From David Chen, husband of Theresa Wang, who is recovering from injuries sustained in the Nov. 19 car crash that also injured Colt Brennan:

Aloha to our Ohana,

The past week has been a quiet one with limited contact from Theresa herself. There was a phone call or two from her nurses earlier in the week to update me with basic information from Theresa’s daily progress chart, i.e. she ate 70 percent of her meals, attended four hours of therapy, used the commode 3X, required Oxycodone twice, brushed her teeth and hair, dressed her upper body, and performed other activities of daily living.

Aside from this clinical checklist, I haven’t learned too much about Theresa’s progress in her rehab therapies after the sutures were removed from her right ankle/heel or about the x-rays that were taken last week. That is, until this past weekend when Theresa phoned me with some good news.

Her right foot is still not weight-bearing however she is doing leg lifts and light exercises on it in addition to wearing the Dyna-splint up to four hours per day. In collaboration with the OT/PT staff, Theresa continues to stand on her left leg for extended periods and the pain in the left shoulder is subsiding as she slowly regains flexibility and motion in that arm.

Even more exciting for Theresa is that her new wheelchair arrived and it’s properly sized so now she can use her left leg to propel the chair forward along with both arms. This means Theresa is able to wheel herself pretty much in a straight line and that allows her more freedom to roam the unit and beyond.

Theresa told me it feels good to get around and she’s used her newfound mobility to enhance her joy rounds. She recounted some recent admissions where the patients were either injured in ATV rollovers, skiing crashes or even waterpark related accidents and how she consoled the parents to help relieve their guilt over allowing their children to participate in these activities.

Compassion is not often displayed by patients with brain and spinal cord injuries during their in-hospital stay so it is a testament to our Lord’s healing powers that Theresa can pass along His grace to those that need it the most.

On a separate note, Theresa surprised me with a call today because she heard on the news that Kilauea volcano was erupting and spewing lava fountains over the weekend. She warned me to leave if the lava flows toward our home and I promised her I would keep an eye on it.

Fortunately for us, the lava flows are 80 miles away and headed in the opposite direction. Still, it’s a wonderful sign that Theresa now remembers where we live and for her memory to have come so far in so short a time is another of God’s miracles.

As Theresa’s medical condition continues to improve, the goal over the next few weeks will be to prepare her for a possible move to a transitional rehab facility. This will allow Theresa to continue with her daily rehab therapies while staying in a more home-like environment that provides assisted living care.

Depending on whether our health insurance will cover it, this may be at the patient housing at Craig Hospital or a dedicated facility elsewhere on the mainland. In either case, this next path along our healing journey leads Theresa that much closer to coming home.

She has mentioned more than once how she is longing for Hawaii however for now, the best rehab therapy for her injuries is still far away from home. Theresa’s sister Wanda is planning to visit next week and I plan to return for the move to the transitional living facility.

Until then, please join me in prayer for the healing and wellbeing of Theresa and everyone else in need of our Lord’s Grace.

Mahalo,
David

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