It's hard not to love Tristan!

Tristan is a funny guy. He wore this outfit while making a graded presentation for a Business Comm class at C.M.U.  Fortunately, Dr. Claudia had a great sense of humor too!

Tristan can also be VERY focused, determined, and persistent. Not many people can train solo for a marathon race during the fall and winter seasons in the northeast. He ran during some of the worst cold, icy, wet weather to prepare for the Huston Marathon. He continues to run various half marathons and 10 mile runs. Not build for speed but always finishes the race. Kyle wants him.

Tristan is scary smart. Not many people do a Carnegie Mellon University master’s degree in one year, start to finish. The only guy I know who might push him, is Eric.

These boys together make a party, no matter where they are!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T DOG!

Dad and I are so glad we have you.

XOXO

Thankful For Eloise!

Today is Eloise Nelson's birthday! Hope it is another fantastic L.A. day for her to enjoy.

John and I are delighted Eloise will offically join our family later this summer. John Eric is so fortunate to have found such a compasionate and caring person.

That she is also funny, smart, and a good cook is icing on the cake!

To the Nelsons, thank you for sharing your daughter with us.

Oh, Lucky Man!

Wednesday the splint/cast was removed from Eric's arm. 

Beautiful, clean sutures were exposed outlining both incisions! Excellent.

The x-rays show both inserted plates (8 screws each) and a few other pins for good measure. The alignment is truly amazing and a real testament to the very fine surgical skills of Dr. Kim (orthopedics at Kaiser West L.A.). 

No one hopes to hear the the surgeon say, "It was worse than in the x-rays" and know it was a challenging procedure. He and his team did a fantastic job on Eric's Forearm Fix.

Eric already has some rotational capability which was unexpected due to the severity of his breaks. Yesterday he had his first physical therapy session. High praise for the surgeon and thankful for incredible lack of joint damage.

The PT thinks Eric has a shot at almost full recovery but it will be a long haul - 18 to 24 months of multiple a day workouts, pain, and sweat.

Good news. Eric knows reaching for the gold ring involves hard work, determination, smarts, and a little bit of luck!

Go Eric!

Eric Salutes His Co-workers at Google

The same force that severed this handle bar shattered the bones in Eric's forearm. The bike is a mess. Wheels no longer rotate in the frame and much of the other hardware on the bike is mangled or missing. Pretty scary.

So, it is really amazing that six days after the surgeon told us Eric's fractures were some of the worst he had seen, that Eric was able to assemble (with just a little help from his mom), a new toy delivered by some of his friends from work.

It took several hours and we decided it should count as his first round of physical therapy. This morning at an online meeting, he was able to amuse his co-workers. It's hard to keep a good man down!

Eric Begins to Heal

Eric at the Bakery Today!

Day three and Eric has really turned a corner. While he still has lots of pain, he has literally gained the upper hand. Having the arm surgery was really the first big step towards getting his life back. Every 24 hours since coming home has been a huge improvement. The swelling is decreasing but he still has to hold the heavy cast as high as he can. His other bruising continues to improve too.

Today he and I walked to the Vietnamese cafe and bakery in his neighborhood. We bought home treats for dinner tonight. The sun and fresh air were great - 80 degrees with beautiful blue skies! I am really proud of him for keeping his spirits up and moving forward this week.

Eric Leaving Recovery

Eric managed this half smile today before leaving the recovery room. As promised, he is in great pain. The surgeon said both bones in his forearm were totally shattered. He has two new plates installed and will forever set off the airport metal detector machines.   

Now that he is home, Eric has to keep his left arm higher than his heart to reduce the swelling. He will wear the dressing and split for two weeks, when the doctor will remove everything to take out the staples. He will probably get a new splint or cast.  Further recovery and PT will take months to complete. 

The surgeon feels his range of motion may be very limited due to the severity of his injury. On the plus side, his hand, wrist, and elbow should make good recoveries.  Now we pray for no infection!

Considering his other bruising and abrasions, it's hard to believe Eric got away without other life altering injuries.  If you are going to ride a bike, PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET. And, if you have been drinking, PLEASE USE A DESIGNATED DRIVER. The DUI who hit Eric on his bike, changed his life forever.