time, though.

We weren't able to see Drew right at first, so we sat in the waiting room and watched the amusing assortment of characters who had found their way to the Emergency Room.

One man had had his two big toes cut off the week before. He was there for abdominal pains, but he was spending some his time bumming for cigarettes.

One very crabby old woman was griping about the wheelchair and insisted on another one. She didn't want anyone near her, as she might get germs, and she didn't have germs and didn't want germs. She also demanded to be given her purse and have the pillow propped behind her back a certain way. And she wanted the wheelchair reported as defective. "And tell 'em I said that!" You'd have thought she was Mrs. Vanderbilt, herself.

A teenage girl was there with friends. Her foot was propped up. She didn't seem to be in much pain. On the opposite side of the room from her was a bandaged finger guy.

A pencil thin woman and a guy with a ponytail were there. She was pencil thin. Maybe pencil lead thin.

A huge guy all dressed in black, with a ponytail, came through. I think the closer you get to Vanderbilt the more ponytails you see on men. I think those brainy guys like them.

An older man dressed in his nice Vandy shirt wheeled in a woman with a scraped face and hand. Trent figured she probably got trampled in a victory stampede.

Anyway, sometime during our people watching, they took us back to Drew, who was hooked up to oxygen and IV bags. He had blood running down the back of his neck and out his ear, and it was all over the sheets. He had a big white neck brace on, and my first prayer was that he please not be paralyzed. I saw quickly that he was able to move his feet and hands, though, so I was immediately encouraged.

After the obligatory 'why-didn't-you-have-your-helmet-on-you-promised-me-you-always-wore-your-helmet' speech, I sat to watch the nurses do their thing. They took the blood pressure and kept him awake and responding. They wiped the blood and wrote on the charts and jiggled the IV bags. They told us which doctor was coming in next to do which test or x-ray. I told Trent that we had just been talking about nurses on the Disboards in the past two days. He was delighted to hear that I could somehow bring the Disboards into the conversation.

Unlike when Trent had his accident, instead of the news getting progressively worse, it got progressively better. The ENT doctor came and sucked a bunch of blood out of his ear, and he did have the news that the bones are all shattered. He will have significant hearing loss, and we may want to look at surgery a few weeks down the road. For now, there just needed to be time for the blood to be drained and the swelling to subside.

Some nerves that run from the ear to the jawbone are slightly affected, so he will be on a soft diet for three weeks. It'll be mashed potatoes, soup, and ice cream for a while.

The gash on the back of his head required staples, and his right collarbone is broken. He is left-handed, so it's good that it was his right shoulder. It is very painful right now. He has some other bruises, but all the internal stuff came out very good. Nothing inside is busted.

A gang of his friends came out and we sat in the cafeteria and talked while Drew was out for tests. His buddy, Richard, used Trent's pass to go back and see him for a few minutes. I took the opportunity to warn them all about the helmets, and immediately they all said that that was the weird thing, because Drew always wears his helmet. They said they had already talked about that, and it did reassure me, because their talk was genuine, and not just a put-on for me. I know I've seen many videos of Drew riding, and he does wear his helmet. It makes me wonder why on this night he was not wearing one. I'm sure that there were parents who left the park with kids who were convinced of the importance of wearing their helmets. The kids said there was a huge puddle of blood, so maybe, until it washes away in the rain, it will be there to remind them to be safe at all times and not even occasionally take off the helmet. His helmet would have covered the head and ear injuries. The collarbone would have still happened, but at least his head would have been okay.

He just started a new job last week, so I hope they will be very understanding about this. I don't know if they'll be able to let him pull light duty for a while as he heals or if he'll lose out to someone who can do it all. We can't really worry about that too much at this point. If it's meant to be, they'll be understanding, and if not, there's really nothing he can do.

He's asleep right now. They had to cut his shirt off, so since he had no shirt to wear out of the hospital. they just told him to wear the gown out. I'm going to go get his pain meds and ear drops filled, and then I've got to get a little sleep, too.

Thanks for all of your good thoughts, and I apologize for not taking the time to respond right this minute.

I did talk to Jill. So far, she has spent her birthday morning checking out the other side of Pop. She said there is activity going on over there this morning, but she really doesn't know what. They were going to go to Downtown Disney, and I know tonight is Hollywood Studios night.

Happy Birthday, Jilly-bean! I love you past Pluto! I hope you have a great week. You deserve it. You are a fantastic daughter, sister, wife, and mommy! I am very proud of who you are - especially of your thoughtful, giving heart.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Oh, I'm SO happy to hear that things are much better than expected. I hope the neurosurgeon has good news about the CT scan.

Jill, I hope you are able to still have fun and keep at least a little of your mind on Disney world! I know it must be SO hard to be away right now.

Thank you for keeping us updated. I'll keep the prayers coming.

 

[MegansMom]

Thanks MeMom for taking the time to update us on Drew's condition---I hope his recovery is swift and everything gets back to normal for you both!!!

Also Happy Birthday to Jill!!! I can't believe she gets to spend another week at WDW for her birthday--lucky brat!!!! ;o)

Happy Sunday to you all!!! Rest up! Jen