The Stark Family

Day 11 - Tuesday 10/02/07

Tym got to go for his first walk this morning. We held his hands and walked around the hospital. He kept on remarking at what a nice place it was. He said, “Yeah, this is a really nice hospital!” We got to do a wheelchair ride later in the day and we got to go to an outside patio. Tym continued to be frustrated, even on his ride, and we had to get him back as he kept on taking off his heart monitor. We took one more walk, but every time we stopped for too long (like at a window), he would get frustrated and say “Alright, let’s go!” He never knows where he wants to go, but he definitely does not want to be here.

Tym unfortunately is not working well with the doctors. He continues to get frustrated and wants to go. He started to push and hit people that were in his way and you can tell he is determined to get out of here. Tym requires constant supervision, and it is getting very draining on the family. The hospital has contracted sitters to keep watch on Tym while we eat, sleep, and take care of insurance, care plans, and other matters. Tym has even had to resort to firing his brother Mitch, and some of the nurses and care givers. I don’t know if he just watched the Apprentice, but he’ll get upset and say, “Ok, that’s it! You’re fired! You can go somewhere else, because we don’t need you anymore!”

The only way to keep Tym calm is to distract him. Sometimes the CDs work, other times it’s the TV, newspaper, or food. Tym ate well today, he fed himself breakfast (eggs), lunch (chicken salad), but we never saw him eat any dinner (pasta and meatballs). I thought he might want to “carbo load”, but apparently I was wrong. Tym did sleep a couple of times, so he’s getting good rest and nutrition.

The doctors have advised that the best way to get Tym to calm down is to “locate” him. We have to tell him he’s in the hospital and he’s sick. He hardly ever realized that he’s in the hospital or that he had a “heart attack” (we know that’s not what technically happened, but it’s easier to understand, we think). We continue to receive your cards, pictures, and prayers. Thank you!

Tym sitting up in a special hospital chair. He only smiled for 1 second. We got lucky.

Day 10 - Monday 10/01/07

Tym finally got some well needed sleep. The nurses said he slept from 10pm to 4am. Also, Tym ate his own breakfast for the first time today. He was sitting up in a special chair and he fed himself some french toast and drank some Orange Juice. Tym kept grabbing for the coffee, so when it was cool enough I let him sip some. There was no sugar or cream in it, so he scrunched his face and said, “Yuck!”

Tym recognized all of the money that we showed him today. It is amazing that he can differentiate the money. We are getting a little progress on Tym’s recognition of other things as well. We are still trying to get him to recognize that he is in the Hospital. He won’t say it often, and has a hard time relating that response to the question, “Where are you?” I think his mind skips the answer because he will go straight to, “Well, I’m going to go home.” I asked him why he was going home, and he said “To get ready … for the race!”

Tym is going to be moved today from the Critical Care Unit (CCU) to a recovery room. I will update this post if he makes any more progress today.We have received your cards and flowers. We read them to Tym and post them in his room. Thank you!

UPDATE:

Tym ate most of his dinner today. He was being spoon fed some chicken and carrots. He did really well on this and may not need a feeding tube installed. Tym also did very well with his Physical Therapist (PT) and stood up and walked today. We walked to the bathroom, and around the room a little bit. The most amazing accomplishment today was when Tym wrote his name on a piece of paper. I tried to upload a picture of it, but my phone is not cooperating (sorry). He wrote “Stark”, and then I wrote a line “NAME ____________”, and on it he wrote “Tym Stark”, which kind of looked like “7y7 Stark”, but pretty amazing either way!

Tym started getting aggressive today, and was very motivated to leave. Unfortunately he has to be tied down for his own good. His body is progressing much faster than his mind, and he’s liable to hurt himself.

Day 9 - Sunday 09/30/07

Tym continues to make progress. He was singing to some Neil Diamond and WOW (Christian) CDs that his brother bought for him today. Tym doesn’t want to eat or drink much on his own, but did make a couple of swallows which is encouraging. He does not like the feeding tube as he rips it out every night.

Tym met with the Occupational Therapist (OT) today. One of the funny things that the OT asked Tym was to identify some money. Tym knew to call the dollar “a dollar”, and the five he called “five dollars”. I guess we know one thing that he’s interested in.

Tym is starting to vocalize his desires. We try to get him focused on saying people’s names and where he’s at, but all he can seem to talk about is that he wants to leave. He’ll say things like, “Ok, well, I’m going to go now.” or “Let’s go!” Once he argued with me that “we can get out of here, sure we can, it’s easy!” You can tell he want’s to get out of the Hospital, but he doesn’t understand why he’s here in the first place.

Day 8 - Saturday 09/29/07

Tym continues to make progress however it is slow going. He did not pass his swallowing test, and has to remain on the feeding tube. Tym met with the speech therapist today and started making short sentences. He said things like “come here”, “I like him”, “good to see you”, and “you should get …the pan”  

Tym tossed around his stuffed animal, a raccoon named Billy. One encouraging act was that Tym started singing along to songs that were playing on the radio. He knew the words to Neil Diamond and Air Supply.

Tym is very agreeable with everyone, so it is difficult to tell if you are getting a genuine response. He does say “no” and “I don’t know” from time to time, but often just says “okay” in agreement with whatever is said.

Day 1 - Saturday 09/22/07

Tym was running the La Purisima (Valley of Flowers) Half Marathon and was nearing the end when he collapsed due to an abnormal heart rhythm. Runners (three airmen) on scene administered CPR and a co-worker in the area went for help. The runners and an unknown fireman kept Tym alive with CPR until the EMTs arrived on scene with an ambulance (~13 minutes). The EMTs used the defibrillator (paddles) to shock Tym’s heart back into a regular beat. He was transferred to Lompoc Hospital. His family was notified shortly after.

At Lompoc Hospital Tym was put on an artificial respirator as he could not breathe on his own. They also performed a cat scan to check for brain bleed or hemorrhaging. Co-worker Jim Gin visited Tym at the Lompoc Hospital. Tym was shortly transfered to the Cardiac Care Unit at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. All of Tym’s family met with him there, and have been supporting him ever since.

Day 2 - Sunday 09/23/07

Tym was in a coma at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. He received a second cat scan. Both cat scans came back without any indications of bleeding or swelling. An MRI was requested as it gives the doctors a better physical picture of the brain than a cat scan. It was determined that Tym had ~4 broken ribs due to the CPR. This is a good sign that the CPR was being done well (Thank you!). Tym remained on artificial breathing. It appeared that Tym was making voluntary muscle motions. This is a good sign as his brain and body are communicating well.
A cardiac catheterization was performed to check for any blockages or damage in Tym’s arteries. This test provided positive results as no irregularities were detected.

Tym’s truck was recovered from the La Purisima mission and returned to his home in Santa Maria. His friends from church, life-long friends, and his co-workers were notified of his condition with the information from his cell-phone, which is now in his family’s possession.

Day 3 - Monday 09/24/07

Tym remained on the respirator. It was determined that he was running a fever ~104º. He also had pneumonia from vomit that made its way to his lungs when the CPR was performed. Tym was placed on an ice-blanket in an attempt to bring down his fever.

When the doctors lowered his medications to test for brain activity, Tym started having seizures. They immediately put him back on sedation and anti-seizure medications. This happened every time the medications were lowered.

Tym was still enough today to get an MRI done. The MRI showed no signs of brain damage.

To assist the administration of medications the doctors asked for a central line, which was authorized by the family. The doctors installed and x-rayed the line to make sure it was in correctly. Now all medications and blood tests were taken from this line.

Day 4 - Tuesday 09/25/07

Tym was finally fed today through a line in his nose. He was basically in a medicated coma until his fever and pneumonia was down. He brought his fever down to ~100º. They suctioned out much of the fluid in his lungs and the pneumonia was starting to clear. The breathing machine was changed to an assist mode, and Tym was initiating his own breaths. His brain began taking over more functions, little by little. The respirator was left in to assist his breaths with additional volume and to keep his airway clear.

An EEG (electroencephalogram) was performed and a camera was on Tym for 24 hours to determine if the shakes Tym was exhibiting were actually seizures. To many of the nurses and Tym’s family it appeared that he was shaking like he was freezing cold, but there was no arching, or loss of muscle control. The neurologist determined that the shakes were NOT seizures. Everyone was relieved.

Day 5 - Wednesday 09/26/07

Tym was now being nourished with some fiber based food, and starting to fight his fever naturally. The ice-blanket was removed because it very possibly could have been causing the shakes. Tym’s fever was coming down and the pneumonia almost gone. Now when medications were lowered, Tym could turn his head and open his eyes slightly. He would turn his head towards the side of the bed where nurses were calling his name. He could not obey commands, but it did appear that his other motions were still voluntary and his brain was continuing to take over more functions, again little by little.

Day 6 - Thursday 09/27/07

Tym was getting more awake and aware and therefore more frustrated with his breathing tube. Doctors had to constantly check his restraints as he tried to fight to take over control. When doctors evaluated Tym in the morning, he did not obey any of their commands, and doctors started to doubt his ability to obey commands. The family was very discouraged. However, when the family got to visit, Tym woke up, very groggy and started to communicate (non verbally). You could tell that Tym was having trouble focusing his eyes on subjects, but he would follow them around the room, and when he recognized his family members, his eyes lit up and he moved his head up off the pillow. This was a very good feeling. I asked Tym to wiggle his toes if he could hear me, and HE DID IT! The family broke out in tears! We knew Tym was a fighter, but perhaps just a shy one.

Day 7 - Friday 09/28/07

Tym was finally relieved of the breathing tube and looked 100% better as a result. He was breathing well on his own, but still wanted out of the bed. Nurses had to fight to keep him from escaping. His family was helping with his brain functions by telling Tym that they love him and they’ve missed being able to tell him that with his eyes focused on them. Tym started responding verbally and he would tell people “Hi!” and “I love you!”. He also started understanding commands, and would sit still, squeeze hands, wiggle toes, and say “Hi!” to people when asked. The most adorable part was when Tym grabbed his mother’s (Barbara) hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. He also did this when his daughter (Rebecca) held his hand.
Tym often raised his hands up for hugs. He also would often awake, look at both sides of his hands, then slam them down on his bed in frustration. I think he woke up without any short term memory, realized he was in the hospital, and was bummed out about it. Tym also looked confused or shrugged his shoulders when he didn’t understand our questions, or didn’t know something we asked. We asked who some random passers by were, to see if he wasn’t just saying “Hi” and “okay” to everyone, and he shrugged his shoulders instead. His responses are definitely genuine. I, Tym’s son (Jeremy) got sick on this day, probably because of the stress, and had to visit Tym with a mask on. Tym seemed confused about this as well.

I was able to describe Tym’s situation to him, as his brother has done many times. He seemed to remember that he was running, and understands that he had an accident. I explained to him that his ribs were broken because of the good CPR he received, which saved his life. I explained that his chest hurts because the ribs are broken. Then I asked, “Does this make sense?” Tym responded, “Yeah.” and frowned.

Editor’s Note

On behalf of the Stark family I would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to all of the wonderful people who have helped Tym and the family through this tough ordeal. Thank you to the airmen and other runners who administered CPR. Thank you to the co-workers who got immediate help for Tym, and to those who helped the police figure out Tym’s emergency contact information. Also, thank you to the co-workers who visited Tym in the Hospital. Thank you to the fireman who rushed back to the scene and administered CPR. Thank you to the EMTs who responded to Tym and got his heart beating again, and got him safely to the Hospital. Thank you to the police who responded, contacted the family, and got them to Tym’s truck. Thank you to anyone else who was on scene, or behind the scenes who helped in any way to save Tym’s life. Thank you to the wonderful staff at both hospitals. Thank you to the nurses and doctors who care for Tym and always have his best interests in mind. Thank you for involving the family in all of your plans, and keeping them constantly updated with information. Thank you to the social workers, spiritual care center workers, and case managers who have helped the family with everything from a place to stay, to making plans for Tym’s rehabilitation care. Thank you to the rest of Tym’s family who have really come together in this time of need. Unfortunately, you never really know how much your family loves each other until they are put in a very hard situation. Fortunately we have a very loving family. Thank you to all the friends and family who support us with favors, prayers, thoughts, and encouragement. Thank you for Tym’s church groups who have gotten the prayer chain going and have kept the updates out to everyone. Lastly thank you Dad for being so strong in mind and spirit and teaching me to be the same. You made this much easier on all of us by being such a fighter. We all believe in you and know you are doing everything you can to get better.