Monday, May 17, 2010

"I want steak"


"I want steak" were Daniel's words, when I asked what it was he wanted to eat when he could do so autonomously. To this, I answered that if it's steak he wants, then he shall have the best piece of steak I can find, once he is ready to eat.

It was early Saturday, Lito, Joe, and myself were spending the day with Daniel. The weather was perfect, so we cruised to the patio with Daniel to take in some much needed sun. He was in good spirits, I put my shades on him and we chilled in the sun. At times, he would tell us he was hot and we would then move him to the shade, then he would say it was cold and we would return to the sun. This was what we did for him to keep him as comfortable as we could, when asked if he wanted to go inside he told us "no I'm cool outside".

It was definitely lifting to see him so engaged and willing to talk, we talked boxing, basketball, soccer and UFC, among other things. For the record, Daniel favors Brazil in the upcoming World Cup, Evans in the next UFC and if it ever happens, Paquio over Maywether. The fact that he can now verbalize all of those things is simply amazing and it made me feel like it is only a matter of time, before his body catches up to his mind.

His mind is definitely sharp, he was tracking our conversations and at times he would chime in on what he thought about the subject matter. He spoke in small phrases and when I shifted the conversation to Spanish he would adjust and speak to me in Spanish, he did the same when we spoke in our most common language (slang). A "Puro pedo" was mixed in, here and there by him too.

Once the sun started creeping away and it got a bit chilly, we returned to his room. He wanted to remain in his wheelchair, so we complied. The topic of our conversation changed a bit as it was getting late and we were going to leave soon. We shared with him how much we miss him, how amazingly far he has come and to keep up the good work. He relayed his frustration with his situation and how he does not feel like he is moving fast enough in the heeling process. This was really tough to hear, my response was; " I wont lie to you, so please believe me when I say that you have definitely come a long way and it is through your hard work and determination that you have come this far".

I realize it may be difficult for him to really understand just how much progress he has made, but I do believe he needs to hear it over and over again.

Our time with him ended as we lay him back in his bed to rest and we had the nurse come in to check up on him, to make sure he was okay. As we parted ways and let him rest for the day, we walked out of the facility in silence, happy to see him doing so well, but also realizing he is now fully aware of his situation.

In Solidarity,

Chuy




9 comments:

  1. Thanks Chuy. That's awesome!

    Irene

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  2. This title brought a smile to my face. Thank you for the update! I love to see Daniel's progress and the great support you all share. My prayers go out to you all. One day, I hope to meet Daniel and his family. Take care.

    Tabitha Fuller

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  3. Thanks Chuy... I have wondered how my friend was doing and been feeling guilty that I haven't been involved in his recovery. Your post has given me hope and I look forward to visiting Daniel sometime soon! (Is he still in San Marcos?) God Bless you and your friendship.

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  4. What a great blessing it is to see even just the title of this update! My father & step mother quite often go in and visit with him. I had heard he was eating on his own and sitting up. How blessed I was to see that he actually wants steak! :) It truly sounds like Daniel has come a very long way in his healing since my husband & I were in California from Canada and visited him. Thank you for the update, please let Daniel know that my prayers are still with him. I pray that God's glory will be shone through Daniel by his healing. Be blessed! Michelle Ford

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  5. It would be helpful to have a monthly post.
    It appears that Daniel is making progress, although very slowly, but progress nonetheless.
    I see the list of contributors, thankful for their willingness to keep the rest of us informed. Those of us in other cities rely on this blog. This is June, what has happened?

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  6. My wife, Esperanza and I (Jerry Horner) had a visit with Daniel today. We caught him in the middle of his lunch. He is now eating a "real food" breakfast and lunch every day. The nutrition nurse who was feeding him said, "next week they will start feeding him dinner as well."
    The big news is, Daniel has started to visit his home twice a week. This is a trial program. The first trip was yesterday and was very sucessful. He enjoyed being with his children. He will be making this trip every Tuesday and Thursday. So, if you are planning a visit you should work it around these days.
    I am trying to get someone to explain to me how to get into the main blog text so I can keep it updated. Keep checking...Regards Jerry

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  7. Jerry, see Victor. He is the coordinator/jefe for the blog. I think he can set you up.
    Thank you for the information on Daniel's improvement in regards to taking real food and his partial 'homecoming'. Fantastic!

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  8. I think people try to put posts up here as often as possible. To have a post at all is great. so thank you...if you want an update...go visit him.

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  9. Daniel's friends, acquaintances, and colleagues all are concerned with his health and welfare, the blog is a lifeline keeping contact over time and distance. As Mr. Cabrera has stated, timely posts 'give him hope'.
    Daniel's circle of friends stretches far and wide: there are readers of his blog in Norco, Riverside, Los Angeles, Delano, Oakland, Portland, Colorado Springs, Phoenix, Pennsylvania, Tijuana, Havana, to name but a few locations.
    Anonymous, above, admonishes those of us that desire information about Daniel to
    '...go visit him.' How overly simplistic!
    Mr. Cabrera's comments reflect how all of us feel about Daniel and his family. It lifts our spirits to read a new post describing progress.

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