Updates On Bill Basler.

We have been receiving emails regarding fellow Woody Boater Bill Baslers progress, here is the latest and the update from 2 days ago that will give us all a sense of what he is dealing with.

From Michelle as of 10 Pm on Thursday!
Anyone who was hoping for an official declaration from Bill will now have to be even more patient, the jaw was officially wired shut this afternoon. Surgery was on his upper left arm/elbow today and it took just under 7 hours.

He had a rough time coming out of the anesthesia and gave me a pretty good scare but once he settled down he fell asleep and it appears that for the first time since the accident they are actually going to let him rest.

I am hoping for a visit from a magical source in physical therapy who is supposed to come provide him with a special iPad type device he can type a few things out on to help ease his communication frustrations. I’m not sure he’ll be able to use it yet but it’s worth a try. No surgery tomorrow so praying for a restful, quiet day full of peace for him because I’m fairly certain he believed once today’s surgery was done and the jaw was wired, he’d be about out of here. When he woke up and realized that is obviously far from true, he was distraught.

Thank you again for all of your well wishes. His cheering section is the best I’ve ever seen and I’m right here beside his bed relaying every message on to him. You’re the best and some day, some way, I hope to be able to repay all the love and generosity.

HERE IS THE UPDATE FROM A COUPLE DAYS AGO

From Michelle via Facebook
Well this is day 6 and it’s starting off well. Yesterday they were able to get Bill breathing on his own for a couple of hours which was wonderful news. They switched out the mouth breathing tube for a tracheotomy and that was such a relief to him. Yesterday he was still very frustrated by not being able to communicate but by this morning I am already reading lips better and he has told me all about, “The firemen” and “Two hours”. (He was trapped in the truck for over a hour and apparently remembers that.) He keeps asking, “What happened?” and he draws a spinning motion with his one good hand to show me he knows the truck spun around and around.

Today is a rest day with surgery on his broken upper left arm and jaw slated for tomorrow. I haven’t really given specifics because the list of his fractures is so long. But so far, his left hip which was completely sheered has been pinned and is “fixed” , the lower left arm has been “fixed” and he’s had the first of many surgeries on the right foot and ankle which lost blood flow and was in jeopardy. That foot has a strong pulse now but will need to be completely rebuilt.

All of his other injuries are just stabilized and waiting to be addressed when his lungs heal. He has 7 broken ribs on the left, 3 on the right. A bone in his neck is broken but his spinal cord looks good. He also has a bone in his lower spine that is broken but hopefully won’t require surgery. His internal organs are bruised but no catastrophic damage there. This is just a brief list but I know you’ve all been sending so much love our way and I want to update you the best I can. I’ve seen a few little smiles and when I tell him he’s going to win this battle he always nods an absolute, “Yes”!