The numbers all say that Aaron continues to improve. He is kept sedated below the level of awareness, but not by much. As testament to his stability, he shares his nurse Akemi with another patient. The Ventilator settings, as do the numbers of Aaron’s life, little by little, trend toward normality. The trend is not monotonic; adjustments are made hourly, tweaking oxygen, volume, and pressure (amplitude, frequency, pulse shape, duty cycle). Some hours, the settings advance toward normal, some hours they retreat. It’s a slow halting process, not unlike a battle between well-matched armies. At any given moment, the picture can look good or it can look bad.
Yesterday, 3 colorful armbands arrived unannounced at our transient encampment in the 4th floor waiting room. John, Debbie and Ashley from New Leads, Aaron’s employer, bear the banded arms, decorated for their contributions to this battle.
Today, a measure of their contributions is utilized as yet another bag of milky, light-gold platelets join forces in Aaron’s bloodstream with Aaron’s own legions of molecular engineers repairing the devastation wrought in the initial onslaught, now 12 days past.
Our gratitude is beyond measure.
