Good luck! Thoughts and prayers are with him.

Brett

Dear All

Hi everyone,
This is quite a long update so i'll keep my little two cents to a minimum, jst wanted to remind you all again about the tee shirts, sent out an email about that yesterday, also fundraising needs to continue as obviously there are still bills to be paid... we've done so well so far guys let's keep this up! and one last thing, i'm sure you will read how keeg's is responding to them when they talk to him or he hears voices so I was thinking, I reckon we need a whole new wave of wall posts in the group for Sal to read out to him when she get's back to jo burg. JSt write anything, tell him news, drop by to say hi or jst encourage him!!!
Thanks guys, keep up the good work and all the prayers!
God Bless
__________________________________________________________
I am sorry that you have been waiting for so long for news of Keegs. The reason is that I have had a lot to deal with, to come to terms with and all to face reality and his needs.


Steady but slow progress has been made. As I write this and return home to Byo this week, remember what I write to you is already old news because he is making progress.


By the end of this week he will have his own wheelchair so that he can get out and interact with others and be stimulated with outside sounds, the sun, and probably the JHB traffic choppers! We took him for a ride in one of the trail out chairs yesterday and he promptly fell asleep! One smooth pram ride!


He is on a new diet where it has more carbs so that when he burns up the energy trying to overcome the spasms he has the food reserves to do so. He is now officially 48kg......yes that is real skinny but for me ideal as I learn to cope with his comfort,help to turn him into different positions and get him settled into the chair.
Our physiotherapist is now suggesting that we get him a comode chair so that we can hand shower him each day rather than a bed bath, and use this comode chair to help with brushing his teeth and doing exercises each morning. He will be moving forward and he will be using his core muscles and he will progress.......and with that kind of confidence from the therapists, and with Keegs helping them as much as possible when he hears their instructions - guess what - he will improve.


Speech Therapy has been exciting to watch. We have had to be very careful that with the amount of thrush in his system that he did not swallow anything into his lungs otherwise he would get pneumonia. Today, the thrush still has not gone, but it is reduced - it may take another fortnight to get rid of it in his whole system - but this week he was doing multiple swallows with icy cold neat lemon juice. That would get a reaction of anybody! The other exciting thing was that Karen (Sp Th) put in a strip of dried mango and he made every attempt to chew it. He was very tired at the end and in fact left a small piece on his tongue which we had to snatch out when he fell asleep - snoring of course! When I return I will bring back strips of biltong. How cruel is that....chew biltong but don't swallow....


Sensory and occupational therapy has been to try and get him stronger in the core area and to have an awareness of space.
It is now believed that Keegs damaged his optic nerve and not his retina. Yes his eyes open. Yes he looks at us, but very seldom is there recognition. Thus we do not know what he sees and we do not know if he understands what he sees. This will be the hardest but most satisfying thing to reboot in his motherboard.
We may peel a naartjie in front of him so that he can have a smell association, but we also need to describe the shape, colour, texture, taste, use, so that he remembers this the next time. There are not enough hours in the day either to do this all the time so as to reinforce the message....he is sleeping, in therapy, or sleeping....as he should be....he is still classed as being in a coma. Everything is tiring, new and often overwhelming.


He does not like being disturbed from lying position and sitting up too quickly - it is a head rush of note and of course he cannot anticipate it - quite often he panics for a bit. once he is sitting he is OK. So it's one or the other for him.


Jason Wicks phoned over the weekend - Keegs was awake and alert - I put the phone onto loud speaker and Jason had a one way conversation with Keegs. Keegan went very quiet, focussed on all Jason said (including the scandal - his eyebrows definitely went up with the facts Jason told him about his misdemeanours!) After Jason hung up it was 2 mins and he was fast asleep....but he definitely heard.....when I return to Falcon my mission is to get recordings of everyone!


I came down at half term to do as much as I could to help him. this I have done.....there has been no left over time to myself, or any down time to gather my thoughts.
I have had to deal with his pain every time he has a spasm in his arms and shoulders. He is splinted into rigid plastic casts to stop him pulling his arms in. this is so that he will not reduce his tendons further and further limit his progress when he is fully conscious. It does not make it easy to watch him groan when they cast him because they will keep him in these positions as long as possible.....pressure sores pending.


He has wonderful foot and leg splints. The idea is if his legs stay as healthy as they are, it will make it easier to be able to stand at a later stage, and of course makes it easier for us to get him in and out of the wheel chair. If the foundation is good the standing and walking should be easier - I just hope that the nerve endings connect properly so that this becomes possible.


Anyway - I am looking forward to coming home....I just wont be able to switch off from all of this....no one can I guess


I have had to realise that this rehab and progress no matter how small is going to be for life but I will be over the moon if Keegan can walk and talk in the next 6 years....he may not...and i will deal with that too when the time comes.


Thank you to each and everyone of you for your support and prayers, they keep us and the community going.


See you soon


Sa

Thanks for the update. Prayers continuing for both the lad and his family...

Mark

kibo ,
just an fyi , there have been more donations than you can imagine , just because they are not outlined on AR does not mean they are not happening ...

there have been sponsored sporting events
there have been multiple fundraisers
there have been unbelievably generous donations

did you buy a ticket
do you have a raffle
did you make a donation
do you hunt the zambezi valley
does this hurt your busines
have you ever had a child in a coma
have you ever had a friend that you would do anything to help

i guess my question is ...seeing as you like to be blunt is.
WHAT THE HECK HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH YOU.
WHY WOULD YOU CARE HOW PEOPLE GO ABOUT RAISING MONEY FOR A FELLOW PH TO SUPPORT HIS CHILD WHO IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

IF YOU REALLY DO HUNT DANGEROUS GAME , ONE DAY IT MAY BE YOU NEEDING HELP AND I AM SURE YOU WOULDNT LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP ...

PUT THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT FOR A MINUTE , AND REACH FOR YOUR CHECKBOOK , THIS KID NEEDS HELP .

I sent the money for a raffle ticket. Win or not I hope the little money I sent helps. I do hope I win. If that makes me a bad person, so be it.

Our prayers are with this young man.

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
kibo ,
just an fyi , there have been more donations than you can imagine , just because they are not outlined on AR does not mean they are not happening ...

there have been sponsored sporting events
there have been multiple fundraisers
there have been unbelievably generous donations

did you buy a ticket
do you have a raffle
did you make a donation
do you hunt the zambezi valley
does this hurt your busines
have you ever had a child in a coma
have you ever had a friend that you would do anything to help

i guess my question is ...seeing as you like to be blunt is.
WHAT THE HECK HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH YOU.
WHY WOULD YOU CARE HOW PEOPLE GO ABOUT RAISING MONEY FOR A FELLOW PH TO SUPPORT HIS CHILD WHO IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

IF YOU REALLY DO HUNT DANGEROUS GAME , ONE DAY IT MAY BE YOU NEEDING HELP AND I AM SURE YOU WOULDNT LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP ...

PUT THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT FOR A MINUTE , AND REACH FOR YOUR CHECKBOOK , THIS KID NEEDS HELP .

Ivan,

Donations are great!....they are given out of goodwill and you have confirmed that there are a considerable
number of good hearted people out there who have apparently donated generously.
Goes to show that some people are not bothered about the hunt as much as they are interested in the
youngster's health and recovery.

Caring on how funds are raised? - generally it doesn't bother me.
What does bother me in this particular case is buying a damn raffle ticket hoping its a winner.

A raffle is a gamble and I think it is immoral to gamble a hunt at the expense of someone's misfortunes!
I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are to yours!

And by the way, I never laugh at people who genuinely dig in their pockets for a just cause - I scorn those
who hope to gain something in return for their participation to a cause!

Just go right ahead and do what in your own opinion is right.

quote:

Originally posted by kibokolambogo:

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
kibo ,
just an fyi , there have been more donations than you can imagine , just because they are not outlined on AR does not mean they are not happening ...

there have been sponsored sporting events
there have been multiple fundraisers
there have been unbelievably generous donations

did you buy a ticket
do you have a raffle
did you make a donation
do you hunt the zambezi valley
does this hurt your busines
have you ever had a child in a coma
have you ever had a friend that you would do anything to help

i guess my question is ...seeing as you like to be blunt is.
WHAT THE HECK HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH YOU.
WHY WOULD YOU CARE HOW PEOPLE GO ABOUT RAISING MONEY FOR A FELLOW PH TO SUPPORT HIS CHILD WHO IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

IF YOU REALLY DO HUNT DANGEROUS GAME , ONE DAY IT MAY BE YOU NEEDING HELP AND I AM SURE YOU WOULDNT LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP ...

PUT THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT FOR A MINUTE , AND REACH FOR YOUR CHECKBOOK , THIS KID NEEDS HELP .

Ivan,

Donations are great!....they are given out of goodwill and you have confirmed that there are a considerable
number of good hearted people out there who have apparently donated generously.
Goes to show that some people are not bothered about the hunt as much as they are interested in the
youngster's health and recovery.

Caring on how funds are raised? - generally it doesn't bother me.
What does bother me in this particular case is buying a damn raffle ticket hoping its a winner.

A raffle is a gamble and I think it is immoral to gamble a hunt at the expense of someone's misfortunes!
I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are to yours!

And by the way, I never laugh at people who genuinely dig in their pockets for a just cause - I scorn those
who hope to gain something in return for their participation to a cause!

Just go right ahead and do what in your own opinion is right.

To carry your position on to the next step then HHK is wrong for offering to donate the hunt and the family is wrong for accepting the money from the raffled hunt? They are both fostering and abetting a wrongful act?

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:

quote:

Originally posted by kibokolambogo:

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
kibo ,
just an fyi , there have been more donations than you can imagine , just because they are not outlined on AR does not mean they are not happening ...

there have been sponsored sporting events
there have been multiple fundraisers
there have been unbelievably generous donations

did you buy a ticket
do you have a raffle
did you make a donation
do you hunt the zambezi valley
does this hurt your busines
have you ever had a child in a coma
have you ever had a friend that you would do anything to help

i guess my question is ...seeing as you like to be blunt is.
WHAT THE HECK HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH YOU.
WHY WOULD YOU CARE HOW PEOPLE GO ABOUT RAISING MONEY FOR A FELLOW PH TO SUPPORT HIS CHILD WHO IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

IF YOU REALLY DO HUNT DANGEROUS GAME , ONE DAY IT MAY BE YOU NEEDING HELP AND I AM SURE YOU WOULDNT LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP ...

PUT THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT FOR A MINUTE , AND REACH FOR YOUR CHECKBOOK , THIS KID NEEDS HELP .

Ivan,

Donations are great!....they are given out of goodwill and you have confirmed that there are a considerable
number of good hearted people out there who have apparently donated generously.
Goes to show that some people are not bothered about the hunt as much as they are interested in the
youngster's health and recovery.

Caring on how funds are raised? - generally it doesn't bother me.
What does bother me in this particular case is buying a damn raffle ticket hoping its a winner.

A raffle is a gamble and I think it is immoral to gamble a hunt at the expense of someone's misfortunes!
I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are to yours!

And by the way, I never laugh at people who genuinely dig in their pockets for a just cause - I scorn those
who hope to gain something in return for their participation to a cause!

Just go right ahead and do what in your own opinion is right.

To carry your position on to the next step then HHK is wrong for offering to donate the hunt and the family is wrong for accepting the money from the raffled hunt? They are both fostering and abetting a wrongful act?

465H&H

HHK is to be commended for its generous contribution of the donated the hunt which they should have instead auctioned as some
others have very successfully done for a similar cause!

What I have said about raffling the hunt for this particular cause is my opinion - I also expect other members not to share
my opinion though from the number of hits this thread has received the only ones who want to create an issue on differences of
opinions are but a mere handful.

The family is obviously in no position to agree or disagree with the choice taken by HHK or whoever and I do not criticize or
begrudge them in the least. You could say they are at the mercy of the organizers and their choice of ideas on how to raise the funds.

So I wonder who won?

Does anybody know how/where the results will be posted?

Rod-
According to Jennifer at btc safaris, the drawing was supposed to occur on either July 31 or August 1 and all participants will be notified of the winner's name.

Jason

I'm the WINNER!!!!!

I just havent heard from them yet but I am sure they will be calling any minute now.

WOW, I have read some juvenile stuff on this site before but this is just amazing! There are raffles conducted all the time for people who have had unfortunate experiences etc.

It doesn't make any difference if you get a comb for your ticket or a buffalo hunt; the spirit of the "giving" should be the reason to help and if you don't win fine if you do get something in return-other than the feeling of helping-some much the better.

I think Ivan hit the nail on the head when he said put the shoe on the other foot! A few years ago, when my late wife was critically ill, I didn't give a damn if the donations came from a prostitute. As long as she "earned it" at her own free will--so be it. A drug dealer, yea that's different.

So you think these examples are goofy? Well then I will say you have NEVER been in a situation where you felt the world was caving in around you, and I'm thankful that you have not. But some of you need to take the plank out of your eye before being so critical about the sliver in someone elses eye (and their actions you have decided to be WRONG.)

As they say it's all relative and I for one think this is a very noble thing. NO ONE IS FORCING ANYONE TO BUY OR DONATE ANYTHING, IF IT BOTHERS YOU WALK AWAY! IT'S THAT EASY. Oh yea, you might try being a bit less self-righteous unless you like sounding like a fool.

I believe they have extended the draw for a couple of weeks to try to sell out the remaining tickets.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
I believe they have extended the draw for a couple of weeks to try to sell out the remaining tickets.

I just received an e-mail from Jennifer to that affect.

465H&H

How much longer is the raffle postponed for? A couple of weeks, days, minutes??

Email says the draw will be the 14th or 17th.

If you buy all the remaining tickets, they can draw right away.

Email

I have been back for 10 days and have finally caught my breath.

Last week there was amazing progress with Keegan, loads of small swallows with fruit juice (45 ml), he even said the odd word that was out of context so difficult to pick up, and had fairly good physio with his arms and shoulders. He is also 50kg!!!! Yes!

He is on new medication to try and lessen the spasms and it seems to be working although he is more grumpy. (Definitely practicing his swearing again!).
He is most happy when he is in his chair and in the garden, but this last weekend in JHB it was miserable and freezing so I guess he was house bound.

Ade flew to see him on Sunday, and I think he was quite disappointed. He was expecting these huge changes, but ofcourse each little pearl that Keegs gives us seems insignificant if you are not looking out for it. It will be interesting to see the reaction of Drew and Bryn when they see him after 6 weeks too.

The therapists have been fantastic and are constantly looking for ways to extend him.......
Oats porridge is a no no! That was spat out post haste!
Lying on his tummy supported by pillows so that his arms and shoulders strengthen! So who would enjoy press ups for a joyride? But he will need the strength when it comes time to move under his own speed.
Having a shower, sitting in a plastic chair and having warm water all over you ......great to feel water again!...even so it is still not a bath to soak in..... but the summer is coming and there are ways and means of getting into a pool to cool off.
Putting his takkies on with the supporting splints inside so that it is easier to get him to stand up and straighten his back and hips. The more he does this the better it is for all of us to transfer him in and out of the wheelchair or the car when the time comes.

So really, as Mrs Hunt said at Edith Duly when we went to see her last week Tuesday - there is very little point in even thinking about bringing him back to Zim when he is making progress and the therapists are so qualified and motivated. Although getting medication is easier than 4 months ago there is still the nightmare of power cuts - Keegs would starve again if he did not get his food pumped in through his nose at 100ml/hr. That certainly put it all into perspective.

So progress is small but in his own time as he reboots under his own steam.....it is still very frustrating for all of us normal people who do things in nano seconds and make decisions to get to where we want to.....

Regardless cant wait to see him on Friday.........

Oh yes...please be aware that although my phone no is the same I have deleted anybody who did not keep in comms after the April Hols - my memory in the phone was not big enough ...sorry...so when you are sms me please identify youselves again as you go on your holidays....

Thank you everyone for being there to help and support us...yesterday was the 4 month hurdle......it has been an incredibly long road and this is still only the beginning....he has the rest of his life to get over this and I know that you will be with us every step of the way.....we have all learnt so much and the journey is on going....

Sal

Thanks so much for the update! Prayers continuing for the lad and his family...

Dear all


I am amazed at the change and progress that Keegs has made in 2 weeks. YES!!!! It is happening!


The changes are subtle but amazing. The most exciting thing was his recognition of my voice....all that nagging must have paid off, and I believe that he can hear and understand what is being said. We just do not give him enough time to respond.


Yesterday I rushed off to see him at 201 and joined Karen and Keegs for a swallowing session. It was not relaxing at all for any one, as Keegs wanted to talk, as did Karen and so did I - however, he did swallow and groan and burp! However all things considered it was a good session with loads of interaction.


Today is Saturday, and he is enjoying a hard earned rest from his hectic schedule during the week. We sat him in his Ferrari Uno tpo which he seems that he is so comfortable that he may as well be drinking beer and eating Simba chips with his feet up at 45 degreees. We were in the garden with him for over an hour. The boys told him stories of school whilst I got him to swallow another 40 mls.


His arms are also much improved although very skinny. There are two bad pressure sores on his left hand from ill fitting splints. This has been rectified but ofcourse it takes forever to fix the blister. His left hand although inverted seems less of an acute angle.

It is now Monday and "Woman's Day", and have had another session with Keegs. He swallowed another 30 mls of Fruit juice. We tried 3 tsp of vanilla custard. There was no hwere near the response of liquids, which makes me believe that he cannot feel it in his mouth. The custard must either be cold so that it feels denser or we need to give him denser material to interact with.

However, all said, there is an increased awareness that has not been there for the last 2 weeks. Without a doubt he is trying to control his own spasms with direction from us. If it is too big then we have to intervene to stretch and control the spams for him. The splints have been the most frustrating as they are made and applied on the day that they are moulded, but do not serve the purpose of 2 weeks later when the angles of muscles spasm are acute or the very next day an obtuse angle. Very frustrating for any therapist to control, especially when the nurse is the one putting them on and the Trust is the one paying for these amazing splints that are not working!!!! Please note that this is not a critism but a sad statement of fact.

As his awareness improves, so too does the spasm disappear and reappear in different areas of his body. I have also spent two days rubbing innner thighs to stop the spasm too. But all in all, I cannot believe the difference in him and his body language, his non verbal communication is easier, his voice in response to pain and interaction is also much different. HUGE change, but also nano steps forward, but his changes in his time, his reconnection in God's plan. It just does not help when it is my agenda or Ade"s and it is very noticeable that is is our pressure and not Keegan's. Poor guy. Please people kick us in the butt when it is like this....all we are doing is adding to Keegan pressure to perform rather than us to realise the hurdles he is jumping to get to our expectation!!!! The new awareness of TBI....the 5th dimension that we very rarely have the patience for!

But hey.....we are going forward....today he ran a temp on and off for the whole day.....tonight it was 38.5C....guess what it looks like another urine infection or something....I hope it does not put him back too far with all the progress he has made! But we will get there...it is exhausting trying to keep up with the restof the pack and the pack moves on without you!!!! I do understand - I just needmy butt kicked to realign what is important.

We are going to Ballito tomorrow and will be back in JHB on 16 Aug. The family will fly back on 21 Aug, there is a lot to cover between now and then.......

Sorry for the spelling, the internet is slow..and so am I!

Later
Me

Thanks for the update. Good to see there is progress, even if it is slow.

quote:

Originally posted by kibokolambogo:

I misunderstood Sweet Fanny Adams ! You just never realized where my posts were leading to.

Only one gentleman had the balls to admit that if it wasn't for the stakes there would be very few contributors to the
KLT Fund. The attraction of the hunt is what has effectively drawn the "big spenders" out in the open.

In my book charity always begins at home and I do not believe in raffles of this particular nature to support a charitable
act - My donations have always been paid directly to the individual or Institution.

My admiration goes to those who genuinely donated to the KLT Fund, out of good heart.

So my friend, just jump on the bandwagon and hope you win yourself a "freebie hunt"

Kibo, How do you think your very negative post is makeing the family feel reading your venom? Who outside that family gives a crap how the funds are raised? If you don't want to buy a ticket, just send your money in with a request that they sell your ticket to someone else. In that way you donate twice as much. There is no need to hender the collecting of funds no matter how they are collected, and I consider HHK's donation to raise funds to help this family to be a ticket for them, with no odds,to the ranks of some of the most generous people I have ever met!

You seem to have a real thing about wagering, but regardless of the chance of wining a safari, I'd BET your post has put you is a class by yourself, and I certainly do not mean that in any good sense! I hope that makes you proud of yourself, but it certainly doesn't put you in a good light here!

What a dip shit!...........

KEEGAN UPDATE : 24 WEEKS ON : 16 SEPT 2009



NOW ALMOST 24 WEEKS DOWN THIS LONG ROAD………



But real progress has been noted since the last update.



Here are some extracts from what Keegan’s father wrote this week when he saw his son for the first time in three weeks:



Very pleased to say there is only good news


Confident some pretty big strides have been made in the past few weeks


Responds a lot more quickly to verbal commands and prompts


Eyes are searching, reaching, scanning, trying to see and focus


Developed more sounds which are fairly easily interpreted to indicate pain, discomfort, anger


Smiles, frowns etc all happening so much more frequently


Putting on weight fast


Lip closure greatly improved


Left arm improving, right arm almost back to normal


We are all pretty excited


So there you have it. This is fantastic news.



Thank you.



UNTIL NEXT TIME………

Emma

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear of the progress.