“Are you ready to continue?” Friedman asked.
How am I supposed to answer that question, asshole? I can’t talk or move my head, Michael said to himself. The look of disgust on his face made Friedman realize how stupid the question was.
“Blink twice for yes and once for no,” Reed said.
Michael took a few deep breaths then blinked twice. He felt like someone hit him in the head with a baseball bat when she connected the weight to the cable. There was no screw there when he grabbed the left side of his head. It had popped out. He was screaming obscenities to himself. What the hell are you two doing? Did you get your degrees from clown school? I have ‘Dumb’ and ‘Dumber’ working on me! I would beat the shit out of both of you if I could get up!
Reed and Friedman were tripping over themselves as they tried to apologize.
“We’re so sorry! This has never happened before. We’ve put a lot of these on!”
After ten minutes Reed told Michael they had to put the screw back in. Fire shot out from Michael’s eyes and must have burned a hole in her because they left him alone for twenty minutes. He shut his eyes and began thinking about what was happening. Twenty-four hours ago, he was with his girlfriend and talking about getting married early next year. With his new job in Williamsville and large raise, his road days would be over, and they could start their life together. Everything was so simple then, and now he couldn’t move or feel half of his body. He saw that the clowns had returned for the final act when he opened his eyes. They put the screw in a half an inch above the first one and left without saying anything. Michael finally fell asleep after the pain subsided.
As soon as Michael arrived at Thomas Jefferson, the doctor called the house. Carm picked up the extension upstairs in her room and Mary was on the phone downstairs. His father, cousin, Frank, and Aunt Grace were next to Mary. The doctor confirmed that Michael had broken his neck at the C-6 C-7 vertebrae. Mary started to cry because she knew what this would mean for Michael. He would be paralyzed from the chest down with involvement in all four limbs including limited use of his hands. She knew from that moment what this meant for the family and Michael.
Aunt Grace became alarmed when she saw the usually stoic Mary break down and told Frank, “Run to Aunt Carm, something bad is happening.”
When she regained her composure, Mary asked the doctor, “How can I get information about getting to the hospital and hotels in the area so that we can make arrangements to fly out in the morning?”
“Mary, I will have one of the social workers call you in a couple of hours with all the details. Jefferson does have dormitories for the families of our patients, and they will reserve a few rooms for your family. I know this is the worst possible phone call a family can receive, but we will get Michael stable tonight and make him as comfortable as possible. By the time your family arrives, we will know more.”
She asked the doctor to tell Michael that they were on their way. She hung up the phone and saw the devastated faces of her mother, father, aunt, and cousin. They all started to cry.
Aunt Grace and Frank helped the family pack all night. There would be no sleep that night. As they were finishing their packing, Mary knew her parents had no idea how bad this was going to be. She told her mother, “You are going to see some things that will be frightening.”
She tried to explain what to expect and how bad this was, but her mother cut her off and yelled, “Pray for a miracle then!” They drove to Aunt Grace’s house to borrow a suitcase. When Mary was alone with her cousin Dianne and Aunt Grace, she told them what they were going to see when they arrived in Philly and that she was so afraid for her mother and father. They all embraced and cried. Mary, who had worked with many spinal cord and head injury patients, felt like she was keeping a secret from everyone, knowing that Michael would be profoundly affected, but she knew she had to be strong to help her mother and father deal with what they were going to see and what the entire family would endure.
Five minutes after Donna’s call, her mother was at the door. As her mother hugged her, Donna’s whole body went limp and she sobbed uncontrollably. She was able to say, “Mom, something terrible has happened to Michael. He was in an accident, and they are transferring him to a spinal cord hospital in Philadelphia. I had the terrible feeling something was wrong when he didn’t call me. Oh my God, what are we going to do?”
As Donna started to regain her composure, her mother asked, “What do we know so far?”
“His brother Tony called me and said Michael was in a serious accident and he was being transferred to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. He said it is too soon to know anything definite yet, and they will call me when they know more.”
Trying to be as reassuring as possible, her mother said, “Okay, sweetheart, let’s pack a bag so we’ll be ready to go when we get the call. It’s one o’clock in the morning, so we may not hear anything for a few hours. Why don’t you get a suitcase, and I will call the hospital and get the address and how to get to the hospital.”
As Donna put her suitcase on the bed, the tears started to flow again. Twenty-four hours earlier she and Michael were together in this bed planning their future. She was happier than she had ever been. Now she had no idea what the future held.
At seven o’clock Monday morning, Jennifer, a social worker, called with the details. Thomas Jefferson Hospital is located at 1020 Sansom Street in what is called Centre City. The social worker told Mary, “You can either take a cab from the airport, which is about $25, or you can get on the Centre City train right at the airport. The trains come right up to the hospital. We do have dormitories for the families. The cost is $10 per night. Once you have your flight information, call me and I will make arrangements to meet you in the lobby and make sure the doctors will be available to give your family an update. Then I will get you set up at the dorm and go over a map of the area.” Jennifer gave Mary her direct number and said, “Please call me anytime, we are all here to help you.”
Frank Mancuso called the airline and made reservations for the family. He then called Donna and made arrangements for everyone to meet at the Eastern Airlines concourse in Philadelphia.
Chapter 6
Now What?
A nurse awakened Michael. She told him, “I am going to check your vital signs, just relax.” At first he had no idea where he was. He tried to turn his head but was unable. Then he tried to move his arm, but they were restrained to the bed. Then it started to come back to him. He thought, Oh shit, did that really happen yesterday? I was hoping it was just a bad dream. He wanted to ask the nurse what was going on, but the tube in his throat prevented that. His mind started to race, and he began to panic. Now what? This can’t be happening. My life was just starting to come together. I have to get out of here. I have to call my boss. They are expecting me in Dover this morning. Oh my God, did anyone call Donna? She must be worried sick. My mother must be going crazy. Where is the fucking doctor? I need to calm down. There is nothing I can do with this god-damned tube in my throat. He tried to calm his mind. Everything is going to be okay, he thought. Just relax. No negative thoughts. Someone will be here soon to tell me what is happening. Be strong. You can get through this. Just take deep breaths.
His ability to take a deep, cleansing breath was inhibited by the tube. Panic started to set in again. What is happening to me? Did they connect me to a ventilator? This can’t be happening. This can’t be how I am going to spend the rest of my life. He felt his eyes fill with tears, which ran down the side of his face. The only thing he could feel was the tears. He wanted to cry, but the damn tube prevented him from even crying.
Michael started to pray, Okay, God, you have my attention. What are you trying to tell me? Please don’t let this be a permanent thing. I did the body cast for two months back in junior high. Please don’t let this be worse than that. Please let the doctor get in here soon. He started to relax as he prayed in earnest. Dear God, whatever this is, I know you will help me get throug
h it. I hope this is just a detour in the road, and I will be back on my feet in a few weeks. I can’t feel my legs right now, God. Hopefully that is from the trauma or swelling and that’s what’s happening here. You need to help my family and Donna right now. They must be terrified, not knowing what is going on, so please help them. Michael felt his mind relaxing. He could even feel himself drift off to sleep.
The scene in Dunkirk was almost surreal. Mary called her sister Anne and brother Joe to give them the flight information and the latest update. She was doing her best to keep her parents focused and calm. Both Anthony and Carm appeared almost catatonic as they finished packing their bags. Anthony had called his work and told the foreman what happened. An hour later, the foreman showed up at the house with an envelope full of money and said, “Anthony, the guys took up a collection to help you and your wife. We’re so sorry, and everyone is praying for your boy.”
The usually stoic Anthony felt his eyes well up with tears. All he could say was, “Thank you, and thank the guys for me. I will let you know as soon as we know something. ”
Carm’s sisters Lucy and Grace arrived at the house with envelopes of money and to make everyone something to eat. They did their best to reassure Carm, who was oblivious to everything and everyone. She rocked back and forth, praying and squeezing her rosary beads. Mary had never seen her parents look so sorrowful, and she knew the situation was going to get worse once they met with the doctors. She said a little prayer, asking God to help her stay strong for her parents. Her sister Anne and brother Joe were flying out Tuesday, and Tony was flying from San Francisco on the “red eye” Tuesday or Wednesday night. Grace’s husband Sam pulled up with the car, and the heartsick family headed to the airport.
Donna’s mother and sisters had stayed the night and did their best to keep her calm and help her pack. Donna had cried herself out of tears. She looked as if all the color had been drained from her body. “Donna,” her mother said, “I have the flight reservations and all the details, like where we are to meet Michael’s family in Philly. I am going with you and will stay at least the first night. I will come home once I see how you are doing in Philly.” Under normal circumstances the fiercely independent Donna would have put up an argument, but today it took all her energy to simply nod her head. As her father pulled up with the car, her mother gave her sisters their final instructions. “Call Dorothy, Donna’s boss, and tell her what happened. We will let her know when Donna will be coming back. Tell Dorothy I will call her tonight. ”
As her father loaded the car, he asked, “How long do you expect to be gone?” From the look his wife shot at him, Jerry Harris knew the answer: they would be home when they got home.
Michael was awakened by what seemed to be an army of doctors and nurses. “Michael, I am Dr. Steele, I will be your surgeon.” Dr. Steele was calm and relaxed as she spoke. She made Michael relax. Her dark hair and makeup were very conservative, but they accentuated her brown eyes. She looked as if her background was Greek or Mediterranean. Steele must be her married name, Michael thought. His mind went back to what Dr. Steele was saying. “This is Dr. Henler, Dr. Reed, and Dr. Friedman, whom you met last night. I know you aren’t happy with the intubation tube, but it is a precaution. After a cervical injury, there is a danger that the lungs will stop working. Dr. Henler is going to check your lung capacity, and we will remove the tube.” After listening to his breathing, Dr. Henler nodded to the respiratory therapist, who removed the tube.
Michael’s throat was raw and sore from the numerous failed attempts at the first hospital. His first words were a very raspy, “Thank you.”
Dr. Steele continued in a very professional and clinical manner. “Michael, what we know at the moment is the sixth cervical vertebrate is displaced over the seventh, and this is causing damage to your spinal cord. We won’t know the extent of the damage to your spinal cord until we perform the surgery and we have stabilized your spinal column. The traction will help to stabilize the spinal column until the surgery. We found a small blood clot in your ankle, and we have started you on a blood thinner to eliminate the clot. Once the clot is gone and the spinal column is stable, we are going to operate to see how much damage you have. During the surgery we will place you in a halo, which will further stabilize your spinal column. Now, I have said a lot, do you have any questions?”
“Yes, I do. Why can’t I feel my legs, and this isn’t a permanent thing, is it?” Michael asked with both hope and fear in his voice.
“It’s too soon to tell, Michael.” Dr. Steele then took a piece of paper and rolled it up into a cylinder. “Image this is a spinal cord.” She then crumpled the paper between her two fists. “The spinal cord cannot heal or regenerate itself. Now, we don’t know at this moment if the spinal cord has been severed or if the displaced vertebrate has left a scar on the spinal cord. We won’t know the full extent of the damage until we operate.”
“So will I be able to walk or not?”
“Again, it is too soon to tell, but the prognosis is not promising.”
Michael swallowed hard. Dr. Steele saw the fear in his eyes and on his face. “Michael, we are going to run some more tests and take our own X-rays.”
“Dr. Steele, how long will it be after the surgery before we know something for sure?”
“We’ll know after the surgery, once we see the actual damage to the spinal cord.”
Michael continued to press Dr. Steele. “What’s the worst-case scenario?” he asked calmly but in total terror of the answer.
“Again, it is too soon to tell,” she said almost apologetically.
“When will you operate?” he asked with great apprehension .
“If all goes well with the clot, we will operate at the end of the week.”
“What type of surgery are we talking about?”
Dr. Steele saw the fear in his eyes and on his face. “We will take some bone chips from your hip and fuse that to your cervical vertebrae with some wire. Then we will immobilize your neck for a few weeks.” Seeing the increased anxiety in Michael’s face, she decided to change the course of the conversation and said, “We will talk more about that later in the week. I want to test the strength in your biceps, triceps, and wrists.”
She turned toward the residents and interns behind her and explained the testing scale for this test. She straightened out Michael’s right arm and grabbed his wrist and told him to pull her toward himself. Michael pulled her hand up to his chest. She smiled and turned back to the army of people holding clipboards and said, “That’s a five.” A five indicates normal strength, one is very weak, and zero is no sign of muscle function. She did the same with the left arm and indicated that it was a three. Then she tested the triceps. The right was a four and the left was a zero. Then she allowed one of the interns to repeat the test before moving on to test wrist extension. Both wrists scored a three.
After allowing a different intern to do the wrist test, she said to Michael, “As you know, this is a teaching hospital, and thank you for allowing my interns to work with you.”
A perplexed Michael just said, “You’re welcome?”
“Let me explain what we just learned here. You have excellent strength in your right bicep, and with therapy you can get your right tricep and left bicep back to a five. We don’t really know if or how much strength will return in the left tricep. Only time will tell. You have excellent wrist extension on both sides. This will be beneficial in helping you grasp. We have to continue our rounds. Dr. Henler will be back to see you later today.”
Michael was still confused by what just happened. He was still trying to piece the whole conversation together when Dr. Steele reached for his hand to reassure him that he was in the best spinal cord injury hospital in the Northeast, and they would take good care of him. Then she and her gang left his room.
Before Michael could process what he just heard, Jennifer, the social worker who spoke to Mary, came into his room and introduced herself. “Michael, I have talked to your s
ister Mary. Your family and your girlfriend will be landing in Philly about noon and will take the train to the hospital. Your sister will call me when they arrive. I will set a time for Dr. Steele to speak to your family, and then they will come in to see you. I have reserved three rooms in our dormitory for your family. As a teaching hospital, we have a dormitory for our residents, interns, and nursing students, and there are rooms for the family of our patients for as long as they need to stay.”
Knowing Donna and his family were on the way calmed him enough to regain his thought process. “How long am I going to be in the hospital? My family doesn’t have a lot of money and can’t afford to stay in a hotel for a long time,” Michael said with great concern.
“Michael, the dormitory cost is $10 a day. We understand that families want to stay until their loved one is stable. I have a packet for them, which will show them the locations of restaurants, the best transportation to and from the hospital, a map of the hospital, and all the phone numbers they will need.”
“Good,” was all Michael could say.
Jennifer continued, “As an aside, I attended a seminar by your sister Mary on rehabilitation processes for brain injuries. She is quite an authority on the subject. ”
“Yes she is,” Michael said with pride.
“I will be back a bit later with your family. I will take good care of them, Michael.” This made him smile for the first time.
Five Years to Live Page 6