Saturday, November 7, 2009

A Response to sincere 'Comment' by Binuelos:

The comment contained several concerned inquiries
about Daniel and the frustration of not seeing new
updates. Like Binuelos, many who check the blog
everyday, experience dismay and apprehension with
the lack of news. Two weeks without an update
certainly has a way of eroding hopes.
It is our responsibility to support the many who,
because of time and distance, see the blog as their
only contact with Daniel and his family.
Daniel's condition has not regressed in that he has
not experienced the recurring fevers, his weight has
stabilized, the Baclofen pump is functioning properly.
However, his progress with speech therapy and
associated indicators has not displayed any
significant change. Swallowing and possibly using
vocal chords has not been successful as yet.
Daniel is still at Village Square/Kindred in San
Marcos. Cathy, Margarita, and other family members
are very satisfied with the care and treatment offered
by this facility. They have been advised by Daniel's
insurance company that they are evaluating his
condition and need for the level of care offered by
Village Square/Kindred. They will determine if he
will remain here or will be moved, the decision may
come as early as November 14, 2009.
Take care of one another.....
Sal

17 comments:

  1. I went to see Daniel yesterday. It was great seeing him; I need to get over there more often and I will. I, like so many others, monitor the blog on an almost daily basis and I thank Victor for creating it. Thank you to all the family members and friends who keep us updated on Daniel's condition. Thanks, Sal!

    Love you always, Daniel!

    NiƱa

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  2. Hope Daniel is better!

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  3. Animo Daniel, Puro Pinche Aztec pride!!!!

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  4. Hi, I'm a student at RCC, and I had Mr. Vega as my guidance teacher back in 2007. I only just found out about what happened, and I offer my prayers to him and his family. I really hope he continues to improve.
    Get well, Mr. Vega.
    Stephanie Richardson

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  5. I will continue to believe that "No news is good news" while praying for his complete recovery and for his family as Thanksgiving Day approaches. Much strength to all his family and friends and remember, miracles do happen. God Bless all!

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  6. For 23 years, Rom Houben was trapped inside his paralyzed body, after doctors had mistaken his condition to be a coma following a car crash.
    The 46-year-old man was unable to communicate with doctors or family members, who believed him to be in a long-term coma.
    "I screamed, but there was nothing to hear," said Houben.
    “I dreamed myself away,” he said. “Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt.”
    Doctors at the hospital in Zolder, Belgium used the Glasgow Coma Scale to grade Houben’s eye, verbal and motor responses.
    Doctors and family members eventually gave up on believing that Houben would ever wake from the coma, until they employed revolutionary brain scanning techniques that showed his brain was functioning at near normal levels.
    "I'll never forget the day that they discovered me, it was my second birth," said Houben, who uses a keyboard to communicate.

    “Medical advances caught up with him,” neurological expert Dr Steven Laureys told the Daily Mail.
    Laureys, who heads the Coma Science Group and Department of Neurology at Liege University
    Hospital, has issued a scientific report on Houben’s case, and he believes there are many other people in the same state as Houben’s.
    Doctors and nurses in Zolder deemed him a hopeless case whereby his consciousness was considered "extinct".
    Houben was a former martial arts enthusiast and engineering student was paralysed after a car crash in 1983. He was finally correctly diagnosed three years ago and his case has just come to light in a scientific paper
    released by the man who "saved" him.
    Three years ago, neurologist Steven Laureys used modern scanning techniques to discover that Houben's cerebral cortex was, in fact, functioning. (The doctor has only just now made Houben's story public.)
    According to Laureys, Houben's case may be far more common than we'd like to think. The doctor, who leads the Coma Science Group and Department of Neurology at Liege University Hospital, says that while Houben's doctors were "not good," he's not sure better ones using this same coma scale would have detected brain activity either. A case is being made, it seems, to stop relying on the Glasgow Coma Scale and start looking more closely at brain scanning images.
    Doctors treating Houben's regularly examined him using the worldwide Glasgow Coma Scale which judges a patient according to eye, verbal and motor responses.
    In his report, Dr. Laureys writes that in about 40 percent of "vegetative state" cases he has analyzed, current brain scanning techniques reveal signs of varying levels of consciousness.
    During every examination, Houben's was graded incorrectly. And so he suffered in silence, unable to communicate to his parents, his caregivers or the friends who came to his bedside that he was awake and aware at all times what was happening in his room.
    Hi-tech scans showed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally.
    Therapy has now enabled him to tap out messages on a computer screen and he has a special device above his bed enabling him to read books while lying down.
    "Anyone who bears the stamp of 'unconscious' just one time hardly ever gets rid of it again," he said.

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  7. Is daniel Ok , Have heard any news for a Long time, Please let us know of his status, many people awit positive results.

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  8. daniel's progress is slow. weeks may pass before anything progresses.

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  9. Why has there not been any updates on Daniel, I am a daily checker and I am really concerned on Daniels progress. Is there any news out there????

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  10. I think if you visited Daniel you would feel better and understand more. We know many of you can't because of distance.... It may take week's to see any progress . We must have patience.

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  11. The purpose of HopeForDaniel blog was to inform family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances of his health and well being and his struggle. For seven months the blog has kept us connected in spirit, with him and his immediate family. The lack of any 'post' for almost a month creates some anxiety. Patience, we have.

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  12. I can imagine the anxiety...I am a cousin of Daniel and either through family or my own visits do I get updated on his condition/status. Daniel's progress is very subtle. Like all of us, he has good and bad days. On a good day, he's calm and seems alert and relaxed. On a bad day, he may have a fever or experience some type of discomfort, like tension, pain, who knows. If there is any substantial progress we will let you all know. In the meantime, there's really not a whole lot to report. On behalf of our family, I thank you for concern, support and for taking the time to read this blog. Take care.

    With Love,

    Irene Lopez

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  13. December 7, 2009
    One month since the last post to HopeForDaniel blog.
    The 12 comments have been helpful,
    better than nothing.

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  14. I have visited Daniel three times since he's been hospitalized and I live in LA county. Each time I have seen slight improvement and I wonder what the future hold's for my dear friend. I do know this: Daniel and his family sincerely appreciates visitors. As with an earlier commnet, if you see Daniel, you will better understand how serious a brain injury can be and how slow recovery is. I applaud the Vega family for creating the blog and I respect the fact that ongoing commincation is not always possible.

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  15. Daniel is so loved :) its beautiful

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  16. shows what an amazing Man he is

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  17. Thanks Irene, and thanks to all for your comments. They can be as informative, if not more so, than any post. In fact, a chorus of voices has always been my wish for this blog. I apologize for not posting more regularly...I will do my best to post more consistently...

    VV

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