After 40 days, Scott was able to return home today. It was such a blessing to see him sitting on his couch in his own home surrounded by his kids and Andrea by his side. He still has a neck brace and has some work ahead of him with out-patient therapy but he is doing so well. The progress that he has made the last two weeks is amazing and we are so grateful to have him back. He will still have some work ahead of him, but if anyone is up to it, it is Scott. He is such a great example of strength--the only thing close to a complaint that he has made is of having a headache . . . and maybe a little grumbling about the hospital food :).

As a family, we are very much aware of how blessed we are and how things could have gone very differently. We know that prayers are answered and we can never thank everyone enough for all of the prayers that were offered in behalf of Scott, Andrea, and their kids. If we were to list all of the little miracles we have seen through out the past 40 days, it would take pages.

We are also so grateful for all of the acts of kindness performed in their behalf. Scott is aware of how kind people have been and also appreciates it.

One thing Scott may not be aware of, however, is this blog. He has always hated having any attention on him. We decided to ignore that for a while, though, and implore for your prayers. We also wanted to have a place in which people could check up on how he was doing so this will be the final post. We are so grateful to everyone but as Scott begins to reclaim his normal life, we are going to let him also have the privacy that goes along with it. We are forever grateful for your prayers. We know that it has brought us our miracle!

Love,

The Scott Blackett Family

Scott is working so hard in therapy and doing so well. He is having six different sessions per day, and it is wearing him out. By the time, evening comes he is tired. The doctors and therapists are working on getting him ready to come home soon. We are not sure of the date yet, but he should be home within the next five days or so. He will still need outpatient therapy at the hospital here in Nephi. It will be a big adjustment for him to come home. He will need to get accustomed to routines of home, compared to the routine he is in now. It will take him a while to get ready to see everyone again. We know that Scott getting to this point, is due to all of you. We can never thank you enough for all of the miracles and the blessings that we have received. Thanks for all of your prayers, love, help and financial assistance. Because of you, Scott will soon be coming home!

Scott didn't have any therapy today, since it was Sunday. He kept busy anyway. He got in a wheelchair and with Andrea and the kids attended sacrament meeting in the hospital chapel. Then the kids spent most of the afternoon with him in his room. They played SkipBo and just enjoyed being together. Kael even took a nap in the bed with Scott. It was a good day!

Scott is working hard in the rehab unit. He worked with the speech therapists, the physical therapists, and the occupational therapists twice today. He was able to see Taylee, Ryler and Kael for a few minutes tonight. He went for quite a walk today, and was able to eat in the dining room of the unit. He is getting stronger, but it is hard work. It has been five weeks since the accident, and the progress that he has made is amazing.

Scott only spent one day in intermediate care. Yesterday around 5 p.m. they moved him into the rehabilitation unit at Utah Valley. They think that he is ready and strong enough to start working on gaining back strength and ability. The therapy will be very intensive. Scott looks so much better. The feeding tube is gone, the drains from his brain and his abdomen are gone. He still has the PIC line in, just in case they need to add meds. Last night, he was running a fever again, so the nurse gave him Tylenol capsules and a drink of water. It is great to see him be able to do that, instead of infusing into a line. The bandages of his head are gone, and he looks so good. The neck brace will have to stay for quite a while longer to make sure that the neck is stable. Taylee, Ryler and Kael got to see him for a minute, and they told me that he now looks like Daddy again. The schedule in the rehab unit will be very involved, and so they are discouraging any visitors. Visitors have to be immediate family, and then only for a short time and during special visiting hours. It is so wonderful to see the progress that he is making. Everyone is so optimistic about Scott. The nurse told us that this will be the hard part, so we are again asking for your prayers. Thanks again.

Hooray! Finally, after 32 days in ICU, Scott was moved to an intermediate care room. This room is a step between a regular room and ICU. Also, his feeding tube got tangled up with a Bi-pack machine, and came out. They are now giving Scott a chance to see if he can keep up on his eating. If he is getting enough nutrients without the feeding tube, they won't have to put it back in. Scott walked almost a hundred feet yesterday. He still needs the support on each side, because of the weakness on the one side. He is working hard to get stronger, but still tires easily. We are hoping that he will be able to see his kids more, now that he is in intermediate care. We aren't sure what the rules are yet, but will find out more today. Another good day!

Yesterday was a wonderful day. After thirty-one days in ICU, three surgeries, and many prayers, Scott was wheeled out of his room, and onto the outdoor balcony by the ICU. The sun seemed so bright to him, that they had sunglasses on him. As a reward for his hard work in physical therapy, the therapists had arranged for Scott to see all of his kids. This is the first time that he had been able to be with Kael since the accident. When the kids arrived, Scott showed us how hard he had been working. Scott stood up and with a physical therapist on each side of him to provide balance and support, Scott walked about forty feet. It was so good to see him walking, standing and sitting up again, after all of the time he has been in bed. The kids were so excited to see him. Scott kept reaching out his arms, wanting to lift them in his lap. We had to keep telling him that he couldn't do that yet, but he kept trying. It was so good to see him interact with his kids. Taylee and Ryler were so glad to see him. Kael was a little suspicious of Scott, but warmed up to him after a few minutes. Scott is eating between a third to one half of the meals that they are bringing him, so we are hoping the feeding tube can soon be removed. On the latest CT scan, it showed some fluid in the mastoid area, and the doctors are thinking that it could be another sinus infection. They are probably calling in an ear, nose, and throat specialist to make sure. Scott is doing so much better. It is going to be a long road back for him physically. As soon as Scott is strong enough to be able to withstand a four hour workout with the therapists, they will move him into the neurological rehab unit there at Utah Valley. We don't know when this will be, but we are hoping for soon! It will take some time for him to gain his strength back. He was so tired after his walk and a few minutes with the kids, that he went right back to sleep when he got to his room. Again, we want to thank you for all of your love, concern, help and especially your prayers. We know that we have received miracle after miracle with Scott and his progress and we don't know have to ever thank you. We know that the skilled doctors, nurses and medical care that Scott has received, and your prayers, have gotten us to this point. Thank you so much for every prayer on his behalf. We are witnessing the outcome of those prayers!