back to hawaii...

I am writing this email to thank you for all the support that you have gave me and my family during my illnessi I know we haven’t update the blog with the latest progress here it is: I had my last rehab day last friday
all the therapists were very happy with my progress. So was I. I am not 100 % yet still need some work a bit more on my hand and my typing. Only time will tell. However I am very very happy to go back to Hawaii and go back to my normal life.

Once again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support.

ALOHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you,

New daily routine for Miguel

Sorry guys for not posting any news during last days.
Miguel is now under daily physiotherapy routines, very exhaustive ones, includes: lots of exercises for his physical condition, many occupational practices, community interaction, hydrotherapy, speech and neuro-linguistic training, among others.
He is very enthusiastic about this new routine, all the therapists and doctors are very happy and optimists about the progress he is gaining every single day. Left hand and arm are still in a need of a hard work...... He is being a sample to all others at the Rehab Center, we are so proud of him.
Thanks to Vitor and Cristiane who paid him a visit during the last weekend, their visit was indeed, very appreciated by Miguel and left him very happy, as well as the arrival of Aunt Raquel from Bolivia.
More news in about 3 or 4 days.

New rehab program for Miguel

Yesterday was the evaluation day for Miguel's new rehabilitation program at Sharp Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital. Being an intensive program, the professionals for his physical, occupational, speech and psycological therapies, set the goals for each one of them.

Today was his first day of this program. He said it was quite exhausted sessions but, nevertheless, Miguel seems to be very motivated to reach all the goals established for him.
As mentioned before the left hand and arm are the ones that needs double attention and work in order to get the movements back.

Our optimism keeps increasing every day watching his improvements and goodwill for recovering from his part. Miguel is a real warrior!!!

Fundraising for Miguel

Dear everyone,

For those who have asked about helping Miguel with his treatment, we have set up an online account in which you can contribute as little or as much as you can. This account accepts donations using credit cards. We are trying to give Miguel the best treatment that we can, any contribution towards this effort is highly appreciated.

Thank you to those that have already contributed through Cris’ blog.
Michele (Miguels' sister)

Outpatient heading to Day Treatment Program

With his excellent improvement, Miguel was discharged yesterday from the inpatient rehabilitation program. He was very happy for this break, until next Monday when he starts the Day Treatment Program. It is an intensive rehabilitation program from 9am to 3pm, still focusing on the different types of therapies. He is now with a bit more balance, and able to walk slowly with a cane. Much improvement is still needed on his left arm. But everyone is thrilled with the progress so far. And he is happy to be with us in the hotel in a much more relaxing environment. He is in a good mood, cracking jokes, and making us laugh.

Thank you to Marita (cousin) and Kiko (friend from Hawaii) who left yesterday, and for the gift sent by Tia Rhina/Peter (we all enjoyed the chocolates). Yesterday, with more time, Miguel was overjoyed when reading again all the messages coming from the friends and family. Yumi (friend from Hawaii) arrived yesterday, and Henrique (Miguel’s dad is arriving today). Thank you everybody for all the support. You can’t imagine how important this is to us.

A low-key weekend

Hi everyone, apologies for the delay in updating the blog.  This weekend was pretty quiet at the Rehab Center -- Migui had full therapy sessions on Saturday and a whole day to rest on Sunday.  He is now able to walk with minimal assistance, and he's even able to walk with a regular cane!  This afternoon he was able to walk across the room with very little assistance (and no cane).  

We have been able to take Migui out to the gardens at the Rehab Center, which he enjoys very much, but today we only stayed out for a few minutes since it was a bit chilly.  We spent most of the afternoon watching the Australian Open -- good stuff!

The highlight of the day was a cheeseburger, fries, and coke from California's famous In n' Out Burger (thank you to Kiko for bringing it).  Now that Migui is on a regular diet, he is able to eat anything, and he really enjoyed his first burger today.  Also, thank you to Felipe and Kiko for bringing a wonderful sushi plate yesterday for all of us to enjoy!

This week, we are looking forward to intensifying the physical therapy -- improvements are still coming on a daily basis.  Stay tuned for more!

Visitors! (x4)

Another busy day for Migui in rehab! This morning he was able to brush his teeth on his own, standing upright at the sink.  He also continued to practice walking with the cane, this time much further and with less assistance from the physical therapist.  Migui is continuing to eat very well, and his diet was just 'upgraded' so now he can eat anything he wants!

The day was particularly special because Migui had 4 visitors: Kiko (who came from Hawai'i), Felipe (who came from Orlando), Marcelo, and Alex.  He really enjoyed hanging out with his friends, chatting and joking around.  Everyone was crowded in Migui's small room, but they had a great time.

Thank you to Jake and U'i for the wonderful fruit basket! Migui (and all of us) really enjoyed snacking on the fresh fruit all day.  Thanks also to everyone following the blog - we will continue to post updates as often as possible.

 

Settling in at the Rehab center... and a shower!

Every day Miguel is growing stronger - today was no exception.  He started the day with speech therapy and then had a challenging (but rewarding) physical therapy session in the afternoon.  He has been successfully taking a few steps along the parallel bars, and even managed to walk down the hallway with a cane (and some assistance).  Following physical therapy, Migui was finally able to take his first real shower! What a nice treat.  He was very excited, and said he felt "like new" afterwards.

In the coming days, the physical and occupational therapists will begin working on Migui's left arm and hand.  He is now able to move the arm and hand slightly, though they still feel very weak.  He is looking forward to intensifying his therapies and feels motivated by the steady improvements he's had so far.

Thanks to Tia Emi for the wonderful cheesecake! Migui has been enjoying each bite!  Many thanks also to all who are continuing to follow his progress - your words and encouragement are of huge help.

Miguel at Rehab Hospital

This morning Miguel was transferred to:

SHARP MEMORIAL REHABILITATION CENTER
2999 Health Center Drive,
San Diego, CA. 92123

Room: 151-1 Tel : (858) 939-4736

Once he was transported to the ambulance, I could noticed that he was already very optimistic to know that at this center his physiotherapy will be intensive and many hours will be dedicated to:
Physical, Occupational, Speech therapies among others.

Today he had a great treat: Aunt Emi sent him an original Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, he taste it with pleasure. He said: "Gracias Tia Emi!!! esta muy rico" !!!

I will keep posting the news from this new environment with more news on his improvements.

Another week-end with Miguel

One more week-end with Miguel at the Hospital. This one, however, was full of hope and happiness due to the sudden movement of the left hand and arm, although slightly, is was considerably increased than the previous days. I can see the effort that Miguel is placing in trying to do the exercises on the bed, he was also very pleased to the see the improvements.
Every day I'm very proud of him, I know God is sending us all the blessings to have him positively facing this situation. When I arrive this morning at the Hospital, he was sitting in a chair (with assistance) but was a nice surprise to see him out of the bed, even just for a few moment.
Thanks again to everyone for the caring words and to my sister Rosario who stayed with me for a week, she returned to Maryland this morning, her company and energy was indeed very important for me and Miguel.

Miguel - more improvements

Miguel is continuing to improve on his recovery.
The left hand and arm are starting to show some reaction, very small, but that gives us the happiness and the hope that we all need, especially himself.
We are anxious to know when they are going to transfer him to a Rehabilitation Hospital to start an intensive rehabilitation program. We hope that this will occur next week.
Miguelito is still in good spirit and now is able to talk to his friends over the phone.

We are experiencing some problems with the internet at the Hospital, I will try to up-date my son's blog as much as possible every two or three days, with the most significant progresses observed.
I'm very grateful to all of you and thanks a lot to everyone for all the good thoughts and best wishes sent to Miguel. Estou com muitas saudades de todos voces. Deus abencoe a todos. Beijos.
Sylvia.

MIGUEL NOW AT KAISER HOSPITAL

Miguel was moved to:
Kaiser Hospital
4647 Zion Ave.
San Diego, 92120
Room 3210-A

He was transported in an ambulance to this new facility, he will continue to keep his treatment there, he is much more awake and talkative, and his physical therapy is continuing at full.

This is a new step and we all are hopeing to see more improvements every day.

Today Miguel received a lovely flower arrangement from the HPU/ITS family. He thanks everybody there for this thoughtful gesture and good wishes.

Miguel and Music Therapy

Today, Miguel was very active on his Physio Therapy with sessions in the morning and in the afternoon. During the morning session the doctors let him stand up (with help) and he was able to see the beautiful day through the window, while doing some other exercises. In the afternoon he had Music Therapy together with the Physio, got him very happy and interested in playing the bongos. Of course these activities got him tired, but also optimistic of seeing his improvements day after day.
His room has been decorated with two more balloons sent by Tia Emi and Andriana from NY.
Thanks again to everyone that sent comments to him. Today he was able to read some of them as finally the computer connected in his room for the first time.

MIGUI'S FLOWER DAY

Today Miguel was in one of his best days, most of the time awake and alert to everything, he was willing to do all the exercises, the therapist and the doctor keep saying how surprised they are with Miguel's progress. He was able to sit at the edge of bed with more balance and with his head more upright . The leg is still improving, the hand and arm not yet but they are slowly showing some reflexes.

He was so happy to see the flower arrangement arriving to his room. Thank you so much to all the collegues from HPU for brightening Miguel's day with such beautiful flowers.

Thanks also to Marcelo, Alex and Nathali who paid him a visit. He loves to see his friends and chat with them.

Miguel - no stitches.

Today, Miguel had the stitches (32) removed, with some pain but he hanged on…. Today was another day of improvement, he is moving more the left foot and leg, and working hard with the physical theraphy on the left arm and hand. His surgeon paid him a visit and Miguel surprised him with how strong his reflexes are in his left leg; the arm is a different story, but the Dr. was not surprised since apparently that takes longer to recuperate; in all, Miguel is showing clearly how much he is willing to get better keeping his spirit high and surprising everybody with daily improvements.
We appreciate all your comments and thank you for your support. It means a lot to Miguel and all of us.

Weekend with Migui

Sorry family and friends, this is Miguel's mom writing to you all, I could not log-in the computer at the Hospital, this is the reason I could not up-date Migui's blog.
Miguel is continuing to improve his recovery, he is now able, not only to move his toes on the left foot, but to lift up a bit. Also he was able to do some exercizes seating at the edge of the bed with help of 3 people. He is getting stronger as he's eating very well, although he does not like the taste of the food, which is still pured. He is in a good spirit.
Yesterday he received the visit of his friend Leo, who used to live in Hawaii and now is in Los Angeles, he was very happy to see him.
Thank you all for all the messages, we do need your words.

Another good day! (January 10)

Felling still a bit tired, and with not much movement on the left side, he was communicating much more, and eating very well (pureed food). We were happy to see him moving his left foot for a moment. Among the therapies (occupational, speech, physical) he also had a pet therapy, which he really enjoyed petting a cute dog. He was able to keep his eyes open much longer, and even watched TV for a moment. He still feels very tired and sleepy, which is a result of the medicines. His friends Marcelo and Lourenco decorated the room, with stickers, a Hawaiian balloon and a bamboo vase, which made him happy and kept him awake much longer. He continues strong and is cooperating to do anything it takes so that he can recover quickly. He is having a great attitude!

Moved to another room (a step up!)

Miguel is still strong and the good news today is that real lunch and dinner were served to him. He ate a bit, all those pured foods (papinha ) although not too tasty, he had his first bites, with some sips of water. His spirit is good especially when he jokes with his friends: Marcelo (whom he was visiting, and Lourenco, who came from Hawaii especially to see Migui).
Another good news today is that, he moved to secondary ICU which is less monitored (definetly a good sign) , and then the next step is to move him to a regular room. He is still with not much movement on his left side, but we hope that with the physical therapy he will recover.

Still in good spirit (Jan. 8)

Migui’s recovery is going well and stable. Although still in the ICU, he continues in good spirit, and attitude. Today was the first day that he was able to open both of his eyes (for a little bit). He is very conscious and continues cracking jokes (about the nurses and the food). He is hungry and asking for a chicken pesto pasta, but he’ll have to wait for that a bit more, instead he had 3 teaspoons of jello. We keep telling him that we’ll have a big Brazilian barbecue once he is out of here – of course he likes it. We tell him about the positive messages coming in from friends and family – he gets really happy. Thank you for all the prayers, it is really helping him recover quickly.

Feeling Good! (by cousin Rafael Diez)

Migui continues to improve!

Migui continues to improve. He is still in the intensive care unit (ICU), and with great signs of progress. Today, a few times, he was able to open his eyes by himself (without the help of his hand), and enjoyed listening to music and moving his hand to the rhythm. Still with some tiredness in his voice, he was able to talk much more, and started cracking a few jokes, like “tem uma morenasa de olho azul me cuidando” (I have a stunning blue eye brunet nurse taking care of me, cool!). Today was the first day that he was given some food (jello), and continuing with his good spirit and disliking the taste of the food; he said “Vou importar um danoninho para este hospital” (I will import some danoninho “Brazil’s little Dannone yogurt” to this hospital). The nurses helped him sit for the first time. Some of the biopsy results came back and still does not give us a clue on the cause. He feels his left side, but still cannot move it. He continues to show strength and in good spirits. We hope he continues with this positive attitude. Thank you for all the prayers.

Good news today - January 5, 2009

Good news today (Jan 5). Migui seems much more alert, has communicated verbally with us (with some words), and has been moving more than yesterday. He is still at the intensive care unit, and still in a stable condition. He understands everything we say, and today he asked “Does the doctor know why I had this?” Unfortunately we don’t have an answer yet. He said he is feeling his left leg and arm, but still not moving (although he quickly moved his left hand at one point). We also played some music for him, which he really liked- he moved his right hand at the rhythm of the song. We were thrilled to see that. He is in a good spirit, very strong, and looks motivated to continue improving.

Update on Miguel's condition

While visiting San Diego, on January 2, my brother suffered a hemorragic stroke. He started feeling an intense headache after shower, when suddenly his friend (Marcelo) and his mother (Ana) noticed signs of stroke and ran to the hospital (Scripps Memorial Hospital). He got the medication needed, however he was feeling a lot of pain from his head and his movement on the left side of his body was lost. The doctor decided to do a surgery to remove the blood clot on January3 which was completed successfully.

Today (Jan.4) Miguel is in stable condition at the intensive care unit, and continues to improve slowly. He is still under sedatives due to surgery . He hears and responds to commands. He is not speaking because of some minor irritation caused by the respiratory tube used as a preventative measure (he is breathing by himself successfully). He always responds with his right hand (doing signs for no, ok, or hang loose). Every time we tell him to be strong he raises his hand and gives a big thumbs-up. Today my mom told him that she was going to shave him, and I said kidding "Are you going to let her", he moved his finger saying "no no" ;-) He understands everything we say. Just before leaving the hospital he sligtly moved his left leg. We were very happy for that. We are trying to be very strong and give him positive energy. We keep telling him about the family, friends, and the positive messages coming from everyone. Thanks to everybody, this is really important to us and especially to him.

Please keep praying so that he has a quick recovery.

PS Since even the doctors are puzzeled about what could have caused a healthy young athletic guy to have a stroke, any of you could help by asking people you know if they know of similar cases. Thanks!