Stickel update, Saturday, 1pm

New information from Fairbanks:

 

 

Kaylee was discharged from the hospital yesterday (Friday, August 12). She was glad to head toward home. She is becoming more mobile every day. Not fully cleared with solids yet, but little by little she is getting closer to the dairy ice cream she has been hoping for.

 

It became a little lonely for Jesse when sister left.  He is progressing as best he can. Pediatrics Doctor looked him over today and explained that a new IV (pike?) is needed so he can get more nutrients to keep his weight up. That will occur on Monday. Doctor has asked him to get up and walk some more.....he wishes he could play some ball.

 

Tim Stickel

 

Saturday, 12pm

A little earlier this morning, they removed Brittany's breathing tube!  She did wonderful and exceeded everyone's expectations.  After they removed the tube, she asked, "Where's Erika? Where's Kaylee?" and on down the line.  She recognized the familiar people, including Roxanne and Beth, and had several more conversations like how long have I been in the hospital. Jennifer told her she loved her and Brittany responded, "I love you" back.  She has so many questions from looking at her expression and its a little harder to understand in full sentences. Her voice will come back in a couple days. She asked to text and about facebook.  Our Brittany is coming back!  It will be a long road with many setbacks and there are sill many unknowns but we believe the Great Physician and Healer is working!

Brittany's biggest job right now is to cough so her lungs can be cleared. She is doing a great job following directions from the nurses. The dr. has said Brittany is "doing so much more than she hoped for." To Him we give Glory and Honor! Prayers are powerful and God hears all of them!

I called on Your name, O LORD,
Out of the lowest pit.
You have heard my voice,
"Do not hide Your ear for my prayer for relief,
From my cry for help"
You drew near when I called on you;
You said, "Do not fear!"
                             Lamentation 3:55-57


Beth Reichel
Michelle Mondelli

Friday, 4:15pm

Wow!  Brittany had a break-through while we were in the cafeteria eating lunch.  The doctor turned the ventilator to an "assist mode".  She is breathing on her own with assistance from the machine.  Best case scenario is Brittany will be taken off the ventilator tomorrow.

Erika doesn't know the fever war is supposed to be over.  Her temperature has risen again.  She did get her hair washed today and looks so cute in her braid.

We have decided we're going to be away from the rooms eating a lot because that's when positive things happen!

Michelle Mondelli

Friday, 1pm

Both the girls and Don and Jennifer had a restful night.  Things are pretty much the same as when we left Brittany and Erika last night.  The doctors are keeping them under sedation and probably will for several  more days.  Changes should be small and incremental at this point.  For now, we will update the blog only once a day unless something monumentious happens.

Thank you for the bundle of cards and pleuthra of prayers.  You all have been very encouraging.  The Northern Lights (Fairbanks), Anchorage, Rose Street (in Anchorage), and Valley (Wasilla) Churches of Christ have been great at meeting our physical needs.  Thank you so much.

ps. Erika is no longer the "epi-princess".  YEA!

Michelle Mondelli

Thursday, 11:45pm

It was an interesting day, full of ups and downs. Not only did the fever wars continue (although at a lower temperature), the girls began another competition which we'll talk about later.

Brittany had the left chest tube removed.  She reacted in a way that caused the doctor to exclaim, "Fabulous!"  It is a good sign.  Later in the day, she began coughing  more and more.  She made it plain she didn't like to be suctioned.  She flailed her arm and even pulled out of the restraint it was in! Our ornery Brittany was showing!  So ornery that when the Respiratory Therapist was called to help bring Erika back to her room, he had to call someone else.  Brittany wasn't done with him yet!

Erika's surgery went well. We need to pray for infections to stay away. 

Over the next couple of days, the doctor want to wean the girls off of the sedation.  They will have their good hours and bad.  Improvements will be made in small increments. Please continue praying.  Good nights.

Michelle Mondelli

Stickel update Thursday, evening

Fairbanks Update:

Kaylee had a CT scan this afternoon on her mid section.  She was hoping to be discharged today, but the Doctor gave her some grim news.  He wants her to stay put until at least Sunday. Her scan showed that she still has a lot of blood in her abdomen (Doctor says she lost about 4 units) - a slow bleed internally that they are hoping will heal itself. She was bummed about that, but the Doctor did give her the go ahead to eat some pudding (NOT JELLO!) and she was excited about that. Only one small cup, but she licked out every bit. A GI scan soon.

 

Not much change for Jesse. Still feeling uncomfortable with the NG hose down his nose and being fed intravenously. As they hooked up a new bag of nutrients to feed him, Dad joked that it was steak. Kaylee chimed in..."yeah, tube steak."  We all had a good laugh. He is scheduled to have another CT scan tomorrow or Saturday with hopes to see improvements. Doctor indicated he may be able to have his NG hose removed in 3 days, but then he still will not be able to eat for a while.

 

Donald and Briana (and many others) came to visit Jesse and Kaylee. They have all been great.  The Great Physician continues to work on all these kids. Praise God for all the prayers, thoughts and support.

 

Tim Stickel

Thursday, 8:45pm

Erika is currently in surgery on her right femur.

Before she left, the adults were treated to a wonderful dinner, courtesy of the Anchorage Church of Christ. Unbeknownst to us, while we were eating dinner, a strange thing happened to Erika.  She got a cast on her left foot!  She has several fractures on her foot.

Thanks for prayers!

Michelle Mondelli

Donation Information

A Donation Account has been opened at The Alaska USA Federal Credit Union for the Bennett family.  Checks can be made to Alaska USA Federal Credit Union and in the memo area write:  Donation Account for the Bennett Family.  A donation can be made at any branch in Alaska or send your check to:

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union

1261 Ariport Way, Fairbanks  99701
 

Thursday, 3:45pm

So far it's been a quietly exciting day.  Brittany's day began with a bath.  They removed a chest tube around 2pm.  The doctor said Brittany perfomed, "fabulous!" Her chest x-ray also looked good.  She has shown some reaction to pain.

Erika has had a good day.  She has almost been weaned off of a blood pressure medicine.  The nurse called her, "the epi-princess" because she wasn't  ready to let it go totally.  She also said that "Erika was in control" of the process.  It's like the nurse can tell Erika's personality.

Erika should be going to surgery for her femur any time now.  Please keep praying.

Michelle Mondelli

Thursday, 8:15am

We apologize for not posting last night.  We were experiencing technical difficulties with the internet connection.

We all slept well in real beds for the short time we were in the room.  We were able to get a room at Hinkel House, which is attached to the hospital.

Yesterday was pretty status quo.  The girls continued the battle of the fevers.  When we left last night,  Erika had the high spot.  This morning Brittany is in the lead, but the fevers are closer to where the doctors would like the temperature to be.

Unless something changes today, Erika is scheduled to have surgery this afternoon or evening to place a rod in her femur.  This is good news because it means her lungs are getting stronger. Please continue to pray.

We are amazed at how the news has spread.  We have seen the story on several websites and newspapers.and Facebook has been incredible! Don has said, "I always knew my kids would be recognized for doing great things.  I just never thought it would be like this."

We thank everyone profusely for all the prayers and offers to help.

Michelle Mondelli

Alaska Airline Donation Information

Vicki Taylor has offered to be the contact person for the donation of Alaska Airline donations to the Bennetts.  Her contact info is: (907) 378-9370   taylorsrv@acetekk.com

Below is some information from the AlaskaAir  website.

thanks for being patient.

Michelle

Gift Miles

Give the gift of travel - for special occasions, or just because. With Gift Miles, you can purchase miles for a friend or family member, which will be deposited immediately into their Mileage Plan accounts. Use them as a graduation gift for your favorite nephew, or as a Thank You to your best client. Purchase up to 30,000 Mileage Plan Miles in increments of 1,000.

Purchase Gift Miles

 

Miles cost $27.50 per 1,000 miles, plus a 7.5% tax recovery fee, and GST/HST for Canadian residents). Gift Miles are non-refundable and do not count toward MVP or MVP/Gold status. Offer is subject to change and all terms and conditions of the Mileage Plan Program apply.

Transfer Miles

While you can always redeem a full award out of your own account for a friend or family member, there may be times where you just want to move miles from your account into theirs. Our Transfer Miles program allows you to take miles from your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ account and transfer them into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account of a friend or family member. Transfer up to 30,000 Mileage Plan Miles in increments of 1,000.

Learn more about Transfer Miles.

 

Transfer Miles

Our Transfer Miles program allows you to take miles from your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ account and transfer them into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account of a friend or family member. You can transfer 1,000 to 30,000 miles in increments of 1,000 miles at a cost of $10.00 per 1,000 miles, plus a $25.00 processing fee per transaction.

Wednesday 1:00pm

Erika's CT results have come back.  She does have some swelling on her brain but the doctors are not worried about it.  Her chest looks good and she does have a fracture under her eye but it should heal on it's own.  Her fever is down now, also.

Brittany continues to battle her fever.  They are trying to keep her cool.  Please keep praying.

Michelle Mondelli

Wednesday 9:30am

Everyone had a good night.  There were no major changes.  Erika is currently having a CT scan of  her head, face, chest, and abdomen.  We won't get results until early evening.

The sisters are duking it out in the fever department.  If Erika's goes down, then Brittany's goes up and vice versa.  Just like home!

Michelle

Tuesday, 11:30pm

The hospital has requested no flowers or latex balloons please.  Mylar balloons and other gifts are acceptable.

After a very trying day, we are going to try and get some sleep.  Both girls continue to battle fevers but they are under control.  Brittany was able to have a bath and showed some movement when they turned her.

God is good.

Michelle Mondelli

Tuesday 6:10pm

The results of Brittany's CT came back and she needs many, many prayers.  She is not out of the woods, yet.  Her brain is swelling and there is evidence of  some brain damage.  After an injury, the brain usually swells for three days and we are entering day 3.  She still has room for more swelling so that is good, but we need prayers for the swelling to go down and for there to be minimal brain damage.  ( We will not know the extent of the brain damage for several  days.)  The changes we will see will be very small and could come over an extended period of time.  The next couple of days are crucial!

Also, just found out Brittany has a fever and they are treating her with ice and cold air.

On the brighter side, Erika is doing well.  They switched her ventilator and she is doing well on the new one. Yeah!!  If she continues to respond well, she could be having her femur repaired with a rod on Thursday afternoon or evening.

Pray!  Pray!!  Pray!!!  We have felt God's presence the whole time we've been here and we're expecting great things to happen!

We will update this blog when there is a change in either Brittany or Erika.  Until then, please continue praying.

Michelle Mondelli

Correction 2:55pm

Sorry for the confusion.  A mistake was made in the address for sending emails.  It should be .org   (not com).  Thanks for being a patient.

"An additional way to reach the Bennett's at the hospital  is by going to  http://www.providence.org/ website, look on the right hand side of the screen and select Alaska then Anchorage. Then look on the left hand side almost to the bottom and click on "email a patient" link.  The message will be printed and delivered."

Brittany is undergoing the CT scan as I write.  We anticipate hearing the results sometime this evening.

Michelle

Tuesday, 12:00pm

The doctor is pleased with Erika's improvements in her lungs.  The dream is for the special ventilator to be removed this afternoon and replaced with a "regular" one.  This is a big improvement.  She may still have a tear on the bronchis which will require surgery to fix.  They opened Erika's bad eye and it reacted to the light, which is good.

Brittany is scheduled for a CT scan this afternoon.  They are looking at her brain (to compare to previous scans) and of the chest area to make sure there is no damage to the heart or major vessels.  They will also be doing a procedure at the same time to see if there is a small bowel injury (sounds similar to Jesse's).  On the positive side Brittany's liver is stable and is beginning to heal.

Many people have offered to help meet the family's needs.  The family is sincerely are grateful.  The greatest need for the foreseeable future will be Alaska Air Miles.  They will be making many trips between Fairbanks and Anchorage for the next several months.  We will be working on the arrangements.

Stickel Family 10:40pm

Kaylee has a broken pelvis, several bruises and scapes and was seen by an orthopedic doctor.  She can not bear any weight on her right leg for 2 months and will need to use crutches or a walker until she can put weight on her right side. Any walking is limited to trips to the bathroom which causes her a lot of pain. She may get released today.


Jesse is in the same room as his sister.  After an original "watch" status on his abdomen and the hematoma in that area, they completed a scan last night and discovered a restriction between his stomach and intestine (caused by the seat belt crushing the organs against the backbone). He has not been able to pass any food (although his bladder seems healthy). Instead of surgery, they placed an NG tube down his nose (which was very uncomfortable) and pumped his stomach last night and all through the night.  He will keep the NG tube until released and they are hoping another week in the hospital will result in healing itself naturally.  He is only allowed clear liquids at this point.

After being in triage mode all night (on scene and when Roxanne finally arrived at the emergency room), she was convinced to get treated on Monday mid day.  An xray of her knee resulted negative (nothing broken).  She had some glass in her cheek bone that was resulted.  She was treated for other scratches and bruises and went back into triage mode.

We have friends and family trying to keep everyone up-to-date with a blog.  As new information comes out, it will be posted.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.  And all the support we have received from church Brothers and Sisters across the state, Friends, Family, Hospital Staff, and all the prayers from all across the country and Africa, Ukraine, Russia and Afganistan. The Great Physician is caring for them.

Tim Stickel

Tuesday, 7:27am

Good Morning!

The girls had a restful night.  We were able to get some sleep also.  The staff here at the hospital are very accommodating. The doctors will be coming by soon.We'll keep you posted.

Michelle Mondelli

Monday 11:30pm

Praise God!  Don arrived at Providence Hospital around 6:30 this evening.  Has been able to see the girls.

Both Erika and Brittany have a broken pelvis.  It is not looking like surgery will be needed for either girls' pelvis at this point. 

The doctors have told us that the next couple of days will be the toughest for both girls.  There will be significant swelling over the entire body.  This is a natural occurance as the body begins to heal itself and the amount of fluid they are being given.

An additional way to reach the Bennett's at the hospital  is by going to http://www.providence.org/ website, look on the right hand side of the screen and select Alaska then Anchorage. Then look on the left hand side almost to the bottom and click on "email a patient" link.  The message will be printed and delivered.

The family would like to thank you all for your well wishes, food, support, and prayers throughout this difficult time.  Our posts will be less frequent as we wait for God to heal Brittany and Erika. We don't expect the healing process to be a quick one.  So please be patient as we are trying to be patient.  We would like to leave you with the words that are comforting us now.
31Yet those who wait for the LORD
         Will gain new strength;
         They will mount up with wings like eagles,
         They will run and not get tired,
         They will walk and not become weary.
                                              Isaiah 40:31

Good night.
Michelle Mondelli

Fairbanks Update Monday 11:21pm

There is a correction to earlier news.  Donald has a broken ankle and is currently on crutches.  Brianna's wrist is broken and in a cast.  The doctors want Kaylee and Jesse to spend one more night at the hospital.  Kaylee has broken her pelvis and was seen by an orthopedic doctor.  She can not bear any weight on her right leg for 2 months and will need to use a walker.

Michelle Mondelli

Monday 7:30pm

The dr. has been very happy with Erika's progress so far. She has been sedated a little more to keep her comfortable. And she has stitches above her eye.

The dr. found a finger and hand fracture on Brittany. She has a splint on her hand. She is also sedated.

Also, Jennifer and Michelle had at least a 2 hr. nap today!

If you would like to send cards, here is the address:
Pediatric ICU
c/o: Bennetts's
3200 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99508

Fairbanks Update

Here is an update on those involved in the accident that are in Fairbanks. Roxanne is a little banged-up, but is otherwise okay and is home resting right now. Jesse and Kaylee are still admitted in the hospital, though they are just under observation. Jesse has a contusion on his abdomen, they have not found anything serious with it so far, and Kaylee has a fractured pelvic bone. Brianna and Donald are both home. Brianna has a possibly broken arm and Donald has a contusion on his leg. He was very excited when he got to keep his "crunches" (crutches). PLEASE keep all of them along with Brittany and Erika in your prayers.

Monday, Aug 8 2:30pm

Brittany's surgery went well. They inserted a rod in her leg and a plate in her forearm. She responded to pain when receiving stitches. She has a traumatic brain injury and needs prayers for a full recovery.

Erika is responding to mom's voice and she squeezed both hands and open her eyes. She even teared on the site of mom. She is still on ventilator. Right now they're mainly concerned about her lungs.

Monday Aug 8 1:00pm

A lot has changed since last night. Brittany and Erika Bennett are continuing concern. Other kids and adults have some injuries, but not critical. Brittany & Erika are critical. They are being stablized pending a decision to medivac to Seattle. Brittany has stablized enough so that she is in surgery for several procedures. Erika is on a ventilator that does not tax her lungs very much. Don Jr is on his way to Anc and will be picked up at 6 pm. Jennifer is at Providence in the pediatric icu waiting room. We are controlling access to limit visitors. No visitors yet, please. DeBarr church has arranged for other needs.