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I am happy to report that Eric is resting in his room at Scottish Rite Hospital tonight. It was a very long day! The surgeons reported that the surgery went very well. As you can see from the picture below, the surgeons had a lot to do today! They made two incisions: one along his left side where they bolted his hips and along his back, where you can see the rods and many screws. They took their time and from the x-ray it appears that they did a great job!

BEFORE                     &                                 AFTER

Eric is hooked up to many monitors and machines. When I left the hospital he was resting. The nurses will rotate him every couple of hours through the night. It will be a long and hard recovery, but Eric is on his way. The next few days will be challenging as Eric’s epidural is removed and his pain is treated with medication through his G-Tube.

I know Eric will have the strength to work through the long recovery he faces thanks to the world wide support he receives on this blog everyday. I will continue to keep you posted, hopefully with good news everyday!

Lots of love,

Aunt Ann

It’s 2:45 p.m. here in Dallas.  Eric headed down to the surgery floor around 6:30 a.m. this morning.  The first report we received from the operating room was at 8:30 a.m., shortly after surgery began.  We have been kept up to date from the OR about every 90 minutes or so.  All reports have been positive, and things are going as expected. 

Eric will be in a new room after surgery (it’s similar to a mini ICU).  Donna & I have already decorated the room so Eric will feel right at home

I will keep you posted; I am anticipating the next post will report that Eric is resting well!

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. 

Ann

As I get ready for bed, preparing as best I can to be an emotional rock for Donna, my sister, I feel it is important to acknowledge Eric’s parents. The strength and love that Donna and Chris have for Eric (and little sister Megan) is unending. As parents they are committed to their children. Not only do they provide for their children, they empower them and are helping them to grow into well rounded, well adjusted, caring and compassionate members of society. I believe that because of his parents, Eric has and will continue to thrive both physically and emotionally during his life.

Tomorrow’s surgery will be a “thumbprint” in Eric’s life that he will always carry with him. Eric takes away from this experience not only a stronger and healthier body, but the inspiration from each and every comment on this blog provided by you. Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read, to care, and to share. Each one of you has left a little of yourselves not only for Eric, but for everyone who passes by.

I will keep you updated as much as possible tomorrow while Eric is in surgery and when he comes out of surgery. Eric’s surgery is scheduled for 8 a.m. and is estimated at taking between 8-10 hours. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated more than words can say.

Lots of love,

Aunt Ann

Aunt Ann here. Eric is holding up well. Yesterday (Monday) Eric won $60 worth of Toys R Us & Target gift cards playing Bingo in the Child Life Center at Scottish Rite Hospital! Winning such great prizes helped Eric get through the day a little easier. He is not allowed to drink anything except water this week (before surgery on Thurs. Jan 31). The doctors are playing it safe in every way. If you know Eric, you know he loves his milk, so this came as a disappointment.

Pictured is Eric (and Mom, Donna) on Sunday, enjoying Wendy’s food and frosty for the last time this week.

You can tell by the Super Bowl balloons that we are preparing for a huge party on Sunday! If we don’t watch the Super Bowl with Eric (because he’s not up to it), we will be cheering Eric on to recovery!

I am headed to the hospital later this morning and will be taking with me all of the new comments to Eric. Keep them coming!

Love & thanks to everyone!

Aunt Ann

Eric has officially made through his first day at the hospital! They are doing a lot of prep-work for the surgery on the 31st. Please keep the comments rolling in. They continue to help him through this tough time.

I think it only fair that I introduce you to Nick (Mr. Rooney). Nick was Eric’s aide in school for 3 years and is also a great friend to Eric. Although Nick has moved on in his career, he remains close to Eric and his family (as is evident by his work here on the blog).

Thank you again, Mr. Rooney!

PS – Donna snagged your picture and sent it to me!

Also, all posts from the original blog location have now been moved and posted in their respective posts. Each individual post is such an inspiration to Eric and his family, I felt it necessary to move them.