August 15, 2026 Update

The doctors have been closely monitoring the swelling in Austin’s head, face, and neck. They let us know he is experiencing traumatic hydrocephalus—essentially, the "plumbing" in his brain isn't draining properly, causing fluid to build up. To address this, he had surgery to place an external ventricular drain (EVD). The procedure went well, and the drain is already working to reduce the fluid and pressure. The neurologist mentioned that his blood vessels look "angry" (spasming), but the overall blood flow looks good, and they will keep monitoring it over the next few days.

Austin had CT scans last night, this morning, and again this afternoon. The scans showed some bleeding in his head and around his trach, so his care team stopped his blood thinner medications. His white blood cell count is also elevated, and they are continuing to closely monitor the blood clot in his head.

On top of that, his right ankle was out of place, so they were able to set it back into place today.

While this is a bit of a speed bump, he is already showing signs of improvement after today’s surgery!

On the bright side:

-When we softly touched his cheeks and lips, he moved his mouth and even turned his head slightly to the side!

-He moved his left hand when asked.

-His left foot and big toe moved a few times.

-He had the hiccups again today.

-And... he had one heck of a poop! This time it wasn't just from his butt to his feet, but over the side of the bed and onto the floor! (Good lord, kid! 😂) The nurse got a little creative and tapped a bag to his butt which also has a tube to another bag placed by his feet. Hopefully this will help reduce the cleanup for them. 

Again, thank you all so much for continuing to keep Austin in your thoughts and prayers!  We are all very grateful for the continued support, prayers and for the wonderful doctors & staff who continue to do a wonderful job!!