Friday, October 10, 2025
It’s been a few days, and for those waiting and wondering how things are going, here’s the latest. I’ve been trying my best to find some balance between life and the future. I’m actually looking forward to getting back to work for a few days next week. I need a bit of a change and some windshield time that doesn’t involve driving back and forth to Iowa City.
Brennen is definitely on the path to healing. He’s shown some amazing progress over the past few days. We’ve heard more words working their way out things like “okay,” “I want to lay down,” “I love you,” “yes,” “no,” and “water.” He’s becoming more aware and in tune with his surroundings. The current room is small, shared with another person, and not the most visitor-friendly (standing room for one), but we’re making it work. The room here on 3RC is more Motel 6 than the Hilton style room of the 4th floor CVICU.
Brennen has been sitting up in a chair the last couple of days. Today, he worked hard to slide out of it due to back pain that’s the new battle: finding the right balance in his medications to keep him comfortable and rested, but not so snowed that he can’t do anything. PT has been in the past few days, and he’s been able to participate in a few exercises.
Today, he met with speech therapy and completed swallow tests. He started with small ice chips, then bigger ones, chewed them up and swallowed them just fine. He even handled spoonfuls of water with no issues. Then I warned the therapist not to give him a straw… but of course, she went for it anyway. He took a few sips, when she tried to take it away, and made it clear he wanted to keep it. All good signs that a normal diet is on the horizon. For now, he’s allowed a few ice chips throughout the day.
He had some visitors stop by today but wasn’t in the mood to play nice, he tried to wiggle out of his chair instead. The pain has been tough the past few days, but he’s fighting through it.
Next week, representatives from the next rehab facilities will be coming out to assess Brennen’s needs and determine the best fit. We still don’t know exactly what direction we’ll go from here, but it looks like Chicago or Omaha will be the next stop. Either way, it’s a move in a positive direction and one step closer to getting home.
“I couldn’t be more proud as a parent. To see where he is now, after everything, is nothing short of incredible. He’s strong, determined, and fighting harder than ever.”
This week we’ve learned a lot about traumatic brain injuries things like “brain storming” (when the brain overreacts to stimulation), muscle tremors, sweating, restlessness, and other early symptoms common in Level 2 TBIs. It’s been eye-opening, to say the least.
We still have a long road ahead, many more hills, but hopefully fewer mountains.
Thank you all again for the endless support, calls, messages, and love. It means more than words can express.
~ Dad