I Will Go Before Your Face. I Will Be On Your Right Hand And On Your Left.

We had our first meeting with the new doctor tonight. We took him the digital images of Mark's first and last CT's and MRI's. He loaded them onto his computer that has special software that can look at even the most minute detail. Mark did a quick cognitive test that they use as a baseline, so that in two months when he takes it again, we can all see how he's progressing.

The doc showed us an actual human skull from a woman that had donated her body to science. He took the top off of the skull and held it up to the window so that we could see the light coming through the bones. He told us that the brain tissue is very soft, which is why it's so susceptible to injury. We looked at the fist CT scan when Mark had arrived in the emergency room. He pointed out the fractures and the very obvious hematoma's. He noted that the hematoma on the right side of his brain was the size of his fist and was pushing the left temporal lobe towards the brain stem, which is in the inner portion of the brain. He took apart a rubber mold of a brain and showed exactly how close Mark came to death as the temporal lobe was encroaching on the brain stem. The brain stem runs the central nervous system (breathing, heartbeat, etc.). He reiterated what Dr. Gaufin has said from the beginning: It's truly a miracle that Mark survived and is doing as well as he is. We then looked at his most recent MRI which showed the gap in bone where the shattered portion had been removed. He then showed us that the right side of his brain had healed really well and showed no tissue damage. We then looked at the left side and you could see the obvious absense of brain tissue. The space where the brain tissue had been has now filled with cerebral fluid. It's a dark space on the image, where the brain tissue is light gray. Mark asked him if he was ever going to be able to be completely healed. The doc said, "Your damage is permanent. But that doesn't mean that you can't rehabilitate and even retrain your brain to be able to enjoy the rest of your life. But know that this is a long process. It's not like when you break you leg and in 3 months you've healed and are back to normal. Rehabilitating the brain takes months and months. You need to be patient with the process and yourself. I'm going to sound like a broken record as I keep reminding you to be patient because this is a very long process. But it will come." I was fascinated and awed by what I was hearing and seeing. Mark sat back quietly in his chair and didn't say much. Later I asked him how he was doing and he was overcome with emotion. I think he's finally starting to understand just how close he came to death and the reality that members of his own family could do something so uncomprehensable to him.

Before we left the doctor's office I expressed my gratitude for what this doctor is going to be doing for us. He told us that he normally just oversees the department and on occassion he will take on his own case. "You are my new case." I told him that there are no coincidences in this life. The circumstances that we've found ourselves in and that his occupation and life's work has been in the field of brain injury research is a little unfathomable. The only explanation I have to give is the obvious hand of the Lord in ALL things. He has been ever present in our lives.

Doctrine & Covenant 84:88
And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Blessing of the Day: modern medicine