Update dec 28. God is good. David’s progress is nothing short of a miracle! He is still at TRISL until he is self sufficient enough to be accepted at Centerpoint. The orthopedic surgeon visit yesterday cleared him to begin weight bearing as tolerated on his right leg. He seems to have a foot drop right now and has an order for an ankle foot orthotic to be made for him. This may increase his shoe size but I’ll talk to PT on Monday. OT wants him in a tennis shoe that ties but I’ll speak about specifics with them as well. Christmas was sweet having all my children under one roof. Mamas iykyk. 
He has a terrific attitude toward getting well, 
and is looking forward to completing inpatient drug rehab and coming home to be with his children. They love him unconditionally because of who he is to them. He is using a walker some of the time for transfers and short distances at TRISL. I think my body is just now starting to recover from the combined stress of his injury and raising young children and the holidays. My body wants to sleep at odd times. I’m guessing making up for 10-11 weeks of poor sleep. If anyone wants to know our need priority it’s meals before money till school is back in session but money for David’s needs are always welcome. He will need socks and shoes this coming week. 









Update Dec. 10th: David is making fast progress at the rehabilitation institute, aka TRISTL. Today was his first real shower in 8 weeks. His right arm and leg are coming along albeit slower that the left. Today he could hold a pen in his right hand and sort of sign his name. His speech is clear, with occasional delay in word finding. He is happy for the snacks and food I am bringing him. If anyone feels in their hearts the desire to bake, he would love some cookies. We are purposely trying to help him gain weight, muscle so food that has actual flavor is welcomed. They do not have a place to refrigerate patient food nor microwave to warm up patient foods. He has a big box of red grapes, raspberries, kettle chips and small dark chocolate peanut butter cups to tide him over. I bring him Starbucks breakfast sandwiches because they are easy to eat and a decent amount of protein. Not sure yet how long he will be here or his next move. He will need therapies for a long time. Please send get well cards made out to him at 14336 Lake Tahoe Dr. 
Chesterfield MO 63017






Update December 1st: so many unknowns. David continues to make small forward progress daily. PT and OT have evaluated him and he is still too weak to participate in intensive, (3 hours a day), therapy. They will be looking again for a nursing home with rehabilitation weekly. I am refusing to go back to the one on Manchester as they are incapable of managing the patients they have with the their existing staff and are receiving patients from a closing facility in Jeff county. They won’t provide the much needed attention like assistance with bathrooming, hygiene and feeding he requires. David still needs help eating. He feeds himself but spills all over. If we have to pay a rehab hospital ourselves it will cost about 400./day. We have enough money for 1 and a half weeks. He noticed the clock and told us last night it was 6:00 accurately. If you’re unaware of brain injury understanding time is a higher level of thinking. He is unaware of his limitations though. He still thinks he can stand up after being on his back for 7 weeks. He is a maximum assist on all the things on his checklist. He cannot transfer from his bed to a chair yet or sit on the side of his bed without two people for safety. Still a long way to go but we will get there. I will continue to update with his  placement information. He would love to receive some get well cards or have a few visitors for short visits. You can send cards to our house at 14336 Lake Tahoe Dr. Chesterfield mo 63017




UPDATE: The squeaky wheel does get the grease as far as reporting this NH to the state hotline. So as for today 3 wonderful individuals cared for Marci so I could be there. Thank You Dee Scheve, Laurie Strand and Mindy Sipes for covering for me at home. Thank You ahead Laurie and Amy Katz for helping tomorrow as well so R’leyeh doesn’t miss OT and I can show up at NH tomorrow too. The state told the NH they were coming so I got an audience with the administrator, DON and forgive me but a manager too. They moved him closer to the nurses station which has both good and bad points for someone with a brain injury that requires brain rest. It’s noisier but hopefully they will answer the call light faster. He also got an air mattress with bumpers so he can’t easily fall out of bed as today he was trying to get up and out. He also has a small U shaped rail to assist him in shifting his body to a more comfortable position. They also put fall mats down at my request in case he manages to scoot off. The administration staff had witnessed first hand what occurs when call light was pushed. It was strange all 3 of them David and myself staring at each other while no one answered the call until one of the team said I’ll be back and went to get someone like I had been doing. The CNA’s were all called to the office to make them aware that they are under scrutiny. Makes it even harder when you have a sick kid at home with a loved one being neglected in a NH. Probably not much better at other facilities. If the 3 administrators were in charge of his care I’m sure it would be stellar. No explanation of why his wound and pin site dressings were not changed yesterday or his meds given, ( he actually removed the dirty pin dressings himself yesterday so they were open to the air and whatever). Some meds given today in front of me but no one knows what they are. 

Friends my sweet son and our family are asking for help. David is in a nursing home until he can qualify to go to an in patient rehabilitation center that specializes in brain rehab. This nursing home although close to the house is neglecting him. He has been there since Tuesday and he has received little if any of his prescribed medication. They do not check on him and he’s a fall risk. No bed alarm, no personal care and both myself and his friend who stays the night to keep an eye on him have had to clean him up from a bm after asking staff repeatedly. He has sat up to 1 1/2 hours. He can use a urinal but can’t reach it on his own. Can’t find a call button, which they ignore, if it’s not nearby. He cannot feed himself unless he uses his hands, they sent him a spoon and knife yesterday when I tracked down his tray and brought it to him. I have a sick kiddo so she’s not at school. I need hands, eyes and boots on the ground. I’ve made the proper reports.

Update Nov 17th. David is still in the hospital at big Mercy till they figure out where he should go, skilled rehab or intensive rehab. That’s the one we are pushing for. The hold up is his ex-fix across his pelvis which should be removed in 1 week. He has a non weight bearing status on his pelvis and legs till then. He pulled his g-tube out but the doctor thinks they can let that close as long as he is receiving adequate nutrition by mouth. They are evaluating that today. He is talking more but obviously his thoughts are way ahead of his ability to speak. He let me know I need to step back a bit. I am giving him more space because he’s able to communicate his needs to the hospital staff. His right arm and leg which took much of the impact are way behind his left side. Prayers for the right side please to get stronger. It’s been five weeks since the accident and he is a far cry from the vegetative state they thought he would be in. Praise God he is doing miracles 



Update: November 12th: with brain injuries quite frequently it’s one step forward and 2 back. He arrived at the nursing home (NH) yesterday around 5:30. Eddie was there to meet him to help him get settled. He stayed and fed him dinner and left. Shortly after that David pulled out his G-tube so off to the hospital they sent him but this time to big mercy. I had called for a report to NH as the ambulance arrived and I found out what was happening. I don’t believe he had gotten meds for anxiety and this phase of waking from a coma is very confusing and scary. Two transfers in one day is a lot. He arrived quickly and by the time I’d figufigured out which hospital he was at he was in triage and waiting area for ten minutes. Kids were asleep and I went to ER to be with David. Eddie home with 3 sleeping kiddos. When I arrived he was on a hospital stretcher across from the drafty door, soaking wet with pee and pretty much ungowned, agitated and squirmy. I immediately went to work. In minutes we were in our own triage room, cleaned up, dry and listening to classic rock for the next several hours, eventually put into a trauma room and in his room on the floor by 5:30 am. He never slept the entire day and was using a ton of energy fighting with his c-collar, binder, pillows etc. he was exhausted, hungry and without any of his medication since leaving mercy south 12 hours prior. He eventually fell asleep at 6:30 am today and I left at 6:40 to be home when the kids woke up. I hadn’t slept in 24 or more which I hadn’t done since high school. I came home and slept 41/2 hours showered and made phone calls to nurses, care managers etc. He is staying the night tonight at mercy and having a swallow test with X-ray to be sure food and liquid are traveling down the right path. They are reassessing his needs. He needs a sitter with him at all times. He cannot use a call button or a urinal by himself. He needs help with feeding and distraction from his discomfort. The TV in the room at the NH is broken so eventually a tablet would be helpful. I’m exhausted but we still went to PJ story time at the kids school and book fair. Special shout out and Thank You to my sister-in-law Sheila for dinner last night and my brother Michael and sister-in-law Suzie for dinner tonight. Hoping for regaining lost progress and more in the next coming days. Please keep praying and Thank You for the generous donations so far. 

Update: November 11. David continues to make progress with speech. He knows he was hit by a car. He is hard to understand sometimes. He still isn’t allowed to sit straight up at 90 degrees so no bedpans. The nurses and techs are professional and efficient in their efforts at keeping him clean. His anxiety is very high. We do what we can to distract him such as food network channel, music. Shadow the mercy therapy dog made a visit. His right arm isn’t doing much but collarbone on the right side is broken and just hasn’t been able to overcome gravity. We will be vigilant at the nursing home to be sure he gets proper care. We are hopeful 






Hello family and friends,

Last month David and his family experienced a life-changing event. David was hit by a car and sustained multiple injuries including a traumatic brain injury. It was initially uncertain whether David would wake up, be able to breathe on his own, speak, or have the same cognitive function as before his accident. 

These past few days have been full of hope, as David is now awake, more alert, and beginning to communicate! 

After 1 month in the hospital, he is being transferred to a short term care facility for 2 weeks, but will require long term rehabilitation (either at a facility, home, or both) in tandem with out-of-state brain injury specialists. As insurance will not cover most of these costs — and while the situation is evolving — the family has been advised that it could cost upwards of $20,000.  

David’s parents are currently coordinating his care while raising his 3 young children. David and his family would benefit from monetary and other tangible support — including but not limited to meals and transportation assistance. 

We're coming together to help David’s family; we have created the "David P & Family" support registry to rally around them. 

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to help cover these unexpected costs. 

Your contribution will make a meaningful difference! 

 1 Choose from Support Registry options
 2 'Share' to Spread the Word to family and friends
 3 'Follow' Updates to stay informed

Thank you for supporting our family during this difficult time!