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!

Scott continues to improve a little bit each day. He ate more today than he has, which is good. Hopefully, he will be able to get rid of the feeding tube before long. He has been reading a little bit with Andrea, and is continuing to work out in physical therapy. He is off all of the sedation medicine, so he has not been as confused. He is missing his kids, and wants to see them. It is so wonderful to see the progress that he is making!

Scott continues to make progress. He is working with physical therapy twice per day, and it is helping him to get stronger. He almost stood on his own today! He is weaker on his right side, than on his left one. This is due to the injury being on the left side of the brain. When the drain tubes for his brain and abdomen are removed, they will consider moving him to the rehabilitation unit. It is going to take time, but he continues to amaze us with his strength. He loves Andrea so much, and he is always happier when she is there with him.

Scott had an MRI early this morning, and the neurosurgeon decided that is was safe to put the bone flap back on. They had to removed the bone flap from the abdominal cavity and replace it on the skull. Scott did well during the surgery and is now all put together! The neurosurgeon inserted a drain in both the brain and the abdomen to drain any extra fluid that may accumulate. Once these drains are no longer needed, they will just pull them out. The doctor said that Scott's brain looked good. Hopefully now Scott can just recuperate from this surgery and then start the hard work of rehabilitation. Thanks for your love, prayers, and concerns. Today was a good day!

Scott has now started to be able to eat solid foods. He still has a feeding tube for a little while but this is progress. He is also continuing with physical therapy. We are making progress but they are baby steps and probably will be for a while. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Things are improving again today! Scott still has the fever, but it isn't as high, and it is intermittent. The doctors think that it was a sinus infection causing the fever, and they are treating him with antibiotics. He is working in physical therapy, and he stood today for the first time since the accident. He is communicating more, but it will still be a long, hard battle. It is wonderful to be able to post two positive entries in a row! Your prayers are helping!

Great news! They performed an MRI on Scott today, and the brain swelling is finally starting to go down. He still has a way to go with it, but it is finally starting to diminish. Also, there is no sign of any dead or decaying brain tissue! Another miracle! Scott is communicating better and following commands. His lungs are looking better today. They have changed his one antibiotic for another one. They think that the one antibiotic that they changed was affecting his liver. He is still running a temperature, today he was staying around 102 or 103 degrees. He is improving, but it is going to be a long, hard haul. Thanks for your prayers. You are helping us achieve our miracles!

There have been small improvements today. Scott's liver looks a little better today and his white blood cell count is now in the normal range. His blood level is finally starting to improve, as well. Hopefully things will continue to improve like this.

Another day, another setback. We would love to be able to shout out some good news. Maybe tomorrow will be the day. Right now, Scott is still fighting an infection. They have ran cultures and he is receiving the right antibiotic for the infection. Hopefully, they will soon start to knock this infection out. He is still running a fever, but it is lower than it was. He is staying right around 102 degrees. Both lungs are partially collapsed. Scott needs to be taking deeper breaths to help his lungs. Another worry is with his liver. His liver numbers are higher than they should be. We don't know yet what is causing these high liver numbers. Please keep praying for him. Your love, concern and prayers are carrying us! We appreciate it so much.

Thank you to everyone that supported the fundraiser today. It meant so much to our family. We are so grateful for the love and support that has been extended to us. Thank you for all of the donations and for those that volunteered their time and energies to help out the Blackett family. It is an amazing and humbling thing to see our community come together like it did today.

Scott is still running a fever today. He is battling some sort of an infection and until cultures come back it is hard to know exactly what needs to be treated. Now his other lung is partially collapsed, as well. Scott is strong, though, and we have faith that he is going to be able to overcome this.

Again, thank you so much for support today. A special thank you to the employees of CVMC and the Rasmussen family. We love and appreciate you!

It looks like we have taken a step backwards today. Scott is fighting an infection and is running a fever. Please remember him and Andrea in your prayers.

Also, remember the yard sale tomorrow at the park. Please come out if you can make it. It is going to help an amazing family that has always helped out those around them--please come and support them!

There is good news today. Scott is off of the ventilator and breathing great on his own. He is responsive and started physical therapy this afternoon. It seems like things are starting to improve.

Today there has been a little improvement. Scott's lung is looking a little bit better and he is coughing less than he has been. The coughing has been causing him so much discomfort that we are grateful for this. He also had to have a blood transfusion this morning. We again, as a family, want to thank your for all of your concern and prayers.

Scott was able to have surgery on his neck yesterday morning. They placed two rods and five screws in his neck. Dr. Gardner was not able to replace his skull cap due to there still being some swelling on his brain. The surgery went well, however, and it is a huge relief to us that he has had the surgery and we can stop worrying about damage being done to his spinal cord. Today, though, he has a partially collapsed lung and a bit of a fever. We were hoping to remove him off of the ventilator due to the discomfort that it is causing him but it looks like it will stay in place a little longer.

The doctors are worried about Scott being on the ventilator this long and possible complications. He coughing more and more, and it is painful for him with all of the tubes. They are thinking that is safer to operate on him with the continued brain swelling, and fuse the neck, than it is to wait for the swelling to decrease and then fix his neck. This will mean that they will fuse the neck in one surgery, and then, when the brain swelling is gone, replace the skull portion. The neurosurgeon is thinking the surgery may take place on Monday. Once Scott's neck is fused and there is no longer danger of paralysis, then some of the breathing assistance can be removed. This will make Scott much more comfortable. He would not need to be so restrained and sedated. We are hopeful that this surgery will go well.

Thank you so much for your continued concern and prayers.

Another post for today but it is great news-Scott has been opening his eyes and is focusing on people. Before now he has been kept too sedated to do more than open his eyes for just a moment or two. He has also nodded "yes" to a couple of questions that were asked of him--this is great news and hopefully a step to getting our Scott back.

We wanted to let everyone know about the fundraiser yard sale that some of the employees of the hospital have organized to help out Scott and Andrea. We hope that they know how much we appreciate their efforts! It means more than we can express and we hope that people know how much they are appreciated. We also appreciate all the prayers and kind words we have recieved. It is amazing to see how kind and thoughtful people are and I hope that everyone knows how truly grateful we are.

Today they swelling on Scott's brain seems to be decreasing so hopefully things are moving in the right direction and Scott will be able to have his second surgery. We are so grateful for everyone's prayers and again, ask for continued prayers.

We had some encouraging news today! An MRI was performed on Scott last evening. It showed no spinal cord damage at all, which is wonderful. Scott had bruised his frontal lobes in his brain in the accident, and the MRI showed no dead or decay tissue from the bruising. It is still going to be a long haul for Scott and his family. The swelling in the brain is being stubborn, like Scott, and is not decreasing yet. As soon as the swelling decreases, then surgery can take place to fuse his neck, and to replace his skull. What a great present for Scott's birthday!

We, as a family are being so supported by your love and prayers. Thank you for them. We are still waiting for the swelling to go down in Scott's brain. Until that goes down, there isn't much that we can do but wait. We are getting a lesson in patience. We know that Scott is going to overcome this challenge, but it will be a long, hard road. A special thank you to all of those of fasted on Scott's behalf. Please keep him in your prayers. We know that they are helping him, and also us.

There has been no change in Scott's condition with the exception of the pressure in his brain has increased a little bit. We were hoping that it would stay stable or decrease, and the increase in pressure is worrying us a little. We need to get the pressure to decrease so that he can have the surgery for his neck and to put that portion of his skull back on. It is hard to be patient, and we need to be. Scott needs time and rest for him to heal. We will keep praying and ask again for yours.

Scott is still in stable condition. Now we are still just waiting for the swelling on his brain to subside in order for his next surgery to take place. He is strong, healthy, and a fighter and we know that this will help him heal. We appreciate all of the kind messages. Please keep him, Andrea, and his children in your prayers.

There is some slight improvement this morning. It is going to be a long, slow process. The neurosurgeon is optimistic. He is planning on fusing Scott's spine and closing up the skull in about a week. The outpouring of love and prayers is carrying us right now. Please continue to keep Scott, Andrea, and his family in your prayers. We appreciate it so much.

There has been such an outpouring of love, support, and concern for Scott since his accident Saturday night that we, as a family, have decided to set up a blog detailing updates on how he is doing.
For any who may not know, Saturday Scott went four-wheeling with friends and wrecked on his four-wheeler. After being taken to the ER, it was discovered that his brain was hemoragging and that his neck was broken. He was life-flighted to Utah Valley and admitted to the ICU.
Early Sunday morning he had surgery on his brain to stop the bleeding and also with the intent to place a metal plate and screws in his neck. However, the surgery on his brain took longer than the neurosurgeon wanted and repairing his neck has been postponed. A part of his skull was also left off and placed within his abdomen (to keep the tissue alive) giving his brain room to swell and now, hopefully the swelling with go down. Right now there does not seem to be any damage to his spinal cord and we are hoping to prevent that.
Today the pressure on his brain seems to be easing up which is a good sign.
Right now we are appealing for all of the prayers that we can get. We love him so much and want him better and home with his family. We will update this blog with Scott's progress for any that may be interested.