i have been out of town for the last week and a half and have been away from my computer. i just read about papa tonight and would like to say how truly sorry i am to hear about his injury. i do not know him nor have i ever met him but i have enjoyed his posts and was quite shaken while digging through all the posts about his condition. it is my understanding that he has fractured his c-4 and c-5 vertebrae. i would like to post a personal story that might help. when my wife was 15 she was involved in a car wreck and broke her c-4 and c-5 vertebrae and bruised her spinal chord (i have not heard a final word on the condition of papa's spinal chord but i am assuming that it is not severed seeing as though it has not been said allready). she was completely paralyzed for at least a week or two (she does not know and i was not there so the timeline may be a little off). she tells me that after what she thinks was about a week she began to feel somethings in her arms and after another week she felt some things in her toes. they ended up fusing her vertebrae together and after several surgeries, 48 days in ICU, another 70 or so in rehab she was released with full movement of all her limbs and able to walk and was relatively normal. she still walks with a limp and has dead spots on her legs where she can not feel anything but other that that she is fine. i hope this story helps a little and i hope that papa is as lucky as my wife was. her wreck was 13 years ago and i know that we have made advances with spinal injuries since then so there is hope. pitliz- if you would like to ask any questions that my wife or i could answer about her injury and how it might relate to papa's please reply here. i would give you my e-mail but i have a virus and i do not want you or anyone else to get it until i have a chance to clear it up. good luck papa! sincerely, john black
John--thank you for sharing that story. We are keeping the faith here for Papa and remembering there is ALWAYS a chance, so stories like these continually remind us. Thank you again. Laura
