Home Sweet Home

I watched the clock turn 3:03pm today and thought back on the past EIGHT weeks and then thought "Tomorrow at 3:03pm Alex will be Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

December 1, 2010 Alex will be discharged from the hospital.  He has progressed SO much since the Strike.  Thanks to EVERYONE who has helped on this journey.  I wish I could say his journey will be finished when he is discharged, but I believe the biggest part of his journey will start tomorrow.  He still doesn't have use of his fingers and still struggles with pain, motor skills and overall balance issues.  He will have daily out patient PT and OT, and lots of Doctors appointments in the weeks and months to come but at the end of the day he will get to sleep in his own bed.  YEA!!!

Day 56 in Hospital - Alex

Alex had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  Thanks to all that came and visited, it really lifted his spirits.  We are having a Family Meeting today at the hospital. I'll keep you all posted, but I believe we will be discussing Alex's discharge.  Its looking like it will be this Wednesday.  Alex just wishes he was "all better".  He wants to come home, but he wants full use of his fingers and hands and to be able to walk. His PT's are working him hard and he's getting closer everyday to recovery.

Ditto

I read Leslie's Post and want to Ditto what she said.  She said it beautifully!!!

This Thanksgiving Day I want to Thank our Heavenly Father for my family, I'm so grateful for each one of them.  They each bring so much joy into my life, I had an awesome day with my family.  Alex got to come home for a few hours, It was nice to all be together.
Thanks for all the PT's, CNA's, Nurses and Doctors that worked with Alex today, that left their families in order to help Alex.  He's doing better everyday.  Microsoft's PR heard about Alex and Dane from a piece on Good Morning America, they shipped both boys a new Xbox 360 -Glossy black.  One more thing to be thankful for  :)
Enjoy the holiday - Kaleen aka Alex's mom

So much to be Thankful for!

With all that I have been blessed with throughout my life and all that I have taken for granted, I know that I have never been so grateful as I am this Thanksgiving. It's such a cliche, but "things" in this life really are so superficial compared to the life of a loved one.

From the instant Alex & Dane were struck, people (angels) all around them came together to save their lives; from the students who went for help, the first responders (teachers and administrators at the school) who breathed life into our boys, the EMTs who safely transported them and didn't give up..., the Dixie Regional ER staff, doctors and nurses who revived and stabilized them, the clergy that rushed to the hospital to bless our boys in that brief moment when time stood still before they whisked them away to the airport, the Lifeflight crew that flew out in stormy weather to give the boys the best care available, and then the staff, doctors and nurses at the PICU unit at UMC in Vegas who ultimately cared for them until they were able to "come back" to us....
Looking back, I know there was a higher power orchestrating all of the events that saved our boys that day, everything and everyone came together just the way it was meant to happen.

Then in the hours and days that followed we were so overwhelmed with loving thoughts and actions from everyone we knew (and didn't know). We felt your love, your prayers and your support more than you will ever know...it gave us the strength and faith we needed to endure the fear and uncertainty

I know that we have thanked all of you before, but I don't think that it can ever be expressed enough, you will always have my heartfelt gratitude- and I thank God everyday for all of you "angels".

God bless all of you this Thanksgiving holiday,
Leslie

p.s.- Dane weighed in last Friday and had lost another pound :( , the Dr. was encouraged that it has slowed and is hopeful that he has turned the corner. He still goes to physical therapy but no longer uses a cane to help him walk :) , his Pancreas levels are still too high and have to be monitored closely but all in all... he is pretty amazing.

Sunday - No more shots for Alex

Every Morning around 8am Alex would have to get a shot in his stomach - needless to say it wasn't a great way to start off his morning.  The shot was to help him not get blood clots and since he wasn't up and moving around they were concerned with him getting them.  Well now that he's up and about - no more shots. YEA!
Alex doesn't have PT on the weekends, but he wanted to do something with his idle time, so on Friday Alex and his PT made a schedule of exercises for him to accomplish Saturday.  He did them all twice yesterday, morning and late afternoon.  He pushed himself and did great.  Thanks to T for coming in yesterday to help push him mentally while Alex worked physically.  We have great friends who are so willing to help us with everything (and I mean everything)!!!!  Thanks St. George.  Thanks for all the letters that have been mailed to us from out of state, Alex has received some cute colorings from children we don't even know. Kaleen aka Alex's mom

From Dave Talley -
I had a moment to reflect today, and although this has been a very stressful and humbling time for our family, I can't help but remember the laughs that sometimes brighten our day and keep us going. My quote for today is from Alex when he was still in Las Vegas (and still on Morphine!) Kaleen was trying to explain what had happened to him and trying to answer Alex's questions. Alex asks, "what year is this?" Kaleen answers, "it's 2010" Alex say's with incredulity, "Oh yeah! Right! I get struck by lightning and you guys get blasted into the future!" It was hard not to laugh even in that moment.

Friday 11-19-10- Alex

Last night was a big night for Alex.  He went to see the Snow Canyon High School play Peter Pan.  Alex helped build the set and wanted to see it.  His PT and Doctor said if he worked hard they would let him leave the hospital and go to the school.  It was kind of weird for him to go back to the school.  I had been there a few times since the Strike, but this was Alex's first time back since he was whisked away in an ambulance. Once we got there, Alex enjoyed the play, the kids that preformed did a great job.
Alex is still making improvements.  They are very small but they are there.  One of his nurses that hadn't seen him for a week was amazed to see him Wednesday night, she was amazed at the progress since she saw him last.
When I say "Alex walked"  He's not walking like he use to, he's not walking like most people do. But he is up and moving a few hours a day.  Today his PT put him in a harness and he "walked" around the hallway.  He's doing better.  He's still in a lot of pain which interferes with his PT sometimes. He can move his feet and wheel himself around in his wheel chair pretty good.  Theres not a lot of new movement with his hands.  His hands are kind of "stuck" straight out.  He can move his pinkie, but once again, when I say "move" its just kind of a twitch, if you ask him to move it and you blink, you will miss the movement.  Its all baby steps.  One small step at a time, he's doing it.  He's Beating the Odds!  Kaleen aka Alex's mom

Six Weeks Ago Today

I still fall asleep every Monday night and think back to the Monday night before the Strike.  Can't believe 6 weeks ago today  I got a call that Alex and Dane had been struck by lightning.  I've been replaying each day over the past 6 weeks, thinking of the Nurses, Doctors and Admin at UMC.  Miss them (not that I still want to be there) but miss them as people, they were great and caring.  Thanks for helping in Alex's recovery.  We will be back there someday, Alex will walk in and he will probably dish out orders and demands like he did during his PICU days -lol.  Kaleen aka Alex's Mom

This is from Alex's dad   SATURDAY 11-13-10

I got to spend a good day with Alex. I came early to St. George Sat to watch Alex's younger brother Parker 'firecracker' Lambson play his championship game vs Alliance. 

Alex and I had fun watching Family Guy 'Blue Harvest' the spoof on Star Wars. Gratitude to whomever left that for him. I hadn't seen Alex laugh until we watched this show. He didn't want to watch funny movies in Vegas because it hurt him to much to laugh. He enjoyed that DVD so much he sent me to Best Buy to find the sequel 'Something Something Something Dark Side'. Alas I couldn't find it.

While I was there the paramedic that worked on Alex came by to see him. Ty 'Smitty Smith gave Alex a run down of everything he saw that
day. Gratitude to him and the rest of the first responders for reacting so quickly and doing such a great job of resuscitating Alex, and giving him a chance to survive.

Later in the day lots of friends came by and Alex had a good time laughing a joking and remembering past adventures. It was awesome to see him in good spirits, and a smile on his face. Lots have asked what does Alex want to watch when he has down time. Alex wants to watch quite a few different things so I made an Amazon account with
his current wish list. Follow this link for his current wish list:
http://amzn.com/w/1MSCI3JDHNO18 
~Arden

Sunday 11-14-10 - Alex

Some friends stopped in today to visit Alex, we were reminiscing about the concert last weekend at the Electric Theater- Alex has his sign hanging up in his room.  I just wanted to thank all the local company's that donated items for a raffle that night. Rainbow Sign and Banner; Hungry Howie's Pizza; Jimmy John's; Stephen Wade Nissan; McArthur's Jewelers; Dixie Direct Card; Dave's Barber Shop; The Academy; Conrad's Car Wash; Jones Paint & Glass; Diane Daniels; Fiesta Fun; The Ledges; Main Street Insurance; Taylor Andrews; Tom Daniels Pest Control.  Thanks to the bands for the great entertainment, everyone had a great time.

Alex did so good during PT this week that he got a 2 hour pass out of the hospital.  We took him to the park, he liked being outside.  I kept trying to shield him from the sun but he reassured me he wasn't a Vampire and wouldn't "sparkle" in the sunlight :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we did - oh and sorry about the Bench Press / Squat mix up  - Alex use to squat 300 lbs not bench.  He used to bench 205.  Slight mix up I was told numerous times - lol - Kaleen aka Alex's mom

Dane 11-13-10

Well, where do I begin, Dane is doing great...and not so great.

First, for the not so great. He has lost another 2 pounds... :(

His Dr. is very concerned and wants to keep a close eye on his weight. But at the same time, he always wants to "hang out" with his friends. He says that he feels good, but as a mother, I am very concerned! This is new territory for me and when do I say no to his self prescribed healing (Lara...maybe you can help me with this...).

Also, Dane got invited to his first Girl's Choice Dance tonight, and was feeling well enough to go. I think he will have a great time. They had a good time on their "Day Date" and headed off to the dance about an hour ago. Jess has been Dane's good friend for a while now.

I have also included a picture of Dane in his "Fallen" attire! He loves it...what a generous thing that the Fallen Co. has done for them. Also, the Twin Labs Gift Baskets they received are AWESOME! Exactly what his physicians have been telling him to take. And the personalized card from the staff at Twin Labs was so sweet and sincere! We very much appreciate your concern for our boys!

THANK YOU EVERYONE, for everything!!! (especially Prayers!)

Thursday 11-11-10 Alex

For those of you that know Alex - you know he Loves Crunch Wrap Supremes from Taco Bell.  When he had his feeding tube in he craved them but since he couldn't eat it was just a thought.  Once the feeding tube was removed (3 weeks ago today) we kept asking him if he wanted one.  His reply was always "No I want Peaches" (lol)  Until yesterday - While I was playing Cub Scout Leader for some local Cub Scouts, I got a text from his friend that was at the hospital with him that said "Alex wants a Crunch Wrap Supreme"  I wanted to shout for Joy.  After Scouts I got him his CWS no tomatoes, went to the hospital, unwrapped it, put it into his hands and he ate the entire thing and he ate it by himself.  Wahoo!!!!!
Now 2 months ago I wouldn't have thought twice about him requesting food and eating it by himself, but since the Strike he hasn't had an appetite and has needed assistance in doing everything.  Well, looks like he is turning some corners, everyday he is making improvements.  They are small yet huge. He is having a hard time  though, he keeps saying "a month ago I could drive and squat 300lbs and now look at me".  I've told him he needs to change his thinking and say "TWO months ago I could drive and squat 300lbs, ONE month ago I was lying in a hospital in Vegas on Life Support with burns over 15% of my body, NOW I can sit up in bed, stand up from a wheel chair, take assisted steps (walk), feed myself, turn on my Ipod............"  His baseline has to change.
Since being back in STG I have been able to witness the support and love our community has shown for Alex and Dane.  Thanks to each and everyone of you that read this blog and have a sincere love an admiration for these boys.  We as parents love Alex and Dane and know what great people they are, its nice to see so many others also see their potential and pray and support them.  Thanks - Kaleen  aka Alex's mom

Tuesday 11-9-10 - Alex

It was like Christmas this week (and its only Tuesday).  Sunday the boys got their Twin Lab gift baskets, Monday Alex was given a Power Balance Band (http://www.balanceband.com/) then today Fallen (http://www.fallenfootwear.com/)  sent Shoes, T-shirts, Hats, Wallets, Backpacks, Socks and Hoodies for the boys.  Alex was wearing his favorite pair of Fallen shoes when he was struck (which they don't make anymore), his step dad contacted Fallen to see if they might have an extra pair of that style lying around their warehouse that we could get (Alex doesn't like change).  They didn't have that style but they said they would be happy to send both boys lots of products, which they did today.  It was also like Christmas for me today, Alex "walked" down the hall.  I didn't get to see it, but his PT said he did great!  I'll take the gift of recovery all day long!  I also talked to our friend "the Proffessor from Vegas"  he is looking forward to Alex getting out of the hospital and said he would come give a lecture on Lightning here in STG.  Thanks to everyone who has helped with the boys recovery. 

Alex Update November 7th

I wish I could post little updates everyday because everyday Alex has an update, an improvement. But now that I'm back in STG and back to "life" I am pulled in so many ways. I'm fortunate enough to return to my job at Stevens-Henager College (they allowed me to be gone for over 3 weeks and are still being very flexible with me and all of Alex's appts), Im trying to resume my many carpools, scouts and just day to day living in addition to having Alex still in the hospital.  Thank goodness I haven't had to cook, meals have been brought over each night along with cookies and treats.
Alex had a GREAT week.  He is making improvements everyday. His Physical Therapy team is amazing  - they have figured out his personality and are using things to get him motivated.  I'm so grateful for the genuine concern the team of Doctors is showing for Alex.  He had an MRI on his Spine this week, they are constantly trying to figure out what is going on with him.    Just this week though Alex has learned to put his shirt and pants on, stand up with out assistance, move his pinkies and drum rollllllll,  he used his thumb to turn his Ipod on..  It's SO amazing  - just a month after being struck by lightning his burns have almost healed and his motor skills are slowly coming back.  This summer, at a LYW event I met Christine Heathman owner of Glymed  Products (http://www.glymedplus.com)   she is a Master Aesthetician  specializing in burns.  She heard about Alex and sent him a Skin Care Package that we started this week on his face and hands.  As soon as we get clearance from his Wound Doctor, we will start using it on his grafts.  This will help minimize his scaring.  We have been so fortunate with the outpouring of gifts and love towards the boys. Twin Labs was told about the Strike by Alex's step dad (http://www.twinlab.com) they did some research on the boys and offered to send any products that will help in their recovery, they too sent a Starter Package, once the boys doctors review it, they will start on that.  All of this is helping so much with their recovery.
Last night at The Electric Theater there was a benefit concert for the boys.  (http://www.theelectrictheater.com/)   Just like at the Tuacahn Concert (http://www.tuacahn.org/)  I was SO amazed at the talent we have in our town.  Last night kids from The Academy preformed, they were great!  They even played the Peaches song dedicated to Alex  - it was Awesome.  All those that preformed were great, a band from SLC even came down to play.  Thanks for everyone that attended, donated prizes to be raffled, the bands that played etc.  It was a great evening.  Thanks SO much - its so awesome to see good things come from this tragedy - last night brought unity and gave the kids something to do on a Saturday night and feel good about helping a cause.  Kaleen aka Alex's mom

Dane's doing very well....considering...

I wanted to update all of you about Dane's progress.
He has been able to eat without as much pain in the last few days so we are encouraged even though he had lost 1.5 pounds at his last weigh-in (Thursday). He also saw his Nutritionist Friday and had an Acupuncture session to help with digestion. He is feeling well enough to go with his friends to visit Alex in the hospital, and he is in Mesquite NV right now watching the SC High School Debate competition. I'm thinking that friends are one of the best medicines for Dane right now...

This photo is from Dane's Physical therapy on Friday morning, they said it was his best one yet! :)





I thought I would also show you the "Reverse Mohawk" he is sporting. It's actually starting to grow out a little bit (it was singed to his scalp and burned the skin underneath). Good thing he had a lot of hair so he could cover it up!

The burns on his feet are healing pretty well too, the body is an amazing thing. His sister took this picture on her cell phone and couldn't wait to delete it, lol.

We are very grateful to all of you for supporting these boys on this blog. They can feel the love and so can we as parents!

Links

CSB Early Show clip
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7025649n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Boys were wearing Fallen shoes when the strike hit - this is on their link                                                    
www.blackboxdist.com    go to  News section

Boys are doing better everyday!  Thanks for all your support and interest!

The Early Show

Since "The Strike" all forms of the media have wanted "the boys".  We as parents decided to let the boys chose what National Morning Show they would appear on.  All 3 Networks have been in contact with us, and it looks like as soon as Alex is up to traveling we will go to New York to appear live on Good Morning America (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/).  The Early Show will air the boys from a previously taped interview that will air the same day as GMA.
However, today a crew from The Early Show is in town filming (not the boys). They are doing a Health Segment on Lightning tomorrow- informing viewers how important those first few minutes are after a strike. They are speaking with teachers, doctors and moms today.   Tune in Friday November 5th to CBS to see how you can help save a life.

PS - Alex moved both of his pinky's yesterday.  Huge Success!!!!!!!!!!  Kaleen aka Alex's mom

My family room turned into a TV set

The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday Eastern Time. It airs live on most affiliates in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, but is tape delayed in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones. The Early Show features news pieces, weather, celebrity interviews and light entertainment. Having premiered on November 1, 1999, it is the youngest of the major networks' morning shows. The show airs as a division of CBS News.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SCHS Cross Country Party

Alex had a big day Sunday - he had about 10 visitors which ended up being way too many. His spirits loved seeing each and every one of you (and about 10 people stopped in while he was napping that he didn't even get to see) but his Neurons didn't love the stimulation all the visitors brought. He was cut off from visitors Monday and Tuesday afternoon to prepare him for his Cross Country Party.  One of his Coaches works for the hospital and was able to arrange to have their year end party at the hospital.  The team ate pizza and visited, then just before the slide show and awards Alex was brought into the room so that he could enjoy some time with his teammates.  He was in pain, but he enjoyed it.  He actually smiled and cracked a few jokes.  I think it was good for all the kids to see him.  Even though he is "different" from the last time they ran with him, he looks good and is in great spirits.  SCHS Cross Country team participated in State a few weeks ago, since Alex couldn't attend, they blew a picture up of Alex and glued it to pop cycle sticks and "took" him with them on the trip.  I cant wait to see all the pictures, I hear he had a great time.  I did see a few of the photos, there was one of him by the bus at the Maverick Country Store, one of him in a field of sunflowers.  His team wore stickers that said Alex on their jerseys while they ran.  Thanks for all the love and support - his team showed team spirit and what true athletes are made of.  These kids are Warrior Strong!  Thanks.  Kaleen aka Alex's mom (photo from a meet last year)

Monday November 1, 2010

Tonight is the Anniversary eve of the Strike - I think back to what we were doing 4 weeks ago.  It was Family Night and raining, Alex's 2 younger brothers were in their bathing suits playing football in the street.  Parker, ran into the house and said "Mom can I get struck by lightning?"  I replied "well technically you could, but you wont"  he smiled and ran back out into the rain and finished playing.  Less than 24 hours later I got "the call" telling me that Alex had been struck by lightning. The Principle told me he was with another boy, and I wasn't too surprised when I heard it was Dane.  Alex and Dane were always together.  I've tried to Thank everyone that has helped us and him (from meals, rides nursing care, doctors, EMT's, teachers, students etc), but as I read this blog, I keep finding out that there are SO many more people out there that have helped with Alex's progress.  And Progress is what he is doing.  He is getting better every day.  He is determined to be out of the hospital in 2 weeks.  He's getting great training and has a positive outlook, he just might make his goal.  Thank you for everything you have done and will do.  I'm grateful this tragedy has brought so much good.  People bonding together.  Thank you!  Kaleen aka Alex's mom